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<img height="55" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="138"/>
Former ICEM Gen. Sec. Fred Higgs was awarded the Transport & General Workers’ Union’s (TGWU) highest award on 4 July when the Unite Joint General Secretary, Tony Woodley, awarded him with the Gold Patch at the TGWU’s last Policy Conference. 
 
Higgs served as ICEM general secretary from 1999 to his retirement in late 2006. He is a 40-year member of TGWU and began his long service career with the union in 1979. Prior to his election as ICEM general secretary, Higgs served as National Secretary of TGWU’s chemicals, oil, and rubber sectors.
<img height="200" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0706TandG1.jpg" width="300"/>
 Fred Higgs Speaking at TGWU's Policy Conference 
 

In a speech upon receiving the award, Higgs told delegates of his disgust after reaching Brussels with the UK Labour Party government’s complicity in occupying Iraq. He also spoke on global labour solidarity, and gave the story of TGWU’s Peter Booth intervening with a British-based company to reinstate two sacked trade union leaders in Thailand. They had been sacked in 2004 for trade union activities, and they turned to the ICEM for help. 
 
Booth not only won their reinstatement but together with Higgs and the ICEM, won a guarantee that trade union organisation would not be interfered with at their plant. In the year since the two leaders have been back at work, they, along with fellow workers grateful to Booth and the ICEM, have organised 11 of the 12 plants that this particular British company operates in Thailand.
<img height="300" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0706TandG2.jpg" width="200"/>
Peter Booth 
 

The TGWU Policy Conference is likely to be the last such biannual gathering since new forums and structures will result in TGWU’s merger with Amicus to form Unite. The conference reviewed TGWU’s aggressive organising project, demanded the withdrawal of British troops in Iraq, and took a tough stance on the abuse of labour agency workers in the UK. Delegates heard vivid stories of such abuses, including the real life situation of a Polish woman who was forced to live her car after her agency evicted her from living accommodations. 
 
The Policy Conference made history by electing the first and last woman to chair this year’s proceedings. “Same old story … as soon as a woman gets to the top, the job is abolished,” joked Brenda Sanders. “This union will be carrying forwards our finest traditions together with our colleagues in Amicus as we build Unite to a powerhouse in the world of work and the 21st century,” she added.

Fred Higgs Receives Gold Patch Award from Transport & General Workers in the UK

<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
Contents
1. Indonesia – ICEM A/P Women’s Committee Meets 
2. South Africa – African Regional Women’s Conference Meets in Johannesburg 
3. Egypt – Egypt Bans Female Circumcision 
4. Finland – The Gender Pay Gap Has Narrowed in Industry 
5. SEWA in India Pursues Solar Alternatives 
6. Kuwait – Women Are Not Allowed to Work at Night 
7. Sierra Leone – Domestic Violence Is Outlawed 
8. Thailand – New Anti-Rape Law Passed 
9. Uganda – Law Curbs Effects of Polygamy 
10. Uruguay – National Equal Opportunities Plan Is Launched 
 
11. Resources 
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
1. Indonesia – ICEM A/P Women’s Committee Meets 
 
The ICEM’s Asia-Pacific Women’s Committee met on 17 June in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the generous support of ICEM-JAF. ICEM welcomed three new affiliates from Indonesia, FARKES, KEP and KSBSI, and the many women that they organise. Most of the women at the meeting were from unions that organise the pharmaceuticals industries, reinforcing the trend that we have observed in the past. 
 
The Japanese delegation from UI Zensen, Karoken, Denryokusoren, Osaka Gas, and ICEM-JAF made a presentation on work-life balance. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, the company that generates 30% of electric power in Japan, set up diversity programme in 2006 in order to make the most of the diverse human resources in the company. The aim was to improve the working conditions and working environment in collaboration with management. on Gender Issues, ageing issues, handicapped issues, which should not keep people from working. This programme has meant that more women are retained. 
 
Women are entitled to six weeks before and eight weeks after childbirth at 100% pay. Childcare leave is possible, until the child turns 3. Pregnant women can have reduction of work time or workload, if they produce a doctor’s certificate. 
 
More and more women are technicians and engineers, which involves work on top of power lines; working in radiation areas; or work underground, as well as supervising night work. With more women in these jobs, their needs are do get listened to. Currently, companies are cutting the workforce to cut costs, which often leads to longer work time for the workers who remain. Working long hours is not only a problem for work-life balance but also for heart disease and depression. Reducing working time is one major demand. 
 
In the Meiji Seika food and pharmaceuticals company, men also get full salary when they take childcare leave. Whatever is not paid by the government, is paid by the company. Men are also protected, so that both partners may have work-life balance. Not everyone is aware, however, of exactly what is provided. A lunchtime working group meets to advise those who may want to take advantage of the system. 
 
The three problem areas presented were getting agreement from the boss, getting back to work after leave, and getting agreement from colleagues. A guidebook has been published and distributed. Management organized a seminar for managers to acquaint them with the system, and then a joint committee was created. 
 
Karoken has produced case studies on maternity protection. Takeda Pharmaceuticals has four nursing rooms in four large Takeda sites. These are used for those women who are unable to take childcare leave because of their own work. 
 
Women must be included in committees involving working conditions, to help determine their own standards. There is a system for reducing work time (it can be reduced by one hour until the child starts primary school) but the salary is cut proportionately. Morning sickness leave is possible with 100% wage guarantee. 
 
Currently Takeda is recruiting more women. Flexibility in the system will likely lead to more men taking advantage of leave more often. 
 
Osaka Gas has set up a joint union-management committee on work-life balance made up of women and men. A booklet has been published to support work-life balance, especially regarding childcare. There is a support system for women returning from maternity leave. 
 
There must be contact between the worker and the employer during the leave, and women can be out on leave for three years. The father is also entitled to certain things. People on leave can have a PC loaned to them by the company with pertinent information so that they can work at home. 
 
In Japan, the Law to Support the Next Generation was passed to combat the ageing society and to encourage childbirth. The Welfare Labour Ministry provides certifications for action programmes, which cover children from the age of three until the start of primary school. The reduction of workload is also included. Working hours can be reduced until the child reaches third grade. The certification is granted to companies which reduce overtime, promote workers’ ability to take leave, and generally improve working conditions. 
 
In Japan, there is the problem in the reduction of permanent women’s jobs. Young, male workers are also losing permanent jobs. Maternity issues – pregnancy, child delivery and childcare – are an obstacle to women working full time. If the company has a union, mothers can more easily continue to work after childbirth; small companies have a problem. Only 30% of mothers continue to work after childbirth in Japan. 
 
In conclusion, it was reaffirmed that maternity is a social function and must be seen as such. Maternity leave must be paid by social security. Women must get involved in politics and get politicians to improve laws, starting with ratifying ILO Convention 183 on Maternity Protection. 
 
Preparations continued for the Women’s World Conference scheduled for 17-18 November 2007 in Bangkok, just prior to the ICEM Congress. The theme of the conference is Women – Work – 21st century. Burmese refugees and the Deputy Executive Director of the Thailand Government Pharmaceuticals Organisation (GPO) will speak to the conference. The first block will have peace as the theme and will contemplate Colombia, Nepal, Palestine, Iraq and Burma. Otherwise the conference will concern itself with employment issues, proposals for Congress and elections. Please Register for the Conference at your earliest convenience. 
 
The A/P women’s committee proposed some amendments to the Congress motions on HIV/AIDS, contract and agency labour, and social dialogue. The Thai group proposed promoting a campaign on compulsory licensing. The reason is that housewives are the main focus of new HIV infections due to contamination from their husbands. But since they have less income than their husbands, they are less able to afford expensive drugs. Migrant workers, many of whom are women, also need more protection against HIV/AIDS. 
 
A Congress motion on women should indicate that ICEM strives for gender balance in all bodies. 
 
The committee elected, and the regional conference endorsed, the election of a woman from Thailand and a substitute from Japan to join the ICEM Executive Committee after the November 2007 Congress. 
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
2. South Africa – African Regional Women’s Conference Meets in Johannesburg 
 
The ICEM African Regional Women’s Conference was held on 2 July in Johannesburg to prepare women’s positions for the regional conference to be held the next day in Botswana, which followed by a few days. ICEM received sponsorship from a number of companies for the conference. 
 
In 2003, the women’s conference set the main task of establishing the ICEM African women’s committee. The goal was met. From now on, it will be a question of organizing activities to make real progress for African women in ICEM. 
 
ICEM has been running the shop steward development programme for some years now in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. This programme has a women’s component. The women’s programme creates awareness of women’s issues to make sure that leadership is developed. Since women are not always in the leadership structure, their issues are not always addressed. Women’s health issues are one area that is often neglected. 
 
Employers tendency is to think of workers as male. Pregnant women have particular issues, but all women’s issues are also very diverse than just maternity issues; health issues also encompass menstruation and menopause. Unions should negotiate for rest areas at work so that women can rest on the job instead of staying home. Employers expect women to adapt to the workplace instead of the other way around. 
 
Women in mining is a major topic in Africa. Some legislation denies women the right to work underground, but mining is a well-paid job. Still women need protections. Women need to learn to challenge things, not only at the workplace but at all levels. Women must be able to participate actively. They should not take positions at all costs if they are not prepared; they have to be able to deliver. Ultimately women must come into the mainstream to make the union strong. Role models are important, since those starting out should be able to look up to women who do have experience. 
 
ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) presented a resolution on the gender dynamics in HIV/AIDS. Women need to be empowered to take control in terms of condom use. Women in marriage negotiate on condoms without success. We must explore how best women can take control. 
 
The meeting decided to focus on the following topics in the coming years: HIV/AIDS and women workers; health and safety; leadership skills; expansion of projects to other countries; accountability; and reporting/information sharing. The next step will be for the women’s committee to draft a charter for working women in Africa. This work will entail examining national legislations, constitutions, terms and conditions at work, collective agreements and ILO conventions. 
 
The conference elected Baru Gaithoboge from the Botswana Diamond Sorters and Valuators’ Union to chair the women’s committee, and Oluchi Okorie from NUPENG, Nigeria, as vice-chair. They will be the ICEM Executive Committee member and substitute, respectively.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
3. Egypt – Egypt Bans Female Circumcision 
 
In June, a ban on female circumcision was announced to outlaw the practice, also known as genital mutilation, in Egypt, a country where some 90% of Egyptian women are subjected to the practice. The decree says no professionals will be allowed to perform this operation any more, and violators will be punished. 
 
Female circumcision is a flagrant example of physical and psychological violence against girl children. Muslim and Christian authorities have stated that the practice has no basis either in the Koran or the Koran. Circumcision is seen by conservatives as a way to protect women’s chastity. The practice is still common in many African countries.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
4. Finland – The Gender Pay Gap Has Narrowed in Industry 
 
 
In the fourth quarter of 2006, the average wages of women in Finnish industry were 85% than those of men. In the second quarter 2002, the corresponding figure was 80%.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
 5. SEWA in India Pursues Solar Alternatives 

The SEWA Bank and the SEWA Academy, part of the Self-Employed Women’s Association in India, promoted an energy park for women to make the most of solar energy and biogas. Solar power and bio gas are of tremendous use to the self-employed. Women street vendors can use solar powered lamps to continue selling into the night and boost their revenues. Midwives can use specially designed lamps to deliver in homes without electricity. Solar lamps in homes can help children study and achieve better in school. Garment workers use solar energy to run sewing machines. Women have installed smokeless stoves. In addition to helping the women earn better livelihoods, there is no pollution with solar energy. SEWA hopes women will adopt solar energy on a large scale.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
 6. Kuwait – Women Are Not Allowed to Work at Night 
 
Gulf News reported that the Kuwaiti Parliament has banned women from working at night. The new law prohibits women from working between 8 pm and 7 am outside the medical profession. Nor are women allowed to work in jobs that “break public morals and in all-men service places at any time.”
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
  
7. Sierra Leone – Domestic Violence Is Outlawed 
 
The parliament in Sierra Leone passed a law to ban all domestic violence, and to guarantee women’s inheritance rights and the right to register customary marriages. The law greatly improves women’s status, especially in rural areas. 
 
The police may now either mediate disputes or support women who decide to take action. The registration of customary marriages enables women to own property, and the inheritance law guarantees them access to the property they are entitled to when their husbands die, without interference from extended families. 
 
Women must be aware of their rights, and the rights must be enforced.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
  
8. Thailand – New Anti-Rape Law Passed 
 
Thailand’s National Assembly passed a new law at the end of June which criminalizes marital rape. The new law carries a monetary penalty, and also possible imprisonment of up to 20 years. The definition of “victim” has also been expanded so that men can also file charges against women or other men. 
 
Gay rights activists applaud the law because they now see protection for gays, lesbians and cross-dressers who are often targeted violently. Nevertheless it will take time for rape victims to speak out freely. The justice system is still a barrier, and people will still be afraid for a long time of continued violence at the hands of their aggressors.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
  
9. Uganda – Law Curbs Effects of Polygamy 
 
A new law in Uganda has decriminalized adultery for women and men. In Uganda, polygamy for men is legal in “customary” marriages, and thus men’s adultery is tolerated. Women’s adultery is stigmatized. 
 
The new law has implications for divorce, which is heavily stigmatized. Divorces should be easier to obtain. Now women will be able to divorce husbands who bring the HIV/AIDS virus home. The law also contains provisions regarding inheritance and rights to a widow’s children. Women rights are slowly gaining protections in the law.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
10. Uruguay – National Equal Opportunities Plan Is Launched 
 
In June, the government presented the plan to end gender discrimination in Uruguay where inequality persists between men and women in access to power and work. 
 
The plan aims to reverse inequality and combat discrimination by facilitating women’s access to the labour market, reviewing legislation to eliminate discrimination, providing equal access to housing and the social security system. Research into unpaid work will be promoted – women spend 67% of their time on unpaid work and 33% on paid work, while with men it is just the opposite. 
 
The Vice-President of Uruguay admitted that in macho societies, women are still constrained in roles that have no place in today’s world.
<img height="38" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="30" alt=""/>
  
11. Resources:
  
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions focuses on equal opportunities in the April issue of FOCUS available at: 
<a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0731.htm">http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0731.htm</a> 
 
The British TUC reports on work-life balance news at <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm ">http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm </a> 
 
The second issue of the newsletter of the International Women and Mining Network is available at <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm ">http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm </a>e at  
 
The NEWSLETTER of the European Parliament Committee on women's rights and gender equality is available at: <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/femm/news/2007/20070620_newsletter_en.pdf ">http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/femm/news/2007/20070620_newsletter_en.pdf 
</a> 
BRIDGE supports gender advocacy and mainstreaming effort by bridging the gaps between theory, policy and practice with accessible and diverse gender information in print and online. See <a href="http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk ">http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk </a> 
 
Information on Equality in Spanish at AmecoPress <a href="http://www.amecopress.net ">http://www.amecopress.net </a>

ICEM WOMEN"S BULLETIN 24

The European Works Council (EWC) of Alcan Packaging, facing imminent spin-off by new owner Rio Tinto, won a commitment that an Extraordinary Meeting of the Works Council would be held within 14 days after any announced sale of the company is made. Following frank discussions during EWC meetings on 25 July, where Alcan President and CEO Richard Evans reiterated Rio’s intent to sell Alcan’s packaging businesses, the commitment to hold a further Works Council meeting immediately following an announced sale is welcome news to packaging industry workers’ and their trade unions. 
 
The ICEM, a global union federation of 389 trade unions in 119 countries, applauded the commitment, calling it “an important check-and-balance on corporate governance.” The ICEM also congratulates the EWC and the trade unionists on the EWC for gaining this commitment. 
 
Evans told the EWC that Rio Tinto was hopeful of selling the collection of packaging businesses of as block, that there are serious buyers, and that a sale agreement could be completed soon. Peter Ellis, National Officer of ICEM UK affiliate Unite, welcomed the company’s commitment.
<img height="138" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/UKAMICUS NEWunion.jpg" width="110"/>
Rio Tinto’s newly acquired flexible and specialty packaging businesses throughout the world are vast. The Australian company could realise €5 billion from a sale. In 2003, the Canadian-based company purchased Norsk Hydro’s packaging units, and the following year Alcan took over French-based Pechiney in a US$3.9 billion stock and cash deal. Alcan’s packaging businesses produce products for the food, personal care, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Alcan Workers Win Commitment from Company at EWC

<img height="48" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="120" alt=""/>
South Korea’s new Irregular Workers’ Protection Law went into effect on 1 July 2007, but even before then Korean civil society got a glimpse of how little protection the new law affords contract workers. 
 
A number of Korean employers fired irregular workers who had less than two years employment immediately before 30 June. 
 
The most notable of these companies is E-Land Group, a retail clothing outlet that operates a number of Homever and New Core stores. The company sacked 900 workers in June, including 300 cashiers, which caused two strikes. In July, thousands of labour activists – together with many women who had been sacked – conducted sit-ins in 13 stores.
<img height="97" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/SouthKorea.png" width="210" alt=""/>
 
On 20 July, riot police used batons and police shields to forcibly break up the sit-ins. They hauled the protestors to police stations. Arrest warrants were then issued for the labour activists who organized the protests. The police force comes just a short month after the Labour Ministry granted 70,000 irregular workers in the public sector permanent status as an example for the private sector. 
 
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which calls for completely amending the new statute and proposes, in part, to have equal pay for equal work provisions in the law, has demanded reinstatement for the discharged E-Land workers. KCTU has mounted a campaign on behalf of the sackings. 
 
The firings violate provisions of a collective agreement between E-Land and unions, which state that those employed over 18 months would not face lay-offs. Many of the 900 workers were very close to two years service employment.
<img height="171" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/CALhorse.jpg" width="120" alt=""/>
In December 2006, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and his Grand National Party used political maneuvering to pass the irregular workers’ bill in the waning days of a National Assembly session. The law allows employers with 300 or more workers this year to use contract or agency workers for up to two years before making them permanent employees. 
 
The ICEM predicted that the new law would create a “revolving door” for employers to use and then discard contract workers within the two-year period. The example at E-Land bears this out. 
 
In order to evade relevant provisions in the new law, said the KCTU, E-Land, with help from the riot police and the Roh Moo-hyun government, terminated the contractors for cashiers and others. 
 
“The KCTU has consistently asserted that the new bill would lead to more irregular workers because the law, which was suppose to give permanent status to irregular workers, has left the door open to evade such measures, such as outsourcing and termination of contracts,” said the labour federation. 
 
Recent statistics by the South Korean government reveal the number of irregular workers is growing. A 2007 study found that a full 35.5% of Korea’s 15 million workforce is in this category.

Actions by E-Land Group Proves Failures of Korea's Contract Workers’ Law

<img height="48" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="120" alt=""/>
ICEM German affiliate IGBCE is crediting worker actions in rubber company enterprises for producing a new labour accord in the sector. On 18 July, the union announced that a 15-month agreement had been reached for 60,000 rubber workers in Germany. 
 
The agreement, which will run until 31 August 2008, awards each worker a 3.7% increase effective 1 September 2007, with workers receiving monthly additions for June through August, 2007.
<img height="242" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0704IGBCE.jpg" width="150" alt=""/>
  
 
Additionally, the agreement calls for a two-stage payment of 3.1% effective on 1 September 2007, and 0.6% on 1 June 2008. Rubber employers also agreed to lift pension compensation to offset reductions for those workers choosing to take early retirement. 
 
IGBCE said the economic situation in the rubber industry drove negotiators to a 15-month labour agreement. It also said employers needed a firm reminder that the union’s pay demands were serious, and they got just that by numerous job actions inside the enterprises of rubber producers and manufacturers.

IGBCE, Workers’ Activism Nets Solid Gains in German Rubber Industry

<img height="48" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="120" alt=""/>
ICEM affiliate Mineworkers’ Union of Zambia (MUZ), together with another mining union, won a 20% pay increase for 9,000 miners at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in early July. The pay increase matched what the unions achieved for miners at KCM in 2006. 
 
Negotiations began in mid-May, but KCM, a company that is majority held by London-listed and Indian-owned Vedanta Resources, was slow in meeting the unions’ demands. In early July, the company did increase its pay offer from 16% to 20%. 
 
The average salary for the lowest paid miner at KCM had been US$400 per month. The other union negotiating the MUZ is the National Union of Mining and Allied Workers (NUMAW). The 20% increase was awarded effective 1 July.
<img height="130" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMminingsector.JPG" width="130" alt=""/>
Meanwhile, last week, Canadian gold and copper producer First Quantum sacked four strike leaders – including two shop stewards – over a wildcat strike at the Kansanshi mine near Solez in mid-July. MUZ intervened to halt the strike by 400 miners in the North-Western province of Zambia, and succeeded in getting negotiations back on track. 
 
But the company took the action to terminate the four and place six others on final warning notices. Appeals are expected. 
 
At KCM, a business dispute between Vedenta and minority shareholder Zambian Copper Investments (ZCI) has gone to arbitration and awaits a ruling. Vedenta has an option to buy ZCI’s 28.4% stake in KCM, lifting its ownership to 79.4%, but the dispute over share price has blocked the deal. The Zambian government maintains a 20.6% share of KCM.
<img height="115" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Zambia.png" width="250" alt=""/>
KCM comprises copper mines at Nkana, Nchanga, and Konkola, as well as pyrite mining at Nampundwe and a copper smelter at Nkana. This smelter is the biggest in Africa, and is now currently undergoing expansion. Vedanta also has invested at a new site, the Konkola Deep Mine Project, which will be operational in 2010 and will extend KCM’s mining life by 30 years. 
 
Vedanta Resources is a major global producer of aluminum, zinc, and copper, and was founded and is currently run by Indian industrial magnate Anil Agarwal.

Zambian Miners Get 20%; Canadian Firm Sacks Leaders of a Copper Strike

Mr. Stuart E. Graham 
President, CEO and Managing Director 
Skanska AB 
Rasundavagen, 2 
169 83 Solna 
SWEDEN 
 
Mr. Graham: 
 
I write on behalf of the over 400 trade unions in 125 countries that are affiliated to the ICEM, the Global Union Federation (GUF) for the Energy, Oil, Gas, and Mining and other industrial sectors worldwide. 
 
I write on behalf of our trade union affiliate in Argentina, Federación Argentina Sindicol del Petróleo y Gas Privados (FASPyGP), who has informed us of the unfair dismissal of union leader Marcelo Nevil Turchetti, the general secretary of the Austral Basin branch of that union in Santa Cruz Province. 
 
He was fired from his job by Skanska’s Argentine management on 6 June 2007. Following an investigation by the ICEM, we have found that Turchetti was discharged in the performance of his legitimate union duties. We have determined that this is counter to Core Labour Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and is counter to the principles contained in the framework labour agreement that your company has signed with ICEM’s fellow GUF, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI). 
 
Senior leadership at FASPyGP has informed us they have filed the necessary appeals under the Argentine labour code, as well as an appeal to the Ministry of Work over this matter. They also inform us they have started a boycott of the company. Skanska as a contracting agent for a number of petroleum and gas facilities in Argentina. 
 
As you know doubt know, Skanska’s business in the South American country is vast, employing 1,000 workers, with work at the facilities of ExxonMobil, Petrobras, Repsol, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron. FASPyGP has asked ICEM to assist them in this effort, as well as to inform our affiliates worldwide of Skanska’s conduct toward legitimate trade union activities in Argentina. 

I write to urgently call on you to intervene. I respectfully request that you intervene to reinstate Mr. Turchetti to his rightful position, and that he be made whole for lost earnings and benefits. I also urge you to inform your subsidiary in Argentina of the respect for trade union rights inherent in your company. I am confident that by you taking these actions, the legal matter that is pending on behalf of Mr. Turchetti can be dropped, saving both sides time and expense. 
 
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary 
 
CC Alberto Roberti, Secretary General, FASPyGP 
Anita Normark, Gneral Secretary, BWI

ICEM's Letter to Skanska AB Over Labour Abuses in Argentina

<img height="40" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100" alt=""/>
The ICEM is intent that justice will come for workers at several Turkish worksites currently in labour-management disputes. The ICEM is doing this in efforts behind the scenes, and leadership of the global union federation recently visited picket lines at two of those disputes: Sanovel pharmaceutical in Istanbul and Fresenius Medical Care’s Novamed plant in the free trade zone of Antalya. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Chemicals and Rubber Industry Officer Kemal Özkan visited those sites recently, and the visits generated numerous press articles inside Turkey.
<img height="254" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0707Turkey1.jpg" width="390"/>
 Manfred Warda (center) with Sanovel workers 

At the Sanovel İlaçları pharmaceutical company, located in Silivri, Istanbul, 190 members of ICEM affiliate Petrol-İş were sacked after joining the union. 
Sanovel, a leading pharmaceutical company in Turkey, dismissed five union leaders on 4 April 2007, after all production workers joined the union. And then on 6 June, the company announced that it had terminated the employment of 190 union members. Management was blunt; it said union status disqualified workers from being able to perform their jobs. 

Workers have been assembled in protest at the plant now for 69 days. On 31 July, Warda and Özkan visited the fired union members at their plant. Warda told them and their family members: “Your struggle is for decent working conditions. Your struggle is for your rights as guaranteed by the constitution and your national laws. Your struggle is for universal human and trade union rights. 
 
“After we return to Brussels, your struggle will be known to all fellow workers and you will receive even more international solidarity,” said Warda. “This struggle will ring out until companies like Sanovel recognise trade union rights and it will be our duty to expand this struggle at the global level. Your struggle is ours!”
The 31 July action was organised by Petrol-İş, and the union has done much to receive support from the public. Doctors’ and pharmacists’ associations have declared their support for the workers, and many in the medical professions are refraining from recommending Sanovel products to their patients. 
 
The other dispute that ICEM leaders paid a call to also involves Petrol-Iş, and is the first-ever strike called by a Turkish union in a free-trade zone. Since September 2006, 84 workers – 82 of whom are women – have been on strike against German-headquartered Fresenius Medical Care and its Turkish subsidiary Novamed. Strikers have been picketing that plant now for 322 consecutive days.
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Petrol-İş President Mustafa Öztaskin speaks to workers
On 3 August, the ICEM’s Warda and Özkan visited the strikers in Antalya. At its meeting in May, the ICEM Executive Committee produced a special resolution on this strike after the ICEM’s Women’s Committee took it up. 
 
Speaking to the strikers, Warda said, “The whole world knows of your struggle and you must know trade unionists in many, many countries are behind you. Your struggle is not only for fair and just wages, but also human dignity. 
 
“Last March 8, on International Women’s Day, your voice was carried by the ICEM throughout the world, and we will continue to do just that,” said Warda, who praised the strikers for their decisiveness and promised to continue to press to change the company’s anti-worker prejudices everywhere in the world.” 
 
Warda and Özkan were accompanied by the President of Petrol-İş, Mustafa Öztaşkın, and the union’s General Secretary Mustafa Çavdar.

Turkish Labour Struggles Given ICEM Spotlight

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The quadrennial National Convention of the Mining and Energy Division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia was held last week in Queensland, and delegates took up two critical issues: ending the 11-year reign of Prime Minister John Howard later this year and adoption of clean coal technologies. 
 
Coming under a unified banner entitled “For a Clean, Safe, and Secure Future,” CFMEU delegates from mines, power stations, oil refineries, and coal ports came together on 14-18 May during a pivotal time in Australia. The entire labour movement in Australia has been besieged by radical workplace reforms, passed in 2005 by the Howard government. 
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As well, the union has embarked on a critical climate change position, intended to preserve Australia’s ranking as the world’s biggest coal exporter, while working diligently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
Delegates heard from Australian Labour Party leaders on the ALP’s agenda to unseat Howard in November with Kevin Rudd. And more importantly, they heard from Australian Council of Trade Unions Secretary Greg Combet on how labour unions will mobilise to get that job done. 
 
The enactment of Howard’s WorkChoices law has opened the way for employers to scuttle collective agreements in favour of individual work contracts, also known as Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs). CFMEU delegates were critical of the country’s mining and metals employers’ association, as well as of mining houses Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Both companies call for the preservation of individual contracts in order not to suffer decreased productivity they claim will total A$6.6 billion. 
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That claim, made in February in the face of a growing public groundswell against Howard’s industrial reforms, is far from the truth. A good majority of coal miners in Australia are covered by collective agreements, while virtually no AWAs exist in the sector. And productivity growth of the coal sector has averaged nearly 3% for each year dating back a decade. 
 
CFMEU’s Mining and Energy Division has adopted policies related to massive investments for clean coal technologies, increased use of renewable energy sources, and carbon emissions trading. The union also supports ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. 
 
The convention included a session on global solidarity, which featured ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers General Secretary Frans Baleni, as well as Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary Paddy Crumlin. Tony Maher serves as General President of the CFMEU’s Mining and Energy Division.

CFMEU’s Mining, Energy Convention Occurs at Critical Juncture in Australia

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Leaders of ICEM’s Colombian mining affiliate, Sintracarbón, marshalled an occupation of La Guajira’s state Social Security building from 23-25 May in the city of Riohacha. The occupation, by some 40 trade unionists and activists in Colombia’s northeast region, occurred because of failed health care practices by both the state and the area’s single biggest employer, Carbones del Cerrejón. 
 
The two-day sit-in produced redress of all demands made by the protestors, some of whom included employees of the state’s health department. Day-long negotiations occurred on 24 May between 11 Sintracarbón leaders, representatives of the state and federal health agencies, Álvaro López, Cerrejón’s Labour Relations director, and Dr. Rodrigo Daza, Cerrejón’s chief medical practitioner. 
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 Sintracarbón’s leaders, who led the occupation: José Nicolás Brito Mendoza, union director; Jaime Deluquez Dias, president; and Jesús Brochero, Maicao Mine president 
 

“Normally, we engage the company in social dialogue over issues,” stated the union’s Maicao Mine President Jesús Brochero. “But there are times when direct action is necessary. With the number of health cases both from the mine and from communities not being addressed, this was one of those times.” 
 
Specifically, the occupation was to draw attention to over 40 miners who have had various work disabilities lingering for as long as a year. Also, it sought to focus attention on some 700 patients in surrounding communities who have been stricken with diseases, and who have not had adequate health treatments from either the mine – owned equally by AngloAmerican, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata – or state and federal agencies. 
 
Carbones del Cerrejón employs 4,700 full-time miners, while another 3,500 contractors work at a complex of eight coal pits and a 150- kilometre rail link to the Caribbean Sea port of Puerto Bolívar.
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The negotiated end to the building occupation granted assurances that all medical payments due disabled miners would be made immediately. Among some other 20 points of agreement stemming from the occupation, accord was made that all pending health care cases will be examined individually and diagnoses of diseases or injuries both on the job and in communities will occur promptly.

Building Occupation in Colombia Yields Health Care Assurances

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