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This past week has seen the largest demonstrations against the authoritarian rule of King Gyanendra since he dissolved the government and took absolute power in February 2005. What started last Thursday as a four day strike, led by the 7-party opposition coalition, and supported by the Nepalese independent trade unions and many others, has grown into an indefinite strike since, aimed at ending the absolute rule of King Gyanendra. The organisers call for the parliament to be reinstated. 
<img height="94" alt="" src="" width="100" />
According to the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), the regime in Nepal has lost all control and launched brutal and bloody attacks on peaceful demonstrators. In addition to beating and shooting at ordinary trade union members, including at a security guard at the GEFONT headquarters, the regime has also arrested at least 43 GEFONT leaders since the beginning of April. All of them have been handed a detention order ranging from 90 days to indefinite periods. Three were released yesterday. Many other GEFONT leaders find themselves under heavy surveillance. 
Fate is not much different for the other trade union federations in Nepal. According to the Nepal Trade Union Congress (NTUC), at least ten of their representatives have been arrested since April 6. In total, many hundreds of protesters have been detained in Nepal last week. One source puts the total number of arrested people at 2,300 for Tuesday alone, with at least another 1,300 still held in detention since Monday. 
<img height="93" alt="" src="" width="70" />
The general strike, which is in its eighth day today, is nationwide, with large demonstrations taking place in several cities throughout Nepal. The king has reacted to the strikes, in addition to the many arrests, by declaring a number of curfews. These have, in a few cases, quickly turned into shoot-on-sight curfews. Only this morning, police opened fire on a demonstration of around 500 lawyers, with many of them ending up in hospital. Over the course of the last few days, at least four people were killed and a large number of demonstrators has been injured. 
In spite of the violence, there appears to be more and more public support for the democratic movement by the day. Protests have not only gained the support of professional organisations and of the FNCCI (the body of employers and business), there are also more and more people from all walks of life reported to take part, without or without the curfews. 
In addition to sending a <a href="/?id=7&amp;doc=1758&amp;la=EN">protest letter to the king</a>, the ICEM also sent a <a href="/?id=7&amp;doc=1757&amp;la=EN">letter of support to its Nepalese affiliates</a>.

Strike in Nepal, Aimed at Ending Nepal’s Autocratic rule, Enters its 8th Day.

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Bargaining will occur for the first time on 14-15 April since, on 26 January, a lockout was initiated by paper company Stora Enso against 600 members of ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada. 
CEP Local 972 and management were close to a settlement in mid-January, but the Swedish-Finnish company was insistent on changes in contracting-out rules, changes that would break from the pattern already established on that issue for the paper sector of Eastern Canada. 
<img height="50" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Besides addressing the issue of contract labour, the two sides must also come to terms on local terms and conditions at the newsprint and coated papers mills in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia. The company did call union leaders to a meeting in March, but only to tell them that it needed lower power rates and a reduction in both provincial and municipal taxes in order to continue to operate the mill. 
Political leaders said there would be no discussions on those subjects until a new collective agreement is in place. CEP Local 972 members have not worked inside the mill since 23 December 2005, the date Stora Enso began an indefinite shutdown to reduce paper inventories.

Negotiations Restart in Canada between Stora Enso and CEP

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM affiliate, the Korean Chemical and Textile Workers&rsquo; Federation (KCTF), and its national centre, KCTU, decided to launch a boycott against the products of GS Caltex (formerly LG-Caltex) in Korea. GS Caltex is a joint venture between Chevron and Korean GS Holding, operating mainly on the oil refinery sector. 
The decision to call for a boycott, which was taken earlier this month, comes after years of fruitless negotiations with the company. The origin of the dispute goes back to July 2004, when the GS Caltex union went on strike after negotiations had broken down with the company. Main issues included the union&rsquo;s demand for a five-day, 40-hour work-week and their call for the non-discrimination of contract workers. 
<img height="100" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Union demands were not only met by an unwilling employer, but also by riot police, sent in by the Korean government, which brutally suppressed the striking workers. After a 20-day strike, the company, while still refusing to give in to any of the union&rsquo;s demands, displayed its ruthlessness by retaliating against returning workers by selecting, at the gate and with police assistance, who could enter and who could not. 
The company dismissed nearly all union officials. It also harassed families of workers with warnings of dismissal. In addition, eight trade union representatives were arrested and sentenced to two or three years in prison. In total, 650 workers were disciplined with a three-month work suspension. 
In support of the boycott, Brother Bae, President of KCFT, went on hunger strike for an indefinite period on 1 April.

Korean KCTF Calls for Korean Boycott of GS Caltex

For the urgent attention of His Majesty 
King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev 
Narayanhity Royal Palace 
Durbar Marg 
Kathmandu 
Nepal 
 
By fax: +977 14 413577 and +977 14 228235 

Brussels, 12 April 2006 
 
King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, 
 
I am writing, in name of the 20 million members that the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) represents in 122 countries worldwide, to protest in the strongest possible terms against the violent response by your security forces to this week&rsquo;s many demonstrations in Nepal. I particularly object to the brutal repression against numerous trade union members and leaders in your country. 
 
Over the course of the past week, as your regime&rsquo;s oppression of the Nepalese democratization movement has become more aggressive, we have been informed of the arrests of many hundreds of protesters and democracy supporters, including scores of trade unionists. Most of these took part in protest actions against your government. Others did not even get that far as they were arrested in anticipation to prevent them from doing so. 
 
Estimates are that 2,300 people were arrested yesterday alone, with at least an additional 1,300 still held in detention since Monday. Amongst these detainees are many members and leaders of GEFONT, NTUC and DECONT, as well as of at least one of ICEM&rsquo;s affiliates in Nepal, the Nepal Independent Chemical and Iron Workers&rsquo; Union (NICIWU). 
 
Together with the wider international trade union community and hundreds of other organizations and countries from around the world, I am calling upon you to end the violence by your security forces in Nepal. In addition, all trade union leaders and members that have been arrested over the last few days, weeks and months must be released immediately. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary 
 
Cc: 
Mr. Ramesh Nath Pandey, Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Mr. Narayan S. Thapa, Ambassador of Nepal to the Benelux and European Countries - By Fax: 02-344.13.61

ICEM protest letter to King Gyanendra in Nepal

Se&ntilde;or Alvaro Uribe V&eacute;lez 
Presidente de la Rep&uacute;blica 
Palacio Nari&ntilde;o 
Carrera 8 No. 7-2 
Bogot&aacute; 
 
By Fax: ++57-1-337.58.90 and ++57-1-566.20.71 
 
 
Mr. President, 
 
I am writing on behalf of the 20 million workers worldwide of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions to express our horror and disgust at the brutal murder of brother Daniel Cortez Cortez, a member of Sintraelecol, ICEM affiliate in Colombia. 
 
Brother Cortez was assassinated at night in Puerto Parra, near Barrancabermeja, on Sunday April 2nd, reportedly by a group of paramilitary members. He was shot in the face and died instantly. Brother Cortez leaves behind a wife and four children. He had been working for 16 years at the Empresa Electrificadora de Santander and had been an active&nbsp;trade union member. 
 
His death is the latest expression of the fact that the seemingly endless series of human and trade union rights violations in Colombia has far from ended. Your country remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world for trade unionists to do their work. On top of that, most murders of trade union members go uninvestigated and unpunished. 
 
As to the assassination of Daniel Cortez, a full and open investigation into this murder needs to be started as a matter of urgency. Those responsible for this hideous crime need to be brought to justice without delay. 
 
In addition to that, I repeat that it is up to the Colombian government to guarantee a safe working place for trade unionists. It is high time to deliver on earlier promises and provide effective protection for trade unionists in Colombia. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Fred Higgs 
 
General Secretary 
ICEM 

CC: 
Francisco Santos, Colombian Vice-President, 
Jorge Alberto Uribe, Colombian Minister of Defence, 
Dr Carlos Franco, Head of the Presidential Human Rights Program 
Colombian Embassy in&nbsp;Brussels

ICEM letter to Colombia on murder of trade union member Daniel Cortez

<img height="287" alt="" src="" width="200" />
ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industries 
6-7 April 2006 
Istanbul, Turkey 
The day before the opening of the ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industry in Istanbul, US-based tyre company Goodyear Tire &amp; Rubber announced its intention to close two European plants. Goodyear Dunlop is to end production at its Washington factory in Tyne and Wear, UK, with the loss of 585 jobs. A further 39 jobs could be lost in another company&rsquo;s plant in Wolverhampton, UK, which is a supplier of components to the Washington factory. 
 
Goodyear will also stop the production of bicycle tyres in its Polish factory in Debica with the loss of 320 jobs. 
 
Together with planned savings from other business units, Goodyear expects to cut a total of 1,500 jobs. 
 
The delegates at the ICEM world conference expressed serious concern about this plan. They fully support their sister trade unions in the UK and in Poland in their fight for the workplaces of their members. 
 
For a big multinational company like Goodyear, the use constant use of redundancies to try to cut costs is a very poor sign. A challenging market needs investment and R&amp;D activities, instead of plant closures all over the world. 
 
The ICEM and its affiliated trade unions strongly urge the management of Goodyear to show social responsibility and help the workers in both plants getting the chance to save the future of their families.

ICEM Rubber Conference Resolution - Support for the Workers Struggle in 2 European Goodyear plants

President Roh Moo-hyun 
1 Sejong-no, Jongno-ku, 
Seoul 110-820 
Republic of Korea 
 
By fax: +82-2-770.03.44&nbsp; 
By e-mail <a href="mailto:president@cwd.go.kr">president@cwd.go.kr</a> 
 
 
Dear Mr. President, 
 
I am writing, after having been informed by the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to protest against the ongoing trade union repression in your country of the members of the Korean Chemical and Textile Workers&rsquo; Federation (KCTF) at GS Caltex. 
 
The anti-union behaviour by GS Caltex started in 2004 when the company, with the help of the Korean police, aggressively retaliated against a strike that was organized by the workers at GS Caltex. The strike was the result of the company&rsquo;s decision to disregard a set of reasonable union demands, which were on issues such as a five-day, 40-hour work-week and the non-discrimination of contract workers. 
 
After the brutal suppression of the strike, GS Caltex continued to hit back at the union&rsquo;s members and leaders by selecting at the gate who could return and who could not. This also happened with the assistance of the police, who remained stationed inside the company for 52 days. GS Caltex also harassed families of workers and ended up dismissing almost all union officials, 30 in number. In addition, eight trade union leaders were arrested and sentenced to periods of two to three years in prison. A total of 650 other workers were disciplined with three-month suspensions from work. 
 
Since then, the company has refused to bargain in good faith with the workers, whose situation and future remains extremely insecure. I am calling upon your government to assist in ending the desperate situation of the KCTF members. GS Caltex needs to come to a fair and honest agreement with its workers and end its unfair labour practices. Also, the dismissed union leaders must be reinstated. 
 
Thanking you in advance for your kind cooperation 
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
(Name) 
(Title) 
(Union)

Model protest letter to Korean government

The ICEM is calling on French company Saint-Gobain to re-examine its labour relations policies at a factory in Massachusetts and to submit to a new election for 770 workers represented by US affiliate United Auto Workers (UAW). In an election to decertify the UAW as bargaining representative on 27-28 January, workers were unduly influenced by company and outside forces prior to a vote against union representation. Workers at Saint-Gobain&rsquo;s Norton Abrasives in Worcester, Massachusetts, voted against UAW representation, 309-350. 
 
The UAW has filed objections to the election with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on a number of grounds including Saint-Gobain managers intimidating, coercing and interfering with workers&rsquo; lawful right to representation, and managers using the threat of plant closing to dissuade workers from voting for the UAW. The 20-million-member ICEM supports the UAW in its objections and the election appeal, and calls on executives of the Paris-based company to step in, rectify anti-union management policies in Worcester, recognize the UAW and commence good-faith bargaining for a collective agreement. 
 
&ldquo;US labour law is quite clear on such workplace elections being conducted in a fair and unencumbered manner,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &ldquo;We view plant closure threats by Saint-Gobain&rsquo;s American managers as illegal and detrimental to the intent and spirit of the law. In addition, the fact that an anti-UAW workers&rsquo; committee was not only propped up by management, but by an outside, anti-union organization in the US impeded workers from making a fair choice.&rdquo; 
 
The National Right-to-Work Foundation, an organization intent on the destruction of trade unionism in America, backed the anti-UAW workers&rsquo; committee inside the Worcester factory. The ICEM asserts that managers aligned with this group and that both parties used the scare tactic of plant closure if the UAW was retained as bargaining representative. 
 
Workers at Norton Abrasives voted for UAW representation in August 2001 through balloting conducted by the NLRB. But when collective bargaining commenced in early 2002, Saint-Gobain utilized outside legal counsel by a firm specializing in union avoidance. Despite over 140 negotiating sessions being held, no initial collective agreement was ever reached. 
 
On 24 January, the ICEM along with trade unions representing French workers of Saint-Gobain met with corporate officials to explain the anti-union behaviour of American managers and how this conduct runs counter to the company&rsquo;s own code of ethics. The company responded a day later that it would not intervene with the manner in which US bosses were managing and that such conduct is the normal &ldquo;culture&rdquo; of US labour relations. 
 
In a letter today to Saint-Gobain CEO Jean-Louis Beffa, the ICEM&rsquo;s Higgs asked for a meeting directly with the French Chief Executive to clarify the ICEM charge that Saint-Gobain&rsquo;s is in contradiction to its stated code of ethics regarding employees rights and respect for the law. The letter calls on the company to agree to recognize the UAW as legitimate representative of workers in Worcester, and to establish a corrective course toward positive labour relations in the US at the Worcester factory.

ICEM Decries Saint-Gobain Election Conduct in US

A Global Framework Agreement signed yesterday, 31 January, with Paris-based specialty chemicals producer Rhodia becomes the eleventh such agreement for the ICEM. The Rhodia Global Agreement marks the second in as many weeks with a French multinational by the 20-million-member Global Union Federation (GUF). 
<img height="240" alt="" src="" width="380" />
Signing the Global Framework Agreement: 
ICEM's Fred Higgs and Rhodia CEO, Jean-Pierre Clamadieu 
The Rhodia agreement, setting forth the company&rsquo;s commitment to social responsibility and dialogue with ICEM and respective trade unions in countries where the company does business, was negotiated and signed with the ICEM and supported by French affiliates Fedechemie CGT-FO and Federation Chimie Energie CFDT. 
 
&ldquo;This is our first Global Agreement in the important chemicals sector,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &ldquo;We are quite satisfied with the language of the agreement, but of equal importance to the text is the company&rsquo;s commitment to the spirit and intent behind the agreement. We are confident our affiliates around the world will fully participate in its implementation.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;This agreement is rooted in Rhodia&rsquo;s culture of dialogue with its employees and their representatives,&rdquo; said Rhodia CEO, Jean-Pierre Clamadieu. &ldquo;It reflects Rhodia&rsquo;s commitment to sustainable development and to respecting mandatory social standards in all sites throughout the world.&rdquo; 
 
The preamble of the Rhodia Global Agreement states: &ldquo;Rhodia voluntarily undertakes this commitment, which supplements its compliance with legal and regulatory obligations in every country in which it operates &hellip; Both signatories to this agreement recognize that the internationally recognized standards and principles contained within this Agreement will be applied at all Rhodia operations across the world, regardless of whether they are required by national law or regulations.&rdquo; 
 
The agreement affirms a commitment by Rhodia to uphold all Fundamental ILO Core Conventions on Trade Union and workers&rsquo; rights and on the ten principles list in the UN&rsquo;s Global Compact initiative. 
 
Rhodia will recognize and comply with ILO Core Conventions 87 and 98 (Freedom of Association/Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively); Core Conventions 29 and 105 (Abolition of Forced and Compulsory Labour); Core Convention 138 (Commitment against Use of Child Labour); Core Conventions 100 and 111 (Equal Remuneration and Fight Against Employment/Occupational Discrimination); and Convention 156 (Commitment to Ensure Rights and Equality of Opportunity for Employees of both Genders with Family Responsibilities.) 
 
Regarding Health and Safety of Rhodia employees, the company commits &ldquo;to ensure good working conditions and to manage risk on a daily basis&rdquo; and to develop &ldquo;exacting internal requirements and making their application a major obligation.&rdquo; Rhodia also commits to continually improve safety performance and to regularly assess such practices for both employees and subcontractors. 
 
The agreement also cites a pledge from Rhodia that investment projects shall not compromise the health and safety of employees or nearby residents. The company commits to undertake both preventive and precautionary measures regarding environmental protection, and places a priority with the ICEM on enhancing employee awareness and expertise in the area of environmental protection. 
 
Language in the 12-page agreement also addresses employee mobility leading to better opportunities within the firm, and training and development for employees to meet new occupations and new technologies. 
 
The Global Agreement calls for &ldquo;in-depth and balanced dialog between labor and management&rdquo; through all appropriate forums. It also calls for an annual review of the agreement in which problems encountered with its application will be described in a written report that will also discuss solutions developed. 
 
Rhodia employees 20,000 and has 113 production sites in Europe, North American, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region. The ICEM, the predominant GUF in the worldwide chemicals sectors, has 408 affiliated trade unions in 125 countries. 
 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/EN_Rhodia.pdf">Rhodia Global Agreement in English (pdf)</a> 
 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/FR_Rhodia.pdf">Rhodia Global Agreement in French (pdf)</a>

ICEM Signs Global Framework Agreement with Rhodia

The ICEM (International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Union) and French trade unions representing workers at Saint-Gobain Group--FCE-CFDT, Fedechimie CGT-FO, and Verre et de la Ceramique-CGT--yesterday responded to an invitation by executives of the Paris-based company to discuss a dispute at a company factory in Worcester, Massachusetts. 
 
US managers at Saint-Gobain&rsquo;s Norton Abrasives are attempting to decertify ICEM affiliate United Auto Workers (UAW) at the 770-worker factory. Managers have deployed scare tactics and overall abuse of the US legal system regarding labour relations to de-recognize the UAW. 
 
Fred Higgs, General Secretary of the ICEM, who led the union delegation 24 January in the meeting with Saint-Gobain executives, presented documented proof distributed by US managers that if employees vote in favor of retaining their union, it could result in closure of the facility, an obvious violation of US labour code. Higgs asserted that US management is actively involved in seeking to destroy the UAW at the Worcester factory. 
 
The US National Labor Relations Board will conduct a decertification vote at the plant on 27-28 January. 
 
Higgs stressed to senior managers in Paris that such actions are in total conflict with Saint-Gobain&rsquo;s own code of ethics. At the conclusion of the meeting, union delegates demanded that the company make a statement conveying what management readily admitted in the meeting; that the future of any Group business was not dependent on whether or not a site is unionized, but rather on market conditions and cost effectiveness. Secondly, the ICEM and French trade union representatives asked corporate management to clearly indicate, as required by the firm&rsquo;s own code of ethics, that the right of employees to be represented by a union will be honored and Saint-Gobain would take a neutral position in this week&rsquo;s vote. 
 
The union delegation asked Paris management to convey this to Norton Abrasives employees in Worcester. The company agreed to consider the two points and stated they would consult the ICEM on the matter 25 January. 
 
The ICEM was both surprised and extremely disappointed to be informed by Saint-Gobain Paris-based management that in spite of the discussions, and the evidence presented at the 24 January meeting, they are not prepared to intervene in the union-busting activities of US management. 
 
In response to the company&rsquo;s decision not to intervene, Higgs termed Saint-Gobain&rsquo;s code of ethics as &ldquo;worse than worthless in moderating management behavior across the world.&rdquo; The ICEM will now spearhead a global campaign against Saint-Gobain until such time as the company applies its own ethics that they proudly and very publicly proclaim. 
 
The ICEM, along with French trade unions at Saint-Gobain, call on the US workers of Saint-Gobain in Worcester to ignore local management&rsquo;s threats, and to vote for the continuation of their right to union representation by the UAW.

Saint-Gobain’s US Union-Busting Falls on Deaf Ears in Paris

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