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In Mexico, the urgent necessity to confront the hijacking of trade unionism was given priority by global trade unions recently. The ICEM was one of seven Global Union Federations that signed on to an ITUC/ORIT declaration calling for an end to &ldquo;employer protection contracts,&rdquo; or simply, yellow unionism. 
 
At a 3 April conference in Mexico, the GUFs, national and other global unions, and NGOs joined with ITUC/ORIT, calling on Mexico to halt the practice of company-dominated unions, where workers are victimised, ORIT says, by a &ldquo;triple sham: pseudo-unions, pseudo labour relations, and pseudo labour authority.&rdquo; 
 
The campaign, themed &ldquo;For Liberty, Autonomy and Union Democracy,&rdquo; kicked off with testimony from workers&rsquo; representatives from six sectors. Some workers wore hoods to prevent reprisals, including one from the big US retailer, WalMart.
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The hijacking of honest trade unionism comes in the form of employer protection contracts, which are invariably signed by a manager or owner of an enterprise, and a pre-selected trade union operative. Workers have no say in terms or conditions, and government labour commissions are powerless, since the &ldquo;sham&rdquo; labour contracts negotiated between owners and &ldquo;ghost&rdquo; labour unions are binding. 
 
ITUC/ORIT, and the global unions and other affiliates, will press &ldquo;Liberty, Autonomy, Union Democracy&rdquo; inside Mexico, and before international governing bodies, including the UN Commission and the International Court of Human Rights, and at the ILO.

Stop Illegal Trade Union Activity in Mexico

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Mediated negotiations to end a strike by the United Steelworkers (USW) against Rio Tinto&rsquo;s Iron Ore Co. of Canada occurred 1-3 April, but halted needlessly when management walked away from the table. Some 1,300 USW members at a mine and pellet plant in Labrador City, Newfoundland, and an iron ore export facility in Sept-Iles, Quebec, have been on strike since 8 March and 14 March, respectively. 
 
USW District Six Director Wayne Fraser said the two sides were not far apart to end the month-long strike, except that managers abruptly got up and left bargaining on 3 April. &ldquo;For the company to simply walk away shows remarkable disrespect to both the process and, more importantly, to the employees, who do not take the decision to be on strike likely.&rdquo;
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USW District Six Director Wayne Fraser
Chief among remaining concerns for the three USW local branches that are involved are recognition of seniority, ensuring that employees&rsquo; benefits are not capped, and meeting the pay parity of other mining companies in Quebec. 
 
&ldquo;This fight is about recognising the intrinsic value our members bring to this operation,&rdquo; stated USW Local 5795 President George Kean. &ldquo;(The years) 2005 and 2006 broke all production records and our members gave the company the biggest profit in its history.&rdquo; 
 
Iron Ore Co. of Canada is 59% owned by Rio Tinto.

Rio Tinto’s Canadian Managers Walk Away from Talks to End Strike

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A tentative agreement was reached late on 3 April between ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) and Bridgestone/Firestone North America. The agreement covers some 5,200 rubber workers at six US plants, and concludes master rubber bargaining at North America&rsquo;s three major tyre companies that have multiple plants. 
 
&ldquo;The tentative agreement and contract proposals follow the pattern established in the BF Goodrich (Michelin) and Goodyear contracts,&rdquo; said USW Executive Vice President Ron Hoover. The USW announced that informational meetings for Bridgestone/Firestone workers and secret-ballot ratification votes will occur at all six plants by 25 April 2006.
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USW Executive Vice President Ron Hoover
If ratified, the three-year contract will be backdated to last summer, and will run to 18 July 2009. The contract covers plant locations in Akron, Ohio; Noblesville, Indiana; Des Moines, Iowa; Russelville, Arkansas; La Vergne, Tennessee; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a plant in which Bridgestone discontinued tyre production in December 2006. Workers at two other Bridgestone/Firestone plants, Warren County, Tennessee, and Bloomington, Illinois, are also represented by the USW and are considering proposed agreements separate from the master rubber contract. 
 
The USW&rsquo;s last set of talks with a tyre producer is currently underway in the state of Virginia. Japan-based Yokohama Tire Co. and the union are in talks over a new contract for some 700 rubber workers at an auto and light truck tyre plant in Salem, Virginia. The current contract there expires on 15 April. 

&nbsp;

USW Members in US to Vote on New Bridgestone Tyre Contract

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The Finnish Electrical Workers&rsquo; Union succeeded in a four-month campaign, winning &euro;700,000 in backpay and reciprocity for 88 Polish electricians. The electricians worked on construction projects in Finland. 
 
The union discovered that a Gdansk, Poland-based contractor, MSB, was violating Finnish pay guidelines at a huge construction site near Tampere in November 2006. 
 
The electricians were earning &euro;5-per-hour, while the average electrician&rsquo;s pay in Finland is about &euro;14-per-hour.
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When the Electrical Workers&rsquo; Union sought information from MSB on working conditions in November, the company did not respond. The union then commenced a blockade against MSB, preventing the Polish company from performing any work in Finland. The union demanded that all companies, and their workers, abstain from working with MSB on any construction project. 
 
The Electrical Workers&rsquo; Union also pressed Finnish state authorities to intervene in the company&rsquo;s illegal work practices, as well. 
 
The pressure campaign worked. In early February, MSB came to agreement with the union on the process for paying wage arrears, as well as social security and tax reciprocation with Poland&rsquo;s government. Last week, Trade Union News from Finland reported that the agreement calls for wages to be brought up to levels common in Finnish collective agreements &ndash; &euro;12.30- to &euro;14-per-hour &ndash; and that of the &euro;700,000 sum, &euro;330,000 will be transferred to the Polish tax and social security authorities. 
 
&ldquo;This case is a strong message to companies that employ foreign labour,&rdquo; the Electrical Workers&rsquo; Keijo Rimmist&ouml; told Trade Union News. &ldquo;Respect, voluntarily, the Finnish collective agreements, as, in case you don&rsquo;t, our union will compel you to pay the arrears payments. Letting things go &hellip; you not only risk your reputation, but also risk waking the interest of the police.&rdquo;

Boycott Pressure Forces Polish Firm to Pay Back-Wages in Finland

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The deadly 19 March methane explosion at the Ulyanovskaya coal mine in Russia is still under review, with dozens of possible causes being prematurely suggested. The safety technical inspectorate of Russia will issue a report on the tragedy in April, two weeks after the official on-site inquiry ends. 
 
Meanwhile, the inspectorate, early in April, closed 29 other coal mines in the Kutnetsk coal fields of Kemerovo region, as well as four other collieries in the Rostov region. Several of the mines belong to Yuzhkuzbassugol, owner of the Ulyanovskaya mine and Russia&rsquo;s largest coal producer. Others belong to Sibirsky coal.
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&quot;Danger Zone&quot; (entrance at Ulyanovskaya mine)
&nbsp;The head of the state inspectorate agency ordered work at the 33 mines halted for five days, so the agency could check for compliance of technological documentation per estimated project capacity, as well as safety regulations and changes in project designs. 
 
The Ulyanovskaya mine disaster of 19 March 2007 is Russia and the Soviet Union&rsquo;s worst in decades. It has claimed 110 lives. Recovery efforts have found the bodies of 108 miners, while two others remain deep inside mine shafts. 
 
The Ulyanovskaya mine is recognised as having the most current and sophisticated gas control equipment of any coal mine in Russia. Some 20 senior managers and technicians were inside the mine when the blast occurred, killing all of them. Included among them was a British technician of the company that designed the system, and his interpreter.
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ROSUGLEPROF President Ivan Mokhnachuk
Nearly all of the 1,068 miners employed at Ulyanovskaya are members of ICEM Russian affiliate Independent Coal Miners&rsquo; Union (ROSUGLEPROF). The union&rsquo;s vice president, Ruben Badalov, served on the official investigation team of the Russian state commission at the mine site. He recently returned to Moscow, and the investigative report on the cause of the tragedy is due in the coming weeks.

Cause of Russian Coal Mine Deaths to be Announced Shortly

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ICEM Belgian affiliates CG-FGTB and SETCa-FGTB have warned Japanese-owned Asahi Glaverbel Glass that further restructuring at the AGC Automotive glass plant in Fleurus, Wallonia, or other AGC worksites, can only be done through strict adherence to solutions already put forward by the unions. 
 
On 29 March, Asahi Glaverbel announced possible redundancies of 380 jobs at Fleurus, Zeebrugge, and Lodelinsart in Belgium. This restructuring occurs a short two years after Belgian unions mounted a 105-day strike at the Fleurus plant. That strike, from December 2005 to March 2006, came about because of Asahi&rsquo;s failure to come to meaningful social dialogue over an irrational restructuring plan.
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That restructuring exercise cost some 280 jobs at Fleurus then, and other job losses occurred a year later at Asahi Glaverbel&rsquo;s Zeebrugge flat-glass plant. 
 
&ldquo;In all three plants,&rdquo; said the CG-FGTB in a press release, &ldquo;the workers of Glaverbel have made major efforts in terms of productivity, flexibility, and efficiency. The management of AGC-Fleurus recognises this fact today, and this is also evident by investments&rdquo; made in other Belgian operations of Glaverbel. 
 
&ldquo;The workers of Glaverbel-ACG do not deserve&rdquo; further redundancies, stated CG-FGTB. 
 
The unions did enter social dialogue with the company late in March, and a second meeting was scheduled for 3 April. CG-FGTB and SETCa-FGTB are insistent that they will be thoroughly involved in any business plan put forward this time by the company.
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CG-FGTB and SETCa-FGTB say their first priority will be to save all the jobs, and they will not tolerate outright sackings. If necessary, transfers for workers between Glaverbel worksites, or voluntary and pre-pension arrangements will be put negotiated. 
 
&ldquo;Industrial managers (of Asahi) and the political community made promises in the past,&rdquo; stated the two unions, referring to the negotiated outcome in 2005. &ldquo;Today, they must honour those pacts. They must listen to the solutions that we have proposed, and support the industrial projects at Glaverbel-ACG that are worthy of solid, job-sustaining initiatives.&rdquo;

Belgian Unions Declare Strong Intent to Save Asahi Glass Jobs

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NUPENG in the Forefront for VCT.&nbsp; &nbsp;
ICEM&rsquo;s blue-collar oilworkers&rsquo; affiliate in Nigeria, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), has made good use of the ICEM grant for national activities under the LO/TCO-FNV Mondiaal project. 
 
At the end of last year, NUPENG organised, in cooperation with the senior staff oilworkers&rsquo; union PENGASSAN (also an affiliate to the ICEM), a massive &ldquo;Know your Status&rdquo; campaign in petroleum refineries in the Port Harcourt area. In a three-day period, about 4,500 people were counselled, and 2,785 agreed to be tested at a mobile VCT facility. This followed a campaign among petrol tanker drivers, also NUPENG members, earlier in 2006. 
 
NUPENG sourced additional funding at national level from AED/SMARTwork for a follow-up round of voluntary counselling and testing in February 2007. A total of 3,200 people were counselled and 885 agreed to be tested. The average rate of people who tested positive was between 5-6%. That is above the national prevalence rate of 3.9%, among adults aged 15 to 49. 
 
Speaking to the ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator in Abuja, NUPENG&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS Coordinator Olawale Afolabi expressed great concern that post test programmes are almost unavailable. Those tested positive are sent to referral hospitals. One of these hospitals, in Port Harcourt, the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital, is open only one day a week for PLWHA. They are left to wait from dawn to dust in an open space, clearly marked as HIV/AIDS patients section. 
 
There is a complete absence of confidentiality, and a lack of care as medical staff often does not turn up. If they are attended to, they are made to pay exorbitant fees for services which should be free, or only have a nominal fee. 
 
In Afolabi&rsquo;s words, &ldquo;Patients are left to die in instalments. The only way out is suicide or further spread of the disease.&rdquo; 
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Global Union G8 Campaign 
 
As a follow-up to the article in the March issue of ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin, we give you the links to model letters to be delivered to German embassies before or on 28 April, International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, or Workers Memorial Day. These letters exist in English, French, German, and Spanish. 
Deutsch <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.GE.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.GE.pdf</a>&nbsp; 
English: <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.EN.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.EN.pdf</a> 
Fran&ccedil;ais: <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.FR.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.FR.pdf</a> 
Espa&ntilde;ol: <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.SP.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_9Ba.SP.pdf</a> 
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C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire on the Right Track 
Following the 4th Regional Workshop in Johannesburg in December 2006, affiliates in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire have lost no time to put the conclusions of the workshop into practical work on the ground. 
 
Under the able guidance of the National Coordinator, Charlotte Nguessan, numerous meetings have been held with potential partners at national level and from international organisations during the first quarter of 2007. 
 
An analysis of the HIV/AIDS situation, based on a questionnaire to companies, is being completed. In cooperation with the newly-formed Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, which is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft f&uuml;r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), a sustainable development organisation that does work with the German federal government, and the respective ministries, as well as the national Country Coordinating Mechanism, a project is being elaborated. 
The project will focus on workplace interventions with emphasis on awareness, education, voluntary counselling, and testing and treatment. 
 
The progress so far underlines the importance of having a full-time coordinator in focus countries. This was part of the conclusions of the 4th Regional Workshop and is supported by the LO/TCO-FNV Mondiaal project in 2007-2008. 
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EU Presidency Conference on HIV/AIDS 
Responsibility and Partnership &ndash; Together Against HIV/AIDS was the theme of the EU Presidency Conference on HIV/AIDS in Bremen, 12-13 March 2007. 
 
The German Government has chosen HIV/AIDS as the main health policy topic for the German EC Presidency. Angela Merkel gave the keynote speech. HIV/AIDS is &ldquo;Chefsache,&rdquo; meaning a topic at the highest level. 
 
The Conference brought together health ministers and health ministry officials from EU countries as well as NGOs and the private sector &ndash; notably Daimler Chrysler South Africa &ndash; and major pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck and Gilead) as well as the ILO, the Global Fund, and other international organisations. As happens so often, trade unionists were not invited. The ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator was the only active trade unionist among more than 600 participants. 
 
Important (and understandable because of the German double presidency) was the repeated reference to the G8 Summit. The Chancellor has put HIV/AIDS on the agenda of the Summit. &ldquo;We will make headway in Heiligendamm,&rdquo; Merkel promised. A press release from the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) stated that, under the German G8 Presidency, the first ever report on the efforts of the G8 countries in connection with the global fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria will be elaborated. 
 
The Bremen Declaration is available at <a href="http://www.bmg.bund.de/EN/">www.bmg.bund.de/EN/</a>. It does make reference to trade unions in the last article: &ldquo;We invite the employers and trade unions to ensure non-discriminatory policies for people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups in the workplace and to reduce fears of infection, stigma and discrimination among staff by providing objective, evidence-based information, and access to prevention, testing, treatment and care according to the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work&rdquo;. 
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Global Union Programme in Abuja 
Some 20 unionists from Ghana and Nigeria took part in a sub-regional Workshop in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, from 19-21 March. The workshop was organised by the Global Union Coordinator, Clementine Dehwe and the HIV/AIDS Coordinator of the national centre NLC, Maureen Onyia. The ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator participated on behalf of the GU Steering Committee. 
 
Emphasis in the programme was on group work. Mixed groups discussed activities presented in country reports and the impact of elements of global programme at national level. 
 
Following a presentation by the ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator on resources and funding, country groups debated country initiatives in place (Global Fund, UNAIDS, WHO, ILO, etc.) and key country programmes by National AIDS Commissions, NGOs, faith-based organisations, and others. These working groups also assessed the role of potential partners and obstacles to work with them. 
 
On the third day, country working groups discussed establishing national coordinating committees and their terms of reference and programmes and initiatives with a plan of action. 
 
Together with the outcome of previous sub-regional workshops organised by the Global Union programme, and the African Consultative and Planning Workshop in Johannesburg, the results and conclusions of the working groups in Abuja have to be analysed, and key elements pulled together and shaped into country programmes for future funding. 
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South Africa Unveils New 5-Year Plan to Fight HIV/AIDS 
 
South Africa unveiled a new five-year plan on 14 March to fight HIV/AIDS, hoping to turn the tide against the disease that affects some 5.5 million of the country&rsquo;s 47 million people. 
 
The plan will be implemented by the South African National AIDS Council under the leadership of Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. 
 
The plan aims, among others, at reducing new infections by 50% and bringing treatment, care and support to 80% of all HIV-positive people and their families. Availability and uptake of voluntary testing and counselling services is to be increased massively and anti-discrimination and stigma-reduction efforts are to be strengthened. 
 
A report, published in February by the University of South Africa and the market research institute Markinor, showed some unexpected results. The epidemic is not spreading fastest among the poor and the youth, but among the 30- to 34- year-olds of the well-educated middle and upper classes. New wealth, carelessness to practice safe sex, and misguided statements by the government have contributed to this development. 
 
(Source: Reuters World Report, 14 March 2007 and NZZ Switzerland, 1 February 2007) 
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India: Government proposes five fold Increase in HIV/AIDS Funding 
 
According to a recent report in the Hindustan Times, India&rsquo;s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has proposed a more than fivefold increase in funding for HIV/AIDS programmes in the country. The proposed $2.6 billion in funding will be administered by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) under the third phase of the country's National AIDS Control Programme. The money will be allocated over the next five years for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support, and treatment. 
 
The large increase is made possible by massive funding from the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 
 
About one-third of the $2.6 billion in proposed funding will be allocated for HIV/AIDS care, treatment, and support, while the remaining funds will be allocated for awareness about the disease. Some HIV/AIDS advocates said that although they welcome the increase in funding for HIV/AIDS awareness, the funding allocated for HIV/AIDS treatment is inadequate. The HIV/AIDS control programme's third phase will focus on six states with high HIV prevalence: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, and Nagaland, although district level allocations will be modified to ensure that other states receive adequate funding as well. 
 
(Source: Article adapted from the ITF HIV/AIDS Update 17, 15 March 2007) 
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News from Global Union Federations 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) has published the first edition of Agenda, an annual publication on HIV/AIDS and transport workers entitled, &ldquo;How unions can help close the door on HIV.&rdquo; The objective of the publication is to help affiliates and other relevant stakeholders to develop a trade union perspective of the epidemic. 
 
The publication can be accessed at <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>. 
 
Since 1994, the Education International (EI) has recognised the urgency for a broad and strong response to HIV/AIDS through schools. It has worked with its affiliates and international organisations to prevent the further spread of the disease. For information on EI&rsquo;s activities, including its regular bulletin, please visit the website <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>. 
 
Two other Global Union Federations with websites and regular newsletters on HIV/AIDS include the ITF&rsquo;s (see above) and the ICEM&rsquo;s at <a href="http://www.icem.org">www.icem.org</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 19

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Union members of ICEM affiliate Engineering Printing &amp; Manufacturing Union (EPMU) in New Zealand were back to work on 4 May, following a three-day lockout imposed by Australian-based Amcor paper and packaging company. 
 
Fifty EPMU members were locked off their jobs at a paper converting facility in Auckland on 1 May. The workers were resisting staffing cuts that would have reduced the factory to unsafe manning levels. 
 
&ldquo;These workers were prepared to stick this out as long as it took,&rdquo; stated EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little. &ldquo;They are relieved this dispute has come to a close so quickly.&rdquo; 
<img height="143" src="" width="390" alt="" />
Amcor lock-out in New-Zealand
Added Little, &ldquo;Our members tried to negotiate in good faith and were met with the most extreme and militant response an employer can make. It&rsquo;s good to see common sense has prevailed and they can now get back to doing their jobs under fair and equitable circumstances.&rdquo; 
 
The negotiated end of the lockout consisted of maintaining staffing levels without redundancies, an extra week&rsquo;s service and shift leave, the industry standard pay raise, and a day&rsquo;s pay to cover part of the lockout period. 
 
Amcor, a major global producer of flexible packaging, last week announced a European restructuring plan that could cut 900 of the company&rsquo;s 7,600-member workforce in Europe. The plan focuses on shifting work to Eastern and Southern Europe. The company triggered this restructuring in February, by announcing construction of a plastic extrusion facility in Poland.

EPMU Members Win Guarantees in Short Lockout by Amcor Packaging

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Union members of the United Steelworkers (USW) in eastern Canada ended a seven-week strike at the Iron Ore Co. of Canada (IOC) two weeks ago. USW members, numbering some 1,300 at two Canadian locations, approved five-year labour agreements, on 25 April and 26 April. 
 
IOC is 59% owned by Australian mining company Rio Tinto. It is Canada&rsquo;s largest producer and exporter of iron ore. 
 
The new accord gives workers wage increases over the five-year term, as well as a ratification bonus of C$4,000 per worker. It also gives workers increases in pension benefits, lifts the ceiling on medical benefits, and grants travel allowance increases. 
<img height="82" src="" width="150" alt="" />
More importantly, the strike blocked IOC&rsquo;s attempt to gain unlimited right to contract out work, and miners and dockworkers preserved their seniority language. 
 
The successful strike counted some 1,050 miners and iron ore processing plant workers in Labrador City, province Newfoundland. That strike began on 8 March. On 19 March, 250 port and dock workers at Sept-Iles, province Quebec, strengthened the strike by their walk-out. 
 
IOC is a major exporter of iron ore pellets and concentrates to steelmakers in Europe and Asia. Besides Rio Tinto&rsquo;s majority stake, publicly-traded Labrador Iron Ore Income Fund has an ownership stake. That holding, admitted in a 3 May posting, that the strike affected the timing of cargo shipments, which will affect IOC&rsquo;s first quarter 2007 sales and earnings.

USW Miners Preserve Contract Language at Rio Tinto in Canada

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An eleventh hour wage settlement by petroleum companies and workers has averted a scheduled strike by 5,500 members of Belgian trade unions. Sectoral bargaining in Belgium&rsquo;s energy sector had hit a standstill and was heading to a 10 May strike, before trade unions and industry representations reached accord late last week. 
 
Workers are now studying the proposal and are expected to vote on the offer soon. 
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ExxonMobil and Total refineries near Antwerp would have been severely affected, and the industry association predicted a crippling supply and transport problem of 700,000 barrels per day if the strike had happened. It predicted fuel pump increases and shortages. 
 
Other oil and petro-chemical operations attached to Belgium&rsquo;s employers&rsquo; association also would have been affected. 
 
The major oil refiners and some others had begun decreasing production in late April to order to guarantee safe and secure shutdowns in the event of a strike.

Wage Settlement Averts Scheduled 10 May Petrol Strike in Belgium

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