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A strike by glass workers of several Belgian unions at Glaverbel&rsquo;s AGC Automotive Fleurus ended 15 March in a negotiated settlement over a restructuring plan. The strike, begun in December in the southern Belgian town of Fleurus, included ICEM affiliates CG-FGTB and white-collar SETCa-BBTK. Negotiators managed to soften the impact of those being retrenched by gaining additional severance pay, getting early retirement after age 50, and reducing the cuts from 284 to 247 at the 800- worker factory. Glaverbel is owned by Asahi Glass, the world&rsquo;s second largest glassmaker.

Belgian Unions End Strike at Glass Plant

Members of UK&rsquo;s Transport &amp; General Workers Union at Michelin&rsquo;s Stoke tyre plant in the Midlands are in their 11th day of industrial action following the French company&rsquo;s refusal to consolidate a pay offer with pension, holiday and other benefits. The 400 workers rejected a non-consolidated pay offer 10 March for the second time and are refusing overtime and all cooperative programmes with management. Tying the pay offer of 3% also to pensions and other benefits would cost Michelin less than the revised offer the company made last week that included performance-related payments, said T&amp;G. Workers staged a mass protest outside the factory 15 March, the same day Michelin announced its 2004earnings topped those of 2003 by 60%, &pound; 358 million to 220 million.

Industrial Action at Michelin in the UK

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South Korea&rsquo;s unions are joining to block an anti-worker Contract Labour Bill expected to come before the National Assembly next month. The legislation, put forth by the government and business groups, was delayed in February. 
Among other regressive measures, it would liberalise contract labour by extending terms of service from two to three years. Some 45% of the country&rsquo;s workforce is now comprised of contract workers who, on average, receive half the salaries of full-time workers, but oftentimes work 50% more hours. 
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said on 18 March it would return to tripartite labour, management, government dialogue to prevent further liberalization on contract labour. KCTU is working with the country&rsquo;s other national center&mdash; the Federation of Korean Trade Unions&mdash;to block the measure. &ldquo;Our top priority is to protect irregular workers,&rdquo; stated KCTU General Secretary Lee Soo-Hu.

Korean Unions to Block Labour Reform Bill over Contract Workers

FCE-CFDT is challenging Electricit&eacute; de France&rsquo;s (EDF) plan to reduce maintenance services in the utility&rsquo;s hydraulic division. EDF wants to cut maintenance activities 20-30% which would include redundancies of 500 jobs in this 3,700-worker area. FCE-CFDT condemns the decision and calls on EDF hydraulic workers to stand and resist the rationalization.

French Unions Seek to Preserve EdF Maintenance Levels

Another North American mining contract involving the USW was settled peacefully. Some 900 miners in the state of Montana ratified a three-year contract last week with Stillwater Mining, the US&rsquo;s only producer of palladium and platinum. The workers at a mine and metal recovery facility won pay and benefit increases. Stillwater is majority owned by Russia&rsquo;s Norilsk Nickel, the world&rsquo;s leading nickel and platinum metals miner.

USW Comes to Terms with US&#039;s Only Pladdium/Platinum Miner

Copper miners in the US states of Arizona and Texas, represented by ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) are on strike against Asarco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grupo Mexico. Some 1,200 miners struck a pair of Asarco&rsquo;s Arizona worksites 2 July, just after their collective agreement expired, and another 350 struck at mine and processing sites in Arizona and Texas last week in sympathy. Their contract had expired 30 June 2004. Grupo Mexico is demanding a wage freeze and pension and health care benefit reductions at a time when copper prices are at a 16- year high. 
The company has told markets that 100,000 to 125,000 tonnes of processed and contained copper will be reduced from world supplies due to the strikes. The company has turned down requests by the union for bargaining to resolve the young strikes, and the USW has filed numerous unfair labour practice charges with the US labour board over the company&rsquo;s lack of bargaining and harsh reprisals in the workplace against trade unionists during bargaining.

Steelworkers in Southwestern US Strike Copper Holdings

In accepting the mediated proposal, Paperiliitto directed especially strong language at one global, Finnish-based paper company, UPM Kymmene: settle the seven-month Canadian paper strike in Miramichi, New Brunswick, with Local 689 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union. 
Calling it a &ldquo;distinguished spot of shame for the Finnish forest industry,&rdquo; Paperiliitto&rsquo;s Delegate Council demanded that UPM Kymmene &ldquo;implement negotiations on an equal basis for a fair and quick solution&rdquo; in Miramichi. &ldquo;It is necessary to take into account the local bargaining praxis, the needs of the small local society and the feelings of workers,&rdquo; the Finnish union&rsquo;s settlement statement said on the strike in Canada. In New Brunswick, bargaining with a provincial mediator broke off 28 June without any progress, but resumed again last week. The 800 members of CEP Local 689 are striking for the pattern paper-mill agreement in eastern Canada, and they seek also to preserve a host of local mill terms and conditions.

Finnish Paper Union Exhibits Solidarity to CEP in Canada

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The devastating seven-week lockout of the Finnish paper sector by Finland&rsquo;s paper companies is over. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen mediated talks on 27-29 June and ICEM affiliate Paperiliitto&rsquo;s Delegate Council approved the three-year compromise contract on 1 July. 
Finland&rsquo;s 25,000 paperworkers gained wage increases similar to the national incomes settlement. They will receive 2.5% this year, 1.9% next year (taking into effect the country&rsquo;s gender equality allowance), and union and management will negotiate in 2007 for the third year increase. Paperiliitto successfully resisted the worst of the industry&rsquo;s concessionary proposals, including unpaid sick leave, splitting of holidays, and 12-hour workdays without overtime pay compensation. Christmas and mid-summer shutdown days will be eliminated, but workers will be compensated by reduced working time throughout the year. 
On the all-important issue of contract labour, trade union acceptance must occur on all outsourcing. The two sides agreed to let individual plant negotiating teams reach agreement on the issue locally, but if that fails the issue will be submitted to an arbitration panel composed of the national union, the employers&rsquo; federation and an impartial chairman. Introduction of contract labour can then only occur with a unanimous decision. Paperiliitto and the employers will again look at the contract labour issue in mid-term of the contract to review its effectiveness. The lockout by papermaking employers, begun 18 May, was costing &euro;40million per day across all sectors.

Finland&#039;s Paper Dispute and Lockout Resolved

A satisfactory result came from recent negotiations in Brazil by ICEM rubber affiliate inside Frente Unica da Borracha (FUB). Employers in tyre manufacturing agreed to meet Brazils&rsquo;s inflation rate of 6.93% and workers in those business enterprises won 7%. Profit-sharing increased from R$2,750 to R$3,250. In the rubber materials sector, an 8% pay increase was attained and several improvements were made in that collective agreement as well.

Rubber Accord Reached in Brazil

Police in the Philippines a week ago punched through strike lines of the unaffiliated Lepanto Employees Union at Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corp., the country&rsquo;s largest copper and gold producer. The union struck 4 June over a pay dispute that has been unresolved since November 2004. On 8 June, the government issued a return to work order, but the vast majority of over 1,700 workers continued the union&rsquo;s strike. The Department of Labour and Employment then issued dismissal letters to miners refusing to obey the strike&rsquo;s termination edict. In 2003, a strike at the Mankayan, Benquet province, mine and smelting operations was also broken up by riot police. Two miners died in the process.

Police, Government Break Mine Strike in Philippines

Archive

Belgian Unions End Strike at Glass Plant

Industrial Action at Michelin in the UK

Korean Unions to Block Labour Reform Bill over Contract Workers

French Unions Seek to Preserve EdF Maintenance Levels

USW Comes to Terms with US's Only Pladdium/Platinum Miner

Steelworkers in Southwestern US Strike Copper Holdings

Finnish Paper Union Exhibits Solidarity to CEP in Canada

Finland's Paper Dispute and Lockout Resolved

Rubber Accord Reached in Brazil

Police, Government Break Mine Strike in Philippines

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