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The ICEM held its North America Regional meeting in San Francisco, US, on 26-27 January, and General Secretary Manfred Warda expressed thanks to Joe Drexler for the excellent work he has done, and introduced Brian Kohler as the new ICEM Contact Person for North America.
&quot;Joe brought a strong work ethic to the ICEM and he made dynamic and progressive contributions,&quot; said Warda. &quot;These traits&nbsp;we will strive&nbsp;to replicate at&nbsp;the ICEM.&quot;&nbsp;(See <a href="/index.php?id=5&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=4259">Drexler's farewell letter</a>.)&nbsp; 
 
The meeting also saw Warda report on trade union rights violations in Mexico, Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, and other countries, such as Zambia. He said ICEM Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Vice-President Rayford Mbulu has been ordered by the Zambian government to step down from his union position and leave the country. 
 
Warda also reported on the meeting he and ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana had with the then minister of Labour and Social Welfare. The Santiago meeting proved the government is a nowhere to ratifying ILO 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, despite the promise of to Chilean President Sebasti&aacute;n Pi&ntilde;ero late last year in the wake of the San Jos&eacute; mine rescue. Warda said the ICEM and others, including affiliates, will continue to press Pi&ntilde;ero. He urged North American unions to join this campaign. 
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The host union for the meeting, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) reported on efforts to organize a Bayer pharmaceutical plant in northern California. North American ICEM affiliates agreed to form a committee to study a multi-site union recruitment initiative at Bayer&rsquo;s American plants. 
 
Drexler, the former ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs and Mining Officer who returned early this year to employment at the United Steelworkers (USW), reported on Mexican Days of Action, from 14-19 February, in support of free trade unions in Mexico. There will be simultaneous protests in many countries at the five-year anniversary of the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster in Mexico, 19 February, he said. 
<img alt="" src="" width="200" height="150" />
Joe Drexler
The National Union of General Tire/Continental Workers&rsquo; Union (SNTGTM), the union representing Continental Tire workers in Mexico, made a presentation on their union and their current situation with the German multinational, as well as with the Mexican government. Following their presentation, union delegates moved to accept SNTGTM into the North America regional meetings of ICEM. 
 
Affiliates in attendance made reports on their sectors, including energy, chemicals, paper, cement and materials, mining, and rubber. Many sectors are being affected by the economic crisis, globalization, technological change, and contracting out. In the case of electric, gas, and water utility workers, privatization is also an ongoing threat. 
<img alt="" src="" width="140" height="93" />
IMF General Secretary, Jyrki Raina
On day two of the meeting, International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) General Secretary Jyrki Raina joined by teleconferencing, and he and Warda reviewed ongoing discussions on building a new industrial Global Union Federation (GUF). Warda reported that the ICEM is fiscally very healthy and well-prepared to meet the issues for creation of a new global union structure, to include ICEM, IMF, and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF). 
 
Both Warda and Raina said there are many examples of cooperation between the three GUFs, and hopefully there will be significant progress to report at the time of ICEM&rsquo;s Fifth Statutory World Congress, to be held 24-26 November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
 
The North America affiliates expressed strong support for continuation of ICEM's sectoral work. Regionally in a new global industrial trade union federation, the North American region should be able to adapt easily to an increase in the number of affiliated unions. 
 
The issue of Mexico, with strong economic ties to North America and equally strong linguistic and cultural ties to Latin America, was also discussed on day two. Both Warda and Raina said the wishes of Mexican unions should be respected, but that one possibility could be to consider them member-affiliates of both regions. 
<img alt="" src="" width="99" height="150" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="114" height="150" />
ICEM North American Region Chairs Ken Neumann and Dave Coles
The ICEM&rsquo;s North American Region is co-chaired by USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann and Dave Coles, President of the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, both ICEM Vice Presidents. 
 
The next ICEM North America Regional meeting will be 13 June, at the national office of the CEP in Ottawa, Canada.

ICEM North American Regional Meeting Held in San Francisco, US

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In historic levels of unity among members of ICEM-affiliated IGBCE in Germany, the union's chemical workers announced on&nbsp;Friday, 11 February,&nbsp;they will seek a 7% pay increase in contract talks beginning this week on 16 February. The wage round covers 550,000 workers in 1,900 companies of the chemicals sector for a period of 12 months. 
 
Negotiations will be held on a regional basis, with the North-Rhine region to begin first, followed shortly after by other regions. 
 
Peter Hausmann, IGBCE Governing Board member, who heads the union&rsquo;s Collective Bargaining Department, said the figure of 7% had been agreed following production growth in the sector for 2010&nbsp;of 11%, and companies realising an average 17.5% increase in revenues. The industry is on its way to returning to levels before the global recession, as Europe's largest economy&nbsp;recorded its best figures last year since the reunification of Germany. 
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Hausmann explained that intensive plant-level talks had been on-going since December, in all nine regions. The unanimity of the position of all districts is significant, and rare in recent years. 
 
Last year&rsquo;s agreement saw IGBCE agree to a concessionary wage freeze in view of the financial&nbsp;crisis.&nbsp;IGBCE President Michael Vassiliadis stating at the time, &ldquo;It is fair considering the varying conditions in the industry and it helps build a bridge between the economic crisis and recovery.&rdquo; 
 
Similar pay compensation will be sought by Verdi and IG Metall, and in the clothing and insurance sectors.

IGBCE Aims for 7% Increase in German Chemicals Sector

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EMCEF, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), European Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (EMF), and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) &ndash;representing trade unions in electricity and gas across the European Union inclusively &ndash; warned that decisions to be made now by the European Commission will have serious impact later regarding energy use and energy supply. 
 
With a heavy Commission agenda on energy this spring, the four trade unions issued the alert on 3 February, a day prior to a special energy summit over development of a strategy document for the future. 
 
The unions said any strategy must include emission cuts and dedicated resources for a &ldquo;smart grid&rdquo; system that saves energy and thrives on innovation, training, and quality jobs. 
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="72" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="90" height="80" />
&ldquo;Our members, whether workers or consumers, understand the importance for the economy of safe, reliable, sustainable and accessible energy for businesses and communities alike,&rdquo; read the statement. &ldquo;Our jobs and our communities depend on clear policies that guarantee that energy is viewed as a service of general interest.&rdquo; 
 
Sustainable development, the unions said, is &ldquo;the development of quality employment and the development of training to ensure genuine transitions.&rdquo; European trade unions also call for strict regulations, a financial framework for technical development, and market integrity and transparency to ensure no abuse inside energy markets. 
 
EMCEF, ETUC, EMF, and EPSU call for a sustainable energy mix in which supply is guaranteed and affordability is ensured. With Hungary currently presiding at the European Council, debate on a roadmap forward will occur at an Energy Council meeting on 28 February, a ministers&rsquo; meeting on 2-3 May, and again at a second Energy Council meeting, 10 June.

European Union Federations Warn Commission on Errant Energy Agenda

Chile: Help on ILO Convention 176
Dear Pulp/Paper Sector Activists: 
 
The ICEM is making a major push, together with the IMF, to get Chile to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. 
 
We are asking for your participation. The details are in the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/11.ICEM.IMF.Chile176.1March.pdf">Joint ICEM/IMF Letter</a> that can be found at this link. 
 
The <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/ENGLISH%20ChileModLet%20(2).doc">Letter to Chile&rsquo;s Government</a> can be found here. In this letter are the e-mail addresses, fax numbers and mail address that we are asking unions to send. Please attach this model letter to your union&rsquo;s letterhead, or your personal letterhead, and send. 
 
We are very grateful for your help on this. And please do not forget to send a copy of your letter to the ICEM, at <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a>. 
 
Again, thank you for your help. 
 
In Unity, 
Dick Blin
<hr />
Chili: Pour la ratification de la Convention 176 de l'OIT
Chers Militants du secteur papier poulpe 
 
L&rsquo;ICEM a &eacute;largi ses forces avec le FIOM dans la lutte pour la ratification de la Convention 176, la s&eacute;curit&eacute; et la sante en Chili. 
 
A ce sujet, nous demandons votre active participation. Les d&eacute;tails concernant la ratification se trouvent dans <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2.ICEM.IMF.Chile176.1MarchFR.pdf">la d&eacute;claration jointe de l'ICEM et du FIOM</a>. 
Vous les trouverez dans le lien suivant. 
 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/FR%20ChileModLet.doc">La Lettre au gouvernement du Chili</a> se trouve ici. Dans cette lettre, vous avez les adresses e-mail, num&eacute;ros de fax et la direction postale des syndicats auxquels il faudra envoyer la documentation jointe. Veuillez SVP, joindre et envoyer la lettre mod&egrave;le en ajoutant le logo de votre syndicat, ou votre logo personnel. 
 
Nous vous remercions en avance du support et soutien solidaire a ce sujet. Une copie de votre lettre &agrave; l'ICEM, &agrave; <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a> serait fortement appr&eacute;ci&eacute;e. 
 
Votre soutien ainsi que vos actions sont fraternellement remercies. 
 
Dans l'unit&eacute;, 
 
Dick Blin 
ICEM Responsable Information et Communication 
Secteur Poulpe et Papier
<hr />
Chile, por la ratificaci&oacute;n al Convenio OIT 176 
 
Estimados l&iacute;deres del sector papel y pulpa 
 
ICEM ha unido fuerzas junto al FITIM para luchar por la ratificaci&oacute;n del Convenio OIT 176 en seguridad y salud en las minas. 
 
Estamos solicitando su apoyo y participaci&oacute;n. Por favor, revise los detalles <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/5.ICEM.IMF.Chile176.1March.pdf">en la declaraci&oacute;n conjunta ICEM-FITIM</a> que podr&aacute; encontrar en este enlace. 
 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/SpanishChileModLet.doc">La Carta al Gobierno de Chile</a> se puede encontrar aqu&iacute;. En dicho escrito, encontrara las direcciones de correo electr&oacute;nico, n&uacute;meros de fax y direcci&oacute;n postal de los sindicatos para ser enviadas. Por favor, adjunte y env&iacute;e esta carta modelo con el membrete de su sindicato, o su membrete personal. 
 
Agradecemos de antemano su participaci&oacute;n y apoyo solidario en esta iniciativa. M&aacute;ndenos una copia de su carta a ICEM, atte. <a href="mailto:Tom.grinter@icem.org">Tom.grinter@icem.org</a> . 
 
Su acci&oacute;n y soporte son fraternalmente reconocidos. 
 
En la Unidad, 
 
Dick Blin 
ICEM Pulpa y Papel Oficial

Chile: ILO Convention 176/Chili: de la Convention 176 de l&#039;OIT/Chile, Convenio OIT 176

Estimados L&iacute;deres de la Uni&oacute;n del Trabajo de Chile! 
 
ICEM, Federaci&oacute;n Sindical Global de Sindicatos Mineros, junto con nuestra organizaci&oacute;n hermana, la Federaci&oacute;n Internacional de Trabajadores de las Industrias Metal&uacute;rgicas (FITIM), ha puesto en marcha una campa&ntilde;a para la ratificaci&oacute;n del Convenio 176 sobre seguridad y salud en las minas por parte del Gobierno de Chile. 
 
Les pedimos su participaci&oacute;n y apoyo para impulsar esta iniciativa en Chile. Esta campana se ha lanzado tan solo esta semana y la acogida ha sido tan exitosa que hemos recibido 25 cartas en solidaridad y apoyo. No hay duda, el apoyo ha sido incondicional. 
 
Los detalles al respecto est&aacute;n <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/5.ICEM.IMF.Chile176.1March.pdf">en la declaraci&oacute;n conjunta ICEM-FITIM</a> que pueden encontrar en este enlace. 
 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/SpanishChileModLet.doc">La Carta al Gobierno de Chile</a> se puede encontrar aqu&iacute;. En dicho escrito, encontraran las direcciones de correo electr&oacute;nico, n&uacute;meros de fax y direcci&oacute;n postal que les pedimos env&iacute;en a los sindicatos. Por favor, adjunte y env&iacute;e esta carta modelo con el membrete de su sindicato, o su membrete personal. 
 
Agradecemos de antemano su solidario apoyo y su acci&oacute;n en esta iniciativa. Por favor, mande una copia de su carta a ICEM, atte. <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a> . 
 
Muchas Gracias! 

Fraternalmente, 
 
Manfred Warda 
Secretario General ICEM

ICEM necesita su ayuda! Ratificación de  la Convención OIT 176 en Chile!

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Uluslararasi Sendika Federasyonlari IMF, ICEM, ITF ve UNI, &uuml;ye sendikalarını 14 Şubat tarihinden,&nbsp;Pasta de Conchos trajedisinin 5. yıld&ouml;n&uuml;m&uuml; olan 19 Şubat tarihine kadar eyleme davet etmektedir.
T&uuml;m &uuml;ye sendikalarımızdan Meksika H&uuml;k&uuml;meti&rsquo;ne y&ouml;nelik aşağıdaki &ccedil;ağrımıza katılması istemekteyiz: 
 
1. İşverenden ve Meksika h&uuml;k&uuml;meti yetkililerinden 19 Şubat 2009 tarihinde ger&ccedil;ekleşen ve 65 madencinin hayatına malolan Pasta de Conchos patlamasının hesabı sorulmalıdır. 
 
Patlamanın nedenleri bağımsız bir şekilde soruşturulmalıdır. Sorumlular hakkında hukuki kovuşturma başlatılmalıdır. H&uuml;k&uuml;met tarafından kurbanların ailelerinin haklarının adil bir şekilde karşılanması, g&ouml;&ccedil;&uuml;k altında kalan madencilerin cesetlerinin &ccedil;ıkarılması ve cenaze t&ouml;reninin yapılması gerekiyor. Meksika, madenlerdeki iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği mevzuatını geliştirerek İLO S&ouml;zleşmeleri ile uyumlu hale getirmek i&ccedil;in harekete ge&ccedil;melidir. 
 
2. İşveren g&uuml;d&uuml;ml&uuml; &ldquo;koruma s&ouml;zleşmeleri&rdquo; ve sendika se&ccedil;imlerine m&uuml;dahaleyi de i&ccedil;eren &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenmeye y&ouml;nelik sistematik ihlallere son verilmelidir. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met, &Ccedil;alışma Bakanlığı yetkililerinin, y&uuml;r&uuml;rl&uuml;ğe girmeden &ouml;nce sendika se&ccedil;imlerinin sonu&ccedil;larını onaylamasını gerekli kılan &ldquo;toma de nota&ldquo; uygulamasını ortadan kaldırmalıdır. Los Mineros ve SME sendikalarının se&ccedil;ilmiş y&ouml;neticileri bir an &ouml;nce tanınmalıdır. İş&ccedil;ilerin kendilerini temsil edecek sendikayı korkusuzca ve &ouml;zg&uuml;rce se&ccedil;ebilmeleri i&ccedil;in işveren g&uuml;d&uuml;ml&uuml; &ldquo;koruma s&ouml;zleşmeleri&rdquo; uygulaması sona erdirilmeli ve iş&ccedil;iler toplu s&ouml;zleşmenin bir kopyasını alma hakkına sahip olmalıdır. 
 
3. İş&ccedil;ilerin kendilerine daha iyi &ccedil;alışma koşulları ve daha y&uuml;ksek &uuml;cret, daha sağlıklı ve g&uuml;venli &ccedil;alışma koşulları sağlayacak olan &ldquo;demokratik sendika&rdquo; meşru talebini baskı altına almak amacıyla devlet veya &ouml;zel hukuk kişileri tarafından kuvvet kullanılmasına son verilmelidir. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met, Federal Polis Kuvvetlerini bir an &ouml;nce Cananea ve diğer b&uuml;t&uuml;n işyerlerinden &ccedil;ekmelidir. 
 
Los Mineros &uuml;yeleri Hector Alvarez Gomez, Mario Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, Reynaldo Hernandez Gonzalez, Juventino Flores Salas, ve FLOC &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme sorumlusu Santiago Rafael Cruz'un katledilmesinin sorumluları adalete teslim edilmelidir. 
 
4. Meksika Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası ve Meksika Elektrik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'na y&ouml;nelik sistematik politik baskı kampanyasına son verilmelidir. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met haksız yere cezaevinde tutulan sendika liderleri; Juan Linares Montufar ve Miguel Marguez'i serbest bırakmalı, Genel Sekreter Napoleon Gomez Urrutia ve diğer Los Mineros liderleri hakkındaki ceza kovuşturmalarını d&uuml;ş&uuml;rmeli, sendikanın dondurulan banka hesaplarındaki kaynakları geri vermeli ve SNTMMSRM ve SME'ye y&ouml;nelik sistematik politik baskıya sonlandırmalıdır. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met Mexico City b&ouml;lgesine elektrik enerji dağıtımını yapacak yeni bir kamu şirketi kurmalı. İşe iadelerini talep eden işten atılmış iş&ccedil;ileri yeniden işe almalı ve SME'yi toplu s&ouml;zleşme tarafı olarak tanımalıdır. 
 
Sizleri, bu talepleri desteklemeniz i&ccedil;in diğer sendikalar ile birlikte 14-19 Şubat 2011 tarihleri arasında aşağıdaki eylem bi&ccedil;imlerinden uygun bulduklarınızı uygulamaya &ccedil;ağırmaktayız. 
 
&bull; Meksika H&uuml;k&uuml;meti&rsquo;ne protesto mektubu g&ouml;ndererek, &uuml;lkenizdeki Meksika B&uuml;y&uuml;kel&ccedil;iliği ya da Konsolosluğu &ouml;n&uuml;nde g&ouml;steriler ve toplantılar d&uuml;zenlenebilir. 
&bull; İnsan hakları ve sendikal haklar alanında uluslararası m&uuml;zakereler yoluyla Meksika H&uuml;k&uuml;meti &uuml;zerinde etkili olabilecek politikacılarla toplantı ve brifingler yapılabilir. 
&bull; Temel haklara y&ouml;nelik bu ihlalleri a&ccedil;ıklamak i&ccedil;in ilgili Meksika şirketlerinin m&uuml;şterileri ve yatırımcıları ile toplantılar organize edilebilir. 
&bull; Kamuoyunun dikkatini Meksika'daki duruma &ccedil;ekmek i&ccedil;in basın a&ccedil;ıklamaları yapılarak, medyaya y&ouml;nelik etkinlikler d&uuml;zenleyin, gazete edit&ouml;rlerine mektuplar g&ouml;nderilebilir. 
 
Bu k&uuml;resel eylem haftasının koordine edilmesinde bize destek olmak i&ccedil;in &uuml;yesi olduğunuz ilgili K&uuml;resel Federasyonu ne t&uuml;r eylem planladığınıza ilişkin en kısa sure i&ccedil;erisinde bilgilendirmenizi istirham etmekteyiz. 
 
IMF (E-posta: <a href="mailto:unionrights@imfmetal.org">unionrights@imfmetal.org</a>) 
ICEM (E-posta: <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a>) 
ITF (E-posta: <a href="mailto:cortes_isabel@itf.org.uk">cortes_isabel@itf.org.uk</a>) 
UNI (<a href="mailto:Olga.Vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org">Olga.Vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org</a>)

Meksika`da Sendikal Haklar icin Eylem Haftasi - 14/19 Subat 2011

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="49" />
The global trade union for the mining industry, the ICEM, congratulates the miners of Carbones del Cerrejon and their union, Sintracarb&oacute;n, as well as management of the coal enterprise in la Guajira state in reaching contract terms early this week in Colombia. In a statement, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda noted that through respectful social dialogue &ndash; a process instituted with the assistance of the ICEM seven years ago &ndash; the two parties reached a mutually acceptable collective agreement, thus abandoning a planned strike. 
 
The two-year labour accord between the 4,000-member ICEM-affiliated mining union and the company operating the world&rsquo;s largest set of open pit coal mines, owned jointly by AngloAmerican, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata, was reached with the assistance of Colombia Vice President Angelino Garz&oacute;n and Vice Minister of Labour Relations Ricardo Echeverry late last week. That mediation illuminates the importance of social dialogue at the highest level in a country usually devoid of such labour-management tools. It also averts a costly strike that would have placed a heavy toll both on union members of Sintracarb&oacute;n and Cerrejon. 
 
&ldquo;We have witnessed both sides reach the brink of negotiations in the past several sets of two-year talks,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;The fact that Sintracarb&oacute;n and Cerrejon have not had a strike in over 20 years is testament to mutual respect and shared responsibility by both the union and management in looking after the welfare of communities, workers, and their families.&rdquo;
<img alt="" src="" width="220" height="185" />
The 2011-2012 labour agreement calls for a first-year wage increase of 6.5% and a 2012 increase of two percent over next year&rsquo;s Consumer Price Index. But more importantly, the ICEM noted, Sintracarb&oacute;n continued to make improvements at the bargaining table for the communities surrounding the massive coal complex in north-east Colombia, improvements in health benefits for workers and their families, and education benefits for family members. 
 
The ICEM commends the involvement of Vice President Garz&oacute;n, Vice Minister Echeverry, and the Cerrejon management for recognizing in this set of talks that contract workers not directly employed by Cerrejon have the right of association and the right to form a union of their own choosing without interference from sub-contracting companies of Cerrejon, or the mining enterprise itself. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the bargaining committee of Sintracarb&oacute;n for achieving a deserved 2011 pay increase of 6.5%, better than double Colombia&rsquo;s current 3.19% CPI. The ICEM&rsquo;s notes that Cerrejon is a highly profitable enterprise for the parent companies, as well as for Colombia, the world&rsquo;s fifth biggest exporter of coal. 
 
&ldquo;The union&rsquo;s organised process of collective negotiations and it&rsquo;s method of mobilising 4,000 workers behind the bargaining team is an example to all unions worldwide,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;In this set of bargaining, they succeeded in raising the bar on work standards inside Colombia that should be an aspiration to all workers.&rdquo;

Sintracarbón, Cerrejon Reach Commendable Contract in Colombia

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The second meeting of the Latin American Trade Union Network of Dutch multinational Akzo Nobel was held on from 7-9 December 2010 in S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil. The meeting was jointly organized by the project called CUTMulti, CUT`s International Relations Secretariat, and ICEM&rsquo;s Dutch trade union affiliate, FNV Bondgenoten. 
 
The meeting was attended by trade union representatives from Brazil, the Netherlands, US, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia, together with representatives from the Brazilian national labour centre CUT, ICEM, and Brazil&rsquo;s Social Observatory Institute. 
 
At the opening session, the general coordinator of ICEM affiliate CNQ/CUT &ndash; the National Workers Confederation of the Chemical Sector &ndash; Antenor Nakamura (Kazu) congratulated the initiative to expand the committee, and highlighted the importance of trade union networking in the chemicals sector. 
<img alt="" src="" width="320" height="147" />
Delegates put forward their expectations from the network. Marcel Tesselaar, representative of FNV Bondgenoten, the union representing headquarters workers of AkzoNobel, acknowledged that the company has different behaviours in the Netherlands from the rest of the world. &ldquo;Through meetings like this, we can create a real social dialogue process,&rdquo; he said. 
 
James Carvin, a sub-district director of ICEM&rsquo;s North American Affiliate, the United Steelworkers (USW), told the meeting that his union&rsquo;s intention is to intensify the work with the network and promised to reproduce work done in Brazil in the US. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan reported on the current situation of the chemical industry worldwide. A international labor standards and other tools for union action presentation was made by Jos&eacute; Drummond, with emphasis on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the ILO tripartite declaration for multinationals, UN Global Compact, Socio-Labor Declaration of Mercosur, ISO 26000, and various companies codes of conduct. Data on the AkzoNobel restructuring process was presented by the DIEESE. 
<img alt="" src="" width="266" height="161" />
The meeting also included country reports on existing situations at AkzoNobel plants. A plant visit to Mau&aacute;, discussions on communication of the network, its expansion and political coordination, and strengthening of the Latin American network were the major topics of the meeting programme. 
 
The activities closed on 10 December with a social dialogue session with the participation of the company`s management for South America. Some eight managers attended, including human resource managers and union relations consultants hired specially to deal with the workers network. The social dialogue debates included a presentation of the company on strategic investments in China, a report of the network on the proposals put forward in this second Latin American meeting, international labor standards, the social dialogue process, organization at the workplace, corporate social responsibility, the company&rsquo;s code of conduct, and a proposal on training and labour/union relations for the management of the company.

Latin American Union Network for AkzoNobel Held in São Paulo, Brazil

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Cements workers and others of Jindal Cement and its parent, Indian steel conglomerate Jindal Group or JSW, had a demonstration busted up by riot police firing gunshots over their heads in Gadivemula, India. The 4,000 demonstrators were protesting on 23 January over the misery sum Jindal offered to pay the family of a construction worker who fell and died at the cement plant. 
 
Managers called area Kurnool police used near-deadly force to disperse the workers, who then hurled rocks and other objects at police, damaging a police vehicle. Some workers were injured when they jostled with police while trying to gain entry to the cement plant. 
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Workers claim it was Jindal&rsquo;s negligence that led to the death of the 43-year-old worker, Bikakalagudur, who fell from a high beam while employed on construction of the company&rsquo;s Gadivemula cement works. 
 
Jindal Cement at first offered to pay only one-half the standard ex-gratia to the dead worker&rsquo;s family. 
 
Mumbai-based JSW Group, a US$8 billion concern, is busy constructing cement plants adjacent to many of the company&rsquo;s steel mills in order to take advantage of slag and flyash for use in cement manufacture.

Cement Workers in India Vehemently Protest Over Dead Colleague

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The ICEM directed criticism at Advanced Chemical Industries Ltd. (ACI) of Bangladesh last week over 22-23 January protests inside a pharmaceutical factory in Siddhirganj, central Narayanganj district, that left one worker dead. The ICEM believes that both full-time and temporary workers were pushed to their limits by ACI Plant Manger Ishtiaque Ahmed, who exhibited notoriously cruel behaviour to workers with constant threats of dismissal. 
 
Following peaceful worker protests on 22 January, ACI management responded by calling for armed police action against nearly all 400 workers inside the plant on the following day. The ICEM learned that management refused several times in recent months to engage in earnest discussions over workers&rsquo; grievances. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s protest to ACI can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2.GDFSUEZunitedwatLet.pdf ">here</a>. Police fired rubber bullets and 30 canisters of tear gas on 23 January to break up the in-plant protests. One worker, 25-year-old temporary worker Enamul Huq, died from wounds suffered by he police assault. Over 100 others, including some police officers and the plant manager himself, were hospitalised. 
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Arrest Warrant: Beaten Worker
In the early days of last week, local Narayanganj police issued arrest for 30 named workers and another 300 whose names were not listed. 
 
The ICEM finds that the mayhem is attributable to ACI, which for too long neglected the pleas of workers and their plant-level trade union to address issues. Those issues include extended temporary work status to deserving workers, denying those workers union representation, and employing temporary workers at a sub-par level of benefits. Some temporary staff at ACI Pharmaceutical in Siddhirganj have worked as long as 12 years in unsecured job postings. 
 
The ICEM noted that nearly 400 of the plant&rsquo;s 407 workers took part in last weekend&rsquo;s protests. The ACI plant employs 167 full-time and 240 temporary workers. 
 
The ACI plant produces drug aids for human use. The plant employs 167 full-time workers and is a major Asian manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of drug aids, agri-chemical and pesticide products, and basic consumer products.

ICEM Says Bangladesh Chemical Company Provoked Riot that Killed One

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