It’s still uncertain how badly the Omicron variant will take hold in the UK this winter. But with an extraordinary NHS crisis already upon us, we are reminded of how vital PPE is to saving lives.
Pre-pandemic, PPE global supply chains were already known to be riddled with trade union and human rights violations, but it has worsened in the past 20 months. Forced labour has increased, authoritarian governments have used the pandemic to further restrict organising, and collective bargaining agreements have been ripped up and thrown away.
The medical rubber gloves manufacturing sector is one of the worst offenders. It’s characterised by a vulnerable migrant workforce, low union density and forced labour. Conversely, the pandemic has been a bonanza for the company owners and shareholders who have seen their profits triple. Shamefully, the current UK government isn’t using its purchasing power to demand genuine change.
At UNISON, the paradox that our members are saving lives using products made by workers whose rights are violated is very uncomfortable. So, we’ve been carving a path to extend our solidarity to those workers. We are supporting the FTZ & GSEU trade union whose members are suffering from wage theft and union busting tactics at an Ansell factory in Sri Lanka. Ansell is an Australian PPE manufacturing multinational company whose profitability grew by nearly 60% in 2021.
We’re also watching Top Glove, the world’s biggest rubber glove manufacturer and a supplier to Ansell. After a period of intense media pressure about its forced labour record, Top Glove has improved. But we are sceptical whether the social audit reports announcing that the company has become a good employer in such a short period of time – without verification by trade unions – are either true or sustainable. We are also waiting to see if Ansell will finally pay back all Top Glove workers their illegal recruitment fees, in full and without discrimination.
There are no trade unions at Top Glove’s sites, but its AGM on 6 January 2022 is around the corner. This is an opportunity for all our UNISON members who are pension fund trustees, or managers with involvement in procurement of PPE from Top Glove, to ask those difficult questions, in solidarity with the workers who produce our life saving equipment.
