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<img height="39" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100"/>
ICEM Regional Vice President Rayford Mbulu chaired the GUF’s Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Meeting 9 June in Accra, Ghana. The conference, attended by 35 delegates, adopted a four-point programme aimed at building trade union power in the region. Mbulu is the General Secretary of the Mineworkers’ Union of Zambia (MUZ). 
 
Delegates attended from Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. 
 
The action programme adopted target points in four areas: Collective Bargaining and Campaigns; Socio-Economic Issues; Politics; and Health and Safety. 
<img height="115" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Ghana.png" width="250" alt=""/>
Collective Bargaining and Campaigns: 
 
The regional delegates vowed to support the bargaining process for a living wage by the host union, the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union (GMWU), and called on all ICEM affiliates in the region not to agree to wage increases that fall under the rate of inflation in their respective countries, in light of escalating food and energy price increases. 
 
Delegates also endorsed and pledged to emphasize the global labour and the International Trade Union Confederation’s “World Day for Decent Work” on 7 October 2008, a day of mobilization to end poverty and inequality, to establish rights at work for working women and men, and to establish Solidarity between trade unions on bilateral and multilateral levels. 
 
The statement also pledged to support a Women’s Charter to enhance the role of women within all ICEM affiliates, and within the ICEM itself. And it called upon employers to further facilitate HIV education, testing, and access to anti-retroviral medication. 
 
Socio-Economic Issues: 
 
The conference condemned the xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa. 
 
Politics: 
 
Delegates called upon leaders of countries in the region to ensure free and fair balloting in the run-off elections in Zimbabwe later this month. Regarding Somalia, delegates condemned the eruption of conflict, which has claimed the loss of many lives and has deeply affected the working class of the country. 
 
The regional conference also implored the citizens of the Niger Delta in Nigeria to embrace dialogue, and requested that the Nigerian government link dialogue with the urgency to create a sustainable infrastructure and human resource development for citizens in that region. Delegates also urged multinational companies operating in Nigeria to partner with trade unions and other stakeholders in order to institute a socially viable peace and cooperation in the area. 
 
Health and Safety: 
 
The conference took notice of the 8 June coal mine explosion in the Ukraine, resulting in 12 deaths, and called for immediate improvements toward safe mining practices across the world. Delegates also called for added attention by employers, governments, and trade unions on the dangers faced by uranium miners, and for an increase in work by the ICEM in this area.

ICEM’s Sub-Sahara Africa Conference Adopts Four-Point Work Plan

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Last-ditch efforts today by Finnish National Conciliator Juhani Salonius to avert a strike across the nation’s pulp and paper sector succeeded, with ICEM affiliate Toimihenkilöunioni TU and the Finnish Forest Industries Federation agreeing to a 21-month labour agreement. 

The employers’ association entered the mediation session this morning at 08h00 claiming inability to offer a pay increase, but by late morning the two sides had agreed on a pay increase of 5.3% over the life of the agreement.
Effective 1 July 2008, salaried staff will receive an increase of not less than 2.7%, or €60-per-month. In addition to that, pay hikes of 1.3% and a one-off bonus of €110 per worker will be paid out on local levels.
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 A 0.4% increase is scheduled for distribution on the local level in March 2009. Also, a national pay increase of 0.9% will take effect in March 2009. 

Both parties retain the right to terminate the agreement in March 2009. 

“Our rank and file will get a just compensation for the significant increase of their work load and responsibility,” stated TU President Antti Rinne, referring to significant job cuts that have occurred since the year 2000. 

He added that the agreement “will close the gap between the pay development of salaried employees and (other) workers” within the country’s pulp and paper industry. He said it was important for TU that pay decisions on the local level will not be solely made by the companies. 

The agreement also states that the two parties will begin a multi-year programme to develop pay patterns for salaried workers. Other improvements made include family leave, specifically a six-day paid paternity leave. Added compensation for safety representatives was achieved, and a working-hour bank established. 
 
The employers gave up their concessionary proposals on travel time, shift allowance cuts, and their demand to exclusively decide on working hours.
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“We credit our Finnish affiliate, and their members’ decision toward strike action in order to resist the concessions the employers’ federation has put forward,” said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. “It is a progressive and forward-looking collective agreement, and most importantly it came without the necessity to conduct industrial actions.” 
 
The settlement averts a strike planned at noon today by 1,000 senior employees at ten Stora Enso operations across Finland. Further rolling strikes were scheduled to occur at other major Finnish pulp and paper producers in June. Some 6,500 salaried, technical, and professional workers are covered by the new agreement.

Finnish Pulp/Paper Salaried Staff Dispute Settled in Last Minute Mediation

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A first-ever national collective agreement covering 260,000 temporary workers was agreed to by ICEM Swiss affiliate Unia and swissstaffing, an umbrella organisation for labour agencies. The announcement came at a press conference in Zurich on 25 June. 
 
If approved by Switzerland’s federal government, the blanket three-year agreement will take effect 1 January 2009 and cover labour agencies that comprise 70% of all agency work in Switzerland. Previously, labour agreements did exist between Unia and individual branch offices of labour agencies. The proposed agreement will not supplant those accords, but will lend a uniform set of rights for temporary workers, as well check the rampant expansion of temp work in Switzerland.
<img height="101" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Switzerlandflag.gif" width="100" alt=""/>
The national agreement will give first-time collective work rights to some 180,000 temporary employees in over 100 job professions. It will also lift their minimum rates of pay. Although those who work in industrial settings will not see pay increases, they – and the 180,000 others – will realize new rights, such as medical insurance allowances, paid medical leave, better health and safety standards on the job, and continuous training opportunities. 
 
Part-time workers will gain increased levels of these benefits with longer and repeated periods of temporary work. 
 
Unia Co-President Renzo Ambrosetti called it a major step to overcoming the precarious work relationship between employee and employer due to short-term work. “This collective agreement for temporary workers will stem wage dumping, and we now have a means to severely punish the black sheep among labour agencies” who exploit workers, he said. 
 
Charles Bélaz, president of swissstaffing and general manager of Swiss Manpower, called the agreement “historical and innovative.” He added that the accord gives the labour agencies’ association political gain and “enables us to finally be a true social partner.” 
 
Unia and swissstaffing, along with smaller Swiss unions, came to the novel agreement in late May, after a full year of negotiations.

Swiss Unia and Temp Work Association Agree to National Collective Agreement

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General President Jack O’Connor of Ireland’s Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU) welcomed the new EU Directive on Agency Work. 
 
In a statement, he said, “It will improve people’s rights at work in Ireland. Indeed, in the absence of the EU, working conditions in Ireland would still be very primitive. This decision will begin the process of alleviating the plight of tens of thousands of our most vulnerable workers.”
<img height="39" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/affiliateslogo/IRELANDSIPTU.gif" width="115" alt=""/>
Legislation in Ireland to regulate the use of temporary agency workers has been opposed for years by employers. Although not yet fully adopted, once ratified by the European Parliament, the Directive must be implemented through national legislation within three years. It has thus given a considerable push to people’s rights at work in Ireland. 
 
The recent Irish referendum rejecting the Lisbon Treaty would appear to have no effect on the Directive, since existing treaties already cover the details of implementation.

Irish Labour Movement Welcomes EU Directive on Agency Work

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New Zealand’s labour agency workers are hopefully on the road to have minimum wage protection soon. That follows passage of the second reading in Parliament in May of Labour Party MP Darien Fenton's Minimum Wage and Remuneration Amendment Bill. 
 
The bill is intended to give protection to agency workers by fixing an anomaly that allows them to be paid below the minimum wage for their services. 
 
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Secretary Carol Beaumont said that people doing contract work for less than minimum wage deserve the full wage protections that are afforded to other workers.
<img height="72" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/unions/NewZealandCTU.gif" width="160" alt=""/>
“There are people doing (agency) work right now who are paid poverty wages, and these people need the full protection of minimum wage laws,” she said. 
 
“Most (agency workers) in New Zealand should be remunerated at well above the minimum wage. For those that are not, this bill would provide protection against being exploited by companies wanting to unreasonably drive down costs. 
 
“Contracting practices are certainly widespread in industries such as acting, cleaning, and forestry,” she stated.
<img height="58" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/NewZealandFlag.gif" width="115" alt=""/>
The bill has the support of the Labour Party, the Greens, and the Maori Party, with opposition coming from parliamentarians in NZ First and the National Party, which argue there is not a need for minimum wage protection. They also argue that the bill will create too many “compliance costs.” 
 
After the second reading met passage, the bill now moved to a Select Committee. From there, it goes to the House for one more reading, before passed into law.

Minimum Wage Bill for Agency Workers Passes Major Hurdle in New Zealand

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Forty-one national mining unions from 37 countries met 9-11 July in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the ICEM’s quadrennial World Conference on Mining and DJGOP. A total of 138 delegates addressed the major changes occurring in the industry. 
 
At the top of the agenda of an ICEM work plan covering the next four years was the continuing health and safety problems occurring at mines throughout the world. 
 
“At a time of unprecedented profits in the mining industry, it is an unacceptable situation that much of this profit continues to be stained with the blood of miners,” said Senzeni Zokwana, ICEM President and also President of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa.
<img height="173" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Senzeni.jpg" width="140"/>
ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana 
Although there are no worldwide figures on mining injuries and fatalities, serious accidents continue to plague mining operations in more developed countries, such as the US and South Africa, as well as in developing nations. South African-based Gold Fields Ltd., the world’s fourth largest gold-mining house, was specifically cited for operating dangerous mines and may be a target of ICEM action. 
 
ICEM affiliates attending the Mining Conference approved a continued global campaign for ratification of ILO Convention 196, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. Delegates also approved action to assist uranium miners in Africa in preventing exposure to dangerous radiation. 
 
A further focus to the conference was the continued vertical and horizontal consolidation in the mining and metals industries and the growing power of multinational corporations, including emergent multinational mining companies based in Brazil, China, India, and Russia. Delegates pledged to work together to build networks to confront these companies. 
 
Also designated as part of the work plan was the development of a policy on sustainable development, including support for developing clean coal technologies, challenging the use of contract and agency labour and gaining work rights for such workers, and establishing closer relationships with NGOs that show support for workers. 
 
Featured at the conference was a presentation on the fight between the Mexican mineworkers’ union, known as Los Mineros, and Grupo México and the government of Mexico, which has attempted to destroy the union. ICEM affiliates pledged full support to the miners and a stepped up campaign against this company and the government. 
The ICEM mining report can be found <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/2008ICEMMiningReportEN.pdf" type="internal">here</a>.

ICEM Holds Quadrennial Mining Conference in Russia

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Strategic and rolling strikes by 500 Canadian miners – members of the United Steelworkers (USW) – could occur at any time now within the three mining operations  of Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, the world’s largest fertiliser company. 
 
On 23 July, three local branches of the USW in the western Canadian province of Saskatechewan issued the necessary 48-hour strike notice against the company. Management countered by giving the unions a 48-hour lockout notice.  
 
Miners have been without a current contract since 30 April 2008. The USW local unions voted by a 96% margin on 21 July for industrial action. 
 
Workers met again on Friday, 25 July, and ballotted for an overtime ban at mines in Allan, Cory, and Patience Lake, beginning the next day, 26 July. In 2007, Canadian steelworkers worked a total of 147,000 overtime hours for Potash Corp., heavily impacting the company’s bloated profit sheet. 
 
The company, capitalising on high commodity prices, posted its largest quarterly profit margin in second quarter 2008, with C$905.1 million in earnings. Its 2007 net income was C$1.1 billion.
<img height="180" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0605KenNeumann.jpg" width="160"/>
USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann 
USW National Canadian Director Ken Neumann, in an opionion article in a provincial newspaper last week, compared the publicly-listed company’s sales figures, together with other potash producers, with royalty fees paid to Canadian units of government. In a decade between 1997 and 2007, the ratio of sales to royalities has dropped from 13% to seven percent. 
 
“Record potash prices and continuing provincial giveaways allowed the company to collect an after-tax profit of C$566 million in the first three months of 2008,” stated Neumann. 
 
“This quarterly profit amounts to well over C$100,000 for each of the company’s 5,000 employees,” wrote Neumann. “Although the company is reveiving far more profit per worker than most mining companies, it pays wages lower than many major Canadian mining operations.” 
 
USW Locals 7468, 189, and 7689 also are seeking, in a renewal labour agreement, greater controls over use of contract labour, a bonus scheme, and improvements in pensions and vacation time.
If Potash Corp. does not return to the bargaining table by mid-week, the likelihood of a full-scale strike across all three mines is great.

Canadian Steelworkers Commence Overtime Ban Against Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan

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Some 4,000 union members of ICEM affiliate Sindicato Unico Trabajores del Neumático Argentina (SUTNA) launched a 48-hour strike on 25 July against three tyre manufacturing companies, Bridgestone-Firestone, Pirelli, and Argentine-based FATE. The union has been deadlocked since April in 2008 wage negotiations with the major rubber makers. 
 
SUTNA had been conducting protests in the cities of the three factories in recent weeks. With tyre production growing in Argentina due to a boom in automotive production, the union is seeking a salary increase of 35%. 
 
“After the employers refused our demands, workers through their asemblies at the factories decided to begin (job actions),” said SUTNA Gen. Sec. Pedro Wasiejko. He added that employers offered a two-phase increase of 28%; 13% at present and a noncumulative 15% in January 2009. 
 
“This was not accepted by our members,” said Wasiejko, citing the fact that the increase would amount amount to only 1,800 pesos (US$600). He said labour costs in the Argentine tyre industry are only 4-to-6% of all production costs.
<img height="93" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ArgentinaFLAG.gif" width="140" border="1"/>
  
Japanese-based Bridgestone-Firestone and Pirelli of Italy each employ 1,400 workers in factories near Buenos Aires, while FATE emplys 1,200 at a plant in San Fernando. 
 
Argentina’s tyre industry will experience a major change this year with Continental of Germany now entering the retail market. Continental’s supply agreement with FATE ends at the end of this year, and the company has established a subsidiary in Argentina in order to import tyres from a factory in Brazil, as well as from Europe. 

Tyre production in the South American country, however, has increased nearly 20% over the first four months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007.

Rubber Workers in Argentina Begin Job Actions to Gain Fair Pay

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Following a precedent-setting master labour agreement achieved last year between ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) and International Paper Co. covering workers at 14 US pulp and paper mills, 2,800 USW members at paper converting plants of the US-based firm ratified a similar four-year agreement late in April.
"Never before have we had a single agreement covering so many converter locations," said USW President Leo Gerard. Added USW Vice President Jon Geenen, who heads the union's paper industry bargaining, "Our members' ratification of this new master agreement is an indicator of the qaulity of the agreement and a sign of progress in our relationship with International Paper."
<img height="140" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0710USWLeoGerard120.jpg" width="120" alt=""/>
USW President Leo Gerard
The agreement covers workers at 32 paper converting facilities in 18 US states.
Wages will increase 8% over the term, and the pension scheme will see increases throughout the contract's four years. The new agreement contains a successorship clause, a vital contractual measure that ensures that if the company sells any one facility, the new owner must, as part of the sale agreement, retain all workers, recognise the USW as bargaining representative, and honour the collective agreement.
<img height="143" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMpaper2.jpg" width="140" alt=""/>
Also contained in the master pact is a pledge by International Paper that it will not change the medical insurance plan, unless the union agrees to it. Local issues and non-economic bargaining will continue to be handled at local branch level bargaining tables, and local unions will still retain their own contract expiration dates.
Separately, in another matter involving International paper in the US, an explosion at a company pulp and paper mill in the state of Mississippi killed one contract worker, and seriously injured four others. A total of 17 contract workers were injured in the 3 May blast of a recovery boiler at the company's Vicksburg mill. The explostion occurred when a boiler inside the pulp mill was restarted following a maintenance shutdown.

USW’s Converting Workers at International Paper Ratify Master Contract

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Today is Day 12 in Harare Central Remand Prison for the two top leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). The two, President Lovemore Matombo and Secretary-General Secretary Wellington Chibebe, were denied bail on 12 May, and they await a further hearing on 23 May. 
 
And at that bail hearing last week, a leader of one of the two teachers’ unions in Zimbabwe was detained. Raymond Majongwe, Secretary-General of the Progressive Teachers’ Union, was seized at the Harare High Court. 
Education International (EI) is calling for protest action. For more, <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/en/urgentactionappeal/show.php?id=11&country=zimbabwe">click here</a>. 
 
It is believed that Majongwe is being held for chronicling the number of teachers in his union who have been victims of political violence for failing to contribute to the ruling ZANU-PF’s party vote total in March’s parliamentary and presidential elections.
<img height="160" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0805ZCTUCibebe.jpg" width="200"/>
ZCTU's Wellington Chibebe 
Comrades Matombo and Chibebe were arrested on 8 May and charged with “communicating falsehoods prejudicial to the state and inciting public violence.” Those allegations came from speeches they made on International Workers’ Day, 1 May, before 1,500 Zimbabweans inside Harare’s Dzivaresekwa Stadium. 
 
The two presented themselves to police on Thursday, 8 May, after armed police turned up at their homes searching for them. Both had been severely beaten when they were last in police custody, in September 2006. 
 
The arrests of the trade union leaders are part of a wider crackdown on civil society defenders inside Zimbabwe in the wake of the 29 March elections. The ruling ZANU party of Robert Mugabe lost those elections, but results showed that Movement for Democratic Change candidate Morgan Tsvangirai did not win the necessary 50% plus one for the presidency, so a run-off election is now required. The Mugabe government has not yet set the date for that election.

Zimbabwe’s Repression, Jailing of Trade Union Leaders Continues

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