News

Workers Banks in Brazil have started the strike

São Paulo. Since the begin of this morning (29/09/10) workers from public and private banks in Brazil, have stopped their activities, after the FEBRABAN – The Brazilian Federation of Banks, not present a propose to increase the salary during the Collective Bargain process. In Assembly, that took place in the last night, the workers have decided running a strike for a not determined time in all of banks. According to Contraf CUT, workers from São Paulo, and other 90 unions place have approved the strike yesterday. Beside of the salary circumstances the workers want a better propose on the distribution of the participation on the results of the bank, and a serious discuss about the consequences of the pressure that they have suffered from the banks to achieve the commercial goals. More information: www.spbancarios.com.br y www.contrafcut.org.br Read More>>>

Contact: marcio.monzane@uniglobalunion.org



Colombian Justice orders reinstatement of 27 Telefonica workers

Bogota. In 2008, managers of the company Telebucaramanga in Colombia, owned by Telefonica, dismissed 27 workers affiliated to the Union of Communication Workers, USTC; some of them were union leaders, who requested legal protection according to Colombian legislation, but justice ruled in favor of the company in both first and second instances. However, after these sentences being submitted to revision by the Constitutional Court, they were revoked, accepting the worker’s demand. Sentence T-096, issued on February 2010, ordered the reinstatement of the workers based on the argument that the dismissals constituted a violation of their union freedom and an open evidence of their anti-union policy. Inexplicably, the sentence was not published until the end of August 2010. Read More>>>

Contact: cenise.monteiro@uniglobalunion.org



Three-day ultimatum for AEI El Salvador to reinstate dismissed worker

San Salvador. The Ministry of Labour gave an ultimatum to the management of DELSUR, subsidiary of the transnational Ashmore Energy International AEI to reinstate José Alberto Vázquez, worker and representative of the Union of the Electricity Industry of El Salvador, SIES, who had been dismissed arbitrarily and with no just cause for having exercised his right to protest against the repressive and anti union attitude triggered by that multinational against unionised workers. Read More>>>

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



FATSA succeeds in demand of fair salary increase

Buenos Aires. After long journeys of strong pressure and constant struggle, workers affiliated to the Federation of Associations of Argentine Health Workers (FATSA), achieved the partial renewal of Collective Agreements 112/75 and 108/75. The first one grants, among other benefits, general wages rise for all the technical staff and complementary services; maintenance staff, kitchen staff, administrative staff and auxiliary nurses of geriatric care centres. The second (108/75), grants general wages rise to all the technical and administrative staff and workers of Medical or Dental ambulatory institutions; biologic laboratories and laboratories of clinical analysis, x ray or similar, medical centres of primary health care, and institutes of health preservation (body care, bathing care, etc…) and in general all the workers who develop their duties in any ambulatory organisation whose aim is the recovery, maintenance and/or preservation of health. All these benefits apply throughout the Argentine Republic’s territory and as regards wages increase, it will be granted in stages, starting in August 1^st 2010, another will be given in December 2010 and the process will be concluded in February 2011. Read More>>>

Contact: jose.molina@uniglobalunion.org



Human Rights Watch: European companies deny US workers union rights

Nyon. UNI Global Union says a new Human Rights Watch report, revealing the double standards set by many European companies when it comes to workers’ rights in the United States, highlights the need for mechanisms to hold companies accountable at the global level for their union policies. The report puts a spotlight on the loopholes in US labour law and lax enforcement that European companies exploit to set a different standard when it comes to worker and union rights. This is a major concern for UNI and its unions, who are seeking solutions to this problem through direct dialogue with European multinationals and through consultation with institutions like the European Union, International Labour Organisation, the United Nations and the G20. Read More>>>

Contact: rachel.cohen@uniglobalunion.org



CUT Colombia engages in dialogue with Colombian Constitutional Court

Bogota. The CUT is thankful and appreciates the commitment and initiative of the Constitutional Court for its proposal of “constitutional dialogue with the nation”, because it constitutes a great opportunity of connecting reality and law. The Constitutional Court has succeeded in making contact with many sectors of the Colombian society, for this reason, unionised workers are thankful for this opportunity of presenting labour reality to the Constitutional Court. The CUT agrees with the Constitutional Court in its purpose of contributing to the construction of a Social, Legal and Democratic State, a project that we consider desirable, necessary and possible to achieve, but an unresolved construction in our country. Read More>>>

Author: Hernán Trujillo Tovar - Contact: leonor.sierra@uniglobalunion.org



Meeting of Endesa Union’s Alliance

Santiago de Chile: In the framework of the Meeting of the Union Alliance Endesa S.A, which took place on September 10^th and 11^th 2010 in that Capital, a delegation headed by the Regional Director of UNI americas Electricity, colleague Fernando Mc Master and integrated by the union representatives of FESCHCAM, Aquiles Basáez Leiva and Ignacio Soto Villalobos, and SINTEF, Walter Van Battenburg and José Meneses, held a meeting with Mr. Francisco Silva Bafalluy, Manager of Human Resources of Enersis-Endesa. In this opportunity, UNI americas insisted upon the urgency of establishing a permanent Social Dialogue aimed at achieving the subscription of a Regional Framework Agreement with the company. Read More>>>

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



Chilean Commerce workers achieve important victory for their sector

Valparaiso. After a tenacious and long struggle on the part of Chilean Commerce Union Organisations to revert the injustice of excluding this sector’s workers from the benefit of the holidays corresponding to the Chilean Bicentennial Celebrations, and in spite of the opposition of the government, through senator Andres Allamand and the Ministry of Work, Camila Merino, the Senate finally approved the law in support of the workers. With the Senate’s galleries crowded with union leaders of the CONSFECOVE and unions of Department Stores and supermarkets, the decision of declaring as inalienable holidays September 19^th and 20^th, was imposed by a majority of votes for all the commerce workers. Read More>>>

Contact: marcio.monzane@uniglobalunion.org



Paraguay: Security guards remain fully attentive to a sector’s Bill

Asunción. Workers of the private security sector in Paraguay remain fully alert in relation to highly conflictive elements included in a Bill that is being debated in the Lower House. It is about Article 205 of the Labour Code, subjectively interpreted by the company’s sector, and this fact derived in multiple denouncements, because the article deprives these workers from a series of rights, especially those referred to the payment of extra hours. In fact, the arbitrary interpretation of article 205 of the Labour Code equalizes the night watchmen’s working hours, security guards or property guards, and the manager’s or company’s representatives, and this derives in the fact that extra hours shall no longer be paid if these exceed the universally recognised 8 hour-regular working journey. Union organisations of the private security sector in Paraguay, who presently develop a national campaign, point out that the bill’s article whose incorporation is currently being discussed, is highly unfavourable for the industry’s workers, and it would lead to a misleading and a disadvantageous interpretation. Read More>>>

Contact: alberto.barrow@uniglobalunion.org



Prosegur workers from Uruguay confront anti-labour actions

Montevideo. The Union of Prosegur Workers of Uruguay (SITPRO) agreed during an assembly recently celebrated in the headquarters of the Federation of Unions of Commerce and Services Workers (FUECYS) in Montevideo, to carry out a mobilisation as well as a partial occupation of the company’s premises on September 29^th. These measures are aimed at facing a series of actions carried out by the local administration that damage the worker’s interests. “Since last February many workers have been facing difficulties at the moment of receiving their wages. The monthly payment does not coincide with labour journeys, the computer system has a lower registry of working hours” pointed out Daniel Lorenzo, President of SITPRO. “These irregularities, even when they have been brought to the attention of the management, still persist”, asserted the leader. Read More>>>

Contact: alberto.barrow@uniglobalunion.org



After Oslo: What’s next for ILO and IMF?

In the wake of the ILO and IMF conference in Oslo on “The Challenges of Growth, Employment and Social Cohesion”, what's next for the two Organizations’ campaign to address the global jobs crisis?. ILO Online spoke to Stephen Pursey, Director of the Policy Integration and Senior Advisor to the Director-General, about the outcome of the Conference and the road ahead. This was the first joint conference of the ILO and the IMF. What was the primary significance of this meeting?. It was significant because it took place at a time when the economic recovery isn't producing badly needed jobs in a number of countries. With global unemployment – especially among youth – at its highest point ever, governments, workers and enterprises all around the world are asking what can be done to reduce the human cost of the jobs crisis and create decent jobs. The conference also heard first-hand accounts from the leaders of three countries – Greece, Spain and Liberia – that have been severely hit by the crisis and are employing courageous and innovative measures to tackle its consequences. In effect, it marked the first time in 66 years that the ILO and IMF have traded their respective organizational blinkers for a convergent vision of how the world's primary international financial agency can work with the world's leading labour organization to address the impacts of this very complex crisis. Read More>>>

Source: ILO Online



36 union leaders murdered in Colombia

Bogotá. 36 union leaders have been murdered in Colombia so far this year. This was confirmed by the Director of Human Right’s Department of the Colombian Unitary Central of Workers (CUT), Luis Alberto Vanegas. In relation to 2009, by the same time, 26 union leaders had been murdered; now the number has increased and 10 more murders have taken place. The Antioquia Educators’ Union (ADIDA) has been the most affected (five members of this union have been murdered); then, the Agrarian Unions of ADEMACOR, ASOINCA, ACA, AICA FEDEAGROMISBOL, SUTEV, SUDEA, ASTRACATOL, SIMANA, SINTRABECOLICAS, SNTT, ASONAL JUDICIAL, SINALSERPUB, SINTRAINAGRO, ASINORT, SINTRAELECOL, ASEINPEC, USO, SINTRAEMPAQUES, EDUCAL, SINTRAGRIN and the Association of Sand and Gravel Workers of Quindio. The most violent month was April: eleven union leaders were murdered, five in January, four in February, five in March, four in May, four in June, one in July, one in August and two in September. Read More>>>

Source: CUT Colombia prensacut@cut.org.co



Henk Shields Passed Away

Paramaribo. Is with deep consternation that yesterday morning (09/28/10) UNI americas received the sad news that our brother Henk Shiields of Communications Workers Organisation Suriname, CWOS, passed away. Henk had been very ill, and had to be hospitalised for over the last six months. Henk had been the General Secretary of his Union for many years. Bro. Henk had served with consistent dedication for many years on the UNI Americas Regional Executive and Regional Telecom Committee, representing the Caribbean and his country Suriname. Despite his reasonably small physical stature, Henk was always strong and forthright in his support of UNI and Caribbean Labour and also held office in the Caribbean Congress of Labour and the Surinamese Union Federation. Read More>>>

Contact: joanne.defreitas@uniglobalunion.org



US labour relations board judgment against DHL on labour violations

United States. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB has ruled that a decision by administrative law judge Robert A Giannasi in June 2005 against DHL Allentown, US, and in favour of the American Postal Workers' Union (APWU) should stand. The judge concluded that DHL managers “interfered with employees’ protected union handbilling activity on three occasions and threatened employees on two occasions” violating the National Labor Relations Act. A labour consultant’s attempt to sue an employee for defamation based on comments in a union newsletter and DHL “discriminatorily issuing” the employee “with a written disciplinary warning for taking an unauthorised break, reducing his work hours, and giving him a negative performance appraisal” all constituted a violation of the act. The NLRB also agreed with the judge’s recommendation, which called for a second union election; the first in September 2007 had to be set aside as a result of objections by the American Postal Workers’ Union and “the unfair labour practices that occurred during the critical pre-election period.” Neil Anderson, head of UNI Post and Logistics Gobal Union, said: “This judgement has been a long time coming and justifies the actions of the APWU. But unfortunately now DHL has pulled out of the US domestic market it brings no comfort to the workers who lost their jobs. We just hope DHL takes note that anti-union behaviour is not acceptable. UNI and ITF will keep fighting to gain respect for workers’ rights."

Contact: neil.anderson@uniglobalunion.org



Contribution

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