Coca-Cola violates workers’ rights around the world

Coca-Cola continues to violate the fundamental rights of workers in Haiti, Indonesia, Ireland and the USA.

The International Union of Foodworkers (IUF) has launched a global online campaign to protest this — which we encourage you to support.

In Haiti, Coca-Cola’s bottler continues to systematically deny workers their right to form and be represented by a union.

In Indonesia, Coca-Cola’s bottler pursues its long running attack on the rights of independent, democratic trade unions.

In Ireland, Coca-Cola closed two of its directly owned concentrate plants, both of which were strongly unionised, and shifted production to the remaining plant in Ballina, where it refuses to engage in collective bargaining with the union.

And finally, in the USA the company’s bottler spent more than $330,000 hiring a union-busting consultant firm to persuade workers at its Greenfield bottling plant to not join the union.

Please show your support for the IUF campaign by sending a clear message to Coca-Cola CEO and Chairman James Quincey, expressing your outrage over these ongoing human rights violations and demanding that the company act to remedy them. 

Please share this message with your friends, family and fellow union members.

Coca-Cola workers fighting for their rights in Haiti, Indonesia, Ireland, and the USA still need your support

Coca-Cola continues to violate the fundamental rights of workers in Haiti, Indonesia, Ireland and the USA.
In Haiti Coke’s bottler La Brasserie de la Couronne continues to systematically deny workers their right to form and be represented by a union, SYTBRACOUR.
Haiti is a dangerous place to live and to work. Companies should, at a minimum, be alert to this situation and exercise maximum due diligence. In July 2019, a Coca-Cola truck driver was shot in his vehicle while at work. The Coca-Cola Company has made no meaningful independent investigation of this killing, choosing instead to rely on a version of events provided by their local bottler, which sought to shift blame onto the driver. Subsequent IUF investigations into this case have exonerated the driver and exposed a callous disregard for the truth on the part of the Coca-Cola bottler and The Coca-Cola Company.

In Indonesia Coca-Cola bottler Amatil pursues its long running attack on the rights of independent, democratic trade unions.

In Ireland, The Coca-Cola Company closed two of its directly owned concentrate plants, both of which were strongly unionized, and shifted production to the remaining plant in Ballina, where it refuses to engage in collective bargaining with the IUF-affiliated SIPTU.

In the USA the Company’s bottler spent more than 330,000.00 US dollars hiring a union-busting consultant firm to persuade workers at its Greenfield bottling plant to not join the RWDSU/UFCW.

Please show your support for these workers and the fight for rights in the Coca-Cola system.

CLICK HERE to send a message to Coca-Cola’s CEO and Chairman James Quincey, expressing your outrage over these ongoing human rights violations and demanding the Company act to remedy them. Your name will also be added to a petition that will be delivered to The Coca-Cola Company.

Vote Education: Super Saturday Chipping Barnet

Join the National Education Union (NEU) and School Cuts as we campaign for education in Chipping Barnet.

Meet us at High Barnet underground station (Northern Line) and we will be leafleting 11am-1pm, before getting together at the St John the Baptist Church, Church House, 2 Wood St, Barnet EN5 4BW for speeches and spot of lunch.

We need as many people to get involved as possible so invite your friends and family and spread the word on social media.

Facebook group here.

CWU Supporters: FIGHT against exploitative employers

The fight against exploitative employers, dodgy contracts and insecure work requires the support of every single community across the country.

Our recent vote for strike action in Royal Mail Group was secured by connecting with our membership in every corner of the UK – both online and on the ground.

Now we need your help to take our message to the public. By joining CWU Supporters you will be contacted with campaign materials and resources that will help us win this battle – and the others we are fighting

Be one of the first to join us by signing up below. Once you have joined us, don’t forget to hit share so that you can alert your social media networks to our new network.

Join CWU Supporters now

#VoteAgainstRacism

With hate crime and far-right terrorism continuing to rise, the stakes of keeping racism out of forthcoming General Election are incredibly high.

Prime minister Boris Johnson’s outrageous “bank robbers” and “letterbox” comments about women who choose to wear the niqab were followed by a 375 per cent increase in Islamophobic attacks in the following week. Nigel Farage’s “breaking point” poster during the EU referendum was reported to the police as a “blatant attempt to incite racial hatred”

As a general election approaches and Johnson competes for votes with Nigel Farage, we can expect this rhetoric to worsen. Meanwhile, the far-right UKIP will be targeting seats in their remaining strongholds by pursuing an even more extreme agenda.

To combat this, we have to mobilise the anti-racist majority and make sure racism can’t be used for electoral gain.

The first urgent step is a massive voter registration drive to make sure anti-racists are registered to vote. And when campaigning officially starts, we’ll be working with groups across the country to encourage candidates to sign up to a pledge to keep racism out of the election, and condemn any candidates or parties trying to use racism to win votes.

We can only do this with your support. Every penny you donate will go towards:

  • Leafleting as many areas as possible in the General Election to encourage people to #VoteAgainstRacism
  • Adverts in local press, to mobilise the anti-racist vote
  • A social media campaign condemning any candidates who try to use racism to win votes
  • Travel expenses for volunteers to campaign across the country

As well as donating, please make sure everyone you know is registered to vote!

You can register to vote at https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

If you’re not sure if you’re registered, find out at https://www.gov.uk/get-on-electoral-register

WAR ON WANT: McDonald’s workers are striking, 12 November!


McDonald’s workers are going on strike again! Join a group organising call with workers and Owen Jones to plan action in solidarity.

In the largest strike yet, workers from six stores in south London have been balloted and will take on their multinational employer in a strike on 12 November, as part of a global day of action for fast food rights.

The workers I’ve met are both nervous and excited. They’ve come together into a union to win the respect they deserve. Will you take action to show your solidarity?

Together with the TUC, we’ve organised a group call with War on Want patron Owen Jones, where the McDonald’s workers will share their plan to win and together we can build the biggest ever show of solidarity with fast food workers.

JOIN THE CALL

These brave workers are taking on the second largest private employer in the world to demand basic things that every worker should have: a wage they can live on, secure hours and a union so their employer has to listen to their concerns.

Workers have told me how the demonstrations of support from War on Want supporters like during previous McStrikes meant that when they walked back into their stores, they could hold their head up high.

Lewis, a McDonald’s worker in Crayford store told me that McDonald’s was telling the workers that the public wouldn’t support them, that they would be on their own. He said:

“Every message of support builds our confidence as we stand up to this bullying company and demand a fair wage and respect on the job.”

So let’s make this not only the biggest McStrike yet with the number of stores going on strike, but also the biggest show of solidarity with McDonald’s workers ever.

JOIN THE CALL

On 12 November, trade unions all around the world will be taking action to demand respect for fast food workers. McDonald’s is global, but so is our movement. Sign up now, join the call and let’s organise to win respect for McDonald’s and fast food workers all around the world.

When we win for McDonald’s workers, we win for everyone. That’s the meaning of solidarity.

Owen Espley
Labour rights campaigner
War on Want

Safe passage now… Stop the scapegoating, END THE ‘HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT’

A sombre, defiant and determined mood was the tone of a number of vigils across the country, including one in London on Thursday outside the Home Office, after the heart wrenching news of the deaths of 39 people who lost their lives in the back of a lorry tragically, in the hope of finding a better life.

The Stand Up To Racism vigils, in London called jointly with Safe Passage and Care4Calais, were demanding #SafePassageNow and saying #RefugeesWelcome #MigrantsWelcome and brought together hundreds resolving to also fight to #EndTheHostileEnvironment

Now more than ever we need to build the anti racist as broadly and widely as we can, so that a challenge to the ideas of division, hate and scapegoating is being raised in every community, in every workplace and in every college.

Join and share the UN Anti Racism Day demonstrations on 21 March 2020, taking place globally to send a clear message against the rise of racism, fascism, Islamophobia and Antisemitism via the Facebook event page for the #M21 #WorldAgainstRacism demonstrations here


At Stand Up To Racism, we are always looking for volunteers. If you would like to help as a volunteer for Stand Up To Racism please email us on info@standuptoracism.org.uk

And every day you can help build the anti racist movement by retweeting @AntiRacismDay – sharing posts from our Facebook page promoting events and initiatives, and of course by inviting friends on social media to get involved. 

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