Bank workers across the world have been hit from all angles as a result of the financial crisis. That's why a recent victory for workers in one of SEIU's partner unions is such good news.

Following a ten-day strike, Brazilian bank workers have won an increase in wage and improvements in their working conditions, as a result of a wage accord between union leaders and banks October 9. The workers are members of Confederaçao Nacional dos Trabalhadores no Ramo Financeiro (CONTRAF).

In the settlement, workers accepted a 6 percent wage hike offered by the banks. The banks also will extend maternity leave for workers to 180 days, increase profit-sharing payments, and will offer other benefits. The workers asked for a 10 percent wage hike, while banks originally offered only 4.5 percent.

The Brazilian bank workers were confronted daily with anti-union practices imposed by the financial institutions operating in the country, suppressing the legitimate actions of workers in their national wage campaign. During the strike, one of CONTRAF's union leaders was violently taken to the district police in an attempt by lawyers to forcefully open a bank branch.

The strike left many consumers, especially in big cities, without key banking services. However, the strike had little effect on financial markets, which rely heavily on electronic systems.

Bank workers--in Brazil and worldwide--have been pressured by their employers to "sell, sell, sell," rather than to advise their customers. Then they are hit by massive job cuts and put out of work. Bank workers can sometimes be harassed by customers, who may blame them for the mess that big banks have made of their finances.

A delegation from SEIU, including Rocio Saenz, president of SEIU Local 615 in Boston, will be visiting Brazil the week of November 5 to visit with bank workers, celebrate their victory and learn about the country's ongoing banks campaign.

CONTRAFS is a member of the CUT (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores), with whom SEIU has partnered since 2005.

Worst Companies for Union Organizing Highlighted for International Human Rights Day

From the International Labor Rights Forum:

Adopted on this day sixty years ago, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that "everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests," (Article 23, Section 4). As human rights advocates around the world celebrate International Human Rights Day, the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has released "Working for Scrooge: 5 Worst Companies for the Right to Associate," a list of the five worst multinational corporations for union organizing.

One particularly sad and shocking statistics (among many) in this survey: the ILRF reports "at least 91 unionists were killed globally as a result of their organizing efforts in 2007."

The companies on this year's list of the 2008 five worst multinational corporations for union organizing include:

• Wal-Mart - for violating worker rights in the USA, Canada and elsewhere.
• Nestle - for violations in the Philippines, Colombia, Peru, Russia and Pakistan.
• Del Monte - for violations in Guatemala and the Philippines.
• Dole - for violations in the Philippines, Costa Rica and Colombia.
• Russell/Fruit of the Loom - for violations in Honduras and Uzbekistan.

Read the full report here.

*Top offenders selected on the basis of their ties to violence against trade unions and suppression of the universal right to organize.

"We have to recognize that in real, 21st-century terms, 'Workers of the world, unite,' can't be just a slogan," said SEIU President Andy Stern during the early stages of the formation of Alliance for Justice at G4S, a growing group of unions from across the globe that first came together in 2005 to raise standards and win a better future for security workers.

Today, the Journal of the International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR) called SEIU's global effort to organize private security officers in several African countries, the United Kingdom, and other locations "One of the most developed campaigns aimed at building a global union and raising standards for low wage service..."  

Read the entire article here.

>> More about SEIU's global partnerships