Thursday November 13, 2008, a meeting took place in the ongoing negotiations between labour union EEALU, representatives of Hoya Glass Disk (Thailand) and officials of the Thai Ministry of Labour in Lamphun province. This time with a very positive result: an agreement was signed between the labour union and the company.
The broad lines of the agreement are:
- Hoya Glass Disk (Thailand) will proceed to the reinstatement of dismissed 47 workers[1]. This means that the termination notices are cancelled; the workers will not suffer loss of seniority, will be provided with former benefits and will be paid compensation equalling three times their month salaries.
- The workers will withdraw the complaints they had filed at the Labour Relations Committee (44 cases) as well as the court cases they had started (7 cases). The company in its turn will withdraw the court case it had begun.
- Upon return to their work places at Hoya, the workers will follow company’s regulations. The company in its turn has promised to create better labour relations with the workers, in collaboration with the labour union.
- The company has promised not intervene any longer in the activities of the labour union.
GoodElectronics welcomes this agreement and extends its congratulations to EEALU and other Thai labour rights organisations that have campaigned to find a just solution for the problems that had arisen.
GoodElectronics calls upon Hoya Glass Disk Thailand to follow up on its promises. GoodElectronics also calls upon the companies sourcing from Hoya to make sure Hoya does what it has agreed to. Essential is that both Hoya and its buyers will continue to engage with labour union EEALU in a meaningful way.
GoodElectronics will, together with the local organisations involved, monitor the implementation of the agreement. If need be, GoodElectronics will again step up its campaign
For now, GoodElectronics will discontinue its call for the sending of urgent appeal letters to Hoya and its buyers.
[1] Out of the original 65 dismissed workers, 51 authorised the labour
union EEALU to take up their case with Hoya. Four workers will not be returning
to Hoya as they have in the mean time found new employment.
