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Press

The Transport and General Workers’ Union of UK is polling 1,200 members at two Michelin plants for industrial action. Michelin’s wage offer in December of either 3% or GBP 650 is inadequate, and separate polling of the two workforces will begin this week. The two sites are Stoke in the Midlands with 400 T&G members and Ballymena in Northern Ireland employing 800.

Transport and General in UK Ready for Industrial Action at Michelin

All communication was cut off to and from Nepal late last week and the ICEM was unable to ascertain the safety and whereabouts of leaders of its affiliated unions, including ICEM Vice President Binda Pandey of the Independent Chemical and Iron Workers’ Union and GEFONT. King Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 February dissolved his handpicked government and declared a state of emergency. At the weekend army forces were going after Maoist rebels. GEFONT leadership and ICEM leaders and contacts inside Nepal are not connected with the insurgency. ILO Director- General Juan Somavia reminded Nepal’s king on 4 February that emergency decrees “aimed at anti-social disruptive elements should not be applied against workers for exercising their legitimate trade union rights, including the right to organize public meetings.”

Emergency Law in Nepal Suspends All Human, Labour Rights

American affiliate PACE announced that the US government’s Mine Safety and Health Administration has found 48 violations of health and safety standards at Imerys’ calcium carbonate plant in Sylacauga, Alabama. The French-based firm has tallied 44 of the charges, while four are related to substandard conditions created by contractors. PACE has filed further unfair labor practice charges against Imerys, this time for retrenching the job of the local union president, retaliating against other PACE members for lawful union conduct, and unilaterally changing work terms without consultation with PACE. The US government has already found Imerys guilty of three labour code violations. PACE, together with the ICEM, is pursuing an OECD investigation of Imerys for its anti-union conduct at Sylacauga.

Imerys in US Called on Mine Safety Violations

Over 200 workers have died in what has been the biggest mining disaster in China for more than half a century. In spite of promises by the Chinese authorities to increase the overall safety in mines, through legal efforts as well as through education, the 15 February explosion in the Sunjiawan mine, near Fuxin in northeast China, stands as further proof of the continuing dangerous conditions inside Chinese mines. China accounts for 80% of deaths in the mining industry, while only producing 35% of the world’s coal. 6,000 workers are said to have died in 2004 in Chinese mines. The accident also shows the necessity and timeliness of the ICEM-led effort on safety in Chinese mines. According to a memorandum signed as a result of this effort in December 2004 by eight different parties, more technical cooperation with the Chinese mining entities is urgently needed to start improving the safety and health situation in the mines in China.

Massive Mine Disaster in China Kills Over 200

US affiliate United Steelworkers of America (USWA) ratcheted up the bargaining pressure on Bridgestone/Firestone 16 February by conducting handbilling at some 200 Nissan auto dealerships across America. The "Day of Action" at non-union Nissan North America was meant to remind Nissan customers of quality problems the last time the Japanese tyre manufacturer imposed a labour dispute on 6,000 USWA members employed at Bridgestone/Firestone. The union and company are currently locked in intense talks on the master rubber agreement in the US.

USWA Pressuring Bridgestone Over new Tyre Contract

In Canada, affiliate Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) is holding a rally today in the New Brunswick town of Miramichi over UPM Kymmene’s September announcement that it would shutter a kraft pulp mill at year’s end, thus costing 400 workers their jobs. CEO contends the Finnish firm has a legal responsibility to operate the mill it purchased in year 2000 because of a signed agreement to preserve manufacturing jobs in exchange for three Crown licenses granting the firm harvesting rights on government timberlands.

CEP Intent on Keeping Canadian Pulp Mill Open

More killings to Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) leaders happened in Baghdad late in February. The ICEM condemns these cowardly acts and expresses support and sincere condolences to the IFTU. On 18 February, Ali Hassan Abd (Abu Fahad), a leader of the Oil and Gas Workers’ Union at Baghdad’s Al Doura refinery, was shot and killed in front of his young children outside his home. On 24 February, gunmen attacked and killed Ahmed Adris Abass of IFTU affiliate Transport and Communications Union in Martyr’s Square.

ICEM Condemns Murders of Iraqi Trade Unionists

Nigerian ICEM affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN 28 February issued an ultimatum to Shell and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) to correct workforce deficiencies or face industrial action. In a joint statement, the unions demand consultation on all future redundancies, an end to contract employment, a stop to abuse of expatriate quotas, and a review of the government’s downstream deregulation policy. If management of Shell and state-owned NNPC do not address these issues, industrial action could commence 21 March.

Nigerian Oil Affiliates Issue Ultimatum to Shell, NNPC

The government-imposed "sole administrator" has now left the headquarters of the Nigerian oilworkers' union NUPENG and the democratically elected union leadership has moved back in. This follows a NUPENG Congress and elections yesterday. 
 
The headquarters of the oilworkers' union PENGASSAN is also understood to be back in the union's control. The "sole administrator" there withdrew ahead of next week's PENGASSAN Congress and elections. 
 
The government administrators had been running the two unions ever since the late military dictator Sani Abacha ousted their real leaderships at gunpoint in 1994, as he moved to crush a nationwide oilworkers'strike. 
 
Re-elected as NUPENG General Secretary yesterday was Frank Kokori. The new NUPENG President is B.B. Awe. 
 
Kokori and PENGASSAN General Secretary Milton Dabibi were imprisoned without trial under the Abacha regime. Their release this June followed a sustained worldwide campaign led by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the two unions are affiliated. 
 
"The NUPENG headquarters has been left in a bad state," Kokori told ICEM UPDATE today. "My first task will be to get the basic infrastructure back in and put our administration back on its feet." 
 
The ICEM had continued to press for the ending of government intervention in the two unions. "Democratic control is essential to the revival of these two important Nigerian unions," commented ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe today. "We greatly welcome the freeing of PENGASSAN and NUPENG and look forward to working with them again for the good of workers in Nigeria and worldwide."

Nigeria: Oil Unions Back In Workers' Hands

The ICEM is central to global protests against the Colombian government’s expulsion of four international trade unionists on 31 October. ICEM, along with representatives from the Textile, Education and Journalists GUFs, as well as ICFTU and Human Rights activists, met with Colombian Ambassador to Belgium Nicolás Echavarría on 5 November in Brussels over the expulsions. Colombia has officially apologized for the trade union breaches, blaming the incident on immigration officials and “erroneous interpretation” of decrees. The four were due to attend a regional trade union coordination meeting. About the same time, union leaders from the UK, Ireland and Spain who were in Colombia at a women’s trade union meeting had their 60-day visas cancelled and were permitted inside the country for only three days.

ICEM Protests Expulsions of Trade Unionists to Colombia

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