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The European Works Council (EWC) of Alcan Packaging, facing imminent spin-off by new owner Rio Tinto, won a&nbsp;commitment that an Extraordinary Meeting of the Works Council&nbsp;would be held within 14 days&nbsp;after&nbsp;any announced sale of the company is made. Following frank discussions during EWC meetings on 25 July, where Alcan President and CEO Richard Evans reiterated Rio&rsquo;s intent to sell Alcan&rsquo;s packaging businesses, the commitment to hold a further Works Council meeting immediately following an announced sale is&nbsp;welcome news to packaging industry workers&rsquo; and their trade unions. 
 
The ICEM, a global union federation of 389 trade unions in 119 countries, applauded the commitment, calling it &ldquo;an important check-and-balance on corporate governance.&rdquo; The ICEM also congratulates the EWC and the trade unionists on the EWC for gaining this commitment. 
 
Evans told the EWC that Rio Tinto was hopeful of selling the collection of packaging businesses of as block, that there are serious buyers, and that a sale agreement could be completed soon. Peter Ellis, National Officer of ICEM UK affiliate Unite, welcomed the company&rsquo;s commitment.
<img height="138" alt="" src="" width="110" />
Rio Tinto&rsquo;s newly acquired flexible and specialty packaging businesses throughout the world are vast. The Australian company could realise &euro;5 billion from a sale. In 2003, the Canadian-based company purchased Norsk Hydro&rsquo;s packaging units, and the following year Alcan took over French-based Pechiney in a US$3.9 billion stock and cash deal. Alcan&rsquo;s packaging businesses produce products for the food, personal care, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Alcan Workers Win Commitment from Company at EWC

Preamble 
Umicore has committed itself to a sustainable development strategy, aiming to make its economic, environmental and social objectives coherent. 
 
In this agreement, Umicore intends to bring together the priorities of its global social policy, in order to confirm its principles of sustainable development, as they relate to the social aspects. 
 
Umicore Management states that its employees are a crucial factor for the Group&rsquo;s global success, which involves establishing mutually beneficial relations and dialogue between all the partners contributing to its development. 
 
Umicore recognizes that its commitment to financial success must also take into account the broader economic, environmental and social impact of its operations. Its sustainable development policy therefore notably focuses on the priorities of safe and healthy working conditions, continual improvement of its environmental performance, management and remediation of risks that are the result of historical operations, recycling and disposal of its products and the respect of all ILO core labour standards. 
 
This agreement aims to support the Umicore&rsquo;s internationalisation in social matters, in accordance with The Umicore Way, its Code of Conduct and Human Rights Policy. 
 
In order to strive for a balance between growth, economic profitability and environmental and social wellbeing, Umicore undertakes to implement the procedures and principles defined in this agreement at the various national and local levels within a reasonable timescale. 
 
In order to contribute to the success of this approach, the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) and their affiliated trade unions will participate constructively with the personnel in seeking and implementing the means to achieve the objectives referred to in this agreement and to respect the agreed commitments, the companies people and assets. 
1. Human rights 
 
1.1. Human rights 
 
In accordance with its Human Rights Policy, Umicore fully supports the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and commits itself to respect all International Labour Organisation (ILO) core labour standards. 
 
1.2. Banning of child labour 
 
Umicore undertakes not to employ children in violation of conventions 138 and 182 of the ILO. In countries where the minimum age of employment would be below the age of 15, Umicore will apply the age of 15 as the minimum age for employment. 
 
Given the hazardous nature of most of Umicore production units, the minimal age for working in production facilities in Umicore is defined at the age of 18, except in the framework of internship- or vocational training programmes, organised in co-operation with schools and training institutes or approved by the competent authority. Special care will be taken that these young people, with a minimum age of 14, are fully protected and have received adequate safety training and instructions. 
 
1.3. Banning of forced labour 
 
In accordance with ILO conventions 29 and 105, Umicore will under no circumstances make use of forced or bonded labour, such as forced labour by persons placed in an institution, or compulsory labour including labour as a means of political coercion or education. 
 
1.4. Right to organise and collective bargaining 
 
In accordance to ILO conventions 87 and 98, Umicore recognises and respects the freedom of its employees to choose whether or not to establish or to associate with any employee organisation of their own choosing (including labour unions) without Umicore&rsquo;s prior authorisation. The employment of a worker is not contingent upon the condition that he/she joins or not joins a union or be forced to relinquish trade union membership. Furthermore, union membership shall not be the cause for the dismissal of - or otherwise prejudice against - a worker. Umicore will not interfere with or finance labour organisations or take other actions with the intent of placing such organisations under its control. 
 
Umicore subscribes the principles of ILO Convention 135 and Recommendation 143 and recognizes the right of its employees to be represented by labour unions and other employee organisations in order to collectively bargain on employment conditions. 
 
Umicore and the respective employee organisations will co-operate constructively in a spirit of good faith. Even in cases of dispute the goal shall always be to maintain viable co-operation in the long term. This implicates, amongst others, the mutual respect of agreed commitments. 
 
All parties acknowledge that all representative positions defined in the scope of the agreement require that position holders have sufficient knowledge and experience and correct behaviour to deal with sensitive issues. 
 
1.5. Equal opportunities / Non-discrimination 
 
In accordance to ILO convention 100 and 111, Umicore is committed to an inclusive work culture and appreciates and recognizes that all people are unique and valuable, and should be respected for their individual abilities. Umicore does not accept any form of harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, cultural background, social group, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, age or political opinion. 
 
Umicore shall provide equal employment opportunity and treat all employees fairly. Umicore employees and business units shall only use merit, qualifications and other professional criteria as basis for employee-related decisions in Umicore, regarding for instance recruitment, training, compensation and promotion. 
 
In countries that apply &ldquo;positive action&rdquo; programmes or quota on certain minority groups Umicore will follow the country legislation. 
2 Working conditions 
 
2.1. Remuneration 
 
It is acknowledged and agreed that all employees are entitled to adequate remuneration (ILO Convention No. 100). Remuneration and all the other benefits are based on the principle of fairness and comply with the individual national legal standards or the standards of the national branches or company collective labour agreements, which ever is higher. 
 
2.2. Working time and paid holidays 
 
Umicore makes sure that the national regulations and agreements on working hours and regular paid holiday are adhered to. 
 
2.3. Health and safety at work 
 
Umicore does not compromise on a safe and healthy working environment for all employees and is committed to offering safe and healthy workplaces in accordance with national legislation. It seeks continuous improvement of its occupational health and safety performance. 
 
2.4. Qualification 
 
The skills and knowledge of the employees are of outstanding importance to Umicore and its striving to safeguard the future. That is why Umicore is committed to promoting measures aimed at the qualification of employees to the extent that the broadening and consolidation of the professional and technical knowledge is relevant for a particular job. In this context, vocational training and employment training are of particular importance and can been seen as a shared responsibility on one hand for the employer to provide the necessary training, and on the other hand for each employee to take up the offered training. 
3 Environment 
 
Umicore integrates sustainable development considerations within the corporate decision making process. 
 
It implements risk management strategies based on valid data and sound science and seeks continual improvement of its environmental performance. 
 
Umicore actively participates in the management and remediation of risks that are the result of historical operations. 
 
It facilitates and encourages responsible design, use, re-use, recycling and disposal of its products. 
 
To achieve the international and individual national environmental standards and to comply with them in practise, Umicore co-operates with the relevant local institutions. 
 
By focussing on recycling, Umicore also strives to make efficient use of natural resources and energy. 
4. Implementation of the agreement 
 
4.1. The Sustainable Development Agreement applies to all companies of the group in which Umicore has operational control. 
 
It obliges senior management and employees at all levels to comply with, accept and promote the agreed objectives. The responsibility lies with the management of the individual operations, the employees and with the workers&rsquo; representatives, insofar as such a body exists. 
 
4.2. In the subsidiaries where Umicore has a significant presence, but does not exercise a dominant influence, Umicore undertakes to use all the resources at its disposal in order to promote the principles stated in this agreement. 
 
4.3. Umicore seeks business partners whose policies regarding ethical, social and environmental issues are consistent with our own Code of Conduct, which is complementary to this agreement. Umicore supports and expressly encourages its business partners (subcontractors and suppliers) to take into account and apply the ILO core labour standards in their own corporate policy. Umicore takes the view that in doing so it lays the basis for promising future business relations 
 
4.4. This Sustainable Development Agreement will be made available in the usual Umicore languages to the management, the workers&rsquo; representatives and employees of all operations throughout the Group within the first 3 months of signing. It is communicated via the intranet and via the Business Group - Business Unit reporting lines. All Units and sites ensure that the employees are properly informed and trained if needed.
5. Monitoring the agreement 
 
5.1. The unit/site management is first responsible for implementing and assuring that the site adheres to this agreement. 
 
5.2. According to Umicore&rsquo;s Code of Conduct, all employees have the right and duty to address issues and problems related to this agreement to their superior or, if they deem this is not to be appropriate, to the heads of the Corporate Legal or Internal Audit Departments. This will not be to their detriment neither will it entail any sanctions. 
 
The concerns or complaints may be reported in the preferred language. 
 
5.3. At Group level, a specific joint committee will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of this agreement. Within this committee, the management will be represented by the Corporate Senior Vice President Human Resources and the Corporate Senior Vice President Environment, Health and Safety who, in the framework of the joint committee&rsquo;s activities, will directly report to the Chief Executive Officer. Regarding the employees&rsquo; representatives, they will be represented by 1 representative of the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF), 1 representative of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) and the Chairman of the European Works Council. 
 
5.4. The joint monitoring committee will meet once a year. At this annual meeting, the external auditor of the sustainable development report will present his audit report. Major complaints about the implementation of this agreement, addressed to or about local and corporate management or employees&rsquo; representatives, will be reviewed, as well as correction measures taken. 
 
5.5. As part of their monitoring competencies, the employee representatives of the monitoring committee can have every year a meeting with the employee representatives of one Umicore site, where employees are represented by delegates of union organizations affiliated to the IMF or ICEM. 
6. Validity of the agreement 
 
This agreement enters into force as from &hellip;&hellip; for a limited duration of 4 years. 
 
It can be terminated by any of the signatory parties by registered letter, subject to an advance notice of six months. 
 
Unless terminated within the period of validity of 4 years, the agreement is automatically extended for another 4 years. 
 
In the event of differences between the various language versions, the English version will be deemed authentic. 
 
This agreement is governed by Belgian law. Consequently, any disputes will fall within the exclusive competence of the Belgian courts.&nbsp; 
 
 
Signed by&nbsp;Umicore, the International Metalworkers For the International Federation of Federation (IMF) Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM).
Co-signatories: ACV, ABVV, ACLVB

Text of the Global Framework Agreement between Umicore and ICEM/IMF

Umicore, a Belgian metals group specialising in metal technology, chemicals, and catalysts systems, today signed a Global Framework Agreement jointly with the International Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) in Brussels. 
The agreement, initiated by the Belgian union, Centrale Chr&eacute;tienne du M&eacute;tal de Belgique (CCMB), is for a 4-year period and contains language establishing a joint committee to review and monitor the agreement. 
<img height="97" alt="" src="" width="100" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="86" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The framework agreement was co-signed by Belgian labour unions/federations Metaal/FGTB-ABVV, CGSLP-ACLVB, and CSC-ACV, the federation which affiliates CCMB. 
 
&ldquo;We are pleased to join with the IMF in establishing global standards with Umicore,&rdquo; said ICEM Gen. Sec. Manfred Warda. &ldquo;Umicore is a company that crosses into a number of sectors, including those both in ICEM and IMF&rsquo;s range.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The significance of the agreement for us is this is our first joint agreement with another global union federation,&rdquo; said IMF Gen. Sec. Marcello Malentacchi. &ldquo;We are confident that both the IMF and ICEM, through our affiliates, will uphold the very best in social practices at Umicore.&rdquo; 
<img height="253" alt="" src="" width="380" />
From left, Kemal Ozkan and Manfred Warda, ICEM; Thomas Leysen and Ursula Saint-L&eacute;ger, Umicore; and Marcello Malentacchi, IMF 
The agreement contains 6 articles: Human Rights, Working Conditions, Environment, Implementation of Agreement, Monitoring, and Validity of Agreement. Under Human Rights, Umicore pledges to adhere to the UN Declaration of Human Rights, as well as adherence to ILO core labour standards. 
The latter specifically includes ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining, and other Conventions regarding child labour, forced labour, and non-discrimination and equal opportunities practices.
<img height="260" alt="" src="" width="390" />
Under Working Conditions, the company agrees to ILO Convention 100 on fair and adequate remuneration, and pledges not to compromise on safety and health conditions in any workplace, as well as striving to post continuous improvements in all occupational health and safety performance. The Environmental principles include a 6-point plan centred on sustainable development issues. 
 
In initiating the Global Agreement, the Belgian union CCMB steered Umicore into discussions with the ICEM and IMF. Those negotiations started in earnest in January 2007 and were included in June. The agreement marks the ICEM&rsquo;s 13th such framework pact with a transnational company, while IMF has now ratified 17 such agreements. 
 
Brussels-based Umicore employs 14,000 staff in 35 countries. It began in 1906 as a Belgian mining company in the Congo, and in 2001 changed its name from Union Mini&eacute;re to Umicore. With significant divestment in the 1990s, the company since 2000 has focused on 4 businesses: advanced materials, precious metals services, precious metals products and catalysts, and zinc specialities and alloys. 
The text of the agreement can be found <a href="/index.php?id=187&amp;doc=2411&amp;la=EN">here</a>. 
 
For further information, please contact 
Dick Blin, ICEM: +32-474-88.00.54. or <a href="mailto:Dick.blin@icem.org">Dick.blin@icem.org</a> 
Kristyne Peter, IMF: +41-79-205.44.58 or <a href="mailto:kpeter@imfmetal.org">kpeter@imfmetal.org</a>

ICEM, IMF Sign Global Accord with Umicore

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
After months of negotiations with employers, ICEM affiliate Chemical Industries Employees&rsquo; Union (CIEU) of Singapore has signed a fair employment practices contract with 20 chemical companies operating in the nation-city. The pact covers 1,700 workers, and came under the auspices of Singapore&rsquo;s Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices, formed in 2006. 
 
The agreement guarantees equal opportunities for workers regarding recruitment, job allocation, and career advancement. Perhaps the single most achievement of the pact is that it guarantees employment enhancement for older workers, age 50 and above, an age range in which 20% of the 1,700 workers fall. 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
&ldquo;CIEU is confident that the 20 companies will translate their commitments to fair employment practices into action when it comes to fair hiring and in-employment practices,&rdquo; stated Sister Cham Hui Fong, CIEU&rsquo;s Executive Secretary. &ldquo;We believe this is both a pro-worker and pro-business initiative.&rdquo; 
 
The union highlights the fact that a worker who is treated fairly is better motivated to contribute to the success of the company. 
 
Representatives of the companies and CIEU held a ceremony over the agreement at Singapore&rsquo;s National Trade Union Congress on 24 October. Some of the 20 chemical companies signatory to the pact include: Aventis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Eastman Chemicals of Singapore, FujiFilm/Hunt Chemicals, Glaxo Wellcome, and Total Pharmaceuticals.

Chemical Workers’ Union of Singapore Signs Pact with 20 Firms

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The ICEM affiliate, Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union of Azerbaijan (AzOGWU), came to terms over a historic social development contract, covering 65,000 workers of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). 
 
Announcement of the pact came at AzOGWU&rsquo;s Third Ordinary Congress in Baku on 2 November, by the union&rsquo;s president, Jahangir Aiyev, and Socar President, R&ouml;vneq Abdullayev. The agreement amounts to a detailed social plan for all departments, sections, and workplaces of SOCAR. It also comes immediately after sizeable wage gains and working conditions were negotiated. 
<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Foremost to the social plan is a SOCAR commitment to provide free of charge housing to 6,000 employees between now and 2010. Assurances of health and safety upgrades is part of the social development plan. Employees in all departments will also realise better transportation allowances, and safer and more modern sea transportation to offshore worksites. The social plan also spells out better catering, creation of sports and cultural centres, and other amenities for workers. 
 
AzOGWU&rsquo;s Congress, attended by 250 delegates, re-elected Jahangir Aiyev as President, and Fetullah Mustafayev as Vice President. Special guests at the Congress included Lev Mironov, ICEM Vice President and President of the Russian Oil and Gas Workers Union (ROGWU); Ivan Mochnachuk, also an ICEM Vice President and President of the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union; Mustafa &Ouml;ztaskin, President of Turkey&rsquo;s Petrol-Iş; and Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM&rsquo;s Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer.

Azeri Oil and Gas Workers’ Union Achieves Historic Pact with SOCAR

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The 4th ICEM World Congress begins this Thursday, 22 November, and participants and others can find Congress information on a special sub-section of the ICEM website. Through <a href="/congress">www.icem.org/congress</a>, you will find all background information, including several Congress documents, as well as practical information on the venue, the Queen Sirikit Convention Center, Bangkok, Thailand. 
<img height="126" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The week-long set of meetings around the Congress, which runs 22-24 November, actually began this past weekend. A two-day Women&rsquo;s Conference was held 17-18 November, and a Contract and Agency Labour Conference will run on Wednesday, 21 November. 
 
In addition, a special meeting of the ICEM&rsquo;s Pulp and Paper Sector will occur, also on 21 November. 
 
During the Congress, this web-page will also be the place to look for updates and news on the Congress.

ICEM Website Set for GUF’s World Congress

The 20-million-member International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) is lending its support to the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation Local Union (GPOLU), and its allies, in calling for defeat of draft legislation that would, effectively, privatise Thailand&rsquo;s pharmaceutical drug industry. 
The ICEM is in full support of a manifestation on Monday, November 12, at the Ministry of Public Health in Nonthaburi. That rally, beginning at 13h00, is being organised by GPOLU, the Confederation of State Enterprise Unions (SERC), and allied consumer and civil society organisations. The ICEM encourages Thai citizens to attend. 
<img height="255" alt="" src="" width="300" />&nbsp;
Rawai Pupaga, GPOLU President and 
Chairman&nbsp;of the ICEM Thai Labour Committee
&ldquo;We lend the name of the global trade union for all chemical and pharmaceutical workers to defeat this bill,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;We believe that removing the government as a provider of essential health needs, in any form, is a recipe for higher costs, with a bigger portion of the population going without adequate health care.&rdquo; 
In a letter to be read at the manifestation, the ICEM pledged to stand with the GPOLU as they &ldquo;prevail upon current government ministers and lawmakers &hellip; that government procurement of pharmaceuticals, first and foremost, must benefit Thailand&rsquo;s citizens.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM, representing 384 trade unions in 118 countries, will be holding its 4th Congress, 22-24 November, at the Queen Sirikit Convention Center in Bangkok. Some 880 trade union leaders from national unions representing workers in the oil, gas, mining, chemicals, pharmaceutical, and processed industries such as pulp, paper, cement, rubber, glass industries will attend the ICEM&rsquo;s quadrennial Congress.

Global Union Federation, ICEM, Calls for Defeat of Thai Public Health Amendments

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
An ICEM affiliate in New Zealand, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), has rebuked a report from the New Zealand Institute, which suggests the country ought to follow rather than lead the climate control debate to avoid having businesses leave due to &ldquo;carbon flight.&rdquo; 
 
EPMU challenged that assertion, and said the country can not afford to follow on climate change, saying that a policy response &ldquo;must ensure a just transition for workers in emission-intensive industries.&rdquo;
<img height="50" src="" width="100" alt="" />
EPMU said the report brings forth the debate on just transition. 
 
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to see good, highly skilled jobs going offshore with no thought about how that skilled labour may be redeployed,&rdquo; said the EPMU in a statement. &ldquo;A just transition means encouraging investment in new technologies that demand new skills and therefore investment in training for the future. 
 
&ldquo;However, this should not be used as an excuse to drag our heels on climate change as the New Zealand Institute and other business lobby groups appear to be suggesting. The long term economic consequences of doing nothing are far more costly than emission-reduction actions now.&rdquo; The EPMU represents 50,000 New Zealanders, including workers in coal mining, manufacturing, electricity generation, and oil extraction.

EPMU Says New Zealand Must Lead, Not Follow Climate Change Transition

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
In February 2006, 550 trade unionists and academics from around the world gathered in New York City for a conference called &ldquo;Global Companies, Global Unions, Global Research, Global Campaigns.&rdquo; Now, a book called &ldquo;Global Unions: Challenging Transnational Capital Through Cross-Border Campaigns&rdquo; has been published from the conference. 
 
Edited by Kate Bronfenbrenner, the book contains 11 narratives from the best of the papers submitted at the conference. It contains essays on Global Framework Agreements, Transnational Companies and Human Rights Abuse in the Global South, and National or European: Local Trade Union Politics within Transnational Business. 
<img height="169" alt="" src="" width="120" />
George Becker,&nbsp;1928 - 2007
The conference was organised by the New York State Industrial and Labour Relations School of Cornell University, and had strong support from the AFL-CIO and the United Steelworkers (USW). The book is dedicated to former USW President George Becker, who was gravely ill at the time of the conference. A special tribute to him at the conference focused on his steadfast work during the 1994-95 strike at Bridgestone-Firestone in the US, and the international work that influenced that strike. 
 
The 280-page book is available by visiting <a href="http://www.Cornellpress.cornell.edu">www.Cornellpress.cornell.edu</a>, and orders and sales can be made by contacting Nathan Gemignani at <a href="mailto:ndg5@cornell.edu">ndg5@cornell.edu</a>. The book&rsquo;s cost is US$22.50, GB&pound;11.50, or A$39.95.

Book from New York Labour Conference Available from Cornell University Press

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ICEM was saddened by the news on 20 October 2007 of the death of Shri Kantibhai Mehta, or Kanti Mehta, the great former leader of ICEM affiliate, Indian National Mineworkers&rsquo; Federation (INMF). He was 87. 
 
In a 23 October letter to the INMF, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda wrote, &ldquo;All of us will miss our great friend and most respected leader. Brother Kandi Mehta devoted his whole life to the development of the Indian trade union movement and played a key role in international labour work.&rdquo; 
 
Born in Calcutta, Kanti Mehta worked closely with Mahatma Gandhi, as well with other Indian leaders, including Kakasaheb Kalelkar and Vinoba Bhave. In 1942, he left university to join the Freedom Movement, at the side of Gandhi. He organised port and dock workers, and textile workers, before becoming a leader in the Indian National Trades Union Congress in 1948.
<img height="204" src="" width="150" alt="" />
&nbsp;Kanti Mehta in 1983 
 

A year later he helped found the INMF, and went on to serve as the trade union&rsquo;s General Secretary and President. He was the primary reason that some one million mineworkers&rsquo; united in India between the years 1956 and 1970. In honour, the Mineworkers&rsquo; International Federation (MIF) held its 1975 Congress in New Delhi. 
 
He was known for his selfless work on behalf of India&rsquo;s rural workers, reflected in the fact that so many mineworkers&rsquo; unified behind a collective voice, the INMF&rsquo;s. He served 15 years as a staunch workers&rsquo; representative on the ILO Governing Board. A deputy director general of the ILO called Brother Mehta one of just a few from the workers&rsquo; side &ldquo;who had first hand knowledge of the needs and problems&rdquo; of those in villages, small townships, as well as in urban areas. 
 
He was a strong advocate for worker education, and was founder of the Institute for Miners and Metalworkers Education, which later became known as the Ghandi Labour Foundation (GLF) in Puri, India. He headed the GLF for many years after his 1995 retirement. In 1978, he was recipient of the Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal Award for Industrial Peace. 
<img height="139" alt="" src="" width="300" />
He was an unlikely candidate for articulation of social issues affecting rural workers. He was born into a wealthy family of diamond merchants, and his life&rsquo;s work became diametric opposite to his upbringing. The quiet dignity that he learned at the side of Gandhi in his early 20s shaped his life. 
 
&ldquo;He will always be a role model in MIF unions,&rdquo; stated Warda. &ldquo;He more than anybody was responsible for bringing the first trade union in from Eastern or Central Europe when the Hungarian miners&rsquo; union joined MIF at the 1990 Berlin Presidium. And his final achievement globally was strong support for the MIF-ICEF merger in 1995.&rdquo; 
 
In 2005, a book was published on his life, entitled &ldquo;The Unsung Kohinoor: Kanti Mehta.&rdquo; That book can be found at the GLF website, <a href="http://www.gandhilabourfoundation.org">www.gandhilabourfoundation.org</a>.

ICEM Mourns Death of Indian Mineworkers’ Union Leader, Kanti Mehta

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