The World of Labor - January 17, 2009



	THE WORLD OF LABOR — January 17, 2009 By Harry Kelber Britain’s TUC Offers 10-Point Plan to Tackle Unemployment The Trade Union Congress has proposed a 10-point emergency plan that, it says, the British government “must take now to reduce the impact of unemployment and increase the chances of unemployed people returning back to work.” The TUC statement said: “Rising unemployment leaves the unemployed with less money to spend, but also greatly heightens a sense of insecurity amongst those still on the job.” The recommendations include: reforming the benefits available to the unemployed; support for laid-off apprentices to enable them to complete their programs; access to all government training programs; ensuring fair severance pay settlements, and making use of union representatives’ skills. It asks for more government counsel for people at risk, but who are still working. It emphasizes the need for assistance to the long-term unemployed. It refers to the special role of unions in dealing with the problems of the unemployed. The TUC calls its plan “comprehensive,” and offers reasons to support each of its ten points. Read the emergency ten point plan to tackle unemployment. Workers Protest Layoffs at Brazil’s General Motors Plant Workers at a General Motors plant in Brazil began staging slowdowns on Jan. 13 to protest the layoffs of 800 temporary workers, a union spokesman, Rodrigo Correia, said. Some 3,000 morning shift workers “paralyzed” their assembly line activities for one hour, and another 3,000 workers on the evening shift are expected to do the same, Correia said. More slowdowns are expected on Jan. 26, he added The union is demanding that General Motors rescind the elimination of 744 jobs and grant job security to all of the 8,900 workers at its San Jose dos Campos plant A full-fledged strike is not being considered “for now,” he said, GM is one of several automakers in Brazil that are either placing factory workers on paid leave or cutting jobs in the face of an economic slowdown and credit crunch that have hit the auto industry especially hard, The local metalworkers union said it would hold an assembly to vote on whether or not to strike. “Striking against layoffs is a necessity. It’s a tool we intend to use, Luiz Carlos Prates, the union’s secretary general, told a news conference. Another union official, Vivaldo Moreira Arajuo, said: “The proposal is to mobilize. It could be s strike, but it also could be a protest march.” Pakistani Brick Kiln Workers in Revolt Against Unjust Pay System Thousands of Pakistani brick kiln workers have protested in three Punjab cities against attempts by employers to maintain the outrageous Peshgi system and refuse to pay the wages that have been set by the Minimum Wages Board of the Punjab provincial government. There are 1.8 million workers in brick kiln factories in Pakistan. The Peshgi system is a form of bonded labor, which allows employers to keep workers as their slaves if a cash advance has not been repaid. It was formally abolished 16 years ago by the Bonded Labor Abolition Act (1992), but employers are still trying to implement it. The employers offer advance money to workers, who are then prevented from leaving until the whole amount is repaid. Most of the workers are illiterate and they do not know how much money they’ve repaid. The largest demonstration was at Guijra, where 5,000 workers protested against the Peshgi system. The factory owners are putting pressure on the government to intervene and put a stop to the demonstrations, which, they claim, have been instigated by outside agitators. Union Victory for Turkish Workers, Fired by Unilever Subcontractors Transport workers in Turkey who were fired by two Unilever subcontractors, have either been reinstated or received unpaid wages and compensation, thanks to a campaign of international solidarity by the Transport Workers’ Federation. The 79 workers, represented by the ITF-affiliated union TUMTIS, were fired last April by two subcontractors of Unilever, a global retailer of food and home-care products, as part of the company’s union-busting activities. A concerted union campaign led to a management turnaround, which saw 15 of the workers reinstated and 64 of them, who did not wish to be reinstated, receive unpaid wages and compensation. The union campaign included a lobby of Unilever management to exert pressure on its subcontractors, a 191-day picket by workers, and solidarity actions by unions worldwide. While the dismissal cases ended in victory, international labor federations must continue to support the Turkish union affiliate to ensure that it retains the right to represent these workers, a right that Unilever is currently challenging in court. Honda Slashes Jobs and Production To adjust to a steep decline in sales in the auto industry, Honda has announced it will cut 3,100 jobs in Japan and reduce production by 56,000 vehicles. As Japan’s second largest carmaker, Honda said it would not renew contracts with temporary workers in April. On Jan. 15, Nissan, the third largest carmaker in Japan said it would also cut production. “Sales are falling by 30-40 percent every month, and the pace of fall is unheard of for either Toyota or the overall industry. Automakers have to cope with it through production cuts as quickly as possible,” a company official said. Honda had initially planned to produce more than 1.3 million vehicles in the year ending March, but after the latest cut in production, it will now produce 1.17 million vehicles, the company said. Australian Workers Are Urged to Cut Hours to Stay on the Job Since the economic recession is expected to get worse in 2009, Australian workers are being encouraged to accept a shorter workweek in order to hold onto their jobs. The number of people working fewer than 35 hours a week rose by 43,000 in December and the number of full-time jobs dropped by 44,000. Deutsche Bank chief economist Tony Meer, who believes the unemployment rate in Australia will rise from 4.5 percent to as much as 7 percent, said the outlook would be much worse were it not for the flexibility of the work force. “Employers are using the more flexible labor market, that has resulted from two decades of reform, to hoard labor as production is cut,” he said. Since the middle of last year, the number of full-time positions has dropped by 21,600, while the number of people working part-time or reduced hours has increased by 57,400. Unions are concerned that employers are using the global economic crisis to slash wages and benefits. ACTU President Sharon Burrow says: “Using the threat of job losses to force workers into poor deals is unconscionable behavior, especially since the crisis has been caused by unrestrained greed and a short-term drive for profits.” Check our web site: http://www.laboreducator.org

THE WORLD OF LABOR — January 17, 2009

By Harry Kelber

Britain’s TUC Offers 10-Point Plan to Tackle Unemployment

The Trade Union Congress has proposed a 10-point emergency plan that, it says, the British government “must take now to reduce the impact of unemployment and increase the chances of unemployed people returning back to work.” The TUC statement said: “Rising unemployment leaves the unemployed with less money to spend, but also greatly heightens a sense of insecurity amongst those still on the job.”

The recommendations include: reforming the benefits available to the unemployed; support for laid-off apprentices to enable them to complete their programs; access to all government training programs; ensuring fair severance pay settlements, and making use of union representatives’ skills.

It asks for more government counsel for people at risk, but who are still working. It emphasizes the need for assistance to the long-term unemployed. It refers to the special role of unions in dealing with the problems of the unemployed. The TUC calls its plan “comprehensive,” and offers reasons to support each of its ten points.

Read the emergency ten point plan to tackle unemployment.

Workers Protest Layoffs at Brazil’s General Motors Plant

Workers at a General Motors plant in Brazil began staging slowdowns on Jan. 13 to protest the layoffs of 800 temporary workers, a union spokesman, Rodrigo Correia, said. Some 3,000 morning shift workers “paralyzed” their assembly line activities for one hour, and another 3,000 workers on the evening shift are expected to do the same, Correia said. More slowdowns are expected on Jan. 26, he added

The union is demanding that General Motors rescind the elimination of 744 jobs and grant job security to all of the 8,900 workers at its San Jose dos Campos plant A full-fledged strike is not being considered “for now,” he said, GM is one of several automakers in Brazil that are either placing factory workers on paid leave or cutting jobs in the face of an economic slowdown and credit crunch that have hit the auto industry especially hard,

The local metalworkers union said it would hold an assembly to vote on whether or not to strike. “Striking against layoffs is a necessity. It’s a tool we intend to use, Luiz Carlos Prates, the union’s secretary general, told a news conference. Another union official, Vivaldo Moreira Arajuo, said: “The proposal is to mobilize. It could be s strike, but it also could be a protest march.”

Pakistani Brick Kiln Workers in Revolt Against Unjust Pay System

Thousands of Pakistani brick kiln workers have protested in three Punjab cities against attempts by employers to maintain the outrageous Peshgi system and refuse to pay the wages that have been set by the Minimum Wages Board of the Punjab provincial government. There are 1.8 million workers in brick kiln factories in Pakistan.

The Peshgi system is a form of bonded labor, which allows employers to keep workers as their slaves if a cash advance has not been repaid. It was formally abolished 16 years ago by the Bonded Labor Abolition Act (1992), but employers are still trying to implement it. The employers offer advance money to workers, who are then prevented from leaving until the whole amount is repaid. Most of the workers are illiterate and they do not know how much money they’ve repaid.

The largest demonstration was at Guijra, where 5,000 workers protested against the Peshgi system. The factory owners are putting pressure on the government to intervene and put a stop to the demonstrations, which, they claim, have been instigated by outside agitators.

Union Victory for Turkish Workers, Fired by Unilever Subcontractors

Transport workers in Turkey who were fired by two Unilever subcontractors, have either been reinstated or received unpaid wages and compensation, thanks to a campaign of international solidarity by the Transport Workers’ Federation. The 79 workers, represented by the ITF-affiliated union TUMTIS, were fired last April by two subcontractors of Unilever, a global retailer of food and home-care products, as part of the company’s union-busting activities.

A concerted union campaign led to a management turnaround, which saw 15 of the workers reinstated and 64 of them, who did not wish to be reinstated, receive unpaid wages and compensation. The union campaign included a lobby of Unilever management to exert pressure on its subcontractors, a 191-day picket by workers, and solidarity actions by unions worldwide.

While the dismissal cases ended in victory, international labor federations must continue to support the Turkish union affiliate to ensure that it retains the right to represent these workers, a right that Unilever is currently challenging in court.

Honda Slashes Jobs and Production

To adjust to a steep decline in sales in the auto industry, Honda has announced it will cut 3,100 jobs in Japan and reduce production by 56,000 vehicles. As Japan’s second largest carmaker, Honda said it would not renew contracts with temporary workers in April. On Jan. 15, Nissan, the third largest carmaker in Japan said it would also cut production.

“Sales are falling by 30-40 percent every month, and the pace of fall is unheard of for either Toyota or the overall industry. Automakers have to cope with it through production cuts as quickly as possible,” a company official said.

Honda had initially planned to produce more than 1.3 million vehicles in the year ending March, but after the latest cut in production, it will now produce 1.17 million vehicles, the company said.

Australian Workers Are Urged to Cut Hours to Stay on the Job

Since the economic recession is expected to get worse in 2009, Australian workers are being encouraged to accept a shorter workweek in order to hold onto their jobs. The number of people working fewer than 35 hours a week rose by 43,000 in December and the number of full-time jobs dropped by 44,000.

Deutsche Bank chief economist Tony Meer, who believes the unemployment rate in Australia will rise from 4.5 percent to as much as 7 percent, said the outlook would be much worse were it not for the flexibility of the work force. “Employers are using the more flexible labor market, that has resulted from two decades of reform, to hoard labor as production is cut,” he said. Since the middle of last year, the number of full-time positions has dropped by 21,600, while the number of people working part-time or reduced hours has increased by 57,400.

Unions are concerned that employers are using the global economic crisis to slash wages and benefits. ACTU President Sharon Burrow says: “Using the threat of job losses to force workers into poor deals is unconscionable behavior, especially since the crisis has been caused by unrestrained greed and a short-term drive for profits.”

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