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South Africa's mining industry is getting more dangerous, judging from a rash of deaths in June in the country's gold and platinum sectors. Overall, mining deaths in 2007 far outpace those occurring in preceding years, making a 2003 goal by the Chamber of Mines of achieving zero workplace deaths by 2013 difficult to imagine. 
 
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), ICEM's largest trade union affiliate in South Africa, believes mining houses are spending large sums to increase production in this period of high precious commodity pricing, but very little on safety prevention. 
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A&nbsp;study done by a South African organisation, Bench Marks Foundation, cites an audit done by AngloPlatinum, a company hit with the most June mining deaths. The audit reveals that an AngloPlats review of its deaths in mining shows more emphasis is placed on establishing blame &quot;rather than on identifying causes and instituting measures to prevent the occurrence of accidents.&quot; 
The world's largest producer of platinum, 75% owned by AngloAmerican, witnessed five June deaths in its South African operations, which caused the company to close its massive Rustenburg operations for seven days on 18 June in order to conduct a safety audit. 
 
AngloPlatinum is responsible for 17 deaths in South African mines so far in 2007. Twelve of those came at Rustenberg. That compares with a total of 19 in 2006, 17 of which came at Rustenburg.
AngloPlat's sister company, AngloGold Ashanti, has fared no better. Globally, in the first quarter of 2007, AngloGold experienced its worst quarter of mining deaths since 2004. Fourteen miners perished in the first three months of 2007, including nine in the company's South African gold operations. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
Rival Goldfields is responsible for ten mining deaths in South Africa so far in 2007. 
 
Last year, a total of 199 mining deaths were recorded in the country's mines, including 113 in gold operations and 40 in platinum. If the recent May-June spate of nearly 50 deaths continues, the 2007 death toll will far exceed those occurring in 2006. 
 
The NUM has formally called for an urgent tripartite meeting to resuscitate South Africa's Mining Health and Safety Summit in order to address the current deficiencies in mine safety. Even the Chamber of Mines, at its third annual health and safety meetings early in June, said that drastic action is needed now to curb the high level of mining deaths. 
 
The NUM endorsed the chamber's statement, but says mining houses must begin to &quot;walk the talk.&quot; In the Bench Mark's study, commissioned by the three major platinum producers, AngloPlatinum, Impala, and Lonmin, the NGO said the dramatic increase in production levels is responsible for an adverse effect on safety. 
 
The chief researcher to the year-long study recommends that bonuses of top executives be linked closely to safety performances. 
<img height="161" alt="" src="" width="130" />
NUM and ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana
NUM President Senzeni Zokwana said, &quot;Workers feel let down by the state's judicial system since no employer has ever been hauled before a court of law in the circumstances in which people lose their lives, although legislation is clear on that.&quot; 
 
&quot;Miners are losing their lives and limbs, while the majority of accidents are preventable,&quot; added NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni. The NUM insists that all parties concerned in South Africa, from the relevant governmental agencies to all levels of management inside the mining companies, give the matter of health and safety in mining the top priority it deserves.

2007 Mining Deaths Become Worrisome in South Africa

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On June 25, 2007, 30 employees of the Russian &ldquo;State Institute of Organic Synthesis Technology&rdquo; (or FGUP GITOS) went on a hunger strike for an indefinite period. They were driven to this extreme measure by the inability of the Federal Agency for Industry to settle wage arrears, going back to 2003. 
 
In the past, FGUP GITOS was involved in technology research and development, including on highly toxic substances. When Russia signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993, the R&amp;D work at the Institute ended. 
<img height="99" alt="" src="" width="100" />
All conversion schemes subsequently launched at the enterprise have failed. Since June 2004, the FRUP GITOS, the only industrial employer in the town of Shikhany, in the Russian Saratov Region, has been going through a bankruptcy procedure, which has been persistently obstructed by the Federal Agency for Industry. 
 
In June 2005, the Federal Agency set up one of the business units of the FGUP GITOS as a separate entity and transferred production floors, the infrastructure , the State order, and 230 employees of the FGUP GITOS to the new legal entity. In April 2006, the FGUP GITOS itself, with the remaining 200 employees, was declared bankrupt and put into receivership. Currently, all employees of the FGUP GITOS have received redundancy notices. 
 
In July 2006, in an attempt to prevent a hunger strike announced by the FGUP GITOS union, a Joint Commission was formed, with representatives from the Federal Agency for Industry, the Interregional Trade Union Association SODRUZHESTVO, affiliated to Russian Oil and Gas Workers Union (ROGWU, ICEM affiliate), the Government of the Saratov Region, the local authorities of Shikhany, and the workforce. The Commission had the task of determining the amount of wages and social benefits owed to both former and current GITOS employees and finding a way to settle the arrears. 
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Some efforts towards financial assistance were arranged. However, most failed, and others were manifestly insufficient. 
 
In February 2007, the FGUP GITOS union announced its decision to picket the Federal Agency for Industry. After they were first told that it was &lsquo;all their own fault&rsquo;, promises were made to the workers that the enterprise would be reorganised. Those promises were never fulfilled. 
 
More workers are determined to join their 30 striking colleagues if nothing is done. The workers also intend to organise a march to Moscow and file a mass complaint with the European Human Rights Court. 
 
Alerted to the situation by ROGWU, the <a href="/index.php?id=8&amp;doc=2309&amp;la=EN">ICEM sent a letter to the Russian Prime Minister</a>, stating its grave concern and urging the Federal Government to ensure an immediate resolution of the dispute and settlement of all social benefits and wage arrears which currently stand at RUB 88 million (&euro; 2.5 million), including wage arrears, union dues, payments to the pension fund and health benefits.

Russian Chemical Workers start Hunger Strike

A.G.Lukashenko 
President 
Republic of Belarus 
By fax: +375-17-226-06-10 
 
Brussels, 
18 June 2007 
 
Dear Mr. President, 
I am writing to you on behalf of the 20 million workers whom our International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) represents through its 384 affiliates in 125 countries of the world. 
 
We see the decision of the European Union to withdraw the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) benefits from Belarus, effective from June 21, 2007, solely as a result of your Government&rsquo;s persistent disregard for internationally recognised labour standards and its systematic failure to comply with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry of the International Labour Organisation. 
 
The Belarusian State Administration has had more than adequate time for implementing measures required to convince the international community of the seriousness of its declared intention to ensure freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining for all workers in Belarus. 
In reality, the measures taken by your Government proved to be largely cosmetic; the existing legal framework for trade union activities still allows for suppressive and discriminatory actions by managers and authorities who arbitrarily use it against members of independent trade unions; and the new Draft Law on Trade Unions equally does not guarantee genuine trade union rights and freedoms. 
 
We wholeheartedly support the independent trade unions and workers in Belarus and resent all attempts to lay the blame for the withdrawal of the GSP benefits at their door. The full responsibility for this decision of the European Union is borne by the Belarusian State Administration, and we believe that only expeditious and earnest implementation of the recommendations of the ILO Commission of Inquiry can form a credible basis for any future resolution of this situation. 
 
Sincerely Yours, 
 
Manfred Warda 
ICEM General Secretary 
 
Cc: 
S.S.Sidorskiy, Prime-Minister, Republic of Belarus 
L.P.Kozik, Chairman, Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus 
A.I.Jaroshuk, President, Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions

ICEM letter to Belarus President on GSP withdrawal

Mining giant Anglo American stands accused of reneging on a commitment to make anti-retroviral drugs available to all its South African workers. 
 
Instead, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says, Anglo now plans to give preferential treatment to &quot;senior employees&quot; - apparently because the company thinks that providing anti-retrovirals throughout its workforce would be too expensive. 
 
The NUM finds this policy &quot;inherently racist and discriminatory, with beneficiaries of the scheme being, in the main, white workers and the black elite. The foot soldiers who generate wealth in the bowels of the earth are excluded.&quot; 
 
Both the NUM and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) have expressed &quot;dismay&quot; over Anglo's decision. 
 
When Anglo originally announced that it would make anti-retrovirals available to all its workers, COSATU hailed the policy as a breakthrough. However, the NUM, which is a COSATU affiliate, saw the move by Anglo as a publicity gimmick. 
 
&quot;The decision to limit provision of anti-AIDS drugs has vindicated the NUM's position,&quot; say COSATU and the NUM in a joint statement. Anglo's aboutface is &quot;a betrayal of the workers who produce the company's profits,&quot; the unions insist. &quot;Anglo has once again demonstrated that the company cares more for profits than workers' life.&quot; 
 
The NUM sees Anglo's policy reversal as a breach of the national agreement recently signed between the union and South Africa's mining employers. 
 
COSATU and the NUM &quot;call on the company to reverse its decision and provide anti AIDS drugs to all its workers. The NUM will engage the company in the coming days and will consider the necessary steps that may lead to a strike if the Anglo does not reverse the decision. COSATU will support the NUM in its attempts to reverse the decision.&quot; 
 
At the global level, the NUM is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).

Anglo-American Called Racist After AIDS Drug &#039;Betrayal&#039;

Swiss unions have taken mining giant Glencore to task over the anti-union practices of its Peruvian company Iscaycruz S.A. 
 
Iscaycruz is trying to destroy a union created by its workers this May, the Swiss trade union confederation USS/SGB says. 
 
The USS has sent a protest letter to Swiss-headquartered Glencore International AG on behalf of all of Switzerland's trade unions, including the industrial and construction workers' SIB/GBI. At the global level, the SIB is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
The Swiss unions say their Peruvian colleagues were threatened with dismissal if they did not resign from their union, the FNTMMSP. After intimidating a number of workers into leaving the union, the company this August applied to have the FNTMMSP derecognised - on the grounds that it no longer had the legally required number of members for collective bargaining! 
 
The USS is pressing Glencore to ensure that its Peruvian company respects &quot;the right of workers to establish and to join trade union organisations ...; the right to collective bargaining; the right not to be dismissed without due cause.&quot; 
 
A copy of the letter has gone to the Swiss Secretary of State for the Economy, and the USS says it will raise the matter with the government if Glencore does not meet its demands.

Glencore Lambasted Over Anti-Unionism in Peru

For the first time ever, a Canadian union has organised workers on an offshore oil platform. 
 
The breakthrough was announced yesterday by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP). At the global level, the CEP is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
The vote by workers on the Hibernia oil platform, off the coast of Newfoundland, sets an important precedent. 
 
As the neighbouring USA seeks new energy supplies, oil and gas are becoming one of Canada's biggest industries. So far based mainly on oil sands, where union organisation is already significant, Canadian oil production has rapidly expanded offshore. In 2000, about 89,000 people were directly employed in Canada's upstream crude oil and gas industry. 
 
The CEP has spent the last four years supporting efforts to bring union protection to the nearly 400 drillers, roughnecks, nurses, cooks and others who work aboard the Hibernia platform, more than 315 kilometres out in the ocean. 
 
&quot;I hope these are the first of many offshore oil workers - who face hazardous and stressful working conditions on the high seas - to benefit from the protection of a union,&quot; said CEP President Brian Payne. The victory opens the door for the CEP to start unionising other offshore platforms, he stated. 
 
&quot;The employer used every trick in the book to try to keep the union out,&quot; Payne said. But he noted that the organising process should be more efficient in future, after action by the Newfoundland labour minister involving round-table discussions with CEP participation.

CEP Organises First Offshore Workers in North America

Individuals inside Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration are reportedly behind a new &quot;association of trade unions&quot;, controlled by employers and the State. 
 
Any such structure would breach the International Labour Organisation's core standards on union freedom, Fred Higgs points out in a letter to President Putin. 
 
Higgs is General Secretary of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). He asks Putin to &quot;personally intervene&quot; and to &quot;verify the present situation and inform us of your conclusions.&quot; The matter is urgent, Higgs says, as the new &quot;association' apparently plans to hold a congress on 26 October. 
 
The ICEM is particularly concerned because the self-styled &quot;Association of Trade Union Organisations of Workers In Pan-National and Transnational Enterprises&quot; seems to be targeting company-level or local-level branches of ICEM-affiliated Russian unions, in an effort to split the branches off from the national unions. Information reaching the ICEM also suggests that at least one of the Vice-Presidents of the new &quot;union association&quot; is, in fact, an employer. 
 
The new &quot;association's&quot; methods have been sharply criticised by ICEM unions in Russia. They are disturbed by the &quot;association's&quot; attempts to draw in members of the all-Russian trade unions and large trade union organisations. This drive has, they say, been accompanied by pressure from a number of government officials upon the leaderships of the unions and labour federations concerned. 
 
In a joint declaration, the Russian trade union confederations FNPR, VKT and KTR condemned the new &quot;association&quot; as a bid to &quot;create a trade union structure under the control of the employers and state bodies to destroy the existing all-Russian trade unions ... undermining the developing system of social partnership.&quot; 
 
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has also asked President Putin to investigate the &quot;association&quot;.

Putin Staffers Behind Russia&#039;s Yellow Union?

Twelve miners are missing, presumed dead, after a series of large methane explosions at an American coalmine on Sunday. 
 
Fires are still burning inside the methane-filled mine and searches cannot yet resume, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) said today. 
 
However, little hope remains for the missing miners, ten of whom had re-entered the mine after the first explosion in an attempt to rescue colleagues. The accident happened at Jim Walters Resources No. 5 coalmine in Brookwood, Alabama. 
 
UMWA President Cecil Roberts said that the miners' &quot;heroic efforts&quot; were &quot;a true testament to their courage and unwavering dedication to others working in a profession that daily puts them face to face with inherent danger.&quot; 
 
The first blast is thought to have happened after rocks loosened in a roof collapse hit a battery charger, causing sparks that ignited the methane. The miners who went back in search of their colleague were probably caught by the second explosion, which occurred 45 minutes later. The mine is North America's deepest vertical shaft coal pit, and employs 402 people. 
 
A miner who was rescued alive, but badly burned, died of his injuries yesterday. Three other injured miners are being treated in hospital. 
 
If the death toll of 13 is confirmed, this will have been America's worst mining accident in 17 years. 
&nbsp;
US's UMWA Information on the Mining Disaster: 
 
Press Release: 01/22/2003 - UMWA Investigation Report Details Conditions Leading to the September 2001 Brookwood (Ala.) Mine Disaster - Union Calls on MSHA to Reopen its Investigation into the Disaster 
 
UMWA Report on Jim Walter Resources #5 Mine Disaster (Under 2mb PDF) 
Ed. Note: Updated PDF as of 2/5/03. Filesize reduced to under 2mb. 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 
&quot;Whether they were firefighters from Brooklyn, New York, or miners from Brookwood, Alabama, America's heroes are mostly ordinary people who do extraordinary things with extraordinary courage&quot; 
Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 
On September 23rd, two explosions rocked the Jim Walter No. 5 underground mine in Brookwood, Alabama. Thirteen coal miners were killed in the explosions, twelve of whom had rushed into the mine to save their trapped co-workers. This is the single largest coal mining disaster in the United States since 1984. 
You can help the families of this tragedy by sending your contributions to: 
 
 
United Mine Workers of America L.U. 2368 Fund 
P.O. Box 99 
Brookwood, Alabama 35444 

UMWA's Fallen Brothers:
 
Gaston Adams Jr. 56 
Ray Ashworth 53 
Nelson Banks 52 
Dave Blevins 52 
Clarence Boyd 38 
Wendell Johnson 52 
John Knox 44 
Dennis Mobley 56 
Charles Nail 59 
Joe Riggs 51 
Charles Smith 44 
Joe Sorah 46 
Terry Stewart 
44 
 
Injured 
 
Tony Key 49 
Michael McIe NA 
Skip Palmer NA

13 Feared Dead In US Mining Accident

Following last Friday's disaster in Toulouse, a French chemical workers' union has criticised some of the more extreme demands for hazardous industrial plants to be closed or to be moved away from urban areas. 
 
&quot;Legitimate concerns have been mingled with agitatory approaches and speeches by politicians who seem to be trying to duck responsibility for their own decisions on urban planning,&quot; the chemical workers' union FCE-CFDT says. 
 
&quot;The chemical, energy and oil industries are essential and our societies could not do without them,&quot; the union emphasises. &quot;Unless we transfer their dangers to other populations elsewhere in the world, which would be unacceptable and irresponsible, then what is needed is the identification of risks, openness about their realities and concerted control of them.&quot; 
 
It is in this context, the FCE says, that &quot;the situation of enclaved sites [within urban areas] should be examined case by case.&quot; 
 
For the FCE, &quot;the safety of employees and the population, respect for the environment, employment levels and employment conditions are interdependent issues.&quot; As it points out, this approach is very different to one of leaving workers alone with the risks of their jobs or &quot;condemning them to unemployment.&quot; 
 
The union calls for national and regional round-table talks between the public authorities, politicians, enterprises and the &quot;associations concerned.&quot; 
 
On Monday, a crisis team set up in Toulouse by the CFDT trade union confederation said it would take part in a civil court action in order to &quot;shed full light on what is one of the biggest industrial disasters ever to take place in France.&quot; 
 
The team promised to ensure that &quot;the 2,000 employees directly or indirectly concerned by the activities of the chemical complex will not be the ones to pay for a catastrophe of which they were the first victims.&quot; 
 
29 people are known to have been killed in last Friday's explosion at the AZF plant. 22 of these were found on the site of the factory. By Monday evening, the number of injured was officially put at 2,442. On Thursday, 17 of them were still in a serious condition. All those who might have been caught up in the disaster are now thought to have been accounted for. 
 
The AZF plant exploded at about 10.15 local time last Friday morning. Owned by TotalFinaElf, the factory produced nitrogen fertilisers and a number of chemical intermediates. It was next to a plant making rocket fuel and explosives. Hazardous chemicals are gradually being moved out of the area around AZF. 
 
The authorities now say that the blast was almost certainly accidental. Measurements taken around the 15 metre deep crater left by the explosion indicate that it occurred in a concrete warehouse where about 200-300 tonnes of ammonium nitrate were being stored. 
 
Regional newspaper La D&eacute;p&ecirc;che du Midi alleged that the ammonium nitrate was stocked &quot;in a real dump&quot;, with minimal surveillance and security. The newspaper also castigated as &quot;incredible negligence&quot; the fact that no plans of the storage building were available. And, La D&eacute;p&ecirc;che said, the storage area was excluded from an inspection by the regional industry and environment authority this May. 
 
According to an International Chemical Safety Card, ammonium nitrate carries a &quot;risk of fire and explosion under confinement and high temperatures.&quot; It is &quot;not combustible but enhances combustion of other substances.&quot; So the card says that ammonium nitrate must not be brought into contact with &quot;combustible or reducing agents.&quot; 
 
 
 
UNIONS CRITICISE SAFETY LEVELS 
 
French chemical unions have raised serious questions about safety provisions at AZF and other chemical plants. On Saturday, the country's environment minister said on TV that he would be consulting the unions and others about tightening up industrial safety regulations. 
 
Safety measures at the AZF plant are thought to have been subcontracted to other firms, the French chemical workers' union F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGTFO said in a press release on Friday. 
 
F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie said that its reps at AZF had &quot;difficulties&quot; in &quot;obtaining the maintenance of safety.&quot; Without wishing to prejudge the causes of the explosion, the union &quot;once again alerts the heads of industry and the public authorities to their responsibility to ensure maximum safety for their personnel and for the surrounding population, without systematically racing to compete or opting for profitability at all costs.&quot; 
 
The union expressed its compassion to the families of the victims. 
 
The French chemical workers' union FCE-CFDT said the disaster &quot;again underlines ... the absolute necessity of handling chemical risks better. The European White Paper currently being drawn up, which aims to catalogue all chemicals in order to identify and control their risks, is a step forward in that direction. The FCE-CFDT, which totally supports this programme, regrets that European chemical employers, including the UIC in France, are, on the contrary, lobbying to limit the scope of this text and to delay its implementation.&quot; 
 
The union also insisted on an investigation to see if the tragedy &quot;is not the result of the widespread policy of cutting costs&quot; in the chemical industry. 
 
Expressing its sympathy and support for the victims and their families, the FCE-CFDT drew attention to &quot;the irresponsibility of the authorities who have allowed urban development around such industrial sites. The FCE-CFDT's trade union teams recently once again alerted the public authorities and managements to this phenomenon and called for measures to be taken.&quot; 
 
TotalFinaElf announced on Saturday that it had set aside 10 million French francs (about 1.52 million Euro or 1.39 million US dollars) to &quot;contribute to the rescue work and urgent assistance to the victims.&quot; The French state and the city of Toulouse have each pledged a further 10 million. 
 
FCE-CFDT and F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie are affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
In messages to F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie General Secretary Michel Decayeux and FCE-CFDT General Secretary Jacques Kheliff on Friday, the ICEM's General Secretary Fred Higgs expressed the international's shock and sorrow over the disaster. On behalf of ICEM-affiliated workers worldwide, Higgs pledged full support and solidarity to the French chemical workers

29 Dead, 2,442 Injured In Toulouse Disaster

A fertiliser plant in the French city of Toulouse exploded this morning. The toll is provisionally put at 15 dead and 200 injured, of whom about 80 are in a very serious condition. 
 
The blast happened at about 10.15 local time at the AZF chemical plant, owned by TotalFinaElf. The factory made fertilisers. 
 
There is still some confusion over whether a second explosion occurred at an adjacent plant which produces rocket fuel and explosives. French chemical unions understand that the victims of the disaster include two workers at the fuel plant. However, most reports suggest that there has been only one explosion so far - at the fertiliser factory. 
 
The cause of the blast is unknown. There is so far no particular reason to suppose that it was other than accidental. 
 
Workers at the AZF plant include members of the chemical unions Fedechimie CGT-FO and FCE-CFDT. Both unions are anxiously awaiting more news of the disaster. Communication by both landline and mobile phones between Toulouse and Paris is very difficult at present. As soon as the unions have further independent information, ICEM UPDATE will issue another report. 
 
Both unions are affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions. In messages to FCE-CFDT General Secretary Jacques Kheliff and Fedechimie General Secretary Michel Decayeux, the ICEM's General Secretary Fred Higgs has expressed the international's shock and sorrow over the disaster. On behalf of ICEM-affiliated workers worldwide, Higgs pledged full support and solidarity to the French chemical workers. 
 
A cloud containing toxic chemicals, including ammonia, is reported to be spreading across Toulouse. Both the mayor and French President Jacques Chirac have asked the people of the city to remain indoors. French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin is on his way to the scene of the disaster.

Many Dead and Injured in French Chemical Disaster

Archive

2007 Mining Deaths Become Worrisome in South Africa

Russian Chemical Workers start Hunger Strike

ICEM letter to Belarus President on GSP withdrawal

Anglo-American Called Racist After AIDS Drug 'Betrayal'

Glencore Lambasted Over Anti-Unionism in Peru

CEP Organises First Offshore Workers in North America

Putin Staffers Behind Russia's Yellow Union?

13 Feared Dead In US Mining Accident

29 Dead, 2,442 Injured In Toulouse Disaster

Many Dead and Injured in French Chemical Disaster

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