PRC-UTE
1st July 2006, 20:17
In this week's mailing:
* UK: Victory at Wal-Mart
* Canada: Victory at BHP Billiton
* Indonesia: Struggle at Group 4 Securicor intensifies
* Education for changing unions
***
UK: VICTORY AT WAL-MART
Wal-Mart is known to many of you as the ultimate "union-free" company.
It has been nearly impossible for trade unionists to get a foothold in
the company's US stores, though there have been some organizing
victories in Canada. A few years back, Wal-Mart acquired a British
supermarket chain, Asda, leading to concerns that the company's
anti-union tactics would now spread across the Atlantic. It is in
this
context that we must understand -- and celebrate -- the victory
announced this week by Britain's GMB union.
In a word, the GMB established the right of workers to organize
collectively and be represented by unions of their choice at the
distribution depots of Asda. They achieved this by preparing for a
major strike. Not only did they win recognition from management for
current union members, they also won "access to all ASDA distribution
sites (current and future), with facilities for appropriate levels of
union workplace representatives, facilities to distribute union
literature, recruit into the union, present the union case during
company induction procedures" and more. For full details of this
victory, read the union press release here:
http://www.gmb.org.uk/Templates/PressItems.asp?NodeID=94098
***
CANADA: VICTORY AT BHP BILLITON
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members at the Ekati diamond
mine voted yesterday to ratify a tentative agreement with Ekati owner
BHP Billiton, ending a strike that began April 7. This was the
first-ever union contract at a Canadian diamond mine, and the union
won
significant improvements for workers there. The victory was
facilitated
by a world-wide campaign on LabourStart which generated 2,245 messages
of protest to the employer. Read the union press release here:
http://www.psac.com/news/releases/2006/28-0606-e.shtml
***
INDONESIA: STRUGGLE AT GROUP 4 SECURICOR INTENSIFIES
Members of the Indonesian parliament have visited the workers'
encampment outside the company headquarters in Jakarta, and then
invited
both sides in the dispute to hearings over three days last week. The
company's excuse for not implementing a Supreme Court ruling favoring
the workers was ... they didn't receive the letter! Amazingly, the
union was actually able to produce a post office receipt showing that
the company's attorney had in fact received the letter.
It is time for this giant multinational corporation to stop playing
games and to obey the law. Tell Securicor that enough is enough by
sending off your message today:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-
bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=125
And spread the word -- with 4,000 messages sent so far, this is one of
the larger campaigns we have waged and we must push on until victory.
***
EDUCATION FOR CHANGING UNIONS
One thing that really distinguishes successful trade unions from all
others is their commitment to education. Unions that want to grow do
not put education on a back burner, do not cut back on education
programs, but instead make even greater efforts.
But unions also need new ideas about how to educate workers and
communities -- which is where this week's LabourStart book of the week
comes in. Published in 2002, "Education for Changing Unions", written
by five veteran Canadian labour educators, is considered something of
a
classic. It's written in a clear and accessible style, and includes
practical exercises which are guaranteed to improve your union's
educational work. And it's had a truly international impact: written
by
Canadians, sold by a union bookshop in the USA, promoted by a website
based in Europe -- and the initial recommendation came to us from a
union educator in Australia! No matter where you live, if you want a
stronger and more effective union, you'll want a copy of this book.
By ordering your copy today, you are also helping to support
LabourStart's campaigning efforts:
http://www.labourstart.org/bookoftheweek
Thanks -- and have a great weekend.
Eric Lee
* UK: Victory at Wal-Mart
* Canada: Victory at BHP Billiton
* Indonesia: Struggle at Group 4 Securicor intensifies
* Education for changing unions
***
UK: VICTORY AT WAL-MART
Wal-Mart is known to many of you as the ultimate "union-free" company.
It has been nearly impossible for trade unionists to get a foothold in
the company's US stores, though there have been some organizing
victories in Canada. A few years back, Wal-Mart acquired a British
supermarket chain, Asda, leading to concerns that the company's
anti-union tactics would now spread across the Atlantic. It is in
this
context that we must understand -- and celebrate -- the victory
announced this week by Britain's GMB union.
In a word, the GMB established the right of workers to organize
collectively and be represented by unions of their choice at the
distribution depots of Asda. They achieved this by preparing for a
major strike. Not only did they win recognition from management for
current union members, they also won "access to all ASDA distribution
sites (current and future), with facilities for appropriate levels of
union workplace representatives, facilities to distribute union
literature, recruit into the union, present the union case during
company induction procedures" and more. For full details of this
victory, read the union press release here:
http://www.gmb.org.uk/Templates/PressItems.asp?NodeID=94098
***
CANADA: VICTORY AT BHP BILLITON
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members at the Ekati diamond
mine voted yesterday to ratify a tentative agreement with Ekati owner
BHP Billiton, ending a strike that began April 7. This was the
first-ever union contract at a Canadian diamond mine, and the union
won
significant improvements for workers there. The victory was
facilitated
by a world-wide campaign on LabourStart which generated 2,245 messages
of protest to the employer. Read the union press release here:
http://www.psac.com/news/releases/2006/28-0606-e.shtml
***
INDONESIA: STRUGGLE AT GROUP 4 SECURICOR INTENSIFIES
Members of the Indonesian parliament have visited the workers'
encampment outside the company headquarters in Jakarta, and then
invited
both sides in the dispute to hearings over three days last week. The
company's excuse for not implementing a Supreme Court ruling favoring
the workers was ... they didn't receive the letter! Amazingly, the
union was actually able to produce a post office receipt showing that
the company's attorney had in fact received the letter.
It is time for this giant multinational corporation to stop playing
games and to obey the law. Tell Securicor that enough is enough by
sending off your message today:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-
bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=125
And spread the word -- with 4,000 messages sent so far, this is one of
the larger campaigns we have waged and we must push on until victory.
***
EDUCATION FOR CHANGING UNIONS
One thing that really distinguishes successful trade unions from all
others is their commitment to education. Unions that want to grow do
not put education on a back burner, do not cut back on education
programs, but instead make even greater efforts.
But unions also need new ideas about how to educate workers and
communities -- which is where this week's LabourStart book of the week
comes in. Published in 2002, "Education for Changing Unions", written
by five veteran Canadian labour educators, is considered something of
a
classic. It's written in a clear and accessible style, and includes
practical exercises which are guaranteed to improve your union's
educational work. And it's had a truly international impact: written
by
Canadians, sold by a union bookshop in the USA, promoted by a website
based in Europe -- and the initial recommendation came to us from a
union educator in Australia! No matter where you live, if you want a
stronger and more effective union, you'll want a copy of this book.
By ordering your copy today, you are also helping to support
LabourStart's campaigning efforts:
http://www.labourstart.org/bookoftheweek
Thanks -- and have a great weekend.
Eric Lee