IWA Report on activities during the Week Against Non-Payment of Wages
From Priama akcia
December 2, 2024
Report on activities during the International Week Against Non-Payment of Wages
In the third week of October, we have been highlighting the phenomenon of non-payment of wages for several years. This year, member sections and organizations close to the International Workers' Association (MAP) organized perhaps the most diverse forms of activities to date between October 14-20 - public meetings, pickets, discussion meetings and workshops, but also hanging banners, distributing thematic publications, stickers and posters in the streets, or sharing information about non-payment of wages in the online space. Let's take a closer look at them.
SPAIN
The National Confederation of Labor (CNT-AIT) in Albacete organized a rally in the Plaza del Altozano (https://cntaitalbacete.es/2024/10/sindical-la-lacra-del-regimen-salarial...). On Saturday, October 19, union members unfurled a banner and distributed leaflets. The location was deliberately chosen so that the union could confront the event of employers' organizations that are campaigning for consumption.
The CNT-AIT also pointed out the situation in the country:
"Recently, non-payment of wages has become widespread in the Kingdom of Spain, mainly in the private sector providing public services. This concerns, for example, companies that are in charge of retirement homes, cleaning, cooking, transport, etc."
She also pointed out that in addition to exploitation that arises due to the existence of the wage system, non-payment of wages also has other causes:
- insufficient application of collective agreements and wage tables by employers,
- non-payment of overtime,
- fraud in hiring,
- unilateral application of fundamental adjustments in the field of working conditions,
- incorrect application of job categories,
- non-payment of bonuses and holidays,
- dismissals, etc.
During the discussions in the square, it was clear that non-payment of wages and exploitation is widely understood as a problem and needs to be confronted - raising awareness, organizing and conducting disputes through direct actions and in a way that allows for assemblies to decide. The CNT-AIT also pointed out the international dimension of the problem and expressed solidarity with other MAP unions that are involved in disputes over unpaid wages:
"We would also like to express our support to the couriers in Poland fighting against precarious work and unpaid wages, to the friends in Slovakia who worked at Veganano, to the friends in Madrid fighting against Grupo Los Serenos, etc., and to the entire working class involved in the struggles against unpaid wages."
The CNT-AIT in Madrid held a picket on October 17 against the company “Grupo Los Serenos”, which owes its member wages, severance pay and holiday pay (https://sovmadrid.org/piquete-contra-el-grupo-los-serenos-el-jueves-17-1...). Our friend worked for them from 2023 to 2024. When he started speaking out against working conditions and went to court, the company responded with fabricated warnings so that it could “objectively” fire him. The protest took place in front of the building that is the customer of Los Serenos’ cleaning services. In this way, the CNT-AIT is trying to put pressure on the company, which is silent and difficult to contact. The president of the building owners’ association also came to see the action, and was asked to terminate his contract with Los Serenos. Discussions were also held with people from the neighborhood, slogans were chanted, reasons were explained why not to cooperate with this company, but there was also talk about precarious working conditions, the need to collectively defend our rights and put an end to the class system in which we live.
In Madrid, during the Week, there was also a protest against the company Acaya, which has owed salaries to workers at the Pipo Velasco youth center for two years (https://sovmadrid.org/piquete-contra-el-impago-de-salarios-de-acaya-ocio...). The date was deliberately chosen to coincide with the CantArte dance and music festival, which is known for its large attendance. Banners were unfurled, slogans were chanted at the center's staff, and leaflets were also handed out to passersby.
FRANCE
CNT-AIT France prepared a report for the MAP sections, from which we select:
"This week is a week like any other for us, because the fight against wage theft is part of our regular activity. But at the same time, during it we can point out what is the 'everyday' activity of an anarcho-syndicalist organization, which we usually don't talk about because we consider it too common."
In mid-October, a worker from a cleaning company contacted the union in Toulouse. Due to the distance, he had to use a car to travel to work, but it broke down and the company threatened to fire him. It turned out that according to the collective agreement for the sector, the dismissal of the worker would be illegal and that for years the boss had systematically deprived him of part of his salary, which was due to him for car maintenance and for transfers between individual work locations. The union offered to go to the boss together with the worker, but the worker decided to confront the boss alone. After a week, he contacted again and thanked him, saying that thanks to the information from the union he had managed to keep his job and that he would work elsewhere, where he could get to by public transport. He decided not to ask for the money owed.
At the same time, a seasonal worker in Paris contacted the union. He went to pick fruit, but he had no employment contract or pay slip and was receiving a lower wage compared to others at his workplace. The union tried to obtain the missing documents from the employer, which they managed to do, but they were not complete. It turned out that in this case it would be difficult to reach a settlement - there was no interest on the part of colleagues to get involved and the harvest had already ended, so the possibilities of putting pressure on the boss were significantly limited.
The CNT-AIT also develops the idea of individual and more collective disputes:
“We prefer to support collective struggles. An example is the recent struggle at Ducuing Hospital (https://www.ainfos.ca/24/aug/ainfos00398.html), where administrative staff went on strike for payment of part of the wages that management had stolen from them. However, in the case of extremely precarious jobs, such as cleaning jobs or seasonal agricultural work, it is more difficult to organize than in enterprises where you have a permanent contract, because workers with precarious and temporary contracts often do not know each other and are only together for a limited time on a construction site, on a temporary assignment or during the agricultural season.”
He adds that an important part of the union's activities is building class awareness and spreading ideas that say that working people as such have common interests, regardless of their origin or situation (permanent contract, fixed-term contract, temporary work, etc.). These interests have nothing to do with the interests of bosses and, in conjunction with organizing in anarchist unions and on a solidary basis, we can have power. Such awareness, gained in times of "peace", can later help us to stand up for ourselves and act collectively in disputes with bosses.
SERBIA
The Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI) has also managed to establish contacts with workers without paid wages this year.
In one case, we already know the outcome. It was the case of DExpress, which ignored the worker's requests for payment of wages, per diems, and transportation and food expenses, while working most of the time without a contract. However, he was determined to fight together with ASI. After ASI contacted the company and indicated the problems that direct action would cause them, the entire amount owed was immediately paid, as well as compensation for the other items mentioned.
During the Week, stickers dedicated to the topic also appeared on the streets of several Serbian cities, and a new issue of the newspaper Direktna akcija (Direct Action) was distributed in front of businesses. The articles dealt with non-payment of wages, violence against women in the Yura factory, the fight against unpaid wages in schools, etc.
ASI explains that when people are alone, it is often very difficult for them to take up the fight against their bosses. However, if they act collectively and with determination, the balance of power can change and the other side will start to back down. That is why it makes sense to organize also in the fight for higher wages, more breaks, lighter work, a shorter work week, more autonomy at work and other demands.
"Thanks to organizing and direct action, we can achieve everything that bosses owe us by law, but not only that! ... Through collective organizing, decision-making, sharing experiences and overall building a culture of mutual assistance, we are building a world where people's needs are important. That is why we organize and connect with workers all over the world. Intergalactic Diner, Detox Kitchen, Ana Ćirković doo, Drink Store are examples of companies that paid back wages after we, our union and the workers, put pressure on them."
POLAND
The Polish Trade Union Confederation (ZSP) has a lot of experience in fighting for the payment of unpaid wages. Recently, it has focused mainly on the Żabka grocery chain, against which it has already succeeded in a number of disputes. Before the start of the Week, it organized a picket in Gdańsk in connection with the payment of wages to a teenager who came to Poland from Ukraine after the outbreak of war. The problem was resolved very quickly.
Although the ZSP had to deal with an urgent case of unlawful dismissal during the Week, it managed to spread a publication on non-payment of wages for workers from abroad on social media. It is currently available in English (https://zsp.net.pl/files/wage-theft-foreigners.pdf) and Ukrainian, with other languages possibly added.
He also spread the word about the issue among people in the courier services industry, where he is currently involved in a dispute. It is not about non-payment of wages, but previous experiences with Uber have shown that it is a topic that people need to be informed about.
SLOVAKIA / AUSTRIA
For the Priama Akcia union, this year was the first experience with the promotion of the Week connected with the ongoing dispute over unpaid wages. On Wednesday, October 16, an international campaign was launched to support workers in the dispute with the VegaNana confectionery, which has been ongoing since the end of August. Articles in English and German with information on how to get involved in the dispute from abroad were added to the English section of the PA website and to the MAP website (https://www.priamaakcia.sk/kategoria/english). The articles contained sample protest messages, which made it easier for MAP sections and other people to participate.
The expansion of the dispute to the international level has significantly increased the pressure on those responsible. This was also facilitated by cross-border cooperation with another MAP section - the Vienna Workers' Syndicate (WAS). Both unions held a joint protest in Vienna on October 18. During the protest, former VegaNana employees Jana, Laura and Veronika personally handed over a letter to GlutenFreeX to remind them that they had still not answered questions regarding their cooperation with VegaNana. VegaNana's debt is €17,252.30 and, despite all the facts, GlutenFreeX continues to buy cakes from the person responsible for this debt and, moreover, slanders PA online. The dispute is still ongoing.
In addition to the aforementioned activities, stickers and posters for the Week were also distributed in Slovak cities, and the PA published a text calling for contact if workers have problems with unpaid wages.
IRELAND
On Tuesday 15th October, Organise! held a workshop on wage arrears in Belfast at the new library, reading room and community space, The (A) Centre. They discussed what wage arrears, or wage theft (as some organisations call it), is and how it can be combatted.
Successes in obtaining unpaid wages associated with termination of employment were mentioned. These were mainly in the restaurant industry and although there were no major disputes, the fact that workers were given advice and the amounts owed were calculated together helped. In the cases mentioned, the employers paid the debts. Organise! adds:
"So far, confident and factual argumentation on the part of workers about what is theirs has been sufficient, but it is clear to us that this will not always be the case."
The meeting also discussed a situation that sometimes occurs when a problem affects more than one person.
"In one case, the employer did not pay the salary of a female and a male worker after the termination of the employment relationship (unpaid vacation). Only one of them, with whom we had already been in contact, contacted Organise!. After discussing the problem, the female worker submitted a written request to the employer for payment of the unused vacation, and the employer paid it immediately. The second worker, despite being encouraged by a colleague to contact us, preferred a more humble oral request. In the end, he was intimidated by the owner and two managers, who told him that they did not owe him anything. This showed us how necessary self-confidence and solidarity are when confronting bosses. Although these were not major disputes and did not escalate, they are significant on a small scale."
A positive outcome of the meeting was that those present were encouraged to organize further open meetings, discussions, and workshops dedicated to organizing in the workplace.
In addition to the workshop, Organise! also covered the issue of unpaid wages in the October issue of the Northern Black Star newsletter (https://organiseanarchistsireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/BlackSt...). They also highlighted the fact that in Northern Ireland, employers are withholding wages worth an estimated £200 million a year (mostly in the restaurant industry, which employs around 65,000 people).
BRITAIN
The Solidarity Federation (SF) also has extensive experience in combating wage arrears. On Saturday 19 October, SF organised a workshop in Bristol to discuss various forms of wage arrears in both the private and service sectors and how to combat them. The union also produced a comprehensive infographic on the topic (see FB post: https://www.facebook.com/bristolsf/posts/pfbid02wCJmBSx5Y6SsuG8dHg1yofRc...) and promoted the Week in the Streets.
NORWAY
The Norwegian Syndicalist Federation (NSF) promoted the Week on its website, Mastodon, on a well-known FB page dedicated to the struggles of workers and among people in its vicinity. It brought new information about the application of the 2022 law, which, according to the government, was an example of its serious interest in protecting workers, but is intended to punish only serious acts. The law has been used in 284 cases in the eighteen months since its adoption. However, only in one case has anyone actually been convicted and there is no evidence to confirm that it has succeeded in reducing the number of cases of non-payment of wages.
The NSF also published a multilingual publication dedicated to the rights of foreign workers in the country in the areas of wages, working hours and contracts, vacations, and the work environment.
GERMANY
In Germany, three anarcho-syndicalist groups from Cologne, Munich and Ravensburg officially merged in early November under the unified name Anarcho-syndicalist Network (ASN) and act as MAP's contact in Germany. The Cologne group had previously prepared thematic posters in Arabic, Kurdish, Spanish, English, French and German. In a published statement, they state that non-payment of wages is a global problem and point out its various forms:
“Withheld wages sometimes accumulate in the form of several months of arrears. Or wages are only paid partially. Sometimes there is no compensation for overtime or the minimum wage is underestimated. There can also be non-payment of bonuses or illegal deductions from wages. In the worst cases, non-payment of wages leads to outright slavery. Wage theft often causes significant financial damage to workers. They usually have little or no savings and find themselves without the means to make a living. ... Several sections of the International Working Men’s Association have already taken direct action against companies that defraud workers. And anarcho-syndicalists are often successful in recovering unpaid wages.”
The ASN in Munich made a large banner that they hung on a road bridge.
RUSSIA
The Confederation of Revolutionary Anarcho-Syndicalists (KRAS) has one of the most interesting websites and FB pages dedicated to the struggles of workers in Russia and elsewhere in the world. Although it has very limited opportunities to actively lead struggles in the workplace, it makes up for this by regularly informing about the problems of workers. It identifies non-payment of wages as the main cause of labor disputes in Russia. At the end of September, they wrote about the activities of bus drivers in the city of Pyt-Yach (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), in October about the case in Moscow. More information at https://aitrus.info.
UKRAINE
Although the Assembly collective from Kharkiv is not part of MAP, it also pointed out the ongoing Week this year. This time, it linked the non-payment of wages to a topic it has been working on quite actively lately - leaving the war-torn country and helping soldiers deserting from the army to get to countries west of Ukraine. The collective explained the ban on traveling from the country in a broader context, which also has an economic dimension - preventing the outflow of cheap labor.
In articles on the Assembly website https://assembly.org.ua from September and October, we can read about working conditions in companies and how non-payment of wages occurs. It is clear that non-payment of wages is also common in the EU, but not to the same extent as in Ukraine, so leaving the country makes sense for people.
CHILE
Workers' Solidarity (SO) are Friends of MAP and have recently become more active in addressing workplace issues. They participated in the Week for the first time and used it to promote a call for workers to share information about unpaid wages and organize direct action to secure their payment.
USA
The Workers Solidarity Alliance (WSA) in Philadelphia got involved in the Week in a creative way. Three specific workplaces where its membership works posted messages about engaging in solidarity activities in the fight against unpaid wages. One of the messages reads:
"Many of us have been working in the US for years, even decades. We have experienced bosses not paying us what we were owed or refusing to provide us with various benefits. We have heard bad experiences from our families or had friends or colleagues with similar experiences. Now we have the opportunity to learn, in the context of our own work situation, how to act in solidarity in the event of such problems!"
WSA also said they are pleased to be part of MAP in the US (it has Friends of MAP status) and plans to organize a workshop on solving problems with non-payment of wages and how to stand up for people in the immediate area if something like this happens to them.
- - -
The International Week Against Non-Payment of Wages was also discussed at the MAP plenary in Colombia in June 2024, where conclusions were adopted to improve coordination. More organizations ended up participating in the Week in some form than last year, and we also know that others (including from South and North America) planned to participate. We are constantly working on this topic and we believe that participation will increase even more next year.
"Unpaid wages are a problem that many people face, but not all workers and workers feel that they can do something about it. However, such actions show people that it can be done. They have nothing to lose and there is a very good chance that they will succeed!" (MAP Secretariat)
If your boss owes you a salary and you want to get it back, contact us!
You can find more information about the reasons why the Week is organized and how it is related to anarcho-syndicalism, for example, here: https://www.priamaakcia.sk/Medzinarodny-tyzden-proti-nevyplacaniu-miezd-....
The report was compiled based on information from individual organizations.
