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Contents: 
 
1. 2005 Nobel Peace Prize 
2. ICEM Africa Regional Women's Meeting 
3. Collective Bargaining Training in Chile 
4. ICEM Colombia Women's Meeting 
5. Diagnosis in Costa Rica 
6. UK - T&amp;G Women's School 
7. Negotiations in Spain 

 
1. Nobel Peace Prize 
 
The names of nine Nepali women, included in a list of 1000 women worldwide to be nominated as a single entity for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, were made public on 29 June. The list includes among others Binda Pandey, GEFONT Nepal and Vice-President of ICEM. The 1000 women have been collectively nominated as a single candidate for the prestigious prize. Of the 1000 women nominees, 157 have been nominated from South Asia, the most of any region. The project aims to make women's efforts visible to counter injustice, discrimination, oppression and violence. 
 
 
2. ICEM Africa Regional Women's Meeting 
 
A meeting was held on 2 June 2005 in Johannesburg before the ICEM Africa Regional Committee meeting to formally establish the Africa Regional Women's Committee and to review activities in the region. 
 
Information was provided on ICEM global programs on HIV/AIDS and contract and agency labor. It was agreed that in both issues women are disproportionately affected, and special attention needs to be paid to impacts on women. The Shop Steward Development Program in Africa has a potential for developing teams of women at national level, and ICEM is asked to increase the scope and level of activity targeted at women within this project. 
 
Monitoring the recruitment and development of women in unions is difficult if there are no women's structures; without women's structures we act individually. Without a commitment to funding, however, it is difficult to initiate activities in the region for women. Thought should be given to developing a fund for women's activities in the region, and any ideas should be passed on to Vida Brewu at vbrewu@yahoo.co.uk. 
 
The ICEM Africa Women's Committee was established and made up of one representative each from Ghana, Botswana, DRC, Nigeria and South Africa. The committee will meet annually before the African regional committee. 
 
 
3. Collective Bargaining Training in Chile 
 
Erica Hidalgo Barrahona, ICEM women's committee, held a two-day training course for women in collective bargaining together with the Chilean oil workers' union FENATRAPECH. It was the last event scheduled in the FNV/SASK Equal Opportunities Project in Latin America. It was attended by 24 women. 
 
The topics included were labor relations and collective bargaining, changes in the company and their impact on collective bargaining, new and old contents of collective bargaining, gender issues and negotiations. Power relations were also discussed. Simulations were done. Public speaking was practiced. Cooperation with other organizations was also arranged. 
 
 
4. ICEM Colombia women's meeting 
 
ICEM Colombia held two women's meetings, from 30 March to 1 April, and from 1 to 3 June 2005. The themes were women and labor market, changes in women's work, gender division of labor, work, gender and globalization, women's working conditions, and equal opportunities and equal pay between women and men. 
 
These meetings were held in the framework of the FNV/SASK equal opportunities project. 
 
The women analysed their own experiences to understand the changes in their working lives. They analysed what jobs women have done, what the stereotypes are for women's work that have been passed down, and how women's and men's roles have been defined, with women and men doing different jobs and carrying out different functions. 
 
Women and men are assigned different roles, with men assigned to public space and women to the home. Thus the two sexes are segregated, and what they do is valued differently. Work is evaluated on the basis of what it contributes to creating wealth. Globalization has made the sexual division of labor more acute and women's work more precarious, leveling the existing differences downwards. The demands for more qualifications that the economic model requires have not been matched by qualified jobs. Nowadays women are better educated, but they have more precarious jobs with lower pay. The most precarious jobs are in the informal sector, which is mostly covered by women. Equality between men and women is recognized with a lowering of standards for both. 
 
The seminars also provide leadership training with what it means to be a woman leader. An analysis was provided on differences between women's and men's leadership, as well as power relationships. Equal opportunities and equal pay were discussed in connection with collective bargaining and the importance of including gender in negotiations. 
 
 
5. Diagnosis in Costa Rica 
 
On 10 June a seminar was held in Costa Rica to define policies for women and men in collective bargaining. It was attended by 12 women and 8 men. The point was to do mapping and to see where women have been excluded from the oil industry up to now. Up to now women have only been doing certain things. A questionnaire was developed. A diagnosis was also developed of the situation with youth. The young people were asked their aspirations. The demand was to include people under 40 years of age in the trade union induction process. This work will be continued and expanded in the first week of July. 
 
 
6. UK - T&amp;G National Women's School 
 
A National women's school was held from 12 to 17 June 2005 organised by the Transport and General Workers Union in Eastbourne, UK. The group was divided up into four to cover getting involved in the union, women in the workplace and winning for women. The subjects covered, among others, union structures, branch equality officers, women's health, equal pay and equal pay audits, family friendly policies, work-life balance, and trade union conference procedures. Sisters attended from all levels within the union, from newly elected reps to more experienced colleagues. The women gained more confidence and went out to encourage more women to take their rightful place within the unions. 
 
 
7. Negotiations in Spain 
 
FITEQA CCOO in Spain managed to achieve certain extra payments for families in their 2005 negotiations. 
 
These extra payments are still not widespread, but they cover certain advantages such as scholarships, assistance for children, for education. This is something that has to be analysed more in detail because it has to do with the fact that companies seem to be more willing to pay out limited amounts of money. It may also be due to the fact that some employment structures are getting younger, so that these advantages can be directly relevant to young families. Because of the fact that pay is not equal, these payments are considered to be a form of compensation. These payments do have their merits, but nevertheless, it is wages and salaries that pay for work, and trade unions should still keep their eye on non-discrimination in pay and negotiate on equal pay for work of equal value and the necessary processes of evening out pay.

ICEM Women’s bulletin No. 2 – July 2005

The ICEM today, 12 September, signed its first Global Framework Agreement in the Materials Sector&mdash;a social responsibility code of behaviour with French-based Lafarge, a building materials manufacturer. The agreement was signed in Paris jointly with the global union federation International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW), and the World Federation of Building and Woodworkers Unions (WFBWU), a Christian labour federation. 
 
The Global Agreement marks ICEM&rsquo;s twelfth such international code of standards contract with a multinational enterprise, and the second that has been jointly signed with another global union federation. 
 
&ldquo;We welcome Lafarge&rsquo;s commitment to uphold high principles of social responsibility in all global operations, whether it&rsquo;s on workers&rsquo; rights, union recognition, environment, health and safety, or other recognised international work standards,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. 
 
IFBWW General Secretary Anita Normark also welcomed the commitment of Lafarge to apply international labour standards at all worksites worldwide. &ldquo;The value added of the agreement with Lafarge must be seen, that the three federations have a global network of trade unions which are able to monitor the agreement,&rdquo; said Normark. 
 
&ldquo;Lafarge is convinced that there can be no sustainable economic success without progress in the fields of social responsibility and environmental protection,&rdquo; said Christian Herrault, the company&rsquo;s Executive Vice President for Human Resources and Organisation. &ldquo;Consequently, this broader vision which goes beyond economic factors to embrace human, labour and environmental aspects has been built into our programmes underpinning performance and managerial processes.&rdquo; 
 
Herrault added that Lafarge &ldquo;has consistently valued the central role played by its workforce within the company and signature of this agreement represents a further step forward in our ongoing dialogue with staff.&rdquo; 
 
The agreement cites the International Labour Organization&rsquo;s (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the ILO&rsquo;s Tripartite Declaration of Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, the United Nations Global Compact, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development&rsquo;s (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 
 
The agreement states in its preamble: &ldquo;Lafarge considers respect for workers&rsquo; rights to be a crucial element in sustainable development&rdquo; and the 172-year-old company &ldquo;will seek to use the services of those trading partners, subcontractors and suppliers, which recognise and implement principles&rdquo; contained in the Global Agreement. 
 
Those principals include: 
&bull; No forced labour; 
&bull; No discrimination in employment; 
&bull; No use of child labour; 
&bull; Freedom of association and right of workers to collective bargaining; 
&bull; Living wages paid at least at the level of national legislation or collective agreements, as applied in the industry/sector concerned; 
&bull; Working hours comply with relevant national legislation, national agreements and industry/sector standards; 
&bull; Safe and healthy work environment in accordance with ILO Convention 156 and ILO Guidelines for Occupational Health Management Systems; and 
&bull; Development of Skills Training for all workers in cooperation with trade unions. 
 
The Lafarge Global Agreement establishes a review process group composed of representatives from company management and the signatory trade union federations that will meet at least annually for review and implementation of the principles in all Lafarge worksites. 
 
Lafarge employs 77,000 workers in 75 countries. The company is the worldwide leader in building materials; number two producer of aggregates and concrete; and the world&rsquo;s number three producer of gypsum. 
 
The ICEM has 420 affiliated trade unions in 125 countries, encompassing 20 million workers. The IFWBB has 10.5 million members in 281 trade unions, also in 125 countries. The WFBWU represents 1.5 million workers affiliated to 55 Christian unions in 41 countries.

ICEM Signs Global Agreement with French-based Lafarge

ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU continues to be repressed by Thailand's government and management of public utility Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). On 28 April at the union's extraordinary meeting at EGAT headquarters in Nonthaburi, the company broke precedent by denying hundreds of union members and EGAT-LU use of a meeting room and sound system. The meeting was moved outside and a key issue was an EGAT freeze on a scheduled 15% annual wage adjustment. Other public sector workers received the increase. The government and utility are pushing privatisation of an initial 25% and that process escalated recently when the State Enterprise Policy Committee approved corporatisation of the utility.

Thai Government Repressing Electric Union over Privatisation

Another ICEM affiliate in Turkey is continuing its fight against privatisation in a courtroom in Ankara. Petrol-Is presented its case 2 March to again block privatisation of oil-refining company Tupras by the Turkish Privatisation Authority that now is seeking to sell a 14.8% stake. The authority holds 66% of Tupras, while 34% is publicly traded. Last year Petrol-Is convinced a court to halt the sale of the 66% stake to a joint venture composed of German Efremov-Kautschuk GmbH, a subsidiary of Russian Tatneft, and Turkish holding company Zorlu, a home textiles and home electronics company. Tupras operates four refineries and a petrochemical plant in Turkey.

Turkish Oil Union Fights Privatisation in Court Room

Turkish ICEM affiliate Sel&uuml;l&ouml;z-Is received mass support from two national trade union centers 4 March in its continued occupational of the SEKA paper mill in Izmit. The Sel&uuml;l&ouml;z-Is center, DISK, and TURK-IS mobilized affiliated unions to join the occupation that day. Some 700 paperworkers of Sel&uuml;l&ouml;z-Is plus family members have occupied the mill since 20 January in order to block privatisation of state-run company SEKA. Scores of ICEM affiliates from around the world have registered strong letters of protest to Turkish affiliates in their countries as a result of a 16 February ICEM Circular.

Support for Paper Mill Occupation in Turkey Growing

The ICEM, as part of Global Unions, supports the &ldquo;Global Call to Action Against Poverty&rdquo; (GCAP), which was launched at this year&rsquo;s World Social Forum in Porto Alegre. Backed by a wide range of organisations, the GCAP aims to pressure the world&rsquo;s governments to dedicate the necessary resources and time to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG). These MDGs set world targets to decrease overall poverty. Examples include reducing child mortality by two thirds by 2015, ensure primary education and reduce by half the number of people without access to safe drinking water. Trade unions can play an important role in this anti-poverty campaign, as their support often makes the difference in areas such as fair trade, debt reduction or AIDS. Detailed campaigning material on GCAP, including trade union-related info on MDGs, can be downloaded from the ICFTU site: http://www.icftu.org (in English, French and Spanish). Unions can also get in contact with their national centers for more information on this campaign.

ICEM Supporting Poverty Action Call

ICEM Electric Power affiliate SRPSKA in Bosnia-Herzegovina repledged its commitment against privatisation at its annual Congress last week. Mirko Dukic stepped down as president of the union to accept a position with a newly founded regional public-sector workers&rsquo; confederation. Dusko Vrhovac was elected to replace him.

Bosnia Electric Power Affiliate Pledges Against Privatisation

After Thailand&rsquo;s energy minister rejected a proposal by EGAT-LU that would prevent the privatisation of that nation&rsquo;s electric power system, the ICEM affiliate announced it would resume mass demonstrations to mobilize the public against next year&rsquo;s planned privatisation. EGAT-LU is seeking government backing of the electricity market so private firms will not dominate. The union also called on the government to help finance Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) construction of new power plants and not to use public debt as the excuse to sell EGAT to the private sector.

Thai Government Rejects Logical Plan on Electric Privatisation

French unions again will demonstrate next week, 15 June, the day their government will take up and debate legislation to partially privatise the country&rsquo;s gas and electric industries. The ICEM&rsquo;s Executive Committee on 27 May resolved to fully support French affiliates FCE-CFDT and F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGT FO in their resistance to the measure. On 27 May, 80,000 French workers marched in Paris against the government&rsquo;s bill to remove Electricit&eacute; de France and Gaz de France from state control, a status the utilities have had since 1946.

French Unions Take to the Streets Over Utility Privatisation

Protests continue by affiliate EGAT-LU in Thailand against privatization of the electric industry. A meeting 17 March between union leaders and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra did not resolve the standoff. Mass public opposition to the sell off of the Electric Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has taken hold, and has created equal opposition to privatizing other essential services. EGAT-LU said efforts to block the initial offering of electric stock would continue for the next several months, but that electric supplies during the peak summer season will not be affected. &ldquo;We are protesting in the country&rsquo;s interest and we will not stop until we succeed,&rdquo; said EGAT-LU Gen. Sec. Sirichai Maingam

Thai Affiliate EGAT-LU Resists Electric Privatization

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