Unions seek investor action in challenging labour rights abuses

UNISON is attempting to come to the aid of medical rubber glove manufacturing workers in Sri Lanka. General secretary Christina McAnea has co-signed a letter that has been sent to the investors of the Australian company Ansell, ahead of its AGM on 11 November, urging them “to help change the corporate culture of worker exploitation in Sri Lanka in Ansell workplaces.” This includes denying workers their right to form and join trade unions of their own choosing and to collectively bargain. The letter has also been signed by Anton Marcus, joint secretary of the Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees’ Union (FTZ&GSEU) in Sri Lanka. For decades, Ansell has refused to recognise the union, even when it represented well over the 40% threshold of workers required by Sri Lankan labour law. Instead, in what looks like a blatant attempt at union busting – a habitual practice in most manufacturing supply chain industries in the Global South – UNISON and FTZ&GSEU claim that Ansell has set up a “fake, management-run ad-hoc committee… that does not meet the criteria for an independent, democratic and representative trade union.” Their letter adds: “Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when workers have been at great risk of infection and immense pressure due to the exponential rise in global demand for PPE, Ansell refused to negotiate with the FTZ&GSEU, who had been alerting management to safety oversights on the behalf of its members. “Workers are curre...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Article News Covid-19 international modern slavery PPE Source Type: news