UPDATE: Unilever, IUF Settlement Resolves Conflict over Precarious Work at Lipton Pakistan (26 October 2009)
In Sydney, Australia, on 1 October, Unions NSW (the peak body representing trade unions in the state of New South Wales) led a protest at the Australasian headquarters of Unilever as part of the Casual-Tea campaign for Litpon tea workers in Pakistan. Members from fraternal unions the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and IUF affiliates the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AWMU) and the Australian Workers Union (AWU) joined the protest.
Cathy-May Gill, a member of the AMWU and a worker at Streets Ice Cream (which is owned by Unilever) asked, “these problems in Pakistan show how terrible outsourcing and casualisation actually is. How can anyone live on such low wages? How can anyone raise a family?”
Ma Wei Pin, IUF Asia/Pacific regional secretary: “it is just a disposable jobs regime in Pakistan. It’s a regime that threatens workers the world over. Lipton Tea is tainted by this system.”
National radio and television covered the protest action. Unions NSW, which has more than 65 union affiliates, representing over 800,000 workers and their families, intends to continue the campaign and has pledged to call mass meetings of Unilever workers at Unilever factories in the state of New South Wales.
More than 70 activists from the Philippines Alliance of Progressive Labour, including leaders of the IUF-affiliated NUWHRAIN, demonstrated their solidarity with the struggle against disposable jobs at Unilever’s Pakistan tea operations at Unilever headquarters in Manila on September 15. A protest program was held right on front of the gate where security guards and company officials met with the protesters.
The All-Russian Confederation of Labour (VKT) showed solidarity with the Casual-T campaign when demonstrated outside Unilever’s Moscow office. This was the fourth union solidarity action in Russia – VKT and the IUF-affiliated Agro-Industrial Workers’ Union previously picketed Unilever-sponsored events and company offices. “We are here to tell Unilever that we are shocked by the violence against workers in Khanewal. Russian unions will continue to act against unfair labour practices untill Unilever meets the fair demands of the Pakistan Lipton workers”, said VKT President Boris Kravchenko.
On September 11, despite strong management pressure to prevent union action, more than 70 members of CEPPWAWU, an affiliate of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) demonstrated outside the Unilever Maydon Whaft plant in Durban to demand a halt to management violence against the Khanewal workers.
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