Justice for dismissed Freightliner workers

From June 6 to June 13 2008 the German network of Daimler Workers organised a solidarity tour for a fired US-worker of Freightliner, a 100% daughter of Daimler. Allen Bradley reported about the situation of Freightliner in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Woerth.

Five workers at the Freightliner plant in Cleveland, N.C., are fighting to get their jobs back after the company fired 11 members of United Auto Workers Local bargaining committee for leading what it claimed was a wildcat strike on April 3, 2007 after a contract expired. Six of the workers were reinstated. Five of them are still out of a job.

The importance of the Freightliner Five struggle for trade unionists is clear. Three of the five are members of the local union’s executive board. If Freightliner management succeeds in terminating elected officials of a local, others employers will follow suit.

As always in labour struggles in the US South, racial justice is an issue. Two of the Freightliner Five are African Americans, and four of them are civil rights activists and members of the NAACP. Employers in the region have long played on racial divisions to keep the unionisation rate in North Carolina at about 3 percent - the lowest in the U.S. Thus, a victory at Freightliner would be an important boost for labour’s long time goal of organizing the South.

For more information read  German or  English or visit www.justice4five.com

Sri Lankan unions stand up against violation of ILO core conventions

The Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZ&GSEU) was a driving force in forming the new Trade Union Confederation (TUC) of Sri Lanka. This was an act of strengthening workers’ solidarity and power across sectors, but also an act of insubordination towards illegal restrictions of the Freedom of Association in Sri Lankan labour law, prohibiting the formation of federations between unions of the private sector and unions of the public sector.

The newly formed TUC launched a complaint with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), because the verdict against the formation of public-private union federations is a massive violation of ILO core conventions 87 and 98 (Freedom of Association, Collective Bargaining). Sri Lanka has ratified both conventions, which was a prerequisite for Sri Lankan economy to obtain the status of privileged access to important EU markets (GSP+).

The ILO has meanwhile announced that they follow the TUC’s argumentation; it has asked the government of Sri Lanka to remove the restricting paragraphs from its labour law.

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Textile production in Germany and international solidarity

Discussion with works council member Albert Koolen

February 21, 2008 in Hannover

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(Preliminary?) Success for the Right to Organise at H&M Supplier in Cambodia

10 union activists achieved reinstatement to their jobs after seven hard months fighting River Rich Textile Ltd., Cambodia. River Rich is part of HongKong based Addchance Holding, producing knitwear, for H&M and Inditex, among others.

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Lives and trade union activities at risk in Sri Lanka:
Intimidation and threats of abduction

The background
On 06.02.2007 three men including a railway trade union activist and two media personnel were abducted by unknown groups in Colombo. These abductions indicate the spread of disappearances. As clearly evidenced in recent times, such acts are used as a means of dealing with opponents. Whereabouts of hundreds of abducted men and women in the recent past still remains a mystery. This sparked a spontaneous protest by an independent and progressive segment of trade unionists immediately the next day in front of the country’s prominent Fort Railway Station. The protestors with the backing of about 500 trade union activist agitated for the release of their union colleague.

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