Global daily news 29.07.2011
Union wins UPS negotiation victory
ANKARA, July 28 (GCTL) - Workers for United Parcel Service (UPS)’ Turkish subsidiary have won the right to be represented collectively by the TÜMTİS trade union, 15 months after the dismissals of 163 workers – all of whom had registered to join the union or were members of it.

Non-stop picket lines, backed by an international campaign, won the right to return and compensation, and TÜMTİS has now triumphed again, after a majority of an estimated 3,000 direct-hire employees filed for union recognition. Now Turkey’s Ministry of Labour and Social Security has legally-certified the union as the workers’ representative.

This achievement is the culmination of the campaign by UPS workers and their union to improve job conditions at the workplaces of global delivery companies operating in Turkey. Kenan Öztürk, TÜMTİS’ general President, said: “This achievement is not only ours. It is the result of the collaboration of many trade unions under the umbrella of the Global Delivery Network of the International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF, and especially the Teamsters union in America, which represents hundreds of thousands of UPS workers in the company’s home country. The European Transport Federation and its affiliates also played an integral role in this victory.”

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FROM INDIA TIMES.COM:
 
 
 

***‘Shock and disbelief’ greet Thai labour court decision

28 July 2011

The ITF has responded with ‘shock and disbelief’ to today’s Thai Labour Court decision to allow the dismissal of seven leaders of the SRUT railway workers’ trade union for their part in a safety-related industrial action two years ago, and the imposition of a THB15 million fine against them.

The union officials are being punished by the management of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) for their part in industrial action taken in October 2009 to publicise the deplorable safety failings on the network which led to two derailments and one fatal accident in four days that month. The accident killed seven and injured many others. The driver had had one rest day in the previous 30 days. The driver’s ‘deadman’s handle’ system was not working, and, unbelievably, only 20 per cent of locomotives were even equipped with such a fundamental piece of equipment, according to the union.

ITF general secretary David Cockroft said: “The ITF is calling into question the independence and fairness of the court in reaching this decision. We are concerned by the judge’s statement that basic safety devices found worldwide on trains are nothing more than ‘supplementary devices’. We are similarly sceptical about his having ignored the fact that a recent civil court case, involving a mother who lost her daughter in a railway crash that led to the industrial action, found against the management of SRT, to the tune of THB1 million.”

According to the ITF the injustice of this whole affair is exacerbated by legislation that refuses to allow legitimate industrial action in public enterprises. The union will appeal today’s decision and the ITF strongly cautions the SRT not to try and sack the men before the appeal can be lodged.

ENDS

The ITF organised a mission to Thailand in 2010 to study safety standards in the SRT. It held various meetings with the representatives of trade unions, management, government, and the International Labour Organization. For more details of the mission’s findings see www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/thairail.cfm

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FROM TRADEWINDS NEWSPAPER:
 
 
 
 

***Samho crews in process of agreeing settlements

Payments have been slowly making their way to a number of crews caught out by the collapse of South Korea’s Samho Shipping.

The International Transport Worker’s Federation (ITF) reports that it is closely involved in negotiating deals with the crews of nine of the financially troubled company’s fleet of 16 vessels.

Currently under negotiation by the ITF and its affiliate, the Federation of Korean Seafarers Union (FKSU), is back pay for crew on three domestic chemical tankers, the 3,400-dwt Samho Onyx (built 2007), 5,650-dwt Samho Topaz (built 2008) and 5,650-dwt Samho Amber (built 2001), all of which are in Korea.

Back pay for those on the 17,500-dwt Samho Freedom (built 2010) has also yet to be resolved. The chemical tanker is lying off Egypt and although a deal with cargo interests was negotiated, the crew declined the offer and the ship remains at anchor.

The Samho-operated, 77,000-dwt bulker S Nicole (built 2007) is also just off Visakhapatnam, India, with negotiations underway.

Among the settlements achieved so far, $92,000 has been paid to the crew of the 17,568-dwt chemical tanker Samho Emerald (built 2008), which was held off Mumbai.

As earlier reported by Trade-Winds, the crew of the 319,000-dwt VLCC Samho Dream (built 2002), which was hijacked last year, have reached an agreement on outstanding wages. The crew of the 300,000-dwt Samho Crown (built 1996) are also said to have agreed a settlement.

An ITF spokesperson said: “We have spoken to the company and they have confirmed their present financial situation but they have informed us they are working to resolve the matter over a set time.”

One of the more time-sensitive cases is that of the 17,600-dwt Samho Jasper (built 2009), which is anchored off Dubai. The crew is said to be running low on food and water as they await the settlement of their claim.

Meanwhile, there are ongoing concerns over the wellbeing of the Samho Dream crew, who found themselves trapped on the ship without pay just a few weeks after being released from a six-month ordeal at the hands of Somali pirates.

Industry pundits are concerned that because of Samho’s financial problems, the crew may not have had the right specialist care following their release and might be in need of treatment for post-traumatic-stress disorder.

The ITF says it is looking for ways to help the crew cope with their ordeal through the Maritime Piracy: Humanitarian Response Programme, which was set up to help victims of piracy.

 
 
 

***Labour attacks Panama ‘failure’

Seafarers’ unions are claiming the flag state ignored its obligation to resolve a long-running case of crew abandonment.

Panama’s commitment to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 has come under question following its failure to respond to the abandonment of crew on the 4,000-dwt bulker Most Sky (built 2006).

The sorry saga at the Liverpool port of Birkenhead is one of the longest-running recent cases of seafarer abandonment and has finally been settled after eight months.

The initial detention was made on 8 November, when the Most Sky was detained by port-state control (PSC) with living conditions so poor that the Turkish crew used a kebab heater to keep warm.

The saga ended last week, when the vessel was arrested and sold to an undisclosed buyer by Peel Ports after apparently being abandoned by its owner.

The remaining crew on the vessel have been paid back-dated wages and given a ticket home from the proceeds of the sale.

But seafarers’ unions claim that Panama failed to respond to requests to assist the abandoned seafarers despite its responsibilities under MLC 2006. Amid much fanfare, Panama, the world’s leading ship register, was one of the first to ratify the MLC 2006.

The International Transport Worker’s Federation (ITF)’s Liverpool representative, Tommy Molloy, said: “We believe the flag state has an obligation to assist them but ITF letters to the Panamanian Registry in March and the Panamanian Embassy in London in June 2011 were met with silence.

“We suggested that as one of the first signatories to the MLC 2006, Panama might want to enter into the spirit of the convention and exercise its obligations toward the seafarers prior to its entry into force. We also wrote to the IMO [International Maritime Organisation] and are aware that the MCA [Marine & Coastguard Agency] made similar efforts with Panama in November 2010 and the ILO [International Labour Organisation] in January 2011. All of which proved to be a complete waste of time. The Georgian Embassy was contacted but said they could offer no assistance.”

Many issues surrounding the initial detention focus on matters that are to be addressed by the upcoming MLC 2006.

The initial detention cited unpaid wages, no fresh food on board, no heating, unsanitary showers, toilets and galley spaces, as well as problems with the engine room.

Wages were alarmingly low. Molloy says the men were paid just £2 ($3.2) per hour, amounting to less than half the minimum wage in the UK.

He added: “It is difficult to know what is worse — the fact that the crew have been abandoned so easily and their families put through such hardship, or the fact that the shipping establishment that is supposed to protect them can simply ignore their plight as though they don’t exist.”

The MLC 2006 has still not got the required signatories to enter into force and is unlikely to become mandatory before 2013.

The Panama flag did not respond before TradeWinds went to press.

 
 
 
 
 
FROM THE SINGAPORE BUSINESS TIMES:
 
 
 

Garuda pilots call off strike after assurances

(JAKARTA) Garuda Indonesia pilots called off a 24-hour strike yesterday after receiving assurances that their concerns over pay will be addressed, union officials said. Garuda Pilots Union chief Stephanus Geraldus said State-Owned Enterprises Minister Mustafa Abubakar had promised to intervene in order to reach a solution in the coming weeks.

Senior union official Jose Rizal earlier told AFP the company's strike-breaking tactics included picking pilots up from their homes and forcing them onto planes. Union members responded to the 'intimidation' by broadening the strike, which began at midnight on Wednesday, from outbound Jakarta flights to all domestic and international routes across the archipelago.

'We decided for a full (nationwide) strike today at around 5:00 am (2200 GMT Wednesday) when we found out three of our pilots had been intimidated and forced to fly by the management,' Mr Rizal said. 'This could risk the safety of the flights as we're not trained for that kind of situation.'

Garuda spokesman Pujobroto said the strikers had been replaced with training pilots and those in management desk jobs, and promised there would be no disruptions to flights.

Union members complain that the airline's foreign pilots receive double the pay of their Indonesian colleagues with the same experience and responsibilities. 'My hope is that we will be heard in the next round of negotiations and there should be a solution that benefits both parties,' Mr Geraldus said. 'We will go over issues ranging from how to improve communications, the presence of foreign pilots and fairness in wages, among others.' Union officials said Garuda has about 800 pilots, only about 650 of whom are union members. It was not clear how many pilots joined the strike.

The company has hired about 34 foreign pilots since October as it seeks to expand following a US$500 million listing on the Jakarta stock exchange. Garuda posted net profits of 515.50 billion rupiah (S$73.2 million) in 2010, down about 40 per cent on the previous year due to an aggressive expansion plan including the recent purchase of 25 new Airbus planes\. \-- AFP

 

 

FROM THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE:

 

 

ILA’s Daggett Vows Aggressive Stance

Joseph Bonney | Jul 28, 2011 5:34PM GMT
The Journal of Commerce Online - News Story
 
 

 

New president promises to fight automation, align with ILWU

Harold Daggett took over as president of the International Longshoremen’s Association on Thursday with a vow to fight automation, increase organizing and research activities, aggressively enforce container weights and work more closely with the West Coast dockworkers union.

Delegates at the ILA’s quadrennial convention in Hollywood, Fla., unanimously elected Daggett to succeed Richard Hughes Jr., who did not seek re-election.

Daggett will lead the ILA in negotiations on a new Atlantic and Gulf dockworkers’ contract to replace the one that expires Sept. 30, 2012.

Video: Daggett on Waterfront Commission, Port Worker Pay at NY-NJ 

In a fiery acceptance speech lasting more than 45 minutes, Daggett promised an aggressive ILA line in those negotiations and said the union will resist the spread of automated terminals.

“We are against automation in the United States on the East Coast and the West Coast,” he said.

To assertions that automated terminals such as the one APM Terminals installed at Hampton Roads, Va., produces jobs, he said, “Bull----! If you had asked Hampton Roads today if they had a vote on it, they would vote ‘no.’”

Daggett said he would pursue closer ties with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents West Coast port labor. “It is my intention to bring the ILA closer to the ILWU, as we have many matters of mutual interest in dealing with management in protecting our jurisdictions and memberships.”

He said he would ask ILWU President Bob McEllrath and a guest to sit in the next round of negotiations, expected to begin this fall. McEllrath, invited by Daggett to stand, shouted from the audience, “I’ll be there because we are one.”

Daggett said the ILA would demand that import containers be weighed at the piers to ensure they are safe and that carriers pay the required tonnage-based container royalty fees.

“I want a scale on every pier,” he said.

 

 
 
 
 
 
OTHER LANGUAGES
 
 
 
FROM DE GAZET VAN ANTWERPEN (BELGIUM):
 
 
 
 
***Reuzentanker moet onder de hamer
27 July 2011
De Gazet van Antwerpen
.

 

Een niet alledaagse verkoop stond gisterochtend op de affiche in het Antwerpse Crowne Plaza Hotel: het maritieme deurwaardersbureau Briers-Dujardin zocht een koper voor de 249 meter lange, 44 meter brede, zes jaar oude supertanker Atlantic Galaxy.

"Dit is het grootste schip ooit dat in België en wellicht in Europa in een gerechtelijke openbare verkoop wordt geveild", aldus Roger Dujardin. "Ik heb ook nooit zo'n kwaliteit gezien." Volgens het expertisebureau D. De Meyer is het schip in een excellente staat en 'klaar voor gebruik'.

Een koper is er nog niet. "Zo'n eerste zitdag is een calvarie. De echte bieders wachten", aldus Dujardin. "Er was één bod van 100.000 euro terwijl dit zeker 20 miljoen moet worden. Er komen zeker hogere biedingen. Komt er een schriftelijk hoger bod, dan roepen we een tweede zitdag samen."

Schuldenberg

De in 2005 in Japan gebouwde Atlantic Galaxy (voorheen Yerotsakos) vaart onder Cypriotische vlag maar is eigendom van het in Dubai gevestigde Dolphin Maritime. Hij meerde op 16 maart met ruwe olie af bij SeaInvest in het Leopolddok, werd in beslag genomen in april en verlegd naar kade 228. Volgens de deurwaarder liggen er nog vijf beslagen op en zou de schuld zeker 40 miljoen belopen. Volgens internationaal ITF/BTB-inspecteur Marc Van Noten ging het eerst om 191,2 miljoen en zou dit nu teruggebracht zijn tot 80 miljoen. De 15 Indiase bemanningsleden, die in juni werden afgelost, worden wel betaald. Wellicht door een schuldeiser die het schip in conditie wil houden.

Gisteren raakte ook bekend dat de 12-koppige bemanning van de defecte Maltese tanker Eleousa Trikoikioisa in Gent al sinds mei niet meer wordt betaald omdat rederij Ocean Tankers bijna bankroet is. "Wereldwijd liggen 14 van haar 15 schepen aan de ketting", aldus ITF/ACV-inspecteur Christian Roose. "Sinds de kredietcrisis krijgen we veel meer af te rekenen met onbetaalde lonen. De crisis is in onze sector zeker nog niet uitgewerkt. Dat blijkt alleen al uit de charterprijzen die nog lang niet op het peil staan van voor de crisis."

"Alleen al in het eerste kwartaal moest ik in Antwerpen voor 350.000 dollar aan achterstallige lonen recupereren: meer dan vroeger", bevestigt ook Van Noten. Volgens Dujardin is het aantal beslagleggingen wegens schade dan weer enorm gedaald: van twee à drie per week vroeger tot nog één om de twee of drie weken.

Paul VerBraeken

 

 

 

TRANSLATION:

 

 

Giant Tanker should come under the hammer
27 July 2011
An unusual sales rose yesterday morning on the bill at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Antwerp: maritime-Dujardin Briers bailiff office sought a buyer for the 249 meters long, 44 meters wide, six years old supertanker Atlantic Galaxy.

"This is the largest ship ever in Belgium and probably in Europe in a judicial public auction sale," said Roger Dujardin. "I've never seen such quality." According to the surveyor D. The Meyer is the ship in an excellent condition and ready for use.

A buyer has not arrived yet. "A first zitdag is a calvary. The real bidders are waiting," said Dujardin. "There was a bid of 100,000 euros while this certainly has to be 20 million. There are certainly higher bids. Will there be a higher offer in writing, then we call half zitdag together."

Debt Mountain

The 2005 Japanese-built Galaxy Atlantic (formerly Yerotsakos) sailing under the Cypriot flag but is owned by the Dubai-based Dolphin Maritime. He docked on March 16 with crude oil from the SeaInvest Leopold, was seized in April and has shifted to berth 228. According to the bailiff, there are five attachments on the debt and would certainly amount to 40 million. According to international ITF / TAO Inspector Marc Van Noten went first to 191.2 million and would now be down to 80 million. The 15 Indian crew members that were repaid in June, are well paid. Perhaps by a creditor who wants to keep the ship in shape.

Yesterday also became known that the 12-member crew of the Maltese tanker Eleousa Trikoikioisa defective in Ghent since May not be paid because Ocean Tankers shipping company almost bankrupt. "Worldwide there are 14 of its 15 ships to the chain," said ITF / ACV inspector Christian Roose. "Since the credit crisis we get a lot more to deal with unpaid wages. The crisis in our industry certainly has not worked. It is clear from the charter prices are nowhere near the level before the crisis."

"In just the first quarter I was in Antwerp for $ 350,000 to recover back wages: more than before," confirms Van Noten. According to Dujardin, the number of seizures due to damage then plummeted from two to three a week earlier to one every two or three weeks.

 

 

UNION/LABOUR RELATED MEDIA

 

 

FROM AUSTRALIA ASIA WORKER LINKS:

 

 

 

***Thailand: Repression against workers continues

The ITF has responded with ‘shock and disbelief’ to today’s Thai Labour Court decision to allow the dismissal of seven leaders of the SRUT railway workers’ trade union for their part in a safety-related industrial action two years ago, and the imposition of a  15 million Bath (US$ 500,000) fine against them. The union officials are being punished by the management of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) for their part in industrial action taken in October 2009 to publicise the deplorable safety failings on the network which led to two derailments and one fatal accident in four days that month. The accident killed seven and injured many others. The driver had had one rest day in the previous 30 days. The driver’s ‘deadman’s handle’ system was not working, and, unbelievably, only 20 per cent of locomotives were even equipped with such a fundamental piece of equipment, according to the union. According to the ITF the injustice of this whole affair is exacerbated by legislation that refuses to allow legitimate industrial action in public enterprises. The union will appeal today’s decision. More information here.

 

 

 

FROM  IWW:

 

 

***‘Shock and disbelief’ greet Thai labour court decision

28 July 2011

The ITF has responded with ‘shock and disbelief’ to today’s Thai Labour Court decision to allow the dismissal of seven leaders of the SRUT railway workers’ trade union for their part in a safety-related industrial action two years ago, and the imposition of a THB15 million fine against them.

The union officials are being punished by the management of the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) for their part in industrial action taken in October 2009 to publicise the deplorable safety failings on the network which led to two derailments and one fatal accident in four days that month. The accident killed seven and injured many others. The driver had had one rest day in the previous 30 days. The driver’s ‘deadman’s handle’ system was not working, and, unbelievably, only 20 per cent of locomotives were even equipped with such a fundamental piece of equipment, according to the union.

ITF general secretary David Cockroft said: “The ITF is calling into question the independence and fairness of the court in reaching this decision. We are concerned by the judge’s statement that basic safety devices found worldwide on trains are nothing more than ‘supplementary devices’. We are similarly sceptical about his having ignored the fact that a recent civil court case, involving a mother who lost her daughter in a railway crash that led to the industrial action, found against the management of SRT, to the tune of THB1 million.”

According to the ITF the injustice of this whole affair is exacerbated by legislation that refuses to allow legitimate industrial action in public enterprises. The union will appeal today’s decision and the ITF strongly cautions the SRT not to try and sack the men before the appeal can be lodged.

ENDS

The ITF organised a mission to Thailand in 2010 to study safety standards in the SRT. It held various meetings with the representatives of trade unions, management, government, and the International Labour Organization. For more details of the mission’s findings see www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/thairail.cfm

 

 

FROM TEAMSTERS CANADA RAIL CONFERENCE:

 

***Union wins UPS negotiation victory

Published: July 27th 2011
Source: ITF

 

Workers for UPS’ Turkish subsidiary have won the right to be represented collectively by the TÜMTIS trade union, fifteen months after the dismissals of 163 workers – all of whom had registered to join the union or were members of it. Non-stop picket lines, backed by an international campaign, won the right to return and compensation, and TÜMTIS has now triumphed again, after a majority of an estimated 3,000 direct-hire employees filed for union recognition. Now Turkey’s Ministry of Labour and Social Security has legally-certified the union as the workers’ representative.

This achievement is the culmination of the campaign by UPS workers and their union to improve job conditions at the workplaces of global delivery companies operating in Turkey.

Kenan Öztürk, TÜMTIS’ general President, commented: “This achievement is not only ours. It is the result of the collaboration of many trade unions under the umbrella of the Global Delivery Network of the International Transport Federation (ITF), and especially the Teamsters union in America, which represents hundreds of thousands of UPS workers in the company’s home country. The European Transport Federation and its affiliates also played an integral role in this victory.”

He continued, “We will now continue toward negotiating a strong collective agreement for UPS workers and we will continue to apply our organisational efforts at MNG-Fed Ex, DHL and TNT in Turkey.”

According to the ITF, in Turkey, where trade unions have only a few dozen collective agreements with multinational companies, TÜMTIS’ victory demonstrates to workers that, with determination, unions can still be victorious in a highly globalised and competitive market.

The ITF sees this latest development as a positive pointer to the future for all global delivery company workers who are thinking about joining a union, and who may be struggling for union recognition and good contracts. As part of its organising globally campaign the ITF is working for union recognition and good working conditions across all the worldwide global delivery companies.
 

 

 

PRESS RELEASES

 

 

The ETF represents more than 2.5 million transport workers from 243 transport unions and 41 European countries, in the following sectors: railways, road transport and logistics, maritime transport, inland waterways, civil aviation, ports & docks, tourism and fisheries. Rue du Marché aux Herbes 105, Bte 11, B - 1000 Brussels

+32.2.285 46 60 +32.2.280 08 17 Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript www.etf-europe.org

 

PRESS RELEASE

EUROPEAN TRANSPORT WORKERS’ FEDERATION

FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES TRAVAILLEURS DES TRANSPORTS

Brussels, 29 July 2011

The European Commission disregards so far direct involvement of social partners in road transport internal market review

In June 2011, the European Commission set up a "wise men" high level group made up of academics, to conduct an assessment on a number of aspects related to the road transport internal market and to ultimately make recommendations with regard to further liberalisation of cabotage. The European Transport Workers’ Federation will question any review of the Community road transport market carried out without the direct involvement of the social partners. The ETF calls for the European Commission to consult the sectoral social partners directly in all steps to be taken when developing the report.

Context

Prior to considering further opening of domestic road transport markets, the European Commission must present – by 2013 - a report analysing the market situation in the sector. One of the main fields to be covered by the report will be the evolution of employment conditions in road transport, as well as the level of harmonisation of social and safety legislation.

Referring to the above, the ETF points out that in Europe road transport has been confronted with a constant raise in social dumping and unfair competition that deeply undermine the sustainability of the sector. The ETF and its affiliated trade unions are frequently confronted with evidence of large scale downgrade of working and employment conditions in the sector.

The ETF position

Mindful of its competence – as a recognised Social Partner at European level – and expertise in the fields covered by the report, the ETF demands full and direct involvement in the review. This will strengthen the commitment made by the European Commission in the recently launched White Paper for transport, to respect the social dialogue and the social partners in transport.

It only takes a trip along the European motorways and some brief meetings with professional drivers to note the magnitude of social dumping caused by the total lack of harmonisation in social and working conditions across Europe. The road freight internal market is far from being prepared for full liberalisation.

For further information please contact the ETF Political Secretary for Road Transport, Cristina Tilling (Tel: +32 (0) 2/285 4666;

Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript ) or Inga-Lena Heinisch, Assistant for Road Transport (Tel: +32 (0) 2/285 4663; Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript )

 

 

 

FROM RMT PRESS OFFICE

 

 

 

 

 

ON FINAL DAY OF HIGH SPEED TWO CONSULTATION RMT REINFORCES SUPPORT FOR PROJECT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“RMT fully supports investment in a high speed national network going up into Scotland and eventually to the South West of England and into Wales to deliver a low carbon rail future.

 

 

 

 

 

The line from London-Birmingham will provide 9000 construction jobs and 1500 operational jobs. Forecasters say the first stretch of line will attract 42,000 jobs to London and Birmingham. That is exactly the kind of infrastructure investment this country needs to drag us out of the economic mess we are in.

 

 

 

 

 

RMT is calling for an explicit commitment that the rolling stock for the new High Speed network should be built domestically as it is in every other major European country and we want to see the project developed under public ownership as a public service.

 

 

 

 

 

For too long our railways have been left in the slow lane in this country while the rest of the world has raced ahead with High Speed rail investment. We want no more dragging of heels from the Government now that this consultation is coming to an end.”