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Organizing for Rights in Transnational Companies

Organizing for Rights in Transnational Companies. Transnational company work. IUF has prioritized two forms of activity in this area. First and more traditional: Campaigns or actions against companies that attack basic rights. Recent campaigns and actions. Shangri-La Interbrew, Montenegro

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Organizing for Rights in Transnational Companies

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  1. Organizing for Rights in Transnational Companies ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  2. Transnational company work IUF has prioritized two forms of activity in this area. First and more traditional: • Campaigns or actions against companies that attack basic rights ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  3. Recent campaigns and actions • Shangri-La • Interbrew, Montenegro • Nestlé Korea • Nestlè Russia • Pearl Continental • Coca Cola, Guatemala • Coca Cola Russia • Pepsi, Guatemala • Sky Chefs, USA • Cambodia hotels (Raffles, Interconti) ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  4. That is our “traditional” campaign/solidarity activity…. It is critical but no longer enough: • Second major area of activity therefore is…... • Proactive action and strategies aimed at transnational companies • What does it mean? • How is it developed within the IUF? ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  5. “Proactive” IUF company strategy has basically four stages: • Organize through affiliates and build strength within the company (ongoing and permanent activity) • Negotiate for international recognition from the target company • Move to international “bargaining” • Then use this to……….. • Organize through affiliates some more! ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  6. Organize - the role of union education…... • Use education projects to: • Strengthen existing affiliated unions • Build new unions and recruit them • Recruitment of those unions to IUF • Company networks (e.g. in Coca-Cola through global and regional project meetings) ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  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/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  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/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  9. Recognition 2003 • Where are we today? • 31companies and growing • Danone • Accor • Nestlé • Coca-Cola • British American Tobacco • Chiquita Brands International • Club Méditerannée • Compass ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  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 • Syngenta • Cargill • ADM • Barry Callebaut ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  11. Mars • Parmalat • Philip Morris International • Scandinavian Tobacco Company • Altadis • Sodexho • South African Breweries • Dimon Tobacco Leaf Processors • Standard Tobacco Leaf Processors • Univeral Tobacco Leaf Processors • Shangri-La Hotel Corporation ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  12. Company recognition of the IUF 1997 - 2003 ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  13. Bargaining….. • About what issues? • Not workplace issues but more over ….. • Rights and “space” inside the company • Space for….. • Rights to form and join unions • Rights to collective bargaining • No discrimination, child and forced labour etc ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  14. What does “negotiating” mean? • Agreed rights through negotiations with companies’ corporate headquarters (specific cases on general) • Agreed rights standards through formal agreements with companies’ corporate headquarters • Clarifying what the those rights standards actually mean (e.g. North America) • Establishing agreed union/company mechanisms for enforcing those standards • Negotiating agreed remedial action when those standards are not met ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  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/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  16. 4 “ formal” IUF/Company agreements to end conflicts • Del Monte – Guatemala (2001) • Interbrew – Montenegro (Dubrovnik Agreement) (2002) • Shangri-La Hotels – Indonesia (2003) • Raffles, Cambodia ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  17. Is there value in international union “Recognition” and “Negotiation”? • Pointless in itself • Only of value if it feeds back into our affiliates’ organizing and into winning at work • This then strengthens our capacity to negotiate still more “space” ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

  18. Examples of what this means • 5.000 new union members in Chiquita/Colombia • additional members in ACCOR/Australia • union protected in Nestlè/Russia • union remains and existence in Raffles/Cambodia • more unionised members in Danone/Turkey • saving union member`s jobs in Del Monte/Guatemala • new union members in Coca Cola/Russia • union membership protected in Philip Morris/Russia • growing union membership in Independent Hotel Union Indonesia(following Shangri-La success) • collective agreement and new members in ACCOR/New York • defending working conditions Nestlè/Germany ILO/ICEM IUF SEE Education Project, 31/08-01/09, 2005 Turin

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