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A dispute has arisen in South Africa between ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Xstrata Coal over the apparent discharge of 12 HIV-positive miners. The miners were first sacked last fall from their jobs at the Tweefontein collieries in Mpumalanga province, but the NUM interceded on their behalf before the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) and won reinstatement to their jobs. 
 
But in mid-February, Xstrata Coal South Africa informed the NUM that it would re-sack the 12 and appeal the CCMA&rsquo;s decision to a labour court. At issue is whether or not Xstrata knew of their HIV status through a joint NUM-Xstrata Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCR) programme that is strictly confidential. Hundreds of Tweefontein miners were tested through the programme in October and November 2010. 
 
It is uncertain if Xstrata Coal gained access to results of the screenings, but the NUM alleges that the company does know the results. A private service provider was contracted to do the screenings and results are supposed to be shared only with the individual.
<img alt="" src="" width="225" height="169" />
Left: NUM Regional Secretary Paris Mashego
NUM Highveld Regional Secretary Paris Mashego accused the company of dragging backward the campaign to test for the pandemic and said the NUM will continue to press for the real motive behind Xstrata&rsquo;s reversal. Late this week, NUM delegates and shop stewards from many Xstrata worksites will descend on the company&rsquo;s Johannesburg headquarters to manifest against the injustice. 
 
&ldquo;What we experience here with Xstrata is the same thing our Australian comrades of the CFMEU experience with the company,&rdquo; said Mashego. &ldquo;They cannot accept official rulings and must always appeal their losses in order to get their way. Only in this case, there is something fundamentally wrong, the anonymity and confidentially of HIV-positive workers.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="" width="70" height="100" />
The National Education, Health, and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union (NEHAWU) of South Africa also responded negatively to Xstrata Coal&rsquo;s alleged actions. &ldquo;This ghastly and barbaric behaviour by a company is a clear sign of how some big companies are failing to abide by the ILO or the OECD Codes of Conduct by violating workers&rsquo; rights and working conditions. 
 
&ldquo;This alleged discrimination against workers who are HIV-positive is a huge blow to the government&rsquo;s fight against AIDS,&rdquo; stated a NEHAWU spokesman, &ldquo;because it sends a message to those who have the disease that they will lose their jobs if they come out.&rdquo; 
 
Xstrata Coal South Africa, 20% owned by African Rainbow Minerals Ltd., operates 11 coal mines in South Africa, and is currently developing three new projects &ndash; the Arthur Taylor Colliery Opencast Mine (ATCOM) East development, the Goedgevond coal project, and optimisation of the Zonnebloem project, all in Mpumalanga province. Together with the Tweefontein optimisation project now nearing completion, the projects will eventually produce 90% of the company&rsquo;s South African coal output.

Xstrata Coal South Africa Accused of Sacking HIV-Positive Miners

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In France, European paper and packaging giant SmurfitKappa was made to move up on a 2011 wage offer for 2,500 corrugated packaging workers following a day-long strike on 23 February. The French paperworkers are employed at 18 SmurfitKappa paper plants and French union CGT-FILPAC staged successful strikes at all 18 that increased 2011 earnings. 
 
The agreement calls for a 2.35% wage increase spread across 2011. SmurfitKappa had offered only 1.4% prior to the strike, with half of that &ndash; 0.7% -- first due on 1 April. CGT-FILPAC won a one percent on 1 March, with the remainder due sooner this year than the company&rsquo;s now discarded proposal dates. 
 
The union also won an added increase for lower-salaried workers, effective 1 October 2011, and posted an increase in holiday pay as well. 
 
Last week&rsquo;s industrial action was the second within a month in the French paper sector over what constitutes a fair 2011 pay increase. Some 400 UPM paperworkers at the Chapelle Darblay newsprint mill had been staging twice-weekly two-hour strikes across all three work shifts to get the Finland-based company to meet French cost-of-living demands. 
 
And to illustrate the deadly risks inside the paper sector, also in France, in late January a contract worker was killed at Emin Leyder&rsquo;s paperboard mill in Nogent-sur-Seine, Aube, when a gas explosion occurred inside a pulp tower. The 47-year-old contractor was working on the roof of a pulping tower with another worker and was blown off the roof by the blast. The 300,000 tonne-per-year corrugated medium and linerboard mill is the smaller of Emin Leyder&rsquo;s two French mills, owned by the holding company FINEL SA.

24-Hour Paper Strike Gives Accord to CGT-FILPAC, SmurfitKappa

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US state of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wasted no time starting a major union-busting effort. Just a month into office, Walker is using budget deficit hysteria as excuse to eliminate public-sector unions by eliminating their right to bargain&nbsp;collectively over wages and benefits. 
 
The firestorm of legitimate protests that has overtaken Madison, the state capital of Wisconsin, has spread to other states, where different legislative measures have surfaced by ultraconservative lawmakers that would unequivocally, and overnight, turn the clock back in America by 80 years. 
 
(The ICEM&rsquo;s North America Region entered the protests in Madison last week by sending representatives from both Canada and the US to the state, and issued a terse letter to Walker. The letter by ICEM Regional Vice Presidents Ken Neumann and Dave Coles states that Walker has &ldquo;drawn an ideological, anti-labour and undemocratic line in the sand.&rdquo; The full <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Letter%20to%20Gov%20Walker.pdf ">ICEM North American letter</a> can be viewed here.) 
<img alt="" src="" width="93" height="128" />
In Madison, and indeed, throughout the US and in many places in the world, resistance to Walker&rsquo;s numerous and draconian public spending cuts has drawn an ideological line in the sand. In the early morning hours of 25 February, Republicans who control the Assembly, Wisconsin&rsquo;s lower legislative chamber, used tomfoolery to pass the cuts. 
 
The regressive measures would have already been signed into law by Walker&rsquo;s pen had it not for Wisconsin Democrats in the state Senate. Republicans hold a 19-14 in that chamber, but need 20 senators present to take legislative action. All 14 Democrats have left the state in order to prevent a quorum. 
 
The proposed cuts are far more than just the elimination of public-sector bargaining. The 144-page bill contains sweeping cuts to health care for low-income families, it would reduce by US$976 million over the next two years state aid to local units of education, and it would allow the governor to unilaterally privatise any state public utility without soliciting bids and without Public Service Commission consent. And in just one further insult to public employees, the proposed legislation mandates a 5% cut in salaries with that savings going to public-sector pension funds. 
 
The battle in Wisconsin has become a vanguard against right-wing extremism in the US. But why should it matter to the rest of the world? Considering the US is still the world's largest economy, here are five things to understand about the Wisconsin struggle. 
 
1. It is not really about deficits or austerity measures; this is an excuse. Wisconsin was on track for a modest budget surplus of US$120 million this year. However, by taking a worst-case estimate of some real and potential shortfalls in Medicaid, legal aid, prisons, and debts owed to other states, Walker creates the appearance of a US$137 million shortfall. 
 
To put Walker&rsquo;s budget deficit fabrications into perspective, the American film documentary producer Robert Greenwald points out that withdrawing just 151 US troops from Iraq would save more money than Walker&rsquo;s trumped-up deficit. Demanding that wealthy individuals and corporations pay a reasonable share of the tax burden would also solve the problem. The earnings of just the top 13 US hedge-fund managers (about US$1 billion each), if taxed as ordinary income instead of capital gains, a US tax loophole, would provide enough new revenue to hire 68,000 teachers. 
 
2. It is not about union intransigence. Public sector unions in Wisconsin have agreed to cuts in wages and benefits. However, they will not agree to permanent removal of their right to negotiate future wages and benefits. That is what Walker is demanding. 
<img alt="" src="" width="291" height="218" />
3. Public sector workers are not the cause of Wisconsin's problems. However, public sector workers are the last major segment of the US workforce with significant rates of unionization. Resistance in Wisconsin is resistance to a new demagoguery inside the US to destroy public sector unions as the final bastion unionisation strength in America. Wisconsin and Walker and the conservative business-led foundations pressing this assault clearly are using the Midwest state as a test case. A defeat in Wisconsin will mean sweeping attacks on unions elsewhere in the US. 
 
4. To accomplish this, well-funded business organisations and right-wing media outlets have incessantly worked the American mainstream against public sector workers. Their ploy is to direct private-sector worker resentment on the things that they do not have, or have been taken from them like adequate pensions and benefits, towards public-sector workers who still have them. To divide and conquer, and distract from the rich who have sucked up nearly all of America&rsquo;s wealth, is the name of the game here. 
 
5. Most poignantly, the battle in Wisconsin is about the national political credibility of the US union movement. There are many politicians who do not believe that it is worth their while to pay any attention to union demands. A loss in Wisconsin would cement the view that unions are too weak to matter. 
 
Pure and simple, what is now happening in Wisconsin is nothing less than a class war. 
 
The ICEM is adamant that Governor Walker in Wisconsin must be stopped. A <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/8.ICEM.IMF.Wisconsin.21Feb.pdf">joint letter from the ICEM and International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF)</a> is here. Write letters of protest to <a href="mailto:govgeneral@wisconsin.gov">govgeneral@wisconsin.gov</a>, for fax to: +1 608 267 8983. And please copy ICEM when you do at <a href="mailto:info@icem.org">info@icem.org</a>.

Five Things to Know About Protests in US State Wisconsin

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After review of the deadly clash between workers and police at Advanced Chemical Industries Ltd. (ACI) in Siddhirganj, Bangladesh, on 23 January, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Union (ICEM) finds ACI&rsquo;s conduct contemptible and the root cause of the violence that left one worker dead and over 100 hospitalised. 
 
The Geneva-based ICEM also supports trade unions in Bangladesh who are risking repression and have demonstrated since last Sunday in opposing the heavy-handed use of police force in central Narayanganj district in putting down the legitimate protests of ACI workers on 23 January. 
 
After numerous attempts to correct disparities inside the 407-worker ACI Pharmaceutical plant, full-time and temporary workers alike attempted to stage a peaceful protest. ACI&rsquo;s response to the worksite protest was to call police, who caused mayhem by firing rubber bullets and some 30 canisters of tear gas at the protestors. 
 
One worker, a 25-year-old temporary worker, Enamul Huq, died in a hospital from wounds inflicted from police. Scores others remain hospitalised and the police now have unfairly issued arrest warrants for workers involved in the protest.
<img src="" width="123" height="151" alt="" />
Arrest warrant: Beaten Striker
The ICEM determines that responsibility for the melee belongs with ACI, which too long neglected the pleas of both workers and their plant-level trade union in addressing legitimate workplace concerns. Workers&rsquo; grievances center on failure to give temporary workers full-time, permanent work status, with some temporary staff working as long as 12 years in those unsecured position and without the level of benefits that permanent workers receive; refusal to allow temporary workers to join the plant-level union; and failure to address extremely low wage rates for both permanent and full time workers. 
 
&ldquo;The fact that nearly all 400 workers, temporary and full-time alike, participated in this disaffection and that is one signal that management of ACI failed in its duties,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in total support of workers&rsquo; grievances and call on ACI to adopt a higher level of social conduct.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM also reminds civil society that Bangladesh has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98, freedom of association/right to organise/right to organise/bargain collectively conventions, and the Bangladesh government has a duty to ensure these global standards are applied. 
 
The ACI plant produces drug aids for human use. The plant employs 167 full-time workers and 240 temporary workers. ACI is major Asian manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of drug aids, agri-chemical and pesticide products, and basic consumer products. 
 
The ICEM is a Global Union Federation representing 20 million workers, encompassing 467 trade unions in 132 countries. 
 
For further information, contact: ICEM Information Officer Dick Blin, <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>, +41 22 304 1842, or +41 79 734 8994.

ICEM Condemns ACI Conduct in Deadly Bangladesh Chemical Plant Riot

Rhodia and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) today announced the renewal of the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/ICEM%20AGREEMENT_17%20FEB%202011.pdf">&ldquo;Social Responsibility&rdquo; agreement</a> first signed in 2005. This agreement, designed to drive continuous improvement and the only one of its type signed with a chemical company, confirms Rhodia&rsquo;s commitment to sustainable development and its determination to ensure that high labor standards are maintained on all its sites. 
 
By renewing its partnership with ICEM for the second time, Rhodia is reasserting its commitment to apply worldwide: 
&bull; The international labor standards defined by the International Labor Organization, 
&bull; The principles of the UN Global Compact, 
&bull; Its labor standards in the fields of health and safety at work, managing occupational hazards and protection of environment. 
 
In order to verify the correct implementation of the commitments specified in the agreement and to continuously improve its content, annual assessments will be conducted at a local level by representatives of Rhodia and ICEM. 
<img src="" width="339" height="185" alt="" />
For 2011, the main amendments to the text of the agreement are: 
&bull; The creation of an innovative body &ndash; the &ldquo;Global Safety Panel&rdquo; &ndash; to ensure that the dialogue between management and employee representatives is firmly anchored in the realities of the Group&rsquo;s industrial activities. Comprised of ICEM members representing each of the Group&rsquo;s different geographical regions in addition to members of Rhodia&rsquo;s General Management team and a delegation of ICEM representatives, this panel is responsible for monitoring the Group&rsquo;s safety policies and results worldwide, 
&bull; The adoption of monitoring indicators to follow the situation regarding employment and the subcontracting policy of the Group, 
&bull; The extension of the validity of the agreement by increasing it from three to five years. 
Lastly, both parties agree to continue to reflect on the terms and conditions making it possible to develop a worldwide social dialogue within the Group. 
 
&ldquo;Rhodia is the only chemical group to have signed a global social and environmental responsibility agreement with ICEM. Since it was first signed in 2005, the assessments conducted regularly on the ground by ICEM and Rhodia have made us progress and the agreement has been broaden each time it has been renewed. Through this exacting partnership, Rhodia is confirming its social commitments and submitting its practices to vigilant appraisal by the ICEM. It shows our determination to foster an innovative culture of social dialogue within Rhodia,&rdquo; said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, Chairman and CEO of Rhodia. 
 
&ldquo;The Rhodia framework agreement is an effective, working document for the ICEM and its affiliates,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;Rhodia has proven to be a responsive and responsible social partner and ICEM looks forward to many further renewals with the Group.&rdquo; 
 
Rhodia is an international chemical company resolutely committed to sustainable development. As a leader in its businesses, the Group aims to improve its customers&rsquo; performance through the pursuit of operational excellence and its ability to innovate. Rhodia is the partner of major players in the automotive, electronics, flavors and fragrances, health, personal and home care markets, consumer goods and industrial markets. The Group employs around 13,600 people worldwide and generated sales of &euro;4.03 billion in 2009. Rhodia is listed on Euronext Paris.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
ICEM, a federation of trade unions representing a number of industries around the world, was comprised of 467 unions in 132 different countries. It is the largest federation of trade unions in the chemicals industry. 
 
Contacts Rhodia 
Relations Media 
Roxanne Diarra +33 (01) 53 56 59 62 <a href="mailto:roxanne.diarra@eu.rhodia.com">roxanne.diarra@eu.rhodia.com</a> &nbsp; 
 
Investor Relations 
Maria Alcon  +33 (0)1 53 56 64 89 <a href="mailto:maria.alcon-hidalgo@eu.rhodia.com">maria.alcon-hidalgo@eu.rhodia.com</a> &nbsp; 
Benjamin Bruneau  +33 (0)1 53 56 64 42 <a href="mailto:benjamin.bruneau@eu.rhodia.com">benjamin.bruneau@eu.rhodia.com</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
Contact ICEM 
Dick Blin  +41 79 734 8994 <a href="mailto:Dick.Blin@icem.org">Dick.Blin@icem.org</a> &nbsp;

Rhodia and ICEM Reinforce Global Social and Environmental Responsibility Agreement

Dear Sisters, Brothers and Comrades: 
 
You may have heard that I am departing the ICEM and returning to North America and my union, the United Steelworkers (USW). This was a very difficult decision for me, which was determined largely by personal factors. Manfred and the USW have worked out an arrangement for me to assist the ICEM in the transition with replacement staff, so feel free to contact me at jdrexler@usw.ca if I can be of assistance. 
 
While my original leave of absence to work at the ICEM was for two years, the leave was extended and I am finishing with almost 3 &frac12; years of service to the ICEM. I had an extraordinary opportunity that few trade unionists ever have. I was able to see the world through the eyes of wonderful colleagues and comrades in the many unions I came in contact with. Working together, we were able to build a stronger and more vibrant ICEM North America Region and make important strides in building power against greedy and sometimes brutal multinational employers. 
 
Serving as the ICEM Mining Sector Officer was particularly rewarding. Mining trade unions in much of the Global South play a pivotal role in the broader trade union movements and may well determine the future of civil society in many countries. The struggle to ensure responsible mining investment and sustainable development, the right to organize trade unions without employer interference, improved health and safety of miners, and stopping the scourge of tragic mining accidents remain major challenges. 
 
I express special thanks and appreciation to Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary; Senzeni Zokwana, ICEM President; Andrew Vickers, Chair of the ICEM Mining Sector; Ken Neumann and Dave Coles, Co-Chairs of ICEM North America; and the ICEM staff for their support and counsel throughout my tenure at the ICEM. 
 
I wish all the ICEM affiliates the very best in the future. I know with continued hard work and perseverance that we will build a new and better life for working people throughout the world. 
 
In solidarity, 
 
 
 
Joe Drexler 
 
ICEM - Director of Industry &amp; Corporate Affairs, Mining Secretary and North American Coordinator

Joe Drexler&#039;s Letter to ICEM affiliates on his departure

Calling for trade union rights in Mexico, the international trade union movement began a week of action by meeting with the Mexican Ambassador to the United Nations and holding a rally in Geneva, Switzerland today. 
 
Similar actions are scheduled to take place in at least 30 countries around the world until February 19, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the deaths of 65 miners at the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster in Mexico on February 19, 2006. 
 
Since this time the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union, the union that called for justice following the disaster, has faced systematic, frequently violent and escalating violations of worker and trade union rights by employers and the Mexican government. 
 
Other independent trade unions in Mexico seeking to improve the rights of working people have also increasingly come under attack in recent years through the tolerance, complicity and, on many occasions, the direct action of the Mexican state. 
 
A delegation of international trade union leaders, accompanied by a representative of the Swiss union UNIA, met with the Mexican Ambassador in Geneva this afternoon and demanded the Mexican government stop violating fundamental trade union rights and start complying with its own laws and international standards on human and trade union rights. 
 
&ldquo;It is now five years since 65 miners were killed in the February 19, 2006 explosion at the Grupo M&eacute;xico Pasta de Conchos coal mine. To this day, bereaved families have not received proper compensation, the miners&rsquo; bodies remain buried and violent and illegal attacks perpetrated by the Government and employers against the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union continue,&rdquo; explained Fernando Lopes, Assistant General Secretary of the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation, a member of the delegation to the embassy in Geneva today. 
 
&ldquo;The political persecution of the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Unions and others like it must stop,&rdquo; demanded Lopes. 
 
Independent unions including the Mexican Miners' Union (SNTMMSRM), the Mexican Electrical Workers' Union (SME), the UNTyPP union representing workers in Mexico's state-owned petroleum company PEMEX, the National Union of General Tyre Workers of Mexico (SNTGTM) and the Union of the Autonomous University of Mexico's Workers (SUTUACM), as well as the Mexican Telephone Workers' Union (STRM), Authentic Workers' Front (FAT) and up to thirty other unions affiliated to the National Union of Workers (UNT) have all faced violent attacks, intimidation and repression of trade union rights. 
 
Supporting the campaign, Joe de Bruyn, President of the UNI Global Union explains, &quot;For decades the Mexican government has facilitated low wages and suppressed worker voices through a pervasive web of employer-controlled protection contracts. We want to change the rules of the game in Mexico and ensure all workers can join the free and independent trade union movement.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;Calderon must begin to understand that trade union freedoms in Mexico will not disappear, no matter how hard he tries to ignore it,&rdquo; said ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, also supporting the week of action. &ldquo;Global trade unions in fact are now keenly united on Mexico as a target for vast improvements on social labour rights. Momentum and pressure now become our tools.&rdquo; 
 
David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary, added, &quot;We have witnessed at first hand the deep running desire of Mexicans for representation and just and safe workplaces. The will and the need are there; it is actions like these ones that now take this struggle forward.&quot; 
 
&ldquo;Mexico must fulfill its international obligations to respect fundamental workers&rsquo; rights. The treatment of the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union is a symptom of a much broader problem of violation of ILO standards in Mexico, and the fact that proper compensation still has not been paid is simply unacceptable,&rdquo; said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. 
 
Trade unions in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kosovo, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the U.S. are calling on the Mexican government to respect trade union rights in a series of actions from 14 to 19 February 2011. 
 
In Mexico itself, the independent trade union movement will be holding various actions across the country throughout the week to highlight the systematic abuse of trade union rights by the Mexican government. 
 
Together the trade unions are holding rallies, meeting with Mexican government representatives, and sending letters and thousands of emails all calling on the Mexican government to: 
1. Hold employer and government officials accountable for the Pasta de Conchos mine explosion that killed 65 miners on February 19, 2006. 
2. Abolish systemic violations of workers&rsquo; freedom of association, including employer-dominated &ldquo;protection contracts&rdquo; and interference in union elections. 
3. End the use of force&mdash;by the state or private parties&mdash;to repress workers&rsquo; legitimate demands for democratic unions, better wages and working conditions, and good health and safety conditions. 
4. End the campaign of political persecution against the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union and the Mexican Electrical Workers&rsquo; Union. 
The action to support the democratic and independent unions in Mexico is being taken by trade unions around the world affiliated to the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), UNI Global Union and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). 
 
NOTES TO EDITORS: 
 
1. For additional information about trade union rights violations in Mexico please see: 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Fact%20sheet_en.pdf">/wp-content/migration/icem/Fact%20sheet_en.pdf</a> &nbsp; 
 
2. For addition information about the actions taking place around the world this week, go to: 
&bull; IMF website at: <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011">www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; ICEM website at: <a href="/en/5-Mining-DGOJP">www.icem.org/en/5-Mining-DGOJP</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; UNI Global Union website at: <a href="http://www.uniglobalunion.org/MexicoAction">www.uniglobalunion.org/MexicoAction</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; Twitter hashtag #mexicoaction 
 
3. The International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and represents the interests of 25 million metalworkers in over 100 countries around the world. <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org">www.imfmetal.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
4. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) also based in Geneva, represents 20 million workers worldwide. <a href="http://www.icem.org">www.icem.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
5. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) represents 4.6 million transport workers in 781 unions in 155 countries. <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
6. UNI Global Union represents 20 million workers belonging to 900 skills and services trade unions worldwide. <a href="http://www.uniglobalunion.org">www.uniglobalunion.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
7. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) represents the interests of working people worldwide. It has 301 affiliated member organizations in 151 countries and territories, with a total membership of 176 million workers. <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org">www.ituc-csi.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
________________________________ 
For further information on the actions being taken, please contact:&nbsp;Tom Grinter, ICEM, +41 22 304 1853. <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a>, Anita Gardner, IMF, +41 22 308 5032. <a href="mailto:agardner@imfmetal.org">agardner@imfmetal.org</a>,&nbsp;Olga Vinogradova, UNI Global Union, +4179 4462703. <a href="mailto:olga.vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org">olga.vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org</a>,&nbsp;Sam Dawson, ITF. Tel: +44 (0)20 7940 9260. <a href="mailto:dawson_sam@itf.org.uk">dawson_sam@itf.org.uk</a>

Global Days of Action On Workers’ Rights in Mexico

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The ICEM applauds the unity and successful coordination of Colombian trade unions, in the launch of a new daily radio programme for workers, called &quot;Contacto Social.&quot; Included in the grouping of 12 unions were ICEM affiliates Sintraelecol and USO. The process was supported locally by ICEM&rsquo;s country coordinator Carlos Bustos. 
 
The daily programme has now been broadcasting since 1 February, Monday to Friday, in the areas around Bogot&aacute;, Cundinamarca, Boyac&aacute;, Meta, and Tolima, and is also available globally online. The organizers of the project plan to expand its reach in the future and become a major media tool in Colombia, communicating views to workers, and supplying an outlet to those whose voices cannot otherwise be heard. 
<img alt="" src="" width="150" height="99" />
Trade unionists and supporters are encouraged to call and join the on-air debate at +57 4176970 
 
One story that was&nbsp;reported today on &quot;Contacto Social&quot; is the Colombian national Labour center&nbsp;CUT organising a workers' picket at&nbsp;the office of the Vice President, ahead of a high-level meeting with the ILO. 
Unions in the South American country&nbsp;demand that Colombia be re-added to the list of countries evaluated by the ILO's Committee of Experts. CUT President Tarsicio Mora decried the continuing dangers facing trade unionists in Colombia, where&nbsp;46 were murdered in 2010 and three so far this year. There are currently over 40 labour disputes ongoing, many caused by the erosion of labour&nbsp;rights and working conditions by employers. 
 
Listen to the <a href="http://www.icemcolombia.com/index2.php?option=com_radio">daily radio programme</a> of Colombian workers here.&nbsp; 
See more on the <a href="http://www.icemcolombia.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=frontpage&amp;Itemid=1">ICEM Colombia website</a>.

Trade Unions Coordinate Launch of Daily Radio in Colombia

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Over 400 delegates and guests attended the 5th Congress of the ICEM-affiliated Russian Oil, Gas, and Construction Workers&rsquo; Union (ROGWU) 22-23 December 2010, at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. 
 
The Congress re-elected Lev Mironov as President in a closely fought three-way election. ROGWU also elected two Vice Presidents, Vladimir Kosovich and Nadezhda Zvyagintseva. 
 
The Congress also marked 20 years of the union in its present form, having been established in December 1990 with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the Russian Federation as an independent state, making it necessary to restructure trade union work. However, the origins of the Oil, Gas, and Construction Workers&rsquo; Union dates back to 1906 and the first organisation of workers at the oil plants in the Caspian Sea city of Baku, now Azerbaijan. 
<img alt="" src="" width="259" height="182" />
Today the union represents around 1.4 million members. Functioning in 63 subjects of the Russian Federation are some 2,700 primary union organizations, 28 territorial elective bodies, and six inter-regional trade union organizations of the companies Lukoil, Gazprom, Sibur-Holding, Tatneft, Novatech, and Sodrujestvo. 
The Congress approved the basic directions of activity for ROGWU for 2011-2015 and adopted amendments to the Charter of Oil, Gas, and Russia, as well as a resolution on the institutional strengthening of trade unions, a resolution dealing with the urgent issues of social protection, labour rights, and economic interests of workers, union policies on youth, on information and analytical work regarding gender equality, as well as an appeal to employers organizations of the oil and gas industry. 
 
Jim Catterson and Anatoly Surin represented the ICEM Secretariat at the Congress, with a number of important oil industry affiliated unions, including Norway&rsquo;s IndustriEnergi (IE) also present. 
 
ROGWU has posted material about the Congress <a href="http://rogwu-center.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=9584 ">here</a>.

ROGWU Re-Elects Lev Mironov at Fifth Congress in Moscow

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Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9346 went on strike at 20h on&nbsp;Sunday, 30 January, following a break down in contract negotiations with management at the Elkview metallurgical coal mine in&nbsp;south-eastern British Columbia, Canada. The mine is operated by Teck Coal Ltd., a subsidiary of Canada's largest diversified mining company, Teck. 
 
Workers have been without a contract since the previous agreement expired on 31 October 2010. Talks, on-going since last September, broke off on 30 January after management delivered an unacceptable offer to Local 9346&rsquo;s bargaining committee. The committee could not recommend members to accept the package since it failed to address key demands of the union. The main issues for the union that were not included in the company&rsquo;s offer relate to an increase in employer contributions to its employee-registered pension plan and the extension of medical benefits to retirees.
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Of 620 union members voting, 609 voted in favour of a strike, sending a strong message to Teck Coal that they must seriously address these issues. The total workforce at the Elkview mine is 850. Local 9346, led by President Chris Nand, represents heavy equipment operators, maintenance workers, and labourers. 
 
There are no talks scheduled,&nbsp;although Local 9346's&nbsp; Nand has made it clear to Teck that the bargaining committee stands ready to negotiate with management. 
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Other outstanding issues for the union that the company refuses to&nbsp;address in their offer are: Christmas Shutdown, a sunset clause on certain contractual language, stat pay for 10- and 12-hour shifts, dental plan improvements, retroactive pay starting from 1 November&nbsp;2010,&nbsp;and improvements to vacation time. 
 
During the strike, the union is paying the members&rsquo; medical insurance, as well as strike pay. 
 
Teck reported last week a profit of US$361 million for the quarter ending 31 December. The Elkview mine has an annual capacity of 5.6 million tonnes of coal production, second to Teck&rsquo;s Fording River mine, 100 kilometres&nbsp;north of Elkview, which has an annual output&nbsp;of 8 million tonnes. The collective agreement at Fording River expires 30 April.

Steelworkers Strike at Teck Coal in Western Canada Continues

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Steelworkers Strike at Teck Coal in Western Canada Continues

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