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Co-workers, brothers and sisters, activists from all around the world have raised their voice and sent strong solidarity and support to the Huhtamaki Workers, facing with serious violations in Commerce Plant, California.

“This strong Voice and Global protest will wake you up Huhtamaki!” said Tommy Anderson, the President of UNI Global Union Graphical & Packaging.

A global week of action launched by USW (the United Steelworkers) from 17 to 21 November. All the actions were united by a strong demand to respect the legitimate rights of Huhtamaki workers in the workplace, to work in safer conditions and to get better wages.

In addition to its affiliates, the Management Committee of UNI Global Union Graphical & Packaging CALL Respect for All Huhtamaki Workers: “We support our brothers and sister at Huhtamaki in their struggle. They will not let be alone against this serious violations.”

The actions took place to support the long length demands of workers at the Huhtamaki plant in Commerce, California who are asking the company to meet with democratically elected worker’s committee to address grievances over health and safety and discipline.  The company has refused to meet and instead brought in a “union-buster” consultant to intimidate the workers which provoke workers’ and trade unions anger.

The protesters with the leaders of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, USW Huhtamaki Council and District 12, joined workers from the Commerce plant to demonstrate in Los Angeles, U.S. at a Chipotle restaurant, a major customer of Huhtamaki. The unions have also launched an online petition targeting Chipotle: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/chipotle-make-sure-your.fb51?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=4305145.

Beside all others, in  response to the Solidarity Call from IndustriALL and IUF, the European trade union representatives at Nestlé, leaders from Paperiliitto, PRO and TEAM and professional union YTN, PAM and SEL in Finland (where multinational Huhtamaki is based), Huhtamaki workers at the Preston site in Melbourne Australia, the Timber and Related Industries Workers Union, who is fighting to get recognition at a Huhtamaki factory near Moscow, Solidarnosc in Poland, activists from Lastik-Is in Turkey,  Africa regional women activists from the IUF in Nairobi, Kenya, and staff members at IndustriALL’s and IUF’s head office in Geneva, Switzerland joined in with the protest against the violations and echoed their solidarity actions.

For more campaign news and details please follow the Huhtamaki workers’ Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RespectforAllHuhtamakiWorkers