Displaying items by tag: Strike

Jamaica: A strike has closed down the Caribbean Cement Company’s Rockfort plant. The industrial action also prevented locals accessing a ship-based book fair via the plant’s jetty, according to the Jamaica Observer newspaper. The cement company says it is in negotiations with the National Workers' Union (NWU) to reach a new collective labour agreement. It has also informed the Ministry of Labour and Social Security about the industrial action. Work at the site was expected to resume in late May 2017. Cemex took over Trinidad Cement, the majority shareholder of the Caribbean Cement Company in early 2017.

Brazil: Over 500 workers have gone on strike at Cimento Nassau’s Alexio cement plant in Amazonas. The dispute is over back pay and better working conditions, according to the Amazonas em Tempo newspaper. The management of the plant is attempting to start negotiations.

UK: A proposed strike by Cemex UK heavy good vehicles (HGV) drivers threatens the supply of construction materials for major construction projects, says the Unite union. The 82 HGV drivers who are members of Unite returned an 87% vote in favour of strike action and action short of strike in response to wage negotiations. Continuous work to rule industrial action, where employees follow the minimum requirements of their contract will start on 22 May 2017, followed by an initial 24 hours strike on 26 May 2017. The union says that projects set to be affected by the dispute include work at Heathrow airport and the Mersey Gateway.

Italy: Unions Feneal Uil, Filca Cisl and Cgil Fillea, representing Italcementi cement workers, are preparing to go on strike on 29 April 2016 in protest against plans by HeidelbergCement to cut jobs when it takes over the Italian cement producer. The German cement manufacturer said that it expects that up to 260 workers will be made redundant and another 170 workers will be offered relocation from Italcementi’s base in Bergamo, according to its integration plan.

The unions met with the government on 14 April 2016 and subsequently agreed to go on strike. The unions have presented a counter-proposal to decrease the number of redundancies, including asking HeidelbergCement to confirm that it will maintain production sites and employment levels through the company integration period until 2020. Other suggestions include requests for government-union review of the plan, maintaining a technical centre in Bergamo and providing an additional social security plan for the entire group. The unions will meet with the government next at the beginning of May 2016.

South Africa: Striking Lafarge South Africa employees affiliated to the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) have returned to work after a 12-day strike, according to Lafarge South Africa. The industrial action involved disputes on several issues, including a salary increase.

"We are pleased that we have been able to negotiate solutions that benefit our employees. While our operations were not grossly impacted, we are happy to announce that we are running at full capacity," said Unathi Batyashe-Fillis, Country Manager for Communications and Public Affairs at Lafarge South Africa.

Lafarge reported that an agreement had been reached on an 8% salary increase effective from 1 January 2016, a commitment to tighten salary gaps per job category by the end of April 2016 and a one-off fixed housing grant of US$4640 per employee to acquire or build a house. The grant would, after two years of implementation, be increased by a sum equal to the annual average inflationary rate for workers.

Around 800 NUM affiliated employees demanding initially a 13% raise and a US$3310 housing grant, according to Reuters. The union has confirmed that the deal has been accepted.

South Africa: LafargeHolcim has reported that the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has accepted an 8% pay increase, according to Reuters. Around 800 workers affiliated to the union started a strike on 11 February 2016 asking for an 8.5% wage increase, a US$6500 housing grant, salary adjustments and a 35% acting allowance, Lafarge said in a statement. It added that the company was ‘well placed’ to meet its customer’s orders. The industrial action followed a series of negotiations which started in October 2015.

Canada: LafargeHolcim cement plant workers at Saint-Constant went on strike on 6 February 2016, according to CJAD radio. A collective agreement for 68 workers at the plant, members of the United Steelworkers union, expired in September 2015. No new contract has been agreed after nine negotiation meetings. The principal disagreement concerns a change to the workers' pension plan.

India: A worker has died after being electrocuted at the Ghanauli cement plant in Uttar Pradesh. Prem Pal, was working on a piece of equipment at the plant owned by Ambuja Cements, according to local police. Following the incident, other workers at the plant staged an immediate strike. They also demanded that US$37,500 be paid to Pal's family by way of compensation and stated their dissatisfaction with company vice president Rajesh Sondhi, who they claim has presided over a period of poor health and safety management at the plant.

In response, company civil engineer Ajay Vashisht said the machine on which Prem Pal had been working was 'not faulty.' He added that it had been sent for examination. It is not clear whether the company has acted or will act on the demands of the strikers.

India: A strike by coal workers' unions would impact industrial growth across the country, industry chambers said. It asked the trade unions to resolve their grievances in an amicable manner.

"The strike would impact industrial growth across India, especially in power-deficient northern and southern regions, resulting in long unplanned outages," said Assocham secretary general D S Rawat. "The strike would impact all industries based on coal, including the cement industries that are already reeling under the pressure of raw material prices."

Over 75% of India's daily coal output has been hit as the five-day strike by workers of State-run miners entered the second day on 7 January 2015, raising fears of disruption in power supplies. The industrial action is in protest of 'disinvestment and restructuring of state-run Coal India' and to press for demands, including the roll-back of what unions call 'process of denationalising of coal sector.'

Appealing to all trade unions to call off the strike, Process Harmony Development (PHD) chamber president Alok Shriram said that they should negotiate with the government to resolve their concerns and grievances in an amicable manner. The government has begun an exercise to reform India with progressive and modest policies to put it on the path of accelerated growth. Any sort of strike to oppose and obstruct the evolving policies would harm the country's economic interest, according to Shriram.

"The path of strike serves neither workers nor the policy makers. Therefore, the working class of Coal India ought to seek redressal of their grievances through negotiations," said Shriram.

Update: According to Reuters, the strike has been called off on the second day (7 January 2015) after the government agreed to re-examine the decision.

Power minister Piyush Goyal agreed to form a committee to look into any issues with a recently-passed executive order that would allow auctions of coal mines to private companies for their own use, as well as allowing commercial mining in the future.

"We have withdrawn the strike," said Jibon Roy, a senior union leader. "The minister agreed to form a committee. They will see what are the problems in the ordinance (executive order). Normal discussions on other demands will continue."

Russia: The workers of the Granit company, which is involved in construction of a new line at the Holcim cement plant in Saratov, Volga Federal District, conducted a one-day strike on 18 December 2014. Their actions were due to a disagreement caused by overdue salaries.