Contract victory for Swedish transport workers after 45 minute strike
25 April 2013
Road haulage and port workers in Sweden secured a new three year contract this week after staging industrial action which lasted just 45 minutes.
Members of the Swedish Transport Workers’ Union (STWU) walked out at noon on Wednesday following the breakdown of negotiations with the Swedish Road Transport Employers Association (SRTEA).
But a short time later the strike was called off after the employer agreed to a new contract, one of the stipulations of which is a three step wage increase.
ITF acting general secretary Stephen Cotton said: “The wage increase is great, but more importantly than that this new contract is also a big step forward in terms of the job security of STWU workers. It’s been agreed that when a transport company wants to take on staff for a job, although the union won’t be able to veto the use of agency workers, they will be automatically given the opportunity to negotiate and whilst those negotiations take place the agencies can’t be used.”
This marks significant progress in an area where for a long time there has been no movement whatsoever from transport companies. It’s a major breakthrough for transport workers in Sweden.”
The strike also involved workers outside the transport sector such as refuse collectors and guards who were not included in the new contract deal.
Hong Kong dockers continue strike over pay and conditions
26 April 2013
Subcontracted workers at the Port of Hong Kong have now been passed their 28th day on strike as they fight to secure acceptable working conditions and pay parity with directly employed staff.
Members of the Union of Hong Kong (UHKD) dockers have been picketing at Kwai Chung terminal in a bid to bring management from Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT), which is owned by global network terminal operator (GNT) Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH), back to the table for good faith negotiations. There is also a union presence outside the headquarters of (HPH). Today a notice has been issued to evict the strikers from this location and an application has been filed for an injunction banning demonstrators from the area.
Despite the continuation of the strike, there have been several notable developments in this dispute. A work-to-rule which has been being carried out by members of the HIT union has been halted after an agreement was made with HIT management to give overtime compensation of 1.4 times the hourly rate, a victory for the union.
In addition, Global Stevedoring, a contractor of HIT, has closed its operations blaming the UHKD strike action. The ITF believes this is an attempt to turn public opinion and isolate the union.
The ITF welcomes the agreement between HIT management and the HIT union and now calls for the same standards with regards good faith, transparent negotiation to be applied to the subcontracted workers of the UHKD who remain out on strike.
Hong Kong dockers strike over after 40 days
7 May 2013
A strike at the Port of Hong Kong which has lasted 40 days is now over.
Members of ITF-affiliate the Union of Hong Kong Dockers, who have been fighting for improved pay and working conditions, have voted to call off their industrial action. The union has accepted a deal stipulating improved wages and further negotiation on working condtions as well as assurance of no retaliation against workers who participated in the strike. The full statement from the UHKD is included in a press statement available here >> http://www.itfglobal.org/press-area/index.cfm/pressdetail/8949
Responding to the news, ITF president Paddy Crumlin commented: “The Union of Hong Kong Dockers, supported by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, has won a real victory: a pay rise and promises of continuing dialogue on working conditions and health and safety. Their bravery has been rewarded. We in the ITF and the wider union movement are proud to have been able to mobilise the international support they deserved and needed.”
He continued: “We trust that Hutchison Port Holdings will now address the issues around the dignity and working conditions of the workers at the port.”
Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation), added: “This is an important result for the dock workers of Hong Kong. We congratulate them on their resilience and determination to get a fair deal, and we are proud to have been able to give international solidarity in their quest for justice at work.”
Over 8500 letters of protest were sent to Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT) during the dispute via a LabourStart campaign, as well as thousands of messages of support to the union. International delegations including those from the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and FNV Bondgenoten have helped to secure the positive outcome for strikers. A planned visit by members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) will also still go ahead this week.
Police in force at Vancouver port
8 May 2013
The police were out in force as ILWU Local 4 supporters protested with placards outside the main gate to the United Grain Corporation at the Port of Vancouver on 1 May.
The dispute between union dockworkers and Mitsui-owned United Grain has escalated since the company locked out 44 dockworkers on 27 February after it alleged that a union official had sabotaged equipment in December, an accusation the ILWU denies. The union has since witnessed the company bringing in replacement workers. Some local church leaders have organised a petition in support of the dockworkers and have joined protests outside the local Holiday Inn where the replacement workers are staying.
The dispute is over the changes to an 80-year-old collective bargaining agreement, as part of a larger conflict between grain-terminal operators and union dockworkers in the Pacific Northwest. The ILWU claims that the company’s imposed contract is concessionary and severely undercuts the union’s ability to represent workers on a variety of workplace matters.
The Vancouver police have forwarded around two dozen, in the view of the union frivolous, charges against ILWU members in relation to the protests over the last nine weeks to the city attorney’s office for review. ILWU spokeswoman Jennifer Sargent said it was her understanding that there had been five citations and two arrests, “all misdemeanors”. She added: “Each of the workers has pled not guilty, and each one will be vigorously defended.”
Sargent added: “The law enforcement response on the picket line is excessive and designed to intimidate the picketers and trespass on speech rights. The Vancouver police are simply acting in concert with Mitsui. It’s truly unfortunate but not unexpected.”
To show support for the locked out dockworkers, visit Labour Start’s campaign page.
