The case involved the termination of 600 workers of the Bata plant in Sri Lanka, on the grounds that they had engaged in collective action following the dismissal by the management of the branch president of the Commercial and Industrial Workers’ Union of Sri Lanka and the retrenchment of 146 workers.
The Global Union Federation contended that such behaviour violated the OECD guidelines.

These guidelines govern the activities of multinational enterprises, which cover all internationally-recognised core labour standards as well as covering general policies for good corporate behaviour. In particular, the guidelines require companies to respect the right of their employees to be represented by trade unions and to engage in constructive negotiations.

ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney met with Canada’s Foreign Ministry earlier this month to discuss the submission. According to the ITGLWF, Bata turned down an offer to meet to discuss a resolution to the problems in Sri Lanka.