IMF NewsBriefs No. 6, March 24, 2011

Thu. March 31, 2011

IMF NewsBriefs No. 6, March 24, 2011

UNIONS MOBILIZE AGAINST MEXICAN LABOUR LAW REFORMS  -  The IMF joins the independent labour movement of Mexico in urging unions and their members to call on government leaders and Mexican Ambassadors to stop these reforms NOW!

MEXICO/GLOBAL
: The 50,000 workers, students and human and labour rights activists who took part in the February Global Days of Action are gearing up for another round of mass mobilizations to fight proposed labour legislation that further strips Mexican workers of the most basic internationally recognized labour rights.

News of the proposed regressive reforms comes just weeks after unions from more than 40 countries participated in an active week of massive rallies, marches and high-level government meetings to shine a light on the Mexican government's failure to uphold international commitments to respect basic labour rights and worker protections.

The proposed legislation which greatly undermines freedom of association, job security, and work conditions, fails to include any of the many changes to Mexican labour legislation that have been repeatedly called for by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and more recently, by the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association.

In Mexico, preparations at the national level are underway. Public events planned in Mexico this week include:

  • rally on March 24 at 1pm,
  • forum on March 30 - debate regressive nature of reform and strategies for resistance and change,
  • educational material development and strategic meetings are being held throughout the week.

To join the campaign, the IMF is urging affiliates to send letters to their local Mexican embassy or consulate or government representative, especially those individuals who took meetings with union groups during the February Global Days of Action. See IMF's letter here.

If you have not already sent a letter to Mexican President Felipe Calderón through the Labourstart campaign page, go here: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=863  Mar 24, 2011 – Kristyne Peter


GLOBAL UNION LABOUR FILM SHORTS 2011 DEADLINE APPROACHES  -  Submission deadline for the Global Union Labour Film Shorts 2011 is April 1.  The International Metalworkers' Federation calls on its affiliates to submit their videos to a one hour line-up of the best short films from around the world focused on unions fighting back against austerity cuts.  The line-up will be released in June online and in DVD.

GLOBAL: To reach new audiences and promote the development of trade union films, the IMF in collaboration with the International Trade Union Confederation and all the Global Union Federations will together produce the Global Unions Labour Films Shorts 2011. All IMF affiliates are invited to submit copies of short films that they have produced or been involved in producing for possible inclusion in the programme.
Please send us copies of your films on DVD with a short paragraph describing the film, why it was produced and how it was used. The IMF will need unfettered rights to show the film and publish it online, of course with full acknowledgement of who created the material. Due to resource constraints for interpretation, the IMF is only able to accept films in English language or with English subtitles.

We need to receive copies of all possible films by  April 1, 2011.
Please send to:
Cherisse Fredricks
International Metalworkers' Federation
Case Postale 1516
CH1227 Geneva
Switerland

Labourstart has also announced their second annual labour video competition and already received a number of submissions from LabourStart readers. You can submit your nominations before April 15 to http://www.labourstart.org/lvoty/2011/

Last year the winner of the first annual LabourStart labour video of the year competition was also featured in the 2010 Geneva Labour Film shorts Festival in Geneva. If you have never seen this Australian video clip you can watch it here.   Mar 24, 2011 – Cherisse Fredricks


UNIONS IN EUROPE OPPOSE AUSTERITY PLANS  -  In a week of action, unions in Europe are taking action against a European economic governance proposal being considered by EU leaders that will lead to futher austerity cuts across Europe.

EUROPE:  The European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) joined with Belgian and other European unions in protest actions in Brussels on March 24 in order to say NO to austerity plans, no to cuts in wages and pensions, no to insecurity and unemployment, no to deregulation of labour standards and social regression, and no to rising social inequalities.

The action was part of a European Week of Action called by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to highlight trade union opposition to the European economic governance proposal, which is being examined during the EU's European Summit on March 24 and 25.

The EMF is calling urgently for an agenda based on investment, job creation and social cohesion. In a resolution adopted by its Executive Committee, the EMF warned that the ever greater austerity measures being applied in Europe are pushing economies into social recession.

"The proposals adopted by the Euro-zone Council on 12 March 2011, and proposed in the Commission's first Annual Growth Survey, are of an unprecedented and extremely negative nature. In calling for pay cuts and sustained wage moderation across Europe, they challenge the decision-making process of democratically-elected governments and intervene in national social dialogue and collective bargaining procedures," states the resolution.

As part of the week of action, the German trade union centre DGB held a demonstration in front of the Chancellery in Berlin on March 21. In Paris on March 22 French and German unions delivered a joint statement to the French Finance Ministry and in Amsterdam on March 23 unions met with Ministers to discuss the economic governance.

On March 26 the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is organizing a "March for the Alternative - Jobs, Growth and Justice" in London supported by IMF affiliates including Unite.  A European Day of Action will also take place in Budapest on April 9.  Mar 24, 2011 – Anita Gardner


TURKISH WORKERS LAUNCH MASS STRIKES AT 21 COMPANIES  -  Companies affiliated to the Metal Product Industrialists' Association (MESS) are the target of a massive strike launch by IMF affiliate, Birlesik Metal-ls, whose members are fighting for improved wages and working conditions in the metal industry.

TURKEY: On March 22, Turkish union Birlesik Metal-IS, an affiliate of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), declared strike action at 21 companies, eight of which are multinationals, in defense of better wages and working conditions. On the first day of the strike wave, all shop stewards from the 21 companies and all union officers were picketing with Doruk-Susler /Candy Group workers.

The companies are members of the Metal Product Industrialists' Association (MESS) which has signed an industry-wide collective agreement with Turk Metal that includes massive concessions on working conditions and pay. The agreement is negotiated every two years between metalworkers' unions and MESS and impacts approximately 80,000 metalworkers directly, and many more indirectly.

Members of Birlesik Metal-IS are rejecting the collective agreement signed between MESS and Turk Metal, which gives a minimal wage increase of 5.35 per cent at a time when production and profits at companies affiliated to MESS are very high and defers to labour law rather than the collective bargaining agreement on the issue of flexible working conditions.

In February, Turkish unions held a mass demonstration in Ankara protesting the government's proposed labour law reforms which seek to give more control to employers and weaken working conditions and labour rights.

In the coming days and weeks, strikes will begin at the following companies:

  • Standard Depo/Averys Group
  • Kroman Çelik
  • Areva
  • Bekaert
  • Bosal
  • Çimsataş
  • ABB
  • Arfesan
  • RSA

The IMF fully supports its Turkish colleagues in their ongoing fight to win improved wages and conditions for metalworkers in Turkey. The IMF will continue to follow this strike action and work with Birlesik, IMF affiliates and the European Metalworkers' Federation to help in bringing about a successful resolution.  Mar 24, 2011 – Kristyne Peter


IMF AFFILIATES BACK AWU CAMPAIGN AGAINST RIO TINTO/ALCAN  -  Mining giant Rio Tinto feels the heat from global unions demanding the company to respect labour rights and international standards.

AUSTRALIA: Labour rights violations at Rio Tinto/Alcan operations in Australia have gained international attention and support for IMF affiliate the Australian Workers' Union (AWU) who are fighting the company for fair wages, improved health and safety standards and a workers' right to join a union.

The AWU's organizing drive at Rio Tinto/Alcan operations in Tasmania and Queensland has been met with fierce resistance from management, despite pressure from inside and outside of Australia calling on the company to respect internationally recognized labour rights.

The list of violations at the Bell Bay aluminum smelter in Tasmania, Australia includes:

  • reports that local workers have been harassed and intimidated for their efforts in trying to form a union,
  • workers are paid substantially less than their counterparts in other parts of Australia, in some case in excess of 20,000 AUD,
  • denying the AWU the right to meet with workers concerned about Occupational Health and Safety issues.


On March 22, a new national television campaign was launched in Tasmania by the AWU National Secretary, Paul Howes, to highlight how the global giant Rio Tinto is discriminating against its Tasmanian workforce. The television ads, to be run on Tasmanian television and nationally on Sky News, over the next two weeks, was first shown to meetings of Rio's Bell Bay Tasmania workforce during a three-day tour of Tasmanian workplaces by Howes.

The IMF and Rio Tinto/Alcan unions from Brazil, France, South Africa, UK, the U.S. and Zimbabwe have sent letters to the company's CEO Tom Albanese, demanding the company recognize international labour standards.

"We call on you to immediately intervene to ensure that these workers are allowed to form a union, free from the intimidation of management, and negotiate a collective agreement if they so wish. These rights are clearly stated in the International Labour Organisation's Conventions," stated Jyrki Raina IMF General Secretary in a letter to Albanese.  Mar 24, 2011 – Kristyne Peter


NOKIA TO ENTER TALKS ON POTENTIAL JOB LOSSES  -  Nokia announced it will begin talks in Finland on potential job cuts in late April; workers fear drastic cuts following the company's decision to change operating system.

FINLAND: Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone producer by volume, announced on March 23 that it will begin negotiations with unions in late April regarding restructuring of the company.

The announcement came after Nokia decided it will replace the Symbian operating system in its mobile phones with Microsoft's software.

The talks concern 16,000 employees in Finland and elsewhere who fear that the change could result in many job cuts. The company stated that product development will now be restructured globally, not only in Finland.

More than a month ago IMF-affiliated trade union Pro demanded that Nokia pay proper compensation to all those who will lose their jobs. Antti Rinne, the President of Pro, said that individual compensation sums should be around EUR100,000 in order to reach the same level that Nokia applied when serving notice on a large number of employees in Bochum, Germany back in 2008. (See Metal World No. 2, 2008 for more details.)

Independent trade union journalist Juhani Artto reports that last autumn Nokia paid out almost EUR5 million to its CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo when he was sacked. And Stephen Elop, the new and current CEO, was welcomed to Nokia with an entry bonus of over EUR5 million.  Mar 24, 2011 – Anita Gardner


BRIDGESTONE DECLARES WAR AGAINST SOUTH AFRICAN METALWORKERS  -  Bridgestone South Africa locks out workers at two production sites in Brits and Port Elizabeth.  The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) believe this is a declaration of war by Bridgestone in response to wage increases achieved by workers in September 2010.

SOUTH AFRICA:  Bridgestone South Africa locked out workers at two production sites on March 22 date in Brits and Port Elizabeth. In a statement to the press, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) have taken this move as a declaration of war by Bridgestone in retaliation to wage increases achieved by workers in September 2010. Bridgestone's lock-out of workers originates from the unresolved dispute between Bridgestone and NUMSA, relating to the "red-circle rate" increases set out in the new Tyre Manufacturing Industry Bargaining Council collective agreement of September 28, 2010. The workers at Bridgestone who are "red-circled" have not seen a wage increase since 2009, despite the company posting huge profits on the back of the workers' labour.

Numsa is demanding Bridgestone pay:

  • nine per cent for Year 1 based on the minimums of their respective grade with back pay given from 1 July 2010 as per the industry.
  • 7.5 per cent or CPI (whichever is the greater) based on the minimums of their respective grades for Year 2 and Year 3.
  • A cash lump sum equal to the difference between an across the board (ATB) increase on the actual wage rate and the amount received the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011.

Numsa indicated it will take further action in support of its demands.  Mar 22, 2011 – Cherisse Fredricks


MEXICAN PARLIAMENT CONSIDERS REGRESSIVE LABOUR LAW REFORMS  -  The International Metalworkers' Federation joins with the independent trade union movement in Mexico in denouncing proposed labour law reforms that could go before parliament as early as this week.  The "reforms" will severely erode workers' rights in Mexico and must be stopped.

MEXICO:  The parliamentary members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI) presented a labour reform bill on March 10, which has gained full support of the ruling National Action Party (Partido de Accion Nacional, PAN) and, if introduced, will substantially erode workers' rights in Mexico.

The proposed bill, which has the open support of leading industrialists, is set to be fast-tracked in the Mexican parliament for adoption possibly as early as this week.

If introduced, the fundamental effects of the proposed changes to Mexico's labour laws will be to lower the cost of labour, maintain widespread corporate control of labour relations, destroy job security and increase poverty and violate worker and human rights in Mexico.

Some of the features of the changes include:

  • Giving preference in law to an employers' right to enter into individual contracts with workers over collective or union contracts,
  • Reducing the burden and costs on the employer in the case of unfair dismissals for instance by limiting the payment of loss of wages to no more than 12 months, when currently the delay of Labour Boards hearing cases is frequently up to four or five years,
  • Giving extensive and unilateral rights for the outsourcing and subcontracting of work with no protection for workers. The proposals on subcontracting will enable employers to hide and evade their responsibilities, preventing workers from employment security, the right to join a union, the possibility to negotiate fair wages and access to social security provisions,
  • Maintaining the status of "protection contracts" and enabling further fragmentation of unions through the use of outsourcing, subcontracting, temporary and conditional contracts for young workers,
  • Directly violating the right to freedom of association by establishing in law the principle of enterprise-only based unions by cancelling the legal existence of cross-sectoral affiliations to national union structures, which contravenes international labour rights conventions and the Mexican constitution,
  • Allowing for unilateral setting of wages to the detriment of workers, including effectively abolishing the concept of a minimum wage and allowing for the employer to impose work conditions with no possibility for review,
  • Freedom to adjust working hours, regardless of whether stipulated in a contract, enabling employers to make changes daily based on the needs of production, and
  • Removing from the labour code to a purely administrative classification the right to access social security on the basis of ill-health or permanent injury at work.

The PRI initiative will severely undermine the establishment of democratic unions and strengthens the corporate control over workers. For example, the additional requirements placed on workers when demanding a collective agreement or when taking strike action will expose them even further to retaliation before their representative legitimacy can be established.

The International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) strongly opposes the proposals put forward by the PRI and is currently consulting with all trade union partners in Mexico and elsewhere on what action to take in opposition to this bill and will soon call for international solidarity support on this basis.

For more information about the situation in Mexico and recent international action in defence of trade union rights in Mexico go to: http://www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011  Mar 21, 2011 – Anita Gardner


SLOVENIAN UNIONS PROTEST INTRODUCTION OF NEW FORM OF PRECARIOUS WORK  -  The Association of Free Trade Union of Slovenia, including IMF-affiliated SKEI, are protesting against the Slovenian government's attempts to introduce a new force of precarious work and call for protest letters in solidarity.

SLOVENIA:  The International Metalworkers' Federation joins with the Association of Free Trade Unions of Slovenia (AFTUS) in calling for letters of protest in the face of the Slovenian government's plans to bring into force a new form of precarious work, which will substantially reduce workers' rights.

The Slovenia government is proposing new legislation that would allow the unemployed, students and pensioners up to 60 hours per week and 720 hours per year of employment but with less rights, such as lower pay, no reimbursement of work-related costs (meals during work, travel to and from work, business trips), no remuneration for sick leave or parental leave, no holiday allowance, no severance pay and no annual holidays.

"We are certain that enforcement of this form of work will increase precarious work, decrease employment for indefinite time (which is the rule today) or fixed-term employment (which should be an exception but is becoming a rule), increase social exclusion and poverty, all in the name of better competitiveness," writes the AFTUS:

"It will particularly affect women and workers in service sector. We are certain that this form of work will become a cheap and administratively uncomplicated substitute for contractual employment and it will rather be a wall instead of a bridge to a better paid and socially more secure job in the future," AFTUS says.

In defense of workers' rights, the AFTUS collected more than 40,000 signatures of support for a referendum, that will be on April 10, 2011, and is conducting a public campaign on the issue. However they are facing strong opposition after the government adopted changes to the country's Elections and Referendum Campaign Act enabling it to use is 100,000.00 EUR of its campaign, which is three times higher than the trade unions budget.

"AFTUS strongly opposes enforcement of this new form of precarious work, which will substantially reduce worker's rights. We urge you to support our efforts and send your protest letters to Slovenian Prime Minister, to Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs and to President of National Assembly."

In its letter to the Slovenian government the IMF called on the Slovenian government to discontinue with its plans to deny workers their rights by introducing a new form of precarious work.

"Your plans to restrict the employment rights of the unemployed, students and pensioners will inevitably undermine permanent employment, prevent families from planning for their future, widen the gap between rich and poor, and will affect women and young people the most," said IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

IMF affiliates are urged to send letters of protest against this new form or precarious work to:

Mr Borut Pahor
Prime Minister
Government of the Republic of Slovenia
Gregorčičeva 20, 25
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fax: +386 1 478 16 07

Ivan Svetlik, Ph.D.
Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs
Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs
Kotnikova 5
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fax: +386 1 369 78 32

Pavel Gantar, Ph.D.
President of National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
Šubičeva ulica 4
1102 Ljubljana
Slovenia
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fax: +386 1 478 94 45

Please send copies of your protest to the following e-mail or fax number:
AFTUS e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fax: + 386 1 231 72 98

Mar 18, 2011 – Anita Gardner


ROMANIAN UNIONS PROTEST AGAINST CHANGES IN THE LABOUR CODE  -   Some 8,000 people were in the streets of Bucharest protesting against the Government's decision to introduce changes in the Labour Code that will weaken collective bargaining rights and lead to increased precarious employment.

ROMANIA:  On March 16, some 8,000 trade unionists came out to the Constitution Square of Bucharest to protest against Government proposed changes to Romanian labour laws. According to the letter of the International Trade Union Confederation ITUC sent to the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, the “Government proposals will severely limit the possibility for setting up new grass roots organisations and will undermine representativity of organisations on different levels by effectively decentralising collective bargaining and tying it primarily to company-level negotiations. The changes will further dilute the protection of workers’ rights on the individual level by opening to abuse the regulations on fixed-term contracts, shifting the burden of proof from the employer to the worker, and imposing more “flexible” schemes for working-time arrangements.”

The protest action was organized by five trade union confederations including Cartel Alfa whose member Trade Union Federation METAROM is also an IMF affiliate.

The protesters carried signs and banners protesting against the suggested changes and accused the president of the country, Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Emil Boc on imposing the changes without consultation. “Save the Labour Code!”, “Down, down, down with the lying Government!”, “Down with Basescu slavery”, “Leave us be!” some of the banners read.

The trade unions warn that this action is the beginning of a series of industrial protests in case the Government applies the changes. The unions have already started collection of signatures to hold a general strike.

Railway workers expressed their solidarity with the protesters; several hundreds of them came to Bucharest in order to voice their displeasure with the Government’s plans. The Romanian Railways (CFR) protested by stopping all traffic for two hours.

The protest action accompanied the Romanian Parliament center-left opposition no-confidence vote against the Prime-Minister Emil Boc, however the vote did not gather the required majority.

The European Commission is considering if the applied changes are in compliance with the legislation of the European Union. During his meeting with the Romanian MEPs Laszlo Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion expressed his concerns over the proposed amendments to the Labour Code.

Later the Romanian Social and Democratic Party (PSD) issued a press-release warning that Romania risks facing the EU infringement procedure for lack of social dialogue.  Mar 18, 2011 – Alex Ivanou


SENDING SOLIDARITY DONATIONS TO TRADE UNION MEMBERS IN JAPAN  -  Under the umbrella of JTUC-RENGO, IMF-JC and other trade unions in Japan have set up a special account to receive donations for trade union members who have lost so much as a result of the 2011 Eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami.

JAPAN:  IMF-JC reports that after receiving many messages of solidarity from around the world, a special co-ordination meeting of JTUC-RENGO, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, decided to set up a special account to receive solidarity donations.

IMF-JC supports this unified receiving of donations through JTUC-RENGO, as it will more effectively concentrate trade union efforts in responding to the needs of members following the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11, 2011.

Donations will go towards union members and their families that have lost so much due to the tragedy.

The account will be managed centrally through JTUC-RENGO, and IMF-JC requests that any IMF affiliates sending donations to the account should put "IMF" at the end of the name under "sender" and notify IMF-JC at:
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
fax: +81 3 3274 2476

The bank details are as follows:

Bank Name: MIZUHO BANK, LTD
SWIFT Address: MHBK JP JT
Branch Name: Roppongi Branch
Branch Address:  15-7, Roppongi 7-Chome
   Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032
   JAPAN
A/C Name: JTUC-RENGO
A/C No: 053-2929075
Please indicate purpose of the remittance as follows.
PURPOSE: Earthquake

IMF encourages its affiliates to show solidarity to trade union members and the people of Japan by donating to this special account.  Mar 16, 2011 – Anita Gardner



GFA SIGNED WITH NORSK HYDRO  -  Metal and energy workers sign Global Framework Agreement with Norsk Hydro ASA, a leading global supplier of aluminium products and energy solutions.

NORWAY:  On March 15, the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union (ICEM) and their Norwegian affiliates Fellesforbundet and IndustriEnergi signed a Global Framework Agreement (GFA in ICEM's term; International Framework Agreement (IFA) in IMF's term) with Norsk Hydro ASA in Oslo.

The agreement covers provisions on freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, discrimination, forced labour, child labour, health and safety, wages, working hours, employment conditions, skills training, HIV/AIDS, and environmental conditions, referencing the standards as established by the core labour conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Norsk Hydro ASA was established more than 100 years ago and today it is a leading global supplier of aluminium products and energy solutions. The Hydro companies have a total of 23,000 workers in more than 40 countries worldwide. The production facilities are mainly located in Europe, North America, Australia and Qatar.

In addition to the agreement, the parties agreed to establish a working group on the U.S. legislation and U.S. practices related to freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. The conclusions of this group's work will provide a basis for the revision of the GFA in 2012.

The parties also committed to work together to build an open channel of network which ensures implementation of the GFA in all Hydro's workplaces.

A copy of the agreement in English is available on the IMF and ICEM website.

Also see:

http://www.fellesforbundet.no/Nyhetsarkiv/Publisert-i-2011/Historisk-global-konsernavtale-i-Hydro/

http://www.hydro.com/en/Press-room/News/Archive/2011/March/Hydro-signs-global-frame-agreement-with-unions/

Mar 15, 2011 – Kan Matsuzaki


SOLIDARITY WITH JAPANESE METALWORKERS FOLLOWING DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE  -  IMF sends message of condolence and solidarity to its Japanese affiliate, union members and their families, following the massive earthquake and tsunamis that caused untold devastation and damage to the eastern part of Japan. 

JAPAN:   The International Metalworkers' Federation sent a letter of condolence and solidarity to IMF-JC following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit in the Tokohu area of the eastern part of Japan on March 11, 2011.

Registering at 9.0 magnitude it was the biggest earthquake ever recorded in Japan, the fifth biggest earthquake in the world since 1900, generating potentially damaging tsunamis across the Pacific.

The full extent of the loss of life and damage is still unknown. Of particular ongoing concern at the moment are the nuclear power plants in the region. The brave workers at the Fukushima Power Plants are risking their lives working to contain the difficult situation following explosions at reactors 1 and 3

"The world has been shocked by the devastation and terrible loss of life from the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. Metalworkers from around the world express solidarity and send their condolences to workers and their families who have lost so much at this tragic time," wrote IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina in a letter of solidarity to Japanese union members and their families.

Many auto and steel plants in the region, as well as small- the medium-sized metal industrial plants, have been affected by the quake. Japanese manufacturers, already struggling with the effect of the quake in their own operations, are now also dealing with rolling blackouts taking place across greater Tokyo, due to the shortage of power.

The damage to infrastructure and power cuts, which are expected to continue into April, are also impacting on transportation causing many employers to urge employees to stay at home.

The IMF-JC reports that it is prioritizing an investigation into the situation for its members and their families, which will take some time given the massive scale of the tragedy. This tragic event has also occurred right before IMF-JC's annual ‘spring wage struggle'. As a result the IMF-JC Unified Response Day, scheduled to take place on March 16, will not be using the word "Unified" this time, and will have flexibility for those unions which are facing difficulty given the quake.

The top officers of IMF-JC will also participate in an extraordinary meeting of RENGO, the national trade union centre, which has been called to determine how trade unions in Japan and around the world can best respond to the crisis, including the possible formation of union volunteers, and an aid fund. The IMF will report to its affiliates on the outcome of this meeting as soon as possible.

In the meantime, IMF affiliates are advised to please direct messages of solidarity to:

Koichiro Nishihara
President
IMF-JC
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fax: +813 3274 2476

CC: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Mar 14, 2011 – Anita Gardner

 

rate:
Tags: