Secretariat Report 2011 (pdf) - International Metalworkers' Federation

Secretariat Report for the Central Committee of the IMF
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
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