Secretariat Report 2011 (pdf) - International Metalworkers' Federation

Secretariat Report 

IMF CENTRAL COMMITTEE 2011 JAKARTA

International Metalworkers’ Federation 

SECRETARIAT REPORT 

June 2009 – December 2011 

Central Committee Meeting 

Jakarta, Indonesia, December 7-8, 2011

Table of Contents 

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 

2. Building Stronger Unions ............................................................................................ 3 

3. Trade Union Rights and Campaigns ........................................................................... 3 

Priority Countries ............................................................................................................ 3 

Mexico ............................................................................................................................ 4 

Turkey ............................................................................................................................. 5 

Korea .............................................................................................................................. 5 

Russia ............................................................................................................................. 6 

Colombia ......................................................................................................................... 6 

Philippines ...................................................................................................................... 7 

Global campaigns and TNCs .......................................................................................... 7 

Vale Inco Canada ........................................................................................................... 7 

Toshiba Indonesia .......................................................................................................... 8 

Ssangyong Korea ........................................................................................................... 9 

Sinter Metal Turkey ......................................................................................................... 9 

Rio Tinto ....................................................................................................................... 10 

4. Precarious Work ......................................................................................................... 10 

5. Climate Change and Sustainability ........................................................................... 12 

6. Trade, Employment and Development ..................................................................... 14 

OECD and IFIs ............................................................................................................. 15 

7. Trade Union Networks in Transnational Corporations ........................................... 16 

8. Sectoral Developments .............................................................................................. 17 

8.1 Steel and non-ferrous metals .............................................................................. 17 

8.2 Automotive .......................................................................................................... 19 

8.3 Aerospace ........................................................................................................... 20 

8.4 ICT, Electrical and Electronics ............................................................................ 22

Table of Contents - ii 

8.5 Mechanical Engineering ...................................................................................... 23 

8.6 Shipbuilding and Shipbreaking ............................................................................ 25 

8.7 Non-Manual Workers .......................................................................................... 27 

9. Regional Developments ............................................................................................. 28 

9.1 Latin America and the Caribbean ........................................................................ 28 

9.2 Africa ................................................................................................................... 29 

9.3 North Africa and Middle East (MENA)................................................................. 31 

9.4 Eastern Europe / CIS .......................................................................................... 32 

9.5 South-East Europe .............................................................................................. 33 

9.6 South Asia ........................................................................................................... 35 

9.7 Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific .......................................................... 37 

10. Communications ......................................................................................................... 38 

11. Administration ............................................................................................................ 40

Secretariat Report for the Central Committee of the IMF 

1. Introduction 

At the time of IMF’s World Congress 2009 in Gothenburg, the world was in the 

middle of a deep financial and economic crisis. Today we know that the impact on 

workers was devastating. According to the ILO, unemployment worldwide rose to 

well over 200 million. Almost ten million jobs were lost in the manufacturing industry. 

The hardest hit industrial sectors were automotive, metallurgy and electronics. 

In the engineering sector, NUMSA members gather to the streets of Johannesburg, 

to make their demands for a living wage and decent work. 

Photo: IMF / 2011 

The recovery has been slow and uneven. Economic growth and foreign investments 

have continued strongly in emerging economies in the Asia Pacific region, notably in 

China and India, and in some Latin American countries like Brazil. European Union 

member states are struggling to find a solution to a crisis in Greece and other 

countries, while the USA is trying to solve its debt crisis. The economic and political 

dynamics of the world are again shifting. 

Unemployment remains high, and too many of the lost permanent jobs in 

industrialised countries are coming back as precarious temporary and agency jobs. 

In the developing countries the situation is even worse. Typically 50-90 percent of 

the workforce is in the informal sector, with no social security, health care or 

pensions. 

People are tired and angry. They have taken to the streets to protest against 

austerity packages in Europe. In North Africa and Middle East, revolutions and 

uprisings are bound to continue. These reactions highlight the true problems of our 

world: poverty, unemployment, inequality, social injustice, lack of democracy and 

lack of hope for a better life. 

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There is an urgent need to address these problems both in developed and 

developing countries. Unions have fought to demonstrate that austerity measures 

and weakened social protection are not the way out of the crisis. Public finances are 

a problem in many countries, but in the long term, the road towards sustainable 

economic growth must be based on investments in the creation of good quality jobs, 

wage-driven consumption and increased purchasing power. 

The crisis exposed the weaknesses of our existing systems of global governance 

and social protection. Tens of millions of jobs were lost as a result of financial 

speculation, and poverty increased in the absence of social safety nets. 

Disappointingly, the world’s leaders have not managed to take serious steps to build 

effective financial regulation and to ensure that people are not left at their own 

mercy in times of trouble. 

The global trade union movement has already for some time been arguing for a new 

paradigm, for a social and economic model that puts people first. Now our challenge 

is to channel people’s spreading expressions of anger into a broad movement for 

change. We need to build political and social alliances and fight not only for the 

interests of our members, but for a better life for all citizens. That will also enhance 

our legitimacy and role as a leading voice for those wanting a world built upon social 

justice. 

Unions in Hungary mobilize against excessive austerity measures 

pursued by their governments. 

Photo: ETUC / 2011 

Trade unions remain the world’s biggest democratic movement. But we need to 

organize and grow, build stronger unions, fight for trade union rights and develop 

solidarity and networking in transnational corporations (TNCs). This Secretariat 

report summarises the work in IMF’s priority areas since the Gothenburg Congress 

2009. 

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2. Building Stronger Unions 

IMF and affiliates evaluate organizing efforts in the mining sector in Peru 

and set out strategic plan for the forthcoming year. 


Building stronger national unions is a central element in IMF’s Action Programme 

2009-2013 for achieving real gains. IMF’s union building projects are focused 

around the objectives of: 

 

 

 

Organising unorganised and precarious workers 

Strengthening national union structures 

Networking in transnational corporations (TNCs) 

IMF’s externally funded projects continue to be designed and implemented in close 

cooperation with our affiliates worldwide and our regional offices. They are 

politically monitored by IMF’s head office, notably sectoral and union building 

officers with inputs from our affiliates from the donor countries. 

Our project activities are tools for putting into practice IMF’s political goals in the 

regions and sectors. Therefore in this report project activities, objectives and results 

have been integrated into sectoral and regional sections. 

IMF’s externally funded project portfolio has increased since 2009 and this year 

reaches almost 1,000,000 CHF. The salaries of our project coordinators and 

organisers are paid for by affiliates. 

3. Trade Union Rights and Campaigns 

Priority Countries 

Building long-term strategies and improving our short-term response to defend and 

advance trade union rights in IMF priority countries remains a primary focus. 

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Mexico 

Within the framework of the Regional Conference of the IMF, the IMF along with the 

members participated in the march for independent unions in Mexico for Labour Day. 


IMF continues to support our affiliate, the National Miners’ and Metalworkers’ Union 

of Mexico (SNTMMSRM, Los Mineros), and their struggle for union autonomy and 

freedom of association. The SNTMMSRM remains the target of intense government 

repression and is the subject of an ongoing ILO complaint filed with the Committee 

on Freedom of Association. 

Since 2009, the IMF has increased its work with independent unions in Mexico to 

build strength and organizing capacity as well as unity among the different unions. 

In July 2009, an international trade union and parliamentary delegation of 40 

participants from 13 countries visited the country, holding meetings with trade 

unions, politicians, lawyers and ambassadors, and expressing support and solidarity 

with Los Mineros. The visit was successful but also revealed the difficulties in 

making headway in this deeply corrupt country. 

In Toronto in June 2010, IMF affiliates agreed on a strategy, which included 

consolidating a coordination system at the national level in Mexico, at the North 

American regional level and at the global level. The key elements of the strategy 

focus on rejecting the regressive government-sponsored labour reform, putting 

pressure on the Canadian and US administrations, pursuing the complaint cases 

before the Committee on Freedom of Association at the ILO, and strengthening 

international solidarity with the Mexican struggle. 

In February 2011, more than 50,000 activists from over 40 countries participated in 

the Global Days of Action which were instrumental in achieving the release from 

prison of Juan Linares Montúfar, a leader of Los Mineros. Affiliates from the IMF, 

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ICEM, UNI, ITF and the ITUC rallied in an unprecedented show of unity and 

solidarity. This campaign supported our long standing work for freedom of 

association. The ITUC and four democratic Mexican unions backed the 2009 IMF 

complaint Nr. 2694 to the ILO against protection contracts and in March 2011 a 

ruling of the ILO Governing Body recognised for the first time the existence of 

protection contracts in Mexico. The Government of Mexico now has to “take 

measures to initiate a constructive dialogue with workers’ associations, 

complainants and employers’ organisations on the application of the labour and 

trade union legislation” and report back to the ILO Committee on Freedom of 

Association. The IMF, ITUC, a coalition of global union organizations, Mexican 

unions and NGOs are now actively trying to engage with the Mexican Government 

to change laws that enable the widespread use of protection contracts. 

Turkey 

Strike launch by IMF affiliate, Birlesik Metal-Is in March 2011, 

fighting for improved wages and working conditions in the metal industry. 

Photo: Birlesik Metal-Is / 2011 

Anti-union, retaliatory dismissals remain the most significant barrier to organizing 

metal workers in Turkey. Meanwhile foreign investment in the metal industry 

continues to climb. In addition to responding with counter pressure when such 

violations occur, the IMF is working with other GUFs and unions to develop 

proactive strategies to support organizing efforts and defend basic rights in Turkey. 

In the past two years, GUFs, the ITUC and Council of Global Unions have 

committed to revving up their work with progressive unions in Turkey. The IMF is a 

lead organizer of the initiative and we hope the goals and infrastructure we 

collectively build will have a lasting positive effect on workers in Turkey. 

Korea 

Korea is one of the very worst countries in the industrialized world for the repression 

of its workers. The number of arrests, the severity of prison sentences and incidents 

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of physical violence against workers are all increasing. IMF is often called to 

respond immediately to protest against a company or the government’s violent 

response to an industrial dispute. When a multinational is involved, we actively 

engage key affiliates or the ILO and other international institutions, when 

appropriate. 

Our long-term work is focused on the rights of precarious workers and Penal Code 

article 314 on “obstruction of business”, which is used to undermine freedom of 

association and the right to strike. These priority areas of work were also adopted by 

TUAC and the ITUC following a Global Union mission to Korea in 2009. 

The IMF took the lead in the Global Unions family to initiate a round of concerted 

action in support of trade union rights in Korea on the occasion of the G20 summit in 

Seoul in November 2010. Global Unions and numerous affiliates called for the 

Korean government to honour its international commitments and respect workers’ 

rights. While the international labour community is in agreement on ways to go 

forward, more discussions need to take place with our Korean affiliates to ensure 

that there is a clear consensus on how best to develop a long-term, international 

campaign for 2012. 

Russia 

In 2012, Russia will be taken off the list of IMF priority countries due to a somewhat 

improved situation regarding trade union rights in the past two years, but more 

because of the lack of a common view among our affiliates on how best to go 

forward. Still, we continue to follow all cases of trade union rights violations and are 

a signatory to an ILO complaint against Russia filed in 2010. 

Colombia 

IMF works with affiliates and NGOs to keep the spotlight on trade union rights 

violations in Colombia, and to act at the regional and international level when 

violations occur. The General Secretary joined an international delegation of 

politicians and trade union leaders to Colombia in July 2010. Organized by Justice 

for Colombia, participants met with senior government figures in Colombia, including 

President-elect Juan Manuel Santos, Vice President Angelino Garzón and Foreign 

Minister María Angela Holguín. President-elect Santos made strong commitments to 

improving human and labour rights, including the creation of an inter-institutional 

body and dialogue with trade unions and civil society organizations. Delegates also 

met with victims and family members of murdered activists and trade unionists, and 

with political prisoners. 

In December 2010, IMF participated in a Hearing on Colombia in the European 

Parliament in Brussels, which denounced the continuation of the civil war in 

Colombia, with human rights abuses occurring on an almost daily basis. Opposition 

politicians, human rights defenders, trade unionists, indigenous people and 

journalists are still being assassinated. The perpetrators continue to enjoy almost 

complete impunity. This event was followed by a strategy meeting for unionists 

involved in a campaign against the EU-Colombia free trade agreement. It is 

imperative to improve cooperation on Colombia between GUFs, national trade 

unions and NGOs. Concerted action provides for bigger impact and pressure than 

scattered initiatives. The IMF has taken the initiative to introduce different actors to 

each other, and we continue to be active. 

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Philippines 

Following an IMF mission to the Philippines and subsequent decisions taken by the 

Executive Committee in June 2010, the IMF wrote to the new President Benigno 

Aquino about the labour-related killings and other serious trade union and human 

rights violations that had gone unpunished under the previous administration. So far 

there has been no reply from the authorities, but in September 2010, an IMF 

delegation led by Executive Director Rob Johnston visited the Department of Labour 

and Employment (DOLE) in Manila, urging the new administration to address the 

problems. The Undersecretary of Labour responded by outlining a 22-point labour 

plan that the new administration hopes to adopt, including improving protection of 

workers' rights and establishing social dialogue mechanisms to encourage a greater 

respect of labour rights. 

At the same time, the IMF is continuing strategic work with three union groupings in 

the Philippines on organizing and collective bargaining, in the spirit of mutual 

respect and non-competition. In May 2011, IMF approved the affiliation of the 

Metalworkers Alliance of the Philippines (MWAP) and the Philippine Metalworkers’ 

Alliance (PMA). IMF is in the beginning stages of working with these unions and 

social partners to activate a trade union rights strategy in the Philippines. 

Following a mission of IMF’s Trade Union Rights Director to Zimbabwe and 

Swaziland, work is being developed on these countries. Also Belarus belongs to 

the countries of focused work, in cooperation with other Global Unions. 

Global campaigns and TNCs 

IMF works closely with ICEM and other GUFs to increase pressure on companies 

that violate fundamental trade union rights. We have greatly improved our capacity 

to coordinate with affiliates on supply chain pressure tactics. This includes using 

international tools such as the OECD MNE Guidelines, IFAs, Socially Responsible 

Investment firms and TNC networks to press companies to comply with International 

Labour Standards. At the regional level, we often work closely with European Works 

Councils. 

Over the past two years, notable examples of our strategic campaigns work include: 

Vale Inco Canada 

More than 3500 members of the United Steelworkers went on strike in July 2009 at 

operations of the Brazilian mining and metal giant Vale in Canada after the company 

attempted to force workers to accept large concessions despite record profits. IMF 

and ICEM worked jointly to coordinate global support, organizing massive solidarity 

actions at Vale worksites and investor events in Brazil, Germany, Sweden, United 

Kingdom, Spain, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Mozambique, South Korea and other 

countries, including a global day of action held in April 2010. 18 months later the 

Fair Deal NOW campaign ended in success with the ratification of a new five-year 

collective agreement that preserved pensions and bonuses for Canadian workers, 

and had an indirect impact on temporary turned permanent contracts for Vale 

workers in Mozambique. For details, see: 

http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=25296&l=2 

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As part of the FairDealNOW campaign an international delegation traveled to Vale 

offices in Seoul, Korea to voice their protest. Members of the delegation performed a 

traditional head shaving ceremony. 

Photo: IMF / 2009 

Toshiba Indonesia 

After four months of intense struggle, 697 locked-out and dismissed workers 

from PT Toshiba Consumer Products Indonesia, and members of the 

Federasi Serikat Metal Indonesia (FSPMI), were reinstated. 

Photo: IMF Southeast Asia-Pacific Regional Office / 2009 

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At the time of the IMF Congress 2009 in Gothenburg, a strike launched by the 

FSPMI after a collective bargaining deadlock had continued for more than a month 

and turned into a lockout. Following a strong Congress resolution and discussions 

with the FSPMI and the Japanese IMF-JC, IMF made preparations for a 

comprehensive campaign including an emergency strike fund, solidarity visits, 

leaflets for action by IMF affiliates, and letters to the UN Global Compact, Dow 

Jones and ethical investors whom we had already informed of the conflict. At the 

same time, IMF-JC approached the parent company through Denki Rengo and the 

Toshiba Union, to get the company back to the bargaining table. Through affiliate 

intervention and global pressure, an agreement was reached between the FSPMI 

and the Toshiba management in Indonesia. All 700 workers, with the exception of 

15 local union leaders were immediately reinstated. The union leaders received 40- 

50 months’ salaries in compensation. A new local union committee was elected and 

the continuation of the local collective agreement was secured. The company 

withdrew the various criminal and civil law suits it had launched. For full details 

see:http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=20528 

Ssangyong Korea 

In July 2009, dramatic photos spread around the world when 3000 armed riot police 

using water cannons, ladder trucks and helicopters, stormed a Ssangyong Motor 

plant in Korea. 800 laid off workers had been holding a sit-in strike at the plant for 

two months after the company announced mass dismissals without notice or union 

input. Following considerable intervention by the IMF, several other GUFs, the ITUC 

and the ILO, an agreement was reached on 7 August. However, the struggle is not 

over. Many union members who led the action are now imprisoned or face jail time. 

Others are facing exorbitantly costly lawsuits launched by the company under 

Korea’s “obstruction of business” law, Penal Code article 314. The IMF, together 

with the greater GUF community and ITUC are fighting this law at the global level. 

See Priority Countries report Korea and 

http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=20349&l=2 for more information. 

Sinter Metal Turkey 

Around 350 workers at Sinter Metal near Istanbul were fired in December 2008 after 

the company had learned they had formed a union and joined the IMF affiliate 

Birlesik Metal-Is. Despite determined action by the Turkish union and solidarity 

measures by a number of IMF affiliates, the company has not budged. Very early on 

it moved a number of machines to another plant which is unorganized. Rather than 

automotive supplier companies, its main client today seems to be the Turkish army. 

The IMF and European Metalworkers' Federation are supporting Birlesik’s struggle 

and court case to declare the dismissals illegal. Their case has moved at a 

tragically slow pace through the Turkish court system, postponed so far a total of 

nine times. It wasn’t until IMF brought an outside legal expert to sit in on court 

proceedings in August 2010 that a ruling in favour of the workers was finally handed 

down, 2 years and 10 months after the legal deadline for such cases. Still, the 

company has appealed so the case is pending at the Supreme Court level. The 

Sinter Metal case is a strong example of Turkey’s failure to enforce the law, OECD 

obligations and ILO standards, an indication of the limited pressure international 

instruments provide when defending TUR and a challenge for future IMF work. See: 

http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?n=692&l=2 

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Rio Tinto 

IMF and ICEM affiliates protest outside of Rio Tinto’s AGM in London in support of 

locked-out miners fighting for fair a contract at the company’s Boron, California mine. 

Photo: ICEM / 2010 

In May 2010, braving a 15-week lock-out, scabs, and attacks by Rio Tinto's unionbusting 

firm, with global support from IMF, ICEM and ITF, 570 Boron workers at Rio 

Tinto borate mine in the USA secured a new contract that resists job outsourcing 

and attacks on union rights. The fight inspired solidarity from around the globe, from 

picketing at the Rio Tinto shareholders’ meeting to intense intervention from 

affiliates and the Rio Tinto European Works Council. The victory is a positive 

example of how global coordination can work and has contributed to positive 

developments with other affiliates’ struggles with the notoriously anti-union 

company. 

4. Precarious Work 

The trade union struggle against precarious work continues across the globe. The 

precarious work pandemic has spread faster and further as a direct result of the 

financial crisis and increasingly workers are finding that their only possible access to 

paid employment is in jobs that are temporary, contingent or offered through an 

employment agency. IMF action on precarious work has focused on arresting the 

spread of temporary and agency work, and demanding that precarious workers have 

the right to join a union and bargain collectively with the company that they work for 

and to receive equal pay and conditions for equal work. Following the 2009 

Congress Action Plan, the organising of precarious workers has been fully 

integrated into IMF external projects world wide, with particular emphasis on the 

mining sectors in Peru and Chile, in steel and shipbreaking in India, in metal unions 

in Maghreb and in EPZs in Indonesia. 

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Workers in Thailand march on the occasion of the World Day of Decent Work. 

Photo: IMF Southeast Asia-Pacific Regional Office / 2011 

In 2009, the second IMF Global Week of Action against Precarious Work was held 

in conjunction with the ITUC's World Day for Decent Work on 7 October. Affiliates in 

47 countries actively supported the week of action with rallies, demonstrations and 

other actions including a balloon release (Germany) and sports games (Bulgaria). In 

Turkey and Thailand, IMF joined with other global union federations to highlight the 

harmful effects of precarious work and contract and agency labour. In November, an 

IMF conference on ‘Migrant Workers as Precarious Workers' was held in Bangkok. 

In 2010 and 2011 precarious work was included as a standard discussion item at 

IMF regional meetings. The focus was on how affiliates have been using collective 

bargaining to confront precarious work and on how global corporate campaigns and 

complaints processes at the ILO or under the OECD guidelines can be used to 

address abuses by particular companies. In 2010, an International Women’s Day 

event was held jointly with the EMF in Frankfurt on how the economic crisis 

impacted on women precarious workers. 

IMF continues to take a leading role in the Council of Global Unions’ Work 

Relationships Group, which functions well as a forum for sharing information and 

developing joint strategies. In 2010, the WRG drafted the ‘Global Union Principles 

on Temporary Work Agencies’ which were subsequently adopted by the Council of 

Global Unions. The Principles establish a common trade union position on 

temporary work agencies, on the basis that the primary form of employment shall be 

permanent, open-ended and direct. In October 2011, IMF participated in a private 

services sectoral meeting on temp agencies in order to ensure that the meeting 

conclusions did not negatively impact on agency employment in the manufacturing 

sector. 

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Unions mobilize in Geneva for the World Day of Decent Work. 


In 2010, IMF made a submission to the UN Special Representative on Business and 

Human Rights, John Ruggie, to draw his attention to the role played by precarious 

work in undermining human rights. The resulting Guiding Principles adopted by the 

UN Human Rights Council make clear the obligation of companies to respect 

workers’ rights throughout their supply chains. Similarly, intervention by IMF with 

other Global Unions resulted in the OECD’s revised Guidelines for MNEs setting a 

much stronger framework for implementing the rights of precarious workers. 

In 2011, IMF affiliates continued to fight precarious work on many fronts, including 

mass demonstrations, collective bargaining and efforts to combat legislation 

designed to extend precarious employment. Actions included over 210,000 workers 

protesting in Germany against the growing threat of precarious employment, 

200,000 workers marching on the Indian parliament to demand social security 

coverage for all precarious workers and an end to reckless contracting and 

outsourcing, and more than 10,000 Indonesian workers marching in Jakarta to 

demand social security reforms and abolition of precarious work. 

In October 2011, IMF worked closed with the Workers’ Bureau of the ILO to prepare 

a workers’ symposium on precarious work. Several IMF affiliates participated in the 

symposium and made their views heard at the ILO on how precarious work is 

undermining union rights and permanent employment. 

Information on action against precarious work is systematically published on the 

IMF’s website at http://www.imfmetal.org/precariouswork. 

5. Climate Change and Sustainability 

Based on a resolution adopted by the IMF Congress in 2009, IMF started building 

action together with the ICEM under the title “Cutting emissions, transforming jobs: 

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Working in green jobs for a secure future” to make sure that the voice of industrial 

workers is heard and reflected in global policy making processes on climate change 

and sustainable development, such as the United Nations Framework Convention 

on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

A joint IMF-ICEM-EMF-EMCEF Meeting on Climate Change in October 2009 in 

Germany discussed the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP) process, 

sectoral concerns, sustainable job creation and green jobs, just transition, and joint 

principles for future work. The four organizations produced a common policy 

platform to achieve a fair, ambitious, and legally binding global agreement ensuring 

sustainable employment and just transition. For the first time, the IMF-ICEM jointly 

introduced and promoted the common policy at COP15’s World of Work (WoW) 

Pavilion in Copenhagen in December 2009. 

IMF-ICEM-ITGLWF Global Conference on Sustainability took place in June 2010 

in Toronto just before the G8 and G20 summits. The GUFs adopted a joint 

declaration “Stronger Together - Fighting for a Sustainable Future”, which showed 

the way to a sustainable future by calling for re-regulation of the global financial 

market and for other instruments such as a financial transaction tax that would raise 

billions to tackle poverty and climate change. 

At COP16 held in December 2010 in Cancun, more than 200 representatives of the 

ITUC, IMF, ICEM and other GUFs made a great effort to include the concept of just 

transition in the final text. This was achieved at the last moment of the negotiations. 

The IMF and ICEM held a joint event at COP16’s World of Work (WoW) Pavilion 

led by ITUC to promote our joint statement, which was based on cutting emissions, 

transforming jobs, and access to a climate change fund for vocational and 

educational training. We insisted on the importance of creating an effective and 

legally binding framework for all major CO2 emitting countries, while at the same 

time promoting the position of African and other developing nations. 

In India unions promote fairness in climate and environment debate. 

Photo: IMF South Asia Regional Office / 2010 

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In 2010-2011, IMF has supported regional studies and work on policies on climate 

change issues, especially in developing countries in Africa and Asia. IMF has been 

exploring cooperation with the Blue Green Alliance (BGA) and the USW to 

develop an international program for finding comprehensive global solutions 

including sustainable job creation. Discussions have taken place at NUMSA’s 

Climate Change school in July 2011 and the unions’ Green Task Force meeting in 

November 2011 in India. 

The COP 17 conference will take place in Durban, in December 2011. 

Unfortunately there will be no chance to reach a new legally binding framework 

agreement. There seems, however, to be a possibility to agree on a second 

commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. IMF-ICEM will support ITUC’s position on 

a post-Kyoto framework and on building a sustainable financial scheme for just 

transition. IMF-ICEM is also holding a joint event at COP17’s World of Work (WoW) 

Pavilion to highlight the importance of putting in place concrete policies such as 

green technology innovation. We will again highlight the need to build a fund for 

providing assistance for mitigation and adaptation in the transition process to a 

sustainable future. 

6. Trade, Employment and Development 

IMF’s Working Party on Trade, Employment and Development has focused 

increasingly on the social and economic impacts of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) 

and their potential challenge to worker solidarity. Trade unions must ensure that 

bilateral agreements do not become a dangerously divisive issue and a cause of 

weakness for workers, concluded the Working Party at its meeting held in India in 

February 2010. Working Party members from all regions urged the IMF to further 

develop joint work and a transparent debate on possible FTA-related conflicts of 

interests between countries and sectors, with mutual consultation between the 

concerned unions. Concerns were expressed about the lack in all FTAs of real 

monitoring and implementation tools on workers' rights and on the potential 

development benefits; the lack of transparency and of consultation of social actors; 

and the lack of adequate preliminary assessment of the potential impact of trade 

liberalization on jobs, especially in labour intensive sectors, in all countries involved. 

A joint seminar of the IMF and the ITGLWF held in New Delhi with the participation 

of the leadership of their respective affiliates in India, analysed the impacts of trade 

liberalization and investments on jobs, development and workers' rights in the 

country. At a round table with Government representatives the workers concerns 

and proposals were voiced. As a follow up to work developed in 2010-2011, in 

collaboration with our South Asia regional office, ITGLWF affiliates in India and the 

EMF, a second meeting is planned to take place in India in February 2012 to 

continue monitoring jointly the ongoing EU-India trade relationships. 

At a regional seminar on “Trade, Employment and Development” held in 

Buenos Aires in July 2010, IMF affiliates of the South Cone reaffirmed the 

importance of the Mercosur regional integration process, their support for productive 

complementarity, and their opposition to a Mercosur market of asymmetries and 

inequalities. In conjunction with the IMF seminar, a Conference on trade and 

development policies brought together several hundreds of union organisers from 

all the IMF affiliates in Argentina. 

IMF affiliates from African and European countries and the EMF met in 

Johannesburg in September 2010 to analyse the impact of the EU trade policy on 

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development, and to assess the future of industrialization in Africa. The role of Africa 

in world trade as a key provider of commodities and as a great market for the 

increasing expansion of China was discussed. Concerns were expressed about the 

pressure put by the EU on African governments in the ongoing EPAs negotiations 

for clauses that would seriously undermine Africa's prospects for South-South 

cooperation, in order to obtain market openings in sectors either with high labour 

intensity or of strategic importance for the social and development policies of African 

countries. 

The IMF Working Party on Trade met again in Geneva in May 2011. While the 

Doha Round doesn’t seem to have an easy life at the WTO, IMF affiliates have been 

increasingly involved in discussions on bilateral and regional agreements, in 

particular on some controversial ones that involve countries with poor records of 

human rights like Colombia, with poor records of workers and trade union rights like 

South Korea, that raise questions of development prospects as in the case of India 

or various African countries, or that involve whole regions with the risk of bad 

repercussions on workers and citizens, as is the case with a possible Trans-Pacific 

Partnership Agreement TPPA. An Ad-hoc Working Group met in Geneva on 

August 2011 to discuss the main trade union concerns with regard to the ongoing 

TPPA negotiations and to agree on an IMF statement to voice metalworkers’ 

criticism and demands. 

OECD and IFIs 

While the main challenge facing trade unions in 2010-2011 has been the update of 

the OECD Guidelines on Multinationals, renewed attention has been put on an 

interaction with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund around 

issues related to jobs, on the one side, and to new international financial 

regulations, on the other, as parallel and equally important measures to address the 

effects of the global crisis and its roots. In both areas the IMF continues playing a 

leading role in close collaboration with the TUAC and the ITUC. 

In 2010 and the first half of 2011, IMF’s work related to the OECD has been 

dominated by the Guidelines update process in which we have been heavily 

involved, in a demanding series of consultations and negotiations with OECD 

governments and employers. For workers, key changes to make this tool effective 

were the coverage of supply chains and of the variety of precarious forms of 

employment, and improved procedures for implementation, with a more effective 

functioning of the National Contact Point (NCP) structure and the removal of some 

restrictions to the applicability of the Guidelines. 

Employers and some governments developed a carefully orchestrated strategy 

against the trade unions’ demands, with the clear objective of reducing the 

responsibility of governments and making the OECD Guidelines become just one 

more of the many useless unilateral CSR initiatives. This risk has been partly 

avoided thanks to the parallel issuing of his Report by Professor John Ruggie, the 

Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General on Business and Human 

Rights. Trade unions and NGOs have managed to put in place a positive synergy 

between the Guidelines update and Ruggie’s work. 

The outcome of the review of the Guidelines has the potential to make them a more 

concrete and effective tool for the respect and the promotion of fundamental rights, 

by eliminating some bureaucratic obstacles and ambiguities that have often reduced 

their role to a mere façade exercise, due to the lack of political will of many if not 

most governments. The use of this instrument to protect workers against the 

- 15 -


violation of their fundamental rights by TNCs will continue to be difficult, and 

capacity will need to be built among IMF affiliates in the use of the updated OECD 

Guidelines that were finally adopted on 25 May 2011. 

IMF work to promote metalworkers’ interests in the context of the International 

Financial Institutions in 2010-2011 has continued focussing on the need to bring 

jobs on the multilateral agenda for recovery, to fight against precarious employment, 

and to promote fundamental workers’ and trade union rights. 

While further developing collaboration with and support to the Global Unions 

Washington Office the IMF took part in January 2011 in the biennial high-level 

consultations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 

Washington together with the ITUC-coordinated global trade union delegation. 

7. Trade Union Networks in Transnational 

Corporations 

After the Congress in 2009, IMF’s Executive Committee decided to move from the 

concept of rigid Company Councils to a flexible and dynamic concept of trade union 

networks in transnational corporations, while maintaining the ultimate goal of 

achieving more agreements on setting up World Works Councils. The idea was that 

in order to build a counterweight to transnational companies, we have to set up 

functioning networks and mechanisms to ensure regular exchange of information, 

development of joint initiatives and common platforms, building solidarity, organizing 

unorganized plants, joint union action and contact with the real decision makers 

within the enterprises. 

The first part of the IMF strategy has been to develop the concept of networking 

and to produce a set of guidelines. The work of a working group and a series of 

company network meetings has been supported financially by Friedrich Ebert 

Foundation (FES). To improve communications, a new section on TNCs on IMF’s 

website was created and went operational in 2010. 

The Executive Committee nominated twelve representatives to an IMF Working 

Group on Trade Union Networks in TNCs. Valter Sanchez (CNM-CUT, Brazil) 

was elected as the Chair. After a lively e-mail exchange and meeting, the Working 

Group made a proposal to the Executive Committee, which adopted it in December 

2010. The guidelines are now published in various languages and contain six 

sections on the purpose, roles of respective parties, tasks, IFAs and other global 

level agreements. 

The working party also highlighted a number of areas for future work, including 

developing a list of priority companies, additional guidelines for other global 

agreements, and developing training and education materials. 

In March 2011, participants from 20 countries attended an IMF Seminar for Trade 

Union Coordinators, supported by the FES. This meeting provided an opportunity 

for networking experts to come together and further define the IMF strategy. The 

main areas addressed in the seminar included the role of the TNC Coordinators, 

how to develop goals and action plans, what training and education should be 

developed and how to deal with the question of other global agreements and IFA’s. 

- 16 -


IMF Seminar for trade union coordinators in Rio de Janeiro. 

Photo: IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean / 2011 

With a view to the creation of the new global union federation, the production of 

training material based on case studies from the three GUFs’ sectors, was 

postponed to 2012. As regards policies for negotiating other global level agreements 

than IFAs (such as the global health and safety agreement with ArcelorMittal), the 

discuss continues among the expert network and the Executive Committee. 

As part of our application to the FES in 2009, a number of priority companies were 

identified as potential targets for establishing TNC networks. The list has been 

developed from consultation with affiliates, and more companies have been added 

as a result of discussions at sectoral meetings. Work and progress on these 

companies can be found in the sectoral reports. 

8. Sectoral Developments 

8.1 Steel and non-ferrous metals 

Since 2009 the IMF has continued to work on health and safety issues in the 

industry. The latest trend appears to be a focus on behaviour-based safety systems 

that blame the worker rather than fix the problem. ArcelorMittal is the latest 

example with the company trying to implement a safety violations policy. The Joint 

Global Health and Safety Committee of ArcelorMittal recently published a three-year 

review of the global health and safety agreement between the company and the 

IMF. The review contains a number of recommendations and concerns from the 

unions that need to be addressed by management. Despite improvements and a 

significant reduction in fatalities since the signing of the global agreement at 

- 17 -


ArcelorMittal, last year’s performance was worse than in 2009. This year has seen 

another improvement, but the goal remains zero fatalities. In some countries such 

as Morocco and Brazil, greater attention needs to be given and a national strategy 

needs to be further developed. 

We have begun to build an ArcelorMittal Latin American trade union network which 

covers six countries (Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Trinidad, Venezuela). 

The first meeting of the network took place in March 2011 in Rio de Janeiro. We will 

follow up with a programme to raise union density in Brazil and Mexico. 

A mission to ArcelorMittal’s partially owned steel companies in China in 2010 

demonstrated the challenges facing workers. The local union leadership is 

appointed by the CEO and the leading party. Local union leaders however showed 

great interest in social dialogue and the role of the European Works Council (EWC). 

The JGHSC may also visit China in 2012 to develop a safety programme. 

In Tata Steel, a network meeting was held, with focus on organizing unorganized 

plants in particular plants across Asia that were formerly part of Nat Steel. This year 

a mission to Thailand took place to examine the possibility for an organizing project 

in the steel industry. Of particular interest are steel TNCs mainly in the Eastern 

Seaboard, such as Tata Steel, SSI, Bluescope and ArcelorMittal. SSI recently 

purchased Teeside in the UK, which now gives us a foothold in the company. Our 

affiliates in India have also initiated contacts with Tata to discuss an IFA or similar 

global level agreement. 

Tenaris still refuses to recognize the Global Union Committee, but the unions 

continue their efforts to obtain recognition. Coordination meetings have taken place 

in 2010 and 2011 with support from the FES. Health and safety is still a problem, 

with a number of fatalities in the company. A delegation of the Tenaris Workers’ 

World Council visited Colombia early in 2010 to show solidarity with workers at the 

plant in Cartagena. Several union leaders had received death threats, and others 

problems with the management were reported. The Council have also carried out 

activities on the Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April. 

At Gerdau, the Workers’ World Council met in Bilbao in 5-7 October 2010 with 

financial support from FES in order to include a maximum of representatives from 

the South. The Council agreed on a new plan of action that focuses on a set of 

common demands which each union must put forth at any collective bargaining 

round. These demands call upon the company to accept the creation of a Joint 

International Health and Safety Committee, recognize the Gerdau Workers’ World 

Council, and negotiate a framework agreement that regulates the relations between 

Gerdau and its unions. The Council also decided to undertake organizing drives in 

Brazil and the Dominican Republic. 

The IMF held a joint steel industry meeting with EMF in October 2010. A joint 

declaration was adopted on the five pillars of sustainability for the steel industry. 

This agreement was subsequently presented to the OECD High Level Committee on 

Steel. The IMF highlighted in our submission to the OECD Steel Committee the 

need for government intervention on issues concerning fair trade, the raw material 

supplier monopoly and their poor track record on labour rights. We also called for 

greater employment stability in the industry and for funding to be made available for 

improving educational and vocational skills in the industry. 

Since 2010 the IMF Steel project in India supported by Swedish and Finnish 

affiliates continues to progress with good results in organizing and cooperation 

amongst our affiliates. So far they have organized 15,000 workers in three different 

- 18 -


States. The target is to organise 20,000 workers by the end of 2012. We also try to 

find a way to bring all the workers in a company into one union, including precarious 

workers and white-collar workers. We have published a survey on the Indian steel 

industry, which provides a lot of detailed information for future work. 

8.2 Automotive 

The Automotive Working Group met in November 2010 in Detroit to develop a 

work plan for the industry and to create a network. The main goals include 

developing company networks and negotiating and monitoring IFAs, on which the 

IMF has continued its work. 

This Group meets again in November 2011 in India with support from the FES, in 

order to broaden participation and exchanges between our affiliates from the South 

and North. The main focus will be on creating and stabilizing the relationship 

between mother companies and Indian unions and extending the existing networks 

to participants from India. The meeting will be also used to develop cooperation 

between Indian unions. 

Probable countries for future annual meetings will be Russia and Mexico, to support 

union building and expand worldwide union cooperation within major automotive 

companies. 

Existing World Works Councils and global union networks have met in 2010- 

2011 in companies such as Volkswagen, Daimler, Peugeot Citroen, Renault, Volvo 

Trucks and BMW. 

Participants from all major GM/Opel sites met in Rüsselsheim, 

Germany in February 2011 to discuss the revival of the GM Network. 

Photo: IG-Metall 

New networks were launched and non-active ones re-activated at Fiat Chrysler, 

Hyundai Kia, GM Opel and Ford. At Ford and GM an agreement was made for the 

- 19 -


company to finance the network meetings every two years in the future. After this 

major success, the next step will be to extend this to Fiat Chrysler. 

The IFA with Peugeot Citroen was renewed with improvements, and it became a 

good example for other companies. We are in negotiations to renew the existing 

agreement with Renault. The already existing IFA of Mann+Hummel was modified 

and it is now signed by IMF. Negotiations with MAN have been finalised and the 

agreement will be signed soon. Talks with Ford and ZF are ongoing, and 

negotiations with Valeo were launched in September 2011. 

Organizing strategies have been discussed at different meetings this year between 

the UAW, IG Metall and German Works Council Members of VW, Daimler and 

BMW. The road to success at the US plants is still complicated but the process 

continues. In 2011 an organising project started with support from CAW of Canada 

to help ITUA recruit members in five TNCs in the St Petersburg region of Russia. 

International solidarity support was mobilized in a number of cases with the help 

of union networks. At Mahle in Turkey, we achieved the reinstatement of dismissed 

unionists, and prevented dismissals at BMW in the USA and. We supported unions 

in the recognition process at Bosch in Malaysia, in the struggle at GM in Colombia 

and at Honda in Mexico. A campaign was organised to support Maruti Suzuki 

unionists in India. In Mexico, discussions are continuing with the Volkswagen 

management about organizing a new plant. Bosch Works Council members have 

recently visited Mexico to examine the union situation at the company’s plants. 

Contacts with China are increasing. Chinese plant lever union representatives 

attended Volkswagen’s World Works Council for the first time in 2010, and they 

have been invited to BMW’s European Works Council meeting. Daimler Works 

Council members travelled to China to contact union representatives in the plant in 

Beijing. 

8.3 Aerospace 

The first meeting of the IMF Aerospace Steering Committee took place in 

Frankfurt in June 2010. Affiliates from the US, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Australia, 

Japan, UK as well as the EMF participated. The steering committee approved the 

draft work program for the department which includes: 

• Starting to develop networks in Airbus, Boeing, Rolls Royce and their 

suppliers 

• Creating an IMF aerospace industry network 

• Ensuring that IMF’s China activities incorporate a focus on the aerospace 

industry 

• Conducting a survey of the key content of collective agreements, including 

wages 

• Research and policy development on trade, investment, outsourcing and 

aviation issues 

• Support to organizing and collective bargaining 

• Coordinating advocacy efforts before international bodies Implementing a 

communications strategy for the department. 

- 20 -


For the first time, a delegation of IMF affiliated unions visits the Paris Air Show, 

emphasizing the importance of labour in the success of the industry. 


In October 2010, the IMF Aerospace conference took place in Seattle, USA. The 

conference agenda included a discussion on employment in the sector and the 

impacts of the crisis, consideration of how to promote international solidarity when 

outsourcing and offshoring occurs, identification of priority companies for 

development of trade union networks, and organising. A background paper 

prepared for the conference included a focus on outsourcing, offshoring, precarious 

work, offsets and trade issues in the industry as well as the impact of China. 

At the conference, it was agreed that the first step towards better cooperation in 

dealing with transnational corporations is the development of trade union networks 

in these companies and their supply chains, and that Airbus, Boeing and Rolls 

Royce would be the first targets for network development. The aims of the networks 

will include sharing information on collective bargaining and negotiating international 

framework agreements. Discussions are currently underway on how to develop the 

network in Airbus, while further development of the network in Rolls Royce has been 

set back by an announcement by the company of its intention to unilaterally 

terminate the agreement establishing the Rolls Royce Global Council. 

The IMF Aerospace steering committee has taken the initiative to try to collect and 

share collective bargaining information in the industry in order to identify the core 

issues for collective bargaining in each country, to have an overview of the key 

content of agreements (wages, job security, redundancy, pensions etc) and to 

consider how collective bargaining in companies affects bargaining in suppliers. 

Given the complexity and diversity of collective bargaining regimes operating in the 

different countries, work is continuing to find a practical method to collect and share 

the information. To this end, a pilot collective bargaining survey was conducted in 

Rolls Royce. The intention is that sharing collective bargaining information will 

become a goal for the company networks. 

- 21 -


A further meeting of the Aerospace Steering Committee was held in June 2011 in 

conjunction with the Paris Air Show. IMF organized for affiliates to visit the Air Show 

and held a meeting the following day to enable participants to reflect on their 

experiences and consider how to utilize them to further the IMF’s work. 

Presentations were made at the meeting by three French research organizations on 

the current state of the industry. Progress with developing trade union networks in 

aerospace multinationals was discussed. Due to the success of this event, 

participants concluded that it would be worthwhile to again organize trade union 

activities at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK in 2012. 

An information sheet on the work of the IMF Aerospace Department was produced 

(in electronic form) for the use of affiliates with their members. 

8.4 ICT, Electrical and Electronics 

The IMF conference on ‘Organising, Trade Union Rights and Sustainability’ 

took place in April 2010 in Singapore. Delegates determined that unions need to 

continue to develop specific strategies to organize different groups of workers, 

including women, young people, non-manual workers and precarious workers. In a 

special session dealing with sustainability issues, presentations were made on 

health and safety, climate change and the developing challenge of dealing with e- 

waste. The President of the ACFTU electronics sector union (the first time that an 

ACFTU representative has attended an IMF sectoral meeting) informed delegates 

that the Chinese unions consider it their duty to urge multinational companies to 

recognize labour regulations, to organize workers in MNCs and to strictly enforce 

Chinese labour standards. 

Priorities for the sector are based on those identified at the conference including: 

• Supporting organising and union building, particularly in the Asia-Pacific 

electronics production countries of Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines 

• Organising in industrialised countries and spreading good examples of 

organising non-manual workers, women, young people and migrant workers 

• Ensuring rapid responses to rights violations 

• Cooperating with NGOs to create public pressure on governments, companies 

and investors, and continued participation in the GoodElectronics network 

• Taking action against precarious work, including supporting action in selected 

countries and EPZs 

• Working further on health and safety, climate change and e-waste 

• Developing trade union networks in TNCs and supply chains to exchange 

information, develop joint initiatives and platforms, organise unorganised 

plants and take joint action 

• Identifying potential candidates for International Framework Agreements. 

Activities to develop trade union networks took place in Siemens, IBM, Nokia and 

Philips. 

Following FES supported meetings in Munich and in India in 2009, the unions 

representing workers at different Siemens plants in India successfully registered 

the Siemens Employees Federation and IMF facilitated a meeting of the new 

Federation in November 2010. A world wide Siemens meeting is scheduled to take 

place in early 2012 in Germany. 

- 22 -


A joint meeting was held with UNI in May 2011 to launch the IBM Global Union 

Alliance. This was followed by a global day of action in IBM which was well 

supported by both IMF and UNI affiliates. 

In 2010, attempts to establish unions at Foxconn and BYD companies in Chennai, 

India were met with fierce resistance from the companies including arrests, 

dismissals and lockouts. Since both companies are major suppliers to Nokia, IMF 

together with the Finnish unions initiated discussions with Nokia on how to provide 

training in worker rights to management and workers in supplier companies in 

Chennai, with the aim of increasing unionization and building stronger unions in the 

region. A strategy has been agreed which commenced in September 2011 with 

training workers in the Nokia plant itself. It is hoped that Nokia will be able to 

persuade its suppliers to also participate in the program. 

In January 2011, a significant victory was achieved in Malaysia when the newly 

registered Electronics Industry Workers' Union (Southern Region) successfully 

campaigned to secure union rights at ST Microelectronics in Muar, Malaysia. For 

more than 30 years, electronics workers in Malaysia had been banned from forming 

trade unions, but in 2010 after many years of union pressure, the government finally 

decided to permit regional electronics unions to exist. Four such unions were 

registered and IMF is continuing to work with these new unions to build their 

capacity to organize electronics workers in Malaysia. 

8.5 Mechanical Engineering 

Mechanical engineering is an extremely heterogeneous and diversified sector with 

many subsectors such as machine tools, mining and construction equipment, 

agricultural machinery, lifting and handling equipment, power transmission 

engineering, etc.. Companies in this sector often act as suppliers to other 

industries, e.g. automotive and aerospace. In addition, mechanical engineering 

plays a major role as a developer and provider of new technologies for renewable 

energies and environment-friendly products. The large number of SMEs in 

mechanical engineering and the presence of a highly-skilled workforce make union 

organizing anything but easy. 

As part of the IMF strategy on trade union networks, a Caterpillar meeting took 

place in April 2010 in Grenoble, France. It was attended by about 70 union 

representatives from seven countries. Delegates discussed social policy and human 

resource management at Caterpillar worldwide against the background of the crisis 

which led to the dismissal of some 20,000 permanent employees within the Group in 

addition to the workers on short-term contracts who were the first to lose their jobs. 

In particular the delegates stressed the lack of communication with management 

and its anti-union policy. Irrespective of national differences, the existence of 

common problems and objectives showed the need to strengthen the links and join 

forces to advance fundamental workers' rights at Caterpillar and improve 

employment and working conditions. As an outcome of the meeting, the participants 

agreed to create a Caterpillar trade union network aimed at promoting the exchange 

of information and developing joint action in support of workers’ rights. The 

delegates also agreed to establish links with Caterpillar workers in other countries 

which were not represented at the meeting, such as Brazil. A drafting group 

composed of representatives from the various regions was set up to develop 

guidelines for the network. Moreover a letter was sent to the CEO in Peoria, Illinois, 

demanding that dialogue be initiated between management and the IMF Caterpillar 

trade union network. 

- 23 -


In line with the guidelines developed after the inaugural meeting, a Steering Group 

was formally established and UAW Secretary Treasurer Dennis Williams was 

elected as chairperson of the Network at a meeting held in Chicago in March 2011. 

The Steering Group adopted a plan of action for moving forward that includes, 

among other things (a) establishing a space on the IMF website dedicated to the 

Caterpillar Network; (b) tracking and monitoring collective bargaining developments 

at Caterpillar facilities; (c) undertaking efforts to establish contacts with Caterpillar 

unions not currently part of the Network; (d) compiling information on training and 

occupational health and safety in the various countries with a view to formulating 

common policy objectives and (e) engaging in constructive dialogue with 

management for recognition of the Network. 

Implementation of the action plan is underway. The network also provided solidarity 

support to the AMWU, Australia, in their fight for a new collective agreement at the 

Caterpillar facility in Tasmania and their organising campaign. Moreover, the 

network is attracting interest outside the founding members and efforts to include 

unions from emerging/developing countries, including at Caterpillar dealers around 

the world, have started showing some encouraging results. 

As part of the IMF application to FES to support the creation and strengthening of 

global networks in TNCs, the Steering Group will meet again in early 2012 to 

evaluate progress in achieving these objectives and to adopt steps to expand the 

effectiveness of the Network and further build the strength of trade unions and 

workers at Caterpillar. 

The SKF World Trade Union Committee met in Italy in September 2009 and in 

Sweden the following year. At that meeting the participants reported on measures 

that had been negotiated with management at national and plant level, particularly 

shorter working time and leave banking, to reduce the impact of the economic crisis 

on employment. Discussing the future challenges for unions in SKF, Committee 

members identified outsourcing and precarious work as important, with the need for 

more information sharing and better communication between the members of the 

Committee. The World Union Committee also committed to strengthening the 

network between meetings and reviewing the content and implementation of the 

international framework agreement signed with the company in 2003. 

A Global Mechanical Engineering Conference took place in May 2011 in 

Cincinnati, USA and gathered some 80 union representatives from 15 countries. 

Also taking part in the event were delegates of the IAM Tool & Die Conference, 

which was meeting concurrently in this location. The purpose of the Conference was 

to look at developments and prospects in the sector, share experience on 

organising and union-building, discuss joint strategies for engaging with companies, 

and further develop union networks at company and sectoral levels. Given that 

mechanical engineering is a diversified sector, the participants agreed that future 

IMF activities should focus on the sub-sectoral level, starting with machinery for 

construction and mining, and agricultural implements. There are some TNCs in 

these sub-sectors, such as John Deere, Case New Holland and Komatsu, and a 

potential for network development, building on the experience gained with the 

Caterpillar network. The rise of China as key player in mechanical engineering 

generated considerable debate. Delegates expressed their concerns about the 

situation of workers’ rights and unfair competition, and stressed the need for the IMF 

to develop a strategy on China and take some initiatives to help improve labour 

standards in that country. They also discussed the issue of renewable energy 

production and the impact on mechanical engineering companies which are 

challenged to develop new technologies that foster sustainability. Moreover the 

- 24 -


Conference benefitted from the active participation of the EMF that has carried out 

valuable work in the sector in the form of sub-sectoral projects. 

The IMF General Secretary met with KONE management in Helsinki, Finland, in 

June 2011. This was a first discussion aimed at opening a dialogue on a possible 

international framework agreement with the company. 

In the past few years the IMF has been cooperating closely with the EMF and 

contributed to the work of its Mechanical Engineering Committee. In line with the 

recommendations of the Cincinnati Conference, coordination with the EMF will be 

strengthened and avenues for joint activities will be explored further. 

8.6 Shipbuilding and Shipbreaking 

Delegates from the shipbreaking meeting visit workers in Mumbai shipyard. 

Photo: IMF South Asia Regional Office / 2011 

The global financial crisis has heavily hit economic performance and employment in 

the shipbuilding sector. On the other hand, the volume of shipbreaking continues to 

increase massively at low-wage labor-intensive yards, which are usually 

unorganized. Many fatal accidents still occur in both shipbuilding and shipbreaking 

workplaces all over the world, especially in Turkey and in the South Asian region. 

The IMF continues to implement externally-funded organizing projects to organize 

unorganized shipbreaking workers in the South Asia region (India, Pakistan and 

Bangladesh), work that was started in 2004. The India project has now organised 

around 10'000 workers in Alang and Mumbai, improving their basic working 

conditions. The objective is to extend activities to Bangladesh and Pakistan and to 

involve the shipbreakers’ unions in networks to improve their safety and working 

conditions globally. In 2011, the IMF focused on the linkage between shipbuilding 

and shipbreaking workers in order to formulate strategies and policy for making the 

- 25 -


industry fairer, safer, greener and sustainable, including identifying the skills needed 

in the future. 

OECD Council’s Working Party on Shipbuilding (WP6) met in June 2010. The 

future sustainability of the industry was discussed, in particular the “greening” of this 

sector. The IMF submission contained comments from the European, Japanese and 

North American unions. The comments mainly focused on the future skills needed 

for the industry and on the need to link shipbuilding and shipbreaking. IMF’s 

contribution was reflected in the OECD report “Environmental and Climate Change 

Issues in the Shipbuilding Industry” issued in November 2010. 

The IMF carried out a fact finding mission to Bangladesh in July 2010. The 

delegation discussed with industry and labour ministers the need to improve the 

health, safety and rights of workers to organise representative unions in the 

Chittagong shipbreaking yards, where workers currently toil under intolerable 

conditions. A national workshop on organising shipbreaking workers was held in 

Chittagong with participation of IMF affiliates and several organisations supporting 

ship breaking workers. In 2011 the IMF/FNV Mondiaal project has been extended to 

Pakistan and Bangladesh, where the IMF regional office has conducted several 

project activities, aiming to form a democratic and active union coordination 

structure for shipbreaking workers. 

The IMF Shipbuilding Action Group met in December 2010 in Seoul. The meeting 

mainly discussed achieving a fair and level playing field in the global shipbuilding 

sector, market factors and monitoring, promoting green technology and creating 

sustainable jobs, impacts on the environment and health, and the life cycle from 

shipbuilding to shipbreaking. 

IMF’s International Shipbreaking Conference took place in April 2011 in Mumbai. 

The conference discussed issues and practices on promoting safety and health 

(OSH) and organizing shipbreaking workers in South Asia, and confirmed these 

matters as future priorities. The conference also made preparations for promoting 

occupational health and safety and green jobs at the Istanbul events (see below), 

and for the IMF-EMF Conference. 

The OECD WP6 Workshop on Green Growth in Shipbuilding was held in July 

2011 in Paris. Best Green Growth practices and life cycle thinking were widely 

shared in the workshop. The IMF and TUAC raised issues of environmental 

protection, sustainable job creation, and the situation of shipbreaking workers, and 

underlined the need for a cooperative linkage between shipbuilding and 

shipbreaking. 

ITUC’s symposium at the XIX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in 

September in Istanbul was entitled “Unions Make Work Safer: Trade Union 

Strategies for Tackling Unhealthy Workplaces.” The IMF raised the OHS and 

organizing issues faced by workers employed in the sector in South Asia and 

Turkey. 

At the IMF-EMF Global Conference on Safe, Sustainable and Green Jobs in 

Shipbuilding-Shipbreaking held in September 2011 in Istanbul, the agenda 

focused on OSH, Green Jobs, and organizing at the workplace, promoting a 

sustainable and green industry, and developing future activities in the shipbuildingshipbreaking 

sector. This first joint shipbuilding/shipbreaking conference of IMF and 

EMF was considered to be positive and successful by the participants. 45 delegates, 

19 unions and 9 other organizations from 15 countries had an active discussion 

about the creation of strategic links between shipbuilding and shipbreaking workers. 

- 26 -


The conference unanimously adopted the conclusions that IMF and EMF would try 

to explore opportunities for further international cooperation and solidarity in this 

field and continue to cooperate with other GUFs, international and regional 

organizations to make the sectoral activities more effective and stronger. 

8.7 Non-Manual Workers 

The structural and technological transformation of metal industries has brought 

about profound changes in the occupational pattern of the workforce. Non-manual 

workers in the metal industry are growing in number, but are poorly organized. Since 

2009, the IMF has tried to mainstream non-manual workers’ issues in all our 

activities. 

The IMF seminar on organizing non-manual workers in October 2009 in 

Frankfurt suggested mainstreaming non-manual workers' issues in all IMF activities 

and union-building projects, updating and building content to the non-manual 

section on IMF web site, networking and promoting exchange of information, 

material and ideas, more communications and visibility in the form of articles on IMF 

news sources, and action on union rights in countries with legal restrictions on 

organizing non-manual workers. In line with the recommendations of the seminar, 

the IMF has made progress in expanding our non-manual workers’ communications 

and in including their issues on the agendas of regional and sectoral meetings. 

The IMF Working Group on Non-Manual Workers met in October 2010 in 

Geneva. The group discussed key topics such as union rights, collective bargaining 

issues, equal rights, and young workers. A workshop on organising non-manual 

young workers proposed by Unionen and Unite the Union was discussed and 

suggested as the group’s main activity in 2011. 

The IMF Youth Workshop on Non-Manual Workers took place in October 2011 in 

Eastbourne. The workshop provided the opportunity for participants/unions to create 

union networking and share issues/ideas on how to reach out to young non-manual 

workers through a series of group sessions highlighting mapping the situation of 

young non-manual workers, union value and organizing activities, and union 

activities on securing a future for young people. The IMF also invited white-collar 

workers’ unions which are not IMF members yet to attend. In conjunction with the 

workshop, the IMF Working Group on Non-Manual Workers discussed how to 

mainstream white-collar worker issues in the new GUF and how to promote the 

organizing of non-manual workers in developing countries. 

The IMF continues to develop activities based on the main priorities agreed in 

seminars and working group meetings held in 2009-2011 as follows: 

• Mainstreaming non-manual workers' issues in all IMF meetings and unionbuilding 

projects 

• Updating and building content to the non-manual section on the IMF website 

• Networking and promoting exchange of information, material and ideas 

• Communications and visibility: articles on the IMF website, IMF NewsBriefs 

and Metal World 

• Union rights: action on countries with legal restrictions on organising nonmanual 

workers 

- 27 -


9. Regional Developments 

9.1 Latin America and the Caribbean 

The campaigns against violations of trade union rights in Mexico and Colombia 

are reported in chapter 3 on trade union rights. Regional conferences and strategic 

planning meetings were held in Mexico City in 2010 and 2011 (also a Women’s 

Workshop) that demonstrated continuing solidarity of metalworkers’ unions from the 

region with the fight of free and independent unions in Mexico. IMF is now 

discussing a joint GUF union building programme with several European and 

American affiliates, aiming to support the democratic Mexican unions’ efforts to build 

up their membership. 

Unions in Russia come together in solidarity for Mexico week of action 

in February 2011. 

Photo: IMF Regional Office for the Commonwealth of Independent States 

In Honduras, the regional office participated in global action in 2009 to support the 

struggle of the people to re-establish institutional democratic order. The office visited 

Haití and Chile after the earthquakes in 2010 to offer the solidarity and support of 

our affiliates from the region and the world. 

Activities within the framework of the Swedish LO-TCO-funded project in Chile and 

Colombia continued. The project promotes unity among the IMF affiliates and helps 

them take steps towards creating unified industrial unions which would be capable 

of negotiating national collective agreements. In both countries, unions signed 

memorandums in 2011 on the roadmap towards the creation of new united 

organizations. In Chile, local unions advanced in their merger processes to create 

sustainable organizations. In Colombia, IMF affiliates have joined ICEM’s 

programme of united union action and ICEM affiliates have joined IMF’s project. 

In Peru, with support from LO-TCO and Finnish SASK, a project continued on 

building a union (SINTRAMIN-CUT) to organize unorganized subcontracted workers 

- 28 -


in the mining industry. SINTRAMIN-CUT was registered as a national union in 2010. 

Now the challenge for the union is to organize and grow in order to have the 

necessary capacity to effectively defend the interests of workers. Efforts have also 

been made for IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF affiliates to develop a project for unity, 

following the model of Chile and Colombia. 

IMF supported ICEM in mounting an international campaign to press the Chilean 

government to ratify ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines. 

Following last year’s mining accident, President Piñera proclaimed on TV that within 

90 days, Chile would ratify the Convention and start reforming its poor mine safety 

laws. But as soon as the camera crews had packed their bags, the government 

reneged on its promises. Some changes in regulations have been introduced, but 

the government has still not ratified the Convention. 

Seminars were organized in 2009-2010 to develop capacity in the region on trade 

union networks in TNCs and IFAs. Since October 2010, a resource person from 

IG Metall has helped the IMF to build networks at ArcelorMittal and other 

companies. An international delegation of the Tenaris union network visited 

Colombia in February-March 2010 to support our affiliate SINTRATUCAR whose 

leaders had received death threats. 

IMF affiliates in the region have carried out a series of actions against precarious 

work, which has been an essential element in our union building projects and 

struggles. Workshops were organized in the Dominican Republic and Honduras to 

organize workers in EPZs. 

9.2 Africa 

Key focus areas in the region have been union building, organizing, climate change, 

and expanding IMF’s affiliation base, especially in West and Central Africa. 

IMF has given support to the pro-democracy struggle in Swaziland. We have 

worked with the ITUC on international efforts on Malawi after civil protests left 19 

people dead earlier in 2011. The regional office participated in the World Social 

Forum in Senegal in February 2011. 

A project supported by Swedish IF Metall and LO-TCO assisted TUICO in Tanzania 

to grow their membership from 30’000 to almost 60’000 members. Women achieved 

a 30 percent representation in the union structures. Another project continues in 

Zambia with a focus on building the education capacity of our affiliate NUBEGW. In 

Mozambique, planning has taken place for a gender project with SINTIME, with 

financial and educational support of Brazilian CNM-CUT and a union building project 

is in discussion for 2012-2014. 

In Zimbabwe, IMF is assisting NEWU and other unions in a merger process. In 

Angola, workshops have been organized to build cooperation between two 

metalworking unions towards a merger. Our Liberian affiliate is also in a merger 

process with the ICEM affiliate, having agreed to work jointly on organising TNCs. 

- 29 -


NUMSA struggle to phase out the use of labour brokers in South Africa. 


In South Africa, NUMSA made significant bargaining gains in the automotive and 

engineering sectors in 2010, notably in phasing out the use of labour brokers. An 

IMF-ICEM delegation visited the Umicore plant in January 2011 within the 

framework of the IFA monitoring process. IMF President Berthold Huber visited the 

regional office and South African unions in July 2011. 

The BlueGreen Alliance and United Steelworkers were key contributors to a climate 

change workshop held in July in South Africa, following the launch of a regional 

policy paper in 2010. 

To improve communications, we have invested in new content on IMF’s regional 

web site and helped affiliates to develop their communications capacity. In May 

2011, IMF held a regional communicators’ workshop in Nairobi to launch a 

communication network in the region. The regional newsletter Umoja has been 

published twice a year. 

New affiliations were approved by IMF’s Executive Committee from South Africa 

(Solidarity), Democratic Republic of Congo (Council of Metalworkers’ Unions 

encompassing a number of unions), Guinea (FISMIG) and Malawi (BCCEAWU). 

There are also opportunities in Nigeria, where IMF has worked to promote a merger 

between two blue-collar unions and two staff associations with a view to affiliating 

them. 

The IMF Africa Regional Conference and women’s workshop were held in 

Johannesburg in July 2011 with participants from 16 countries plus ICEM and 

ITGLWF representatives. Debates took place on equal opportunities, women’s 

representation, trade union rights in Swaziland and Zimbabwe, and the creation of 

the new global union federation. The participants launched a discussion on the 

priorities of African unions, including pro-working class macroeconomic policies, 

alternative industrial, labour and trade policies, campaigns against TNCs, action on 

HIV/AIDS and climate change policies, and influence in African regional institutions. 

- 30 -


Sub-regional meetings were organized in October 2009 and April 2010 in 

Johannesburg and in October 2010 in Nairobi. 

9.3 North Africa and Middle East (MENA) 

A peaceful popular movement against repressive and corrupt regimes in Tunisia, 

Egypt and other Arab countries began in January 2011, thus opening a process that 

has progressively involved several key countries in the MENA region. 

For many years corruption and lack of democracy affected the societies in that 

region, where corrupted trade union structures were part of a powerful repression 

machinery that denied workers their fundamental rights. But trade unions have also 

been at the forefront of the movement, protesting against oppression and 

exploitation. Our affiliate FGME-UGTT has played a key role in Tunisia. 

Although our work in Maghreb has been affected by the uncertain situation, we have 

also been able to profit from the new opportunities that have opened up. While 

continuing to strongly support our affiliates in Tunisia and Morocco, we have put in 

place new initiatives to promote freedom of association and support the 

establishment of new independent unions in Egypt. 

Our key focus in Maghreb for the past three years has been on TNC networking, 

IFA monitoring and union building, bringing concrete results. Representatives of 

our affiliate in Morocco are now part of the ArcelorMittal global health and safety 

network. Our members in Morocco and Tunisia are now represented at Leoni’s 

EWC. Linkages of cooperation and solidarity have been established between IMF 

affiliates in Maghreb and unions in the home countries and other countries of 

operation of several TNCs, with regular exchanges and coordination meetings. 

These IMF activities are targeting in particular companies that are signatories to 

IFAs, in order to monitor their concrete implementation. This is part of a four-year 

programme supported by the Spanish ISCOD - UGT, with the active participation of 

IMF affiliates in Tunisia, Morocco, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. IMF initiatives 

include the production of audiovisual and printed educational materials in 

Arabic and training in communication for trade union action. Local organizers 

have been provided with laptop computers and women workers targeted with 

education on fundamental labour rights in Tunisia and in Morocco, particularly in the 

electronic industry. 

A major trade union priority in Maghreb is to transform precarious jobs into regular 

and permanent ones, as in these uncertain times more workers than ever are 

threatened by job losses. 

The uprising in Egypt and its outcome have been particularly impressive given the 

size and the economic importance of that country. The machinery of the old 

government-controlled trade union structure ETUF, that was a key instrument for 

workers’ repression and for undemocratic control on free expression, is being 

dismantled. The IMF Executive Committee refused in May 2010 to affiliate the ETUF 

metalworkers’ federation for its lack of independence and legitimacy. That choice 

soon proved to be correct and paved the way for the IMF to play a key role in 

supporting the organization of Egyptian workers in new independent trade unions 

in both multinational and domestic companies in the private sector. However the 

path towards building a strong, independent and democratic trade union movement 

in Egypt remains long and not without obstacles. 

- 31 -


Together with the ITUC and other GUFs, the IMF has started working on a 

campaign to promote freedom of association in Egypt. The campaign is being 

carried out in close coordination with the ITUC and together with ITGLWF, with 

contributions by our affiliates particularly in other MENA countries, and other partner 

organizations such as the FES. 

The metalworkers in North Africa and Middle East need international trade union 

solidarity to make the promotion of workers’ and trade union rights a fundamental 

element of the democratisation of their countries. 

In Palestine and Israel, our work plans have focused on the possibility of holding a 

major international solidarity conference in Palestine, in close collaboration with the 

ITUC and with our Spanish affiliates. This has not translated yet into concrete 

action. 

For two reasons, activities should be carried out jointly with the ITUC and other 

GUFs. Firstly, there has been lack of interest in international activities by the 

Histadrut metalworkers’ union. Secondly, the situation and problems are more or 

less the same in all sectors and we should therefore promote inter-sectoral solidarity 

initiatives. 

9.4 Eastern Europe / CIS 

In the area of trade union rights and solidarity, IMF continues to campaign in 

support of its affiliates in Belarus. In March 2010, a successful ITUC country 

meeting on Belarus was organised in Brussels at the initiative of the IMF. For the 

first time ever, all Western partner unions openly exchanged information on the 

support projects in Belarus, in the presence of the Belarusian BKDP confederation 

and its affiliates. The meeting agreed on a new Belarus network, a transparent 

system of support and cooperation, and a steering committee involving IMF’s 

regional office. Unfortunately, internal feuding between the leaders of independent 

Belarusian unions accelerated soon after the first meeting of the steering committee 

in May 2010, despite an agreement on the need for unity. Thanks to IMF assistance, 

REPAM and SPM (affiliated in 2009), began joint activities in 2011, and a series of 

workshops have already been held. The regional office helped REPAM and SPM to 

update information for the ILO complaint Nr. 2090. The majority of ILO’s 

recommendations are still not implemented. REPAM in particular is facing 

continuous problems with the registration of new local union organizations. 

In Russia, ITUA leaders and activists experienced a series of physical attacks in 

2009. IMF, its affiliates and its Executive Committee member Mikhail Tarasenko 

reacted by sending letters to prosecutors and to the Presidential Administration. IMF 

President Berthold Huber met with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and raised the 

issue with him. The perpetrators were not found, but there have been no more 

attacks on ITUA activists. An ILO complaint filed in 2010 is however still underway. 

Solidarity support was provided in October 2010 to striking workers at Kumtor in 

Kyrgyzstan, who later won 50 percent salary increases, and to striking metalworkers 

in Georgia. IMF affiliates in Russian and Ukraine also picketed Mexican Embassies 

in Moscow and Kiev during the week of action in February 2011. 

Organizing is a top priority for the region which is facing declining membership. IMF 

joined the 6-GUF project with the participation of MMTUK (Kyrgyzstan), ITUA 

(Russia) and AAMWU (Ukraine). The results were positive. The MMTUK 

membership grew by 2.000, also with the help of a series of IMF workshops in 

- 32 -


Kyrgyzstan. ITUA produced growth figures, particularly in the automotive sector 

where Canadian IMF affiliate CAW supports a pilot project on organizing in TNCs. 

AAMWU set up a local union organization at Leoni and after a year of struggle, 

achieved recognition and a collective agreement. Also in Ukraine, the regional office 

ran several workshops on organizing in the automotive and metal sectors in 2010- 

2011. 

IMF continues to run a project on training of trainers in Ukraine, which moved from 

the national to the regional level with the participation of four IMF affiliates. The 

project helped the affiliates to develop a training and education system and to reach 

the enterprise level to train union activists. 

IMF helped its affiliates to join trade union networks in various TNCs. Unions in 

Ukraine and Kazakhstan have established relations with the EWC of ArcelorMittal, 

and workshops were organized with the participation of representatives from 

Germany and Spain. ITUA joined the Ford network, and the Ford EWC held a 

workshop in St Petersburg with ITUA with the support of FES. IMF assisted the 

AAMWU to attend a meeting with Leoni management in Germany in 2009. French 

IMF affiliate FTM-CGT will visit AvtoVAZ in Russia before the end of the year to 

establish regular relations with the AFW. 

In 2010, IMF’s Executive Committee member and MP Mikhail Tarasenko initiated a 

bill to prohibit precarious work in Russia, which was approved in the first reading in 

the parliament. IMF’s regional office assisted affiliates to take part in the IMF Week 

of Action against precarious work in 2009, and the issue was discussed at subregional 

meetings. 

Communications with affiliates have been improved. The regional office circulates 

a regular electronic news bulletin with trade union news on CIS countries. Since 

2010, Metal World has been published with a regional insert. In 2010, an IMF subregional 

communicators’ forum was organized in Kiev for communication officers 

who discussed obstacles for proper communications, exchanged experiences and 

studied the best ways of publishing news. 

Two major new affiliates joined the IMF. After years of cooperation, the Mining and 

Metallurgy Workers Union of Kyrgyzstan joined the IMF in 2009 as the first 

metalworkers’ union in Central Asia. The Trade Union of Metallurgy and Mine 

Workers of Ukraine was affiliated in 2010. In Kazakhstan there is also hope for a 

new affiliate. 

Sub-regional meetings brought union leaders together in Moscow in October 2009 

and in Kiev in September 2010 to discuss a wide range of issues, from the 

implementation of IMF’s Action Programme to trade union measures to fight the 

crisis. 

9.5 South-East Europe 

The economic and social situation in South East Europe (SEE), which includes the 

countries of the former Yugoslavia, Romania and Bulgaria, remains critical. High 

unemployment, downsizing, lack of investment, rampant privatization, weak 

purchasing power, non-payment of wages, a huge informal sector and noncompliance 

with the law are some of the problems facing unions across the region. 

Many governments have rolled back welfare provisions and workers’ rights under 

pressure from international financial institutions. IMF activities in SEE have 

continued to focus on issues of common interest to all affiliates that can help 

- 33 -


strengthen cooperation at national and regional level, and contribute to the longterm 

development of democratic and sustainable organisations. 

Two sub-regional meetings were held during the period under review, in Belgrade, 

Serbia in 2009 and in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2010, the latter in cooperation with the EMF 

and the FES. In addition, the IMF organised a regional meeting for Central and 

Eastern Europe in Prague in October 2011 that brought together all IMF affiliates 

from the region as well as representatives from the ICEM and ITGLWF. Issues 

addressed included collective bargaining and union-building, precarious 

employment, trade union networks, international framework agreements and their 

implementation at suppliers and subcontractors, workers’ rights and campaigns, 

occupational health and safety and women’s activities. The creation of a new global 

industrial federation and its implications at national level were also discussed. 

The project on occupational health and safety in the steel and non-ferrous 

sectors initiated in 2008 for affiliates in the countries of the former Yugoslavia ended 

in June 2010. It was carried out in cooperation with the IMF Spanish affiliate MCA- 

UGT and the Trade Union Institute of Cooperation for Development (ISCOD), and 

benefitted from the financial support of the Spanish Agency for Development 

Cooperation. The project consisted of three seminars held in Belgrade and Sarajevo 

which focused on the following issues: (i) legislative framework and relevant 

European and international instruments, including international framework 

agreements; (ii) risk analysis and prevention techniques and (iii) social dialogue and 

collective bargaining. In spite of a number of weaknesses, partly inherent in the 

donor’s requirements and partly in the problems faced by the trade unions, the 

project has helped to increase awareness of workplace health and safety and 

mobilize affiliates around this issue. Written material, videos and a campaign poster 

have been produced in Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian and Albanian languages. The 

project has generated various activities and initiatives locally and nationally and the 

training material produced has been used widely. 

In 2010, as part of its cooperation with other GUFs, the IMF joined a multi-union 

project on organizational development in SEE which is partly sponsored by the 

FNV, Netherlands and the FES. In addition to the ICEM, the IUF and the IMF, two 

European federations (EFFAT and EMCEF) are also providing financial and 

technical support. The IMF Austrian affiliate PRO-GE joined the project in 2011 as 

an additional donor. This project builds on the experience and activities of an earlier 

project jointly run by the ICEM and the IUF in the region which aimed at rebuilding 

the links between unions in countries divided by war. The overall objective is to 

strengthen union structures in the region and promote regional sectoral cooperation 

and training. Some progress has been made in terms of structures; however 

financial sustainability remains a critical issue for all unions in the region. The IMF 

is part of the Project Advisory Team that met in Berlin in January and Zagreb in 

September 2011 to evaluate the first year of the project implementation, discuss the 

work plan for 2012 and possible follow-up activities after the project ends in June 

2012. 

In June 2010 the IMF supported a seminar on collective bargaining techniques 

organised by the EMF with FES funding. This activity was held in Montenegro and 

conducted by an expert from the Slovenian trade union confederation (ZSSS). In 

October, an IMF mission went to the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 

to meet with the leadership of the Trade Union of Metal Industry and Mine Workers 

which had applied for membership to the IMF. An IMF Tenaris network meeting 

took place in Zalau, Romania in September 2011. It was attended by some 40 

union representatives including, for the first time, from Japan. Also in September, 

the ArcelorMittal Joint Global Joint Health and Safety Committee visited the 

- 34 -


ArcelorMittal facility in Zenice, Bosnia & Herzegovina, to discuss implementation of 

the global agreement on health and safety signed with management in 2008. 

In June 2011, the IMF was invited to participate in the ICEM Central Europe 

Regional Conference, that was held in Balatonszemes, Hungary. The IMF’s 

attendance and contribution to the discussion was welcomed. Useful contacts have 

been established with ICEM’s affiliates in the region. 

IMF’s Regional Women’s Workshop and Regional Conference for Central, 

Eastern and South-East Europe took place in October 2011 in Prague. 

Cooperation with the EMF has improved a great deal and efforts have been made 

on both sides to join forces and synchronize activities in this region. 

9.6 South Asia 

Activities have been centered around building stronger unions and capacity, 

organizing and collective bargaining, enhancing women’s participation, improving 

communications and solidarity, climate change, and occupational health and safety 

concerns. 

IMF affiliates SMEFI and INMF have managed to organize 15.000 new members in 

2010-2011 in the Indian steel industry with the support of a project funded by 

Swedish and Finnish IMF affiliates and solidarity support organizations. After this 

initial success in a booming sector, it is planned to expand the project from the 

existing three states to three new states next year. 

The sub-region is home to 60-70 percent of the shipbreaking industry in the world, 

attracted by weak government regulations on environment and OHS, and scant 

respect for labour and human rights. With support from Dutch FNV Mondiaal, the 

IMF has been running a project since 2004 to improve the situation. Following 

organizing success and OHS improvements in India, we have now extended 

activities to Bangladesh and Pakistan. IMF’s International Shipbreaking Conference 

was held in April 2011 in Mumbai. 

Following a resolution adopted at IMF’s World Congress in 2009 that called upon 

the IMF to continue to act against the production and use of asbestos and the 

establishment of regional networks particularly in the Asia Pacific region, the IMF 

has cooperated with the Building and Woodworkers’ International BWI in this area, 

with a focus on India and Thailand. 

The first ever joint IMF-BWI Trade Union Workshop on Asbestos and Occupational 

Health and Safety issues was held in June 2011 in New Delhi. It was attended by 

the top leadership of the national trade union centres, IMF and BWI affiliates, 

government representatives, civil society groups and OHS professionals, with expert 

help from Australian IMF affiliate the AMWU. Indian IMF and BWI affiliates resolved 

to continue the campaign to ban asbestos. In February 2011, IMF and BWI 

submitted a memorandum to a government representative of the Canadian province 

Quebec, demanding a halt to asbestos exports to India. 

- 35 -


Trade unions in India march to Parliament demanding control on price rise, 

enforcement of labour laws, social security for all and to stop privatisation 

of central public sector enterprises. 

Photo: IMF South Asia Regional Office / 2011 

Solidarity support was extended by the regional office to the striking workers in 

Bosch & Brembo in Pune, General Motors in Gujarat, Hyundai and Ford in Chennai, 

Maruti Suzuki in Manesar, Nokia, Foxconn and BYD Electronics situated in Tamil 

Nadu, shipbreaking workers in Alang, Gadani in Pakistan and EPZ workers of Sri 

Lanka. 

The IMF has been actively collaborating with the Nokia India management to 

provide training for its workers, union representatives and HR staff on labour rights, 

OHS and women’s empowerment. 

In the area of communications, the regional office has intensified its efforts to 

publish news on IMF’s regional Asia-Pacific website. A Google group facilitates 

sharing information. Metal Asia Pacific, a new printed regional publication, was 

launched in October 2011. 

Network meetings of Bosch and Siemens were held in 2010 in India with the 

support of the local FES office. Booming foreign investment and presence of TNCs 

in the auto, steel, engineering, mining and ICT sectors highlight the need to focus on 

networking. The meeting of IMF’s Automotive Working Group will give new impetus 

to this work. 

Many unions in TNCs are independent and unattached to our affiliates and national 

centres. Efforts are underway to create a national platform for TNC unions to enable 

their affiliation to the IMF. Shramik Ekta Mahasangh (SEM), an umbrella 

organization regrouping a number of company unions in Pune, is seeking IMF 

affiliation. 

- 36 -


IMF’s Sub-Regional Committee met in New Delhi in November 2010 to discuss 

the implementation of the IMF Action Programme and the unification process 

between IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF. Cooperation with our two partner Internationals 

was increased with invitations to meetings on climate change, trade and 

development, and banning asbestos. A sub-regional strategy meeting to build strong 

national metalworkers’ unions was held in Kathmandu in December 2010. IMF’s 

India Council meetings were periodically held to plan, coordinate and also evaluate 

the activities. 

9.7 Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific 

After a protracted struggle, the Malaysian government eventually relented to a 

nearly four decade old demand by electronics workers to form a union of their 

choice. Four regional electronics unions were founded and registered. Support for 

organizing and growth is being discussed with the Belgian IMF affiliate ABVV 

Metaal. 

In June 2009, about 900 workers at the Kawasaki Motors plant in Thailand went on 

strike after the management unilaterally changed working hours and sacked all the 

11 shop stewards who opposed the change. After a week-long strike and timely 

intervention of the IMF and the IMF-JC, an agreement was reached between the 

union and management on the reinstatement of all workers. The local union was 

then able to resolve the dispute pertaining to working hours through negotiations. 

The NUTEAIW and the EIWU organised Bosch plants in Malaysia. The unions’ 

attempts to secure union rights were first thwarted by the company through legal 

and administrative methods. With solidarity support from IG Metall and the Bosch 

Works Council in Germany, the IMF approached the local management to resolve 

the dispute. As a result of the intervention, the EIWU managed to secure union 

rights at the Power Tool subsidiary. The NUTEAIW is undergoing balloting to win 

recognition at Bosch Auto Parts. 

The major dispute at Toshiba in Indonesia is reported in the section on trade union 

rights. 

The IMF undertook a fact finding mission to the Philippines in February 2010 to 

examine the human and trade union rights situation and to meet with three metal 

union groupings, IMF-Philippines Council, Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines 

(MWAP) and Philippines Metalworkers Alliance (PMA). As a result, the MWAP and 

PMA were affiliated to the IMF and work on organizing and collective bargaining has 

been launched. 

The fight against precarious work remains a key IMF campaign in the region. Mass 

street rallies have been held each year in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the 

Philippines. IMF affiliates FSPMI and Lomenik spearheaded a campaign to expand 

social security coverage to precarious workers in Indonesia. In Thailand, our affiliate 

TEAM is the engine of the campaign for the ratification of ILO Conventions 87 and 

98. 

Building sustainable organizing is a fundamental aspect of IMF’s work. In July 

2010, a Regional Seminar on Developing a Strategy for Organizing and Growth 

in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam was held in Bangkok. This seminar 

laid down a strategic approach to active organising in the four countries. Following 

this, workshops were carried out with IMF affiliates in Indonesia, Philippines and 

Vietnam to work out action plans for each of the countries. 

- 37 -


The IMF-ILO Indonesia EPZ Organizing Project was successfully conducted in 

January 2011. About 80 union activists were trained on organizing, mapping of 

target companies, workers’ rights and labour laws. The IMF also succeeded in 

securing solidarity support from SASK and Finnish affiliates for conducting three 

workshops on organizing in 2011. This is a prelude for a new three-year resultoriented 

organizing project in a country where there is huge potential for growth. 

In Thailand, IMF has continued to support the organizational development of our 

affiliate TEAM. We have also promoted discussions with another major union 

grouping in the metal industries, the ALCT. Recent progress is encouraging for 

greater unity and influence in the future. 

A sub-regional meeting took place in April 2010 in Singapore to discuss strategies 

and action in the region. IMF’s Regional Asia-Pacific Conference and Women’s 

Workshop were organized in May 2011 in Sydney, hosted by the Australian IMF 

affiliates. Lively discussions took place on trade union rights, TNC networks, 

women’s representation and the creation of the new global union federation. 

10. Communications 

During 2009-2011, IMF news reporting has focused on union building, collective 

bargaining, trade union rights, TNCs and trade union networks and sustainable 

development. In course of three years, there has been a substantial increase in the 

quantity of news reports published on the IMF website, from approximately 15 

monthly reports in 2009 to almost 30 in 2010 and 2011. 

To deliver its messages, IMF is utilizing both traditional communication channels, 

including the IMF website with a new design introduced on the eve of the IMF 

Congress in May 2009, the magazine Metal World, IMF NewsBriefs (since 2010 

produced in both text and HTML format), as well as some new forms. In 2011, we 

launched IMF TV, which is based on a YouTube platform for video messaging. 

Since 2010 we have made active use of social media including Twitter, Facebook 

and the union labour news network website Labourstart. 

Technical improvements as well as regular updates on Facebook, Twitter and 

Labourstart have resulted in a considerable growth in the number of visitors to the 

IMF website in 2011. It was decided to postpone some development activities on 

both the external and internal websites of the IMF to free more resources for 

integrating the communications work of the three GUFs. 

The PR Newswire service is being used to help distribute information about global 

campaigns and important conferences as well as to build media lists in specific 

fields. 

In November 2009, the IMF and EMF held a joint Global Communicators’ Forum 

in Frankfurt, which provided opportunities for communication professionals and 

union officials from affiliates to share their experience on the application of new 

media techniques, to review and strengthen union campaigns based on an effective 

communicators' network, to consider union organizing tactics and to focus on the 

current topic of climate change. 

IMF’s Communication team regularly participated in the Global Unions’ 

Communications Task Force and the EMF Communications Group meetings. 

- 38 -


In 2009 and 2010 IMF, with the participation of some other GUFs, held the Night of 

Labour Film Shorts in Geneva. The compilation of movies from these events has 

been used in different IMF activities. In 2011 IMF decided not to hold another film 

festival, but with some assistance from BWI and UNI compiled a 1-hour DVD of 

labour films. The films were launched at the EMF congress in Duisburg. 

As of 2010, IMF has published two issues of Metal World per year instead of four. 

The journal has contained news and features about union building, organizing, the 

job crisis, precarious work, climate change and trade union networks. The last issue 

of Metal World is planned for October 2011, concentrating on precarious work, new 

global unionism and secretariat activities since the IMF World Congress in 

Gothenborg. 

In 2010 IMF started the process of integrating its communications in the regions. 

During 2010-2011 the IMF held regional communicators’ forums in Ukraine for CIS 

countries, India for South Asia, Kenya for Central and South Africa, Korea for South 

East Asia and the Pacific and in Brazil for Latin America. The forums were a 

success and helped to establish and reinforce two-way communication channels 

with affiliates in the regions and get better understanding of their needs and how the 

IMF can assist affiliates in their daily work. 

The regional offices started to master new communication channels. The offices in 

New Delhi and Moscow disseminate IMF information through their Google-based 

email distribution list. All offices produce articles on their respective regional pages, 

part of which is published on the main website. All offices have by now special 

pages on Facebook. Four offices have developed their regional publications in close 

cooperation with the head office. The most recent one is Asia Pacific Metal, which 

was launched in October 2011. 

For the Central Committee in 2011, the communications department has prepared 

video footage from different parts of the world for discussions on precarious work 

and new global unionism, as well as the artwork. 

Four issues of the quarterly newsletter Stronger Together were prepared in the 

course of 2011, of which three electronic and one printed version were produced in 

English, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. The newsletter has 

been distributed via email channels of IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF as well as published 

on IMF and ICEM websites. The printed edition was distributed at the joint Executive 

Committee meeting of the three GUFs in Geneva. One more printed issue will be 

produced later this year. 

The development of a communications strategy for the new global union 

federation has been launched. It started earlier in 2011 with a review of the 

websites of the three GUFs. A workshop will take place in November, followed by 

work on the strategy, website and other tools, and branding of the new organization. 

- 39 -


11. Administration 

IMF Executive Committee members show their solidarity for Juan Linares in Geneva. 

Photo: IMF / 2010 

IMF’s Finance and Executive Committee have met twice a year. In addition to 

discussions on IMF’s priority action areas, administration and finances, the 

Executive Committee has handled the unification process between the IMF, ICEM 

and ITGLWF at all its meetings. A joint Task Force was set up in June 2010, and it 

has received support from working groups on finances and statutes. A joint IMF- 

ICEM-ITGLWF Executive Committee meeting in May 2011 confirmed agreements 

on key points in the statutes and finances of the new global union, and decided to 

propose to IMF’s Central Committee and ICEM’s Congress that dissolution and 

founding Congresses be held on 18-20 June 2012 in Copenhagen. Another working 

group was set up to draft an Action Plan for the new organization. 

Some months after the World Congress 2009, the General Secretary confirmed a 

new organization to make sure it is effective, result-oriented and able to put into 

practice the Congress decisions. The new organization was arranged along four 

functional lines: 

 

 

 

 

Rights and Campaigns, Union Building and Communications. A new unit 

is Trade Union Rights and Campaigns, to highlight our need to ensure an 

effective reaction to violations of trade union rights, and to build proactive 

campaigns in different areas. 

Industrial and TNC Policies, which has the responsibility for trade union 

networks in transnational companies, international framework agreements 

(IFA), sectoral questions and industrial policy issues such as climate change. 

Finance and Administration 

Regional Offices in Montevideo (Uruguay), Johannesburg (South Africa), 

Moscow (Russia), New Delhi (India) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), reporting 

directly to the General Secretary. 

A number of people received new responsibilities. There have also been changes in 

positions because of retirements. 

During the past two years the following colleagues have left or retired from the IMF 

head office and regional offices: Ron Blum, Magnus Palmgren, Robert Steiert, 

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Margrit Huber, Elsa Antoniades, Hiroshi Kamada, Carmen Perales, S. Somanathan, 

Stephen Nhlapo and Kapita Tuwizana. We thank all the colleagues for their 

contribution to the work of the IMF, and wish them good success in their new 

challenges or happy and healthy days of retirement. 

A number of colleagues have joined us during the past two years: Helmut Lense, 

Kan Matsuzaki, Gopalkrishnan Manicandan, Sarah Flores, Janire Escubi and 

Teresita Emonet. 

The IMF head office has received colleagues for secondments of various length: 

Michael Brecht, Valter Bittencourt, Hyewon Chong, Mats Svensson and Chidambar 

Samant. 

IMF’s head office moved to use a new contacts database, which is based on replies 

from affiliates to a questionnaire in 2010. Many affiliates gave us dozens of e-mail 

addresses of national and local level representatives for IMF’s sectoral and crosssectoral 

mailing lists. However, despite reminders, half of the affiliates never replied 

to the questionnaire and will therefore not receive our mailings. 

Investments have been made in the IT equipment to improve the technical 

functioning of the head office and regional offices. The use of videoconferencing is 

expanding through Skype and Microsoft Office Communicator, which provides for 

better image and sound and multi-user access. We hope to expand this system to 

our affiliates in order to further improve communications and to save time and 

money. 

…oo0oo… 

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Secretariat Report 2011 (pdf) - International Metalworkers' Federation

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