Category: international

Fighting to protect workers’ rights

UNISON is urging MPs to speak out and oppose the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill when it gets its second reading later today.

UNISON is deeply concerned by the Bill, which is intended to prevent public bodies from “being influenced in their procurement or investment decisions by political or moral disapproval of the conduct or policy of a government or any other public authority in a foreign territory”.

The union is particularly concerned that the Bill would prohibit public bodies from being influenced by “political or moral disapproval of foreign states when making procurement and investment decisions”.

This would undermine the duty of pension funds to consider scheme members’ legitimate concerns, including when pensions are invested in companies violate human and workers’ rights, violate international law or contribute to the climate crisis.

The Bill would also limit the ability of public bodies to consider these risks in procurement supply chains and use the enormous potential leverage of public procurement to improve the practices of businesses worldwide.

UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “If passed, the Bill could also expose public authorities to increased litigation relating to their procurement or investment decision. It further curtails local democracy by prohibiting elected officials from stating that they would support divestment from a company involved in human rights violations in Xinjiang, for example, if the law allowed.

“This represents a significant attack on the right of elected officials to freedom of expression. Worryingly, it also provides the government with exceptional new powers, including to issue fines to individuals and bodies for expressing their views.

“The government would also have the authority to exempt any territory from the legislation, apart from Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the occupied Golan Heights.”

Earlier in June delegates at UNISON’s national conference, representing UNISON members from all over the UK, considered these concerns and voted overwhelmingly to oppose this damaging proposed law.

The article Fighting to protect workers’ rights first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Fighting to protect workers’ rights

UNISON is urging MPs to speak out and oppose the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill when it gets its second reading later today.

UNISON is deeply concerned by the Bill, which is intended to prevent public bodies from “being influenced in their procurement or investment decisions by political or moral disapproval of the conduct or policy of a government or any other public authority in a foreign territory”.

The union is particularly concerned that the Bill would prohibit public bodies from being influenced by “political or moral disapproval of foreign states when making procurement and investment decisions”.

This would undermine the duty of pension funds to consider scheme members’ legitimate concerns, including when pensions are invested in companies violate human and workers’ rights, violate international law or contribute to the climate crisis.

The Bill would also limit the ability of public bodies to consider these risks in procurement supply chains and use the enormous potential leverage of public procurement to improve the practices of businesses worldwide.

UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “If passed, the Bill could also expose public authorities to increased litigation relating to their procurement or investment decision. It further curtails local democracy by prohibiting elected officials from stating that they would support divestment from a company involved in human rights violations in Xinjiang, for example, if the law allowed.

“This represents a significant attack on the right of elected officials to freedom of expression. Worryingly, it also provides the government with exceptional new powers, including to issue fines to individuals and bodies for expressing their views.

“The government would also have the authority to exempt any territory from the legislation, apart from Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, and the occupied Golan Heights.”

Earlier in June delegates at UNISON’s national conference, representing UNISON members from all over the UK, considered these concerns and voted overwhelmingly to oppose this damaging proposed law.

The article Fighting to protect workers’ rights first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Ukraine: Solidarity one year on

Following the one-year anniversary of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the TUC has set up an ongoing fundraiser to support the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine (FPU).

The FPU is the largest trade union centre in Ukraine, representing 4.7million members in more than 50 affiliate organisations.

The Russian invasion has caused untold devastation to the Ukrainian people. On top of the thousands of people who have lost their lives, millions of workers have lost their jobs or been displaced. Many union properties have also been damaged and many destroyed.

The TUC fundraiser allows UK trade union members to donate money directly to the FPU’s solidarity fund, used to provide humanitarian and financial aid to union members and their families, and to rebuild trade union capacity damaged by the conflict. 

UNISON head of international development Nick Crook said: “As the Ukrainian Trade Union Federation provides thousands of internally displaced people with the basic means of survival whilst constantly attempting to rebuild their movement, the power of UNISON’s continued solidarity, however big or small, should never be underestimated.”

Donate in solidarity.

The article Ukraine: Solidarity one year on first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Ukraine: one year on

This Friday, 24 February, is the first anniversary of President Putin ordering the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forcing millions of people to flee their homes.

One year on, the people of Ukraine continue to resist the invasion but at great cost. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have lost their lives and many more have been injured.

Over four million Ukrainians live as refugees in neighbouring European countries, while over seven million have been internally displaced within Ukraine.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “The international trade union movement was quick to condemn the invasion and swiftly responded by providing support to refugees and humanitarian assistance to people in Ukraine, delivered by the Ukrainian trade union movement.

“Many UNISON branches donated to the ITUC Ukraine appeal and our London Ambulance Service branch delivered 10 ambulances with medical equipment to their Ukrainian colleagues.

“UNISON has continued to show our solidarity with the Ukrainian trade union movement through regular meetings and messages of solidarity.

“In turn, the President of the Ukrainian Trade Union Federation (FPU) sent a message of solidarity on the first day of our ambulance workers strike.

“Next week the TUC will launch a joint appeal with the FPU for humanitarian assistance to internally displaced Ukrainian union members and I would urge branches to donate.

“We all, not least the people of Ukraine themselves, want peace, but it cannot be peace on Putin’s terms. That would only serve to create insecurity in Russia’s other neighbours, such as the Baltic states, Moldova or Poland, and strengthen Putin’s authoritarian regime.

“Any peace agreement has to respect Ukrainian territorial integrity and deliver justice for the people of Ukraine.”

The article Ukraine: one year on first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Colombian trade unionist addresses young members

On Saturday afternoon at young members’ conference in Bournemouth, Daniella Vega Sotelo, a member of the peasant farmer’s union FENSUAGRO, spoke to delegates via video link from Colombia.

She spoke of the dangers, the progress and the hopes of being a trade unionist in that country.

“This is a very important time nationally in the history of Colombia. We have recently elected a new government which received the backing of the trade union movement.

“On issues such as agrarian reform, we feel for the first time that we have a government that supports our issues as trade unionists and peasant farmers.”

She added that they think that, under this government, they might finally make some progress in addressing human rights issues in the country.

Ms Sotelo went on to speak of the experiences of trade unionists in the country over the past decades. “For the trade union movement in Colombia, we’ve gone through a very long period where trade unionists were stigmatised, persecuted and subjected to violence.

“There have been human rights violations against trade unionists for many years and we continue to face a very high level of human rights abuses today. From 2016 until today, FENSUAGRO has documented 96 cases of human rights abuses against our members.

“Violence has been a constant reality for people in Colombia since 1930, which has led to a mass migration of young people from the country to the cities which is one of the main issues we face today.”

She was speaking via an online call from a national peasant farmer convention in Colombia where she said FENSUAGRO was “collaborating with the government on its national plan of development, which will provide a blueprint for the next four years in its development of rural areas.

“One of the most important demands for our movement is implementation of the 2016 peace agreement Another demand is to reach new agreements with the many active armed groups still within Colombia to help with the violence in Colombia.”

Moving on, she spoke of the importance of international support for FENSUAGRO and other unions in Colombia, saying: “International support and lobbying of all sides in those agreements is critical. We have worked closely with and receive support from lots of international political organisation.

“It is really important to have these strategic allies such as UNISON, who we give thanks to, and Justice for Colombia who are very important for us.

“On behalf of FENSUAGRO and particularly our young members, I would like to express our solidarity and thank you for your support and ask that it continues and that you give your support with joy and enthusiasm.

“Your support and solidarity is of course vital to us, and I just want to say to you as trade unionists, you can count on our solidarity, we see you as a strategic ally. And as we know it’s so important that, internationally, we support each other.”

She then answered questions from delegates.

Solidarity with Cuba

On the theme of international solidarity, delegates also debated a motion calling on the national young members’ forum to encourage branches to affiliate to Cuba Solidarity and to lobby regional international committees to send delegates on the Young Trade Unionists May Day Brigade to Cuba.

Micaela Tracey-Ramos, from the North West region, spoke about her personal experiences of attending the march, calling it a “life changing experience for me”.

The motion highlighted that the US has imposed an economic blockade on Cuba since 1962, six decades, and has had many negative and inhumane effects on the country, particularly during the COVID pandemic, when the country struggled to access the right equipment to treat its patients.

She continued: “While I was there, I was lucky enough to attend May Day in Havana. We saw one million people march in Havana at the first May Day since the pandemic, with over five million people marching across Cuba – a huge proportion of the country when compared against UK rallies and marches”.

Before the motion carried, she emphasised that the march wasn’t a protest, but a celebration of workers and encouraged regions to send delegates from across the country rather than a select few regions who currently send delegates.

The article Colombian trade unionist addresses young members first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Blog: We need a new law to protect human rights and the environment

We urgently need a new UK law to hold companies and the public sector to account when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms in their global value chains.

Nothing illustrates how broken the global procurement system is better than examining who gets what and how, at the top and the bottom of the global supply chain.

As exposed on Channel 4 News last week, the non-government organisation, All the Citizens (represented by Wilson Solicitors LLP), settled its claim in the high court to challenge the government’s procurement processes in relation to modern slavery.

UNISON has been working with allies – including Pensions and Investment Research Consultants, which advises UK local authority pension funds, and Nusrat Uddin, a solicitor at Wilson’s – to expose the systemic abuse of workers in PPE and other public sector supply chains.

The legal settlement clarifies that publicly owned NHS Supply Chain seriously breached its legal obligations by not properly checking the information provided by Malaysian PPE manufacturer Supermax, in relation to its modern slavery standards.

The company has faced persistent allegations of the use of forced labour involving its migrant workforce.

The International Labour Organisation has 11 indicators for modern slavery, including the retention of employees’ identity documents by employers, withholding of wages, debt bondage and abusive working and living conditions.

NHS Supply Chain will now have to conduct a new procurement exercise for PPE gloves and only award to suppliers assessed as ‘low’ risk for modern slavery.

I believe this is a significant win, but Supermax is just one of many suppliers to the public sector whose products are riddled with modern slavery and union busting.

Workers at home or abroad can rarely bring cases like this to UK courts, because the law is not fit for purpose. And when they do, as in this case, there is no justice for the workers in the form of apologies or compensation.

But we can be hopeful, because things are changing across Europe.

Countries including France, Germany and Norway have already passed laws requiring companies to undertake robust human rights and environmental due diligence across their supply chains or face civil liability.

There will be EU-wide regulation too. This means that commercial organisations captured by the law will have to proactively identify and manage actual and potential human rights risks for workers in their operations, supply chains and services that they use.

But here in the UK, while we have a Conservative government ideologically wedded to corporate voluntarism, things won’t change. This is a business-as-usual approach, where commercial organisations can choose the labour rights and environmental standards they wish to meet without fear of being held accountable for the harm they cause.

That’s why at UNISON, working with allies such as the Corporate Justice Coalition, we are committed to calling for a new UK business, human rights and environment act to hold companies to account when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms in global and local value chains through.

This is an important issue for all trade unions, and the Supermax case shows exactly why the public sector should be included within the scope of such a UK law too.

Watch a recording of an online meeting on labour standards in the rubber glove industry

The article Blog: We need a new law to protect human rights and the environment first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON stands with migrant workers in Qatar – beyond the World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has come at a huge human cost to migrant workers in Qatar.

Since winning the FIFA bid for the competition in 2010, Qatar has relied on migrant workers to execute its ambitious infrastructure-building projects, which include the construction of seven new stadiums, the renovation of an eighth, and the building of new public transport systems, skyscrapers, hotels and housing.

Lusail, where the World Cup final will take place on 18 December, is a purpose-built ‘smart city’ designed especially for the tournament, which was only completed in 2021.

None of this would have been possible without the two million migrant workers who make up 95% of Qatar’s labour force. The majority of these people are employed in construction or domestic labour, and many have travelled from South Asia, South East Asia and Africa to work there.

Many have experienced ruthless exploitation where non-payment and late payment is commonplace, and many have lost their lives due to dangerous working condition – the Guardian has reported as many as 6,500. And LGBT+ migrant workers endure added discrimination and risks at the hands of Qatar’s security services.

For years, UNISON has supported the PlayFair Qatar campaign and worked in partnership with the TUC and the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) global union federation to successfully demand changes to Qatar’s labour laws and their implementation.

With pressure from the international trade union movement, Qatar has made key reforms to its labour laws, including reforming the “kafala” visa sponsorship system, where employers confiscate workers’ passports. However, many employers still continue to exploit and abuse workers with impunity.

In a recent TUC report on labour exploitation in Qatar, one worker said: “I worked in Qatar for almost four years. In the last seven months, the company didn’t pay me anything. Just 100 rials (£25) a week for food. I knew it was illegal but there was nothing I can do.”

As businesses involved in the World Cup end their contracts, thousands of workers now find themselves stranded far from family in a foreign country, stuck with debt to pay back to exploitative employers who charged them illegal recruitment fees, and unable to buy a plane ticket home.

One worker told the TUC: “I have no visa, no ID card, no passport. I have nothing. Even if you arrest me, I have nothing. I cannot even go home, because I have overstayed my visa and need to pay a penalty fee before I can leave.”

Migrant workers fear that when the spotlight on Qatar fades, the global scrutiny over their working conditions will disappear. As migrant workers have no right to form or join trade unions in Qatar, UNISON, alongside the BWI, is demanding that a migrant workers centre is created in Qatar as the key legacy of the event. UNISON is also supporting calls for financial reparations to families who have lost loved ones.

UNISON encourages activists to join a global union social media campaign to stand with migrant workers in Qatar. You can download a Twibbon to display on your Twitter profile here. Please follow UNISON’s social channels to share your support.

Branches are encouraged to donate to support migrant workers’ legal and welfare assistance, which includes those in Qatar, though the TUC’s charity TUC Aid. Please use Qatar/UNISON as your reference.

Bank                              Unity Trust Bank

Account name              TUC Aid

Sort Code                      60-83-01

Account number         50679164

UNISON’s media library has a range of graphics for branches and individuals to use.

UNISON assistant general secretary Liz Snape said: “Whatever your opinion about the Qatar World Cup, what it shows is that campaigning works. When UNISON began working on Qatar in 2015, we would never have believed it if someone had told us collective efforts would result in a revision of the labour law, and migrant worker leaders having a voice.

“It’s not enough, but it is significant. The most important thing now is what happens after the games end. The international trade union movement is calling for a migrant workers advice centre. After the players and the media come home, UNISON will remain standing up for Qatar’s migrant workers.”

The article UNISON stands with migrant workers in Qatar – beyond the World Cup first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON attends trade unionist trial in Turkey

Last month, UNISON representatives attended the trial of former union leader and friend of the union, Gonul Erden. 

Ms Erden, alongside several colleagues, is facing charges of ‘terrorism’ for her trade union work when she was co-president of SES, the public health and services union in Turkey. 

Eight current and former leading members of SES, including Ms Erden, were arrested in May 2021, when police raided their homes. Five members are accused of leading a terrorist organisation, while the three others are accused of being members of a terrorist group.

Ms Erden is accused of leading an armed terrorist organisation and, despite being initially granted bail, has been held in a high security prison since September 2021, after the prosecutor appealed the bail decision. 

In addition to ‘accusations’ of attending UNISON conference and wearing a shawl in Kurdish colours at her sister’s wedding in the UK, Ms Erden is also alleged to have attended a terrorist training camp in Iraq. 

The prosecution’s case hangs on the claims of one witness, thought to have been involved in a plea bargain, who has also testified against at least another 450 individuals.

Clear evidence that Gonul was in Turkey and nowhere near Iraq at the time seemed to have little traction with the judges or prosecution, nor did the fact that months of monitoring and phone surveillance had produced no compelling evidence against her. 

During the 3 October hearing, Gonul gave a passionate and defiant defence, explaining how she had dedicated her life to the trade union movement and the struggle for workers’ and human rights.

It became evident that the prosecution’s case against Gonul was not for any crime, but for her role in championing workers’ and women’s rights and her legitimate criticisms of the government and its policies.

As the day’s proceedings drew to a close, Gonul turned to her family and friends in the court and smiled, before being taken away by armed guards. Despite 13 months in prison in appalling conditions, the authorities had not and would not crush her spirit.

Selma Atabey, the current co-president of SES, also faced trial. She connected to the courtroom via a remote system; however, due to the poor connection, she could not make her statement and no one was able to hear her. 

For the judges and the prosecution, this was no reason to postpone the trial. Ms Atabey asked the presiding judge to arrange her transfer from the prison to the courtroom in the next hearing.

UNISON President Andrea Egan was in Ankara to observe the hearing. This was the third time UNISON has observed a hearing in this ongoing trial, with general secretary Christina McAnea attending the previous hearing in July this year.

Ms Egan commented: “It was an enormous privilege to observe this trial and show UNISON’s solidarity. Although the situation was dire, the lawyers told us it would have been far worse if international observers weren’t there. 

“Seeing two strong women who have given their lives to the movement and the fight for workers’ and human rights was deeply inspiring for me.

“Despite their horrendous situation, separated from family and friends, and in prison for what they deeply believe in, Gonul and Selma remain passionate and defiant. They are true heroes of the trade union movement.”

Turkey has experienced a rapid erosion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in recent years, leading to a steep increase in attacks on trade unionists and human rights defenders.

According to the ITUC, Turkey continues to rank amongst the 10 worst countries in the world to be a trade unionist; for many, the threat of arrest or even imprisonment is considered an occupational hazard.

UNISON head of international relations Nick Crook said: “When trade unionists in Turkey are arrested, detained or put on trial for defending worker’s rights, it’s important they know that they are not alone and UNISON and trade unionists throughout the world are in solidarity with them.

“It’s also essential that the authorities know that the eyes of the world are on them, particularly in such a politicised trial.”

The next hearing in the trial will take place on 26 December. UNISON will continue to campaign and put pressure on the governments of Turkey and the UK until all colleagues in Turkey are acquitted, and trade union rights are respected.

The article UNISON attends trade unionist trial in Turkey first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON condemns the death of Mahsa Amini

UNISON’s international committee has condemned the brutal death of Mahsa Amini, and sends its condolences to her family, friends and all who mourn for her.

Ms Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested by Iran’s so-called ‘morality police’ on 13 September for allegedly failing to comply with Iran’s harsh hijab rules. She died three days later in police custody, reportedly after being beaten and tortured.

UNISON stands in solidarity with the thousands of peaceful protestors across Iran who are demanding justice for Ms Amini and an end to the repression of women. Security forces have reportedly used disproportionate force, including live ammunition, against protestors. Several have been killed.

The committee supports demands for the authorities in Iran to repeal all unjust and repressive laws that deny the fundamental rights of women, and to allow a fully independent inquiry into the tragic death of Mahsa Amini and the treatment of protestors following her death.

The article UNISON condemns the death of Mahsa Amini first appeared on the UNISON National site.