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Solidarity at Coca Cola

Paul Garver of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) was interviewed by Labor Research Review, USA

What does the IUF Transnational Department do?

We provide information on transnational corporations and help build cross-border trade union structures within specific transnationals. For example, I am responsible for coordinating trade union activity within Nestle.

Can you give us an example of a solidarity campaign involving a transnational corporation?

At a Coca Cola bottling franchise in Guatemala City (Central America) the workers tried to form a union, and there was massive repression and even assassination of members of the union's executive committee and the union president.

The struggle was basically to get Coca Cola to accept responsibility for the actions of their franchise holder and to intervene in disputes between franchise owners and their workers. At first it was difficult to get Coca Cola to acknowledge any responsibility. But finally, after we conducted an international boycott which generated massive publicity, Coca Cola changed the franchise holder.

Several years later the new owner closed the factory and we found ourselves running another campaign. This time Coca Cola was somewhat quicker to find a new franchise holder and now relations are very good there.

Would it have been possible for unions in a country like Guatemala to have successfully instituted the international corporate campaign without the assistance of the IUF?

No, not the international component. But the crucial factor was the determination and the ingenuity of the workers and their leaders. In 1984-5 they physically occupied the plant for a year. Without that, the campaign would have collapsed before the IUF could have done anything significant.

The Coca Cola case is one of the few cases in the IUF where unions have actually disrupted production or distribution out of solidarity with workers in another country. We are advised by our affiliates that in general they can protest, they can issue communications, they can inform their members, but for them to take industrial action out of international solidarity is very rare. Right now we must remember that in many countries there are heavy penalties against workers taking secondary action.

Has the shift of power towards transnational corporations and international financial institutions meant a shift in strategy on the part of ITSs?

There is no international governance system for transnational corporate behaviour. This means the only way that unions can build up countervailing power is through building up equivalent union coordinating bodies.

Issues to think about:

• Paul Garver says that rather than international solidarity "the crucial factor was the determination and the ingenuity of the workers and their leaders". Why do you think he says that? Do you agree?
• Why is it hard for workers in one country to go on strike in solidarity with workers in another country? Do you know of cases where they have, despite the difficulties?
• What were the types of international action which the international union IUF organised to bring pressure on Coca Cola?

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