Civil Employees of Russia’s Navy May Call Strike over Unpaid Wages

A strike has been declared by civil personnel of the Russian Navy, beginning April 10, reports the Russian daily, Nezavisimaya Gazeta. The strike is being called because of the failure of defense enterprises to pay wages that are due to the majority of the 800,000 civilian employees, according to the Federation of Trade Unions of Armed Forces’ Civil Work Forces (FPRIS), On April 15, the civil work force of the Pacific, and later, Baltic fleets, are to join the action. Personnel of the Strategic Missile Forces and Space Forces will keep working.

FPRIS leaders have stated unanimously they are pursuing only financial aims. “It’s difficult to determine whether the protest is political or not under the conditions of uncertainty and deepening crisis,” a member of the State Duma Defense Committee, Admiral Vladimir Komoedov, said.

A cloud of uncertainty about the strike was raised by the leader of the union, Valery Kudryavtsev, who said in an interview on April 7 that the newspaper report about the strike was not true. He said the union was planning a protest rally that would take place during the workers’ free time, as Russian law forbids any strikes on the site of defense enterprises.

Thai Michelin Workers Victimized for Unionizing

The management of Michelin’s tire factory in Thailand’s Conjure Province locked out 383 workers on March 25 after they refused to withdraw their names from a petition submitted two weeks earlier. The petition called on management not to unilaterally impose 13 percent wage cuts and to engage with worker representatives over the effects of a downturn in the tire market.

Michelin managers responded by suspending eight worker representatives and imposing a 35 percent pay cut on workers who refused to disavow the petition. The company also reduced the workers’ yearly allotment of holidays to six. “This is extreme and harsh behavior against loyal workers from a company that expects to recover from the global economic crisis,” said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda.

The Michelin plant employs 1,500 staff and produces auto and light truck tires The company has two other tire manufacturing factories in Thailand. One of the three plants, also employing 1,500 workers, is unionized Michelin owns 90 percent of the three factories. The remaining 10 percent is owned by the Siam Cement Group.

9,000 London ‘Tube’ Workers Required to Retake Strike Ballot

Nearly 9,000 staff on London’s Underground will be re-balloted over their strike plans, after a legal challenge by their Tube bosses. Officials of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union said they were unhappy with proposals over pay and up to 3,000 lob cuts

The ballots are unconnected to a 24 -hour strike being held at seven Tube stations in north and west London, which started on April 8. Bob Crow, RMT general secretary, said: “Our members have given their overwhelming verdict on plans to cut jobs and pay, but Tube bosses have used anti-union laws to thwart their will.”

Crow added: “Lawyers have leapt on minor discrepancies that cannot possibly have affected the outcome of the ballot.” The only response, he said, was to rerun the ballot as quickly as possible.

Swedish IF Metall Agrees to Deal to Prevent Massive Job Losses

A one-year agreement between the IF Mitall union and three employers’ federations is aimed at preventing massive job losses, Some 25,000 IF Metall union members have already lost their jobs and an additional 40,000 have been warned their jobs are at risk in the current economic crisis. The agreement, signed in March, covers, metal, chemical, textiles and other sectors.

The deal allows employers and plant-level unions to agree on special arrangements, such as reduced working time or educational leave, as a means of avoiding making workers redundant. Under the plan, workers are able to keep their jobs and receive 80 percent of their wages, which, because of the additional compensation paid by employers, amounts to more than they would receive in unemployment benefits.

The framework agreement was reached at the national level, but arrangements must be negotiated at the local and plant level. The union says its members are making a significant contribution and it will now be looking to the government to make a greater effort to provide funding for training.

Indonesian Bank Employees Demand 16% Pay Rise, No Bonus Cuts

More than two-thirds of UOB Buana’s 5,800 bank employees went on strike on April 8, seeking higher wages and protesting bonus cuts. Their work stoppage forced most of the bank’s branches throughout the country to close. The labor union representing the employees threatened to continue their strike if the bank’s management would not agree to their demand for a 16 percent pay raise and no reduction in bonuses from last year’s levels.

“We are asking the company to negotiate with us,” said Endang Sutisna, a spokeswoman for UOB Buana’s labor union. “If they cannot afford [the increase], we are willing to negotiate. The problem is the decision was taken without considering our point of view.” The bank had previously offered an increase capped at 1 percent.

UOB Buana’s managing director, Synfrulloh Hadi Saleh, said that even though most branches were closed or at least somewhat affected, customers could still use ATMs to conduct most everyday banking transactions. He said a similar strike had occurred in 2007 and ended with an amicable settlement.

Australian Banks Boost Profits by Pocketing Government Rate Cuts

The country’s big banks are behaving irresponsibly by using the latest cut in official interest rates to line their pockets and bolster their bottom line, rather than helping relieve the financial pressure for working families, unions say. ACTU President Sharon Burrow said the refusal of the banks to pass on the rate cut would fuel community anger that will lead to calls for further regulation.

In the past 12 months, the official cash rate has fallen by 4.25 percentage points to a 45-year low of 3 percent, but in the same period, the standard variable lending rate has fallen only by 3.5 percentage points “That is an extra $125 a month in average home repayment savings that the banks have pocketed. And let’s not forget that the banks are still making billions of dollars from fees,” Ms. Burrow said.

The banks have been the recipients of massive taxpayer support, including deposit and wholesale funding guarantees to help steer them through the global financial crisis. Yet, they have continued as if it was business as usual by shedding jobs, Ms. Burrow said.

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