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The ICEM and Public Services International (PSI) last week supported the OECD petition under the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of joint US affiliate Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) against United Water, Suez Environnement, and GDF SUEZ for alleged environmental deceit and unfair labour practice complaints lodged by the US government against United Water. 
 
GDF SUEZ is signatory to a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with ICEM and PSI, and compliance with the OECD Guidelines is one framework inside the GFA. In a 14 June letter to the National Contact Points of the French and American governments, ICEM and PSI General Secretaries Manfred Warda and Peter Waldorff called on the respective contacts points to intervene and mediate the charges contained in UWUA&rsquo;s petition. 

&ldquo;We have been aware of United Water&rsquo;s negligent social conduct in the United States since December 2010, first related to the felony indictment of the Clean Water Act by the US Justice Department, and later (May 2011) of the US National Labor Relations Board&rsquo;s (NLRB) issuance of labor law complaints against United Water for breach of standard collective bargaining practices with the UWUA,&rdquo; wrote the two Global Union Federations. 
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="86" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="90" height="90" />
Under the GFA, ICEM and PSI had previously criticised GDF SUEZ over United Water&rsquo;s derisive social conduct in America. United Water is wholly owned by Suez Environnement, which in turn is 35% by GDF SUEZ. The GFA, signed in November 2010, covers all GDF SUEZ businesses, including ones in which the company holds a minority stake. 
 
The UWUA&rsquo;s OECD complaint cites the NLRB&rsquo;s unfair labour practice complaints against United Water at two separate locations where the UWUA represents workers and is now negotiating with the company over renewal agreements. The US government agency charges management with failure to provide relevant information to the union related to bargaining. The GFA specifically references transparency in labour-management forums in pledging adherence to the OECD Guidelines and the ILO Tripartite Principles, both of which have clear language regarding exchange of information for &ldquo;meaningful negotiations&rdquo; in social partnerships. 
 
The alleged environmental infractions already had seen the ICEM and PSI take issue with United Water. Those charges stem from December 2010 when the Justice Department issued a criminal indictment charging that United Water intentionally manipulated E.coli bacteria monitoring tests at a wastewater treatment plant in the US state of Indiana. The indictment alleges that United Water engaged in a scheme in which it increased chlorine levels on government-mandated E.coli inspections, and then lowered chlorine input levels after such testing. The US government alleges United Water did this as a costs-savings measure. The company has pleaded not guilty to the charges. (See <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4208-US-Affiliate-UWUA-Challenges-GDF-SUEZ-Inside-Global-Agreement">ICEM report</a> on that alleged environmental crime here.)&nbsp; 
The UWUA filed the OECD petition on 8 June at the French embassy in Washington, DC, along with the American NGO Food and Water Watch, at the French embassy in Washington, DC, as well as to the US government&rsquo;s National Contact Point. Under the OECD complaint process, both the US and French governments are obligated to forward the submission to the French parent companies and to the US subsidiary for a formal reply.

ICEM, PSI Join US, French OECD Complaint Against GDF SUEZ

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The Council of Global Unions (CGU), at its meeting in Geneva on 10 June, adopted two statements; one on labeling chrysotile asbestos in the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) category of the Rotterdam Convention, the other condemning the assault on public sector workers in the US state of Wisconsin, and endorsing Wisconsin as a pilot site in this week&rsquo;s campaign launch of &ldquo;Quality Public Services &ndash; Action Now.&rdquo; 
 
The CGU, founded on 10 January 2007, is the coordinating body for nearly all Global Union Federations (GUFs), the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) of the OECD, and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). CGU&rsquo;s charter calls for &ldquo;a common determination to organise, defend human and trade union rights and labour standards everywhere, and promote the growth of trade unions for the benefit of all working women and men and their families.&rdquo; 
 
The 10 June statement on chrysotile asbestos is aimed at this week&rsquo;s Rotterdam Convention meetings in Geneva and urges an override past objections to PIC listing &ldquo;by a tiny number of countries who have a vested interest in maintaining their lucrative trade in this potent human carcinogen.&rdquo; 
 
The Rotterdam Convention establishes controls on the trade of toxic substances. With chrysotile asbestos, also known as white asbestos, unlisted, countries can export it without warning labels or safety precautions. The five biggest export nations of it are China, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Canada. 
<img alt="" src="" width="93" height="128" />
The CGU statement cites the mineral with causing 100,000 deaths annually and cautions that failure to classify it risks the spread of even more deaths particularly in the developing world. 
 
&ldquo;The Global Unions asbestos policy stipulates that the only &lsquo;safe use&rsquo; of asbestos is no use at all,&rdquo; reads the CGU statement. &ldquo;We call on Canada and other asbestos stakeholders to accept that the time has come to include chrysotile on the PIC list so that developing countries can make informed decisions on a subject of such deadly importance.&rdquo; 
 
The CGU&rsquo;s Wisconsin statement reads: &ldquo;The attack that public employees and their unions are now facing in Wisconsin is part of a larger design by those who want to create a powerless and compliant workforce, and to plunder the common good of public services. 
 
&ldquo;Turning back this tide is not a local or even national challenge. Trade unions worldwide and our allies are working together with a shared determination to organize, defend human and labor rights, promote the growth of unions and advance quality public services for the benefit of all people.&rdquo; 
 
On 14 June, in a 4-3 ruling, the Wisconsin state Supreme Court struck down a lower court decision that blocked implementation of Governor Scott Walker&rsquo;s law, clearing the way for the gutting of public sector bargaining rights for 300,000 teachers, nurses, and other public workers. (See a prior <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4308-Wisconsin-Eliminates-Public-Sector-Bargaining-Resistance-Continues ">ICEM report</a> on the midnight passage of Walker&rsquo;s legislation here.) 
The Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) and other US unions will now bring the fight to federal courtrooms in further lawsuits to block Walker&rsquo;s anti-social, anti-people measure.

Global Unions Issue Statements on Chrysotile Asbestos, Public Sector Assault in Wisconsin

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The funeral was held on 4 June for 22 year old worker Roshane Chanaka in Minuwangoda, Sri Lanka. Chanaka was killed on 30 May, when police opened fire on workers protesting in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, against the government&rsquo;s proposed &ldquo;Employees Pension Benefit Fund&rdquo; Bill. Hundreds of workers were injured, 60 seriously, at the hands of the police. 
 
Police repression in the Export Processing Zone escalated to the point that workers were blocked from leaving factories, and women were beaten. Police have now handed over security in Katunayake to the army, meaning workers can not exercise their right to assemble and protest. 
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The huge worker outcry forced the government to withdraw the controversial bill, but reserves the right to reintroduce it following further discussions. While the 26 Sri Lankan trade unions of the Joint Trade Union Alliance (JTUA) welcome improved pension legislation, they insist on tri-partite discussions at the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) before such an important change in the law is made. 
 
The ICEM-affiliated Free Trade Zones &amp; General Services Employees Union (FTZ &amp; GSEU) played a central role in the establishing of the JTUA, and together with the textile workers, were forefront in the fight to block the bill.

Unionists Mourn Sri Lankan Protester Killed by Police, Continue to Fight Government on Pensions

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From: International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation. Note: On Friday, 25 March, ITGLWF General Secretary Patrick Itschert issued the following statement drawing parallel between New York City&rsquo;s Triangle Shirtwaist fire to the 14 December 2010 Hameem garment factory in the Ashulia industrial zone of Dhaka, Bangladesh. 
 
To mark the hundredth anniversary of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, the global union representing workers in the garment industry is calling on employers, governments and brands sourcing in the global industry to take urgent action to improve worker safety. 
 
Says Patrick Itschert, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation: &ldquo;One hundred years ago today, at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in New York City, 146 workers died because greedy factory owners violated workers&rsquo; basic rights and ignored health and safety regulations, and the authorities turned a blind eye to these violations. 
 
&ldquo;When a fire broke out on the ninth floor it spread quickly across an overcrowded factory floor. Young women workers scrambled to escape and found only locked or inadequate exits. Fire fighters were powerless to help because their ladders couldn&rsquo;t reach beyond the fifth floor. 
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&ldquo;Nearly one hundred years later, in December 2010, the exact same scene was repeated at the Hameem factory in Dhaka, leaving 29 workers dead. Nor is Hameem an isolated incident in the Bangladesh garment industry. Over the past five years alone, some 150 workers have died in factory disasters in the garment industry in the country. Similar tragedies have occurred elsewhere throughout the global garment industry, notably in China and Thailand. All of these tragedies are eerily similar and all could have been prevented by safe working practices. 
 
&ldquo;The ITGLWF is calling on employers, governments and brands to protect worker safety and to ensure that where workers are injured or killed, adequate compensation is paid.&rdquo; 
 
Concludes Mr. Itschert: &ldquo;The Triangle factory led to rapid growth of the International Ladies Garment Workers&rsquo; Union and the introduction of tougher new laws. In Bangladesh and elsewhere, workers continue to be denied the right to organise and bargain collectively and are thus being denied the right to play a role in promoting health and safety. We must learn from the legacy of the Triangle factory fire and ensure this changes.&rdquo;

ITGLWF Draws Match: 1911 New York Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Hameem Fire in Bangladesh

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The union that attempted to rescue coal miners inside a Soreng district colliery in Pakistan last week has strongly criticised government indifference of the 20 March tragedy. ICEM-affiliated Central Mines Labour Federation (PCMLF) held an angry protest on 22 March in front of the Quetta press club, demanding two resignations and calling for a judicial enquiry from the Balochistan High Court. 
 
Fifty-two miners died instantly 1,200 metres underground after three methane gas blasts occurred in a mine operated by an unregistered contractor. The mine is state-owned by the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC). 
 
Only two weeks earlier, PCMLF and concerned people in the Soreng area, 35 kilometres east of Quetta, demanded closure of the colliery because of high methane gas levels. 
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Sultan Muhammad at Quetta Press Club Rally
It took government rescue teams and emergency medical services eight hours to respond to the mine blasts. Miners of PCMLF first entered the mine in the aftermath of the explosions and dug with shovels and bare hands in hopes of finding survivors. What they found and brought to the surface were 12 mangled bodies. A 25-year-old miner who spent much of Sunday, 20 March, on the rescue described high levels of gas fumes and wood support structures that had crumbled, leaving massive debris blocking passageways. 
 
When mine safety officials did arrive, they blocked further efforts of miners to enter. &ldquo;Directly and indirectly, many people and many family members are affected by this disaster,&rdquo; PCMLF General Secretary Sultan Muhammad told the ICEM. &ldquo;We are helping the families of victims as best we can with our union&rsquo;s limited resources.&rdquo; One family reportedly lost seven members in the 20 March tragedy. 
 
&ldquo;It is a difficult job because miners and their families know they have to go five to seven thousand feet deep inside the mine,&rdquo; said PCMLF President Bakht Nawab Yousfzai. &ldquo;Nobody ever knows if they are going on their last journey.&rdquo; 
 
Efforts to correctly identify the deceased miners were made difficult because the contractor had kept no visible employee roster. 
 
At the Quetta manifestation last Tuesday, PCMLF demanded that PMDC pay one million rupees each (&euro;8,300) to the families of the dead miners. They also demanded the sacking of Baluchistan Mines and Minerals Minister Mushtaq Raisani and Chief Mines Inspector Iftikhar Ahmed. 
 
PCMLF seeks involvement in a tri-partite panel to investigate the blasts. The union also pointed to a number of threatening safety hazards at the same mine in recent months, but reporting of those incidents went unheeded. 
 
In a 22 March letter to PCMLF, ICEM Mining Sector Chairman Andrew Vickers of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia said: &ldquo;I offer my personal and our collective condolences to the families and friends of miners killed in this latest inexcusable disaster in the coal mining industry. Your suffering is understood and shared by us who have lost too many sons, brothers, and fathers to inexcusable disasters in our mining industry.&rdquo;

Pakistan Mine Blast Kills 52; ICEM Affiliate PCMLF in Strong Protest

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In Turkey, the ICEM affiliate Petrol-İş seeks to pre-empt an auto-parts rubber manufacturer from challenging a majority of workers in their right to collective bargaining. Standard Profil, a maker of rubber weather-sealing devices, met a public campaign last week by the union in the northern Anatolian city of D&uuml;zce, where the company operates its biggest factory. 
 
The public message was simple: Petrol-İş has succeeded in gaining well over 50% of Standard Profil&rsquo;s 2,300 Turkish workers seeking union representation, the Labour Ministry has deemed Standard a part of the oil, chemicals, and rubber sector, so the company must forego any appeal and begin good faith social dialogue with Petrol-İş. 
 
It is common in Turkey for employers to thwart union recognition drives with frivolous appeals in order to block workers&rsquo; their legitimate workplace rights. Such appeals can take up to two years. By taking the Standard Profil appeal public, Petrol-İş, with a strong presence in D&uuml;zce and other manufacturing zones of Turkey, is initiating a unique pro-active strategy inside Turkey intended to deflect company resistance to union rights. 
<img alt="" src="" width="217" height="201" />
Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkin (right) at News Conference, with Nimetullah S&ouml;zen, Petrol-İş&nbsp;Organising Secretary
At a press conference in D&uuml;zce on 21 March that the ICEM participated in, Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkin stated, &ldquo;We want to sit down at the negotiations table with Standard Profil and conduct a peaceful process of mutual understanding.&rdquo; Labour relations, he added should &ldquo;start with mutual good and consideration of mutual interests.&rdquo; 
 
On 19 March, Turkey&rsquo;s Labour and Social Security Ministry did formally confirm that Standard Profil staff work in Petrol-İş sectors. The company has 15 days to contest that verification and the message is that they do not. The governmental process is now underway to certify the union with majority interest from workers and that will likely be affirmed in a matter of weeks. Again, the message in D&uuml;zce and along Standard Profil&rsquo;s supply chain is meet Petrol-İş at the bargaining table. 
<img alt="" src="" width="323" height="185" />
Union justification that Standard Profil not challenge unionisation at its 1,850-worker D&uuml;zce plant and a smaller but growing plant in the city of Bursa is furthered by the fact that the company has positively addressed freedom of association and given workplace rights training inside the plants. 
 
That came late in 2008 and early 2009 after Petrol-İş and its national labour centre, T&uuml;rk-İş, lodged a complaint with the World Bank&rsquo;s International Financial Corporation (IFC). The IFC and the accompanying Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) loaned the company development money, and criteria under that loan requires the company live up to social and environment standards. 
 
After assessment, a compliance office for IFC/MIGA determined that managers must undertake awareness and education efforts regarding labour rights and work conditions. At last week&rsquo;s news conference, &Ouml;ztaşkin reminded of that, emphasizing that the union stands ready and willing to make Standard Profil a quality, reliable, and globally-preferred supplier of automotive sealing systems. 
<img alt="" src="" width="172" height="170" />
Union Organisers at Standard Profil, &Uuml;nal Akbulut and Hakan Ko&ccedil;ak
The point was reinforced by letters presented at the press conference on behalf of the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/In%20Solidarity%20with%20Petrol-IS%20Workers%20at%20Standard%20Profil%20in%20Turkey%2018%20March%202011.pdf">International Metalworkers Federation</a> (IMF), the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/UAW%20Statement%20of%20Support%20.pdf ">United Auto Workers</a> (UAW) of the US, the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2011-03-18_09-37-04.pdf">Volkswagen Works Council</a> in Germany, and ICEM German affiliate <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/vl_160311_solistandardprofil.pdf ">IGBCE</a>. In the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/19.%20Solidarity%20with%20Petrol-Is%20on%20organizing%20efforts%20at%20Standard%20Profil.pdf ">ICEM&rsquo;s letter</a>, General Secretary Manfred Warda called on Standard Profil to embark on a &ldquo;peaceful and constructive labour relations atmosphere at your workplaces which will result in enhanced business performance.&rdquo; 
 
Leaders of several textile, metal, and other regional trade unions also attended the news conference, lending their support to the Petrol-İş message. Standard Profil, owned by London-based Bancroft Private Equity LLP whose investments mostly are in Central Europe, supplies door, boot, engine cover, and other rubber seals to a number of auto firms. Its larger customers are General Motors, Volkswagen/Audi, Fiat, Ford, and Honda.

Petrol-İş Demands Immediate Recognition at Standard Profil in Turkey

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Showcasing unions fighting back against austerity cuts will be featured in the line-up for the Global Labour Film Shorts in 2011. Affiliates are invited to submit their films for possible inclusion in the one hour line-up of the best short films from around the world by April 1. 
 
Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, trade unions internationally have denounced its fast and increasing negative impact on workers. Some of this action has been captured on film, an essential platform for communication in many union campaigns and actions today. 
 
Over the last four years, the Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival has taken place in downtown Geneva enabling unions and working people worldwide to share their stories. This year, in order to reach a wider international audience, the festival is refocusing to an on-line and DVD presentation that will be submitted to over 36 labour related film festivals around the world. The line-up will also be available on DVD for affiliates of all Global Union Federations and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to use in their own events and activities. 
 
The one-hour DVD will focus on short films that are excellent examples of communicating labour stories and messages and the selection will include a range of different films from different parts of the world. The launch of the Global Labour Film Shorts 2011 will take place at the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) &ldquo;Unions in Motion&rdquo; film festival, coming up on June 10-11 at Landschaftspark Nord in Duisburg, Germany. 
 
Please send copies of your films on DVD with a short paragraph describing the film, why it was produced and how it was used. The IMF, coordinating the work, will need unfettered rights to show the film and publish it online, of course with full acknowledgement of who created the material. Due to resource constraints for interpretation, the IMF is only able to accept films in English language or with English subtitles. 
 
We need to receive copies of all possible films by April 1, 2011. 
 
Please send to: 
Cherisse Fredricks 
International Metalworkers' Federation 
Case Postale 1516 
CH1227 Geneva 
Switerland

Fight Back on Film!

The ICEM&rsquo;s Japanese Affiliates Federation (JAF) has been using many of its own resources, and nearly all of its time and energy to deal with the horrible after effects of last Friday&rsquo;s earthquake and tsunami. The ICEM has been in contact with JAF several times daily in order to determine the federation&rsquo;s needs. What follows is a Circular Letter from General Secretary Manfred Warda to all ICEM affiliates alerting them on how they can help:
Please Contribute: Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Relief 

Dear ICEM Affiliated Unions, 
 
Many of you have inquired over the past several days the best means to contribute to Relief Funds handling the horrible disaster in Japan. You should know that we have been in constant touch with JAF, the ICEM&rsquo;s Japanese Affiliates Federation, and they have been doing the very best they can, under unimaginable circumstances, to come to the assistance of their electric energy, oil and gas, and other union members in North-east Japan, as well as in other areas. 
 
As is ICEM policy in such natural disasters, we ask that you consider contributions to your local or national Red Cross or UNICEF agencies, with the earmark of Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami Fund. 
 
But we also have been informed by JAF General Secretary Yoshio Sato that JAF has set up an account in its Tokyo Bank to handle relief efforts undertaken by the unions. The bank transfer coordinates there: 
 
Bank Name: Mizuho Bank, Ltd. 
Swift Code: MHBKJPJT 
Branch name: Shiba Branch 
Branch Address: 5-34-7, Shiba, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 108-0014, Japan 
Account Name: Nihon Kagaku Enerugi-Kouzan Roudoukumiai Kyougikai 
Account Number: 054-3316103 
 
Please state in the transfer &ldquo;Earthquake.&rdquo; 
 
Obviously, ICEM and ICEM JAF are very grateful for any and all contributions. And messages of Support and Solidarity can still be sent, addressed to <a href="mailto:icemjaf@blue.ocn.ne.jaf">Yoshio Sato</a>.
Lastly, please take a moment to reflect on the safety and health of the courageous workers, members of JAF affiliate Denryoku Soren, who are working non-stop on the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. These and other JAF members who are working around the clock on Japanese security, relief efforts, and tending in so many ways to abate this disaster are the real heroes in the world today. They deserve our Support and Solidarity. 
 
Again, thank you for your efforts. 
 
In Solidarity, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary

ICEM’s Japanese Affiliates Identify Earthquake Relief

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A wage strike broke out last week in Argentina&rsquo;s Zarate-Campana petrochemical complex when members of the Zarate branch of the Federation of Chemical and Petrochemical Workers&rsquo; Unions (FESTIQyPRA) walked out at six companies. Workers and their unions are seeking 2011 wage hikes over a series of instalments that will keep pace with the country&rsquo;s high inflation rate. 
 
The companies affected include Petrobras, Bunge, Rohm and Haas, Lanxess, Atanor, and Dow. At the Petrobras petrochemical plant, production stopped on 5 March due to the company seeking a safe and orderly shutdown. FESTIQyPRA Zarate is negotiating with the Chamber of the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry (CIQyP), and the sides are now in mediation that is being conducted by the Argentina&rsquo;s Ministry of Work. 
<img alt="" src="" width="120" height="117" />
FESTIQyPRA&rsquo;s Nelson Palacios said workers are justified in asking for a general 25% pay rise, with minimum wage workers expected to gain more. FESTIQyPRA Zarate also seeks a fixed remuneration sum of ARS 2,463 (&euro;437, US$611) added to the base wage between May 2011 and February 2012. 
 
Palacios said the union&rsquo;s proposal calls for 30% of the total to be awarded in May 2011, with other increments to follow in October, December, and in February 2012. Several collective agreements in Argentina are on the brink of dispute, including ones in metals, oil and gas, and in service industries. CGT General Secretary Hugo Moyano has stated that a 2011 increase of 28% is in line for workers to meet the rampant run-up in Argentina&rsquo;s inflation rate. 
 
FESTIQyPRA is affiliated to CGT. The Zarate-Campana petrochemical plants are in northeast Argentina, in Buenos Aires province and situated on the Paran&aacute; River.

FESTIQyPRA Zarate Branch in Argentina Strikes 6 Chemical Companies

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Elefsina, an industrial town on the outskirts of Athens, was the venue for the 38th Congress of ICEM &ndash; affiliated trade union, the Pan-Hellenic Federation of Employees in Petroleum Products, Refineries and Chemical Industry. ICEM Energy Officer, Jim Catterson represented the ICEM at the Congress which brought together several hundred delegates together with guests from the across the political spectrum of Greek political parties as well as international trade union guests from Cyprus, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey.
<img alt="" src="" width="252" height="189" />
The world economic crisis and its effects on the Greek economy with the imposition by government of a severe austerity package was subject to extensive and lively debate, including the messages from both political and international guests who also discussed the RETUN-SEE network of Energy Unions, the future role of Greece as a transit country for gas and petroleum supplies to European Union countries as well as the changing economics and structures of European petroleum refining. 
 
The Congress elected a Presidium to guide the union&rsquo;s work in the next Congress period. It will elect the President and other leading officials of the union at its first meeting. 
<img alt="" src="" width="365" height="141" />
Prior to the Congress the union arranged a first meeting between ICEM and senior management of Hellenic Petroleum, a significant multinational involved in Petroleum refining and distribution throughout the Balkans, as well as exploration in both Macedonia and Egypt. Jim Catterson was able to describe ICEM priorities in the industry including Global Framework Agreements as well as discuss in general the challenges facing the industry, ranging from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to the present turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa.

Petroleum, Energy Workers of Greece Celebrate 38th Congress

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