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The IUF’s Transnational Company Work

The IUF’s Transnational Company Work. Transnational company work. IUF has prioritized two forms of activity in this area: Campaigns or actions against companies that attack basic rights

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The IUF’s Transnational Company Work

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  1. The IUF’s Transnational Company Work ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  2. Transnational company work IUF has prioritized two forms of activity in this area: • Campaigns or actions against companies that attack basic rights • Proactive action and strategies to gain recognition from companies like Coca-Cola for the IUF as an international trade union federation ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  3. Recent campaigns and actions • Pakistan Sugar Mills • Belarus, trade union rights • BAT & Burma • Ecuador banana workers • Pearl Continental • Pepsi, Guatemala • Sky Chefs, USA • Coca Cola, Russia ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  4. That is campaign activity…. But what of pro-active IUF Company Strategy • What does it mean? • How is it developed within the IUF? ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  5. “Proactive” IUF company strategy has basically three stages: • Organize and build strength • Negotiate for international recognition from the target company • Move to international bargaining ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  6. Organize • Use education projects to: • Strengthen existing unions • Create New unions • Recruitment of those unions to IUF • Company networks (eg in Coca-Cola through global and regional meetings) ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  7. Negotiating recognition • Area of major progress in recent years • Achieved through seizing and building on opportunities, following-up on conflicts, maintaining contact with companies and dogged and determined negotiations ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  8. Recognition 1997 • Where were we in 1997? • Danone (formal) • Accor (formal) • Nestlé (formally limited to Europe but informally wider) • Coca-Cola (informal, irregular and limited having arisen from major successful international campaigns against Coca Cola over past years) ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  9. Recognition 2003 • Where are we today? • 26 companies and growing • Danone • Accor • Nestlé • Coca-Cola • British American Tobacco • Chiquita Brands International • Club Méditerannée • Compass ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  10. Del Monte Fresh Produce • Fonterra (formerly New Zealand Dairy Board, a major dairy transnational) • Fyffes • Hershey Foods • Imperial Tobacco • Interbrew • Japan Tobacco International • Kraft Foods ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  11. Mars • Parmalat • Philip Morris International • Scandinavian Tobacco Company • Altadis • Sodexho • Dimon Tobacco Leaf Processors • Standard Tobacco Leaf Processors • Univeral Tobacco Leaf Processors • Shangri-La Hotel Corporation ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  12. Company recognition of the IUF 1997 - 2003 ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  13. Bargaining….. • About what issues? • Not workplace issues but more over ….. • Rights and “space” • Space for….. • Rights to form and join unions (F. of A.) • Rights to collective bargaining • No discrimination, child and forced labour etc ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  14. What does this mean? • Setting standards through agreements with specific transnational companies (normally built on ILO Core Conventions) • Clarifying what the ILO standards actually mean • Establishing agreed union/company mechanisms for enforcing those standards • Negotiating agreed remedial action when those standards are not met ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  15. 8 formal IUF international worker rights agreements: • Danone: • Union Rights • Equality • Training • Information • Restructuring and employment • Accor – union rights • Chiquita – Rights, employment and health and safety • Fonterra – Rights, employment and health and safety ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  16. 3 “ formal” IUF/Company agreements to end conflicts • Del Monte – Guatemala (2001) • Interbrew – Montenegro (Dubrovnik Agreement) (2002) • Shangri-La Hotels – Indonesia (2003) ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  17. The case of Coca-Cola • Tough structure and tough company • US corporate culture • Common target of IUF actions and campaigns • Long-term target of IUF proactive strategy ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  18. “Proactive” work • Organize • Negotiate recognition • Bargain about rights ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  19. International organizing within Coca-Cola • Building unions (Guatemala, Philippines, India, Moscow etc) • Recruiting to the IUF - global IUF representation has never been stronger • Strengthening networks and our capacity for mutual solidarity • Global meeting in March 2003 and regional meetings throughout the year ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  20. Negotiating for recognition • De facto recognition for the Coca-Cola “system” - which means we deal with bottlers and franchise holders • Initially informal and irregular contacts • Stuck at the informal and irregular level for some years ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  21. Recognition breakthrough in 2003? • April 2003 agreement to hold twice-yearly meetings (starting in October 2003) • Small team from IUF: • Four affiliates and the general secretary • Head Office team from The Coca-Cola Company ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  22. Nature of the planned twice-yearly meetings • Exchanging information • Mainly on rights and labour issues • Possibly on corporate global, regional and local strategies • Discussing problems and abuses of worker rights • Exploring influence of The Coca-Cola Company on bottlers and franchise holders ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  23. Bargaining about rights with Coca-Cola? • Will see where the more formal twice-yearly meeting take us • Major challenge is an eventual agreement between the IUF and The Coca-Cola Company ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  24. Principal obstacles to progress • Tough “US corporate culture” • Structure of the company and issue of responsibility for bottlers and franchise holders ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  25. Principal strengths we have • Vulnerable company • Strong global IUF representation throughout the company • Proven IUF capacity to effectively act against Coke • Clear and determined IUF strategy • IUF’s unique capacity to maintain long-term pressure on Coca-Cola ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

  26. How the future with Coke looks and what it will need from us… • There will be difficult and slow process • Intelligent, tough but vulnerable company • Organizing globally will be one key issue • Maintaining constant pressure will be another key issue • Smart negotiating at global level a third • Effective solidarity and action from affiliates when necessary will be thekey issue ILO Turin Centre, November, 2003

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