Anarchoblogs

Molly has reported several times on the worldwide campaign against the anti-worker policies of the Nestlé Corporation. The international union federation the IUF has been at the forefront of this, and they now announce a victory in Russia. Here's the story from their website.

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Nestlé Waters Russia Bows to Pressure, Union Vice-Chair Reinstated
Management of Nestlé Waters Russia has declined to appeal the court-ordered reinstatement of Sergei Strykov, Vice-Chair of the union formed last year who was fired on January 27. Strykov has also been compensated for wages lost from January through May, while the union was fighting his illegal dismissal.

Strykov's dismissal was part of a series of harsh anti-union measures inflicted by Nestlé management in an attempt to stop the union from developing. The union fought back with a series of public actions, backed by international support.


While the workers are still seeking negotiations around urgent issues including workloads, work assignments and overtime pay Nestlé's decision not to fight the reinstatement represents a clear victory for the campaign to defend basic union rights at Nestlé Domodedovo.

Coca-Cola is, not surprisingly, one of the corporate sponsors of this year's World Cup in South Africa. Yet they steadfastly refuse to play fair in their bottling plants across the world. Here's a story and appeal from the international union federation the IUF about the struggle for a real union amongst Coke workers in Pakistan.

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Coca-Cola Pakistan Greets New Union with Death Threats, Abduction, Extortion and Dismissals
Since forming a union at Coca-Cola's bottling plant in the southern Pakistan city of Multan in June 2009, members have met with death threats, abduction, firings, extortion, forgery and fraud. It's been a long wait for rights and recognition - and not exactly refreshing.

In addition to the threats and dismissals, management has manipulated the relevant authorities to stop the legal registration of the union. Workers' social security documents have been massively falsified to “transfer” regular workers to a fictitious labour contractor in order to 'prove' that they don't work for Coca-Cola, and can't join a union of Coca-Cola workers! Management created a yellow union – but even the alleged president of that union testified that he had never attended the founding meeting, was not the president and had never applied for registration!

The Multan plant is part of Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited (CCBPL), jointly owned by Turkish bottler Coca-Cola Icecek (CCI) and The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) based in Atlanta, which sits atop the global Coca-Cola system.

The Multan workers need your support. Despite all these illegal acts the union officers and their supporters remain steadfast in their determination to win union recognition and become the IUF’s newest members in the Coca-Cola system.
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McJobs‏
McJobs -- we all know what those are.
One online source defines a McJob as "a low-paying, low-prestige job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intracompany advancement". McDonald's was never very happy about the use of this term.

In fact, the company bought the domain name "mcjobs.com" just to make sure that no one could use it.

But they forget to acquire "mcjobs.org"( To "oops" is management-Molly ) -- and the global union federation for food workers, the IUF, together with LabourStart, bought the name and today are pleased to announce the public launch of McJobs.org, the website for McDonald's workers around the world.

If you work in McDonald's, or know anyone who does, or are just curious, please do check it out:

Eric Lee

Four Iran Sugar Union Leaders Free but President Nejati Still in Prison and Facing Additional Sentence:
While 4 convicted leaders of the independent Haft Tapeh sugarworkers union in Iran have now been freed, President Ali Nejati remains in prison, where he could spend two years or more on charges of 'endangering national security'. Union Communications Officer Reza Rakhshan is stiill awaiting final sentencing for his conviction last year on similar charges.

Nejati (pictured at right) is currently serving a one-year sentence and faces an additional term of one year or more.

Gorban Alipour and Mohammad Heidari have been released after completing all or part of their sentences; Jali Ahmadi and Feridun Nikfar have been released conditionally on probation after partially serving their sentences.

Nothing has changed at Haft Tapeh, where workers have had to resort to spontaneous industrial action on several occasions since the union leaders were imprisoned in order to obtain payment of their wages.

The campaign for the Haft Tapeh workers will continue until:
*President Ali Nejati is released, his sentence annulled and all pending charges are dropped:
*all past and present charges against Reza Rakhshan are dropped;
*all Haft Tapeh union officers are immediately reinstated in their jobs, with full back pay;
*the government and the company recognize the Haft Tapeh Union as the workers' representative for collective bargaining, fully respecting all trade rights.

CLICK HERE to send a message to the Iranian state and judicial authorities. Your message will be conveyed to the Haft Tapeh workers.

Company Punishes Union Workers with Dismissal, Discrimination and Pay Cuts:
Nestlé's Corporate Business Principles state that their business practices are "designed" to "establish a constructive dialogue with unions. In fact they have little choice - if they want to respect international Conventions and treaties which anchor this obligation in international human rights law.

In 2008 - after a year of struggle - Nestlé management conceded that that the union representing Kit-Kat workers in the Russian city of Perm could negotiate the wages management had declared a "commercial secret". Less than two years later, Nespressure - squeezing workers and suppressing rights - is being applied again at Nestlé Russia.

In November 2009, workers at Nestlé Waters Direct in Domodedovo, 30 kilometers outside Moscow, joined together to address the problem of eroding real wages and deteriorating working conditions. Nestlé's subsidiary in Domodedovo bottles and delivers Pure Life water to homes and offices. Workloads have increased substantially for drivers following the 2008 closure of one of the company's three Moscow-region distribution depots (increasing pressure on remaining drivers). Drivers are paid according to a piece rate/bonus scheme. Working days of 12 hours or more are necessary to reach a reasonable level of pay. Last year, the number of dispatchers was reduced by 50% in a cost-cutting exercise, which dramatically increased the workload on the survivors. So drivers, joined by dispatchers, formed a union and on November 17 obtained legal status by joining the All-Russia Trade and Service Employee's Union 'Solidarnost'.

Management immediately began harassing the union chairman and interfering with his access to members. Drivers were reassigned to work as loaders, eliminating the drivers' bonus, or assigned to smaller vehicles, making it impossible to achieve the bonus quota even with 15-16 hours of work. Drivers who joined the union have seen their pay cut by up to 40%.

Union communications to management, supported by the Russia-wide Nestlé Union Coordinating Council, requesting negotiations to determine work schedules, overtime and bonus pay and an end to the anti-union harassment were not answered.

On January 24, braving a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius, union members demonstrated in support of their rights at Nestlé's Moscow headquarters.

On January 27, union vice-chair Sergei Strykov was summarily dismissed. Though Strykov had a perfect work record, he was accused of financially damaging the company by consistently selling the extra bottles drivers have previously been encouraged and rewarded for selling! At a meeting with the bosses, union activist Strykov was told he could collect the overtime he is owed in exchange for "resigning by mutual consent" with the management.

Strykov is one of a group of workers who filed a legal case against the company on January 21 to recover unpaid overtime payment - in Strykov's case money owed since January 2006.

When he refused to "resign", he was fired and ordered to immediately relinquish his company uniform - shirt, coat, hat and shoes - in subfreezing weather! ( who ever said that managers were human beings ?-Molly )

The Nestlé Domodedovo workers have not been intimidated by the brutal sacking of their union vice-chair. Union members and their supporters turned out for another rally at the factory gate on February 5.

The union is demanding the reinstatement of vice-chair Sergei Strykov, that all union members are reinstated to their former work assignments; an end to all anti-union discrimination through rates, bonuses and job assignments and negotiations between management and the union on working conditions and overtime pay.

You can support their demands - CLICK HERE to send a message to Nestlé Russia's Human Resources Director and to corporate management in Switzerland.

To Stefan De Loecker, Market Head Russiacc Alfredo Silva, Assistant Vice-President, Human Resources - Zone Europe
Dear Sirs
I am shocked to learn that management at Nestlé Waters Direct in Domodedovo has responded to the formation of a union by imposing pay cuts on drivers who join the union and by firing the union vice-chair Sergei Strykov on January 27. I call on you to immediately reinstate Strykov, to reinstate all union members to their former driver work assignments, to end all anti-union discrimination through rates, bonuses and job assignments and to enter into good faith negotiations with the union on working conditions and overtime pay.
Yours sincerely

SASASASASASASASA
FAWU on Strike at SAB Miller South African Soft Drinks:
Three thousand members of South Africa's FAWU have been on strike at SAB Miller's ABI Soft Drinks Division since December 22. The union is demanding better wages, fair overtime payment for Saturday work and an end to the further use of labour brokers and the "Driver-Owner Schemes" which convert lorry drivers into "independent" owner operators and their crews into casual workers without working conditions or job security. The company has chosen confrontation over negotiation, preferring allegations of worker violence to constructive negotiations. The union has won strong support for their struggle inside South Africa - and is now asking for international solidarity. You can support FAWU's fight for decent conditions and their demand for an end to the extension of precarious work.

Colombian Workers Under Fire:
Urgent Action 18-01-2010
Workers in Colombia are once again victims of armed violence for trying to exercise their right to join and be represented by a trade union.

On January 14, armed gunmen entered the Palo Alto plantation, Ciénaga district, Magdelena. They had a list of names in their hands and demanded to know the whereabouts of two specific workers José Luis Soto Jaramillo y Juan Carlos Torres Muñoz. They then shouted, "Get out of here because we have come to kill you – no hiding" and opened fire, wounding Miguel Augusto Cuenca Torregroza. 185 workers were then forced at gunpoint to leave their workplace.

The IUF-affiliated SINTRAINAGRO immediately condemned the violence and called for solidarity action. The Palo Alto workers had been protesting since December 23, 2009 about non-payment of wages, bonuses, redundancy payments, family grant payments, funeral services and seven years of their employer not paying pension and healthcare contributions. The company is refusing to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with their union, SINTRAINAGRO.

The Palo Alto plantation, which produces hearts of palm, belongs to Palo Alto Gnecco Espinosa Investments, a private company with substantial investments in Colombia's Atlantic coast zone.
The IUF has written to Colombian president Alvaro Uribe and to government ministers to bring the case to their attention. The letter demands that the government investigate the incident and take immediate measures to guarantee the safety of the workers and to ensure they can exercise their fundamental trade union rights.

Click here to send a protest message to the Colombian Government.