Campaign for Decent Work in Urban Inventions

Piet MatosaDeputy President – NUM, President of BWI Africa & Middle East Region, Vice President of BWI Africa, South Africa

BWI Campaign for Decent Work BWI Campaign for Decent Work Towards and Towards and BeyondBeyond 2010 2010

Objective:The 2010 Soccer World Cup was used to facilitate growth of union density in the sector through promoting decent work for non standard workers in the construction industry

CONTEXT OF WC 2010 CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH AFRICA

• 70% of all construction workers earned below R2500 per month or 326 CHF per month

• About 94,000 women were employed in the construction amounting to about 9.3% of the labour force.

• Nearly 30,000 workers were engaged on the World Cup Stadia

• About R30bn of public funds being spent on 2010• Union membership increased by 27,000

Four Pillars of the Campaign Strategy

Engaging FIFA in South Africa a Success?

Engaging FIFA Zurich

WHAT DOES DECENT WORK AGENDA MEANS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WC 2010 CAMPAIGN?

The Decent Work Agenda (DWA) was brought to the fore in Mega Sporting activities:– Right to Work under good and safe working conditions– Right to Organise– Right to Bargain– Right to a Living Wage– Right to Zero Accidents– Right to no Downward Variation

WHAT DOES DECENT WORK AGENDA MEANS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WC 2010

CAMPAIGN (CONTINUE)

– Right to Health and Safety Awareness– Right to skill development– Right to quality and secure jobs that promote

dignity and not exploitation– Right to equal pay and treatment

Wages

Health & Safety

Skills BonusTransport

Pension

Medical

Sectoral Determination

Over Sixteen thousand workers organized including women workers

After two surprise wild cat actions at the Green Point Stadium in August 2007 in Cape Town workers received transport allowances and free transport from the railway station to the construction site. This action led to a wave of strike action across the country.

After a 12-day strike in November 2007 which included 1,200 workers at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban workers received an additional bonus payment of 6,000 Rand each. This demand set a nation-wide trend in future strikes.

STRIKE BAROMETER

In Unity there is Strength!

Workers Won 12% wage increase in July 2009 Strike!

• Unions managed to ensure that the subcontractors’ complied with the statutory minimum wages across the 2010 stadiums. Other demands workers won included the election of health & safety representatives.

• NUM & BCAWU raised a dispute with civil engineering employers regarding below inflation increase and successfully negotiate a 3% across the board increase which became effective from October 2008.

• The level of unionisation on 2010 stadium construction sites increased substantially since the beginning of the campaign in 2007. In one and a half years, South African construction TUs recruited over 10,000 new members and by 2009, they have recruited 27,458 (38.82%) workers.

• In March 2009 together with SLA and UNIA and the South African trade unions in BWI was able to conduct a 2010 stadia inspection with the assistance of the FIFA LOC. This is the first of its kind in World Cup or mega-project history that a labour delegation has been given so much media coverage and received a message of support and commitment from FIFA.

• Unions were engaged in provincial public hearings to intervene in the civil engineering sectoral determination processes to extend minimum conditions of employment to all workers especially in those provinces where there are no legally prescribed minimum wages and conditions of work. This is the first time that unions have unified and are working together to ensure a positive outcome.

Need to develop an exit strategy for thousands of workers who are being phase out after completion of construction of the stadia is being assessed.

Opportunities are likely to emerge from government policies of continuing investing infrastructural development and rural development programmes

Unions are developing strategy for membership sustenance beyond 2010

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT

• Linkages at national, regional and international levels with fraternal organisations be enhanced to strengthen Decent Work Agenda in development of mega sport projects.

• Social dialogue be promoted among actors and stakeholders involved in infrastructural development to ensure social justice remain core values of development of mega sports facilities in host municipalities.

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT

• Although the South African model was successful there is a need for a thorough model evaluation for future use.

• Governments where the mega sports events are held should on condition be signatories to the ILO Decent Work declarations,

• In line with BWI strategic objectives for 2010-2013, such campaigns in mega sports projects offer opportunities in future to follow and monitor procurement polices and contract around municipalities to ensure respect of social standards along the supply chains.

CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT

• Need to continue fighting for Main Contractor liability for Labour Brokers and Sub Contractors.

• BWI organised Multi stakeholder Summit bringing GUF’s and Unions to ensure that the Decent Work agenda trickles down to all sectors

• Unions or Solidarity work was enriched by results of Research institutions such as LRS

EASTRADA, DA ÁFRICA DO SUL PARA O BRASIL

Campaign Hand-Over to Brazil on 21-22 May 2010 in Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg