Copyright (c) 1998, Joongpil Cho
webshells.com/labor/imerys
| Author | PACE Special Projects |
| Date | 00/05/09/17:23 |
| Hit Count | 530 |
| Paris, France
May 9, 2000 While Imerys management may have expected attention to be showered on the company's impressive financial performance at its annual meeting of shareholders in Paris, a labor dispute at its Alabama plant, just one of 200 Imerys plants worldwide, drew almost everyone's attention. Jyrki Raina of the ICEM, who was representing Walden Asset Management and the 4,000 Imerys shares held by Walden, recounted for shareholders the union busting committed by Imerys in Alabama. Penny Schantz, who is facilitating the PACE European campaign on Imerys, asked Imerys CEO Patrick Kron if the company still intended to campaign against the union if an election was held. She also gave him PACE's written position which stated that any campaigning by Imerys against the union was "unacceptable." Kron, cordial although visibly shaken by the unfolding events, said the company intended to campaign by communicating with workers but pledged "not to campaign against the union." He said the controversy in Alabama should be handled locally, should not be brought to Paris, and cannot be resolved by filing "OECD complaints." This was a direct reference to a news release, filed earlier in the week by PACE and the AFL-CIO European Office, stating that a formal complaint over labor rights violations in Sylacauga may be lodged against Imerys. The OECD represents the world's richest nations. Shareholders received handbills written in French as they entered the hall where the meeting was held. The handbills asked simple questions such as, "why has the company engaged in anti-union practices in the U.S. while it is trying to improve relations with unions in Europe?" Over 200 shareholders were in attendance. |