Global eyewear giant Luxottica is facing serious charges over its labor rights management practices at its logistics center in the United States.
In 2021, efforts to unionize the company’s employees at the McDonough center in Atlanta, Georgia, were thwarted by a series of anti-union tactics on the part of management. The dispute drew the attention of the Italian government, via the Punto de Contatto Nazionale (PCN) for responsible business conduct. The latter, whose mission, like that of any national contact point, is to answer questions about the effectiveness of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, has published a damning report on how Luxottica has violated international labor standards.
The report highlights the company’s refusal to comply with the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, particularly as regards respect for trade union rights.
Systematic violation of union rights
The process of organizing workers at Luxottica’s Atlanta (Georgia) logistics center was marked by attempts to intimidate employees. Instead of respecting the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining, coercive tactics were employed to prevent workers from organizing.
Management organized so-called “captive audience” meetings, where anti-union consultants and company officials sought to discredit the union as a fraud, while threatening employees with loss of pay and benefits if they supported the union.
In addition to these meetings, hostile messages were disseminated via posters, SMS messages, an anti-union website and even screens throughout the plant. This campaign created such an intense climate of fear that workers eventually abandoned their attempts to unionize.
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