Second wildcat strike in Grafenhausen shines new light on continued human rights abuses in European road transport
အကျဉ်းချုပ်
Date Reported: 27 Jul 2023
Location: Germany
Companies
Volkswagen - Buyer , Agmaz - Employer , CH Robinson - Buyer , IKEA - Buyer , DHL (part of Deutsche Post) - Buyer , Luk Maz - Employer , Imperia Logistyka - Employer , sennder - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 60
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Georgia , Trucking , Gender not reported ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Uzbekistan , Trucking , Gender not reported )Issues
Wage Theft , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure TimeResponse
Response sought: မဟုတ်
Action taken: At the end of April, German media reported that drivers had reached an agreement with their employer, who agreed to pay outstanding wages.
Source type: News outlet
အကျဉ်းချုပ်
Date Reported: 27 Jul 2023
Location: Germany
Companies
Volkswagen - Buyer , CH Robinson - Buyer , Agmaz - Employer , IKEA - Buyer , Luk Maz - Employer , sennder - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: 130
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Uzbekistan , Trucking , Men , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Tajikistan , Trucking , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Philippines , Trucking , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Ukraine , Trucking , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Kazakhstan , Trucking , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status ) , Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Georgia , Trucking , Men , Unknown migration status )Issues
Wage Theft , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure Time , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Occupational Health & SafetyResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Resource Centre
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: A small group of drivers received payment within a number of days but the majority have still not received pay. In media statements, IKEA, VW, and DHL denied having a contractual relationship with the Mazur Group. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Mazur Group, CH Robinson and sennder to respond. Responses from sennder and CH Robinson are available on the website. Mazur Group did not respond. In a statement provided to media, the Mazur Group said that all salaries were paid in a timely manner and they had undergone a recent inspection which found no irregularities in payments. In September it was announced the drivers had reached a pay deal and ended their strike.
Source type: News outlet
A second wildcat strike by truck drivers at a rest area in Grafenhausen, Germany, has brought renewed attention to the systemic issues plaguing the road transport industry in Europe, and the urgent need for intervention by government and industry stakeholders to protect the rights of third-country nationals.
The striking drivers have gathered at the rest area to demand pay owed them by the Polish trucking consortium Mazur Group or Agmaz-Lukmaz-Imperia. As of today, over 130 trucks and their drivers, who come from countries including Georgia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Tajikistan, are gathered at the rest area.
A small group of drivers received payment within a number of days with support from the Road Transport Due Diligence Foundation (RTDD) and Fair Mobility, along with the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), and ETF and ITF affiliated united service union ver.di and the DGB in Germany. However, the majority of striking truck drivers have not yet received pay owed to them from the company. In addition to payment of the money owed to them, the drivers are also demanding an end to inhumane working conditions, including long working hours, being forced to exclusively live in their trucks, and other unsafe working practices.
During a similar strike at the Grafenhausen rest area in March and April, it became clear that the Mazur Group hauls goods for major multinational customers and logistics companies across Europe, including IKEA, Volkswagen, CH Robinson and Sennder. The German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains puts obligations on these companies to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses and ensure workers’ rights are protected in their supply chains.
“The current business model for road transport perpetuates violations of workers’ and human rights,” said Livia Spera, General Secretary of the ETF. “In European road transport multinational companies prioritise profit over people, leaving the most vulnerable workers in their supply chains exposed to inhumane treatment, payment delays and much more. It is crucial that authorities hold these companies accountable and enforce existing regulations to ensure the full implementation of social legislation for all drivers, regardless of their nationality.” ...