The World of Labor - June 7, 2008



	THE WORLD OF LABOR — June 7, 2008 By Harry Kelber World’s Biggest Steel Firm and Unions Sign Health and Safety Pact Arcelor/Mittal, the world’s largest steel company, and trade unions representing its employees worldwide, have signed a new and groundbreaking agreement to improve health standards throughout the company. The steel giant has 310,000 employees in more than 60 countries. The agreement, the first of its kind in the steel industry, recognizes. the vital role played by trade unions in improving health and safety. It sets out minimum standards in every site the company operates in order to achieve world-class performance. These standards include the commitment to form joint management/union health and safety committees, as well as training and education programs, in order to make a meaningful impact on overall health and safety across the company. The agreement was signed on June 3 by Arcelor/Mittal, the European Metalworkers’ Federation, the United Steelworkers and the International Metalworkers’ Federation. Wages for Mexican Auto Workers Are Nearing Chinese Levels Mexican auto unions are taking a cue from U.S. labor leaders by offering two-tier hiring schemes and salary cuts that bring already low wages down to near-Chinese levels. As more automakers turn to Mexico, a big argument for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993 — that Mexico’s low wage rates would slowly rise to close the gap with U.S. wages — seems to have been thrown in reverse. “The pressure has not been to raise the wages up; it’s been to push the U.S. wages down,” said Ben Davis, the director of the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity office in Mexico City. And now Mexican wages are being pushed down even more. Wage concessions were apparently key in persuading Ford Motor Co. to direct many of the 4,500 new jobs involved in building Fiestas to the Ford plant in Cuautitian on the outskirts of Mexico City. Union leaders at the plant told Associated Press they had agreed to cut wages for new hires to about half the current wage of $4.50 an hour. With labor costs like these, Mexico is staying competitive with China, where an average worker at a foreign-owned factory or joint venture can make as little as $1.50 an hour Plan for Paid Maternity Leave in Taiwan Finds Majority Support A majority of the Taiwanese public supports the notion of paid maternity leave as part of a government policy to boost the nation’s birth rate, political leaders said June 6, citing the results of a recent poll. Fifty-seven percent said the maternity subsidy plan would definitely help to spur childbirth, reverse the decline in the nation’s birth rate and raise the quality of child care. However, 71 percent thought that the childbirth subsidy plan would cause problems in the workforce. It may prompt businesses to retaliate, which in turn could cause female workers to lose their jobs or encounter more difficulty when trying to find employment, they said. Meanwhile, the same poll found that 72 percent of respondents favored the administration’s plan to introduce a mortgage loan program aimed at helping young couples to buy homes, and encouraging people to get married. The two proposals are not likely to be implemented next year, since they are not included in next year’s budget. Bangladesh Garment Workers Attacked by Police to Stop Protests Police clashed with thousands of garment workers in southwest Bangladesh last Sunday during fresh protests over low wages and soaring food prices. The clashes occurred after workers at Kalurghat industrial area tried to barricade a highway. The protest is the latest to hit Bangladesh’s garment industry, which accounts for three-quarters of the country’s export earnings and employs mor e than 40 percent of its workforce. Unions have demanded a major increase in salaries, saying the existing basic payment, fixed in late 2006, has become inadequate, due to the rocketing prices of food and other commodities the past year. Most of the country’s 2.5 million garment workers earn a basic minimum wage of $25 a month. Prices for the staple food — rice — have doubled the past year. The majority of Bangladeshi households spends nearly 70 percent of their income on food. The government has moved to import more rice and sell it at subsidized prices on the open market. In April, more than 50 people were injured as 20,000 garment workers clashed with police near the country’s capital, Dhaka. 23-Day Occupation of Greek Power Plant Ends in Police Repression Members of the Union Against Unemployment (UAU) were evicted by riot police from one of the major power plants in Greece after occupying it for 23 days and blocking the input and output of conveyor belts for 23 days. The power plant in the town of Agios Dimitrios is owned by the National Electric Company, which is a major employer of the townspeople. The rebels demanded re-employment of workers who had been laid off, environmental reforms and withdrawal of charges against workers who had participated in the blockading actions, The blockade had been manned in shifts by residents of the township, including children, in solidarity with the UAU. The rebels refused to talk to local authorities and the minister of development who had demanded the unblocking of the conveyor belts as a condition for negotiation. On June 2, the police violently attacked the rebels and arrested the UAU president and four other top officials. Fearing further disruptive actions, the authorities agreed to release the arrested union leaders, who will stand trial in September. The UAU is insisting on the withdrawal of charges against 70 residents of the area for similar mobilizations last year. Dying from Overwork in Japan’s ‘Land of Karoshi’ Can overwork kill you by driving you to suicide? It can in the land of Karoshi.. By the word “Karoshi,” the Japanese mean: ”death from overwork,” a serious issue in a country where more than 5,000 suicides per year are the result of depression caused by overwork. Japan has the highest proportion of employees working more than 50 hours a week. The Japanese journalist, Misako Hida, investigated the issue of Karoshi from the perspective of international labor standards, regarding hours and conditions of work. “When it comes to working hours in Japan, nothing in the way of international labor standards exists. In recent years an increasing number of temporary workers have been forced to work as long as full-time employees do,” Hida writes. The Japanese writer’s article, “The Land of Karoshi,” won the journalistic prize for the best story on labor rights awarded by the International Training Centre of the International Labor Organization. The award ceremony will take place in Geneva, Switzerland. Check our web site: https://www.laboreducator.org

THE WORLD OF LABOR — June 7, 2008

By Harry Kelber

World’s Biggest Steel Firm and Unions Sign Health and Safety Pact

Arcelor/Mittal, the world’s largest steel company, and trade unions representing its employees worldwide, have signed a new and groundbreaking agreement to improve health standards throughout the company. The steel giant has 310,000 employees in more than 60 countries.

The agreement, the first of its kind in the steel industry, recognizes. the vital role played by trade unions in improving health and safety. It sets out minimum standards in every site the company operates in order to achieve world-class performance. These standards include the commitment to form joint management/union health and safety committees, as well as training and education programs, in order to make a meaningful impact on overall health and safety across the company.

The agreement was signed on June 3 by Arcelor/Mittal, the European Metalworkers’ Federation, the United Steelworkers and the International Metalworkers’ Federation.

Wages for Mexican Auto Workers Are Nearing Chinese Levels

Mexican auto unions are taking a cue from U.S. labor leaders by offering two-tier hiring schemes and salary cuts that bring already low wages down to near-Chinese levels. As more automakers turn to Mexico, a big argument for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993 — that Mexico’s low wage rates would slowly rise to close the gap with U.S. wages — seems to have been thrown in reverse.

“The pressure has not been to raise the wages up; it’s been to push the U.S. wages down,” said Ben Davis, the director of the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity office in Mexico City. And now Mexican wages are being pushed down even more. Wage concessions were apparently key in persuading Ford Motor Co. to direct many of the 4,500 new jobs involved in building Fiestas to the Ford plant in Cuautitian on the outskirts of Mexico City.

Union leaders at the plant told Associated Press they had agreed to cut wages for new hires to about half the current wage of $4.50 an hour. With labor costs like these, Mexico is staying competitive with China, where an average worker at a foreign-owned factory or joint venture can make as little as $1.50 an hour

Plan for Paid Maternity Leave in Taiwan Finds Majority Support

A majority of the Taiwanese public supports the notion of paid maternity leave as part of a government policy to boost the nation’s birth rate, political leaders said June 6, citing the results of a recent poll. Fifty-seven percent said the maternity subsidy plan would definitely help to spur childbirth, reverse the decline in the nation’s birth rate and raise the quality of child care.

However, 71 percent thought that the childbirth subsidy plan would cause problems in the workforce. It may prompt businesses to retaliate, which in turn could cause female workers to lose their jobs or encounter more difficulty when trying to find employment, they said.

Meanwhile, the same poll found that 72 percent of respondents favored the administration’s plan to introduce a mortgage loan program aimed at helping young couples to buy homes, and encouraging people to get married. The two proposals are not likely to be implemented next year, since they are not included in next year’s budget.

Bangladesh Garment Workers Attacked by Police to Stop Protests

Police clashed with thousands of garment workers in southwest Bangladesh last Sunday during fresh protests over low wages and soaring food prices. The clashes occurred after workers at Kalurghat industrial area tried to barricade a highway. The protest is the latest to hit Bangladesh’s garment industry, which accounts for three-quarters of the country’s export earnings and employs mor e than 40 percent of its workforce.

Unions have demanded a major increase in salaries, saying the existing basic payment, fixed in late 2006, has become inadequate, due to the rocketing prices of food and other commodities the past year. Most of the country’s 2.5 million garment workers earn a basic minimum wage of $25 a month.

Prices for the staple food — rice — have doubled the past year. The majority of Bangladeshi households spends nearly 70 percent of their income on food. The government has moved to import more rice and sell it at subsidized prices on the open market. In April, more than 50 people were injured as 20,000 garment workers clashed with police near the country’s capital, Dhaka.

23-Day Occupation of Greek Power Plant Ends in Police Repression

Members of the Union Against Unemployment (UAU) were evicted by riot police from one of the major power plants in Greece after occupying it for 23 days and blocking the input and output of conveyor belts for 23 days. The power plant in the town of Agios Dimitrios is owned by the National Electric Company, which is a major employer of the townspeople.

The rebels demanded re-employment of workers who had been laid off, environmental reforms and withdrawal of charges against workers who had participated in the blockading actions, The blockade had been manned in shifts by residents of the township, including children, in solidarity with the UAU. The rebels refused to talk to local authorities and the minister of development who had demanded the unblocking of the conveyor belts as a condition for negotiation.

On June 2, the police violently attacked the rebels and arrested the UAU president and four other top officials. Fearing further disruptive actions, the authorities agreed to release the arrested union leaders, who will stand trial in September. The UAU is insisting on the withdrawal of charges against 70 residents of the area for similar mobilizations last year.

Dying from Overwork in Japan’s ‘Land of Karoshi’

Can overwork kill you by driving you to suicide? It can in the land of Karoshi.. By the word “Karoshi,” the Japanese mean: ”death from overwork,” a serious issue in a country where more than 5,000 suicides per year are the result of depression caused by overwork. Japan has the highest proportion of employees working more than 50 hours a week.

The Japanese journalist, Misako Hida, investigated the issue of Karoshi from the perspective of international labor standards, regarding hours and conditions of work. “When it comes to working hours in Japan, nothing in the way of international labor standards exists. In recent years an increasing number of temporary workers have been forced to work as long as full-time employees do,” Hida writes.

The Japanese writer’s article, “The Land of Karoshi,” won the journalistic prize for the best story on labor rights awarded by the International Training Centre of the International Labor Organization. The award ceremony will take place in Geneva, Switzerland.

Check our web site: https://www.laboreducator.org