ICEM intervenes in Thai Michelin workers dispute

ERJ staff report (RD)

Chonburi Province, Thailand - The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) has intervened in a lockout dispute at Michelin's Laem Chabang tyre factory in Chonburi Province, Thailand.

The Global Union Federation (separate from ICEM), together with French trade union affiliate CFDT, brought the matter before Michelin's European Works Council (EWC) and Michelin group manager Jean-Dominique Senard at an EWC meeting in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, on 31 March.

The lockout of 383 workers by local management was triggered when staff refused to withdraw their names from a petition against imposing 13-percent wage cuts and to engage in consultation with the workers, said the ICEM in a 6 April statement. The petition also called on Laem Chabang managers to stop forcing employees to sign acceptance forms on the wage cuts.

According to ICEM, Michelin responded to the petition by suspending eight worker representatives and imposing a 35-percent pay cut on workers who refused to withdraw their names, then locking out 383 of 458 workers on 25 March.

“This is extreme and harsh behaviour against loyal workers from a company that expects to recover from the global economic crisis,” said ICEM general secretary Manfred Warda. “We have no choice but to demand that the EWC take action.”

The plant employs 1500 staff and produces auto and light truck tyres. Michelin has two other tyre manufacturing plants in Thailand, the Nong Khae plant in Saraburi, and the Phra Padaeng factory in Samut Prakarn.

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Press release from ICEM