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23 March 2006 
 
Tony Burke, Assistance General Secretary 
Willie Wallace, Amicus Aberdeen Branch 
Ben Richards, International Officer 
Amicus 
35 King Street 
Convent Garden 
London WC2E 8JG 
 
 
Dear Brothers Burke, Wallace, and Richards, 
 
For two weeks now, the ICEM has been following the labour dispute brought on by the American company, International Paper Co., at the Inverurie Paper Mill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, against trade union members of Amicus. We note on 10 March, workers voted by a four-to-one margin to take industrial action, and that the first wave of strike action will occur today, 23 March. 
 
We also know that management has been intransigent at the bargaining table, particular on the issue of wage increases for 2006 and 2007. It is our understanding that paperworkers at this mill had to forego parts of their weekly pay over the past few years in order to contribute to a gap in the company&rsquo;s pension scheme. 
 
Now, International Paper is demanding that workers take a pay freeze for 2006, and take a miniscule one-off payment for 2007. With average 2006 pay increases in the British paper sector averaging nearly 2.5%, we find it deplorable that management would present such a pay offer, and further, we can only surmise that International Paper Co. is attempting to gain a competitive advantage in UK&rsquo;s paper sector. 
 
Amicus and its members at the Inverurie Paper Mill have the full support of the 20-million-member ICEM in this struggle for a fair and just pay award. We have, and will continue to alert our 389 global trade union affiliates of your justifiable industrial actions at the Inverurie Mill, and we convey to Amicus and its members at this paper facility the Solidarity and Unity of the ICEM&rsquo;s global family of trade unions. 
 
Please keep us informed of events in this dispute, and do not hesitate to call on the ICEM for any further assistance we can provide. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM letter in support of workers at International Paper mill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

You have a job and you are pregnant, or would like to become pregnant in the near future. What does this all involve with regard to your job? And what situations will you be faced with once you have become a mother? This brochure offers you a summary of what you may expect from month to month and also explains your rights and obligations. 
 
If you have any questions after having read this folder, you may want to consult the more detailed Dutch brochure &ldquo;<a href="http://www.arbobondgenoten.nl/arbothem/zwangerschap/zwangerschapsbrochure.pdf ">Alles over zwangerschap en werk</a>&rdquo; (Everything about work and pregnancy). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /> 
Before you get pregnant 
 
You should always be careful if you work with hazardous substances. Many people do not realise this. Some substances, such as carcinogenic and so-called reprotoxic substances, cause extra fertility risks in men as well as women, or they may harm the unborn child. 
 
There are many professions that may involve handling hazardous substances. For example, if you work in the cleaning sector or in a laboratory, but also if you are a painter, nurse, pharmacist's assistant or if you work with certain pesticides. Every employer should draw up a list of risks that employees may be exposed to in their job, also if it involves these hazardous substances. Ask your employer for this list and read about the risks. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The first month 
 
You are only just pregnant. Most women often do not even know for certain whether or not they are pregnant, let alone that they take it into account when doing their job. Even at this early stage in pregnancy, it is important to be cautious when you work with hazardous substances. If you need to handle them, then it is advisable to notify your employer without delay that you are pregnant. 
In consultation with your employer you can determine whether you can be given other tasks, or discuss other ways to protect your unborn child. If you work with animals or laboratory animals you should be extra aware. And be alert to any risk of exposure to radiation. 
 
Studies into the effects of computer exposure have not yet shown that this poses a risk for pregnant women and/or their unborn child. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The second month 
 
If you are pregnant and involved in a job selection procedure, you are not obliged to report pregnancy. Neither is the employer allowed to ask. 
 
Be careful with vibrations and shocks. They may give you back problems and are also bad for the child that you are carrying. You should avoid working under extremely hot or cold temperatures, for example in a cold-storage room. This will burden your body and your unborn child too much. We definitely advise against working in depressurised situations, for example diving. The difference in pressure may harm the unborn child. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The third month 
 
Now there is less risk that something could go wrong with your pregnancy. For many women, the 12th week of pregnancy is the right moment to inform their employer and colleagues. As soon as you have notified your employer, you are legally entitled to extra protection during pregnancy in situations that require this. 
In addition, you should be given an opportunity to visit your midwife or gynaecologist, also during working hours. Ask the midwife for a pregnancy statement with the estimated date of birth. Your employer needs this statement to notify the UWV, the Institute for Employee Benefit Schemes, so that he will receive an allowance to cover your replacement and you can take maternity leave without loss of pay. 
 
Other things that you need to be extra careful with: do not lift heavy objects (less than 10 kg each time) and ensure that you are not exposed to sound levels that exceed 80 dB(A). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fourth month 
 
When you are pregnant, you are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave. (In Dutch this is called zwangerschapsverlof, before giving birth, and bevallingsverlof, after the baby is born.) 
You can take up this leave from six to four weeks, respectively, before the estimated date of birth. Once the baby is born, you are still legally entitled to another ten to twelve weeks, respectively, of maternity leave (bevallingsverlof). Please note that multiple births do not extend your entitlement to leave. 
 
Refer to the booklet with the collective agreement on terms and conditions of employment (CAO-boekje) for the exact arrangements in your branch of business or company. 
If you intend to resume work after the baby has been born and want to make use of childcare facilities, you may want to have your baby registered now. There could be waiting lists, so the sooner you get registered the sooner you may get a place. Ask your employer and your partner's employer about the options for a financial contribution towards childcare. 
 
Your pregnancy may cause health problems for which you need to visit a medical practitioner or a paramedic such as a physiotherapist or a physician (GP or specialist). Appointments usually take place during working hours. Check what arrangements have been made in the collective agreement. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fifth month 
 
It is never healthy to work long hours under stress or time pressure, also called work-related stress. When you are pregnant you should take extra care of yourself. In stressful situations your body produces all kinds of extra hormones that may affect you and your unborn child. 
Discuss these situations with your superior and consult whether your tasks can be arranged differently, or whether your working hours and breaks can be adapted, by inserting an extra break or working fewer shifts, for example. 
You are not obliged to work night shifts during pregnancy. You are entitled to extra breaks when you are pregnant and up to six months after giving birth. If you work eight hours a day, then you are allowed to take a maximum break of one-hour extra on full pay. The employer should give you the opportunity to take this break. 
 
In the event of sickness, you can report sick in the usual way. You should notify your employer if your sickness is pregnancy-related, for example high blood pressure or pelvic instability. In this way, he can apply for an allowance to cover your replacement. You will be paid your salary in full. 
If you are on unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering) or occupational disablement benefit (WAO-uitkering) you should notify the UWV. From the twentieth pregnancy week onwards, women who frequently used to lift heavy weights during their job are only allowed to lift a maximum of five kilograms, ten times a day. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The sixth month 
 
Discuss with your superior how replacement will be arranged while you are on maternity leave. It will be good for both you and your colleagues that adequate replacement is arranged, so that your colleagues do not need to work extra hard. This is also a good time to consider how you may want to combine working and looking after your child in the future. 
If you have a partner, discuss with your partner how you would like to handle the new situation. Are you both going to work part time? Structurally or temporarily? You have the right to work part time. Your employer will need to come with substantiated arguments for rejecting your request. 
 
With regard to the work situation, you will need to take into account that you retain more fluid during pregnancy. As a result you may get RSI-related complaints such as pain, stiffness and a tingling feeling in your neck, shoulders, arms and/or fingers. Especially highly repetitive jobs such as cash register operator, goods packer, and assembly and VDU work may cause such complaints. 
Discuss with your superior the possibility of adapted work if you experience these complaints. Make sure that you do not constantly sit in the same position while performing your tasks. It is advisable to change your position every now and then and to have frequent breaks. Always contact the company doctor if you experience serious complaints. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The seventh month 
 
From the thirtieth week onwards it is not advisable to lift weights of five kilograms or over, more than five times a day. Furthermore, during the final three months of pregnancy your employer can no longer oblige you to squat on the ground, to kneel or bend down or to operate pedals while standing up. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The eighth month 
 
You need to notify your employer at least three weeks before your maternity leave starts. This will leave him little time to arrange your replacement, so try to inform your employer sooner if you already know when you want to stop work and start maternity leave. 
Consider once more the financial consequences of this (temporary) interruption of work. Pay will be continued, but some components, for example extra income from overtime, may not be paid. By considering the financial impact at an early stage, you will not be unpleasantly taken by surprise. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The ninth month 
 
The last month before giving birth is dedicated to maternity leave. Your belly will be getting in the way a bit and you will need some well-deserved rest. Enjoy your maternity leave! 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Birth 
 
When the baby has been born you need to inform your employer who, in turn, can notify the UWV. On the basis of this notification the UWV will determine on what date your maternity leave should end. Your partner will be entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof) if the baby is born on a working day. On the days following childbirth your partner will be entitled to birth leave (kraamverlof). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The first month of parenthood 
 
You will now need to get used to being a parent. Fortunately, you will still be on maternity leave so that you do not need to think about going back to work. Together with you partner you can start thinking about how you are going to handle the period after maternity leave. 
One option is to take parental leave (ouderschapsverlof), for which you will need to meet a number of criteria. The actual provision can be found in the detailed brochure. Depending on what you have in mind, you may both want to take a shorter or longer period of part-time leave to look after your child. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The second month of parenthood 
 
The second period of maternity leave (in Dutch this is called bevallingsverlof) starts on the first day after the baby is born and lasts at least ten consecutive weeks. If you continued working for a longer period before giving birth and have taken less than six weeks of maternity leave, you may add this time to the period of leave after the baby is born. This means that you still do not need to resume work this month. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The third month of parenthood 
 
The end of maternity leave is approaching. Some women will resume work in the course of this month. It may happen that you cannot fully resume work immediately as a result of complications during pregnancy and/or giving birth. Discuss this as soon as possible with your superior, so that a suitable solution can be found and temporary replacement can be arranged. The possibilities can be determined in consultation with the company doctor. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fourth month of parenthood 
 
Depending on your physical condition you will have resumed work. If you are breastfeeding, you may need to express milk during working hours. Your employer is obliged to create a number of facilities such as a separate room, where you can sit without being disturbed, and a refrigerator to keep the milk in. Your have the right to spend a maximum of 25% of your working time to express milk or feed your child. 
If you prefer, you can also go home to feed the child during working hours. When breastfeeding, try to ensure that you avoid handling hazardous substances as much as possible. Furthermore, you should not be exposed to radioactive radiation and lead compounds if you work in a laboratory, for example. Always contact the company doctor if you are in doubt as to what to do. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fifth month of parenthood and onwards 
 
By now you will be getting used to combining work and looking after your child. However, sometimes an unexpected situation may arise; for example, if the childcare centre rings that your child has become ill. You or your partner may need to collect your child from the nursery. This is considered an emergency situation and you are entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof). 
Should your child remain ill for longer, then you can make use of your entitlement to short-term care leave (kortdurend zorgverlof). If necessary, arrangements have also been made for long-term care leave (langdurig zorgverlof). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
More information? 
 
In this folder we have given you a summary of general information about working before and after pregnancy. If you need more information, you can download FNV Bondgenoten's Dutch brochure Alles over werk en zwangerschap from <a href="http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl">www.fnvbondgenoten.nl</a>. Members can also obtain this brochure free of charge by contacting telephone number 0900 9690 (only from within the Netherlands - &euro; 0.10 a minute). If you are not yet a member, you can join the union by ringing this number, too. 
 
If you need more copies of this summary, you can order these by telephone. 
 
FNV Bondgenoten is the largest trade union in the market sector. It has over 466,000 members in the industrial sector, the iron and steel industry/light engineering industry, in the trade, transport, services, and agricultural sectors, and the general and technical support services sector. FNV Bondgenoten has concluded about 700 collective agreements in these sectors.

FNV Bondgenoten Brochure: Work &amp; Pregnancy - From Month to Month

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Workers represented by ICEM Jordanian affiliate, General Trade Union of Petrol and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union, began a legal strike at the state-owned Jordan Petroleum Refinery Co. on 8 March. Some 3,500 workers struck in order to get the company to implement a signed agreement that was agreed to by workers and management. 
 
The agreement calls for wage increases, housing loans and post-retirement health insurance, but the government has failed to put those and other work terms into effect. The union had put forward the demands in 2003 and they were subsequently agreed upon. The strike is at Jordan&rsquo;s only oil refinery, the 100,000 barrel-per-day Zarqa refinery. Jordan must import all crude oil supplies, and production at the refinery is crucial for domestic purposes.

Jordanian Oil Workers Strike

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The German trio of unions attempting to come under a single collective agreement with Energy producer Vattenfall got a lift when Swedish ICEM trade union affiliate SEKO pressed that country&rsquo;s Ministry of Economic Affairs for a fair and just resolution to the matter. Vattenfall AB is a Swedish state-run utility now in the process of buying out the minority stake of Vattenfall Europe AG. 
 
The German-based utility, the country&rsquo;s third largest, includes power utilities in Berlin and Hamburg, as well as power generation, distribution and lignite coal mines in eastern Germany. German unions IGBCE, Ver.di and IG Metall have been jointly negotiating with Vattenfall for a common accord in order to remove pay disparities and bring uniform working conditions to 20,000 German workers, but the company has refused. 
<img height="62" alt="" src="" width="100" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="63" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Vattenfall has indicated it may sell parts of the German company to other enterprises, effectively removing 5,000 from company employment rolls. The German unions seek a guarantee that sale of any operation to another company will include the common collective agreement. 
 
SEKO has begun a public campaign in Sweden on the company&rsquo;s hard-line stand in Germany, and has promised reciprocal industrial actions if the German unions strike. &ldquo;Vattenfall is an enterprise that must conduct its business activities outside Sweden the same as it does here,&rdquo; said SEKO Chairman Janne Rud&eacute;n. &ldquo;We have a tradition in Sweden in which the rights of workers are respected. This tradition must also occur in the countries of Europe.&rdquo; An ICEM News Release on the Vattenfall situation in Germany is at /?id=77&amp;doc=1672.

German Energy Dispute with Vattenfall Gets Swedish Attention

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
French ICEM affiliate CFDT Chimie Energie is calling for a day of action on 23 March to protest the government&rsquo;s broken promise on Gaz de France. The union will call on members of Parliament, community officials across France, and consumers to tell them of the consequences if the government-brokered merger between Gaz de Franc and Suez, a French-Belgian water/power group, goes through. 
 
CFDT Chimie Energie declares that the social effects of the proposed merger have been completely disregarded. The French government pledged in June 2004 that no less than 70% of Gaz de France would remain in state hands following a debate on partial privatisation of the public utility. If the merger with Suez happens, only 34% of the combined enterprise would be under state control. The union will hold news conferences and conduct actions throughout France this Thursday.

23 March Day of Action to Save Gaz de France

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Glaverbel glass workers in Belgium waged a strike last week over the company&rsquo;s indiscriminate restructuring plans. Workers in the mirror and double-glass department, an area targeted for 42 job cuts, initiated the strike on 16 March at the Zeebrugge flat glass plant and a day later, all 300 workers walked out, shutting the plant. 
Led by Belgian trade union ABVV-FGTB, industrial action happened, in part, because of the manner in which sackings were carried out by Glaverbel, a subsidiary of Japanese Asahi Glass. An ABVV-FGTB representative said managers were targeting some workers who have workplace injuries or other medical problems for some of the 42 job cuts. 
 
The union has been concerned that the restructuring has taken too many jobs from the Seapane SV plant, and Glaverbel eventually will have to resort to contract labour to fill production needs. Management and the workers, represented by ABVV-FGTB, met today in attempts to resolve differences.

Strike by Glaverbel Glass Workers in Belgium

An alliance between two Global Union Federations (GUFs) covering oil and gas workers became stronger this week when delegates to the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) Congress in Durban, South Africa, gave rousing support to the ICEM/ITF Global Oil and Gas Industry Trade Union Alliance. The ITF and the International Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) have been jointly operating workers&rsquo; rights efforts in various parts of the world over the past two years. 
 
The ITF represents 4.5 million transport and logistics workers from 624 affiliated trade unions in 142 countries. The ICEM represents 20 million trade unionists from 379 affiliates in 123 countries.&nbsp;The ITF is&nbsp;based in London, while the ICEM is headquartered in Brussels.&nbsp; 
 
The two-year cooperative arrangement between the GUFs has mostly centered on the offshore portion of the industries. The official launch of the ICEM/ITF Global Oil and Gas Industry Trade Union Alliance now means that onshore work, from extraction and refining to distribution will get equal attention. 
 
&ldquo;The success that we&rsquo;ve had over the past two years demonstrates the strong synergies that exist between the two organisations,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s energy market and its inter-connecting infrastructure make this alliance a natural for workers&rsquo; and their trade unions to have far more power and influence at the very highest international levels of the major companies controlling these crucial markets.&rdquo; 
 
The union federations will organise on issues from the &ldquo;wellhead to the wheel,&rdquo; the motto adopted during the two-year-old project. It means forging a common bond of all workers engaged in work in the oil and gas sectors, from exploration, refining, to manufacture &ndash; ICEM&rsquo;s traditional sectors &ndash; through to distribution, including sea, road, rail, and pipeline, ITF&rsquo;s areas. 
 
The two GUFs have put in place a joint structure that includes affiliated trade unions of both organisations. Besides cooperating effectively on strategic issues that have arisen in such places as the Timor Sea, the Caspian Region, and Nigeria and West Africa, the alliance has mapped trade unions that exist across several oil companies and their major service contractors. The alliance will utilise ICEM&rsquo;s existing Global Framework Agreements to include transport services, and it will place a special emphasis on extending job protections to the massive number of contract workers employed throughout the oil and gas sectors. 

Contact: Dick Blin, ICEM Information Officer 
+32 2 626 2026 
+32 4 74 88 00 54 (mobile)

‘From Wellhead to Wheel,’ Global Oil and Gas Trade Union Alliance Surfaces

ICEM WOMEN&#039;S BULLETIN No. 14 - August 2006

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A highly successful ICEM women&rsquo;s conference for the Asia-Pacific Region was held 27-28 July in Bangkok, Thailand. Attended by 22 trade unionists from six countries, the conference generated much discussion and several ideas for communicating effective practices related to gender issues globally. 
 
Topics discussed included maintaining a manageable work-life balance, work inside Asia&rsquo;s pharmaceuticals industry, and maternity issues. Related to the latter, participants debated and devised model standards for trade unionists on maternity leave. 
 
ICEM affiliated trade unions attending came from India, Japan, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, and Thailand. ICEM-JAF of Japan helped to sponsor the two-day discussions.

Asia-Pacific Women’s Conference Fosters Maternity Leave Guide

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Some 20 months after arguing that it didn&rsquo;t have to adhere to a United Steelworkers (USW) plant-closing agreement in the US because not all tyre workers were being displaced, Continental Tyre last week said it was totally shuttering rubber operations in Mayfield, state of Kentucky. 
 
USW and German-based Continental became locked in dispute in late 2004 when the company announced it would no longer manufacture auto and light truck tyres at the Kentucky plant. The closure, which took effect 1 January 2005, cost 730 USW members their jobs. But Continental said it was not obligated to negotiate severance pay or other benefits for the sacked workers because it was retaining 100 jobs in Mayfield&rsquo;s moulding and warehousing departments. 
 
On 2 August, the company announced those and 50 management jobs would be lost by January 2007. 
 
&ldquo;The only surprise is that the company is finally acknowledging its intent to close our plant,&rdquo; said Terry Beane, USW Local 665 President. 
 
Ron Hoover, USW Executive Vice President, said, &ldquo;It was obvious to us long ago that Continental decided to abandon US production. Their business strategies and management teams never addressed the dynamics of this market and unlike other successful companies, they refused to develop a collaborative relationship with us.&rdquo; 
 
Continental bought the Mayfield plant in the 1980s from General Tire Corp. The operation once employed 2,400 rubber workers 
 
Continental also eliminated 800 union jobs this summer by closing a US tyre plant in Charlotte, state of North Carolina. The company demanded US$32 million in costs savings from the USW at this location, including 35% across-the-board wage and benefit cuts for each worker. 
 
Even before USW could put forward a compromise offer, Continental made its plant closing threat a reality by announcing total closure of the Charlotte plant. The USW has petitioned the US Contact Point for the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to conduct an investigation of Continental&rsquo;s rash and anti-worker conduct in Charlotte.

Contradicting Conti’s Labour Strategy, German Tyre-Maker Completely Shutters US Operation

Archive

ICEM letter in support of workers at International Paper mill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

FNV Bondgenoten Brochure: Work & Pregnancy - From Month to Month

Jordanian Oil Workers Strike

German Energy Dispute with Vattenfall Gets Swedish Attention

23 March Day of Action to Save Gaz de France

Strike by Glaverbel Glass Workers in Belgium

‘From Wellhead to Wheel,’ Global Oil and Gas Trade Union Alliance Surfaces

ICEM WOMEN'S BULLETIN No. 14 - August 2006

Asia-Pacific Women’s Conference Fosters Maternity Leave Guide

Contradicting Conti’s Labour Strategy, German Tyre-Maker Completely Shutters US Operation

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