[mobglob-discuss] World of Labor (March 10, 2006)

[Gordon Flett]

World of Labor   (March 10, 2006)
By Harry Kelber

French Unions Take to the Streets Over Govt. Job Scheme

The French government faces a major challenge as trade unions, allied with 
students, staged nationwide street demonstrations May 7 to protest a new 
jobs proposal intended to bring down youth unemployment.  Several hundred 
thousand people took part in demonstrations in all major cities against the 
First Employment Contract (CPE), which is supposed to make it more 
attractive to employers to hire young people under age 26.

The CPE is a key idea of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, aimed at 
cutting France's 23 percent  jobless rate among under-26-year-olds--  
one of the worst in Europe.

A major objection to the proposal is that it enables companies to fire young 
employees without explanation during the first two years of service. 
Opponents say the CPE will be used by companies as a cheap source of labor, 
further entrenching job insecurity among the young.

"We are not going to allow the right of companies to fire, at the snap of 
the finger, to become entrenched in French law," said Bernard Thibault of 
the CGT, one of the country's major unions.  An opinion poll in Les Echos, a 
financial daily, on March 7 showed that 65 percent of the population 
believes that opposition to the CPE is justified.

Polish Women Battle Sexual Harassment at PepsiCo Plant

Members of the embattled Polish union at PepsiCo's Frito-Lay snack food 
plant in Grodziesk demonstrated outside a Warsaw court where the case of 
eight victimized women workers--all union members--is being heard in a 
protracted legal process.  The demonstration took place on March 8, 
International Women's Day.

These women, who were victims of, or witnesses to, sexual harassment by a 
supervisor at the plant, were either dismissed or forced to resign under 
pressure in late 2004.  When the women, with the support of the union, filed 
charges of sexual harassment against the company in January 2005, the 
company responded by firing the union chairman and initiating new tactics to 
create fear among employees.

PepsiCo Poland officials intensified their intimidation of plant members by 
sending each a letter to be returned to the union plant committee, 
announcing their withdrawal from the union.  Employees were instructed to 
sign the letter of resignation in the presence of witnesses and to return 
them within five days. The company, for years, has refused to renegotiate a 
new collective agreement with the union.

Australian Union Starts Jobs and Safety Campaign at Qantas

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has launched a national campaign 
to keep the Qantas airline from slashing its maintenance work force and 
endangering safety. The campaign began March 8 at a rally outside Qantas 
corporate headquarters in Melbourne attended by 400 AMWU delegates from 
across Victoria.

"There is no justification for the company sending this work to China or 
slashing 3,600 jobs here in a bid to increase profits," said AMWU national 
secretary Doug Cameron.  "The campaign is critically important because the 
reason Qantas has such a fine safety record is the work done by the highly 
skilled maintenance staff," Cameron added.

The union said that industrial action will be a last resort, but if Qantas 
goes ahead and puts safety in jeopardy by slashing jobs, it will be 
inevitable.

Oil Strike Creates Emergency in Ecuador

A state of emergency has been declared in three of Ecuador's oil-producing 
regions after workers began a strike over pay and working conditions. The 
eastern provinces of Napo, Orellana and Sucumbios have been placed under 
military control to prevent further unrest, a government official said. It 
is the second time in recent weeks that the government in the capital, 
Quito, has had to take such measures.

The government-run company, Petroecuador, said that workers had taken 
control of one of their installations demanding wages they say have not been 
paid, and better working conditions, Company officials have been negotiating 
with the workers to end the strike, but no progress has been reported.

The state of emergency means that the basic rights to freedom of movement 
and privacy have been suspended, and the security forces will be able to 
search homes at will.  Ecuador's oil production accounts for nearly half of 
its annual budget.

A Second Wal-Mart Location  Goes Union with UFCW Canada

Another Canadian Wal-Mart location has been certified seven months after a 
majority of workers at a Wal-Mart Tire and Lube Express shop in Surrey, 
British Columbia voted in favor of unionizing. The vote was originally held 
in September 2005 but Wal-Mart held true to its usual pattern of litigation 
and delay.  It took until March 3, 2006 for the British Columbia Labor 
Relations Board to work through Wal-Mart's legal challenges and authorize a 
count of the ballots at two of the company's tire and lube shops in Surrey.

The vote at one location was narrowly lost, 5-7, but at the other location, 
the vote was 7-2 in favor of the union. Those workers have now been 
certified by the Labor Relations Board as the newest bargaining unit of UFCW 
Canada.

UFCW Canada's national director, Michael Fraser, said: "We are making steady 
progress in spite of Wal-Mart's bullying and employee intimidation." The 
union expects to approach the company shortly to begin negotiations for a 
contract.

South Korean Unions Plan April General Strike

The militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)  has threatened to 
launch a nationwide general strike next month against a controversial bill 
aimed at giving employers greater flexibility to use temporary and 
sub-contracting workers.  The labor federation , which flexed its muscles 
with a two-day nationwide strike a week ago, said a new strike would take 
place from April 3 to 14.

The walkout last week  shut down top automakers HyundaI Motor and Kia 
Motors, as well as other major firms, forcing parliament to put off voting 
on the bill.  The KCTU has also demanded a halt to free trade agreements 
negotiated with the United States, which it said would compel South Korea to 
open up its domestic markets to foreign imports.

The KCTU, which claims the support of 742  unions with 650.000 members as of 
late 2005, has been noted for its militancy, leading major strikes that have 
shut down top companies.

Our weekly "LaborTalk" and "The World of Labor" columns can be viewed and 
downloaded at our website: www.laboreducator.org
Harry Kelber's e-mail address is: hkelber at igc.org