Displaying items by tag: Workers

Europe: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that a Greek law that requests employers to receive approval by the Labour ministry before making bulk redundancies is incompatible with European Union law. The judgement was made in relation to the layoff of a group of workers at the Halkida cement plant when Lafarge purchased the plant from AGET Heracles in 2013, according to the Athens News Agency. The Labour ministry blocked the request, citing conditions in the labour market, the financial situation of the company and the interest of the national economy. Lafarge then appealed to the Council of State, which then referred the case to the ECJ.

Turkey: The Turkish Cement Manufacturers' Association (TÇMB) has signed a two-year labour agreement with the CIMSE-IS union. Under the terms of the deal workers wages will rise by 10.5% from 1 January 2016, according to CIMSE-IS and Reuters. Subsequently, workers will receive a raise on 1 Janaury 2017 based on an individual factory basis. Adana Çimento, Aslan Çimento, Unye Çimento, Mardin Çimento, Bursa Çimento and Bolu Çimento are members of the union.

Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni has been heckled at a road commissioning ceremony by residents of Tororo alleging that Tororo Cement (TCL) is employing more Indian nationals than local citizens. The cement producer denied any wrongdoing, stating that 'barely' 5% of its staff are Asian, according to local media. The president has promised to look into the matter.

"Out of 1000 employes we have, only 50 are Indians. The rest are Ugandans," said TCL chief executive officer Mohan Gagrani.

TCL has also faced claims that its trucks are damaging Uganada's new road networks through overloading. It has denied any responsibility due to its use of contracted vehicles.

Saudi Arabia: Cement sales have dropped by 30% since the beginning of 'correction campaigns' against illegal foreign workers in early November 2013, according to Zamil Al-Miqrin, head of the National Committee for Cement Companies.

Speaking to local media, Al-Miqrin said the rate of sales reduction varies from one region to another adding that supplies currently surpass demand in the cement companies. The first week of the campaign saw a sharp fall in sales, as high as 50% for some companies, but Al-Miqrin expected an improvement in prices by the beginning of January 2014. He added that sales growth in cement had fallen by 10% in 2012 to 3% in 2013.

Saud Al-Araifi, CEO of the Northern Province Cement, said that cement producers in Saudi Arabia are unable to react to the crisis because exporting cement to foreign countries is banned by the Ministry of Commerce. He added that the crisis will be temporary until the current labour shortage in the construction market corrects itself. Other commentators have noted that the rate of stalled construction projects has been much higher in the private sector than in the government sector.

India: Chandrasekhar Hiremath, president of the Shramajeevigala Karmika Sangha and a trade nion leader, has alleged that two cement plants in Karnataka are not paying the minimum wage to contract and full-time workers. According to comments reported upon by The Hindu, Hiremath said that the Regional Labour Commissioner in Bellary, Karnataka had failed so far to ensure that workers were being paid properly at the UltraTech Cement plant at Malkhed and Vasavadatta Cements at Sedam.

A national wage settlement signed between the employees' unions and cement producers entitles all contract labourers and full-time workers to receive the wages fixed by the Cement Wage Board. Hiremath further alleged that Vasavadatta Cements had submitted a misleading report to the Regional Labour Commissioner. Daily wages of contract labourers and full-time workers at the plant were US$7 as opposed to the US$9.50 minimum set by the board.

India: Chandrashekhar Hiremath, trade union leader and president of the Shramajeevigala Vedike, will begin an indefinite fast from 15 July 2013 on behalf of worker rights at cement plants in Gulbarga and Koppal districts of Karnataka state. According to The Hindu newspaper, Hiremath is demanding that cement plants keep their word on payment of wages to over 8500 contract labourers at four major plants.

At a press conference Hiremath said that Vasavadatta Cements, Rajashree (Ultratech) Cements, Chettinad Cements and Ultratech Cements had failed to follow an agreement made in 2011 stating that they would regularise contract labourers and bring them under the cement wage board. Currently, contract labourers are paid a wage of US$65-180/month. Yet under the wage board they would gain a minimum wage of US$256/month at the four cement plants.