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Thousands of workers took to the streets of Islamabad, Pakistan, last week, on 26 May, calling for improvements to the National Pay Scale in the next federal budget, as well as demanding that the Pakistani government shelve plans to privatize national utilities. The march last Tuesday arrived at the National Parliament where the assembled workers presented a detailed memorandum, containing their demands, addressed to the Speaker of the Parliament. 
 
Public owned industries that are at risk of being privatized include electricity, rail, postal, oil and gas, and the national steel mills. 
 
The proud ICEM affiliate, the Pakistan WAPDA Labour Union (PWLU), took a leading role in organizing the rally. Also central to the demands of the assembled workers is the issue of Contract and Agency Labour. A strong call has been issued that enterprises must treat these workers on an equal basis with regular employees. Outdated labour laws, including the Industrial Relations Act, are clearly in need of reform, according to unions. 
 
An encouraging sign of government response was the successful meeting of the Federal Minister for Water and Power, Pervez Asraf, with WAPDA on 23 May. The Minister discussed strategies to combat the national energy shortage and pledged to bring a halt to this shortage by the end of 2009. The Minister also discussed new projects scheduled, including a new power plant in Lahore, an energy deal with Turkey, and continued work on hydro projects in Neelum-Jahlum and Bhasha Dam. 
 
The meeting between the ICEM affiliate and the Energy Minister also achieved a regularization of daily wage employees of WAPDA Water and Power, and a grant of 45 percent of housing rent for WAPDA employees, as well as the building of a 50 bed hospital for Wapda employees in Larkana.

Pakistan’s Trade Union WAPDA Demonstrates for Improved Wages and Conditions

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The Spanish union, FIA-UGT, representing chemical, energy, mining, and textile workers of that labour federation held its Fifth Ordinary Congress from 14-16 May in Tarragona, Spain, with some 400 delegates attending. 
 
The theme was Todas y Todos, or Women and Men All Together. The Congress adopted two new departments, Equalities and Union Elections. 
 
FIA-UGT&rsquo;s traditional international mission was an important focus at the Congress, with three videos highlighting major efforts undertaken by the union in Latin America. One of the most important decisions taken by the Congress was to start talks with the agricultural and food workers&rsquo; union, FTA-UGT, toward a merged union. 
 
The President of ICEM-affiliated Colombian trade union, SINTRAELECOL, Danuil Gomez,&nbsp;addressed the Congress and thanked FIA-UGT for its continuing solidarity efforts with Colombian workers, as well as in building an effective ENDESA workers&rsquo; network. 

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FIA-UGT General Secretary Antonio Deusa Perazo
FIA-UGT General Secretary Antonio Deusa Perazo was re-elected to lead the union, and an Executive Committee also was elected. 
 
They Executive Committee includes: Paula Guill&eacute;n Lerma, Secretary of Organisation and Communication; Ram&oacute;n Ruiz D&iacute;az, Secretary of Trade Union Action; Bego&ntilde;a Abdelkader, Secretary of Administration; Montserrat L&oacute;pez Garc&iacute;a de la Torre, International Secretary; Francisco Ligero Pozo, Secretary Health and Safety; Eugenia Mart&iacute;n Abdrada, Union Elections Secretary; Paula Alv&eacute;s Da Silva, Equalities Secretary; Francisco Durb&aacute;n Mart&iacute;n, Secretary of Training; Victor Fern&aacute;ndez V&aacute;zquez, Mining Secretary; Jos&eacute; Carlos Ru&iacute;z Palacios, Chemicals Secretary; Manuel Garc&iacute;a Sanchez, Energy Secretary; and Jos&eacute; Emilio Mesa Ortega, Textile Secretary. 
 
The ICEM looks forward to continued cooperation with FIA-UGT&rsquo;s Antonio Deusa and members of the union&rsquo;s Executive Committee.

FIA-UGT Hold Congress in Spain, Re-Elect Antonio Deusa General Secretary

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The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) continues to work closely with the EU to implement the Registration, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. ETUC pro-actively submitted a list of 306 chemicals of high concern to workers for inclusion on a candidate list of substances for authorisation under REACH rules. 
 
The list was derived from a list of dangerous chemicals identified by the European Risk Ranking Method (EURAM). A total of 191 of those 306 chemicals are proven to have caused industrial diseases. ETUC&rsquo;s methodology is aimed at encouraging industry to develop safer substances in a competitive manner, with maximum protection of workers, consumers, and the environment. 

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In releasing the list in recent months, ETUC is hopeful the 306 substances will be clearly identified for professional users, particularly those who work with these chemicals, and that more information will be generated on them so that safer alternatives can be developed.

ETUC Prioritises 306 Chemicals for REACH

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On 18 May, Grafiska Fackf&ouml;rbundet, Sweden&rsquo;s Graphical Workers&rsquo; Union, and Skogs-och Tr&auml;facket, the Forest and Wood Trades Union, held their last Congresses in Stockholm. On 19 May, the two Swedish national unions held a successful merger Congress, reports the Building and Wood Workers&rsquo; International (BWI). 
 
Per-Olof Sj&ouml;&ouml; was elected the new President of GS, the Forestry, Wood &amp; Graphical Workers&rsquo; Union, numbering now 70,000 union members. Three Vice Presidents were elected, Tommy Andersson, Kenneth Johansson, and Erik Georgii. 
 
Sj&ouml;&ouml; said an immediate priority for the union will be the continued and unrelenting struggle to protect jobs, ensuring that it is not workers who foot the bill for the current economic crisis. He promised peace with the LO family of unions, but said it will not be a peaceful Swedish labour movement until the fight for justice has been won. 
 
The ICEM extends its best to GS and knows it is ready to face the struggles that will re-shape Swedish social life and work.

Swedish Graphical, Forestry Unions Merge

La agrupaci&oacute;n Global Unions, que est&aacute; integrada por 13 federaciones sindicales internacionales, la Confederaci&oacute;n Sindical Internacional (CSI), y el TUAC de la OCDE, sabe cu&aacute;n importante es que en EE.UU. se apruebe el Acta de Libertad de Elecci&oacute;n de los Empleados (EFCA). Sabemos que para tener una econom&iacute;a fuerte, se tiene que dar a los trabajadores la oportunidad de afiliarse a un sindicato y realizar negociaciones colectivas para que se paguen sueldos justos y se eleven las prestaciones sociales de todos los ciudadanos de la sociedad. 
 
Creemos que &eacute;ste es el aspecto fundamental del Acta de Libertad de Elecci&oacute;n de los Empleados. Nuestro sindicato respalda firmemente a los sindicatos norteamericanos en el trabajo que realizan para lograr que el Congreso de Estados Unidos apruebe este proyecto de ley, que cuenta con el apoyo del Presidente Obama. Rogamos informar a los miembros de su sindicato, como tambi&eacute;n a sus funcionarios sindicales elegidos, que nuestro sindicato apoya plenamente el EFCA, y que consideramos que es un elemento esencial de una sociedad libre que permita a los trabajadores afiliarse a un sindicato, sin que les pongan obst&aacute;culos. 
 
(Firmado &hellip; Nombre del funcionario sindical) 
(Nombre del sindicato) 
(Pa&iacute;s)

Llamada Urgente: EFCA Letter ESP

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, on the HIV/AIDS activities planned by ICEM affiliates in sub-Saharan African countries and on HIV/AIDS projects sponsored by the British Trades Union Congress.
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 

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News from Affiliates 
 
National HIV/AIDS activities by ICEM affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa in 2009 are off to a good start. During the first quarter of the year, national coordinators in participating countries submitted proposals for national activities that are supported with small subsidies from the HIV/AIDS project sponsored by the Swedish LO/TCO Secretariat and the Dutch FNV Mondiaal. Below is a description of national HIV/AIDS activities planned in 2009. 
 
In Nigeria, ICEM affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN will continue their successful campaign, which was started more than two years ago, to boost the uptake of voluntary and confidential counselling and testing in major worksites. The project is co-sponsored by the Humanity Fund of the ICEM&rsquo;s Canadian affiliate, Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union. Increased attention will also be paid to women to know their status and to access information. 
 
The 18 ICEM affiliates in the Democratic Republic of Congo cooperate on an HIV/AIDS Committee. Focus this year is on the elaboration of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS proposal for third-party funding. VCT campaigns in specific companies are also planned and as a pilot project, a first campaign will be implemented in a large cement factory. 
 
ICEM affiliate Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Zambia (MUZ) and the NUCIW in Zambia are building on their earlier training activities to organise workshops and meeting for rank-and-file members, and communities, to encourage access to VCT. A gender training workshop and the development of an HIV/AIDS manual are also on their programme. 
 
In Tanzania, TUICO and TAMICO have started preparations for a major VCT campaign sponsored by funds collected by the Women&rsquo;s Department of the ICEM&rsquo;s German affiliate, IGBCE. Two workshops have already been organised for the unions&rsquo; women committees and shop stewards to prepare for the campaign. In an encouraging development, some of the facilitators were unionists who had been trained as peer educators and VCT counsellors earlier. 
 
UMU of Sierra Leone has made good use of the seed money provided by the ICEM HIV/AIDS project. A large number of shop stewards and local union officials have been trained since UMU was included in the HIV/AIDS project in 2007. As HIV/AIDS does not discriminate between formal and informal workers, the informal workers, so-called grass-diggers, have also been included in the activities. 
 
In Ghana, the Ghana Mineworkers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) is focussing on new mines and mines not previously covered, and where awareness and uptake of VCT is low. It is therefore targeting the sites of Newmont and the Ghana Bauxite Company. A training course for women on the issues and challenges they face with respect to HIV/AIDS is also planned. 
 
Women are the target group for an extensive company-based programme in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire. The national coordinator who also organises HIV/AIDS activities in a number of Francophone West African countries, plans to work with women in nine companies organised by the three ICEM affiliates in the country. 
 
Affiliates in Botswana and Uganda are also planning training workshops and campaigns with emphasis on awareness about VCT and counselling. 
 
In 2009, Guinea is a new target country for the HIV/AIDS project (see HIV/AIDS e-bulletin 41, February 2009). During a visit earlier this year, the Coordinator for Francophone West Africa, Charlotte Nguessan, met with ICEM affiliates to assess the needs and help affiliates to set up an HIV/AIDS committee to coordinate the work. She also met with the National AIDS Commission, UNAIDS, and the ILO.
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British TUC Launching HIV/AIDS Projects 
 
The UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) is launching a project designed to build workplace capacity to combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria in partnership with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). 
 
The project, which is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) at a cost of &pound;500,000 over three years, will contribute to a drop in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, better protection of employment and human rights of workers infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, and the elimination of discrimination against them in the education and health sectors. 
 
Collective bargaining with employers on effective enforcement of the National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS will be an integral part of the project. Emphasis will be on prevention and advocacy for voluntary and confidential counselling and testing by unionists trained by project activities. 
 
In Ghana, the TUC cooperates with the Timber and Woodworkers&rsquo; Union in a one-year project funded by the Bill Morris Testimonial Fund for HIV/AIDS in Africa. The project is aimed at the prevention of HIV infections through behaviour change, the improvement of the quality of life of workers affected by, or infected with, HIV and the facilitation of access to testing and counselling to ensure early diagnosis. 
 
(Source: TUC Briefing documents of 28 and 29 April on website <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk">www.tuc.org.uk</a>)
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Global Fund Approves RCC Proposals 
 
The Global Fund Board has approved six proposals in Wave 5 of the Rolling Continuation Channel (RCC), representing costs of up to US$322 million over three years. Of the six proposals, two were for HIV. 
 
The RCC is a separate channel of funding set up to allow applicants with strong performing grants to apply for continuing funding for up to an additional six years beyond the original proposal term. Applications are by invitation only. The two HIV proposals which were approved were from Armenia and China. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 103, 17 April. GFO is a free service of Aidspan &ndash; www.aidspan.org. To receive GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>.)
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AIDS: Lessons Learned and Myths Dispelled 
 
In an article in the online edition of Lancet (<a href="http://www.thelancet.com">www.thelancet.com</a>), the authors, among them the head of the Global Fund, Michel Kazatchkine, and former head of UNAIDS, Peter Piot, deal with several myths which have emerged recently with respect to HIV and AIDS. 
 
The call alarming the notion, especially worrying during the time of financial crisis, that too much money is spent on AIDS. The fact is that AIDS remains the leading cause of death in Africa and the sixth highest cause of mortality worldwide. The authors also dispel the myth that HIV prevention is not working and point out that in several countries prevention programmes are effective and that global prevention of mother to child transmission has led to a substantial decrease in the number of children born with HIV. 
 
They also dismiss the myth that one solution, or a so-called silver bullet, will comprehensively prevent HIV transmission and the misconception that heterosexual transmission of HIV is uncommon outside Africa. The authors further argue that investments in AIDS are not being made at the expense of health systems which are chronically under funded. The Global Fund and PEPFAR are now among the biggest investors in health system strengthening. 
 
(Source: <a href="http://www.thelancet.com">www.thelancet.com</a> and Global Fund Observer, Issue 102, 25 March)
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World Bank&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS Efforts Failing 
 
World Bank programmes aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, are less effective overall than programmes aimed at addressing other health and development issues, according to a report released by the organisation&rsquo;s Independent Evaluation Group on 30 April. 
 
HIV/AIDS programmes in Africa had a 25% success rate, compared with 80% for all World Bank programmes, the report found. The report cited weak monitoring and infrastructure, poor implementation and overly complex programmes as reasons for the unsatisfactory results. Difficulties in coordinating collaboration with donors, NGOs, and government agencies contributed further to the poor results. 
 
(Source: <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a> of 4 May)
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HIV/AIDS Funding in Times of Economic Crisis 
 
Life-saving drug treatment for up to 1.7 million people is under threat because of funding pressures triggered by the global financial crisis, according to an analysis released by the World Bank on 24 April. 
 
The report examined the effect of the economic crisis on 69 of the most impoverished countries worldwide and found that 15 are highly exposed to interruption of antiretroviral treatment because of decreases in domestic and foreign funding. As stopping treatment is a death sentence for HIV-positive people, cuts could be made in prevention programmes to be able to continue treatment. This will, however, lead to new surge in infections requiring an ever higher proportion for funding for treatment. 
 
(Source: Financial Times, 25 April)
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News from the Global Union Federations 
 
The fortnightly HIV/AIDS update of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) of 1 April reports, among other items, on an HIV/AIDS comic book called &ldquo;Shore Leave,&rdquo; which was developed for seafarers and on plans by the Cambodian authorities to add questions about HIV/AIDS to the drivers&rsquo; licence exams (<a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>). 

This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. 
 
For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &quot;Translate a Web page&quot;: /en/72-HIV-AIDS/3222-ICEM-HIV-AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-44-April-2009

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 44 May 2009

ICEM Women’s Bulletin No. 33

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Arjantin'e giden bir ICEM heyeti k&uuml;resel krizin &uuml;lke &uuml;zerindeki etkilerini inceledi, ayrıca ICEM'in 2011'de Buenos Aires'de yapılacak kongresi i&ccedil;in &ouml;n incelemelerde bulundu. ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda federasyonun Arjantin'deki &uuml;yeleri ile 29 Nisan'da bir araya gelerek ekonomik kriz konusunda g&ouml;r&uuml;ş alışverişinde bulundu. Ayrıca, ekonomik kriz konusunda ICEM &uuml;yesi olmayan sendikaların da g&ouml;r&uuml;şlerini aldı ve onlarla ICEM'e &uuml;yelikleri konusunu g&ouml;r&uuml;şt&uuml;. 
 
ICEM'in Cenevre'de 23-24 Haziran g&uuml;nlerinde yapılacak Y&ouml;netim Kurulu'nda Beşinci D&uuml;nya Kongresi'nin yapılacağı yer konusunda karar alınacak. Arjantin sendikaları Kongre'ye evsahipliği yapmak istiyorlar. 

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Warda, ICEM'in Latin Amerika İrtibat Sorumlusu Carol Bruce ile birlikte, Arjantin Kau&ccedil;uk İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası SUTNA, Enerji ve Petrol İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası FeTERA ve &ouml;zel sekt&ouml;rdeki Petrol ve Gaz İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası FASPyGP ile g&ouml;r&uuml;şt&uuml;. ICEM heyeti, n&uuml;kleer enerji iş&ccedil;ilerini temsilen ICEM'e katılmak isteyen Uni&oacute;n Obrero Metal&uacute;rgical (UOM) sendikasının yanı sıra, Arjantin ulusal sendikal merkezine (CTA) bağlı sendikalarla da ICEM'e katılım konusunu g&ouml;r&uuml;şt&uuml;. 
 
Carol Bruce Arjantin'de iki g&ouml;steri y&uuml;r&uuml;y&uuml;ş&uuml;ne katıldı. 22 Nisan'daki g&ouml;steri y&uuml;r&uuml;y&uuml;ş&uuml;n&uuml; d&uuml;zenleyen ulusal sendikal merkez CTA, Arjantin'de işten &ccedil;ıkarmalar konusunda 180 g&uuml;nl&uuml;k bir moratoryum ilanını ve iş&ccedil;ilerin &uuml;cret kayıplarını karşılamak &uuml;zere devletin bir acil durum &ouml;demesi yapmasını talep ediyor. 
 
30 Nisan'da ise, Bruce, &ouml;b&uuml;r b&uuml;y&uuml;k ulusal sendikal merkez CGT'nin, krizin ve işsizliğin sorumlusu neoliberal politikalara karşı d&uuml;zenlediği g&ouml;steri y&uuml;r&uuml;y&uuml;ş&uuml;ne katıldı.

ICEM Heyeti Arjantin&#039;deki Krizi İnceledi

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ICEM, 15-16 Nisan g&uuml;nlerinde Singapur'da, Asya/Pasifik b&ouml;lgesinde taşeron iş&ccedil;iliği &uuml;zerine bir konferans d&uuml;zenledi. Konferansa sendikalardan 50 temsilci katıldı. 
 
Katılımcıların aktardıkları deneyimler taşeron iş&ccedil;iliğinin b&ouml;lgede yaygınlaştığını ve &ccedil;alışma ilişkilerine zarar verdiğini ortaya koydu. ICEM ve Friedrich Ebert Vakfı'nın yanı sıra, Singapur, Tayland, Filipinler, Malezya, Hindistan, Endonezya, Nepal ve Kore sendikaları ile İsve&ccedil;, Danimarka ve Almanya sendikalarının temsilcileri g&ouml;r&uuml;ş ve deneyimlerini sundular. 
 
D&uuml;zenli, s&uuml;rekli ve doğrudan istihdam edilen iş&ccedil;ilerin yerine daha d&uuml;ş&uuml;k &uuml;cretli taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerinin getirilmesi aşağı yukarı her Asya &uuml;lkesinde yaygın bir sorun. 

<img alt="" src="" width="240" height="155" />
B&uuml;t&uuml;n katılımcılar ortak bir sorun olan korku fakt&ouml;r&uuml; &uuml;zerinde durdular. Taşeron iş&ccedil;ileri, işlerini kaybetme kaygısıyla, sendikalaşmak bir yana, sendikal konuları konuşmaktan bile korkuyorlar. 
 
Bu alandaki sorunlardan biri de, &ouml;zellikle Filipinler'de, Hindistan'da ve Endonezya'da olduğu gibi, yasalara uyulmamasıdır. Katılımcıların dile getirdiği bir başka sorun ise bazı &uuml;lkelerde sendika sayısının &ccedil;okluğunun işbirliğini zorlaştırmasıdır. 
 
Bu alandaki olumlu gelişme ise, sendikaların ICEM k&uuml;resel kampanyasının hedeflediği şu &uuml;&ccedil; d&uuml;zeyde ağır ama emin adımlarla ilerlemeye başlamasıdır: yasa değişiklikleri (Filipinler'de bir yasa tasarısı hazırlanıyor); şirket d&uuml;zeyinde &ccedil;alışmalar (sorunu toplu s&ouml;zleşme g&ouml;r&uuml;şmelerinin ve &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenmenin ana ve &ouml;ncelikli konusu haline getirmek); taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerinin sendikalara katılabilmesini sağlayacak sendika i&ccedil;i yapılar oluşturmak. Tayland, Malezya, Hindistan, Singapur ve Kore'de bu ger&ccedil;ekleşti. 
 
Bu bağlamda herkesin kabul ettiği &ouml;nemli bir sorun, sendikal &ccedil;alışmayı şirket d&uuml;zeyiyle sınırlı tutmayıp işkolu ya da sekt&ouml;r d&uuml;zeyinde &ouml;rg&uuml;tleme ihtiyacıdır. &Ccedil;&uuml;nk&uuml; işverenlerin şirket d&uuml;zeyinde iki iş&ccedil;i grubunu (taşeron iş&ccedil;ileri ile s&uuml;rekli iş&ccedil;ileri) &ldquo;b&ouml;l&uuml;p y&ouml;netmesi&rdquo; genellikle daha kolaydır. 
 
Ne var ki şu sıralar başarı hik&acirc;yelerinden ziyade sorunlar ağır basmaktadır. Bunun somut &ouml;rneklerinden biri, Tayland'da bir sanayi gazı şirketi olan Linde'de istihdam edilen taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerinin sayısındaki artışın &ouml;n&uuml;n&uuml;n alınması ve taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerine tamg&uuml;n ve s&uuml;rekli istihdam olanaklarının sağlanmasıdır. 
 
Asya'da &ldquo;taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerinin istihdam teknikleri&rdquo; ile ilgili olumsuz &ouml;rneklerden bazıları şunlardır: 17 aylık standart s&ouml;zleşmelerin bitiminden itibaren, toplu s&ouml;zleşmeler, iş&ccedil;ilerin haklarının artırılmasını &ouml;ng&ouml;rmektedir. Bir diğer &ouml;rnek ise, denet&ccedil;ilerin taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerine sendikal &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme konusunda a&ccedil;ık&ccedil;a ayırımcılık uygulamasıdır. Filipinlerde, şirketler, işe başlamadan &ouml;nce taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerine istifa mektupları imzalatmaktadır. Bir kısım iş&ccedil;iden ise &ccedil;alıştıkları işe başka bir adla yeniden girmeleri istenmektedir. B&ouml;ylece iş&ccedil;ilerin s&uuml;rekli iş&ccedil;i sayılması &ouml;nlenmektedir.

ICEM&#039;in Singapur Konferansı Bölgedeki Taşeron İşçilerinin Sorunlarını Ele Aldı

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ICEM Workshop on HIV/AIDS and women workers in Latin America and the Caribbean
A workshop to plan activities on HIV/AIDS with special focus on gender issues was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 30-31 May 2007. The meeting opened by identifying the prejudices in connection with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has to be taken out of the private sphere. It is easier to tackle if it is discussed in public and in the unions. Women have to stop being victims. 
 
In the Caribbean, the region which is currently most affected by HIV after Africa, the Oil Workers Trade Union (OWTU) of Trinidad and Tobago has been working with the ILO. There is still a stigma about HIV and fear of disclosure and discrimination. The OWTU is currently negotiating a policy with the state-owned oil company Petrotrin. It is more difficult to negotiate with small employers 
 
Two important observations are that deaths have gone down since anti-retroviral drugs have become more affordable and that, still, more women are getting sick than men. 
 
A presentation was made on the correct use of condoms, with special emphasis on the female condom. The suggestion was made that ICEM should campaign with governments and international organisations for female condoms to be made available at more reasonable cost. In addition, Maria Luisa from FEQUIMFAR, Brazil talked about her experiences of being HIV positive in a very moving speech. 
 
The conclusions for unions to take the work forward varied greatly. In Costa Rica, for example, where work has not started, the union proposed creating awareness and called for a conference to be scheduled in October, where men and women should be invited. World AIDS Day, 1 December, should be a good day for union-company campaigns. Similar suggestions came from Uruguay and Colombia. 
 
CNQ-CUT, Brazil, proposed developing new clauses in collective bargaining agreements to eliminate discrimination and victimisation and guarantee medicines for those at work. 
 
HIV/AIDS should be included in health courses and the FORMAQUIMULHER women&rsquo;s training courses. The gender and health committees should work in partnership and &lsquo;train the trainers&rsquo; programs should include collective bargaining on HIV/AIDS. 
 
The SNQ-FS union, Brazil, suggested continuing the Summer Without AIDS program all year. This programme has been successful since 1995. The programme seeks to check where testing is done and includes HIV tests in preventive treatment. The use of the female condom is also encouraged. 
 
In Chile, women want to check all clauses in collective agreements to see if HIV/AIDS is adequate covered. They want to consult the company&rsquo;s medical services to find out what the company has been doing. And the women unionists would also analyse the company&rsquo;s position and propose common platforms on HIV/AIDS. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Women&rsquo;s Rights Key to Africa&rsquo;s AIDS Crisis
Improving women&rsquo;s rights could boost the battle against HIV/AIDS in southern African countries, where women are often forced into risky sexual behaviour by male partners or economic desperation. 
 
Physicians for Human Rights said its study of 2,000 women in Botswana and Swaziland showed that inequality and gender discrimination were major factors behind the pandemic in these countries. 
 
The impact of women&rsquo;s lack of power cannot be underestimated. In Africa, women make up almost 60 percent of HIV-positive people; in the age group 15-25 years, this soars to 75 percent. 
 
Economic dependency on men meant that women often lose control of their sexual choices, including whether or not to use a condom. Social inequality meant that men and women are held to different standards of behaviour when it comes to multiple sexual partners. The report can be accessed at 
<a href="http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf">http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/ 
reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf</a>
(Source: Reuters World Report, 25 May) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
China: Infection Rate among Women Increases by 43%
In China, more and more women are infected with the HIV virus. Between 2000 and 2006, their proportion increased from 19.4 percent to 27.8 percent of all infected, an increase of 43 percent. 
 
(Source: NZZ, Switzerland, 6 June &ndash; from Xinhua News Agency) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
G8 Summit: Unions Condemn Backsliding on AIDS
Trade unions joined HIV/AIDS activists in condemning the Summit in Germany for backsliding on its promise for universal access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010. In the final communiqu&eacute;, the G8 had almost halved its goal by targeting only 5 million in Africa with life-saving antiretroviral drugs. 
 
On the other hand, progress was made towards better G8 monitoring. This year, a first-ever monitoring exercise was undertaken. The Global Union AIDS Programme has lobbied for this provision over the last two years. It must now become an enduring and effective working tool for the G8. 
 
The G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005 committed to reaching universal access, which is defined by UNAIDS as 80% coverage. Between 10 and 12 million people will need treatment by 2010, yet the same leaders now have only set a target of 5 million in the &ldquo;next few years&rdquo;. 
 
The G8 has vaguely promised to spend USD 60 billion on AIDS, TB, malaria (for all three diseases, not just for AIDS) as well as to strengthen health systems, without clarifying aims or timelines, specifying only that it will be spent &ldquo;over the coming years&rdquo;. UNAIDS estimates show that, by 2010, USD 23 billion will be needed for AIDS alone, each year. The G8 fair share of this figure would be almost USD 16 billion. 
 
&ldquo;Africa will suffer greatly if the commitment is scaled back&rdquo;, said Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa who is also the Executive Director of the Zambia National AIDS Network and the representative for non-governmental organisations from developing countries on the Board of the Global Fund, where she currently serves as Vice-Chair. 
 
(Source: Global Union AIDS Programme Press Release, 8 June; TUAC Press Release, 8 June; World AIDS Campaign Press Release, 7 June and PR Newswire, Lusaka, 5 June)
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Global Fund Releases Report on Participation of Civil Society
Civil society (CS) has played a key role in the design and development of the Global Fund, and in the response to AIDS, TB and malaria, but some challenges remain if the contribution of CS is to be maximised. This is the main message of a new report released by the Global Fund, &ldquo;An Evolving Partnership: The Global Fund and Civil Society in the Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.&rdquo; 
 
The 49-page report describes the participation of CS in four main areas: advocacy and resource mobilisation; the Board and governance of the Fund; CCMs; and the implementation of Global Fund grants. The report also describes how the Global Fund Secretariat works with CS. The report summarizes the history of CS involvement in the response to pandemics, and describes the comparative advantages of CS. 
 
The report says that, throughout the development and evolution of the Global Fund, CS has encouraged governments to commit more resources; that CS representatives have played a valuable role on the Fund&rsquo;s Board, on CCMs and in programme implementation; and that CS has proven effective in targeting and delivering services to hard-to-reach communities. 
 
Supporting this view on CS involvement, a recent statistical analysis published in The Lancet found that Global Fund grants where the Principal Recipient (PR) is not a government entity are somewhat more likely to perform well. Grants in which the PR is from civil society, private sector, or a UN agency were 17% more likely to receive an &quot;A&quot; performance rating than grants for which the PR is from government. 
 
The authors note that this is probably because government agencies often have problems with bureaucracy and capacity. This, in turn, helps validate the GF Board's recent decision that countries should be encouraged to assign non-government PRs to operate alongside government ones. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 76, 15 June 2007. GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>. To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>).
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
The World Bank&rsquo;s Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa
In a report on the activities of the Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa (MAP) from 2000 to 2006, released on 14 June, the World Bank notes that &ldquo;mobilisation of empowered grassroots communities, along with delivering condoms and life-saving treatments, are beginning to slow the pace of the continent&rsquo;s epidemic.&rdquo; 
 
At its inception, MAP was the most important source of funds for HIV/AIDS work in Africa, but funding from other sources, notably the Global Fund, has since increased considerably. Almost USD 1.3 billion was invested over six years. 
 
MAP funds were disbursed to around 41,000 different organisations. MAP has also helped to establish 1,512 new Voluntary Counselling and Testing sites in 17 countries. 
 
The full report is available on the World Bank&rsquo;s website <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21370918~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html">here</a>. 
 
(Source: allAfrica.com News, 18 June) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Zimbabwe: HIV/AIDS Policy for the Mining Sector 
The recent launch of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector in Zimbabwe is an important step in the fight against the pandemic, which is wrecking havoc in one of the country&rsquo;s major economic sectors. 
 
The policy, which was formulated after extensive consultations between tripartite partners, aims to guide and direct the process of dealing with HIV and AIDS in the workplace at all levels of the mining sector. 
 
Government departments, the Chamber of Mines and the Associated Mine Workers&rsquo; Union of Zimbabwe, an ICEM affiliate, worked together with the ILO to produce the mining policy. 
 
Key principles of the policy include the recognition that HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue, non-discrimination, non-victimisation and confidentiality. 
 
Implementation strategies require enterprises to put in place their own programmes and allocate time, human and financial resources. Workers must be involved in programme formulation, implantation, monitoring and evaluation. 
 
(Source: The Herald, Harare, 7June 2007) 
 
(Note by the editor of the e-bulletin: The Herald is a newspaper controlled by the Mugabe regime. While the conclusion of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector is very good news, it is difficult to understand how in a country with some 80% unemployment, the collapse of the health system, an ever-increasing inflation rate that has reached more than 4,000% recently and the complete depletion of foreign exchange reserves, effective follow-up measures in prevention, treatment and care can be taken.) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
News from ILOAIDS 
 
At a meeting in Geneva during the International Labour Conference, Labour ministers from the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) resolved to establish a SAARC Forum on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) launched its HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme in collaboration with the Namibia Development Foundation. This programme will encourage and support integrated HIV/AIDS interventions including behaviour change, measures for care, support and treatment and the elimination of stigma and discrimination. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
News from the Global Union Programme and Global Union Federations
The Global Unions AIDS Programme organised a sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop for Burkina Faso and C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire in Abidjan, 6-8 June. 27 unionists participated in this workshop; the ICEM was represented by the national HIV/AIDS Coordinator in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (no. 22 and 23 of 1 and 15 June) the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF - <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>) reports, among other things, on its workshop on HIV/AIDS in the Arab world; on the HIV/AIDS situation in the Caribbean; on the Jamaican Senate passing a motion to prohibit HIV screening of prospective workers and on the ITF Regional Workshop for the Caribbean in Georgetown, Guyana. 
 
In its most recent newsletter on EFA and HIV/AIDS Prevention at Schools, the Education International (EI) has published, among other, articles on a new television programme in Botswana aired in schools across the country and on the meeting of the Inter Agency Task Team on Education and HIV/AIDS - <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 21

Archive

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FIA-UGT Hold Congress in Spain, Re-Elect Antonio Deusa General Secretary

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Swedish Graphical, Forestry Unions Merge

Llamada Urgente: EFCA Letter ESP

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 44 May 2009

ICEM Women’s Bulletin No. 33

ICEM Heyeti Arjantin'deki Krizi İnceledi

ICEM'in Singapur Konferansı Bölgedeki Taşeron İşçilerinin Sorunlarını Ele Aldı

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 21

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