IUL

Hotel Privatization Brings Attack on Trade Union Rights in Burkina Faso

26-Oct-2004

The IUF is calling for international support to the F�d�ration nationale de l'alimentation et de l'h�tellerie du Burkina (FNAHB), one of the IUF affiliates in Burkina Faso. The union is struggling against abuses of fundamental trade union rights in the leading hotel in the capital Ouagadougou.

Last year, the government invited offers for a private management contract to run the H�tel Ind�pendance, where the union has a solid organization. On June 2004, the contract was given to the Soci�t� Malienne de Promotion H�teli�re (SMPH), a property management company in neighboring Mali.

On June 14, union representatives took part in a meeting with the SMPH held under the auspices of the government privatization commission to discuss the company's program and its implications for staff, among other issues. The union requested that existing staff (many with a long history of service) be retained following the privatization, with the exception of those wishing to retire voluntarily. The SMPH agreed to take the union's concerns into consideration in a revised proposal, but from that date on union representatives were excluded from all negotiations between the privatization commission and the SMPH.

The SMPH signed a management contract with the government on July 29, despite repeated union actions protesting their exclusion from the negotiations. On August 7, all employees were handed dismissal letters to be signed as a condition of re-employment on individual, one-year contracts.

While union members have signed the contracts, the union continues to struggle against this egregious abuse of trade union rights. They are demanding negotiations on the future of employment. However, the FNAHB is constrained by labour laws which prevent them from launching legal action until the current individual contracts expire in one year. The IUF has written the relevant ministers as well as the SMPH (which denies all connection with these events and claims that the Ind�pendance is now being run by a hastily established subsidiary in Burkina Faso which only coincidentally has the same chief officer as the parent company SMPH!). The IUF is also discussing the situation with the International Finance Corporation, the private sector lending arm of the World Bank which has made three major loans to the SMPH.

To increase pressure on the government of Burkina Faso to enforce compliance with core ILO Conventions on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the IUF is calling for protest messages to be sent (in French, a translation follows) to the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, with copies to the SMPH. Please add the name of your organization (in English) at the beginning in the space indicated in italics at the beginning of the French letter, as well as your signature. The message below can serve as a sample. Kindly send copies to the IUF secretariat of any messages you might send so that we can transmit them to the FNAHB.

We thank you in advance for your solidarity and support.

Send a Message to the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso!

To: Monsieur le Premier Ministre
Paramanga Ernest Yonli
Burkina Faso
Fax: 00226 50 308792

with a copy to the Director of SMPH

Monsieur le Pr�sident Directeur G�n�ral
Mossadeck Bally
Soci�t� Malienne de Promotion H�teli�re
Bamako, Mali
Fax: 00 223 222 36 40

Monsieur le Premier Ministre,

Le (name of your organization) a �t� inform� par l'UITA du processus de privatisation de l'h�tel Ind�pendance � Ouagadougou.

Nous sommes outr�s d'apprendre que lors de ce processus, aucune n�gociation concernant les conditions de maintien d'emploi ou de d�parts n�a eu lieu avec la F�d�ration Nationale de l'Alimentation et de l'H�tellerie du Burkina, qui repr�sente les employ�s/es de l'h�tel. Contrairement aux normes internationales et notamment aux Conventions du BIT que votre gouvernement est oblig� de respecter dans ce domaine, les contrats d'emploi ont �t� modifi�s et impos�s sous menace de licenciement imm�diat.

Nous vous prions en cons�quence de veiller � ce que les droits fondamentaux des salari�s/es soient r�tablis et respect�s et qu'une n�gociation s�rieuse soit entam�e avec les repr�sentants/es syndicaux/ales en ce qui concerne les conditions de travail et d'emploi.

Les salari�s/es et leur repr�sentant syndical, FNAHB, ont tout notre soutien et nous allons suivre de pr�s leur situation.

En vous souhaitant bonne r�ception de la pr�sente, nous vous prions d'agr�er, Monsieur le Premier Ministre, l'assurance de notre consid�ration distingu�e

Signature

cc: SMPH

English translation

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

The (name of organization) has been informed by the IUF of the manner in which the privatization process of the H�tel Ind�pendance in Ouagadougou has been carried out.

We are outraged to learn that in the course of the privatization process there were no negotiations concerning the terms and conditions of employment with the trade union representing the hotel's employees, the la F�d�ration Nationale de l'Alimentation et de l'H�tellerie du Burkina (FNAHB). Contrary to international norms and Conventions of the ILO which your government is obliged to defend and respect, the employment contracts were unilaterally modified and imposed under the threat of immediate firing.

We therefore ask you to use your good offices to ensure that the basic rights of the employees are fully restored and that serious negotiations are initiated with the trade union representatives concerning the terms and conditions of employment.

The employees of the H�tel Ind�pendance and their trade union FNAHB have our full support and we will continue to closely follow developments.

Sincerely,

cc: SMPH

Agreement with Sodexho in the USA

25-Oct-2004

US unions SEIU and UNITE HERE and the Geneva based international union federation IUF signed an agreement with French catering company Sodexho last week. The deal forms part of an ongoing campaign to raise employment and service standards in the catering and hospitality sector, both in the US and in Europe. The unions will now turn their campaign attentions on to UK-based multinational Compass.

Nizozemski sindikati udru�eni protiv smanjivanja javne potro�nje u najve�em prosvjedu posljednjih desetlje�a

22-Oct-2004

Procjenjuje se da je 2. listopada 240.000 prosvjednika do�lo u sredi�nji dio Amsterdama, na zajedni�ki poziv sindikalnih sredi�njica zemlje. Bio je to najve�i prosvjed posljednjih desetlje�a, koji je organiziran u znak protesta protiv najve�ih rezanja javne potro�nje u nizozemskoj povijesti.

Sindikati su osudili dodatna smanjenja javne potro�nje koja je vlada predlo�ila nakon smanjenja za 13 bilijuna eura u 2003., pod koalicijskom vladom premijera Balkanendea (koalicija srednjih i desnih stranaka). Prijedlozi vlade bi, izme�u ostaloga, srezali beneficije tijekom bolovanja, eliminirali financije za poticajne mjere za ranu mirovinu, smanjili naknade za nezaposlenost dugoro�no nezaposlenima te bi produ�ili radni tjedan. Poslodavci zahtijevaju pove�anje s 36 na 40 radnih sati tjednom bez pove�anja pla�e.

Sindikati su za svoje �lanove organizirali besplatan prijevoz �eljeznicom do mjesta prosvjeda, ali �eljezni�ki sindikati izvje�tavaju da gotovo 50.000 putnika nije uspjelo do�i do svojeg krajnjeg odredi�ta, Amsterdama. Pitaju se je li nacionalna �eljeznica u�inila sve �to je mogla kako bi olak�ala putovanje na prosvjed.

Masovni prosvjed bio je kulminacija tjedna sindikalnih prekida rada i prosvjeda. U ponedjeljak, 27. rujna, �lanovi sindikata javnog prijevoza, prehrambene i metalne industrije, trgovina na malo i luka, odr�ali su prosvjed u podne, kojeg su podr�ali zaposleni u dr�avnim slu�bama, uniformirano osoblje vojske, voza�i kola hitne pomo�i kao i brojni drugi radnici koji su do�li prosvjedovati tijekom stanke za objed. Tako�er su i radnici u elektroni�kom gigantu Philipsu u podne zaustavili rad.

U srijedu su voza�i kamiona diljem zemlje odgovorili na poziv, poslan mobilnim telefonima i radio vezom, da se zaustave na prvom slijede�em odmori�tu na cesti za prosvjedni ru�ak. Djelatnici FNV-a i CNV-a do�ekali su prosvjednike voza�e kamiona.

Nacionalna sredi�njica FNV pozvala je na referendum o zadr�avanju programa ranog odlaska u mirovinu, ali vlada odbija pregovore o toj temi.

UNITE HERE u �trajku protiv �WalMartizacije� radnih mjesta u hotelima SAD-a

21-Oct-2004

Dana 30. rujna, oko 1.400 �lanova podru�nog sindikata Local 2, sindikata UNITE HERE (sindikat nastao u kolovozu spajanjem sjevernoameri�kog sindikata zaposlenih u hotelijerstvu, restoranima, kateringu i turizmu � HERE i sindikata zaposlenih u tekstilnoj industriji i srodnih radnika UNITE) pokrenulo je �trajk protiv �etiri glavna hotela u San Franciscu kako bi prosvjedovali protiv odbijanja poslodavaca hotela da pregovaraju o novom kolektivnom ugovoru na razini grada. Radi se o �etiri hotela: Argent Hotel, Hilton San Francisco s 1.900 soba, Crowne Plaza Union Square i Mark Hopkins Inter-Continental. Deset glavnih hotela koji pripadaju grupi poslodavaca na nivou grada odgovorili su isklju�enjem s posla 2.600 radnika �lanova sindikata. Sindikat je odmah organizirao skupine radnika koji su upoznavali druge radnike s nastalim sporom ispred hotela koji su isklju�ili s posla svoje radnike �lanove sindikata.

�trajk i lockout u San Franciscu uslijedili su nakon odluka koje su donijeli preko 2.000 �lanova sindikata u Washingtonu, D.C., i 3.000 u Los Angelesu da se ako je potrebno �trajka ukoliko pregovori ne donesu zadovoljavaju�e nove kolektivne ugovore s poslodavcima vode�ih hotela u gradu. Podru�ni sindikati UNITE HERE u tim gradovima i nacionalni sindikati obvezali su se na podr�ku radnicima San Francisca.

Unato� dugim pregovorima � ugovor u Los Angelesu istekao je jo� u travnju � poslodavci odbijaju odustati od svojih zahtjeva za pove�anim opsegom rada i smanjenjem obveza poslodavaca za zdravstveno i mirovinsko osiguranje radnika.

Poslodavci tako�er odbijaju sindikalni zahtjev za dvogodi�njim ugovorom koji bi istekao 2006. godine, te bi time imali zajedni�ki istek ugovora s hotelima u 10 najve�ih gradova SAD-a, a time bi pove�ali nacionalnu pregovara�ku mo� prema hotelskim lancima koji sada dominiraju sektorom. UNITE HERE stvara sna�nu mre�u podr�ke za sindikalne zahtjeve u grupama za civilna prava i prava imigranata na nacionalnoj i lokalnoj razini.

Hoteli u SAD-u ubla�ili su pad turizma nakon 11. rujna tako �to su otpustili tisu�e radnika, ali unato� porastu popunjenosti hotelskih kapaciteta nevoljko ponovno zapo�ljavaju radnike. Smanjene platne liste omogu�ile su velikim hotelima da i dalje posluju s profitom tako �to su pove�ali opseg rada preostalom osoblju. Poslodavci sada �ele dalje pove�ati profit tako �to smanjuju doprinose za zdravstveno osiguranje radnika u zemlji u kojoj ne postoji nacionalni zdravstveni sustav. U San Franciscu hoteli zahtijevaju vi�e od dvadeset puta ve�i udio radnika u doprinosima za zdravstveno osiguranje. U Los Angelesu, hoteli su unilateralno srezali doprinose poslodavaca, prisiljavaju�i tako stotine radnika da ispadnu iz programa te da se pridru�e milijunima Amerikanaca koji nemaju zdravstveno osiguranje.

Konflikt se zasniva na osnovnim pravima i protiv toga �to UNITE HERE naziva �WalMartizacija� hotelskih radnika (prema na�inu zapo�ljavanja radnika u jednom od najve�ih (i najjeftinijih) trgova�kih lanaca u SAD-u, WalMartu). Insistiraju�i na zajedni�kom datumu isteka kolektivnog ugovora u glavnim turisti�kim centrima, sindikat poku�ava posti�i dovoljno pregovara�ke snage u pregovorima s transnacionalnim lancima kako bi kompenzirali nepostojanje nacionalnog kolektivnog pregovaranja u SAD-u.

UNITE HERE se stoga koncentrira na �etiri klju�na hotelska lanca u tim gradovima koji su glavni poslodavci i koji su vo�e opozicije sindikalnim pregovara�kim zahtjevima. Ta �etiri hotelska lanca su: InterContinental, Starwood, Marriott, i Hyatt.

Mass Arrests as LA Unionists Rally in Support of San Francisco Hotel Workers/Employers to Extend Lockout

14-Oct-2004

Forty-four Los Angeles hotel union members and supporters were arrested at a demonstration in support of striking and locked out UNITE HERE members in San Francisco on October 5. The rally brought some 1,000 union members, labour rights supporters and community and civil rights activists to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in the city center, where police moved in for mass arrests after the demonstrators failed to disperse when police gave the order.

The same day, the city employers group representing the 14 largest hotels voted to continue the lock out of 4,000 members of San Francisco UNITE HERE Local 2 beyond the October 13 deadline set by the union for an end to the strike which prompted the wider lockout. San Francisco hotel employers have rejected negotiations for a two-year expiry date for a new collective agreement which would give a common expiration date with hotels in 10 major US cities and thus increase national bargaining power with the chains that now dominate the sector.

UNITE HERE is focusing nationally on four key hotel chains which are major employers and are leading the opposition to the union's bargaining demands. The four chains are: InterContinental, Starwood, Marriott, and Hyatt.

Mass Arrests as LA Unionists Rally in Support of San Francisco Hotel Workers/Employers to Extend Lockout

14-Oct-2004

Mass Arrests as LA Unionists Rally in Support of San Francisco Hotel Workers/Employers to Extend Lockout