New report slams Euro firms for union-busting in US

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2010/10/new-report-slams-euro-firms-for-union-busting-in-us/

by Tony Burke Sunday, October 10th, 2010

A new report from the respected organisation Human Rights Watch has slammed a number of European-based multinational companies for double standards when it comes to living up to their own global labour agreements and published corporate standards in dealing with their employees in the United States.

The report names and shames firms which have publicly embraced workers’ rights under worldwide labour standards – and recognise trade unions in Europe – but deny workers in the US the right to join unions.

The hard-hitting report – called A Strange Case: Violations Of Workers’ Freedom of Association in the United States by European Multinational Corporations – reveals?aggressive, anti-union campaigns by European corporations keen to prevent their workers in the US from organising unions and opposing collective bargaining –?violating not only their own professed standards but American labour laws and ILO standards, too.

Companies cited include giants such as Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile USA and Deutsche Post’s DHL (Germany); Tesco’s Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets and G4S Wackenhut Security (Britain); Sodexo food services and Saint-Gobain industrial equipment (France); Kongsberg Automotive (Norway) and Gamma Holdings (the Netherlands).

Among the violations detailed in the report are classic union busting techniques of forcing workers into “captive audience” meetings to hear harangues by management; prohibiting pro-union speakers from taking part; threatening job losses if workers join trade unions; threatening to permanently replace workers who exercise the right to strike; spying on employees who organise fellow workers and firing workers who support union organising efforts at companies.

“The behaviour of these companies casts serious doubt on the value of voluntary commitments to human rights”, said Arvind Ganesan of Human Rights Watch. “Companies need to be held accountable, to their own stated commitments and to strong legal standards.”

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