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FNV Mondiaal 2013 mapped out / 1

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

C A N A D A

MMMMEXICOMEXICO

THE BAHAMAS

JAMAICAHAITI

DOMINICANREP.

BELIZE

PANAMACOSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDAST KITTS AND NEVIS

DOMINICAST LUCIA

BARBADOS

GRENADA

TRINIDADAND TOBAGO

ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

VENEZUELA

COLOMBIAFRENCH GUIANA

SURINAME

GUYANA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

ALASKAICELAND

NORWAY

IRELAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

FRANCE

SPAINPORTUGAL

ITALY

GERMANY

MALTAGREECE

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

SWEDEN

FINLAND

R U S S I A N F E D E R A T I O N

KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN

TAJIKISTANTURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

JORDANIRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

KASHMIR

INDIA

NEPALBHUTAN

BANGLADESH

SRI LANKA

MYANMAR(BURMA) LAOS

THAILAND VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

INDONESIA

EAST TIMOR

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

N. KOREA

S. KOREA JAPAN

PALAU

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALA

MOROCCO

WESTERNSAHARA

ALGERIA

MAURITANIA MALINIGER

LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD

NIGERIA

TUNISIA

SENEGALGAMBIA

GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA

SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

BURKINAFASO

GHANATOGO

BENIN

CAMEROONCENTRAL

AFRICAN REPUBLIC

EQUAT. GUINEA

GABON CONGO DEM. REP.OF CONGO

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRINCIPE

ERITREA

DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIASOMALIA

KENYAUGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLAZAMBIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUEZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

SWAZILAND

COMOROS

MADAGASCAR

COSTA RICA

» ANNUAL ATLAS «

FNV Mondiaal 2013 mapped out

2 / FNV Mondiaal 2013 mapped out

CONTENTS

World Map Programme Countries / WORLD The infl uence of the China Labour Bulletin / CHINA Page 4The rural areas of Ghana / GHANA Page 5

World Map Solidarity Projects FNV Unions / WORLD Page 6Transport union Uganda / UGANDA Page 8Child care in India / INDIA Page 9Study trip to Morocco / MOROCCO Page 9

World Map Trade Union Rights / WORLD Page 10FNV Trade Union Rights Award 2013 / INDONESIA Page 12Union leader in Colombia, a dangerous profession / COLOMBIA Page 13Working Class Heroes / WORLD / INDONESIA / COLOMBIA Page 14

World Map Precarious Work / WORLD Page 16Construction sites in India / INDIA Page 182022 WC football / QATAR Page 19

World Map CSR / WORLD Page 20Textile in Bangladesh / BANGLADESH Page 22American clothing giants up in arms in Peru / PERU Page 22

INDEX

FNV Mondiaal’s work Page 23Facts & Figures Page 24


preface

24-carat union work

In the Netherlands our protest actions are based on key concepts such as ‘purchasing power’ and ‘real

jobs’. I see many similarities with the agenda of the international trade union struggle: decent work and

living wages. There is of course a difference in scale: in our own country, the pivotal issue is the level of

the minimum wage, whereas in poor countries, it’s people’s very existence that is at stake.

What we do have in common, though, is the central role of social welfare provisions. In countries where

FNV Mondiaal is active, our fellow workers conduct protest actions to safeguard jobs. Many of the jobs

there are informal; there is little, if any, social security. A large proportion of the work is carried out by

temporary workers, fl ex workers and migrants. The same fi ght is being conducted in the Netherlands as

well. Here, for example, 90 percent of the young people have an insecure employment status: a temporary

contract, a freelance job or a zero-hours contract. While our social welfare provision is slowly but surely

being dismantled, trade unions in some developing countries are managing to win major victories in the

same area. Among the stories covered in the FNV Mondiaal atlas for this year now before you is that of the

Indonesian trade union leader Said Iqbal. With a strong, highly disciplined organisation and targeted acti-

ons, Said Iqbal has made tremendous progress in his country: 24-carat union work, I would term it. When

you talk to Said, he conveys the impression of a quiet, amiable man, but when he is addressing the demon-

strations in Indonesia, then you sense a unique passion. For me, Said Iqbal is a huge source of inspiration.

Such charisma is in fact unprecedented in the Netherlands.

FNV Mondiaal’s work in supporting people like Said Iqbal forms the core of international solidarity. It is of

vital importance that unions are strengthened not only in Indonesia, but also in Peru and Tanzania. There,

too, exploitation must be stopped. This is not a question of charity. With the process of globalisation, the

situation in one country has an impact on what happens elsewhere. The fact that garment companies in

Bangladesh pay unliveable, low wages and economise on the most elementary conditions of employment is

detrimental to the textile industry in those countries where the conditions are decent.

Unfortunately it is all too often the case that workers from different countries regard each other as com-

petitors. This is how we see people from Poland and Romania who come here to work for a much lower

wage that we are accustomed to. On the one hand, we need to tackle this by protecting our social welfare

provision from erosion from the outside; but another aspect is about bolstering the social welfare provi-

sions and the working conditions in other countries. This all goes to demonstrate the common interest

of workers worldwide. And this is why FNV Mondiaal’s work is so essential within the Dutch trade union

movement. Our core task is of course representing the interests of workers in the Netherlands. However,

this objective is increasingly being intertwined with the position of workers all over the world.

Leo Hartveld

President of FNV Mondiaal

Said Iqbal and Leo Hartveld

PHOTO: Ruth Vermeulen


C A N A D A

OMEXICO

THE BAHAMAS

JAMAICAHAITI

DOMINICANREP.

BELIZE

PANAMACOSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS


DOMINICAST LUCIA

BARBADOS

GRENADA

TRINIDADAND TOBAGO


VENEZUELA


SURINAME

GUYANA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

ALASKAICELAND

NORWAY

UNITEDKINGDOM

FRANCE

SPAINPORTUGAL

ITALY

GERMANY

M

SWE

MOROCCO

WESTERNSAHARA

ALGERIA


NIGERIA

TUNISIA

SENEGALGAMBIA


SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

BURKINAFASO

GHANATOGO

BENIN

CAMEROON

EQUAT. GUINEA

GABON CON


N

COSTA RICA

SOCIAL BENCHMARK


Solidarity projects by FNV unions / Worldwide

FNV Mondiaal has designated nine countries as ‘programme

countries’: Colombia, Peru, South Africa, Ghana, Zim-

babwe, India (being phased out), Bangladesh, China (being

phased out), Indonesia and the region East Africa (Kenya,

Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi). In the programme

countries, FNV Mondiaal has been working for an extensive

period with project partners in order to jointly achieve

increased results.

These joint results will contribute to a more equitable

distribution of income and wealth, with decent work, equal

rights, and livelihood security for all.

This world map gives a brief overview of the priority issues

and partners displayed by programme country.

PROGRAMMECOUNTRIES

FNV MONDIAAL

MMMMEXICO

AATEMATEMALAA

Colombia

Priority issues:Monitoring and enforcement of trade union rights and col-lective bargaining in many sectors, reducing fl exible labour

and outsourcing.

Partners: Global union federations and the national public sector unions, metalworking, fl ower cultivation, supermarkets,

telecommunication and construction, the trade union fede-rations CTC and CUT; labour ngo for trade union rights.

Peru

Priority issues: Social dialogue, combating sectoral legislation that restricts rights and combating precarious

work, equality of men and women, health and safety

Partners: Trade union federation CGTP, trade unions in clothing, agriculture, food, public sector, do-

mestic work, self-employed workers; research institute Plades, cooperative unions in the area

of health care CIS.

South Africa

Priority issues:Campaigns for wages above the poverty line; promoting the right to organise and to negotiate in the workplace; social protection and health & safety; lobbying local and regional

authorities for improvement in the position of street vendors.

Partners:Labour ngo for: training in collective bargaining; media

campaigns for decent work; health & safety; work that has become precarious; support in the informal sector; union for

airport staff and the union for domestic workers.

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

NUNINGKING

SPAINPORTUGALL

MOROCOCCO

WESTERNSAHARAA

AL

MAURITANIA MALI

NN

Ghana

Priority issues:Food security through living wage, better social protection for informal workers and fl ex workers, increase in social dialogue for workers in the informal economy, equality of men and

women.

Partners:Trade Union Congress TUC, unions in agriculture, mining and

informal work. Research Institute LPRI.

MALTAGREECE

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

DEN

FINLAND


KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

JORDANIRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

KASHMIR

INDIA

NEPALBHUTAN

BANGLADESH

SRI LANKA

MYANMAR(BURMA) LAOS

THAILAND VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

INDONESIA

EAST TIMOR

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

N. KOREA

S. KOREA JAPAN

PALAU

NAURU

VANUATU

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD

CENTRALAFRICAN REPUBLIC

A

NGO DEM. REP.OF CONGO

ERITREA

DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIASOMALIA

KENYAUGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLAZAMBIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUEZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

SWAZILAND

COMOROS

MADAGASCAR

FIJI


LAN

Zimbabwe

Priority issues:Trade union rights within broad social framework of human

rights, democracy and good governance. Training and organi-sing are the most important means.

Partners: Trade union federation ZCTU, unions in the construction sector

and security, research institute LEDRIZ.

MALIASOM

COMOROS

ADAGAADAGASCAR

Region East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda,

Burundi

Priority issues:Living wage in the transport, construction, and fl ower sec-tors; inclusion of decent work and social protection clauses in collective agreements; decrease of wage gap between

men and women in fl ower sector.

Partners:Global union federations and the affi liated unions in

transport and construction; labour ngo and its partners in the fl ower sector; the global federation for street vendors Streetnet and its affi liated organisations of street vendors

and market traders.

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

Indonesia

Priority issues: Social protection, increase in minimum wage, right to

organise and to negotiate, reducing outsourcing

Partners:Trade union federation KSPI; the global union federation for

metal, chemical and electronics sector and the affi liated unions; unions for journalists; domestic workers; public

sector; ngo for trade union rights.

INNINLAND

IR U S S II A N F E D E R A T I

India

Priority issues:Right to organise and to collective bargaining, income assu-rance, social protection, health and safety, combating slavery

and child labour, equality of men and women, informal economy.

Partners:Unions for workers in the informal economy: the poorest working women; street vendors; union for agricultural

workers and small farmers, global union federations for metal, transport and construction and the affi liated unions for shipbreakers, transport workers, brickmakers and construction

workers, labour ngo for garment workers.

China

Priority issues: Right to organise and to collective bargaining and combating discrimination of migrants, men and women met hiv/aids

and hepatitis B-infected people.

Partners:Labour ngos working with and for labour migrants in sectors

such as electronics, clothing, mining, the automobile and container industry; media and awareness-raising activities on labour migration and globalisation. The Hong Kong Liaison Offi ce of the international trade union movement (IHLO).

NMARTAIWANTA

ALAU

Bangladesh

Priority issues:Food security through improved legislation and willingness

of companies to pay a living wage; equality of men and women; improved legislation on and putting into

practice by employers of decent work with living wage, social protection and safe working conditions; capacity

strengthening of labour ngos and unions.

Partners: Labour ngos for food security and decent work for

agricultural workers, garment workers, garbage collectors; the global union federations for metal, clothing and

construction and the affi liated unions for shipbreakers, garment workers and brickmakers.

MONGOLIA

CHINACHIN

HUTANBHUHUBHUTHU

HLADESHLA ESHADESH

MYANMARANMMRMA)(BU(BURRM LAOSLA

THAILAND VIETNAMVI

CAMBODIAMBOMBO ACCA

MALAYSIAA

TAIWANTA

PHILIPPINESLIPP NESPINLPHI IP

BRUNEI

INDONESIAN

EAST TIMOREA

ANN. KOREAA

S. KOREAS. JAPANJA

PALAU


Solidarity projects by FNV unions / China

The infl uence of the China Labour Bulletin:

The China Labour Bulletin (CLB) had its origins in Tiananmen

Square in Beijing in 1989. This was where the young Chinese

railway worker Han Dongfang came into contact with student

protesters and became one of the infl uential fi gures of the op-

position to the corruption of the communist regime. After the

violent crushing of the Tiananmen rebellion, Dongfang landed

in prison, contracted tuberculosis, was released – more dead

than alive – and fi nally exiled to Hong Kong, where he founded

the CLB in 1994. Dongfang explains: “The aim was to create a

bulletin about what was happening in China, about what wor-

kers’ lives were like, and in so doing promote the importance

of free trade unions.”

The CLB is now one of the most infl uential organisations in labour

relations in China. The research reports into Chinese working con-

ditions, which are regularly published by the CLB, are regarded as

standard setting. The CLB, which is based in Hong Kong as Han Dong-

fang is still not permitted to enter mainland China, is gaining more

and more of a following in China. The protests and campaigns of the

CLB often lead to public discussions in China and to amendments

of the law, for example, the legal provision stating that employers

may no longer exclude people infected with Hepatitis B. This might

seem trivial, but this is not the case: through no fault of their own,

millions of young Chinese have become infected during the course

of improperly conducted national vaccination campaigns. The CLB

has also stirred up the discussion on the possibility of collective

bargaining and on compulsory labour contracts. As a result of the

public discussions, openings are emerging in the policy operated by

the state-controlled union ACFTU. Although this is a process of three

steps forward and two steps back, Chinese labour relations have

nonetheless improved signifi cantly since 1994. The role played by the

CLB is undisputed.

FNV Mondiaal has supported the CLB from its very beginnings. Initi-

ally on an incidental basis, but the contacts have become increasingly

closer. Via FNV Mondiaal, the Chinese acquire information about the

labour relations in the Netherlands. The CLB sees the Dutch method

of reconciling confl icting views between government, employees and

employers - the well-known Dutch concept of ‘poldering’ (reaching

consensus without confl ict) - as an inspiring example. This year, the

CLB is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. The cooperation with

FNV Mondiaal has therefore now existed for twenty years too.

Three steps forward and two steps back

Chin

a La

bour

Bul

letin

‘Stakingsmap’ China 2014 by CLB$ = Wage arrearsCar = taxi strikeBus = bus strike


NIGERIA

SENEGALLLGAMBIA

GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEAINEA

SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIAA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

RKINABURKINAINRKINAASOFAFAS

GHANAG ANAANAGOGOTOTTOO O

BENINB

CAMEROONCAMERCE

AFRICA

UINEAAT. GUEQU NEAEQUAT GUINEAU UINE

GABONON ONGOCCO


ANGOLA

NAMIBIA

S

Solidarity projects by FNV unions / Ghana

GAWU ensures there are special insurance pac-

kages with terms and conditions that are of some

actual benefi t to poor farming families and with

payment arrangements that are in keeping with

the highly fl uctuating income of small farmers. In

this way, social security is a real option for these

people too.

Support by FNV Mondiaal is important to GAWU.

The majority of the union’s activities can be

funded from members’ contributions, but extra

resources are needed for visiting remote com-

munities and organising activities there, which is

where FNV Mondiaal is able to help out. GAWU

now has some forty thousand members, half of

whom are small farmers.

The specifi c trade union approach adopted by

GAWU is that of organising people. Unlike ‘main-

stream’ development organisations, GAWU does

not give grants to the farmers. The important

thing is that the people are together empowered

to demand what they are entitled to. And this

delivers hard cash. In the last four years, the

incomes in the communities where the union is

active have increased by 25 to 100 percent!

Rural areas of Ghana

There is little work available in the rural

areas of Ghana. The country is farmed largely

by self-employed small farmers. Traditio-

nal workers’ issues scarcely feature, but,

the Ghanaian General Agriculture Workers

Union (GAWU) is nonetheless active in the

rural areas. In farming communities, the

GAWU, which is affi liated to the Trade Union

Congress TUC, is promoting the founding of

farming associations. By working together,

the Ghanaian farmers are able to accomplish

things that they are unable to achieve indi-

vidually. One point of importance is that the

Ministry of Agriculture information offi cers

are willing to provide support and assistance

to associations, while their doors are closed

to individual small farmers. Farmers’ organi-

sations also fi nd it easier to get a loan than

individuals.

It is interesting to note that women in particu-

lar are able to benefi t from the new oppor-

tunities. For example, there are many more

women who have become active in cocoa

cultivation. Cocoa production used always to

be a male domain, but with technical support

and extra fi nancing, women have now begun

planting cocoa trees. Unlike most of the crops

that are for own consumption, cocoa is a cash

crop, thereby contributing to the indepen-

dence of women in rural areas. And because

women invest their earnings in the family

more than men tend to do, this also indirectly

benefi ts education for children, the quality of

housing and the quality of life in general.

Social security is also strengthened by the

union’s actions. While pension insurances and

health insurances (voluntary or otherwise) do

exist in Ghana, they are rarely tailored to the

situation of the population in the rural areas.

Better income for farming communities

PHOTO: Corrie Roeper


C A N A D A

MEXICO

THE BAHAMAS

JAMAICAHAITI

DOMINICANREP.

BELIZE

PANAMACOSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS


DOMINICAST LUCIA

BARBADOS

GRENADA

TRINIDADAND TOBAGO


VENEZUELA


SURINAME

GUYANA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

ALASKAICELAND

NORWAY

IRELAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

FRANCE

SPAINPORTUGAL

ITALY

GERMANY

M

SWE

MOROCCO

WESTERNSAHARA

ALGERIA


NIGERIA

TUNISIA

SENEGALGAMBIA


SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

BURKINAFASO

GHANATOGO

BENIN

CAMEROON

EQUAT. GUINEA

GABON CON


N

MEXICO

COSTA RICA


Transnationals Information

ExchangeExchange between union representatives

from the cocoa-processing industry in the Netherlands and Ghana

AGFA and UMTEducational project for union representa-tives from Agricultural union FNSA-UMT, building social dialogue, training about

safe working conditions / Morocco

ZCTUSupport to the ZCTU and to strengthening

unions through training in organising, education, negotiating; leadership training for women; lobbying and conducting cam-paigns for decent work and union rights

Zimbabwe

FNV BondgenotenIncreasing negotiation skills of staff of TUICO service sector union via train the

trainer / Tanzania

FENACLEIncreasing and strengthening the union

organisation in the fl ower sector Ecuador

Fair Wear Foundation

Improving social dialogue in garment factories / Turkey

TPAWUStrengthening capacity of TPAWU in lea-dership, organising, training / Tanzania

The trade unions affi liated to the FNV - FNV Bondgenoten,

ABVAKABO FNV, FNV Bouw and the General Education

Union (AOb) – all have their own solidarity funds which,

jointly with FNV Mondiaal, they allocate to a variety of

countries. The projects focus, among other things, on the

direct exchange of knowledge and experience between

members and union executives here and in the country

concerned, setting up trade union networks, the provision

of training in conducting social dialogue or working in

accordance with health and safety regulations, and the

eradication of child labour. This world atlas displays the

solidarity projects supported by the FNV unions that were

in progress in 2103.

Solidarity Projects supported by FNV Unions / Worldwide

SOLIDARITY PROJECTS

FNV-UNIONS

NUCIWCapacity strengthening of the members

and member recruitment / Zambia

ZISEGUBuilding and strengthening of the union

Zimbabwe

IMFOrganisation of workers in the

shipbreaking yards in South AsiaIndia, Bangladesh, Pakistan

TIEStrengthening of the independent unions, building up women’s and young people’s

networks / Belarus

EFO, Labourers Training School

Health and safety in the workplace Venezuela

GAWU Member recruitment and organisation

strengthening via decent work activities, improvement of work and life of agricul-

tural labourers / Ghana

Bangladesh Oc-cupational Safety,

Health and Environ-ment Foundation

Organising garbage collectors, improving their working conditions and labour rights

Bangladesh

IndustriALLCombating hiv/aids in the workplace

Tanzania, Zimbabwe

IndustriALLCapacity strengthening and organisation of new members of TUMEC, union for workers in the mining, energy and chemical sectors

/ Democratic Republic of the Congo

ITF Strengthening of the transport unions

along the East African transport corridorKenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda,

Burundi

The WorkersAdvice Center

Organising and training truck drivers and teachers and supporting the most vulnera-

ble section of the workers: unemployed Arab women in agriculture

and unemployed Palestinians in East Jerusalem / Israel

APVVUFighting for position and working condi-tions of agricultural labourers and small

farmers / India

ABVAKABO FNVABVAKABO FNV

» PSI «Equal opportunities for LGBT

(lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gender) workers in the workplace,

Brazil


THE

MAICA

FNV BONDGENOTENFNV BONDGENOTEN

» EFO «LABOURERS

TRAINING SCHOOLImproving health and safety in the

workplace, Venezuela

NOR

SPA

M

AA


» TIE «Exchange between union repre-

sentatives from the cocoa-proces-sing industry in the Netherlands

GENERAL EDUCATION UNIONGENERAL EDUCATION UNION

» SNE « EDUCATION UNION Train the trainers: how to prevent

school dropouts, Morocco

FNV Bondgenoten

projects

MALTAGREECE

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

DEN

FINLAND


KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN


UZBEKISTAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

JORDANIRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

KASHMIR

INDIA

NEPALBHUTAN

BANGLADESH

SRI LANKA

MYANMAR(BURMA) LAOS

THAILAND VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

EAST TIMOR

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

N. KOREA

S. KOREA JAPAN

PALAU

NAURU

VANUATU

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD


A


DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIASOMALIA

KENYAUGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLAZAMBIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUEZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

SWAZILAND

COMOROS

MADAGASCAR

FIJI


SAVEFighting for the labour rights of and

telephone helpline for garment workers in Tirupur / India


ExchangeTrade union organisation and union representative structure in Belarus


ExchangeExchange of FNV Bondgenoten union

representatives at LIDL and union repre-sentatives at Wall Mart in Chile

Netherlands/Chili


ExchangeTrade union structure in companies in the

Turkish metal sector / Turkey


ExchangeSelf-organisation of workers in the

Netherlands and Brazil at DAF (Paccar) through

exchange of experiences and knowledge of union work and union structure

Netherlands / Brasil

ABVAKABO FNV projects

PSIBuilding the policy and capacity strengthe-ning of unions in the water sector, coope-ration with other civil society organisations in the area of water policy and organisation

strategy so as to increase the number of female members / Kenya

ZCTU & FosSupport to ZCTU to fi ght for decent work

Zimbabwe

LEDRIZ & FosAdvice and research for the benefi t of

unions in order to fi ght for decent work Zimbabwe

ANSA & FosTraining, awareness-raising, research to strengthen the capacity of trade unions

to infl uence socio-economic policy of the government / Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia,

Namibia and Mauritius

TIEAwareness-raising and strengthening of the capacity of organisations and trade unions to fi ght for LGBT rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) workers in the workplace

Turkey

IRALEStrengthening of unions

Swaziland

PSIEqual opportunities for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) workers in the

public / Brasil

PSIDecent work and social protection for labour

migrants in public services despite their quali-tatively good service; evaluation, new goals

and lobbying & campaigning / Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Sierra Leone,

South Africa, the Philippines, Sri Lanka

SEWAChildcare project set up by SEWA to cre-

ate work and income opportunities for the poorest, self-employed women / India

The WorkerSupporting The Worker, the monthly publi-cation of the trade union federation ZCTU

Zimbabwe

LEDRIZ Supporting LEDRIZ / Zimbabwe

General Education Union

projects

SNEEducation union

Train the trainers: preventing school dropouts / Morocco

Teachers’ UnionEstablishment of the Trade Union Academy,

an education centre for training in and information to members on their legal position and about (developments in)

education / Suriname

FNV Bouw en FNV Bondgenoten

BWI - Building and Wood Workers’ International

anising workers and combating child labour in the stone quarries India, Nepal, Bangladesh

JJJ

S

OMA

YEMEN

EGYPT

SUDANDJIBOUTI


» FAIR WEAR « FOUNDATION

Improving social dialogue in garment factories, Turkey


» TIE «Strengthening of the independent unions, building up women’s and young people’s networks, Belarus

MALAYSIAA

BRUNEI


» SEWA «Childcare centres to create work and income opportunities for the

poorest women, India

A

FNV BONDGENOTEN EN FNV BONDGENOTEN EN FNV BOUWFNV BOUW

» BWI «Organising workers and combating

child labour in the brick ovens, India, Nepal, Bangladesh

ZILAND


TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION

» ZCTU «Supporting The Worker, the

monthly publication of trade union federation ZCTU, Zimbabwe


» ITF «Strengthening the transport unions

along the East African transport corridor, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,

Rwanda, Burundi

O N

FNV BONDGENOTENFNV BONDGENOTEN » APVVU «

Fighting for position and working conditions of agricultural labourers

and small farmers, India


NORWAYWAY

IRELANDAND

NITEDUNITKINGDOMKINGD

FRANCEE

SPAINPORTUGALL

ITAITALY

ERMANYGGEERGE

MALTAGREECEEECECGG

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINEUKRAIN

ROMANIA

GARIABULGA

ENSWEDE

TURKE

JOJJO

MOROROCCO

ALGERIA


LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD

NIGERIA

UNISIATUNI

EGALALAL

GUINEAINEA

ONE

LIBERIAA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

RKINABURKINAINRKINAASOFAFAS

GHANAG ANAANAGOGOTOTTOO O

BENINB

CAMEROONCAMERCENTRAL

AFRICAN REPUBLIC

UINEAAT. GUEQU NEAEQUAT GUINEAU UINE

GABONON ONGOCCO DEM. REP.OF CONGO

SÃO TOMÉ AND PRINCIPE UGANDAUG DADADAGAGA DAUGA

RWAR ANDAARRW

BURUNDIIBU

TANZ

ANGOLAZAMBIAMBIA

MMM

MZIMBABWEZ

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHOLESELESO

AZILANDZSWASWWAWAZSW

Solidarity Projects supported by FNV Unions / Morocco / Uganda / India

Study trip to Morocco

Everything to keep the children at school “I now realise more than ever the tremendous impor-

tance of education”, says Eline Zeilstra of primary

school De Akker in Boskoop in Holland. In February

2013 she took part in the study trip organised jointly

by the Dutch teaching union (AOb) and the Moroccan

education union SNE. She visited nine schools where

the SNE and the Moroccan Ministry of Education are

jointly tackling the high school drop-out rates. Child-

ren shouldn’t be kept at home, or sent to work on the

land, in tea shops or leather tanneries. Children need

to learn reading, writing and arithmetic – this is the

only way they can free themselves from the poverty of

their parents.

Since 2002, FNV Mondiaal and the AOb have been sup-

porting the SNE’s project to combat school drop-outs. The

study trip made a huge impression. Eline explains: “Some

schools had no windows and the children were sitting in the

classroom with their coats on.” The teachers‘ enthusiasm

was what particularly struck the Dutch visitors. Despite

their heavy day-to-day workload, teaching as many as 45

children of a variety of levels, they make time for after-

school activities and they visit the parents of the pupils at

home: everything to keep the children at school. On her ar-

rival back in Boskoop, Eline launched a school-wide project

about Morocco. The money that was collected was presen-

ted to a primary school in Ouazzane. The school annexes

had no toilets, washbasins or

drinking water. The prospect

of new sanitary fi xtures will,

in its turn, help children, and

in particular adolescent girls,

to like going to school better.

Source: ‘School is the best place to work. Child labour and education’. Dutch teaching union, 2013

PHOTO: Trudy Kerperien

PHOTO: Corbis/Hollandse HoogtePHOTO: Mario van de Luijtgaarden


KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINACHIN

ZSTANKYRGYZSTAKY GYZSTA

TAJIKISTANJIKISTANTTAAJIKISTANTUTURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTANANEB AN

EY

SYRIAYRIA

ORDANOOR ANIRAQQ

SAUDI ARABIA

NOMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTANAP

MMIRIRSHMHHMHSHKASHKASHKASHMIRKASHMIK

INDIA

NEPALLNEPALHUTANBHUHUBHUTHU

HGLADESHBANGLADESHBANGLAGLADESH

SRI LANKASR

MYANMARANMMRMA)(BU(BURRM LAOSLA

THAILAND VIETNAMVI

CAMBODIAC MBOMBO ACA

MALAYSIAA

TAIWANTA

PHILIPPILIPPPILPHI IP

BRUNEI

INDONESIAN

ANN. KOREAA

S. KOS.

REAERITR

DJIBOUTIDJ

ETHIOPIAMALIASOMA

KENYA

ZANIA

ALAWIMMAMAMA

OZAMBIQUEMOZAMA

D

COMOROS

MADAGAADAGASCAR

Child care in India

Thinking in opportunities

The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India is

performing pioneering work for women in the informal sec-

tor. Street vendors, home workers, cleaners, agricultural

workers: the majority live from day to day from a precari-

ous income and often in distressing conditions. The Indian

women’s trade union SEWA fi ghts for their dignity and their

rights, which includes the right to child care.

In 2012, three members and two executives of the Abvakabo FNV

child care sector travelled to India. They visited the Child Care

Centres for children from nought to six years of age, set up by

SEWA in the federal state of Gujarat. In November 2013, the Ge-

neral Secretary of SEWA, Jyoti Macwan and her colleague Jyostna

Parmar paid a return visit. During the Abvakabo conference ‘Thin-

king in opportunities’ (‘Denken in Kansen’), they gave an impres-

sive presentation on the importance of child care for working wo-

men in poor communities in India – as well as for their children.

The littlest ones no longer have to be taken with their mothers

to the fi elds or the factory, the bigger children can go to school

because they no longer have to take care of their younger little

sisters and brothers. It goes without saying that SEWA follows the

principles that it has for so long fought to achieve: the teachers at

the Child Care Centres, who come from the local community, are

never paid less than the minimum wage and have access to health

care and a social security insurance.

Abvakabo FNV supports SEWA’s the child care project. Interna-

tional solidarity is, as emerged during the course of both visits, a

source of inspiration, both in India but also for a sector which is

under pressure in the Netherlands.

Transport union Uganda

Performance feeds confi denceFNV Bondgenoten supports a project run by

the International Transport Workers’ Federa-

tion (ITF) in East Africa. The ITF directs its

efforts to health and safety in the workplace –

with a particular focus on HIV and AIDS – and

strengthening union organisation. Although

many African trade unions are going through a

diffi cult time, the transport union in Uganda,

which is a member of the ITF, is vigorously

promoting itself. In less than two years, the

Ugandan union ATGWU has managed to triple

the number of paying members: from two

thousand in 2012 to over six thousand by the

end of 2013. The secret? Ambition and perfor-

mance – two elements that in this case have a

mutually reinforcing effect.

The new team at the head of the ATGWU has a

mission: to make the transport union the most ef-

fective, effi cient and self-sustainable union in the

country. Ugandan workers often have the impres-

sion that the union executive kowtows to the

president and his party, and pays greater attention

to personal gain than to the needs of the rank-and-

fi le. However, it is quite clear to everyone that the

ATGWU does its utmost for its members. In 2013,

collective labour agreements were signed with the

biggest employers in the transport sector: South

African Airways, Emirates, Kenya Airways and the

Civil Aviation Authority. Wage increases from 10 to

13 percent were negotiated and new labour condi-

tions were included in the area of HIV and AIDS.

Employers are increasingly aware of the importan-

ce of the eradication of this disease, which affects

so many workers in the transport sector.

In Uganda things are no different from in the Ne-

therlands: the sustainability of a trade union stands

and falls by the number of paying members. African

employees, too, are prepared to become members

of a union if they see that it truly delivers value for

money.

PHOTO: Brenda Born


C A N A D A

MMMMEXICOMEXICO

THE BAHAMAS

JAMAICAHAITI

DOMINICANREP.

BELIZE

PANAMACOSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS


DOMINICAST LUCIA

BARBADOS

GRENADA


VENEZUELA


SURINAME

GUYANA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

ALASKAICELAND

NORWAY

IRELAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

FRANCE

SPAINPORTUGAL

ITALY

GERMANY

M

SWE

MOROCCO

WESTERNSAHARA

ALGERIA


NIGERIA

TUNISIA

SENEGALGAMBIA


SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

BURKINAFASO

GHANATOGO

BENIN

CAMEROON

EQUAT. GUINEA

GABON CON


N

MEXICO

COSTA RICA

SOCIAL BENCHMARK


Trade Union Rights / Wordwide

Supporting trade unions in their work is of ongoing im-

portance. At the basis of this is their internationally

recognised right to organise and to collective bargaining,

with the associated freedom to strike. In many countries,

it is diffi cult for working people to organise and to fi ght

for better working conditions without running the risk of

dismissal, imprisonment or even murder. In that respect,

Colombia is still the most dangerous country in the world.

However, without these basic human rights, people are una-

ble to have their voices heard or their situation improved.

FNV supports projects to help trade unions safeguard these

rights, at international, national, company and individual

level. FNV protests to governments and companies where

trade union rights are being violated. This world atlas dis-

plays the projects whose primary theme in 2013 was ‘trade

union rights’ as well as the protest actions in which the FNV

participated, in conjunction with the FNV Writers’ Network.

TRADE UNION RIGHTS

UNDER PRESSURE

TRADE UNION FOR TRADE UNION FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS DOMESTIC WORKERS

» SINTTRAHOL «

Better union organisation of domestic workers: strengthe-ning of the national federation for domestic workers FENAT-TRAHOP and strengthening union for domestic workers

SINTTRAHOL; ratifi cation of the ILO convention for domestic

workers; amending law 2786.Peru

D A

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR THE FLOWER SECTORFOR THE FLOWER SECTOR

» IUF «Trade union rights in the fl ower

sector in Colombia: Contributing to the organisation

strengthening of trade unions, the right to organise and to collective bargaining, promoting working conditions and promoting social dialogue in the fl ower sector.

Colombia

TRADE UNION TRADE UNION TRAINING INSTITUTETRAINING INSTITUTE

» IESI «VStrengthening the capacity of

union leaders necessary for social dialogue; trade union fede-ration CGTP, in coordination with

other federations, including decent work aspects in the dialogues in the textile, agro-export, domestic work and government sectors.

Peru

CIP

N

AGRICULTURAL UNION GHANA

NGO ESCUELA NGO ESCUELA NACIONAL SINDICAL NACIONAL SINDICAL

» ENS «Support in strengthening

trade union movement – 2013The ENS provides the necessary information for the trade union

federations CUT and CTC to conduct campaigns against violations of

trade union rights.Colombia

RUGUAYU

THE UNION FOR THE UNION FOR TEXTILE AND CLOTHING TEXTILE AND CLOTHING

INDUSTRY INDUSTRY » FNTTP «

Abolition of a special law regarded as the major obstacle to organisati-on and consequently improvement of the conditions in the clothing industry; strengthening of the

capacity of FNTTP to monitor trade union rights, to raise the issue of violation and to protect rights.

Peru

BADOS

UELA

ELANDICELAND

IRELANDAND

SPORTUGALL

MOROCOCCO

WESTERNSAHARAA

MAURITANIA

INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION FOR WORKERS IN COMMERCIAL, FOR WORKERS IN COMMERCIAL,

FINANCIAL, GRAPHICAL AND FINANCIAL, GRAPHICAL AND INDUSTRIAL SECTORSINDUSTRIAL SECTORS

» UNI «Monitoring and defending (inter-national) human and trade union rights of member unions of UNI in Colombia in three high-profi le

multinational companies: Carrefour, Kimberly Clark and

Telefónica; total compliance with the global agreements that UNI

has entered into with these companies.ColombiaUnion leaders

murdered in Colombia in 2013

Oscar Pérez †Oscar Pérez †

Joaquín Mendoza Medrano † Joaquín Mendoza Medrano †

Juan Carlos Pérez Muñoz † Juan Carlos Pérez Muñoz †

Elizabeth Gutiérrez † Elizabeth Gutiérrez †

Edilberto Rangel Zambrano † Edilberto Rangel Zambrano †

Néstor Manuel Hinestroza Mendoza † Néstor Manuel Hinestroza Mendoza †

Leonardo García Morera † Leonardo García Morera †

Salvador Casso Dizu † Salvador Casso Dizu †

Mario Manuel Ruiz Tovar † Mario Manuel Ruiz Tovar †

Narciso Beltrán † Narciso Beltrán †

Daniel Mancera Bernal † Daniel Mancera Bernal †

Fabián Enrique Espinosa Cabarcas † Fabián Enrique Espinosa Cabarcas †

Francisco José Mena Henao † Francisco José Mena Henao †

Didier Martínez Mejía † Didier Martínez Mejía †

Esneider Rubio Herrera † Esneider Rubio Herrera †

Luis Fabio Campo Rodríguez † Luis Fabio Campo Rodríguez †

Gloria Lucy López Fuentes † Gloria Lucy López Fuentes †

Francisco José Ocampo Cepeda † Francisco José Ocampo Cepeda †

Fernando Flórez Viveros † Fernando Flórez Viveros †

Graciela Rodríguez Ramos † Graciela Rodríguez Ramos †

Johani Antonio Ramírez † Johani Antonio Ramírez †

Juan David Gómez Vertel † Juan David Gómez Vertel †

Oscar López Triviño † Oscar López Triviño †

Robinson Piedrahita Llanos † Robinson Piedrahita Llanos †

Héctor José Monterrosa Bolaños † Héctor José Monterrosa Bolaños †

Carlos Edmundo García Herreros † Carlos Edmundo García Herreros †

Pedro Alejandrino Camperos †Pedro Alejandrino Camperos †

MALTAGREECE

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

DEN

FINLAND


KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN


UZBEKISTAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

JORDANIRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

KASHMIR

INDIA

NEPALBHUTAN

BANGLADESH

SRI LANKA

MYANMAR(BURMA) LAOS

THAILAND VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

INDONESIA

EAST TIMOR

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

N. KOREA

S. KOREA JAPAN

PALAU

NAURU

VANUATU

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD


A


ERITREA

DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIASOMALIA

KENYAUGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLAZAMBIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUEZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

SWAZILAND

COMOROS

MADAGASCAR

FIJI


FNV Protest letters

Colombia – JanuaryLetter to president of Colombia. During collective

negotiations at coal mining company Cerrejón, union leaders including Igor Karel Lopez and his family were threatened. Appeal to the president to do everything possible to ensure their safety and to enable the col-

lective bargaining processes to continue with respect for fundamental labour rights.

Thailand – JanuaryLetter to ambassador of Thailand calling on the authori-ties to drop the charges against Somyot Prueksakasem-suk. Somyot is in prison for ‘insulting the king’ because in 2010 he was editor of a magazine, two articles in

which allegedly contained an insult to the king.

Colombia – AprilLetter to the president of Colombia. On 1 April, 92

organisations, social and political leaders in Colombia, including union leaders and human rights activists, received threats, the perpetrators of which said that they were ready to go beyond threats if they were not taken seriously. Appeal to the president to give

assurances over the safety of those targeted by these threats and to take steps to ensure that they are able to carry out their work with respect for human and trade

union rights

MBIQUE

TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION » ZCTU «

Strengthening the trade union movement: training on trade union

rights for union training offi cers and union members; member

recruitment; mobilisation.Zimbabwe

N

SOUT

AGRICULTURAL UNION AGRICULTURAL UNION GHANAGHANA

» GAWU «Organisation strengthening: organi-sing and recruiting, re-establishing

or renewed establishing of structures; communication with

the members; advocacy and wage bargaining.

Ghana

NE

JEWISH/ARAB TRADE UNION JEWISH/ARAB TRADE UNION THE WORKERS ADVICE CENTER THE WORKERS ADVICE CENTER

» WAC « Organising and training truck dri-vers and teachers and supporting the most vulnerable section of the workers: unemployed Arab women

in agriculture and unemployed Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

Israel

UNION FOR UNION FOR SECURITY STAFFSECURITY STAFF

» ZISEGU «Building and strengthening of the

union. Zimbabwe

Letter campaigns 2013

February

Mexico – online / Writers networkInternational solidarity week for Mexico, 18 to 24 February 2013. To put an end to ‘yellow’ unions and to appeal for respect for independent unions, reinstatement of unjustly

dismissed union leaders at PKC, Modelo (Corona), Honda and other companies. Recovery of the bodies of the miners who

lost their lives in 2006, amendment of the labour law undermi-ning the rights of workers and unions.

June

Qatar / FIFA – online / Writers network

Many fatalities during the construction of the infrastructure for the Qatar 2022 football World Cup. Inhumane working

conditions in which the labour migrants, mostly Nepalese, are required to work. Modern slavery. Appeal to FIFA to choose a

WC location where the rights of workers are respected.

July

Bangladesh – Urgent Action NetwerkPoor labour conditions, safety in textile factories in Bangladesh.

Fires in factories, collapse of Rana Plaza building with 1,100 fatalities.

Appeal to the Bengali government to amend the labour law so that all workers are guaranteed the right to organise in a union

and to negotiate collectively on conditions of employment. Only with strong unions will workers be enabled to prevent

such disasters as the recent ones.

September

Honduras – Urgent Action NetwerkArmed men attempted to force their way into the home of Vic-tor Crespo, the general secretary of a trade union in Honduras. They threatened Crespo’s life—and only fl ed the scene once

neighbours were alerted.Urge the president to secure Crespo’s safety with police

protection and to give assurances over workers being able to exercise their legal right to collectively bargain.

December

China - Writers networkWu Guijun has been kept in detention since 23 May for having been involved in a strike. Since then he has been denied free access to his family. Wu Guijun faces criminal prosecution but his ‘crime’ was defending the rights of his co-workers. Call on the local government to release Wu Guijun from detention and for his internationally recognised rights to be respected and for the reform of the law to guarantee these fundamental rights.

SRI LANKASR

BOCC

» TPAWU «Strengthening of the capacity of the agricultural and plantation

union TPAWU in leadership, organi-sing, training.

Tanzania


Trade Union Rights / Indonesia

Winner of the 2013 Febe Elizabeth Velásquez Trade Union Rights Award

Indonesian trade union leader Said Iqbal:

“In the past fi ve years, Indonesia has become an economic power. The economic growth in our country

is currently the second highest in the world, the GNP is in sixteenth position, the investment climate

has a triple A status, the debt burden has declined, the country is rich in raw materials: oil, natural gas,

gold, food, jungle. We’ve got everything in Indonesia.

“The conditions of the workers are in stark contrast to this

picture. In 2012, the national minimum wage was around a

hundred Euros a month. There are often only forty or fi fty

Euros left for food, education and clothing. Social welfare

is minimal. Employees have health insurance, but if you

lose your job, then that’s gone as well. In any case, there’s

limited cover for medical expenses: the patient contribu-

tion is high and many medical expenses are not included.

For example, a pregnant employee has to fi nd extra money

to pay for the midwife. Employees have no pension. In ad-

dition, the business sector is kept afl oat by 16 million ‘fl ex

workers’: they earn less than the minimum wage and are

not insured.

“When someone has worked

for forty years, but is still

too poor to be able to afford

to buy shoes, then some-

thing isn’t quite right”

“For fi fteen years, the trade union has battled against low

wages and for social reforms, and this has recently yielded

some major victories. A new law on health insurance

has recently been signed: as of 2014, every Indonesian

has the right to unlimited health coverage for all medical

treatments. Employers are also obliged to contribute to

their employees’ pension schemes. Possibly even more

important is the fact that the government has abolished the

low-wage-policy. The strategy is no longer that of keeping

the wages as low as possible. The government realises

that higher wages contribute to economic growth. Since

2012, the wages have risen by over 40 percent! Finally,

employers may only make use of temporary workers in a

few sectors.

“These victories have not been without a struggle. Some

employers have used gangs of thugs to intimidate us. The

police did nothing. Strikers and activists were threatened

with imprisonment. My wife and I regularly receive death

threats. What I always say is: God isn’t going to change the

fate of a small group of people, unless they’re prepared to

do something themselves.”

PHOTO: Merel Maissan

FOTO: Huub Ruijgrok


PANAMANAPANAM

COSTA RICARICAVENEZU

COLOMBIAOMBCO

PERUPE

ECUUADOR

CHILEE

Union leader in Colombia, a dangerous profession

Wherever Igor Diaz goes, bodyguards go with him

Trade Union Rights / Colombia

Wherever Igor Diaz goes, armed body-

guards go with him, bulletproof vests

tightly over their bodies, dark sunglas-

ses concealing peering eyes. This is no

luxury. Being a trade union leader in

Colombia is dangerous. Igor Diaz is pre-

sident of Sintracarbon, the trade union

for people working in the coal mines

in Guajira, the northernmost point of

Colombia. Huge trucks drive in and out.

Clouds of jet-black dust are blown up

every time the gigantic grabs tip the coal

into the trucks. This is one of the biggest

open-pit coal mines in the world. The

black gold lies on the surface, there for

the taking. Part of the coal is shipped to

the Netherlands.

Last year, Sintracarbon achieved a

remarkable victory. After a strike lasting

32 days, employer Cerrejón changed

tack: 630 workers with temporary con-

tracts were given permanent ones, health

care would be regulated for employees

as well as for ex-employees and transpor-

tation to and from work would be impro-

ved. A resounding success for the union.

However, Igor Diaz paid a high price. Im-

mediately after the strike, he was forced

to leave his house. There were concrete

indications that he and his family should

fear for their lives. Diaz: “We live in fear,

that is true. Every day when we come

home, we think: we’ve survived another

day. But we have no choice but to go on.”

Colombia is a violent country. This also

affects trade union leaders. In 2013, 27

trade union leaders were the victims of

violence. Violence and threats are part of

the negotiation strategy in Colombia. By

threatening the activists – and carrying

out killings on a regular basis – the local

ruling elite, entrepreneurs and politicians

are able to maintain their position. Trou-

blemakers are silenced. Hitmen – the

infamous sicarios – cost next to nothing.

For a couple of hundred dollars you’re

rid of an antagonist.

Igor Diaz is one of the Working Class

Heroes in Colombia. You are a hero if

you not only fi ght for others, at risk of

your own life, but if you also keep going,

even when things get diffi cult. More than

a hero, though, Diaz is not only a charis-

matic union leader, but also a pragmatic

one, averse to the macho behaviour

displayed by many of the old-style trade

union leaders in Latin America. Diaz

tells it how it is, without any ideological

hair-splitting. In this way, he achieves

concrete results for his colleagues. Em-

ployers, too, value this increasingly. They

know where they are with Diaz.

PHOTO: Ruth Vermeulen


Trade Union Rights / Working class heroes / Worldwide / Colombia / Indonesia /

Documentary on Working Class HeroesColombia and Indonesia are fast growers: the national in-

come is increasing, the average level of prosperity is rising.

Good news. However, the growth model is often based on

low wages and on poor working conditions. The interests

of workers and fundamental labour norms are all too easily

forgotten. A new generation of union leaders is successfully

getting the right to organise and to collective bargaining

onto the agenda. Not infrequently at the cost of personal

sacrifi ce.

The documentary Working Class Heroes portrays Siad

Iqbal from Indonesia and Igor Diaz from Colombia: trade

union leaders new style. Working Class Heroes was made by

fi lmers Huub Ruijgrok and Arno van Beest, in cooperation

with FNV Mondiaal, in May 2013.

PHOTO: Rebke Klokke


Photo competion on Facebook

Filmer Huub Ruijgrok and FNV Mondiaal organised

a photo competition on the Working Class Heroes

Facebook page. People were invited to make a photo

of themselves or with colleagues at work with the text

‘Working Class Heroes’. Especially in Indonesia a lot

of photos were uploaded. On these pages you will see

a small selection.


C A N A D A

MMMMEXICOMEXICO

THE BAHAMAS

JAMAICAHAITI

DOMINICANREP.

BELIZE

PANAMA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS


DOMINICAST LUCIA

BARBADOS

GRENADA

TRINIDADAND TOBAGO


VENEZUELA


SURINAME

GUYANA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

ALASKAICELAND

NORWAY

IRELAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

FRANCE

SPAINPORTUGAL

ITALY

GERMANY

M

SWE

MOROCCO

WESTERNSAHARA

ALGERIA


NIGERIA

TUNISIA

SENEGALGAMBIA


SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

BURKINAFASO

GHANATOGO

BENIN

CAMEROON

EQUAT. GUINEA

GABON CON


N

MEXICO

COSTA RICA

SOCIAL BENCHMARK


Precarious Work / Worldwide

The trend towards precarious work is increasing globally.

Many people work in a situation in which they earn too

little to support themselves, without a decent contract or

the prospect of secure work, social protection or the right

to organise. Secure jobs are being replaced by precarious

work, people are being forced to become self-employed and

they then end up in the informal economy. In any event,

precarious work undermines decent labour conditions and

trade union organisation and thereby the possibility for

people to build a future for themselves. FNV supports pro-

jects where trade unions and labour NGOs commit them-

selves to creating greater security for workers. This world

atlas displays the projects supported by FNV Mondiaal in

2013 where the primary theme is ‘greater certainty in work

and income’ for people in precarious work.

PRECARIOUSWORK

FNV MONDIAAL

= all the countries in which the projects are conducted.

The world map gives a description of a selection of these projects

RESEARCH INSTITUTERESEARCH INSTITUTE

» PLADES «Supporting organisations of informal

workers. Helping conduct lobbying and dialogue activities to fi ght for their

rights and for decent work.Peru

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR TRANSPORT SECTORTRANSPORT SECTOR

» ITF «Organising workers in the Latin

American aviation industry, collective bargaining, improving working conditions and social dialogue.

Peru and Colombia

WORKERS WORLD MEDIA

PRODUCTIONS Training young people, women, unions via labour community radio in media and organisational skills to mobilise

their communities to fi ght for rights and decent work. South Africa

UNION FOR DOMESTIC WORKERSUNION FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS

» SINTRRAHOL «Training in professional, personal and

communicative skills of domestic workers, job training for members of

SINTTRAHOL.Peru

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE MINING, ENERGY AND MANU-THE MINING, ENERGY AND MANU-

FACTURING INDUSTRIESFACTURING INDUSTRIES

» INDUSTRIALL «Strengthening unions to change or

abolish the practice of contracting out work.

Colombia

BAHAMAS

DOMINICANREP.RE


D

NCENT AND THE GR

VEN

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, GRAPHI-COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, GRAPHI-

CAL AND INDUSTRIAL SECTORCAL AND INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

» UNI «Promoting decent work in multina-tionals Carrefour, Kimberley Clark,

Telefonic, American Movil.Colombia

MALTAGREECE

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

DEN

FINLAND


KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

JORDANIRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

KASHMIR

INDIA

NEPAL

SRI LANKA

MYANMAR(BURMA) LAOS

THAILAND VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

INDONESIA

EAST TIMOR

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

N. KOREA

S. KOREA JAPAN

PALAU

NAURU

VANUATU

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD


A


ERITREA

DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIASOMALIA

KENYAUGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLAZAMBIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUEZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

SWAZILAND

COMOROS

MADAGASCAR

FIJI


WORLDWIDE (in 15 countries)

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR DOMESTIC WORKERSFOR DOMESTIC WORKERS

» IUF «Domestic workers

assert their rights and position.

WORLDWIDE (in 23 countries)

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR STREET VENDORSSTREET VENDORS

» STREETNET «INTERNATIONAL Better working conditions and

more certainty in work for street vendors

U S N F E

STA

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTOR THE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTOR

» BWI «Improving living and working conditions of labour migrants in Asia. E.g. informa-tion in Nepal for labour migrants going

to work in Qatar.

NA

A

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE MINING, ENERGY AND FOR THE MINING, ENERGY AND

MANUFACTURING SECTORMANUFACTURING SECTOR

» INDUSTRIALL «Improving working conditions

of shipbreakers.India, Bangladesh

A

» UNIVERSITY «OF WESTERN CAPE

Research into regulating precarious work, better labour legislation and

regulation. South Africa

RESEARCH INSTITUTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN ZIMBABWEIN ZIMBABWE

» LEDRIZ «Research into the deregulation and

fl exibilisation of work and prevention of precarious work.

Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

South Africa.

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTORTHE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTOR»

BWI « Union organisation and union action in building and infrastructural projects in East Africa for decent work. Monitoring (inter)national agreements, rights of workers in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda,

Rwanda

LABOUR NGOLABOUR NGO

» SAVE «Improving labour rights of garment

workers, combating bonded labour by girls.India

S. KOREAS.


» OSHE «Organising garbage collectors and pro-moting awareness of health and safety.

Bangladesh

R A T I O

NG

A

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTORTHE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTOR

» BWI «aLabour rights in projects funded by the Asia Development Bank. India, Nepal,

Pakistan, Bangladesh

ESIA

W GUINEAW

SOLOMON ISLANDS

NAURU

TRADE UNION FEDERATION TRADE UNION FEDERATION » KSPI «

Achieving decent work, social protection, equality for men and women and enact-

ment of the law against outsourcing.Indonesia


IRAQQ

ARABIA

NOMAN

YEMEN

PAKISTANAP

INDIA

NEPALLNEPAL

BABA

SRI LANKASR

TI

AMALIASOMA

COMOROS

MADAGAADAGASCAR

Precarious Work / India

Construction sites in India

How the Asian Development Bank keeps its eyes closed

Five thousand labourers, for the most part domestic labour migrants, are working

on the construction sites for the new metro line in the city of Bangalore, India. In

poor housing, thousands of kilometres from home. They work from twelve to as

many as sixteen hours a day, with work going on through the nights as well. Their

working conditions are abysmal. The growth phenomenon that is India is making

substantial investments in infrastructural projects. Following the dictates of modern

development thinking - building railways, ports and power stations creates employ-

ment and benefi ts the entrepreneurial climate. Along the same line of thought, a me-

tro is good for the mobility of the poor: it increases their chances of earning money.

The construction of the metro in the Indian federal state of Karnataka is largely

being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Even more ironic, then, is the

fact that there is so much amiss in the working conditions. The ADB has committed

itself to the Core Labour Standards of the ILO, but in practice, it is only too keen

to pass on the buck of supervision of compliance to the local government or to the

contractors. FNV Mondiaal and its local partners have opted to strategically focus

attention on the ADB: surely a development bank should be open to complaints

about labour and trade union rights violations? What is more, these are issues con-

cerning projects with thousands of employees: there is therefore a lot to be gained.

And this is indeed what is happening. In July 2013, the Indian

government withdrew the construction licence of four big

contractors because they were guilty of violations of the strict

Indian labour law as well as the international labour laws.

Indian trade unions, supported by international sectoral unions

and the FNV, visited the building site for the construction of the

metro and documented numerous defi ciencies: payments below

the minimum wage, non-payment of overtime, intimidation of

trade unions, non-compliance with the health and safety policy,

and use of child labour. This research produced important

evidence for the historic decision by the Indian government to

withdraw the construction licence. The companies have mean-

while appealed against the decision.

In the Netherlands, the research report was presented to

Minister Ploumen of Foreign Trade and Development Coopera-

tion. The Netherlands is a donor and shareholder of the ADB,

making this an ideal opportunity to conduct parallel lobbying

at home. Once again with success: on the recommendation of

Ploumen, the Dutch delegation put critical questions at the shareholders’ meeting

of the ADB in May 2013 on the compliance with labour laws in the projects fi nanced

by the ADB. It also supported the demand by the Indian union delegation to set up a

labour desk within the ADB, so as to improve complaint handling and monitoring

PHOTO: Corbis/Hollandse Hoogte

PHOTO: Corbis/Hollandse Hoogte


2022 WC football

Four thousand empty places in the Qatar stadiums

We can already begin looking forward to it: the WC football in Qatar in 2022. Will

the Dutch dream of becoming world champion fi nally come true? In Qatar itself,

they’re already hard at work: roads are being constructed, stadiums built, hotel ca-

pacity increased; it’s one gigantic construction site. And as mostly tends to happen

in the oil-rich Gulf States, the work on the sites themselves is carried out by wor-

kers from other countries: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and, above all, Nepal. For

the international Building and Woodworkers union (BWI), this situation means all

hands on deck. In a building hotspot like this one, where large numbers of migrant

workers are deployed, labour laws are all too often forgotten. This is also the case

in Qatar. In 2013 alone, 185 Nepalese migrants lost their lives during the construc-

tion work for the 2022 WC. Being a migrant worker in Qatar is not only dangerous,

it also means you are deprived of your freedom. The majority of the workers have

to surrender their passports immediately upon arrival, which prevents them from

going anywhere they want. Janna Mud, who visited the WC construction sites in

Qatar on behalf of FNV Bouw in 2013, considered that this situation merited the

term ‘slavery’.

Qatar does not have a free trade union, and so with the help of FNV Mondiaal, the

BWI has to steer a roundabout course to organise the migrants. This often happens

by approaching the migrants in their own country and informing them of their

rights. Workers are given a special texting number that they can use to raise the

alarm if their rights are being violated or if they are at risk. What is also happening

is that BWI, in cooperation with unions in the countries of origin, is recruiting

labourers who are working undercover to try and organise their fellow workers

and get them to stand up for their rights. This is dangerous union work, with many

limitations.

In addition to these initiatives from the grass roots, pressure from outside is also

needed. The international trade union confederation ITUC is endeavouring to get

the international football association FIFA to put pressure on the FIFA host coun-

try Qatar to improve the working conditions. The fear is that if nothing is done, the

construction work for the WC will cost the lives of four thousand workers. In the

words of Ton Heerts, president of the FNV: “If we don’t act to stop this, then we

can symbolically keep a four-thousand-seat section in the stadium empty in me-

mory of the people who lost their lives during construction. We’ll never let things

let get that far, surely!”

Precarious Work / Qatar

PHOTO: ITUC


C A N A D A

MMMMEXICOMEXICO

THE BAHAMAS

JAMAICAHAITI

DOMINICANREP.

BELIZE

PANAMACOSTA RICA

EL SALVADOR

GUATEMALA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS


DOMINICAST LUCIA

BARBADOS

GRENADA

TRINIDADAND TOBAGO


VENEZUELA


SURINAME

GUYANA

BRAZILPERU

ECUADOR

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY

CHILE

ARGENTINA

URUGUAY

ALASKAICELAND

NORWAY

IRELAND

UNITEDKINGDOM

FRANCE

SPAINPORTUGAL

ITALY

GERMANY

M

SWE

MOROCCO

WESTERNSAHARA

ALGERIA


NIGERIA

TUNISIA

SENEGALGAMBIA


SIERRA LEONE

LIBERIA

CÔTED'IVOIRE

BURKINAFASO

GHANATOGO

BENIN

CAMEROON

EQUAT. GUINEA

GABON CON


N

COSTA RICA

SOCIAL BENCHMARK


FNV interprets Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

as meaning that companies keep at a minimum to the

fundamental labour norms of the International Labour

Organisation ILO: the freedom of workers to organise

and to collective bargaining on labour conditions, no

child labour, no forced labour and no discrimination.

In addition to the above, many countries regard other

criteria as essential, such as payment of a living wage.

FNV calls companies to account for their social policy

and supports trade unions in negotiating with compa-

nies. This world atlas displays the projects that FNV

Mondiaal supported in 2013 and which predominantly

are related to CSR as practised by companies. The

FNV’s commitment to CSR also applies to activities in

the Netherlands

Coporate Social Responsibility / Worldwide

CSRFNV MONDIAAL

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR TRANSPORT FOR TRANSPORT

» ITF «For workers in the Latin American

aviation industry: developing unions, right to organise and to collective bargaining, improving

working conditions in avia-tion, promoting social dialogue,

promoting solidarity between the workers in the Latin

American aviation industry.Colombia and Peru

SÃO T

AGRICULTURAL UNION AGRICULTURAL UNION » GAWU «

Development of child labour-free zones in rural communities.

Ghana

D A

THE

HAITHA

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, FOR COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL,

GRAPHICAL AND INDUSTRIAL GRAPHICAL AND INDUSTRIAL SECTORSSECTORS

» UNI «UNI Network International

Monitoring a number of compa-nies for compliance with trade

union rights, conducting (interna-tional) campaigns against these companies when violations occur in order for them to change their behaviour. Promoting Decent Work in a number of multinationals such as Carrefour, Kimberley Clark and

Telefonic and American Movil.Colombia

GLOBAL GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR UNION FEDERATION FOR

THE FLOWER SECTOR THE FLOWER SECTOR » IUF «

Trade union rights in the fl ower sector: contributing to organi-sational strengthening of trade

unions, the right to organise and to collective bargaining, improving working conditions and promoting

social dialogue.Colombia

IRELANDAND

PORTUGALL

» FNV BONDGENOTEN «AND THE FÉDÉRATION NATIONALE AND THE FÉDÉRATION NATIONALE

DU SECTEUR AGRICOLE IN MO-DU SECTEUR AGRICOLE IN MO-ROCCOROCCO » UMT «

Training project for union representa-tives from Agricultural union FNSA-UMT;

building social dialogue, training on safe working conditions in Morocco

ZIL

TRADE UNION NGOTRADE UNION NGO

» TIE «Self-organisation of workers in the Netherlands and Brazil working at DAF (Paccar) through exchange of knowledge on and experience in trade union work and trade union

structure.the Netherlands and BrazilTRADE UNION FEDERATION FOR TRADE UNION FEDERATION FOR

GARMENT WORKERSGARMENT WORKERS

» FNTTP «Strengthening the capacity to

monitor and protect labour rights in the textile and garment sector

and remedy any violation of these rights.Peru

NORW

NITUNITINGDKINGD

AIN

A

AL

» FNV BONDGENOTEN « TRADE UNION NGOTRADE UNION NGO

» TIE «Exchange (knowledge, solidarity) between

union representatives from the cocoa-processing industry in the Netherlands

and Ghana

MALTAGREECE

POLANDBELARUS

UKRAINE

ROMANIA

BULGARIA

DEN

FINLAND


KAZAKHSTAN

MONGOLIA

CHINA

KYRGYZSTAN


UZBEKISTAN

TURKEY

SYRIA

JORDANIRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

OMAN

YEMEN

IRAN AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

KASHMIR

INDIA

NEPALBHUTAN

BANGLADESH

SRI LANKA

MYANMAR(BURMA) LAOS

VIETNAM

CAMBODIA

MALAYSIA

TAIWAN

PHILIPPINES

BRUNEI

INDONESIA

EAST TIMOR

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

N. KOREA

S. KOREA JAPAN

PALAU

NAURU

VANUATU

AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

LIBYA EGYPT

SUDAN

CHAD


A


ERITREA

DJIBOUTI

ETHIOPIASOMALIA

KENYAUGANDA

RWANDA

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLAZAMBIA

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUEZIMBABWE

BOTSWANA

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

SWAZILAND

COMOROS

MADAGASCAR

FIJI


In the Netherlands FNV conducts lobbying & campaigns by actively

participating in

• Fair Wear Foundation• Eerlijke Bankwijzer

• MVO Platform• The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) electronics,

natural stone, tropical timber• Schone Kleren Campagne

• Stop Child labour Campagne• Good Electronics

• Fair Flowers and PlantsFNV Bondgenoten: working groups

for cocoa and hazelnuts.

R

AZSWASWWAWASW

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE BUILDING AND WOOD FOR THE BUILDING AND WOOD SECTORUW- EN HOUTSECTORSECTORUW- EN HOUTSECTOR

» BWI «Recruiting more union members for projects in the infrastructure in South Africa and Zimbabwe,

active participation of the unions in negotiations and social dialogue to improve the conditions, particularly of workers with precarious work,

and supporting unions in infl uencing national policy with regard to

precarious workSouth Africa, Zimbabwe

GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

ALAU

NAURU

VANUATU

FIJI

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR THE MINING, ENERGY AND FOR THE MINING, ENERGY AND

MANUFACTURING INDUSTRYMANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

» INDUSTRIALL «Improving the capacity of unions to conduct social dialogue and

negotiations, through training on how to deal with multinationals, conducting social dialogue and

(international) networking, through organisational strengthening of

the union and through developing unity among the unions at national

level.Indonesia, India


» OSHE «Working on decent work in the

shipbreaking yards.Bangladesh

CH

TA


» BLWF «Awareness-raising, prevention and combating of child labour in Ban-gladesh’s most important sector:

the textile sector.Bangladesh

I O

GLOBAL GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR UNION FEDERATION FOR

THE PUBLIC SECTOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR » PSI «

Integration of the fundamental labour norms in projects funded by

the Asia Development Bank.India

NN. KOREAA

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION FOR TEXTILEFOR TEXTILE

» INDUSTRIALL «Workers in the garment industry

organise in trade unions so that they are better able to fi ght for improvement in their working

conditions.Bangladesh

UK

TRADE UNION NGOTRADE UNION NGO

» TIE «Awareness-raising and streng-

thening of the capacity of orga-nisations and unions to fi ght for

LGBT rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) workers in the

workplace.Turkey

I

SRI LANKASR

GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION GLOBAL UNION FEDERATION IN THE BUILDING AND WOOD IN THE BUILDING AND WOOD

SECTORSECTOR

» BWI «Integration of the fundamental labour rights in projects funded

by the Asia Development Bank in Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh.

COMOR

MAADAGASCAR

GLOBAL UNIONGLOBAL UNION

FEDERATION FOR TRANSPORTFEDERATION FOR TRANSPORT

» ITF «Strengthening capacity of unions to fi ght for better working conditions and position of informal transport

employees, incl. female employeesKenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda,

Burundi


KISTANA

INDIA

NEPALLNEPALHUTANBHUHUBHUTHU

HGLADESHBANGLADESHBANGLAGLADESH

SRI LANKASR

MYANMARANMMRMA)(BU(BURRM

Textile in Bangladesh

First the disaster, then the agreementIn the capital Dhaka, you’re constantly tripping over them: the facto-

ries and sweatshops where garments are made for the lowest wages

in the world. In recent years, the textile industry in Bangladesh has

grown explosively and is responsible for 80 percent of the export

income of this poverty-stricken country. Because 14 percent less

in import charges is paid in Europe on clothing from Bangladesh -

meaning 14 percent more profi t - industry swiftly moved from other

low-wage countries to Bangladesh in the well-known race to the

bottom. The working conditions were already structurally poor. The

rapid growth resulted in the hasty building of unsafe factories where

industrial accidents are the order of the day. A good 3.5 million

employees, who are mostly female, are dependent on the garment

industry for their meagre income.

Since 1996, FNV Mondiaal has supported trade unions in Ban-

gladesh’s garment industry. These unions fi nd it very diffi cult to

operate. Union freedom is extremely limited and the unions are

fragmented, whereas the employers, in stark contrast, form strong

political alliances. Much of the garment production takes place in

Export Processing Zones, which trade unions are in any case not

permitted to enter. Despite this, the unions have recently achieved a

modest victory: the minimum wage in the industry has been raised

from 34 to 50 Euros a month.

International clothing brands share in the responsibility for the ap-

palling working conditions in Bangladesh. It took a terrible drama

– over 1,100 deaths when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in

April 2013 – to get them to act. For years, the international sectoral

union IndustriAll, partner of FNV Mondiaal, and the Clean Clothes

Campaign, had been working on the Fire and Building Safety Accord

for Bangladesh. However, the big clothing brands were unwilling to

sign. That is, until ‘Rana’. In the past year, more than 150 internati-

onal brands and retailers as well as local and international unions

have signed the agreement. What is exceptional is that this is a

mandatory and legally binding agreement. The other major benefi t

is the close involvement of the trade union, because that is the only

way for these improvements in the working conditions and rights of

textile workers to be put on an institutional and permanent footing.

Coporate Social Responsibility / Peru / Bangladesh

American clothing giants up in arms

‘Made in Peru’

While the ‘Made in Peru’ label is widely known in America, this

is not the case in Europe. Peru delivers clothing and quality

fabrics worth 750 million dollars to the United States on an an-

nual basis. However, the working conditions in the textile sector,

where 75 percent of the workers are women, are appalling. This

unfortunate effect was the outcome of the ‘Act on promotion of

non-traditional export’ which came into force in 1978, originally

aimed at breathing new life into the Peruvian economy. Peru has

for years been one of the fastest growing economies in the world,

but the outdated law means that workers still have to settle for

temporary contracts of often a mere thirty days. The law, which

turns the entire textile sector into a proverbial free-trade zone,

is at the same time an effective obstacle to organising workers.

Becoming a union member means nine times out of ten an end to

contract extension.

Since 2009, FNV Mondiaal has supported the FNTTP, the trade

union federation for the textile sector. This is a small but highly

dynamic union, which makes skilful use of its alliances with

the global sectoral union IndustriAll and the Maquila Solidarity

Network, an American-Canadian campaign organisation. Lobbying

against this despicable law is one of the primary activities. A new

bill has even been written but the discussions in Congress are con-

stantly subjected to delaying tactics. For this reason, the FNTTP

focused on their customers: during the course of two seminars, the

union informed leading American clothing brands about the union

rights violations that are the consequence of the law.

And this has resulted in a remarkable achievement: American

clothing giants have written a letter to the Peruvian president

requesting that the controversial law be amended. Their conten-

tion is that this law presents an obstacle to decent application of

their CSR conduct codes. Manufacturers and employers in Peru

were furious. Repealing the law would, in their opinion, be the

end of the textile industry – an unlikely claim with respect to one

of the most profi table export sectors of the country. The FNTTP is

persevering: repeal of the law is its ultimate objective. It was also

an election pledge made by the current president. Unfortunately

for the trade unions, the wind of change that he promised has

scarcely begun to blow.

PHOT

O: F

NTTP


PROJECTS

FNV Mondiaal is part of the largest

workers’ organisation in the Nether-

lands, the FNV. FNV Mondiaal gives

direct support to democratic trade

unions and related organisations in

Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle

East and Central and Eastern Europe

in the form of a fi nancial contribu-

tion to projects. FNV Mondiaal works

jointly on initiatives and projects set

up by the international trade union

organisations, such as the Internatio-

nal Trade Union Confederation or the

Global Union Federations (the globally

organised sectoral unions) and funds

projects undertaken by individual

trade unions and labour NGOs. Every

year, FNV Mondiaal supports between

150 and 200 projects

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

The fi nancial resources come mainly

from the Ministry for Development

Cooperation within the framework

of the Trade Union Co-Financing

Programme VMP. In addition, FNV

Mondiaal receives fi nancial contributi-

ons from the FNV unions. A number of

FNV unions have their own solidarity

fund. These funds are managed by

FNV Mondiaal.

LOBBYING & CAMPAIGNS

FNV Mondiaal gives colleagues in

developing countries a voice in the

Netherlands, via the provision of

information, organising of campaigns

and by lobbying in The Hague. FNV

Mondiaal actively takes part in the

campaign ‘Stop Child Labour. School is

the best place to work’, the Fair Wear

Foundation, the Fair Bank Guide and

the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH).

The volunteers in the FNV Mondiaal

North working party organise the

distribution of FNV Mondiaal material

as well as organising actions in the

north of the country.

COLLABORATION WITH FNV UNIONS

The trade unions affi liated to the FNV

are also involved in the solidarity

work of the FNV. FNV Bondgenoten,

ABVAKABO FNV, FNV Bouw, and the

General Education Union (Aob) work

actively in their sector in support

of colleagues in developing and

transitional countries. By reaching

solidarity agreements with companies,

involving setting aside a sum for a

trade union project in a developing

country, the unions also negotiate

collectively for colleagues worldwide.

These activities are conducted in close

collaboration with FNV Mondiaal.

EQUITABLE GROWTH VIA

DECENT WORK BY THE

TRADE UNION MOVEMENT

FNV Mondiaal stands for a fair, just

and sustainable division of income

and growth. One of the ways to

achieve this is to promote decent

work for all working people. In a

nutshell: Decent Work delivers a fair

income and strengthens occupational

safety and health, it conveys social

protection, and freedom to people to

organise and to participate in social

dialogue. Decent Work comprises

human rights and social rights, all

enshrined internationally.

The (international) trade union

movement, with all its members

on the shop fl oor is, like no other

organisation, able to tackle Decent

Work at various levels: at national

level (legislation), international

level (framework agreements with

multinationals) as well as in the

workplace (collective agreements).

FNV Mondiaal enables trade unions

in developing countries to do this in

their own country and in their own

context. Unions are often among the

few member organisations, they are

part of a social movement and can be

a partner in social dialogue.

FNV Mondiaal’s programme in 2013

– 2016 consists of three sections:

STRONGER UNIONS – BETTER WORK –

BETTER LIFE

Trade unions and labour NGOs have

made a visible contribution to a more

equitable distribution of income and

wealth, with decent work, equal

rights and livelihood security for all.

This programme will be implemented

in 9 programme countries ( Ghana,

Zimbabwe, South Africa, Bangladesh,

China (being phased out), India,

Indonesia, Colombia, Peru) and in a

number of countries in East Africa:

Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda;

Burundi.

GLOBAL WORK PROGRAMME

The focus in this programme is decent

work and secure jobs provided by

companies and organisations in the

private and public sectors. This

programme will be implemented in

countries on the PSD country list of

the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

UNION2UNION

In this section, FNV Mondiaal will

link FNV unions in the Netherlands to

trade unions in partner countries via

knowledge exchange, solidarity cam-

paigns and lobbying on issues such as

a living wage and capacity building

in the trade union, Decent Work,

the informal economy and equal

opportunities for men and women. An

analysis is made of the similarities on

the trade union agenda on both sides

FNV Mondiaal’s work


Total disbursements by fund Disbursements VMP in programme countries

Disbursements remaining project funds in programme countries

Distribution by region

5.936.493977.536181.317100.56137.25012.692

320.025

7.565.874

VMP*FNV BondgenotenAbvakabo FNVFNV BouwAObMondiaalNPL/Hivos**

Total

Bangladesh 335.052 38.598 373.650

China 292.396 1.376 293.772

Colombia 898.543 58.034 956.577

India 499.921 65.978 565.899

Indonesia 640.435 28.208 668.643

Ghana 222.550 30.315 252.865

Peru 621.919 45.634 667.553

Zimbabwe 328.737 48.901 377.638

South-Africa 818.096 41.186 859.282

Kenia 96.226 38.262 134.488

Uganda 94.470 16.322 110.792

Tanzania 121.642 22.532 144.174

Rwanda 54.450 1.204 55.654

Burundi 18.317 18.432 36.749

Totaal 5.042.754 454.982 5.497.736

Bangladesh 335.052 38.598 373.650

China 292.396 292.396

Colombia 898.543 58.034 956.577

India 222.550 65.978 288.528

Indonesia 499.921 28.208 528.129

Ghana 640.435 30.315 670.750

Peru 621.919 45.634 667.553

Zimbabwe 328.737 48.901 377.638

South_Africa 818.096 41.486 859.582

Kenia 18.317 38.262 56.579

Uganda 96.226 16.322 112.548

Tanzania 54.450 22.532 76.982

Rwanda 121.642 1.204 122.846

Burundi 94.470 18.432 112.902

Totaal 5.042.754 453.906 5.496.660

FNV Bondg. Abvakabo FNV Bouw AOb Mondiaal NPL/Hivos* Totaal

49.528 49.528

0

0

179.630 36.793 52.672 269.096

0

26.078 2.240 217.889 246.207

12.692 12.692

133.012 47.784 180.796

2.240 2.240

2.240 2.240

4.925 4.925

87.144 87.144

0

0

475.393 91.297 52.672 0 12.692 222.814 854.868

Progr 1 progr 2

Distribution by region Africa Latin-America Asia Eastern-Europe Worldwide Total

VMP 2.169.781 1.655.261 2.106.451 5.000 5.936.493FNV Bondgenoten 366.062 163.073 409.140 31.799 7.463 977.536Abvakabo FNV 66.857 33.567 64.893 16.000 181.317AOb 29.500 7.750 37.250Bouw 86.348 14.213 100.561Mondiaal 12.692 12.692NPL / Hivos 320.025 320.025

Total 2.952.225 1.872.343 2.666.832 36.799 37.676 7.565.874

47% of the disbursements made from the FNV union solidarity funds are spent in the programme countries.100% of the disbursements made from FNV Mondiaal fund is spent in the programme countries70% of the disbursements made from NLP / Hivos is spent in the programme countries* NPL / Hivos = National Postal code Lotery / Hivos: programme against child labour “Omar’s Dream”

93% of the disbursements made from the VMP is spent in the programme countries

Disbursements broken down by funds,

in numbers

11730

8 32 21

VMP 117FNV Bondgenoten 30Abvakabo FNV 8AOb 2FNV Bouw 2Mondiaal 1Nationale Postcode Loterij / Hivos 3

Total 163

Facts and Figures

* VMP = Trade Union Co-fi nancing Programme** NPL / Hivos = National Postal code Lotery / Hivos: programme against child labour “Omar’s Dream”


Vision of FNV Mondiaal

A world which protects and respects workers & human rights and provides

remedy in case of violations, by means of effective social dialogue between

social partners and/or states and institutions, securing a more just and

equal distribution of wealth and income.

About this publication

FNV MondiaalPostbus 84561005 AL AmsterdamT 020 581 64 87F 020 581 63 41E [email protected] I www.fnvmondiaal.nl twitter.com/FNVMondiaal

Publisher: FNV Press FoundationProduction: FNV MondiaalEditing: Marjan Brunner

Texts: Roeland Muskens and Ellen Lammers, Wereld in WoordenFinal editing: Astrid van Unen, U-productiesPhotography: Ruth Vermeulen, China Labour Bulletin, Corrie Roeper, Trudy Kerperien, Mario van de Luijtgaarden, Corbis/Hollandse Hoogte, Brenda Born, Huub Ruijgrok, Merel Maissan, Rebke Klokke, ITUC, FNTTPDesign: Roelant Meijer, Tegenwind Grafi sch OntwerpburoTranslation: Veronica Verkaik-Drew

» mission «FNV Mondiaal

FNV Mondiaal contributes to inclusive economic

growth and a more equal distribution of income

& wealth by enabling democratic, representative

and independent trade unions and labour rela-

ted organizations to promote decent work and

livelihood security for all workers.

Amsterdam, april 2014

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