Final Document : Sindelfingen 1992  
     
  IWIS (IBM Workers International Solidarity) representatives held their 6th meeting in Sindelfingen Germany. They came from 13 countries, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain belonging to 19 Unions or Organizations to discuss current restructuring of IBM, the situation of our plants, the necessity of workers to organise in unions or other organisations, and related issues.  
  Also present were representatives of the German Metal Workers Union (IG Metall) and of the International Federation of Employees FIET).  
     
  The main issues we dealt with were:  
     
  Restructuring  
     
  We consider that the way restructuring is being implemented in IBM is detrimental to both the employees and IBM itself.  
 
  • Corporate management in order to counter declining market share, erroneously regards employees as liabilities instead of assets. IBM must recognize that there is a need for creative and motivated employees to improve competitiveness, particularly in difficult times and a more harsh market environment.
 
 
  • The exodus of so many employees (40.000 in 1992 alone) also led to both loss of skill and disruption of work processes. Fear and job insecurity are spreading amongst employees as IBM is announcing, on a steadily increasing speed, more and more early retirement and separation programs.
  
 
  • IBM offloads the burden of restructuring onto its employees by deteriorating their working conditions, benefits and making it difficult in many countries to compensate the cost of living increase.
  
  All these problems show that IBM as a "Good Citizen" true in the U.S.A. nor in the other countries.  
  This meeting had a particular attention about Manufacturing and Development. IBM manufacturing is an integral part of the IBM company, with 123.0OO employees around the world. To adequately protect their interests, manufacturing workers need:  
 
  • Maximum short and long-term information from IBM every 6 months regarding
    • future missions and product development
    • sourcing of plant work
    • selling of IBM facilities
    • conversion of plants and peoples skills.
  • Results of a recent US study indicate that female plant workers had a higher than normal incidence of miscarriages from working in so called "clean rooms".

 
 

This points to an inadequacy in the company Health and Safety program that must be corrected.
 

Participation of employees and their representatives (Works Councils, Unions etc.) to negociate the restructuring processes is needed.

 
  Morale of employees continues to decline significantly, and so is the public image of IBM.  
     
  Workers 0rganizations  
     
  Under these difficulties and problems, the employees need to organise themselves to properly protect their interests. History and experience have shown that only when workers are organised they can face the initiatives of IBM. In the case of IBM Germany, for example, which will be divided in five separate companies with the perspective of severe deterioration of working conditions (salaries, working hours, pension plan, etc.) such perspective can only be avoided if the workers will massively join a strong union.  
 

We ask IBM Employees all over the world to join us in a common endeavour by participating in the following actions:

  • Employment Defense Day on Dec. 15, 1992
  • Signing the worldwide "Speak Up" document
 
  For the Employment Defense Day, specific initiatives will be taken in each country on December 15, 1992.  
  For the "Speak Up" document, the more signatures we have, the stronger our impact will be.  
  Until our 7th meeting in 1994, IWIS activities will intensify to better represent and protect the interests of IBM workers all over the world.  
 
Sindelfingen, November 12, 1992
  
     
 
Austria IBM Work Council Member Horst Kuner
Belgium IBM Belgium, CSC Jean Brimioulle
Federal Republic of Germany IBM IG Metall Ernst Niemeier
France IBM France, C.G.T. Gilbert Rachmuhl
  IBM France, C.F.D.T. Aymard de Camaret
Greece Panhellenic Professional Union of IBM Employees Dionysis Gatopoulos
Italy Coordinamento Nazionale dei Consigli di Fabbrica Angelo Goldmann
Japan Japan Metal and Information Machinery Workers- Union : (JMIU), IBM Japan branch Kozo Yoshida
Netherlands VIP Jos Jeanson
  VHP Eggo Agterof
Portugal Comissao de Trabalhadores Vasco Almeida
Republic of Korea Korea Labor Union Moo Seong Lee
Spain IBM Work Council Paco martin
Sweden SIF Rolf Lind
United States of America IBM Workers United Lee Conrad