Trade Union Manual on Export Processing Zones

ILO International Labour Organization Trade UnionTrade on Export ManualTrade Processing Zones Union Manual on Export Processing Zones ACTRAV Bureau ACTRAV for Workers’ Bureau Activities for Workers’ Activities Made of paper awarded the European Union Eco-label reg.nr FI/11/1. Trade Union manual on EXPORT PROCESSING ZONES Copyright © International Labour Organization 2014 First published 2014 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publications (Rights and Permissions), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with reproduction rights organizations may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Trade Union manual on Export Processing Zones ISBN 978-92-2-128613-4 (print) 978-92-2-128614-1 (web pdf) Also available in French: Manuel syndical sur les zones franches d’exportation ISBN 978-92-2-228613- 3 (print) 978-92-2-228614-0 (web pdf), Geneva, 2014, in Spanish: Manual sindical sobre las zonas francas de exportación ISBN 978-92-2-328613-2 (print) 978-92-2-328614-9 (web pdf), Geneva, 2014. ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. ILO publications can be obtained through major booksellers or ILO local offices in many countries, or direct from ILO Publications, International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. Catalogues or lists of new publications are available free of charge from the above address, or by email: [email protected] Visit our website: www.ilo.org/publns ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Design and printing by the International Training Centre of the ILO, Turin – Italy Foreword The ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities has over the past few years developed a programme to support trade unions in their efforts to organize workers in Export Processing Zones (EPZs). This concern for workers in EPZs stems from the fact that they are generally denied the right to organise and decent work deficits are widespread in the zones. However, at the same time one sees a proliferation of these zones throughout the world. According to the statistics of the ILO, 47 countries had EPZs in 1986. Two decades later, the number of countries with EPZs had increased to 130. During the same period, the number of EPZs worldwide increased from 176 to 3500. Today the conservative estimates of the ILO put the number of workers employed in the zones at over 66 million. So this phenomenon of EPZs is growing fast. This development is linked to the increasing globali- sation of production and competition among states to attract foreign direct investments. With the growth of EPZs, trade unions are endeavouring to make sure that working and living conditions of the workers in these zones meet internationally recognised norms as enshrined in the ILO’s international labour standards. This means that basic rights like the respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining, non-discrimination, the rights of workers’ with family responsibilities, the right to occupational health and safety, and so on are respected in the zones. This manual is yet another contribution of ACTRAV to assist trade unions to achieve these goals. The manual is the result of extensive collaboration between ACTRAV and trade unions. Our appreciation first goes to Mr Ramon Vivanco who drafted the manual. Our thanks go to several colleagues in the ITUC secretariat particularly Ms Isabelle Horfelin who made extensive comments on the drafts. We acknowledge Ms Jenny Holdcroft for her invalu- able inputs. Our appreciation also goes to colleagues in the ILO Gender Bureau for their useful comments. This manual would not have been possible without the contributions of several national trade union centres that prepared country reports. Our thanks go to Mr Claude Akpokavie, ACTRAV’s focal point on EPZs, for his comments and for coordinating the entire project. Finally, we thank the Swedish government that has funded the ACTRAV programme on EPZs. Ms Maria Helena André Director ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities Trade Union manual on Export Processing Zones iii Preface Every day, in an increasing number of countries, a group of young people go to work, very often in heavily guarded and fenced workplaces. More often than not, these workers are denied the right to organize. Their work is high-tempo, driven by production quotas they have to meet on a daily basis. They work despite the numerous decent work deficits they endure because they need the jobs to survive. However, so difficult is working in these conditions that in most countries the turnover of these workers is abnormally high. This is the reality of work in Export Processing Zones (EPZs). The workers concerned are generally young women, often poor, and in some regions, internal migrants from the rural areas to the cities. Even as more and more countries set up these EPZs and governments underline the quan- tity of jobs they create, trade unions point to these zones as being islands, outside the scope of traditional industrial relations, that concentrate decent work deficits and that are a symptom of the race to the bottom in the global economy. Trade unions have sought to meet the challenge of these zones mainly through two strategies. Firstly, through engag- ing their governments on the socio-economic policies behind the country’s EPZ strategy. Secondly, and more importantly, through efforts to organize EPZ workers who are sys- tematically denied the right to organize. This manual seeks to assist trade union leaders, activists, organizers and trainers in meeting these two challenges. The idea behind drafting this manual came from discussions held during an international workshop on “Organizing in the Export Processing Zones” which brought together trade union leaders working in EPZs from some 15 countries. Most of the ideas, experiences and strategies presented in this manual stem from two sources, namely the international workshop and from country reports on the situation of EPZs in Nicaragua, Nigeria, Madagascar, Togo, Morocco, India and China. These country reports present an in-depth analysis of EPZs in these countries and the strategies being employed by trade unions to organize workers. Both the manual and the country reports allow ACTRAV to present a dynamic picture on working conditions in EPZs across the world and helps identify trade union strategies that are effective in defending workers’ rights in these zones. The violation of workers’ rights in EPZs is primarily a violation of the rights of young women. Traditional organizing strategies have to be complemented by new innovative strategies that are gender sensitive. So the gender dimension of trade union strategies in EPZs is paramount if unions are to be effective in defending workers. Therefore, this manual also challenges trade unions to make gender and non-discrimination central in their structures, policies and organizing strategies. Claude Akpokavie Senior Adviser, Bureau for Workers’ Activities iv Trade Union manual on Export Processing Zones Contents Foreword ...............................................................................................................iii Preface .................................................................................................................iv Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... xii Introduction ........................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1: Facts and figures on EPZs ...................................................................... 1 EPZs: Definition, origins and forms over time ........................................... 1 How have EPZs evolved over time? .......................................................... 2 Statistical overview of EPZs .................................................................... 3 Overview of special incentives given in EPZs ...........................................

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