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14 February, 2011
The ICEM held its North America Regional meeting in San Francisco, US, on 26-27 January, and General Secretary Manfred Warda expressed thanks to Joe Drexler for the excellent work he has done, and introduced Brian Kohler as the new ICEM Contact Person for North America.
"Joe brought a strong work ethic to the ICEM and he made dynamic and progressive contributions," said Warda. "These traits we will strive to replicate at the ICEM." (See Drexler's farewell letter.)
The meeting also saw Warda report on trade union rights violations in Mexico, Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, and other countries, such as Zambia. He said ICEM Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Vice-President Rayford Mbulu has been ordered by the Zambian government to step down from his union position and leave the country.
Warda also reported on the meeting he and ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana had with the then minister of Labour and Social Welfare. The Santiago meeting proved the government is a nowhere to ratifying ILO 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, despite the promise of to Chilean President Sebastián Piñero late last year in the wake of the San José mine rescue. Warda said the ICEM and others, including affiliates, will continue to press Piñero. He urged North American unions to join this campaign.
The host union for the meeting, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) reported on efforts to organize a Bayer pharmaceutical plant in northern California. North American ICEM affiliates agreed to form a committee to study a multi-site union recruitment initiative at Bayer’s American plants.
Drexler, the former ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs and Mining Officer who returned early this year to employment at the United Steelworkers (USW), reported on Mexican Days of Action, from 14-19 February, in support of free trade unions in Mexico. There will be simultaneous protests in many countries at the five-year anniversary of the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster in Mexico, 19 February, he said.
Joe Drexler
The National Union of General Tire/Continental Workers’ Union (SNTGTM), the union representing Continental Tire workers in Mexico, made a presentation on their union and their current situation with the German multinational, as well as with the Mexican government. Following their presentation, union delegates moved to accept SNTGTM into the North America regional meetings of ICEM.
Affiliates in attendance made reports on their sectors, including energy, chemicals, paper, cement and materials, mining, and rubber. Many sectors are being affected by the economic crisis, globalization, technological change, and contracting out. In the case of electric, gas, and water utility workers, privatization is also an ongoing threat.
IMF General Secretary, Jyrki Raina
On day two of the meeting, International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) General Secretary Jyrki Raina joined by teleconferencing, and he and Warda reviewed ongoing discussions on building a new industrial Global Union Federation (GUF). Warda reported that the ICEM is fiscally very healthy and well-prepared to meet the issues for creation of a new global union structure, to include ICEM, IMF, and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF).
Both Warda and Raina said there are many examples of cooperation between the three GUFs, and hopefully there will be significant progress to report at the time of ICEM’s Fifth Statutory World Congress, to be held 24-26 November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The North America affiliates expressed strong support for continuation of ICEM's sectoral work. Regionally in a new global industrial trade union federation, the North American region should be able to adapt easily to an increase in the number of affiliated unions.
The issue of Mexico, with strong economic ties to North America and equally strong linguistic and cultural ties to Latin America, was also discussed on day two. Both Warda and Raina said the wishes of Mexican unions should be respected, but that one possibility could be to consider them member-affiliates of both regions.
ICEM North American Region Chairs Ken Neumann and Dave Coles
The ICEM’s North American Region is co-chaired by USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann and Dave Coles, President of the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, both ICEM Vice Presidents.
The next ICEM North America Regional meeting will be 13 June, at the national office of the CEP in Ottawa, Canada.