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20 milyon &uuml;yeli Uluslararası Kimya, Enerji, Maden ve Genel İş&ccedil;i Sendikaları Federasyonu (ICEM) Gazze'de derhal ateşkes ilan edilmesi ve Gazze halkına insani yardım sağlanabilmesi i&ccedil;in İsrail ile Filistin arasındaki sınırın ge&ccedil;işe a&ccedil;ılması talebine katılıyor. 
 
&ldquo;İsrail hava saldırılarında atılan bombaların Hamas'ın yanı sıra, &uuml;niversite, televizyon istasyonu, cami ve m&uuml;lteci kampları gibi, 1,5 milyon Filistinli'ye yurt olan bu Akdeniz kıyı b&ouml;lgesindeki salt sivil hedefleri de kapsadığını dehşetle sarsılarak g&ouml;rd&uuml;m,&rdquo; diyen ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda s&ouml;zlerini ş&ouml;yle s&uuml;rd&uuml;rd&uuml;: &ldquo;Masum Filistinlilerin hayatlarını kaybetmesi acı veriyor. Hem İsrail'in hem de Hamas'ın derhal harfiyen uyulacak bir ateşkes ilan etmesi tek &ccedil;ıkar yoldur.&rdquo; 
<img height="102" alt="" src="" width="170" />
Birleşmiş Milletler kaynaklarına ve Filistin makamlarına g&ouml;re, 27 Aralık Pazar g&uuml;n&uuml;nden bu yana hava saldırılarında 370'ten fazla Filistinli &ouml;ld&uuml;, &ouml;ld&uuml;r&uuml;lenlerin yaklaşık &uuml;&ccedil;te biri sivil, 60'tan fazlası ise kadın ve &ccedil;ocuk. Bir&ccedil;oğu ağır olmak &uuml;zere 1.000'den fazla Filistinli yaralı ve doktorlar temel tıbbi malzeme ve kan yokluğuyla boğuşarak yaralıları tedavi etmeye &ccedil;alışıyorlar. 
Hava saldırıları, bu ayın başında sona eren altı aylık ateşkesi Hamas'ın yenilememe kararından sonra Gazze'den İsrail'e yapılan ve d&ouml;rt İsrailli'nin &ouml;l&uuml;m&uuml;ne yol a&ccedil;an f&uuml;ze saldırılarına karşılık olarak yapılmıştı. Hamas'ın kaygı uyandırıcı eylemini Filistin y&ouml;netimi başkanı Mahmud Abbas şiddetle eleştirdi. Hamas İslamcı hareketi Filistin'de &uuml;&ccedil; yıl &ouml;nce yapılan se&ccedil;imleri kazanmış ve sonra ge&ccedil;en yıl Gazze'de kontrol&uuml; şiddet kullanarak ele ge&ccedil;irmişti. 
Birleşmiş Milletler'in insan haklarından sorumlu y&uuml;ksek komiseri Navi Pillay, İsrail'in kuvvet kullanımının &ldquo;&ouml;l&ccedil;&uuml;s&uuml;z&rdquo; olduğunu vurgularken, Birleşmiş Milletler'in Filistin topraklarındaki insan hakları &ouml;zel raport&ouml;r&uuml; Richard Falk BBC'yle yaptığı bir s&ouml;yleşide ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;İsrail savunmasız bir halka karşı modern silahlar kullanarak t&uuml;yler &uuml;rpertici bir vahşet uyguluyor, aylardır ağır bir abluka altında tutulan bir halka saldırıyor.&rdquo; 
İsrail ordusu 2.500 ihtiyat askerini daha g&ouml;reve &ccedil;ağırdı ve Gazze sınırında kara harek&acirc;tı i&ccedil;in hazırlıklar s&uuml;r&uuml;yor. İsrail sınır b&ouml;lgesini &ldquo;kapalı askeri b&ouml;lge&rdquo; ilan ederek gazetecilerin ve başkalarının buraya girişini yasakladı. B&ouml;lgeye denizden giriş de m&uuml;mk&uuml;n değil. 
ICEM ve G&uuml;ney Afrika Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası Başkanı Senzeni Zokwana, b&uuml;t&uuml;n tarafları, Gazze'deki hayati insani ihtiya&ccedil;ları karşılamaya &ccedil;ağırdı ve ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;Gazze halkına yiyecek, su, yakacak ve tıbbi yardım sağlanması i&ccedil;in sınırın ge&ccedil;işe derhal a&ccedil;ılması gerekiyor. Gazze'deki İsrail ablukasının derhal kaldırılması ve tıbbi yardım ekiplerinin engellenmeden acil yardım ulaştırması gerekiyor.&rdquo; 
Filistin Sendikalar Federasyonu Genel Sekreteri Shaher Saed'den ICEM'e g&ouml;nderilen bir mesajda, Filistinliler'in &ccedil;ektikleri ayrıntılarıyla anlatılıyor ve Filistin halkının işgal ve silah tehdidi olmaksızın normal yaşamlarını s&uuml;rd&uuml;rme umudu vurgulanıyor. 
 
Saed'in deyişiyle: &ldquo;İsrail y&ouml;netiminin Filistin halkına saldırılarını durdurmasını sağlamak i&ccedil;in her t&uuml;r &ccedil;abanın harcanması uluslararası topluluğun insani g&ouml;revidir. Filistin halkı sadece f&uuml;zelerden gelen &ouml;l&uuml;mle karşı karşıya değil; ekmek, ila&ccedil;, elektrik ve i&ccedil;me suyu bulunmadığı i&ccedil;in a&ccedil;lık ve &ouml;l&uuml;mle de karşı karşıya.&rdquo; 
 
ICEM, Gazze'deki sorunun ya da Ortadoğu'da genel barış arayışının askeri y&ouml;ntemlerle &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;lemeyeceğine inanıyor. Hem İsrail'in hem de Filistin'in toprağa, haklara ve barış i&ccedil;inde yaşama g&uuml;vencesine sahip olmasını sağlayacak uluslararası &ccedil;abaların ciddi bir şekilde artırılması gerekiyor. 
ICEM Uluslararası Sendikalar Konfederasyonu'nun (ITUC) ve &ouml;zellikle konfederasyon Genel Sekreteri Guy Ryder'ın şu a&ccedil;ıklamasını t&uuml;m&uuml;yle destekliyor: &ldquo;&Ccedil;atışmaya kesin bir son vermek ve İsrail ile Filistin'in iki demokratik devlet olarak barış i&ccedil;inde birlikte yaşamasının temelini atmak i&ccedil;in, saldırı ve tepki zincirinin yerini diyalogun alması gerekiyor.&rdquo; 
 
Ryder'ın s&ouml;zleriyle: Uluslararası topluluğun İsrail ve Filistin'in şiddet &ccedil;evriminden &ccedil;ıkmasını ve diyalog yoluna girmesini sağlayacak baskıyı kurması gerekiyor. Birleşmiş Milletler'in, onun G&uuml;venlik Konseyi &uuml;yelerinin ve bu konuda etkili olabilecek b&uuml;t&uuml;n diğer &uuml;lkelerin son derece acil bir şekilde bunu sağlaması gerekiyor.&quot; 
ICEM, G&uuml;ney Afrika Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'nın eski genel sekreteri ve G&uuml;ney Afrika Başkanı Kgalema Motlanthe'nin İsraillilerin ve Filistinlilerin şiddete son vermesi ve uluslararası topluluğun Ortadoğu'da barışa &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m bulması &ccedil;ağrısını takdirle karşıladı. 
&quot;Ortadoğu'da şiddete son verecek bir &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;me varmak i&ccedil;in her iki taraf da elinden geleni yapmalıdır,&rdquo; diyen Motlanthe ş&ouml;yle devam etti: &quot;Şiddete şiddetle karşılık verilmesi ne İsraillilerin ne de Filistinlilerin davasına katkıda bulunacaktır. Filistin ve İsrail tarafları sorunlarına dostane bir &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m bulmak i&ccedil;in &ccedil;aba harcamaktan ka&ccedil;ınmamalıdır.&quot; 
Motlanthe, g&uuml;venli sınırlar i&ccedil;inde bağımsız bir Filistin devletinin bir İsrail devletiyle birlikte yaşamasını &ouml;ng&ouml;ren iki devletli kalıcı bir &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m &ccedil;ağrısı yaptı. 
ICEM Motlanthe'nin bu a&ccedil;ıklamasına t&uuml;m&uuml;yle katılıyor ve Ortadoğu'da barış i&ccedil;in &ccedil;alışmaya devam edecek. 
 
Merkezi Cenevre'de bulunan ICEM 141 &uuml;lkedeki 467 sendikayı temsil eden k&uuml;resel bir federasyondur.

ICEM Gazze&#039;de Derhal Ateşkese Gidilmesini Talep Ediyor

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The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has issued its annual call for compilation of all trade union violations occurring country-by-country in 2008. The confederation of national labour centres annually publishes a Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights, and ICEM affiliates and other trade unions are encouraged to work through their national centres in order to submit information. 
 
The query is a comprehensive two-page questionnaire, covering respective legislation on trade unions and a reporting format for noting violations of trade union rights. 

<img height="151" alt="" src="" width="110" />
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda
&ldquo;The ITUC&rsquo;s annual survey is a valuable resource that is often overlooked in importance,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;We encourage trade unions throughout the world to respond to this call.&rdquo; Contact a national labour centre in your country for more information, or e-mail the ITUC&rsquo;s the Labour Rights Department at <a href="mailto:turights@ituc.csi.org">turights@ituc.csi.org</a> to see how you can contribute.

ITUC Issues Alert to Collect Trade Union Violations Occurring in 2008

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The ICEM was saddened to learn comrade Vitaly Ivanovic Butko, Vice-President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), passed away on 4 January 2009. He was 59, and died from complications of an illness. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda sent a letter of condolence to Ivan Mohnachuk, President of the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union (Rosugleprof). &ldquo;We honour his important role in the establishment of democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. We also remember him as a brilliant leader who made sure that the interests of the mineworkers were not neglected in the difficult years and many struggles of economic transition,&rdquo; stated Warda. That letter is <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Letter%20of%20condolence%20Vitaly%20Butko.pdf">here</a>. 

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Born in the city of Kemerevo, in the major coal mining region of the Kutnetsk Basin, 2,164 miles east of Moscow, Butko worked as a drift miner, a foreman, the trade union convener at the Kuzbas mine, and then as Chair of the Kuzbas Territorial TU Committee of the Coal Industry Workers&rsquo; Union of the USSR. From 1991 until 1998, Budko held the elected position of President of Rosugleprof. In 1998, he headed the Russian Federal Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies in Transportation. Since March 1999, he had worked as Vice President of FNPR. 
 
He will be remembered as an outstanding trade union leader, who dedicated his strength, experience and work to workers&rsquo; struggle.

ICEM Mourns Passing of Russian Trade Union Leader, Vitaly Butko

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Some 60,000 South Africans filled Absa Stadium in East London on 10 January for unveiling of the African National Congress&rsquo;s (ANC) 2009 election manifesto. And one of the main pieces of that five-year legislative plan &ndash; contained within a pledge to expand employment &ndash; is regulating the burgeoning number of labour brokers in the country. 
 
The manifesto cites an ANC mandate now to better regulate labour-hire agencies and short-term contract work. It states, &ldquo;to avoid exploitation of workers and ensure decent work for all workers as well as to protect the employment relationship, (the ANC will) introduce laws to regulate contract work, subcontracting, and outsourcing, address the problem of labour brokering, and prohibit certain abusive practices.&rdquo; 
 
The ANC&rsquo;s election platform is strong on labour and work rights, and clearly reflects the influence of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The platform aims to generate jobs through creation of more labour-intensive production methods, as well as procurement policies that support local jobs. 

<img height="90" alt="" src="" width="150" />
The ANC intends to make the creation of decent work the central focus in all of the party&rsquo;s economic policies. The central points contained in the manifesto call for more public investment in infrastructure projects; expanding public employment; establishing assistance programmes in the fight against poverty; and introduction of a state-funded health insurance system. 
The manifesto was unveiled by ANC President Jacob Zuma, who called it a product of 15 years of ANC experience in governing South Africa. Zuma told those assembled in the stadium that South Africa would work earnestly to find solutions to the African continent&rsquo;s major flashpoints, from Zimbabwe to Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
 
Parliamentarian elections in South Africa must be held by April, although no date has yet been set.

Curbing Labour Brokers Main Tenet of ANC Manifesto in South Africa

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A comprehensive study entitled &ldquo;Temporary Agency Work and Collective Bargaining in the EU&rdquo; expertly lays out the many differences in the 27-member union on laws and regulations, the broad shapes temporary work takes from country to country, and collects vital collective bargaining data on an issue that is the world&rsquo;s biggest threat to decent work. 
 
The study was compiled by surveying 28 national labour centres last March. It was done by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). The research was done by Eurofound&rsquo;s European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO). 
 
The 48-page study can be found in pdf <a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro/tn0807019s/tn0807019s.pdf">here</a>. 
The study charts agency work growth, country by country, from 2004 to 2007, both in numbers of workers and in revenue growth and it also graphs male, female ratios, and percentages in young and old workers. 

<img height="79" alt="" src="" width="120" />
Regarding laws relating to agency work, the study includes Norway&rsquo;s 1977 Work Environment Law as the earliest statute on the books in greater Europe. The late 1980s witnessed Belgium, Austria, and Portugal adopting statutes. Eurofound&rsquo;s study finds that today, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta are without clear legal frameworks. 
 
In Bulgaria, trade unions and businesses have sought a legal remedy for the triangular employment relationship, but disagreements on content in any proposed law has prevented passage both in 2006 and 2008. In Estonia and Lithuania, legislation is non-existent but there are licensing systems for agency labour firms. The study also points out that in Denmark, uniquely, strict regulation occurs inside the social dialogue process. The Danish model is considered by many to be the most evolved. 
 
In late October 2008, the European Parliament passed the Directive on Temporary Agency Work, premised on the principle of equal treatment for temporary workers. &ldquo;Temporary Agency Work and Collective Bargaining in the EU&rsquo;s&rdquo; value, clearly, can be found in the fact that this Directive allows countries to have exemptions or derogations, specifically with collective bargaining and social dialogue between partners. 
 
The study cites 10 countries that have umbrella employer associations which bargain collectively with trade unions on behalf of temp agency firms. All 10 are original EU member states. The study also says that, nearly without exception, there is not any role defined for collective bargaining in regulating temp work in the new member states. 
 
The survey of labour organisations cites 10 countries with having estimates of trade union density for agency workers. It ranges from Denmark (50%) and Finland (44%), to Slovenia (0.18%), France (0.9%), Italy (1.4-1.7%), to Austria and Luxembourg (5% each), and the Netherlands (17%). In Sweden, a difference is noted between white-collar (17%) and blue-collar (50%), the latter figure, the study says, &ldquo;might reflect higher exposure to trade unions in the user companies.&rdquo; 
 
The study notes that the CGT in France was the earliest to sign a collective agreement with a temp firm &ndash; Manpower in 1968 &ndash; and that all three Italian trade union organisations (CGIL, CISL, UIL) established, in the late 1990s, internal units to represent temporary workers. It says the trend now in most countries is for agency workers to join the trade union closest to their sector or job. 
The study contains scores of useful pieces of information, best characterising the broad effects the issue paints across all worklife in EU countries. In Austria and Germany, for instance, agency work is found more often in the blue-collar jobs of metalworking and manufacturing. In Finland, some two-thirds of agency workers are employed by firms for less than a year, with an average assignment of 94 days. In Denmark, 13% of the government&rsquo;s &ldquo;work and stay&rdquo; permissions since 2004 have been granted to east Europeans hired through labour agencies. Temporary workers in France have the shortest average work lengths, 1.9 weeks, while in the UK, one in five agency workers have been on a single job&nbsp;for an average of&nbsp;18 months. 
 
Eurofound&rsquo;s 2008 study compilation, done by its EIRO research arm, is a valuable document in terms of developing a substantive view on the effects and proliferation of agency labour in Europe.

Temp Agency Work in EU Clearly Defined in Eurofound Study

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Representatives of the ICEM affiliate, Associated Mineworkers Union of Zimbabwe (AMWZ), will meet with the Chamber of Mines on Thursday 15 January, to put forward their demand to be paid in United States dollars instead of local currency. 
 
Workers are ready to down tools if they receive their next salary payment in Zimbabwe dollars. &ldquo;Mineworkers are reeling in poverty and are starving because they are being paid in local currency when almost everything is being charged in US dollars,&rdquo; stated AMWZ president Tinago Ruzive. &ldquo;The situation is quite bad. If we are not paid in United States dollars, we will go on a collective job action.&rdquo; 

<img height="140" alt="" src="" width="140" />
The mining industry in Zimbabwe is in a near-critical condition, especially in the gold sector where the Reserve Bank is said to owe miners at least US$30 million backdated to 2007. Mining industry management has called the union&rsquo;s ultimatum irrational and unrealistic, considering the current crisis. Ruzive responded, arguing that workers have the right to a decent wage. 
 
Salaries in the local currency do not represent a decent wage as it is no longer being accepted for commercial purposes. This near total dollarization of the economy has rendered the local currency virtuously worthless. 
 
Should the miners decide to strike, they will join the country&rsquo;s teachers and nurses who have been on strike since late 2008.

Zimbabwean Miners Demand Payment in US Dollars

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Australia&rsquo;s Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union&rsquo;s (CFMEU) fight to preserve mining jobs against a MNC&rsquo;s callousness, making workers the victims of an economic downturn, got a ruling in the Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) last week. That ruling, delivered on 8 January, calls for a one-week consultation period &ndash; beginning today &ndash; in which Xstrata must justify its ill-taken decision to sack 230 coal miners at Oaky Creek No. 1 Mine in Queensland. 
 
The case stands as a key test in Australia regarding a company shifting the burden of the recent economic collapse onto workers. CFMEU is not alone at present in fiercely resisting job cuts because of a failed neo-liberal economic agenda. From Russia to Chile, at Europe&rsquo;s largest zinc deposits in Ireland&rsquo;s County Meath, where 670 were retrenched by Tara Mines, to the hundreds of thousands of migrant miners across the world who are out of work with no place to go, it is workers who are paying the unjust price of capital&rsquo;s failure. 
 
The CFMEU fightback is just one example of the necessary, the pivotally necessary response that is needed to re-shape a social agenda. 
 
In Bolivia, the FSTMB mine union federation staged protests on 9 January calling on the country&rsquo;s leftist government to allow no layoffs. That came just after Xstrata&rsquo;s holding partner &ndash; Swiss-based Glencore International &ndash; announced job cuts of 700 zinc and lead mines, and at the Sinchi Wayra smelting plant. Workers threatened to take over the operations if the sackings came. 

<img height="99" alt="" src="" width="140" />
In Brazil, iron ore miners of Vale stopped work last Thursday, 8 January, at a mine in Itabira over the mining company&rsquo;s decision to retrench 1,300 jobs. Itabira, in Minas Gerais state, is where Vale was founded. Mining union Metabase says that as many as 10,000 miners could lose their jobs in Brazil because of economic cuts. 
 
In South Africa, estimates say that 40,000 miners could be out work through 2009 because of the economic meltdown. Many will be migrant workers. ICEM and National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) President Senzeni Zokwana predicted the social impact of such sudden and unprecedented joblessness will be far-reaching and disturbing. 

<img height="117" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM President Senzeni Sokwana
In Australia on 16 December, Anglo-Swiss Xstrata levelled a surprise on the 1,800-person town of Tieri, central Queensland, by announcing that the jobs of miners at one part of Oaky Creek&rsquo;s rich coal seams would be indefinitely suspended. 
 
ICEM-affiliated CFMEU took the matter to the AIRC to prevent the sackings. In arbitration hearings on 22 December, and again from 6-7 January in Brisbane, CFMEU argued that Xstrata&rsquo;s price drops are a speck in comparison with its recent coal pricing history has reverted only to early 2008 thermal coal prices to meet slowing demand from the steel industry. Xstrata has an industry-wide reputation, especially over Oaky Creek&rsquo;s high-quality coking coal, of driving prices upward in tight markets, thus making it the industry&rsquo;s price-setter during boom times. 
 
The CFMEU sought a four-week period for the consultative process. The AIRC gave the process a week to work. The CFMEU seeks to get Xstrata to place retrenched workers in its other Queensland operations, specifically Oaky Creek North, a separate longwall operation. The company resists. The union has charged Xstrata with stonewalling the AIRC process, relying on former Howard government work laws to justify its privilege to inflict social degradation on workers. 
 
&ldquo;Xstrata has chosen to take advantage of John Howard&rsquo;s WorkChoices laws and argues heartlessly that they are not required to afford workers natural justice in the redundancy process,&rdquo; said CFMEU Mining and Energy Vice President Stuart Vaccaneo. &ldquo;This really is corporate cowboy stuff.&rdquo; 
 
For the company&rsquo;s part, in December, a spokesman called CFMEU guilty of political posturing by wasting the AIRC&rsquo;s time in bringing the legal case. Vaccaneo called that the &ldquo;height of arrogance,&rdquo; given what 230 Queensland families face. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about politics&mdash;it&rsquo;s about the future of (these) workers and their families.&rdquo; 
 
Following the 8 January AIRC ruling mandating this week as the week for labour-management consultation, a company spokesman said Xstrata will talk to the union, but &ldquo;we have appropriately managed those people&rdquo; affected. 
 
Some 450 job cuts were announced in December in Queensland. Although the Xstrata Oaky Creek case is the most high profile one, other mining enterprises in the region like Macarthur Coal Ltd. and Oz Minerals, a zinc producer, have also fired miners. 
 
Oaky Creek, first starting production in 1983, was bought by Xstrata when it took over MIM Holdings in 2003. Xstrata owns 55% of Oaky Creek, while Japanese companies Sumisho Coal, Itocho Coal, and ICRA OC Ltd. hold remaining ownership. Oaky Creek exports 11 million metric tonnes annually to steel mills in Europe, Japan, and North and South America.

Xstrata, CFMEU in Australia Battle Over Mining Jobs in Economic Downturn

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Find this article in Arabic <a href="/index.php?id=78&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=2994">here</a>.
The first cargo plane full of humanitarian supplies for the people of Gaza landed last week, 8 January, at Al-Areesh, Egypt, courtesy of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF). Both the ITF and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are actively engaged in trade union relief operations to deliver food, water, and medical assistance to Gaza, following nearly three weeks bombing by Israel.
The supplies, collected from transport trade unions and other across the Middle East, were passed to the Red Crescent in Gaza. ITF Representative for the Arab World, Bilal Malkawi, also chief leader of Jordan&rsquo;s General Trade Union of Workers in Air Transport and Tourism, supervised a cargo that included mostly vital medical supplies purchased by the ITF. 

<img height="141" alt="" src="" width="130" />
Bilal Malkawi was aboard the aircraft as it landed in Egypt late last week. The ITF-affiliated union has headed up the collection of essential supplies that were transported on Royal Jordanian planes, donated by the airline for the cause. Further relief flights will follow. 
 
&ldquo;We hope that this will be the first of several mercy flights carrying humanitarian supplies,&rdquo; said ITF General Secretary David Cockroft. &ldquo;Vital though these medical supplies are, they do not lessen in any way the need for an immediate cease fire in Gaza.&rdquo; 

<img height="90" alt="" src="" width="150" />
The ICEM called for an immediate cease fire in a statement issued on 31 December. &ldquo;The loss of innocent Palestinian lives is deplorable, and an immediate and fully respected ceasefire by both Israel and Hamas is now clearly the only way forward,&rdquo; the&nbsp;ICEM statement read.&nbsp; 
 
Labour groups worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, have condemned Israel&rsquo;s disproportionate attacks on Gaza. Late last week, the ICEM-affiliated General Trade Union of Public Utilities of Egypt issued a call for the international community &ldquo;to exercise and exert pressure on Israel to bring an end to Palestinian suffering, and to stop the violent and atrocious aggression on the armless people of Gaza.&rdquo; 

<img height="95" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ITUC is working in cooperation with national labour centres in Palestine and Jordan (the PGFTU and GFJTU) to bring trade union aid for Gaza&rsquo;s citizens. The ITUC has set up an account called &ldquo;Trade Union Aid for Gaza.&rdquo; Information on bank transfer donations can call +32 2 224 0211 for information. 
 
Union wishing to contribute to the ITF, Jordanian Air Transport Workers Union efforts can do so by contacting Bilal at <a href="mailto:malkaw_bilal@itf.org.uk">malkaw_bilal@itf.org.uk</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Relief Aid Begins Reaching Gaza through ITF and ITUC Efforts

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Last month, an inspiring group of US trade unionists staged a six-day occupation of a manufacturing plant in Chicago, Illinois, a success story that continues to resonate. The sit-in, done by ICEM affiliate United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers&rsquo; Union of America (UE), sent a potent worldwide message on how to defend jobs when a company is foreclosed by banks. (Read more <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/2929-Chicago-Plant-Takeover-Vivid-Reminder-Amidst-American-Banking-Bailout">here</a>.) 
 
Seven weeks after that plant occupation, another, and bigger reward awaits the 300 UE members: they may get their jobs back. A small eco-friendly building materials company that likes the plant, the equipment, but more importantly, likes the grit of the workers, is in serious negotiations to buy the plant, reopen it under a UE collective agreement, and produce energy-efficient building materials. 
 
Serious Materials, a maker of triple-pane windows and soundproof drywall, is attempting to buy the plant&rsquo;s assets from bankruptcy from the creditor, Bank of America. The California-based company, with only three other factories &ndash; all operated non-union &ndash; sees an opportunity with the UE workforce to expand a manufacturing base that likely will flourish in post-Bush America. &ldquo;We saw a great opportunity with a great facility and great workers,&rdquo; said the company&rsquo;s CEO in a published report, who admitted he was inspired by the 5-11 December plant occupation. 

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The good news comes as UE workers from the closed Republic factory travel the US on a &ldquo;Recovery and Resistance&rdquo; tour. They are telling their story and developing a campaign that puts a priority on jobs as the jumpstart to economic recovery. The workers, in hand with their union, are touring some 15 American cities under the broad-based banner of the labour-community coalition group, Jobs with Justice. 
 
An important aspect to the UE&rsquo;s campaigning is its &ldquo;Window of Opportunity Fund&rdquo; for Republic workers, a financial mechanism for the UE that will assure the union a seat at the table to determine the future of the plant. The occupation&rsquo;s success in December rested with the UE winning that seat, forcing a just settlement for Republic workers, who had seen their jobs taken from them with three days notice. 
 
The ICEM commends the UE and Republic workers for their success. The ICEM also recognises the need to grow the &ldquo;Window of Opportunity&rdquo; Fund, and encourages trade unions to take part. 
 
On the UE website, the &ldquo;Recovery and Resistance Tour&rdquo; can be found <a href="http://www.ueunion.org/ue_republicworkerstour.html">here</a>. 
The site has a method for making donations to ensure that as many Americans as possible hear the courageous story on how UE members in Chicago are going about saving their factory. The ICEM encourages unions to make a donation to this deserving effort.

Hope Turns Green: Republic Windows &amp; Doors Factory Might Reopen in Chicago

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the changes in the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009, on the sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop in Abidjan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and on the latest report from PEPFAR.
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 
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The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009 
 
While the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project will continue in 2009, the management of the project will undergo some changes. The assignment of the Global Coordinator ended on 31 December 2008. During the transition year 2009, he will work as a part-time consultant. The management of regional and national activities in Africa has been fully transferred to the project office in Johannesburg. 
 
The project team and national coordinators have worked hard to achieve concrete results in HIV/AIDS interventions at the workplace over the past four years. We have seen successes and we have had some disappointments. We must build on our achievements. Some countries and ICEM affiliates have emerged as champions and must lead those who have yet to live up to their commitments. 
 
In some countries, steps forward have been made towards sustainability because the leadership sees HIV/AIDS as a union issue and because working relations have been established with organisations which can give technical and material assistance. 
While it is important to achieve universal access, the fight against the pandemic cannot be won by putting more people on treatment alone. When there are five new HIV infections for every two people put on treatment, the importance of prevention is obvious. We have used the workplace as an entry point for prevention measures, and for our advocacy for voluntary counselling and testing. The ICEM has focused its efforts on the workers, their families, and the larger community. 
 
We will continue to do so in 2009 with national programmes in sub-Saharan African countries and sub-regional workshops in Africa, with funding from the LO/TCO and FNV Mondiaal, and new or expanded projects in India with sponsorship from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. In Tanzania, with the help of the German affiliate IGBCE, in Trinidad and Tobago, with assistance from the Humanity Fund of ICEM&rsquo;s Canadian affiliate CEP, and in Mongolia with the support from Japanese UI Zensen and TPWU of Taiwan, our project work will be expanded. 
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ICEM Sub-regional HIV/AIDS Review Workshop in Abidjan
Unionists from C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mali came together in Abidjan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, from 15-17 December 2008 for a sub-regional workshop to review progress in their HIV/AIDS work. Working groups dealt with constraints in their HIV/AIDS work and possible solutions; considered new proposals; discussed the role of women and young workers and argued in favour of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in all union activities; and explored the idea of making HIV/AIDS an organising tool for unions. 
 
Above all, participants discussed future sustainability in view of the expiry of the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project. While funding from employers and national and international organisations, and cooperation with NGOs and faith-based organisations are all important, commitment by union leadership is crucial in the fight against the pandemic. This was demonstrated by the active participation of the General Secretaries of the three ICEM affiliates in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire in the workshop. Unions should also develop technical competence in proposal writing and project management. 
 
Presentations on HIV/AIDS workplace policies, the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, workers&rsquo; rights and the companies&rsquo; response were made by representatives of government agencies, NGOs and CECI, the business coalition in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire to fight HIV/AIDS. 
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Assessment Missions Completed
As reported in previous e-bulletins, a series of assessment missions was undertaken in all sub-Saharan project countries. These were successfully completed in November and December with missions to Tanzania by the Project Management Assistant, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the Coordinator in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and to C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire by the Global Coordinator. 
 
These assessment missions have become an important tool in the ICEM&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS work. The conclusions of all mission reports reveal the strength and weaknesses in the different countries and allow for more focussed interventions in the 2009 programme. This has also been facilitated by the three sub-regional review workshops. 
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ICEM Affiliates and World AIDS Day
More reports have come in from affiliates on their activities on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2008. SITRAPEQUIA, the union organising petroleum and chemical workers in Costa Rica, organised a day of action with its own flyer and information material from UNAIDS. 
 
In India, World AIDS Day activities were lead by master trainers and peer educators trained under the workplace project of the Indian affiliates and the ICEM, with support from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Large rallies were organised in Dhanbad, Korba, and Indore on this occasion in India. Exhibitions on HIV/AIDS with photographs, banners and campaign material were also put up. 

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Namibia: Assessment of Chamber of Mines Programme 
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project funded an assessment of the Occupational Health Education and Awareness Programme (OHEAP) of the Chamber of Mines in Namibia. OHEAP includes a strong HIV/AIDS component. The report, prepared by the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), was finalised in December 2008. 
 
One of the objectives of this assessment was also to foster more cooperation on HIV/AIDS activities between the Chamber of Mines and ICEM-affiliated Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Namibia (MUN), which also contributed funding towards the assessment. The report shows, among other items, that despite good intentions, HIV/AIDS interventions were often not as effective as it could have been with better communication and more involvement of shop stewards and the union in general. 
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African AIDS Conference 
The 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 3-7 December 2008. The ILO organised sessions with a range of UN, donor, and NGO partners and presented good practices from public and private sector workplaces. 
 
The leader of the ILO delegation, Executive Director of the Social Protection Sector, Assane Diop, emphasised that prevention remains the real tool to respond to the HIV epidemic. &ldquo;There needs to be more access to prevention and treatment,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;We have many examples of how the world of work provides information and delivers a range of services.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM was represented at ICASA by the Coordinator for C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
(Source: ILO/AIDS website) 

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Latest PEPFAR Results
In 2003, former US President Bush launched the President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The latest report to the US Congress states that US$18.8 billion were provided in HIV/AIDS funding. The report states that more than two million people were put on treatment in the 15 focus countries; that care was supported for more than 10 million people worldwide; and that community outreach programmes, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and condom distribution has prevented millions of new infections. 
 
The US Congress has authorised up to US$48 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria over the next five years. While the PEPFAR Coordinator has been asked to stay on temporarily, it is hoped that the Obama administration will break with the emphasis on abstinence and favour a broader spectrum of HIV prevention strategies. 
 
PEPFAR was conceived as a public/private partnership with buy-ins from the private sector. From the beginning, programmes have tilted towards business, not least because trade unions have yet to assert their role as workplace partners with credible programmes. The report specifically states that &ldquo;PEPFAR also remains dedicated to expanding workplace programs that provide HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.&rdquo; 
With a more favourable political environment in Washington, the ball is now in the unions&rsquo; court. 
 
(Source: Information from Robert E. Lovelace, Consultant to the Global Union AIDS Programme and website <a href="http://www.pepfar.gov">www.pepfar.gov</a> where the report and a fact sheet can be found) 
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TUC Launches Projects to Combat HIV/AIDS
To coincide with World AIDS Day, the UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) launched two new projects in Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the stigma and discrimination associated with it. TUC Aid &ndash; the development arm of the UK trade unions &ndash; will be assisting the Timber Workers&rsquo; Union in Ghana and the national centre, National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTC), in Uganda. 
 
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, &ldquo;We will help unions in Ghana and Uganda help their members by making the workplace the frontline in the battle against the AIDS pandemic. Workplaces have the infrastructure for training and education campaigns on HIV/AIDS and &ndash; where unions are recognised &ndash; can help to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: TUC Press Release, 28 November 2008) 

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Colombia: Most Vulnerable Fall Through Health System Gaps
Although the Colombian government mandates that private health companies provide essential services, including those related to HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention, many have refused to comply. The UNAIDS Country Coordinator said that companies receive federal funding, but are not using it to do interventions. There is no national HIV prevention strategy or budget to target high-risk groups &ndash; such as men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, and displaced people. 
 
According to UNAIDS estimates, about 170,000 people in Colombia are living with HIV/AIDS. The testing rate is very low. Of the 25,000 people who have tested and found in need of treatment, around 18,000 are currently accessing treatment. 
 
(Source: IRIN, 12 January 2009, as reported in Medical News Today, 15 January) 

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New UNAIDS Executive Director
Michel Sidib&eacute;, previously Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, was appointed Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 
 
Accepting his appointment, Mr Sidib&eacute; said, &ldquo;I am indeed honoured to serve UNAIDS. The AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world. We have to ensure that there is strong and long term leadership and financial commitment to respond to AIDS that is grounded in evidence and human rights.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, 1 December 2008) 

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Global Fund Becomes Autonomous Institution&nbsp; 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced that effective 1 January 2009 it will become an administratively autonomous international financing institution, separating from the World Health Organization (WHO). 
 
When the Global Fund was established in 2002, it entered into an Administrative Services Agreement (ASA) with the WHO to provide a range of administrative and financial services to the Global Fund. This arrangement enabled the Global Fund to start operations quickly and to fund programmes delivering life-saving services less than a year after it was established in January 2002. 
 
The arrangement with WHO was intended to be temporary, and in November 2007, the Global Fund Board decided that it should be terminated on 31 December 2008. Becoming administratively autonomous allows the Global Fund greater flexibility as an institution. The Global Fund retains a status as an international institution with privileges and immunities similar to UN organisations that are headquartered in Switzerland. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release, 19 December 2008)&nbsp;
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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
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Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. 
For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
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Or click directly on the links below: 
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Cette traduction est faite automatiquement par un logiciel internet gratuit. L&rsquo;ICEM n&rsquo;assume aucune responsabilit&eacute; &agrave; cet &eacute;gard. Elle est approximative, mais peut n&eacute;anmoins vous donner une id&eacute;e g&eacute;n&eacute;rale du contenu de l&rsquo;article. 
 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D2999&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=de&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Hier Klicken f&uuml;r eine maschinelle &Uuml;bersetzung ins Deutsche.</a> 
Diese &Uuml;bersetzung, f&uuml;r die die ICEM keine Verantwortung &uuml;bernimmt, erfolgt durch eine frei zug&auml;ngliche Internetsoftware. Diese &Uuml;bersetzung ist nicht perfekt, gibt aber eine ann&auml;hernende Idee, wor&uuml;ber der Artikel handelt. 
 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D2999&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=ru&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Щелкните мышью здесь для получения машинного перевода на Русский.</a> 
Этот перевод выполняется автоматически с помощью бесплатной Интернет-программы, и ICEM не несет за него ответственности. Перевод приблизительный, но все же может дать общее представление о содержании статьи. 
日本語への翻訳について、無料オンライン翻訳サービス利用されたい方<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D2999&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=ja&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">はここをクリ</a>ックしてください。ただし、当該サービスを利用した翻訳の質等について、ICEMは一切責任を負いませんので、ご了承ください。 
 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D2999&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=es&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Haga clic aqu&iacute; para una traducci&oacute;n autom&aacute;tica en espa&ntilde;ol.</a> 
Esta traducci&oacute;n se hace autom&aacute;ticamente con tecnolog&iacute;a libre del Internet. La ICEM no se responsabiliza de ella. La traducci&oacute;n es aproximada, pero puede proveer una idea general del contenido del art&iacute;culo. 
 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D2999&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=sv&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Klicka h&auml;r f&ouml;r en maskin&ouml;vers&auml;ttning till svenska.</a> 
Denna &ouml;vers&auml;ttning utf&ouml;rs automatiskt med kostnadsfri internetteknik. ICEM tar inget ansvar f&ouml;r den. Den &auml;r inte helt korrekt men ger dig &auml;nd&aring; en allm&auml;n uppfattning om vad artikeln handlar om.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 40 January 2009

Archive

ICEM Gazze'de Derhal Ateşkese Gidilmesini Talep Ediyor

ITUC Issues Alert to Collect Trade Union Violations Occurring in 2008

ICEM Mourns Passing of Russian Trade Union Leader, Vitaly Butko

Curbing Labour Brokers Main Tenet of ANC Manifesto in South Africa

Temp Agency Work in EU Clearly Defined in Eurofound Study

Zimbabwean Miners Demand Payment in US Dollars

Xstrata, CFMEU in Australia Battle Over Mining Jobs in Economic Downturn

Relief Aid Begins Reaching Gaza through ITF and ITUC Efforts

Hope Turns Green: Republic Windows & Doors Factory Might Reopen in Chicago

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 40 January 2009

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