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ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 25

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ICEM affiliate in Trinidad and Tobago, the Oilfields Workers&rsquo; Trade Union (OWTU), staged a mass protest on 10 September over delays in bargaining between the union and the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission. The union members&rsquo; protest came at the electric authority&rsquo;s opening of a customer service centre at the company headquarters in Port-of-Spain. 
 
Management was celebrating the opening of a new automatic meter infrastructure and the utility&rsquo;s award of some TTD700 million in contracts for that system, as well as for a new power station. Much of that money will be used on contractors and contract labourers. 
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OWTU members, meanwhile, have been without a current collective agreement for over a year, and have been frustrated by salaries that are tied to 2005 levels at a time when Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s inflation rate is high. 
 
The last negotiations session was held in July, and the company&rsquo;s chairman said management was waiting for direction from the Ministry of Public Utilities. 
 
Meanwhile, another union in Trinidad and Tobago, the Public Service Association, staged another protest through a series of one-day work stoppages against the Water and Sewerage Authority. That occurred on 14 September, three days after a similar protest following a revised management proposal. Water and sewer workers are also protesting delays and a prolonged negotiations period. They are still attempting to resolve a 2005-2007 contract with the public utility, talks that only started in January 2007. 
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In a related workplace development in the country, five construction workers last week were hospitalised when they were overcome by gas at the state-owned Petrotrin&rsquo;s Point-a-Pierre refinery. All 700 construction workers were forced to down tools by what Petrotrin said was a leak from an alkaline plant. It marked the second time in two months that building workers at the refinery walked from their jobs in protest to health and safety concerns. 
 
Petrotrin is currently undergoing a gas optimisation modernisation, as well as a gas to liquids project at the west coast refinery. In early August, the state company dropped production by 15,000 barrels-per-day to 47,000 b/d due to safety concerns. That followed a May 2007 drop in crude production from offshore sites, after a gas explosion on an offshore rig in the Soldado field killed one contract worker, and injured two others.

OWTU Members at Electricity Authority in Trinidad and Tobago Protest

This week, on Wednesday, 26 September, 84 strikers in the Antalya Free Trade Zone of Turkey will mark one year on picket lines at Novamed, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, owned by Fresenius Medical Care of Germany. Eighty-two of the strikers are women. 
 
The ICEM has continued to champion the cause of the strikers and the Turkish union Petrol-Iş that organised this workplace, and stands by them. Judging from the inhumane treatment, it is easy to see why. Workers &ndash; mainly women &ndash; were forced to apply to management if they wished to marry. They were forbidden to talk to one another on the job. And they were forced to undergo breath tests following breaks to enforce a no-smoking ban. 
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Picket sign states: &quot;We decide when we give birth&quot;
Workers at Novamed freely elected Petrol-Iş as their collective representative. Novamed managers did begin negotiations with the union and the workers in April 2006. But when talks broke down, managers quit the negotiations and began a harassment and intimidation campaign aimed at dislodging union support. On 26 September 2006, 84 workers expressed their discontent by striking. 
 
The first anniversary of this just strike has gained a sizeable and significant voice inside Turkey. Through actions and a fortnight of constant press coverage, leading up to the one-year anniversary, civil society across Turkey is acutely aware of the Novamed strike. Handbilling, mass meetings among trade unions, NGOs, and Turkish women&rsquo;s groups, as well as rolling actions in support of the strike have all happened. 
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In Istanbul, a coalition of trade unions, women&rsquo;s groups, and others have formed a &ldquo;Women&rsquo;s Platform for Solidarity with Novamed Strikers,&rdquo; which has carried out a number of actions over the past two weeks. In the cities of Izmir and Adana, actions and forums in support of the strike have occurred.
A petition drive to the National Parliament has also started, aimed at mandating better work conditions for women, thanks to the courage of the Novamed strikers. Various actions for justice at Novamed are backed by all Turkish confederations, trade unions, and, increasingly, by civil society groups. And today and tomorrow, busloads of supporters will descend on Antalya for the one-year strike anniversary. 
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The ICEM called attention to the deplorable conditions that caused the strike from the outset. In May, the strike received firm commitment from the ICEM Executive Committee. Currently, a four-person ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee is in the Antalya trade zone to support the strikers. They will join the strikers and Turkish activists in a forum, documentary film, and a social event on 25 September, and then accompany the strikers to the front of company offices on 26 September for a lively protest. 
 
The delegation is headed by ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee Chair Evgenia Esenina of Russian Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union (ROGWU), and includes Elena Petrovici of the Oil Workers&rsquo; Union of Romania (PETROM), Ramona Parra of the Chemical, Textile, and Leathern Workers of Spain (FITEQA-CCOO), and Carol Bruce, ICEM Women&rsquo;s Officer.

Broad Turkish Attention Given One-Year Novamed Strike

Senior General Than Shwe 
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, 
c/o Attorney General 
Pyinmana 
Burma 

Re : Extremely harsh prison sentences for labour activists
Dear General Than Shwe, 
 
The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), representing 20 million workers from 384 industrial trade unions in 118 countries, joins the wide-ranging international protest against the extremely heavy prison sentences that have been imposed, on Friday 7 September 2007, on six labour activists, after these had wanted to organise a seminar at the US Embassy's American Centre in Rangoon earlier this year. 
 
Thurein Aung, Kyaw Kyaw, Shwe Joe, Wai Lin, Aung Naing Tun and Nyi Nyi Zaw were arrested, on 1 May 2007, after holding a May Day celebration and having plans to discuss labour issues at the American Centre. This event was immediately cancelled after the arrests. Two of the arrested activists, Shwe Joe and Aung Naing Tun, were released on 4 May. On 10 May, two other men, Kyaw Win and Myo Min, were arrested for going to the Thai-Burma border to inform the outside world about these May Day arrests. 
 
The ICEM has learned that all six men were found guilty of &quot;inciting hatred or contempt for the Government&quot; during a trial held inside Rangoon's Insein prison, and that some of them were convicted for being members of &quot;illegal associations&quot;. Thurein Aung, Wai Lin, Myo Min and Kyaw Win were sentenced to 28 years in prison, and Nyi Nyi Zaw and Kyaw Kyaw to 20 years. As you and your government know well, detaining and sentencing workers who exercise their right to freedom of association is a clear violation of international labour standards, including ILO Convention 87, which has been ratified by your country. 
 
We have also been informed that the interrogations of the six above-mentioned activists by your country&rsquo;s security agencies specifically focused on finding links with the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB). The FTUB is recognised by the entire international trade union movement, as well as by the wider global community, as a legitimate organisation that defends workers' rights in Burma. 
 
I am therefore urging you to use your good offices and make sure that the relevant authorities within your government do away with these unjustified and scandalous prison sentences and order the immediate and unconditional release of our six colleagues. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Manfred Warda 
ICEM General Secretary

ICEM protest letter to Burmese Junta

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FNV Bondgenoten, the largest trade union in The Netherlands, will resist the coalition Dutch government&rsquo;s plans to erode employment protections, specifically regarding dismissals. The coalition Balkenende government is proposing to make it easier and less costly for employers to discard workers, and without providing adequate or proper rationale or reasoning. 
 
On 31 August, the union held a public forum in The Hague on this planned erosion of workers&rsquo; rights. 
&ldquo;This will affect every ordinary employee,&rdquo; warned FNV Bondgenoten Chairman Henk van der Kolk, saying the current agenda by the government is unacceptable. Further dialogue must occur on the issue, and the current plan must be laid aside, he added. 
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That plan would side-step current Centre for Work and Income (CWI) and court processes in assessing redundancies. It would also allow employers to discard workers with modest severance packages, and it would reduce advanced notice from two and three months to four weeks. The Balkenende plan also would allow employers to deduct re-training costs from severance packages, and places the burden of legal fees for workers daring to challenge dismissals on the individual worker. 
 
FNV Bondgenoten adamantly opposes the Dutch government&rsquo;s plan to make the labour market more flexible through the reduction of statutory employment protections. The union is liaising closely with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) to prevent erosion of such social protections enshrined in law.

Dutch Affiliate, FNV Bondgenoten, Pledges to Protect Unfair Dismissal Laws

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Over 200 jewellery and gem polishers in Bangkok, Thailand -- mostly women -- staged a spontaneous rally outside their workplace on 5 September in protest to a Belgian company's suspension of the union leader and its blatant union intimidating. The workers were angry at the sacking, 3 September, of Wisoot Chomwihok, president of ICEM-affiliated Ornament Industry Workers' Union. 
 
The company is Siam Stars Co. Ltd., which is controlled by Antwerp-based IGC Group, a world diamond cutting and gem polishing enterprise. 
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Wisoot was fired with a formal suspension order last week, less than three months after he received a series of demotions and another suspension from managers at the 600-worker factory. The suspension order means he will continue to receive a minimum and basic wage while his sacking goes to an employment court. But he is denied other benefits contained in the collective bargaining agreement, including food and transport vouchers and a bonus based on piece rate and production. 
 
The ICEM clearly considers the suspension order and sacking of Wisoot Chomwihok as an unfair labour practice, and an effort by management to intimidate union members and leaders as they prepare for collective negotiations early next year. The spontaneous 5 September rally after working hours, the ICEM feels, is full proof that Siam Stars workers know and recognise the fact the company is out to destroy their union, and they will fight to strengthen it in the months to a June 2008 collective agreement expiration. 
In June, Siam Stars Co. had demoted Wisoot from one department to another, resulting in 30% loss of wages and denial of his ability to carry out union leadership duties. Following the Ornament Workers' Union filing charges with a regional labour ministry on the demotion, Siam Stars retaliated by issuing its first suspension order on Wisoot on 11 June 2007. 
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The union took the matter up with the Thai Human Rights Commission, which caused the company to reinstate Wisoot, but at the lower wage and in the inferior job classification. The company cited &quot;no work&quot; in the higher-level department, yet on 20 June it promoted three employees to that department. 
 
The Ornament Industry Workers' Union attempted to negotiate a compromise with managers by offering to keep Wisoot in the assigned department, but at his previous wage and benefit level. The union also sought a commitment that managers would not discriminate against unionised workers. Siam Stars refused to accept. 
 
In November 2006, IGC Group closed a diamond and gem production facility near Bangkok called Thai-Belgium Industrial Co. Ltd., making 230 workers redundant and transferring 70 others to the sister Siam Stars factory in Lak Si. The ICEM will continue to monitor this unfair dismissal, and lend support to workers at Siam Stars as they continue to strengthen their union.

Belgian Gem Employer Sacks Union Leader in Thailand

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A strike by Ukraine&rsquo;s two main coal mining unions last week at a state-owned company accomplished its goal: dismissal of the acting general manager. Some 9,000 coal miners of the Coal Mining Industry Workers&rsquo; Union of Ukraine and the Miners&rsquo; Independent Trade Union of Ukraine struck four major coal mines of the Krasnoarmeiskugol Company on 4 September, over mis-managed production and salaries. 
 
The strikes started at the Centralnaya, Stakhanov, Dimitrov, and Rodinskaya mines near the eastern city of Donetsk in the Donbass coal basin. The first demand of the strike was met when the government dismissed the company&rsquo;s general manager, Volodymyr Tymchenko. 
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After negotiations with two deputies in the Coal Ministry, Vladimir Fichev and Anatoly Bolotov, who were quickly dispatched to talk with striking miners, the decision was made to sack Tymchenko. At that, the two mine unions &ndash; both ICEM affiliates &ndash; decided to suspend the strike. 
 
Tensions, however, remain high because of the salary issue. The country&rsquo;s Coal Ministry wants to transfer 50% of workers&rsquo; hourly pay into norm-based remuneration. The mining unions are opposed. The mining unions also seek better production means. The strike comes as Ukraine desperately tries to attract investors to tap new seems of coal, namely in the Dnipr basin. 
 
The strike, which could re-start by month&rsquo;s end if the salary scheme isn&rsquo;t resolved, came amidst Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko publicly stating that success in the coal sector cannot come without an increase to workers&rsquo; social status. He said wages and pensions are too low, saying that the current levels are unfair and less than what miners&rsquo; deserve. He also said technical equipment in mines is poor, and Ukraine averages a death rate of one miner for every one million tonnes of coal produced, twice the rate of that in other countries.

Coal Miners in Ukraine Strike; Tensions Still High

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ICEM-affiliated papermaking union leaders concluded a highly successful set of talks last week in Helsinki and Stockholm. The top leaders, coming from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the US, as well as Norway, Denmark, and the UK, met through invitation of the Nordic Paper Workers&rsquo; Union network, and in coordination with the ICEM. The meetings took place 4-7 September. 
 
A definitive plan to form a work group and expedite global paper union issues through the ICEM was agreed to. The work group will include representatives from the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, the US&rsquo;s United Steelworkers (USW), and the Nordic paper unions. 
 
The US and Canadian labour leaders met with senior managers of both UPM (Kymmene) and Stora Enso, and visited the two company&rsquo;s Finnish mills in Anjalankoski (Stora) and Kymi Mill in Kuusankoski (UPM). A similar visit took place at Stora&rsquo;s Kvarnsveden mill in Borl&auml;nge, Sweden. 
<img height="173" alt="" src="" width="350" />
From left to right: Jan-Henrik Sandberg, Pappers; Jouko Ahonen, Paperiliitto; Dave Coles, CEP; Jon Geenen, USW; and Marrku Palokangas, Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni.
The conference and series of meetings was initiated by ICEM affiliates Paperiliitto in Finland and Svenska Pappers in Sweden. Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen and Pappers President Jan-Henrik Sandberg hosted the strategic meetings. The work group will come together in the next few months to undertake an immediate plan of action together with the ICEM. 
 
From Canada, CEP President Dave Coles, Sec.-Treas. Gaetan Menard, and CEP Assistant Fred Wilson attended the meetings. From the US, the meetings included USW Director Jon Geenen, Staff Representative Michael Bolton, and local branch leader and Stora worker Mike Peplinski, who serves as USW&rsquo;s delegate to Stora Enso&rsquo;s European Works Council (EWC). 
 
From Finland, ICEM Paper Sector Chairman Ahonen led a Paperiliiito contingent consisting of Petri Vanhala, Esa M&auml;isti, Sauli Jovanen, Juhani Siira, and Aila Sepp&auml;l&auml;. Finnish delegates also included Markku Palokangas and Jukka H&auml;m&auml;l&auml;inen, from ICEM affiliate Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni, the Trade Union of Salaried Employees. 
In Finland, the Nordic and North American paper union leaders met also with senior leaders of Kemianliitto, affiliate Chemical Workers&rsquo; Trade Union, and heard thorough reports from Paperiliitto on health and safety in the paper sector, the union&rsquo;s unemployment fund, and capital investment in the industry, in which Finnish shop stewards, safety delegates, and EWC representatives from all companies participated. 
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From Sweden, Bengt Sj&ouml;holm, Christer Larsson, and Mikael Jansson of Pappers participated, while SIF&rsquo;s Lis-Marie Fondberg also took part. Other Nordic representatives at the network meetings included ones from CO-Industri in Denmark and Fellesforbundet in Norway. The Amicus Section of UK affiliate Unite was also strategically included. 
 
The success of last week&rsquo;s Nordic tour was expressed in the words of the North Americans. 
 
These meetings, said CEP&rsquo;s Dave Coles, &ldquo;exceed our expectations. We have put a work plan forward and there is absolute consensus on moving forward and fast. This is a critical time for paperworkers in many countries.&rdquo; 
 
USW Director Jon Geenen said economic reports coming from the visit confirm the global pulp and paper sector has no limits when it comes to national or geographic boundaries. &ldquo;Emerging markets in developing nations are attracting capital for obvious reasons, while short-term, Wall Street mentality punishes corporations that invest badly-needed capital in other nations,&rdquo; stated Geenen.

Nordic, North American Paper Union Leaders Come Together to Shape Strategic Vision

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At an ICEM Latin American meeting, several South American unions involved in labour-energy strategies, met in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 29-30 August. 
 
The ICEM invited two other Global Union Federations (GUFs), Public Services International (PSI), and Union Network International (UNI), as well to participate. Unions from the oil, gas, and electricity sectors attended, as did Uruguay&rsquo;s paperworkers&rsquo; union. The major theme across the two days of discussions was discerning differences between a solely Latin-focused social plan and union network, and a more far-reaching, global network of energy and manufacturing unions. 
<img height="208" alt="" src="" width="350" />
From left to right: Fernando Berasain, coordinadora Mercosur unions, Achim Wachendorfer, FES Mercosur Office, and Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary
The ICEM stressed the number of multinationals operating in the region, including ones from Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Russia. &ldquo;With the high number of progressive changes coming politically in many Latin countries,&rdquo; said ICEM Gen. Sec. Manfred Warda, &ldquo;we can expect multinationals to be more open about entering dialogue toward global agreements.&rdquo; The ICEM already is partner with companies in countries above in global framework agreements. 
 
Warda invited all Latin American trade unions to join the ICEM, or one or another of the GUFs, in order to support the current trend of cooperation among global trade unions and federations. &ldquo;The ICEM calls on all unions in the region to build a strong movement, not just in Latin America but in energy sectors across the world,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;The ICEM asks Latin trade unions not to formally establish a separate organisation, but give support to the existing organisations and strong influence on the global issues that matter, especially energy.&rdquo; 
<img height="212" alt="" src="" width="350" />
Trade unions from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela attended the meeting, including representatives from national centres from several countries. 
 
For the ICEM, the conference served to advance a recently started project in Brazil on social dialogue with several multinationals, a project similar to the ICEM project launched in Colombia in 2004. The ICEM also opened the debate on Contract and Agency Labour (CAL). Contributions on this topic came from nearly all participants, and many had positive examples that shed new light on the issue. The union delegates discussed the ICEM&rsquo;s CAL Project, and agreed that a priority must be on organising contract workers. They also pledged to write letters to respective energy ministers on the dangers of sub-contracting. 
<img height="210" alt="" src="" width="350" />
And also from the ICEM, Vice President Sergio Novais, Latin America/Caribbean Region chairman of the ICEM, presented a training and leadership programme, which would start with 30 trade union leaders doing a residential course. In between, the 30 would be engaged in an intense, 200-hour training in distance and e-learning, with the union leaders expected to each train 20 other union members. 
 
The formal meeting adopted two resolutions, one on the continuing threats and deaths of Colombian trade unionists. The other one extended support to workers in Peru, who experienced death and destruction from the recent earthquake in the country. The <a href="/en/26-Latin-America-Caribbean/2384-ICEM-resolution-on-Colombia-ICEM-Latin-America-energy-meeting-in-Montevideo-Uruguay ">Colombian resolution can be found here</a>. The <a href="/en/26-Latin-America-Caribbean/2383-ICEM-Resolution-on-Peruvian-earthquakes-ICEM-Latin-America-energy-meeting-in-Montevideo-Uruguay">Peruvian one is here</a>. 
 
The meeting was aided by help from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).

Latin American Energy Conference in Uruguay Gets Sound Footings

Trade unions from ten Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern and North African countries gathered in Amman, Jordan, on 2-3 September, and the result was a loud cry for global union solidarity from the unions of the politically troubled region. The event was an ICEM regional conference, and the Global Union Federation has now received 11 requests for affiliation from unions that attended. 
 
Jordanian Labour Ministry official Majeed-el Hbachena opened the conference, and said it is important that states offer constitutional and legal rights to trade unions so that they may fulfil their obligations. He also said governments must engage trade unions in developing education and training strategies for workers. 
<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="219" />
Key items in discussions over the two days included efforts by Iraqi unions to defeat the proposed oil law in that country, and winning respect and fair treatment for Palestinian workers from Israel and the global community. The 35 trade union leaders that attended stood united behind the position that Iraq&rsquo;s natural resources belong to all Iraqi people! 
 
Trade unions from Kuwait, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq seek affiliation with the ICEM. &ldquo;We have an important role to play in the region,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;It is oil and gas, but electrical power, mining, and chemicals are also of major importance. Faced with increased levels of privatisation and contract and agency labour, unions in MENA face the same attacks as unions everywhere,&rdquo; said Warda. 
 
The region also elected its nominees for ICEM statutory positions, posts that will be endorsed at ICEM&rsquo;s November Congress. Some positions were designated on a yearly rotation system in order to bring more Middle East and North African (MENA) unions to the global front. Selected as the ICEM Vice President and Presidium member, in a rotating role, was Mohamed el-Sayed Morsi of Egypt&rsquo;s Public Syndicate of Public Utilities. Current Executive Committee member Abdeslam Mansour of UMT, Morocco, was confirmed to retain that seat, and the substitute post will rotate between a delegate from Jordan&rsquo;s General Union of Petrol and Chemicals Workers&rsquo; Union, and the General Union of Petroleum, Mining, and Chemicals Workers in Palestine (GUPMCWP). 
<img alt="" src="" width="350" height="155" />
Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein, president of Iraq&rsquo;s General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians (GUEWT), a member union of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) and ICEM&rsquo;s first affiliate from the occupied country, was nominated as the future Women&rsquo;s representative on the Executive Committee. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s work in the region was strongly supported in Amman by the presence and voices of ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, the president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa, and Welile Nolingo, the general secretary of South Africa&rsquo;s Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union (CEPPWAWU), who also is an ICEM Presidium Member. 
 
The conference had the support and expertise of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). FES&rsquo;s Britta K&auml;hler, from the Jordan office, played a major role in developing and carrying out the conference. It also benefited through involvement from the US Solidarity Center.

ICEM’s Middle East-North Africa Region Surges with New Growth

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