Glenn Thompson

Glenn Thompson

Press statement 4th June 2019.
 

Trade union organizer Maoj Maga raised his fist in defiance of the court decision finding him guilty based on planted evidence. Eleanor, KMU secretary for human rights and wife of Maga in this photo comforts their son.

Maga was arrested last year without warrant while playing basketball with other school kids' parents after taking their son to school. The police said Maga was illegally carrying a gun during that time which is ludicrous for someone who is playing basketball near the school.

 

1 Maoj

 We decry the decision of the court to declare labor rights activist and union organizer Maoj Maga guilty. He was convicted yesterday on the case of illegal possession of firearms and was sentenced to prison for a minimum of eight years and one day.

 
The San Mateo Regional Trial Court decision is biased against trade unionists and is leaning towards the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippines National Police (PNP). It serves their objective of preventing key leaders and organizers of the militant trade union Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and PISTON from organizing workers to assert their demands.
 
The charges laid against Maga are baseless. The evidence was planted. The real criminals here are the police who illegally arrested Maga and came out with false testimonies. They blatantly lied in their testimonies and the court based its decision only on these lies, and nothing more. Maga’s basic rights to liberty and due process are grossly violated.
 
The police lied, and by affirming their lies, the court also committed a serious crime and violated the law, apart from violating Maga's rights.
 
The decision to keep Maga detained comes timely when the issue of banning provincial buses, phasing out of jeepneys, and implementing route rationalization and fleet management are about to spark public outrage.
 
IMG 2341
 
Months before his arrest in February 2018,  Maga was one of the leading organizers of public utility drivers who conducted a series of transport strikes against the phasing out of jeepneys.
 
The Duterte government is afraid that by releasing Maga, drivers and commuters would have a young and vibrant organizer back to work. 
 
We in the labor movement will not stop fighting for Maoj Maga's release. He should not be punished for being a trade union organizer. 
 
The court should review its decision and let truth and justice prevail.
 
Free Maoj Maga! Free all political prisoners! 
The former president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU), who was unfairly imprisoned for defending the labor rights against the corporate greed in his country, will be this Saturday 12 August 2018  in the headquarters of the CTA-Autónoma in gratitude to the solidarity actions develop by the CTA along with SIGTUR network and unions from all around the globe for his freedom.
 
Han Sang-gyun was imprissioned for two years, five months of a five years sentence. “The fight for Han is an example of workers of all the world who fight against the big transnational corporate greed”, affirmed Fito Aguirre, Secretary of International Relations of CTA.
 
Han Sang-gyun was sentenced to an imprisonment of five years falsely accused of “leading a violent protest” of 130.000 persons against the corrupt government of Park Geun-hye in November 2015. That struggle of the KCTU -with which the CTA-Autónomoa is part of the Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights (SIGTUR)- stimulated series of big protest know as the “candle vigil”, which gathered millions of people.
 
The 5 year sentence was for organizing and being part of  the massive protest in Seoul calling for an end to precarized work and respect of the right to organize, strike, collective bargaining and fair salaries.
 
130.000 people were repressed by the police with tear gases and water cannons, which the tribunal considered as legal actions. The sentence of Han was the most hard since 1987 against a trade union leader.
 
Since the creation of the KCTU in the decade of 90’s, Han and other members of the organization suffered harassment and criminalization because of their fight for better working conditions and working rights. During the 2015 were initiated lawsuits against 585 leaders of this central. “That attack to the human and labor rights is the response of the globalized capitalism -allied with the governments in charge- against who confront face to face the big transnational corporations, which search to increase their profits at the expense of the decent life of the workers, passing over the state sovereignty and the international right standards”, denounced Fito Aguirre.
 
The secretary of International Relationships remember that “the CTA-Autonomous take the decision of mobilize many times as necessary until get the freedom of Han. Since the beginning of 2016 and until June of the present year we mobilized repeatedly to the South Korea Embassy in Argentina, we sent letters to the president Moon and we held meetings with the consular authorities to take the request for the immediate liberation of Han, as well as the request of stop the social protest criminalization and persecution”.
 
The CTA leader celebrated that “the leader of the KCTU visits our CTA-Autónoma in thanks to the successfully campaign for his liberation which is part of the international principles of our central which round about three pillars: international supports to the Palestine cause; denounce of the economic block against Venezuela; and the freedom of Han Sang-gyun, Lee and of all the brothers and sisters of the KCTU”.
 
“The international solidarity has played a central role to confront the globalized capital”, finish Aguirre.
Sunday, 05 August 2018 22:49

Brutal Attack On Striking Workers

People Over Profit strongly condemns the brutal dispersal of around striking workers and their supporters, 30, July 2018 at the NutriAsia picket line in Marilao, Bulacan, Philippines.
 
According to news reports, forces from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the NutriAsia’s guards viciously attacked the striking workers and their support groups while they were holding an ecumenical mass. They started pushing and hitting the workers with shields and truncheons. Scores, including children, women and the elderly, were severely injured. 
 
Nineteen workers, their supporters, and journalists were arrested. Media personnel covering the incident were also threatened by the police and their equipment seized. The police and company security thugs planted fake witnesses and evidences such as firearms and drugs to implicate the workers and deflect responsibility for the violence. 
 
NutriAsia is one of the largest food condiment producers in the Philippines. 
 
It also exports its products to 28 countries across Asia Pacific, Middle East, Europe, and North America. Since June 2, NutriAsia workers under Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng NutriAsia Inc. (NMAI) have established a picket line in front of the company’s factory in Bulacan. However, the workers have been long been fighting for regularization and the right to form a union. They were also fighting against the company’s illegal salary deductions, underpaid overtime work of 619 PHP (11.66 USD) for 12 hours, lack of health insurance, and other inhumane working conditions.
 
According to NutriAsia workers, they are paid only 380 PHP (7USD) for an 8-hour work day so they often had to work for 12-16 hours to make ends meet. Their wages are further reduced by deductions for company uniforms and protective gear. They also do not receive the legally-mandated 13th month pay. Out of more than 1400 workers, only 100 workers are regular. Most of their workers are outsourced from agencies.
 
This is not the first time that state and NutriAsia colluded to break the strike. Despite the previous Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on February 28, 2018 ordering NutriAsia to regularize over 900 of its employees, NutriAsia claimed that the workers were not their employees but workers of the B-Mirk Enterprises Corporation.
 
On June 14, the PNP and guards from NutriAsia violently dismantled the protesters’ picketline. The case was brought to the DOLE in region III where the previous decision was overturned, in favor of NutriAsia in June 29, 2018. 
 
POP calls for international support to NutriAsia’s worker’s strike and condemnation of the combined state and corporate violence inflicted on the workers. Below are some ways to show your support:
 
1.Support for the #NutriAsia workers’ strike against illegal termination and contractualization by signing on to our statement here.
 
2. Send letters of concern/protest to NutriAsia CEO Joselito Campos. Tell him to repay the trust of consumers and to follow the law by regularizing all NutriAsia workers and stopping all his company’s violent attacks against them: Email hello@nutriasia.com
 
3. Ask your organization, student council, school, union, employees association, or even your local city/town council to express support for NutriAsia workers’ just demands for regularization and for job security.
 
4. Contact the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment at +63025273000. Send a message message for Sec. Bello: “Secretary, please protect and help regularize all workers at NutriAsia.”
 
5. Share news by alternative media sites Altermidya - People's Alternative Media Network, Bulatlat, Pinoy Weekly, Telesur, Rappler, and ask your local newspapers to feature the issue
 
More information:
Thursday, 02 August 2018 05:44

NutriAsia Take Action Following Sackings

A “Boycott NutriAsia” campaign has gained traction in social media, while contractual workers of the condiment giant maintain their picket line in Marilao despite a violent dispersal attempt on June 14. Four workers were arrested and dozens more were injured as local police claimed to be implementing a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by a Bulacan court against the picket protest.
 
 nutriasia supporter
 
NutriAsia’s contractual workers set up their picket line on June 2, after management fired around 50 workers, including union leaders, and refused to implement a February 23 DOLE ruling which ordered the company to regularize 80 workers who were employed through an illegal LOC scheme. Workers also complained of unauthorized salary deductions and unsafe working conditions, reporting that NutriAsia failed to comply with laws governing occupational safety and health (OSH) standards.
 
#nutriasiaworkersstrike

Wednesday, 25 July 2018 22:42

“IMF Never Again”

TA Autónoma along with civil and social organizations demonstrated last Saturday 21th July to express their rejection to the presence of Christine Lagarde and the IMF in Argentina as part of the G20 agenda.
 
Under the slogan “IMF Never Again”, a wide group of organizations gathered near the Center of Conventions of Buenos Aires, where the meeting with IMF was held, to express their reject to the stand by agreement with the IMF asked by the argentine government last month, as well as to condemn the subjection of the country to the austerity policies demanded by the international credit organizations.
 
CTA IMF 1
 
The presence of the IMF in Argentina in the context of the G20 agenda this year means several damages for the workers’ rights while transnational corporations strength their power over states and people. 
 
This ratifies our role as a peripheral country in the international working division. A model based on the economic adjustment by precarization, workers dismissals and cut of rights.
 
This is why different union, civil and social organizations got together and marched on the streets to shout out loud that the working class will not remain still while big corporations in alliance with governments seek for increase their profits at the expense of workers living conditions and indebting the people. Corporate greed and external debt can’t run our lives. ¡We will defend our sovereignty, rights and jobs! 
Tuesday, 10 July 2018 22:54

Free Former President Lula

July 8, 2018 marked a further development of the current legal / media / parliamentary coup d’etat  to which our country is subject. 
 
Both, the Federal Police and Judge Sergio Moro, who is presently on vacation in Portugal, failed to comply with a decision of the Federal Court of the 4th region that determined the immediate release of President Lula.
 
At this moment the legal situation of President Lula is of freedom determined by the Federal Court, but his release was curtailed by contempt of the Federal Police and sectors of the Brazilian judiciary that refused to comply with the decision, thus keeping Brazilian former president in a condition of unlawful arrest. 
 
President Lula is now considered a victim of political persecution, which caused the International Human Rights Foundation to grant Lula a status of "prisoner of conscience in arbitrary detention”.
 
The current moment demands even more public reprimand and international solidarity actions so that we can guarantee Lula's freedom as soon as possible and his right to run in the coming presidential elections in Brazil.
 
Brazilians have placed him as the favorite candidate with greatest popular support.
 
Hash Tag
#LulaLivre
#LulaPresident
On Thursday 5th July 2018 CTA took a big step in developing a regional  strategy to build the Industry Workers National Coordination of the CTA, and launched its request of affiliation to IndustriALL global Union.
 
This initiative is the result of deep national, regional debate taking into account the global context, CTA see more than ever the importance to organize as workers to preserve our labour conditions as well as our jobs against the assault of the new neoliberal wave. 
 
In the international division of work our country is pushed in the place of a commodities and raw materials producer while trade liberalization combined with strong incentives for the financial economy produces scarce industrialization.
 
CTA 2018 07 05 2
 
Meanwhile, the right wing governments that arrived to the region undermined the capabilities of MERCOSUR to build productive complementarity at a regional scale and now MERCOSUR is negotiating against the clock to close a free trade agreement with European Union which would be terrible for the industry and regional economies in our country.
 
We are sure that this context give us the responsibility to gather together and build an alternative and sustainable productive matrix for the country with the vision of the workers as well as think about the energy matrix required for that. This will be a model of development based on human and labour rights, sustainability and sovereignty.
 
We are interested in getting involved in the discussion about the present and future of work in this context of transnational control of the economy and productive offshoring that big companies exercise through global value chains. In addition to that we face the challenge of fourth industrial revolution and the debate about new technologies in relation to jobs. 
 
CTA has identify the need for an international effort to respond globally to  capitalism that attacks us all in the same way. The CTA leadership has engaged with the leadership of IndustriALL global union and will now step up these discussions now that the Industry Workers National Coordination has been formed and will be seeking formally affiliation to IndustriALL.
 
CTA 2018 07 05 1
 
Delegates representing many sectors engaged in a rich and intense debate. The industries represented were pharmaceutical, leather, sugar, clothing, technology, nuclear, metallurgical and shipbuilding industries. The now constuted Workers National Coordination Industry which will represent around 22.000 workers have reaffirmed their wish to be an IndustriALL affiliate. 
 
At the end of the day, the conference made a public presentation and launching of the National Coordination with the presence of delegates from different unions from the country and Ruben Cortina, recently elected president of UNI global Union, who celebrate this decision and underline the vision of unity of the industrial working class from Argentina. 
On the June 29,2018, the “work style reform” bill initiated by Prime Minister ABE Shinzo’s government was enacted after passage in the House of Councilors. The legislation will promote karoshi, or deaths from overwork, by eliminating working time regulations for highly skilled and high-paid professionals and by subjecting workers to harsh orders. Opposition has been raised by all labor organizations, the legal community, the national association of families on karoshi, and a large number of citizens. But opposition was ignored by the government, the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and Komeito parties, the Japan Innovation Party, the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), and most government-kept scholars. The Labor Standards Act has been gutted. The National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) lodges a strong protest against the legislation. 
 
The “highly-skilled, high-paid professionals” system has no provisions to enable workers to do their jobs at their discretion, making it legal for employers to keep employees working 24 hours over 48 straight days. Workers could legally be forced to work 6,000 hours per year. 
 
The government has argued that the proposed system will allow employees to work by regulating themselves, but that’s wrong. In proposing the legislation, the government insisted that the measure meets the needs of the workers, but this argument has been proven false in the course of the parliamentary deliberations. 
 
The legislation says that the employers are responsible for health management for the workers but it cannot be used to support a claim of compensation for work-related diseases or injuries. In dealing with such claims, the Labor Standards Inspection Office will have to trace the hours worked afterwards based on records kept on the personal computer or testimonies by colleagues. 
 
An annual salary applicable to recognize a worker as a high-paid professional will include commuting and other allowances. A monthly salary can be set at the employer’s disposal at a level that does not go against the minimum wage. All these issues have been raised by opposition parties. The problem is that the legislation has been railroaded through without needs shown. The new system allows employers to force employees to work overtime without pay. It could help deny compensation for work-related diseases, injuries, or karoshi by regarding that the worker must be responsible for such accidents. Such a system for “highly skilled, high-paid professionals” is absolutely unacceptable. We will continue to fight to repeal it. 
 
Regarding holiday and extra hours of work, it was revealed in the course of Diet deliberations that workers could be forced to work 160 hours if they work overtime mostly at the beginning and the end of the month. The new system makes it possible for employers to force workers long hours of overtime that exceeds the karoshi line. This is contrary to what the government has explained. Upper limits on holiday work should be lowered to a level that would not cause health problems.
 
The law on employment of contingent workers (fixed-term, part-time workers) and the law on temporary agency workers have also been amended. These laws affirm pay gaps between permanent workers and contingent workers depending on how manpower is utilized into the future. Wage gaps can be affirmed between permanent and contingent workers doing equal work. This must be amended immediately. 
 
The law on employment policy was part of the legislation. The “Comprehensive Law on the Promotion of Labor Policies” makes clear that the aim of labor policy is to help improve labor productivity and encourages the promotion of the work style without workers being employed and therefore without being protected by labor law. This is how the labor protection laws are gutted, and more workers will be forced to work without worker rights. This part of the legislation also must be repealed. 
 
Japan work style reforms
 
Zenroren has been fighting against the Abe administration’s “work style reforms” by organizing various kinds of actions in cooperation with other labor organizations and citizens’ groups. Our struggle does not end even after the bad legislation was enacted. We are now continuing the struggle targeting the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry’s Labor Policy Council meeting to discuss governmental and ministerial ordinances and guidelines for implementing the “work style reform” policies. Our efforts will be directed at repealing the bad law and realizing genuine work style reforms by increasing activities to protect the workplace from the bad laws. 
 
Labor law is a product of the struggle of world’s workers. The Abe administration’s adverse change of labor law to force workers to work even harder is an attempt to deal a blow to labor law. It needs to be scrapped by the Japanese workers’ struggle to win a labor policy to protect the workers. Zenroren is determined to make every effort to achieve a society in which people can live a decent life if they work 8 hours a day. We will use the internationally recognized labor standards to develop cross-current labor cooperation based on the experience we earned in the recent years. We will also develop joint struggle with the citizens’ movement, including the association of families on karoshi, as well as the opposition parties that voted against the work-style reform bills.  
 
Sister Lee Young-joo, former general secretary of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has been released from prison on suspended sentence on the morning of 14 June 2018. She has spent almost six months in the Seoul Detention Centre.
 
Although Lee has been set free, at her trial on 12 June, Lee was found guilty on all charges. Judges convicted her to three years in prison, with four years of suspended sentence, and a fine of 500,000 KRW (US460$) for organizing the People’s Mass Mobilization rally on 14 November 2015.
 
The prosecutor claimed the demonstration blocked traffic and 100,000 demonstrators didn't disperse and obstructed execution of official duties, with some demonstrators resisting riot police water cannons and crackdown on public demonstration.
 
The mobilization was against repressive labour reform and became the catalyst of the mass movement in Korea resulting in impeachment of the former Korean President Park Geun-hye, who is now serving 24 years sentence by irony in the same detention centre, where trade union leaders were detained.
 
Although the new government of President Moon calls itself a “government of candlelight” and has promised to respect the labour movement, so far incarceration of the former Korean President did not automatically change Korean authorities’ attitude towards trade union rights and freedoms.
 
Lee’s colleague, Han Sang-gyun, KCTU president, was released in May this year having been imprisoned in December 2015.
 
SIGTUR along with international trade union movement have continuously campaign against Han and Lee's charges, imprisionment and trade union rights in Korea.
 
SIGTUR joined with KCTU, ITUC and other global unions organized protests in solidarity with Korean trade unions.
 
 
 
 
Monday, 23 April 2018 22:27

Struggle against MNC Coke Cola

Show solidarity with Coca-Cola workers 
Join the Social Media of Action - April 27th
 
Coca-Cola is the world’s richest beverage company. The multinational corporation’s richness rests on the power of monopoly capitalists to rule financial capital, grab resources, control markets, and extract superprofits by exploiting the workers of different countries.
 
Exploiting the Workers.
Coca-Cola directly accounts for around 100,000 workers, but hundreds of thousands more are working in its supply chain.
Workers face exploitation across the Coca-Cola supply chain - suppliers, product distribution, retailers, agriculture. 
Factory workers experience contractualization, unpaid overtime, union-busting, occupation health and safety and other labor rights violations. 
 
Coca-Cola’s agricultural supply chain in many countries is marked with poverty wages and repression. 
 
Plundering Resources
In many countries where it operates, it is involved in the plunder of resources especially water, the main ingredient of all its products. The company takes away water from poor urban and rural communities.
 
 Greedy Coca-Cola 
Coca-Cola, one of the richest multinational corporations, is controlled by the some of greediest financial capitalists in the world.
 
Coca-Cola is a US-based company which owns 500 brands including Coke, Sprite, and Powerade. It also owns local brands in different countries. Its system of company-owned and independent bottling and distribution operations are in 200 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America. Its headquarter is in Atlanta, USA.
 
Coke campaign
 
Its declared revenue for 2017 is $35.4 billion. 
Coca Cola is a major sponsor of the biggest media networks - TV, print, radio, social media and major sports and entertainment events all over the world.
 
Coca-Cola is highly influential in US government and in many governments around the world. It is also influential in trade associations, business councils, NGOs, universities, and research foundations. 
 
It has been reported as one of the biggest companies in US and around the world that evades tax by keeping its cash offshore or outside the country where its top officials are headquartered.
 
Join the Fight Coca-Cola campaign!
The campaign is part of the Fight MNCs campaign of ILPS Workers Commission or Commission 5.
 
We urge all trade unions, workers’ groups, agricultural workers and farmers’ groups, affected communities, and human rights, environmental and health advocates to join in the campaign.
 
Campaign objectives
  • Conduct an education drive about Coca-Cola workers, farmers and affected communities
  • Conduct, coordinate and support campaign activities related to Coca-Cola workers, farmers and affected communities
 
Activities that you can join:
Share
  • Spread Fight Coca-Cola campaign materials by sharing them in social media
  • Conduct fora, seminars and small-group discussions about Coca-Cola workers, farmers and affected communities
  • Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ILPSWorkers/ 
 
Link
Link-up with us for the Fight Coca-Cola campaign. Share your updates about Coca-Cola workers in factories and the supply chain, and affected communities or sectors. Send the updates in ILPS email: ilps.commission5@gmail.com or ILPS Workers Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ILPSWorkers/