1 December, 2011ICEM's Congress in Buenos Aires unanimously approves the creation of a new global union organization in June 2012. Senzeni Zokwana is re-elected President and Manfred Warda General Secretary.
ARGENTINA: 800 delegates to the fifth Congress of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) on November 24-26 in Buenos Aires unanimously approved a resolution to dissolve the federation and to found a new global union organization together with the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) in June 2012 in Copenhagen.
By acclamation, Senzeni Zokwana was re-elected president and Manfred Warda general secretary. Zokwana is the president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) of South Africa. Delegates also elected 20 vice-presidents and a 59-member Executive Committee to serve until the dissolution and founding congress in June next year.
The Congress adopted an Action Plan which details the priorities in different regions and sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper, energy and mining.
Resolutions were passed on furthering the ICEM's work in the MENA region, particularly with Iraqi and Palestinian unions, on an active response to the financial crisis and support for a financial transaction tax, labour rights in Colombia, repressive postures of governments in Hungary and other European countries, European-based companies hampering trade union rights in Turkey, electric energy, the Trans-Pacific trade partnership agreement, and on support to the striking PT Freeport Indonesia Workers' Union in Papua Province in their courageous struggle against the multinational Freeport-McMoRan.
The lessons, best practices and future strategies of ICEM's Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) campaign were debated at a conference before the Congress.
Congress news and documents can be found and downloaded at http://www.icem.org/en/219-5th-statutory-congress.
By acclamation, Senzeni Zokwana was re-elected president and Manfred Warda general secretary. Zokwana is the president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) of South Africa. Delegates also elected 20 vice-presidents and a 59-member Executive Committee to serve until the dissolution and founding congress in June next year.
The Congress adopted an Action Plan which details the priorities in different regions and sectors such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, paper, energy and mining.
Resolutions were passed on furthering the ICEM's work in the MENA region, particularly with Iraqi and Palestinian unions, on an active response to the financial crisis and support for a financial transaction tax, labour rights in Colombia, repressive postures of governments in Hungary and other European countries, European-based companies hampering trade union rights in Turkey, electric energy, the Trans-Pacific trade partnership agreement, and on support to the striking PT Freeport Indonesia Workers' Union in Papua Province in their courageous struggle against the multinational Freeport-McMoRan.
The lessons, best practices and future strategies of ICEM's Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) campaign were debated at a conference before the Congress.
Congress news and documents can be found and downloaded at http://www.icem.org/en/219-5th-statutory-congress.