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French union and ICEM affiliate FCE-CFDT has all along suspected that the August 2004 takeover by Aventis of Sanofi-Synthelabo creating Sanofi- Aventis, the world’s third largest pharmaceutical maker, would have dire consequences on employment. The French union did not have to wait long for proof. In order to meet its goal for shedding €1.6 billion in operating costs by 2006, the merged firm’s first attack on workers will make redundant 431 pharmaceutical sales representatives and support staff, close Aventis’s Strasbourg headquarters idling 230 workers, and the spin-off of Research and Development of infectious diseases will cost even more jobs. FCE-CFDT says the company’s selective approach to early retirement is wrong, and the French company must negotiate with the union on age-related and across-the-board early-out packages.

Chemicals Merger Between Aventis and Sanofi Will Cost Jobs

The CEP of Canada is requesting the OECD undertake an investigation of labour practices against Finnish papermaker UPM Kymmene under the Parisbased organization’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. At UPM Kymmene’s lone Canadian mill in Miramichi, New Brunswick, the firm unilaterally announced closure of the pulp mill—chopping 400 jobs effective 31 January 2005—but also engaged in vicious anti-union behaviour. Management turned rabid after the CEP local union protested the closure on grounds the firm’s logging licenses for harvesting government lands mandates that it operate the mill. CEP charges UPM Kymmene with creating a “cold war” atmosphere of labour relations by suspending local union leaders for performing their statutory duties, monitoring and spying on workers’ activities with a hired security team, and refusing to negotiate with the union or to provide information pertinent to bargaining.

CEP of Canada Takes Paper Dispute to OECD

A court injunction 20 November ended a one-day strike by 100 oil workers, members of ICEM affiliate Engineering, Printing & Manufacturing Union (EPMU) of New Zealand. The EPMU members employed at five oil and gas rigs in Taranaki and Taupo struck over lack of progress in NZ’s Onshore Oil Exploration Drilling Rig Agreement, a multi-employer collective agreement. EPMU is seeking a 5% wage adjustment, better redundancy provisions, meal provisions, and changes to training time, which is currently done outside of regular work hours. NZ’s Employment Court will conduct a full hearing on the temporary injunction gotten by oil drilling employers on 24 November.

Oil Companies Get Injunction to End New Zealand Onshore Strike

That rebuilding effort, however, is proving as troublesome under the provisional Iraqi administration as it was under Saddam’s rule, according to the Workers’ Council of the National Company for Chemicals and Plastics Industries in Baghdad. A statement by the fledgling union says “the same fascistic policies of the former regime” are still in place including punishments, dismissals, threats and dismissals. The council is demanding raises in the minimum wage to match inflation, rescinding punishments and full pay for 25 workers, and distributing the yearly gains of the company to workers.

Iraqi Occupation Hindering Workplace Progress

Hubertus Schmoldt, president of ICEM German affiliate IGBCE, drew attention to the challenges and opportunities facing the union movement in an end-of-the-year message. Schmoldt noted that international competition has grown stiffer with no let up in sight and said global trade union work stressing solidarity is welcome, but unions are only at the beginning of such positive developments. He described biogenetics and nanotechnology as key industries for the future but—particularly in the case of gene technology— Germany may soon lose research, development and production capacities. Schmoldt stressed the importance of education and training from early childhood to university levels as key.

Germany’s IGBCE Gives Year-End Challenges

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa is targeting Hernic Ferrochrome following a 13 December underground mine disaster that crushed and then drowned seven miners in Brits, North West Province. Managers refused to allow NUM representatives to investigate South Africa’s deadliest 2004 mine disaster caused by a flood from a dislodged valve that brought a ventilation lattice wall down. “The behaviour of this company demonstrates absolute arrogance in the face of calamity,” said NUM Gen. Sec. Gwede Mantashe. “We will leave no stone unturned in our commitment to ensuring that families of these workers see justice being done.” The NUM will be present 15 February when an official Department of Minerals and Energy inquiry commences. Hernic, a high-carbon ferrochrome producer that is just now ramping production up at the Brits mine, is 53.2% owned by Japan’s Mitsubishi, 25% by the South African government’s Industrial Development Corp., 11.5% by Elg Hansel of Germany, and 7.5% by mine management.

South Africa’s NUM Takes On Hernic Ferrochrome Over Safety

A new website launched today highlights anti-union practices by ceramics, materials and construction multinational Imerys. 
 
American union the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) and the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), jointly announced the start-up of the website on French-headquartered Imerys. PACE is an ICEM affiliate. 
 
"The website allows Imerys workers and their unions throughout the world to communicate, share information and learn about the 'union-busting' practices of Imerys in the US," said PACE President Boyd Young. 
 
Imerys has been conducting a hostile campaign against union members and supporters at its plants in Georgia and Alabama. In Sylacauga, Alabama, Imerys management hired a professional "union-buster', held mandatory anti-union meetings, and showed a film which implied that US unions are controlled by organised crime and that they cause plants to be closed. Imerys is also using a "secret" manual, uncovered by PACE, which instructs supervisors on how to conduct the anti-union campaign. 
 
PACE has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Imerys management harassed, threatened and spied on union supporters. Excerpts from the "secret" manual, a summary of legal charges, and an interactive message board are on the website. 
 
Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary, stated: "Imerys so far has refused to stop its anti-union practices, and we will assist US workers who are battling for union representation in whatever way we can." 
 
The ICEM held a press conference on January 20 in Brussels, together with the Belgian General Labour Federation (FGTB/ABVV) and ICEM Belgian affiliate the Centrale Generale/Algemene Centrale, calling upon the Frere family to intervene. The Frere family controls 23 percent of Imerys shares through one of its many holding companies. The ICEM set up meetings with French and British union affiliates, who also represent workers at Imerys plants, and have pledged support for the campaign.

Imerys Campaign: Unions Launch Global Website

The Transport and General Workers’ Union of UK is polling 1,200 members at two Michelin plants for industrial action. Michelin’s wage offer in December of either 3% or GBP 650 is inadequate, and separate polling of the two workforces will begin this week. The two sites are Stoke in the Midlands with 400 T&G members and Ballymena in Northern Ireland employing 800.

Transport and General in UK Ready for Industrial Action at Michelin

All communication was cut off to and from Nepal late last week and the ICEM was unable to ascertain the safety and whereabouts of leaders of its affiliated unions, including ICEM Vice President Binda Pandey of the Independent Chemical and Iron Workers’ Union and GEFONT. King Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 February dissolved his handpicked government and declared a state of emergency. At the weekend army forces were going after Maoist rebels. GEFONT leadership and ICEM leaders and contacts inside Nepal are not connected with the insurgency. ILO Director- General Juan Somavia reminded Nepal’s king on 4 February that emergency decrees “aimed at anti-social disruptive elements should not be applied against workers for exercising their legitimate trade union rights, including the right to organize public meetings.”

Emergency Law in Nepal Suspends All Human, Labour Rights

Some 1,450 American tyre workers who have been on strike for one year have reached a tentative contract agreement with General Tire, a subsidiary of global tyremaking giant Continental. 
 
This was announced today by the US tyre workers' union, the USWA. 
 
At the global level, the USWA is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which has been coordinating a major worldwide trade union campaign in support of the US strikers. 
 
The tentative agreement will be voted on by USWA Local 850 members on Sunday, 19 September. This local represents the strikers at General Tire's Charlotte plant. Monday, 20 September, would mark the first anniversary of the start of their strike. 
 
Tentative agreements with Continental General were simultaneously reached by USWA locals at two other US plants and will also be the subject of ratification votes by workers at these plants. Before these tentative agreements were reached, contracts at the other two plants were not due to expire until late in the year 2000. 
 
Details of the agreements, which if ratified will expire in 2006, will not be available until USWA members at the three plants have voted on them.

Continental Tyres: Tentative US Agreement

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