Solidarity Autumn 2016

SOLIDARITY Better Work, Better World

The Newsletter of the Unions Aotearoa International Development Trust Issue Fourteen, Autumn 2016

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN INDIA:

UNIONAID PROJECT BUILDING BETTER WORK AND BETTER LIVES Everyday Senhol Mary starts out before dawn, walking for nearly an hour through the streets of Madurai to get to the house of the family she works for.

Like millions of women around the world Senhol Mary is a domestic worker, spending the day cleaning, cooking, shopping and doing laundry.

She will earn little more than 50 rupees ($1).

Senhol Mary is one of more than ninety women who have formed a domestic workers union in Madurai over the past year.

Mrs. Saraswathi, President Women Tailors’ Co-Operative

With UnionAID funding, the Tamil Nadu Labour Union (TNLU) has provided vocational training and education about labour rights and the role of a union.

FUNDRAISING DINNER

TNLU President Manohari Doss sees this as a vital step.

“Domestic work is often not seen as real work. Once they see themselves as workers and society sees them as workers then they can start to stand up for their rights, for better pay and respect.”

Across town Saraswathi is putting the final touches on a dress she is making for her neighbour. The sewing machine whirs against the backdrop of a busy kitchen.

Saraswathi works from home, sewing clothes for her neighbours to supplement her family’s income.

It’s skilled work and she enjoys it but jobs are infrequent meaning some months can be tough for her family.

Saraswathi has now become the first President of the Women Home Tailors Co-operative formed by the TNLU. By working as a cooperative, the 110 members can now bid for contracts to provide uniforms to local schools and hospitals, growing their income and building a better life for themselves and their families.

A May Day dinner is being held in Wellington on 29 April with funds raised going to UnionAID. Tickets are $45 per person: Bring your friends and book a table. Contact michael@unionaid.org.nz

SOLOMON’S WORKERS SIGN UP TO THE UNION Travelling by canoe to workplaces on remote islands has been no impediment to the organisers from the Workers Union of Solomon Islands (WUSI).

After only ten months, over 1500 workers from tuna canneries to local government offices have joined the WUSI and started bargaining for better wages and conditions.

This project, jointly funded by UnionAID and APHEDA from Australia, is supporting WUSI to reach workers in the more remote regions.

WUSI Vice-President Clera Rikimani, is proud of the progress being made: “Even though the workers that are registering are in other provinces far from the capital, we managed to get to them, talk with their employers and get them registered.

This is a great success...”

With a minimum wage of just 75 NZ cents an hour in the Solomon Islands, the ability to bargain collectively for better wages and conditions is vital to lifting the livelihoods of workers and their families.

Thanks to Geoff Dude at Flickr for the photo: www.flickr.com/photos/geoffdude/24022714583/

TRANSPORT WORKERS GET ORGANISED IN MYANMAR From trishaws to taxis, from buses to motor bikes, getting people from place to place provides a living for thousands of workers in Myanmar.

Some of these jobs are threatened – trishaw drivers are being squeezed out by increasing numbers of taxis, taxis by a surge in private cars.

This means city roads are increasingly dangerous workplaces.

In other cities and villages, motor bikes are often the only public transport option.

There are twenty five unions covering these workers, but our project partner, Thurein Aung from Action Labour Rights in Yangon, says that members often have little knowledge of the role of the union, or how to protect their health and safety.

WUSI vice-president Clera Rikimani

This ten month project aims to improve members’ understanding of basic union principles, health and safety, and provide union organising skills, through regular one day training courses funded by UnionAID.

BECOME A KIWI SOLIDARITY DONOR - SUPPORT REAL CHANGE You can help vulnerable workers in developing countries in our region get a fairer deal by making a small monthly donation by direct debit by emailing admin@unionaid.org.nz with your contact details. We will then contact you and make the arrangements.

POSTCARD CAMPAIGN FOR FIJIAN GARMENT WORKERS Hundreds of postcards to the Prime Minister have been signed as part of a campaign to increase the wages of garment workers in Fiji.

Support is also being sought from women’s organisations, churches and other groups.

At $1.56 per hour, the Wage Regulated Order for garment workers now sits below the recently raised national minimum of $1.62.

Lifting the rate of pay and ensuring employers abide by it would be a huge achievement for the thousands of men and women working in Fiji’s garment factories.

In spite of the damage and disruption from Cyclone Winston, a new two year phase, building on the 2015 UnionAID project in Fiji, is making headway.

Fiji garment workers project meeting

Our project partner Kuini Lutua is expanding the wages survey and labour rights education to workers in other garment and manufacturing factories and later in the low paid security and retail sectors.

MASTERS DEGREE FOR OUR ALUMNUS Congratulations to Khin Maung Htwe (Burma Young Community Leaders Alumnus 2011) who graduated from Victoria University in December with a Masters in Public Policy, after doing an internship with the New Zealand Ombudsman office and a dissertation: “Citizen participation in local government policy design and implementation process”.

He is now working at the New Zealand Scholarships Centre and Community Development Civic Education in Yangon.

Khin Maung Htwe

DAM BURST PROMPTS ACTION IN DAWEI

Local mine workers discuss the mine and their work with a lawyer

In September in Dawei, Myanmar there was a sudden dam burst related to mining activity, killing a young girl and causing widespread anger among local residents.

For a long time there had been concern about the environmental effects and risks associated with the mining.

As part of his fieldwork project, developed while studying under the 2014 Myanmar Young Leaders Programme in New Zealand, Aung Lwin had decided to establish a dialogue between the mining company and affected local villagers on his return home to address these issues.

He organised a workshop on mining law, environmental conservation and land rights for local farmers, lawyers,

environmentalists, and Delco mine workers and managers.

Many, including the Delco managers, said they had no experience of this type of training before.

But the project developed its own momentum when the dam burst.

Throughout, Aung Lwin took a leadership role, participating in negotiations with police, the community, local elders and mine owners to diffuse tensions and to bring about resolution of the issues.

As a result there was a constructive dialogue at which the mine’s managing directors agreed to most of the villagers’ demands.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS UnionAID volunteers have been busy running several successful fundraising events in the first months of 2016.

In Auckland volunteers held a potluck dinner with a twist – all dishes had to cost less than $2!

In Wellington the newly formed E tū union was the winner in the fiercely contested UnionAID quiz, which raised over $2000 for UnionAID’s overseas projects.

E tū - 2016 quiz winners

BECOME A KIWI SOLIDARITY DONOR - SUPPORT REAL CHANGE You can help vulnerable workers in developing countries in our region get a fairer deal by making a small monthly donation by direct debit by emailing admin@unionaid.org.nz with your contact details. We will then contact you and make the arrangements.