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The 20-million-member ICEM filed a strong protest yesterday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas over this week&rsquo;s assassination attempt on a prominent trade unionist. 
 
Rasem Al Bayari, deputy general secretary of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), managed to escape in the early morning hours of Monday, 29 January, when assailants fired rockets into his home. A day after this violent act, more attackers returned to his home and fired shots at the house. 
 
&ldquo;The Palestinian Authority, as a responsible Authority, must uphold internationally recognised rights,&rdquo; wrote ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda to Abbas, &ldquo;including full respect for the fundamental human rights of workers, such as their right to life.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM has demanded that the Palestinian Government ensure the safety of Al Bayari and his family, and urges &ldquo;a thorough investigation into the rocket attacks and the shootings&rdquo; so that the perpetrators are brought to justice.
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&nbsp;PGFTU Gen. Sec. Shaher Sae'd pionts to a bullet hole in the wall of the PCFTU conference room 
 

On 12 October 2006, the PGFTU&rsquo;s headquarters in Nablus was attacked. This assault was followed by death threats to the union&rsquo;s leaders. The Palestinian national labour centre then called it an escalation against trade unionism, because PGFTU leaders had been strongly speaking out on behalf of workers. 
 
The ICEM stands solidly behind PGFTU, and echoes the commitment of the Palestinian labour centre, at it reacted to this week&rsquo;s cowardly and violent act on the Al Bayari&rsquo;s home: &ldquo;This act will not silence the workers and will not stop our activities to build the structures of the Palestinian State for the benefit of our people and workers.&rdquo; 
Read the ICEM Letter to Palestinian Government <a href="/en/24-North-Africa-Middle-East-/2124-ICEM-Letter-to-Palestine-President-Mahmoud-Abbas">here</a>.

ICEM Issues Strong Protest to Palestinian Government

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Opinion 
Ignorance is not Bliss &ndash; Testing to Know your Status
In this article, some controversial issues of voluntary versus routine testing are discussed. Let us know your opinion; write to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. 
 
Of the one million Americans with HIV, some 250,000 do not know that they are infected. If they do not know, they will not seek treatment and they are more likely to infect others. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) of the US Department of Health and Human Services therefore recommends that all Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 should be routinely tested for HIV. 
 
The tests would not be compulsory but rather than testing only those who asked to be tested, the CDC wants clinics to test everyone who does not refuse to be tested, or the opt-out clause. In this way, HIV can be detected earlier, and the earlier it is detected the easier it can be treated. 
Some 40% of Americans who are diagnosed HIV positive progress to full-blown AIDS within a year of that diagnosis, which suggests that they were infected without knowing it for as much as a decade. 
 
The number of Americans with HIV increases every year. This is partly because drugs are keeping people alive longer. But the number of new infections has not fallen. It remained stable because people who are HIV positive do not know their status. 
 
With routine testing, doctors also hope to reduce stigma which is one of the largest barriers for people to avoid testing. The head of the World Health Organisation&rsquo;s (WHO) AIDS Department, Kevin de Kock, is quoted as saying that routine testing is a big step towards &ldquo;normalising&rdquo; HIV. 
 
Will routine testing lead to mandatory testing? Doing away with written consent forms and pre-test counselling to simplify procedures as part of routine testing is certainly a dangerous development and poses threats to human rights. 
 
Views have also begun to shift in Southern Africa. In 2004, Botswana became the first African country to introduce routine testing in its health sector, with Malawi and Lesotho following suit. Here the hope is also that by offering HIV testing as a routine part of any treatment, more people would be encouraged to know their status and that, over time, stigma will lessen. 
 
Zambia has initiated routine testing at health facilities in a bid to eradicate the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, by transforming it into an &ldquo;ordinary disease&rdquo;. 
 
The Botswana authorities claim that very few people are opting out when confronted with the possibility to be tested and that a large majority of the population now know their status. 
However, the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) has criticised the government for failing to launch a public information campaign, arguing that routine testing is only acceptable if patients know that they can refuse. Informed consent, counselling, confidentiality and access to treatment must be guaranteed. 
 
The WHO currently holds consultations on provider-initiated testing. Testing for HIV serves as an entry point for both prevention and treatment. Taking an HIV test is arguably the most influential driver for behaviour change. If a person tests negative, the focus must be on education and support to ensure that the person takes responsibility to remain negative. 
A person testing positive must be supported to take responsibility for managing HIV/AIDS as a chronic treatable disease, and to bring about changes in behaviour that will prevent further transmission. Antiretroviral treatment must be available. 
 
The GBC/COSATU Guide quoted below sets out principles for counselling and testing at the workplace. Together with the unions, companies must take steps to: 
&bull; prevent any discriminatory practices against HIV status; 
&bull; ensure confidentiality and informed employee consent; 
&bull; ensure that there is no penalty if an employee chooses not to get tested; 
&bull; ensure that testing is not in the form of pre-employment screening or mandatory testing; and 
&bull; reduce stigma against people living with HIV in the workplace. 
 
[Source: The Economist, 30 September 2006, from which the headline &ldquo;Ignorance is not bliss&rdquo; is also taken and various web postings of the UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. 
A Practical Guide for Business Managers: Accelerating Access to HIV Counselling and Testing was published by the Global Business Coalition (GBC) Africa Office and the Confederation of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in its 2nd print in August 2005.] 
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Facilitators&rsquo; Guide on Counselling and Testing 
 
In December 2006, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance based in Brighton, UK, published a Facilitators&rsquo; Guide entitled &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Talk about HIV Counselling and Testing.&rdquo; The guide is a toolkit to build NGO/CBO capacity to mobilise communities for HIV counselling and testing. It makes specific reference to the significant policy changes that have occurred to models of HIV testing and the recent CDC recommendations (see article above). 
 
The publication, which is available in English and Spanish, can be downloaded from the Alliance&rsquo;s website <a href="http://www.aidsalliance.org">www.aidsalliance.org</a>. Established in 1993, the Alliance is a global partnership of nationally based organisations working to support community action on HIV/AIDS. 
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Russia &ndash; European AIDS Treatment Group Demands Action 
 
With an estimated HIV prevalence of 1.1%, the Russian Federation is one of the European countries hardest hit by the HIV epidemic. 
 
In a letter to the Russian Minister of Health Care and Social Development, the European AIDS Treatment Group deplores the serious shortcomings in standards of HIV care in the Russian Federation. Despite the fact that the alarming prevalence figures have been well known for years, the country has not scaled up treatment programmes to cover all in need of medication. 
 
The European AIDS Treatment Group appeals to the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Health Care and Social Development to amend treatment guidelines. They must include, among other strengthening guidelines, the provision of antiretroviral drugs which conform to international standards; attention to the specific needs and requirements of injecting drug users, who represent 80% of all HIV cases in the country; and to adjust national healthcare budgets and the treatment programmes, under the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to treat all patients in need. 
 
(Source: Break-the-Silence e-forum on HIV/AIDS, 3 January 2007. You can join by sending a blank message to <a href="mailto:join-break-the-silence@eforums.healthdev.org">join-break-the-silence@eforums.healthdev.org</a>) 
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Caribbean &ndash; AIDSs Crisis Blamed on Ignorance 
 
Delegates at a Caribbean Summit on HIV/AIDS blamed widespread ignorance for the AIDS crisis in the region. Ignorance is undermining the efforts to fight the spread of the disease in the Caribbean, which has the second highest rate of infection after sub-Saharan Africa. 
An estimated 500,000 people &ndash; or 2.4% - are HIV-positive. In 2005, an estimated 24,000 people died in the region from AIDS, making it the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 44. 
 
Discrimination by employers and others is so pervasive that people do not go for testing and infected persons often delay seeking treatment for the virus. A contributing factor is also that it is still largely perceived as a &ldquo;gay disease.&rdquo; Social stigma associated with the disease keeps many sufferers from receiving life-prolonging medicines. 
 
(Source: Web posting on <a href="http://www.planetout.com">www.planetout.com</a>, 22 January 2007) 
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India &ndash; Generic Drugs 
 
India has become the premier drug provider for the developing world by producing cheaper generic versions of some of the world&rsquo;s most effective medicines, including antiretroviral drugs. But the country&rsquo;s decision to adhere to international patent regulations could limit access to generic drugs in the developing world. In future, when the country&rsquo;s patent laws will hinder its pharmaceutical companies from producing the latest drugs as generic versions, prices will go up. 
 
Some estimates indicate that Indian generic drug firms provide treatment for 50% of HIV-positive people in the developing world. The Indian generic drug company, Cipla, alone provides one in three HIV-positive people in Africa with antiretrovirals. 
 
Pharmaceutical companies in India are, however, seeking to expand their market to wealthy nations &ndash; a move that could come at the expense of the world&rsquo;s poor. In addition, the change in India&rsquo;s patent laws has led many foreign drug firms to enter the market and target India&rsquo;s growing middle class. 
 
(Source: Web posting on <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a>, 10 January 2007, referring to a Christian Science Monitor article). 
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Global Fund Round 7 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will call for proposals for Round 7 on 1 March 2007. The deadline for submission of Round 7 proposals is set for 4 July 2007. Having learned from past experience, the Fund is encouraging early planning. A call for proposals for Round 8 will be issued on the same date in 2008. 
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ICEM Resource Guide on Website 
 
In the January issue of the e-bulletin, we reported on the African Regional Workshop on fundraising and project writing. One of the tools used at the workshop was the ICEM Guide on HIV/AIDS Resources and Funding. 
 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf">The Guide is now available on the ICEM website</a>, in <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf">English</a> and <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideFR.pdf">French</a>. A Spanish translation is being prepared. 
 
The Guide takes account of the fact that funding resources are decentralised and largely accessible at the national level. The introductory part refers to small-scale funding from national AIDS commissions and resources from employers, especially companies with which the ICEM has signed Global Agreements. 
 
It gives fact-sheets on relevant intergovernmental organisations such as ILOAIDS, UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, WHO, and the World Bank and lists a number of foundations and other organisations engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS. An annex explains in more detail the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, its structures and procedures.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 17

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Global Labour University, supported by the ILO and by Germany&rsquo;s Hans Boeckler Foundation and Friedrich Ebert Foundation, is offering a pair of Master Programme labour courses in 2007. The courses take place at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, and at Germany&rsquo;s University of Kassel and the Berlin School of Economics. 
 
&ldquo;Labour Policies and Globalisation&rdquo; (Germany) and &ldquo;Labour and Development, Economic Policy, Globalisation and Labour&rdquo; (South Africa) are the titles of courses. Registration submissions can be found at <a href="http://www.global-labour-university.org">www.global-labour-university.org</a>. 
 
Deadline for application to the course in Germany is 1 April 2007. Deadline for the South African portion of this programme is 1 October 2007. 
 
The language of the courses is English, and the curriculum consists of issues relating to sustainable development, social justice, and international labour standards; and trade unions, economic policies, and global institutions. Successful applicants also have the possibility to study one term of the programme in South Africa and one term in Germany. 
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The curriculum is jointly developed by universities and trade unions from around the world and is aimed at those students who have experience with labour and social movements, and who are willing to assist organisations in these fields to engage more effectively in social dialogue, public debate, and policy implementation. 
Women are strongly encouraged to participate. Applicants should, as a rule, not be older than 40 years of age. 
 
A limited number of scholarships are available. An endorsement by a trade union is a requirement for a scholarship. The scholarship is conditional on a contribution of &euro;1,500 from the supporting trade union, or another donor. Please consult the website above for further information. More information can be also found here, in <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701GLU2007EN.pdf ">English</a>, <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701GLU2007FR.pdf ">French</a>, <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701GLU2007SP.pdf ">Spanish</a>.

Global Labour University Offering 2007 Courses in Germany and South Africa

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The quadrennial National Convention of the Mining and Energy Division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining &amp; Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia was held last week in Queensland, and delegates took up two critical issues: ending the 11-year reign of Prime Minister John Howard later this year and adoption of clean coal technologies. 
 
Coming under a unified banner entitled &ldquo;For a Clean, Safe, and Secure Future,&rdquo; CFMEU delegates from mines, power stations, oil refineries, and coal ports came together on 14-18 May during a pivotal time in Australia. The entire labour movement in Australia has been besieged by radical workplace reforms, passed in 2005 by the Howard government. 
<img height="93" alt="" src="" width="90" />
As well, the union has embarked on a critical climate change position, intended to preserve Australia&rsquo;s ranking as the world&rsquo;s biggest coal exporter, while working diligently to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
Delegates heard from Australian Labour Party leaders on the ALP&rsquo;s agenda to unseat Howard in November with Kevin Rudd. And more importantly, they heard from Australian Council of Trade Unions Secretary Greg Combet on how labour unions will mobilise to get that job done. 
 
The enactment of Howard&rsquo;s WorkChoices law has opened the way for employers to scuttle collective agreements in favour of individual work contracts, also known as Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs). CFMEU delegates were critical of the country&rsquo;s mining and metals employers&rsquo; association, as well as of mining houses Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Both companies call for the preservation of individual contracts in order not to suffer decreased productivity they claim will total A$6.6 billion. 
<img height="127" alt="" src="" width="250" />
That claim, made in February in the face of a growing public groundswell against Howard&rsquo;s industrial reforms, is far from the truth. A good majority of coal miners in Australia are covered by collective agreements, while virtually no AWAs exist in the sector. And productivity growth of the coal sector has averaged nearly 3% for each year dating back a decade. 
 
CFMEU&rsquo;s Mining and Energy Division has adopted policies related to massive investments for clean coal technologies, increased use of renewable energy sources, and carbon emissions trading. The union also supports ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. 
 
The convention included a session on global solidarity, which featured ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, South Africa&rsquo;s National Union of Mineworkers General Secretary Frans Baleni, as well as Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary Paddy Crumlin. Tony Maher serves as General President of the CFMEU&rsquo;s Mining and Energy Division.

CFMEU’s Mining, Energy Convention Occurs at Critical Juncture in Australia

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Labour Unions in the US, including ICEM affiliates United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), the United Steelworkers (USW), and the United Auto Workers (UAW), begin bargaining this week with General Electric (GE) over a new collective agreement. 
 
Some 23,000 US workers belonging to 13 unions negotiate jointly as the Coordinating Bargaining Committee of GE Unions (CBC). They have a four-year labour agreement with US-based manufacturing and financial services company General Electric expiring on 17 June 2007. 
 
Central among issues are expected to be job security, health care, and pensions. GE, which posted US$20.7 billion in net profit last year, is expected to seek greater cost-sharing of health care expenses from workers, curtailments on early retirement eligibility for staff, and reduced benefit levels, including pensions, for newly-hired workers. The unions will resist such proposals. 
<img height="70" src="" width="120" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="70" src="" width="128" alt="" />&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="70" src="" width="74" alt="" />
GE, which increased its dividend to shareholders for the 31st consecutive year in 2007 and spent US$8 billion last year on a share buy-back plan, is a major world manufacturer of plastics and chemicals, airplane and rail engines, power turbines, energy and gas equipment, as well as medical equipment. GE also owns major US broadcasting and television company NBC. 
 
Besides the UE, USW, and UAW, other US-based trade unions involved in the CBC include: the IUE-CWA, Machinists Union, NABET-CWA, Teamsters, Electrical Workers (IBEW), Federation of Professional &amp; Technical Engineers, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Sheet Metal Workers Union, the United Association of Plumbing and Pipefitters Union, and SEIU&rsquo;s Firemen &amp; Oilers Division. 
 
The UE, the coalition&rsquo;s second largest union of GE workers, will host a CBC-wide contract rally on 2 June in Erie, state of Pennsylvania, home of two of the UE&rsquo;s branch unions that represent GE workers.

US Unions Begin Bargaining at General Electric This Week

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A peaceful protest by 1,000 members of ICEM&rsquo;s two Nigerian oil workers&rsquo; affiliates &ndash; PENGASSAN and NUPENG &ndash; was met by 150 riot police last week, 17 May. The protest occurred at the national headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) in Abuja, while privatisation bidding on two NNPC refineries was going on elsewhere in the Nigerian capital city. 
 
Trade unionists blocked traffic in and out of the NNPC building for the better part of the day. 
 
The unions were not objecting to the privatisation of refineries in Port Harcourt and Kaduna, but rather to NNPC ignoring a memorandum it signed with the two unions only last week allowing them to carry out independent audits of the refineries before the sales occur. 
<img height="114" alt="" src="" width="110" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; <img height="105" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The concerns of the two unions centre on the loss of 4,000 jobs, with no plan on how to meet the pension commitments of sacked workers. &ldquo;We are saying, yes you can privatise, but let us sit down and thrash out the labour issues,&rdquo; Williams Ibiba Inko, NNPC&rsquo;s union chair and leader of the protest, told This Day newspaper. 
 
&ldquo;This process is going to kill our pension. Most of the concerned staff has passed the employment age bracket,&rdquo; said Inko, adding the memorandum calling for due process by workers&rsquo; representatives was signed by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE). &ldquo;We believe (the process) is being hijacked by the BPE to suit its purposes.&rdquo; 
 
As part of last Thursday&rsquo;s protest, PENGASSAN and NUPENG also lodged stop-work actions at NNPC operations in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Mosimi, and Kaduna. All of the protests remained peaceful and no arrests were made. 
 
Bidding on the federal government&rsquo;s 51% stake in the Port Harcourt refinery, Nigeria&rsquo;s largest with a capacity of 210,000 barrels-per-day, was awarded to a Nigerian consortium called Bluestar Oil, for US$561 million. Bluestar is composed of the Dangote Group, Nigeria&rsquo;s biggest cement producer, Zenon Oil, Transcorp, and the Rivers State government. Sale of 51% of the Kaduna refinery, however, was not completed after the lone bidder, China National Petroleum Corp., failed to meet the reserve price. CNPC&rsquo;s bid was US$102 million. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
The BPE last week conducted privatisation bids on 18 public entities, including electric power, cement, and palm oil companies, as well as liquid petroleum gas depots, and coal and other mining blocks. 
 
Meanwhile, PENGASSAN President Peter Esele is pleading with militants in the Niger Delta to stop committing violent acts in the region, since such acts hamper legitimate development. Esele spoke out after three oil pipelines of Italian company Eni were blown up during the week of 7 May in Bayelsa state. 
 
&ldquo;The effect of blowing up pipelines is grave,&rdquo; he said in an interview with This Day. &ldquo;It is very dangerous to the environment because it pollutes and it increases the costs&rdquo; for development. PENGASSAN and NUPENG call for a truce in the unstable Delta region, so that development and investment can serve as a means to reduce poverty.

Nigerian Oil Unions Protest Lack of Transparency in Refinery Sales

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Meeting in Brussels on 10-11 May, the ICEM&rsquo;s Executive Committee passed two separate resolutions, one calling on multinational companies not to interfere with new labour regulations being proposed in China, and one declaring continued support and solidarity for strikers at German-based Fresenius Medical Care&rsquo;s Novamed factory in Turkey. 
 
The ICEM Executive also tabled several resolutions that will be considered at its Fourth World Congress this November in Bangkok, Thailand, including continuation of projects on HIV/AIDS and Contract and Agency Labour. 
<img height="113" alt="" src="" width="100" />
GLOBAL UNITY, GLOBAL EQUALITY
ICEM 2007 World Congress logo
The resolution on the draft Chinese labour law condemns those companies which attempt to water down the draft labour law of China&rsquo;s government. The motion notes that even though the proposed law falls far short of common international standards regarding workers&rsquo; rights, some companies operating inside China oppose implementation of new labour regulations. 
 
The ICEM also calls on multinational companies not to oppose the movement of workers in China to form &ldquo;free, strong and independent trade unions.&rdquo; The resolution, in its entirety, can be found <a href="/index.php?id=7&amp;doc=2259&amp;la=EN">here</a>. 
 
Regarding the ongoing dispute that ICEM Turkish affiliate Petrol-Iş is waging on behalf of 84 strikers, 82 of whom are women, the ICEM resolution deplores the conduct of Novamed. The company operates in the Antalya Free Trade Zone and makes bloodline and kidney dialysis equipment. 
<img height="285" alt="" src="" width="200" />
Novamed strikers in Antalya Free Trade Zone, Turkey
Managers of the company caused the strike, in September 2006, by severely restricting workers&rsquo; rights, particularly those of women. Such inhumane practices as making women apply for permission to become pregnant, forbidding employees from talking on the job, and threatening to move the plant from Turkey unless workers reject Petrol-Iş were severely criticised by ICEM Executive members. 
 
The ICEM resolution states: &ldquo;The practice of restricting women&rsquo;s maternity rights is against ILO Conventions and EU directives and does not suit a country applying for membership in the European Union.&rdquo; Workers at Novamed GmbH organised with Petrol-Iş in March 2005, but the company has refused good-faith bargaining for an initial collective agreement. 
 
The ICEM resolution on Novamed&rsquo;s horrid labour relations can be found <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=2258&amp;la=EN">here</a>.

ICEM Executive Passes Motions on China’s Draft Labour Law, Dispute in Turkey

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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. 
<img height="203" src="" width="200" alt="" />
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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