The past two years have seen huge changes in the world of Colombian labour: workers have been mobilising like never before, with 290 actions in 2012 alone, and workers have been joining unions like never before, with a growth of 120,000 in the independent trade union movement. In the context of historical oppression and attacks, such advances are to be celebrated.
UNI Europa Executive Committee adopted its position on the TTIP negotiations and red-lines.
The three large political families in the European Parliament lost ground. The centre-right stayed ahead but is weakened. Euro-sceptic and far-right parties gained significant ground in several countries shaking the political landscape.
European voters warned mainstream governing parties. The results are the direct expression of a widespread disenchantment with austerity, soaring unemployment and the continuing crisis.
Commenting on the European elections, UNI Europa Regional Secretary, Oliver Roethig said:
Sintrapulcar leaders and workers from Cajiá SCA-Family plant, UNI Graphical & Packaging and the National Labour School met earlier this week to prepare for negotiations with the company next week.
Members of the Nampak Trade union alliance from South Africa, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia met with the company on the 15th May in the company headquarters in Cape Town, South Africa, to discuss the Nampak’s continuing growth and ongoing commitment to corporate social responsibility.
The ILO Global Dialogue Forum on Employment Relationships in the Media and Culture Sector (GDF) took place on 14-15 May in Geneva. The GDF brought together representatives from the 4 global unions in the sector, FIA, FIM, IFJ and UNI MEI, representatives of the employers, as well as several governments. The purpose of the GDF was to address employment relationships in the media and culture sector with a view to adopting points of consensus that would encourage future programme development and inform policy-making on the selected topic at the international, regional and national levels.
Members of the IndustriALL Pulp and Paper Working group were joined by Andy Snoddy Head of UNI Global Graphical and Packaging at their May meeting in Helsinki. Both Global Unions pledged to work together in the many companies where membership overlaps. The Unions also discussed building campaigns for future Global Framework Agreements and how to better support colleagues seeking to unionise their plants where there is strong employer opposition.
UNI Gaming Global Union supports the affiliates of UNITE HERE, Culinary Workers Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165, going on strike on June 1 to demand decent wages and working conditions. You can also show your support for Las Vegas workers sharing the news and putting support messages on Facebook and Twitter (https://twitter.com/culinary226).
The participants expressed a common position with respect to the new Group Business Plan for 2014.
The unions highlighted the fact that UNICREDIT, once again, is basing their Business Plan on reduction of labour cost and jobs cutting, even knowing that the top management decision was responsible for the negative results on the bank.
They point out the needs of revision of the management remuneration in order to guarantee fairness and show their commitment with this reduction of costs. The trade union leaders stressed the needs of a better policy on youth employment.
UNI MEI Global Union representing over 140 national unions & guilds affiliating more than 375 000 creators, technicians and other workers in the media and entertainment industries world wide calls on ITV to respect the minimum benefits of US writers represented by the Writers Guild of America East, WGAE.
