ICTS Bulletin No 3 (EN) 2011 - Public Places

UNI telecom and IT unions come together
to form UNI ICTS
UNI’s telecom and IT unions voted to merge the sectors to form the new sector
UNI Information, Communication, Technology and Services (ICTS), which now
represents over 3 million workers around the world.
UNI ICTS
Delegates at the UNI ICTS inaugural conference voted unanimously to form the
new sector, which combines the former UNI sectors Telecom and IBITS.
n°3 .November . 2011
The theme of the conference “Workers breaking through in a digital world” called
on delegates from around the world to work together to win union rights and to
organise and improve working conditions for workers at many telecom and tech
multinationals including Atos, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, HP, IBM,
LOGICA, MTN, Telefonica, Telenor, Telisasonera, Telekom Malaysia, Vodafone.
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During the conference delegates joined over 1000 Mexican trade unionists and
workers held a demonstration with Atento (Telefonica is the parent company)
Mexico workers and the union Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana (STRM) in support of the workers fight to have a free and fair election to
join the STRM. UNI ICTS pledged to help the STRM fight protection unions in
Mexico, where workers are often forced to join so-called “unions” without their
knowledge that do not represent them.
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Page 1:
Launch of UNI ICTS Global Union
Page 3:
Global Union Solidarity
Page 5:
Trade Unions in
Action
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Sector News;
Regulation
www.uniglobalunion.org
“This is the single most important change taking place in UNI global since our formation in 2000,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings at the opening of the conference.
“I consider this a real breakthrough for UNI and the entire global trade union movement. How can we organise in
this global and digital economy? It’s important for us to work together and stand together and have a common
platform.”
Jennings also recognised the work of the conference host union the Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República
Mexicana (STRM), which he called the “shining light of a free and democratic union in [Mexico].”
The union delegates also signed a solidarity letter demanding Deutsche Telekom stop US managers from union-busting at
T-Mobile USA.
A number of Solidarity Statements were adopted by the conference and can be found on our website by clicking
here.
Marcus Courtney, head of UNI ICTS, presented the ambitious working plan for the sector, which will help strengthen unions and workers’ rights and confront the challenges of the global economic crisis.
“UNI ICTS is breaking through and ready to change the rules of the game,” he said.
At the opening host union STRM General Secretary Francisco Hernandez Juarez, welcomed the support of the IT and
Telecom unions and their solidarity.
“Telephone workers understand your presence in Mexico as an act of solidarity with Mexican unions,” Hernandez Juarez
said. He also called on the global union movement to help fight the practice of “protection unions” in Mexico, which are organisations that do not support workers rights but in fact are used by company management to keep their workers from
joining real democratic unions like the STRM.
UNI Telecoms President Bo Larsen was President from 2008 and worked tirelessly to build consensus among affiliates to
merge telecom and IT unions into the new UNI ICTS. Larsen, who worked for the Danish union DK, was a well respected
and dedicated unionist who devoted decades to the movement. When he took up the role he faced the immediate challenge of merging the European telecom and IT unions and did so successfully. Now with a new ICTS sector globally he
said the new sector must focus on organising to build union power and fight outsourcing and offshoring that are eroding
union ranks across the world.
Pictured: Retiring World Telecom President Bo Larsen
UNI Americas Regional Secretary Adriana Rosenzvaig said that the fight for union rights must continue. “There is no social
justice if we do not have respect for trade unions. There is no decent work if we don’t have respect for trade unions. There
is no democracy if we don’t have respect for trade unions,” she said.
For all the photos from the conference and demonstration please visit our Flickr site (Conference) and Flickr site
(Demonstration)
For all the videos played during the conference please visit our YouTube site Merging ICTS + Bargaining Rights +
Cloud Computing
Unions elect Francisco Hernández Juárez president of UNI ICTS
UNI ICTS Global Union unanimously elected Mexican union leader Francisco Hernández Juárez as president of the newly
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created UNI ICTS.
Hernández Juárez, 62, is a Mexican trade union leader from the Sindicato de Telefonistas de la República Mexicana (STRM) and a member of the Mexican Congress.
“Francisco has been a trailblazing force for democratic unions and organizing in Mexico and a committed leader in
the global fight for union representation and collective bargaining rights,” said head of UNI ICTS Marcus Courtney.
“This is an exciting time for our newly formed ICTS sector and Francisco will be a great leader for our unions.”
An electrical engineer by training, Hernández Juárez started working at Teléfonos de México at age 16. He was first elected
General Secretary of the STRM in 1976 as part of a campaign to democratise the union.
In 1987 he was elected president of Mexico’s Congreso del Trabajo as part of a union coalition fighting to transform the organisation and make it more independent from the government, the PRI political party and corporate bosses. In 1990, these
unions formed the Federación de Sindicatos de Empresas de Bienes y Servicios (FESEBS) with Hernández Juárez as founding General Secretary.
In 1992, Hernández Juárez formed an Alliance with US and Canadian telecommunications unions the Communications Workers of America (CWA)
and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada
(CEP). In 1997, after renouncing the Congreso del Trabajo, he helped form
the Unión Nacional de Trabajadores (UNT) and has held the title of President since the founding.
The UNT is the leader of the independent and democratic union movement
in Mexico.
Hernández Juárez was elected president of UNI Americas Telecom in 2003.
He is a member of UNI’s World Executive Board and a Vice President of UNI
Telecom’s Global Committee. He continues to hold the title of STRM General Secretary as well as holding his seat as a member of the Mexican Congress in the Chamber of Deputies.
GLOBAL UNION SOLIDARITY
ICTS unions pledge to fight union-busting at Deutshe Telekom/T-Mobile
Over 150 trade union leaders from around the world have joined the fight to stop union-busting at Deutsche Telekom’s subsidiaries outside of Germany. The union leaders endorsed a solidarity motion at the UNI ICTS conference in Mexico City that
demands Deutsche Telekom end its double standard of respecting union rights at home but not abroad.
The unions said they will demand the German government, which owns 32 percent
of Deutsche Telekom stock, intervene to stop the union-busting and will lobby the
Germany government, socially responsible investors and DT customers to remind
the company of its global responsibilities. Both Deutsche Telekom and the German
government make claims in writing that they are socially responsible.
“We expect Deutsche Telekom to live up to its claims of social responsibility in real
life,” said UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings. “It respects workers’ rights in Germany but is creating an atmosphere of
fear and insecurity in the United States and in other countries to keep unions out of those workplaces.”
Deutsche Telekom engages in social dialogue and collective bargaining with its union counterpart ver.di in Germany but in
other countries the company adopts the worst practices of its host countries: disrespect for workers, union-busting tactics,
fear and intimidation for workers who speak up, and reprisals when they seek to join a union.
In the United States, T-Mobile USA has used threats and surveillance to try to stop workers from joining the Communications
Workers of America (CWA). T-Mobile USA’s anti-union behaviour has been well documented by academics as well as by US,
German and international trade unions. For example, on 26 August, 2011, four T-Mobile workers in New York who tried to
form a union and hold a fair election at their workplace wrote to US Congressman Paul Tonko explaining why they had withdrawn their petition at the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) for an election:
“Unfortunately, T-Mobile USA has spent the past month creating an environment where a free and fair election is simply not
possible. Since an election without fear is no longer viable, we are withdrawing our petition at the NLRB at this time,” the
workers wrote.
Close to 10,000 people have joined an online LabourStart campaign calling on Deutsche Telekom to ensure T-Mobile USA
management stops its union-busting campaign.
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In the United States, UNI along with its affiliates the CWA and ver.di are challenging the anti-union practices of
US subsidiary T-Mobile USA and working to get a global agreement with the company to secure worker rights for
DT workers globally.
In June, 2011, UNI, ver.di and the CWA submitted a complaint to the German and US governments alleging that
this conduct violates the global standards reflected in the OECD Guidelines for Multinationals.
“We Expect Better” is the global campaign for union rights at Deutsche Telekom that is supported by UNI Global
Union, ver.di, CWA and the International Trade Union Confederation.
Join the LabourStart Campaign:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=1093
Minister of Manpower demands Telecom Egypt bosses recognise union
UNI Global Union welcomed the release on 25 October of 5 Telecom Egypt workers who were
detained during the ongoing strike for better working conditions and wages and changes to make
the company competitive.
The release of the workers comes as the union holds a huge demonstration this afternoon in
front of the company’s headquarters in Cairo and just a day after UNI sent a message to Egypt's
Prime Minister Essem Sharaf calling on him to ensure the rights of striking Telecom Egypt workers who are under intense pressure from company bosses and the government.
UNI applauds Egyptian Minister of Manpower for demanding that Telecom Egypt management accept legitimacy of Independent Union of Telecom Workers of Egypt.
UNI Global Union says the move by the Egyptian Minister of Manpower, Ahmed Hassan Bori is the right one as it recognises
the primacy of international law and specifically the ILO Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association.
Philip Jennings, General Secretary, UNI Global Union said, “We strongly welcome this intervention by the Minister. We want
to see ILO Core Labour Standards play a key role in Egypt. We will continue our fight to make sure that trade union rights and
collective bargaining are part and parcel of workers lives in Egypt and across the MENA region.”
The move comes just few days after Jennings sent a letter of protest to the Prime Minister of Egypt demanding that a negotiated solution was found to the on-going dispute. Workers have been on strike for over month, demanding improved working
conditions, higher wages and a transparent and competitive work environment.
UNI protests invitation of Fiji’s dictator at ITU World Conference
UNI protested to the International Telecommunication Union to withdraw its invitation to Fijian
dictator Commodore Frank Bainimarama to address the ITU World Conference in Geneva.
Commodore Bainimarama (pictured left) was asked to speak at the ITU conference even as he
was left off the invite list for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth, Australia, because of his illegal take on power and his poor human rights record.
The ITU is the United Nations agency for information and communications technologies.
“[Bainimarama is] a leader who has no democratic mandate but took power by force,” Jennings
said. “Fiji is a country which is acting in fundamental breach of the UN’s Human Rights policy
and in contradiction to the ILO Core Labour Standards.”
The International Trade Union Confederation has reported the Fijian regime’s
actions to limit the rights of independent and democratic trade unions, including
severe limits to union recognition and collective bargaining, the right to strike,
and access to dispute resolution; assault, harassment and intimidation of trade
union leaders and their families; curtailing trade union and civil rights of freedom of expression, access to media and the freedom of assembly; as well as
government attacks on trade union rights by executive decree.
UNI offered to hold an emergency meeting with the ITU Secretary-General
(pictured right) but as yet there has been no response to this request.
See the article in the Radio New Zealand Online by clicking here
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TRADE UNIONS IN ACTION
Fight against telecommunications outsourcing and instability in Brazil
FENATTEL (Brazilian Federation of Telecommunications Workers) and FEBRATEL (Brazilian Federation of Telecommunication Companies) signed a protocol against outsourcing and instability. The document establishes common ethical, social and professional landmarks capable of preserving the relationship between workers and trade
unions against the detrimental effects of these practices, which may lead to the social degeneration of working
agreements.
The protocol was signed at Vivo headquarters in São Paulo with the attendance of Almir Munhoz, acting CEO of FENATTEL
and re-elected for the next mandate of the entity as from February 2012. Antônio Carlos Valente, CEO of Vivo-Telefônica,
represented FEBRATEL on the occasion.
“Formalisation of this protocol is a concrete action adopted by
FENATTEL and FEBRATEL to fight these practices condemned by
us”, declared Almir Munhoz.
Now the document will be discussed in an open court proposed by
the TST (Higher Labour Court) on October 4 and 5. FENATTEL currently coordinates the actions of 22 trade unions, in 21 states, in the
name of 750 thousand workers, i.e., 95% of the area.
For more information on the document click here
(L-R : Antônio Carlos Valente, CEO Vivo-Telefônica, FEBRATEL; Almir Munhoz, FENATEL)
Atento workers fight to join STRM as election called with hours notice
UNI Global Union is supporting workers at Atento Mexico who are fighting for a real, democratic union after being given just
hours of notice of a new (third) union election that took place on Wednesday 10 November.
Watch the YouTube Video by clicking here:
“A fair union election under these circumstances is almost
impossible and that is why UNI is calling on Atento parent
company Telefonica, which has signed a Global Agreement
with UNI, to ensure that Atento management will not interfere
with the election tomorrow,” said Head of UNI ICTS Marcus
Courtney.
Courtney sent a letter to Telefonica’s Director of Human Resources Oscar Maraver calling on him to demand Atento Mexico management immediately negotiate with STRM for a free
and fair election.
The week before this election, when a union election was
scheduled, Atento Mexico workers were physically blocked
from voting at the Labour Board by the protection union and hired thugs. When the workers and STRM supporters managed
to make their way to the door, the Labour Board shut down the election.
International observers from UNI and other trade unions reported many other instances of voting interference, including
blocking workers from leaving their work sites to go vote and threats from management that workers would be terminated if
they voted for the union.
UNI has been working closely with the STRM to document all instances of company interference in the election process and
will report to affiliates the outcomes of the current election soon.
IBM Argentina on strike
Union Informatica held a strike at IBM Argentina for the second time this year, citing poor working conditions, arbitrary dismissals and extremely low wages. UI General Secretary, Pablo Dorin says Big Blue calls its 9,000 employees "professionals"
but only pays them an average annual salary of $3,500 US Dollars while Argentina is experiencing double-digit inflation.
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UNI’s global pressure brings reinstatement of union in El Salvador
SITCOM, with the support of the Salvadoran and international union movement, won an important victory over
America Movil’s union-busting tactics.
UNI Global Union welcomes the decision of El Salvador Minister of Labour Humberto Centeno to return legal
status to Salvadoran telecom union Sindicato de Industria de los Trabajadores de las Comunicaciones (SITCOM)
a few months after he decertified the union under pressure from Mexican telecom giant America Movil.
SITCOM, with the support of the Salvadoran and international union movement, won an important victory over
America Movil’s union-busting tactics. Hundreds of UNI members joined an global campaign to send letters to Centeno urging
him to return SITCOM’s legal recognition as a trade union.
UNI is still pressing Centeno to recognize Salvadoran union SITRAVX, which represents workers at Japanese multinational
KYOCERA, whose legal recognition as a union was also revoked in September.
« We congratulate SITCOM on this win but we aer disappointed that SITRAVX members still being unfairly denied union recognition,” said Head of UNI ICTS Marcus Courtney. “We will continue to monitor the situation in El Salvador and take further
action as necessary to ensure that the government and multinationals respect union rights.”
A resolution passed in September in the Labour Court, which is chaired by the father of a lawyer who works for America Movil’s Salvadoran business Claro, revoked SITCOM’s legal recognition. Not satisfied with this, the company pressed Centento
to dissolve of the union. UNI and telecom affiliates in the Americas filed an OECD complaint about these practices in September.
In a written decision on the reversal, Centeno says to “return things to the state they were in prior to issuing this resolution”,which means the union can now press for recognition at various telecom companies including America Movil and Atento
(the call center business owned by Telefonica) where the company has discriminated against and fired workers for union activity.
UNI will stand in solidarity with SITCOM, its leaders and its members as they work for recognition with employers.
SECTOR NEWS
Call Centre Action Month 2011: Quality Jobs = Quality Service
A successful Call Centre Action Month was held with actions aimed at changing the rules of the
game in call centre operations around the world. UNI ICTS called on companies to allow workers
the freedom to organise and bargain collectively, free from fear and intimidation. UNI ICTS encouraged affiliates to promote legislation that focuses on the improvement of working conditions in call
centres to provide quality jobs leading to quality service.
Marcus Courtney, Head of UNI Telecom said “We are seeing sustained rapid growth in the call
centre sector in the developing world with vast numbers of jobs being created in countries with
poor labour standards usually much inferior to those where the customer is calling in from.” Courtney added, “We are urging our affiliates and members to help prevent the current race to the bottom on wages and conditions but rather fight to ensure that basic standards and rights are universal to all call centre workers.”
UNI ICTS affiliates took action in a number of ways including:
• Introducing draft legislation into legislatures which enshrines basic rights for call centre workers,
• Promoting the UNI Global Call Centre Charter,
• Promoting in the EU the European Call Centre Guidelines for Customer Contact Centres that has been adopted by the
European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO) and unions,
• Calling upon governments to conduct studies to investigate working standards in the call centre industry.
Visit the action month website for more information www.callcentreaction.org
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France Telecom unions postcard action
UNI ICTS affiliates are calling on the France Telecom—Orange Group to consider the unfair distribution of the
company’s profits to its dedicated employees. In 2010-2011 the company has increased its operating profitability
at a time when the effects of the global economic crisis are still being felt. These good results are first and foremost the consequence of the work of all the Group’s employees around the world.
Yet in 2010, 4.3 billion Euros were distributed to the shareholders of France Telecom SA and to the minority
shareholders of the Group’s other companies. This has lead to an unequal distribution of the wealth created in the
Group, to the detriment of
the employees.
For a fairer distribution of the wealth created, the employees of the France Telecom Group worldwide demand the allocation of a “world bonus", additional to all existing provisions. In this way it will increase motivation and the sense of
belonging of all the employees of the Group throughout the world.
Delegates at the Inaugural UNI ICTS Global Union Conference stood together to call on the CEO to listen to the workers’ demands.
UNI supports the demands of our affiliates who organise workers in France Telecom and encourage France Telecom—
Orange employees to sign the postcard petition and hand it out to their colleagues. You can print the postcard by clicking
here
REGULATION
Public consultation on the Professional Qualifications Directive
On 22 of June the European Commission (DG Internal Market) published the Green Paper aimed at gathering stakeholders’
views on the modernisation of the Professional Qualification Directive (Directive 2005/36/EC). This Directive, adopted in
2005, sets the rules for mutual recognition of professional qualifications between Member States. Beyond a few innovations,
it mainly consolidated and simplified 15 previous Directives, some of which dated back to the 1960s.
The reform of the system of recognition of professional qualifications as a means to facilitate mobility is one of the priority actions proposed by the Commission in the Single Market Act. With the view to preparing this reform, the Commission wishes to
consult stakeholders on:
•
new approaches to mobility
•
ways to build on achievements
•
and on the modernisation of the automatic recognition
The result of this consultation process will be taken into account by the Commission in the preparation of the legislative proposal on the modernisation of the Directive by the end 2011. UNI Europa is preparing its response to this consultation. For
more information you can consult the DG Internal Market website:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/consultations/2011/professional_qualifications_directive_en.htm
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DO YOU HAVE IMPORTANT NEWS TO SHARE?
We encourage all UNI ICTS affiliates to email us with
breaking news at icts@uniglobalunion.org
We can share your news and photos through our web
page and bulletin.
Keep us informed by emailing icts@uniglobalunion.org
Meet the UNI ICTS team:
Marcus Courtney
Head of Department
UNI ICTS Global Union
Daniel Lynch
Research Assistant
UNI ICTS Global Union
Aminata Keita
Policy Officer
UNI Africa
Kun Wardana
Policy Officer
UNI Asia & Pacific
UNI ICTS global union
8-10 Av. Reverdil
1260 Nyon
Switzerland
Birte Dedden
Policy Officer
UNI Europa
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Barbara Uliel
Department Assistant
Tel: + 41 22 365 2100
Fax: + 41 22 365 2121
marcus.courtney@uniglobalunion.org
www.uniglobalunion.org