Nespressure in Tunisia: Harassment and attacks on trade union rights
What happens when a new union committee is elected and its general secretary calls for a meeting with management to discuss pressing issues? Nestlé retaliates by transferring the union general secretary with immediate effect to a lower level job.
The company is experiencing economic difficulties - so says Nestlé Tunisia management - and there are signs pointing to a possible disposal of the ice cream factory in Carthage. The workforce is anxious (74 workers were dismissed in 2008 "for economic reasons") but the company is unwilling to communicate with the union.
In September, the day after confirmation of a meeting between management and the Nestlé Tunisia Union under the auspices of the Labour Inspectorate, the union's general secretary, Brother Habib Ben Aifa, was removed from his position as head of the medical sales force (Field Operations Manager), a position he had occupied for over 20 years. He was reproached for a drop in sales, a curious claim considering that there are no sales objectives for medical delegates responsible for marketing infant formula, in conformity with the WHO Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes! He was ordered to return his service vehicle, as his new function wouldn't require any travelling but instead demanded "constant presence in the office": developing and implementing guidelines for WHO Code compliance in Tunisia!
This is not the first time Nestlé has imposed a job reclassification in order to marginalise and undermine a dedicated and uncompromising union representative. Eko Sumaryono, president of the Nestlé Panjang Workers Union, has been demoted to a function which requires that he work alone in a room under constant CCTV surveillance.
And, just like Eko, who has been refused union leave to attend IUF meetings three years in a row, based on an arbitrary interpretation of relevant provisions in the CBA, Habib Ben Aifa has been refused union leave under the pretext that the request was not made in accordance with the provisions of the National Collective Agreement for the Dairy and Dairy Products Industry.
The Federation of Food and Tourism Workers, to which the Nestlé Tunisia Union is affiliated, has lodged a strong protest against Nestlé for harassment of the union's general secretary and violation of trade union rights and will be considering further measures in consultation with its membership.