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18 April, 2012
The Steering Committee of ICEM’s Bridgestone Global Union Network met in Osaka, Japan, on 14-15 April, following a year-long break in activities due to the severe effects of last year’s devastating natural disasters in the company’s home country.
The 11th meeting of the committee was hosted by the ICEM Japanese affiliate, the Japanese Confederation of Rubber Workers’ Union Affiliates (GOMU-RENGO, in coordination with the coordinating organisation of the network, the Bridgestone Union (BSU).
Chaired by GOMU-RENGO’s new President, Susumu Seo, the meeting was attended by representatives from different countries, Akihiro Nagasawa, President, Daisuke Shintani, Board member, and Kazutaka Nishihira, Vice-President, BSU; Terezinho DaMartins, President, Daniel Demetrio, Regional Vice-President, and Joao Batista Goncalves, Assistant to the President, Sao Paulo Rubber Workers’ Federation of Brazil; Pedro Wasiejko, President, Argentina Rubber Workers’ Union (SUTNA); Jesus Delgado, Secretary of the European Works Council of Bridgestone, and José Ignacio Fernandez, Burgos, Spain, shop steward, of the Spanish FIA-UGT; Yoshio Sato, General Secretary, and Norihiro Tokunaga, Assistant General Secretary, ICEM’s Japanese Affiliates Federation (ICEM-JAF); and Kemal Özkan, ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs, who also heads up the Chemicals and Rubber sectors.
The meeting also welcomed Masahiko Ichinowatari, Shinya Iwai, Masaki Andoh, and Masayuki Aso from Japanese Council of Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF-JC) as observers.
“Continuity and the firm commitment of participants have been the major features of our Bridgestone Network,” said Susumu Seo in opening of the meeting. “Attendance of our colleagues from IMF-JC gives us great hope and opportunity as our new global union, IndustriALL, takes shape in combining efforts in the automotive and related supply chains that includes the tyre industry.”
The participants received a report from Özkan on the general trends and challenges in global tyre and rubber sectors, and the effects these have had on employees. He noted that the economic recession of 2008 and 2009 has seen some recovery through mid-year 2011, with a gaggle of the world’s largest tyre-makers reporting 25% revenue growth collectively through the middle of last year.
Sales of the ten largest tyre manufacturers have collectively topped US$100 billion for the first time, and Özkan’s report noted Chinese made tyres account for about one-quarter of the world's total. China is now the largest manufacturer, exporter, and consumer of tyres in the world.
This ICEM report was followed by individual country reports from participants.
As a regular exercise to the Bridgestone Network, the meeting contained a lengthy discussion on occupational health and safety conditions inside the company’s plants, including accidents and diseases registered over the last year. The Japanese and Brazilian delegates presented individual accident cases with the remedies taken and involvement of trade unions.
The cases presented brought the meeting to a discussion on the role of unions in preventing and handling similar industrial accidents.
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled to take place in June 2013 in Brazil.