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The latest meeting of the Asia-Pacific Electric Power Industry Network took place in Seoul, South Korea, 5-6 April, 2010. Hosted by President Kim, Joo-young, of the ICEM-affiliated Korean National Energy Workers Union (KNEWU) the meeting brought together over 20 delegates from ICEM affiliated trade unions representing workers in the Electric Power Industry from, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) and Thailand as well as observer delegations from both the People's Republic of China and Vietnam. The Network meeting, which has now become an annual event, was supported by FES. 
 
After an opening session which included welcome speeches from the Director of the local FES office, Dr. Kamppeter and President Kim, the meeting unanimously elected, Seiichi Taneoka, the new President of the Japan Electric Power Confederation (Denryoku-Soren) as Chairperson of the Network. Denryoku-Soren has been an essential supporter of the Network since its foundation. 

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ICEM Energy Officer, Jim Catterson, gave a detailed overview of the industry globally and recent ICEM work, and following presentations on the Korean Labour situation from a representative of the Ministry of Labour, together with an introduction on Electric power in Korea by a representative of the national electric power company, Kepco, delegates shared information on their own national situations with the discussions on the first day focussed on the industry and sustainable development. All delegations made detailed reports which supplemented written reports and the results of a questionnaire which had been circulated in advance of the meeting. 
 
Delegates were particularly interested to hear the reports from Ms. Zhang Mengmeng, the head of the delegation, from the Peoples Republic of China and Vice-Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese Energy and Chemical Workers' Union (ACFTU) and that of Brother. Tran Van Ngoc, President of the National Electricity Union, (VGCL) Vietnam. Both presentations emphasised their organisations wishes to work more closely with ICEM in the future in this globalised industry. 
 
Delegates left the conference room for proceedings on the second day to see the industry and trade union organisation at first hand in Seoul. The day's activities began with a meeting with the President of the KNEWU Seoul branch, Brother Kap-Soo Kang, who after a presentation on the history of the union branch and its present activities showed delegates the control room from which all electric power provision to Central and Southern Seoul was coordinated. After a question and answer session, delegates then visited a nearby centre of the Distribution Automation System (DAS) of KEPCO. DAS utilises recent advances in Information Technology and is an integrated control system operating the entire electric distribution system. It allows the distribution control center to remotely monitor and operate the automated switch on the distribution lines, that detect fault locations, and automatically collect operation data. A training simulator was shown to the delegation and a simulated major fault demonstrated. 
 
A detailed report on the meetings, together with an overview of the conclusions will be prepared and, together with the various national reports, loaded to the ICEM website. Delegates resolved that the 2011 meeting will take place in Thailand, hosted by our affiliate there EGAT-LU. ICEM staff attending the meeting were Jim Catterson, Energy Officer, Phee, Jungsun, Asia Pacific Regional Contact Person and locally based project coordinator, Yoon, Hyowon.

ICEM Asia-Pacific Electric Power Industry Network Meeting

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ICEM was represented by Jim Catterson at the 20th Anniversary Congress of this important affiliated trade union, held in Sibiu Romania 23 March, 2010. The Congress was attended by around 400 delegates. 
 
Following a report on delegates present, voting rights, and total votes available, the Congress opened with an excellent, professionally produced film of the first 20 years of the union, covering its foundation, activities and the role it has played internationally within both ICEM and EMCEF. International guests included a delegation from our Austrian affiliated union, PRO.GE., Romanian petroleum company, Industri Energi of Norway and the MOL trade union in Hungary. 
 
Petrom is now 51% owned by the Austrian headquartered multinational company, OMV. 

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Union President Liviu Luca 4th from the left
The Congress approved unanimously a detailed document on activities, past and proposed, and then accounts and a budget for the immediate future were approved. 
 
Two major issues at the Congress were firstly the fact that privatisation had led to the situation that workplace numbers have been under constant pressure since the OMV investment, with the union losing members as a result. 
 
Secondly Petrom, and other ICEM affiliated trade unions in Romania, are under strong attack by the government in an attempt to reduce both their power and their independence. ICEM is in discussion with our affiliates in the country, including Petrom, as to the best way to support their struggle internationally.

20th Anniversary Congress of Federatia Sindicatelor Libere Independente Petrom

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The ICEM-affiliated Italian Chemical, Energy and Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union, FILCEM-CGIL, has merged with the Italian Textile Workers&rsquo; Union, FILTEA-CGIL, to establish the new union FILCTEM-CGIL (Chemical, Textile, Energy and Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union). The official creation of the new union occurred at its Founding Congress, held on 7-9 April 2010, in the city of Pesaro. 
 
Representing over 250,000 members, the newly-created FILCTEM has 28 national collective agreements, covering more than 1,300,000 employees, in Italy, in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, textiles and clothing and footwear, rubber, plastics, glass, leather tanning, ceramics and tiles, energy (oil, gas transport, mining) and utilities (electricity, water, gas). 
 
FILCTEM-CGIL is affiliated to the ICEM, PSI and ITGLWF at the global level, as well as to EMCEF, EPSU and ETUF:TCL at the European level. 
 
The Founding Congress, held under the slogan &ldquo;Founded in the Workplace&rdquo;, was attended by around 800 delegates and guests. International participants were ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer, ITGLWF and ETUF:TCL&rsquo;s Patrick Itschert, General Secretary, EMCEF&rsquo;s Reinhard Reibsch, General Secretary, and EPSU&rsquo;s Jan Willem Goudriaan, Deputy General Secretary. 

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Alberto Morselli
Alberto Morselli, General Secretary of the new organisation, opened the Congress, and outlined priorities for the upcoming period as increasing employee participation, workers&rsquo; rights beyond the crisis, constitutional transparency and legality, government&rsquo;s policies on production and employment, energy efficiency, and renewable resources for the future. General Secretary Morselli emphasised the importance of unity and strength in light of a continued attack on workers&rsquo; rights. He declared that the new FILCTEM will struggle for change. 
 
Other Italian unions, FEMCA-CISL, FLAI-CISL, UILCEM-UIL, and UILTA-UIL participated in the Congress, and will work together with FILCTEM. 
 
The second day of the Congress was marked by a round table discussion entitled &ldquo;Industrial Innovation for Developing Employment and Overcoming the Crisis&rdquo;. Chaired by Alberto Morselli, the round-table was attended by Guglielmo Epifani, General Secretary of CGIL, Giorgio Squinzi, President of Federchimica (chemical employers&rsquo; organisation), Michele Tronconi, President of Sistema Moda Italia (textile employers&rsquo; organisation) and Giuliano Zuccoli, President of Assoelettrica (electricity employers&rsquo; organisation). There were also a number of high level representatives of large companies such ENI and ENEL. 
 
The Congress appointed Valeria Fedeli as Vice-General Secretary. She had been General Secretary of FILTEA-CGIL and continues as President of ETUF:TCL.

Italian Merger Congress Creates New Union FILCTEM-CGIL

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The ICEM&rsquo;s Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Organisation (SSARO), at its Executive Committee Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, 6 April, adopted a resolution of strong solidarity and support for the striking Canadian Vale workers. 
 
The Resolution marked the Vale &lsquo;Week of Action&rsquo; of 5-11 April, called to denounce to denounce Vale Inco&rsquo;s attacks on workers in Canada and throughout the world. Vale, the second biggest mining company in the world, operates in 36 countries. 
 
More than 3,000 Steelworkers in Sudbury, Port Colborne, and Voisey&rsquo;s Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, are into the ninth month of a strike, the longest ever at Inco. While the company persists with its demands on profit-sharing, pensions, job security, outsourcing, and seniority rights. Vale continues to refuse to enter into a binding arbitration, as instructed under Canada&rsquo;s labour laws. 

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The SSARO Resolution comes in light of the 50/50 joint venture between Vale and African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), a South African mining company that will act as a gateway for Vale to Africa&rsquo;s mineral resources. 
 
ICEM SSARO affiliates resolved to lobby their governments, national centres, NGOs, and communities, to condemn and take concrete actions in support of the struggle. 
 
View the Resolution in its entirety <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/1004.ssaro.resolution.vale.pdf">here</a>. 
 
View the USW Vale strikers&rsquo; campaign website <a href="http://www.fairdealnow.ca/">here</a>.&nbsp;

SSARO Meeting Vale Resolution in Support of Canadian Strikers

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An ash cloud from Iceland's spewing volcano halted air traffic across most of Europe on Thursday 15 March, with air travel still impossible today throughout Northern Europe, and beyond. 
 
The cancelled flights have disrupted ICEM&rsquo;s activities, leaving staff members and affiliates stranded. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s President Senzeni Zokwana is still unable to fly home to South Africa from London, while General Secretary Manfred Warda was unable to fly to meetings in Germany, Singapore, and Australia over the last few days. 
 
Joe Drexler, Director of Corporate Affairs, is attempting to return to Geneva from North America. 

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ICEM Officers are currently unable to travel, and therefore unable to reach planned activities and meetings. Kemal Ozkan, Rubber and Chemicals Sector Officer, and Brian Kohler, Sustainability Officer, are unable to leave Istanbul. Dick Blin, Information, Pulp and Paper Officer is unable to leave London. Fons Vannieuwenhuyse, ICEM Projects Officer was also unable to fly to Singapore. 
 
Many ICEM affiliates are also stranded, J&oslash;rgen Juul Rasmussen, General Secretary of the Danish Union of Electricians (Dansk El-Forbund), is unable to return home for important union business in Denmark following the ICEM CAL event in Singapore. The Danish Union of Electricians' members will be balloted on a new agreement, if it is voted against a national strike will begin Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
This unforeseen disruption will continue to affect ICEM actions and work over the coming days. We hope affiliates and colleagues will understand.

Special Notice: ICEM Work Disrupted, Iceland’s Volcanic Ash Stops Air Travel

Miners locked out of Rio Tinto&rsquo;s site in Boron, California for refusing to give in to demands by the company that could threaten their ability to work and support their families are highlighting their plight as shareholders attend the global mining giant&rsquo;s AGM in London today (Thursday). 
 
Almost 600 workers, all members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 30 branch, were refused entry to the Borax mine and processing plant owned by Anglo-Australian corporation Rio Tinto when they showed up for work on 31st January. This followed their refusal to accept the imposition of a new contract that threatened to convert good jobs into temporary, part-time or outsourced positions. 
 
Rio Tinto has used a firm with a notorious reputation for union busting, J.R. Gettier of Delaware, to bus replacement workers across picket lines to mine and process borates. Borates are used in numerous products, including detergents, glass, building materials and as an ingredient in chemicals. 
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In negotiations Rio Tinto sought to agree to a new contract which would give the company the right to award jobs to outside contractors; require miners in dangerous occupations to work overtime; and require the workers&rsquo; themselves to pay for the company&rsquo;s legal penalties, fines and damages if the company violates state and federal labor laws. 
 
Dave Irish, one of the locked out miners protesting at the AGM, said: 
 
&ldquo;After working the mine for generations, families are being jeopardized by a newly-proposed system of insecure working patterns and conditions, and dog eat dog struggles for jobs I believe. Rio Tinto wants to starve us into submission, forcing us to accept a contract that we fear will destroy decent, family-supporting jobs. When we tried to use our legitimate negotiation rights, we were locked out of our own jobs and replaced by union busters. We&rsquo;ve been forced to survive on unemployment insurance and handouts ever since. We are determined to fight for our jobs, our families and our community. 
 
&ldquo;Having us back in our jobs is in the best interests of shareholders, too. As experienced workers, we are much better able to guarantee the quality and quantity of production to meet customer demand. We hope the shareholders will listen to us and demand that the corporation ends the lock out and negotiates a fair contract with us so that we can get back to work.&rdquo; 
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Dave Irish left, locked out Local 30 worker, and ILWU VP Ram Familathe 
Ray Familathe, International Vice-President of the ILWU, said: &ldquo;We have come to London to highlight the courage of ordinary workers and their families in standing up to a powerful global business. The Boron miners simply want to work hard and to be treated fairly and with respect. This seems the latest example of appalling behaviour by Rio Tinto around the world in terms of the way it treats its workers, communities and the environment. This is not just a problem for the small community in Boron, California which relies on the mine for its survival but a global threat when a corporate giant such as Rio Tinto gets away with riding roughshod over its employees.&rdquo; 
 
The action against Rio Tinto is a joint initiative of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), which is based in the UK; the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union; and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF). It is supported by a range of other organisations, including the London Mining Network. 
 
ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said: &ldquo;The lockout is the lowest reaction of the employer to a workforce that strives for dialogue. We support the fight of the miners and applaud their strength and courage and support the ILWU&rsquo;s call for an end to the lockout and proper negotiation to reach agreement on staff contracts.&rdquo; 

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Four Rio Tinto executives were found guilty of bribery and commercial espionage by a Chinese court at the end of March. This follows a case against the company by residents of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea accusing it of complicity in human rights abuses by the operation of its copper-gold mine. Rio Tinto has also been alleged to have colluded with the Apartheid government in South Africa and some of the world&rsquo;s most despotic regimes, including Suharto&rsquo;s in Indonesia. 
 
Workers from South Africa, Australia, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and Papua New Guinea have expressed solidarity with the locked out Boron miners in the USA. 
View the Fact Sheet on the&nbsp;Rio Tinto lockout in&nbsp;Boron&nbsp;<a href="/index.php?id=5&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3705">here</a>. 
 
 
For further information, please contact: 
&bull; about the Boron lockout &ndash; Craig Merrilees, Communications Director, ILWU, on +1 (0) 415 775 0533 ext 113 or <a href="mailto:craig@ilwu.org">craig@ilwu.org</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; about the AGM protest or to interview Dave Irish or Ray Familathe &ndash; Dee Sullivan on 020 8613 8071, 07949 010639 or <a href="mailto:dee@greenshootsconsultants.co.uk">dee@greenshootsconsultants.co.uk</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Unions Protest Rio Tinto&#039;s US Lockout at AGM

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The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago, will hold a colourful afternoon event this Thursday, 11 March, in honour of International Women&rsquo;s Day. Entitled &ldquo;From One to Many: Techno-Politics, Revolution, and the Art of the Possible,&rdquo; the forum will be hosted by the university&rsquo;s Institute of Gender and Development Studies. 
 
It will feature three lectures, the final one &ndash; by Dr. Alexis DeVeaux of the US&rsquo;s University of Buffalo at SUNY &ndash; to be followed by a question and answer session. Dr. DeVeaux will speak on &ldquo;Audre Lorde and the Longing for Home(land).&rdquo; 

<img src="" width="150" height="139" alt="" />
Preceding her will be Dr. Gabrielle Jamela Hosein speaking on &ldquo;A Revolution is a Way of Life,&rdquo; and Sonitha Krishnan on &ldquo;Impassioned by Silence: Where Do I Begin.&rdquo; 
 
The forum has the support and endorsement of the ICEM affiliate on the Caribbean nation-islands, the Oilfields Workers&rsquo; Trade Union (OWTU).

Women’s Symposium to be Held in Trinidad and Tobago, 11 March

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The mining and maritime unions, under the umbrella of the Mining and Maritime Initiative, met in Los Angeles, California 16-17 February, to discuss ongoing global campaigns in the sector. The ICEM plays a central role in the initiative, with seven ICEM affiliates in attendance: CFMEU (Australia), ILWU, USW (USA), NUM, NUMSA, CEPPWAWU (South Africa), and Maden (Turkey). The International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) also attended. 
 
Meeting delegates discussed the struggles at <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3607-Rio-Tinto-Engaged-in-Savage-Union-Busting-at-California-Borates-Mine">Rio Tinto in Boron California</a>, <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3608-Cananea-Miners-Reject-Grupo-México-Severance;-Strike-Continues ">Grupo Mexico</a>, and <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3589-Talks-Prove-Futile-in-Ending-Vale’s-Eastern-Canada-Mine-Strike ">Vale Inco</a>, and the global campaigns around these disputes, led in part by the ICEM, as each conflict involves ICEM affiliates. 

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The meeting issued a statement on the violations of worker rights in Boron California by Rio Tinto and by Grupo Mexico and the Mexican Government. View the statement here. Many of the unions involved in Mining and Maritime have had conflicts with Rio Tinto in the past, and stand in strong solidarity with the members of ILWU 30, who have been locked out by the company, as they refuse an extremely concessionary contract. The unions present pledged to &ldquo;escalate the campaigns in defence of workers at Rio Tinto and Grupo Mexico immediately, dramatically and strategically to make them global battles&rdquo;. 
 
A Campaign Committee was created, which includes ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs Joe Drexler. 

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Meeting delegates then attended a large march and rally in support of the Rio Tinto miners in Boron. The participation of Maden, the main mining union in Turkey, was of special significance, since Rio Tinto uses the state-owned Turkish mining company as a supplier to its customers. Maden is a strong supporter of the Boron strikers.

Mining, Maritime Unions Meet

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The Kumho Tyre Workers&rsquo; Union announced last Thursday 4 March that they will launch a general strike on 16 March, in response to the company&rsquo;s announcement of a massive layoff plan, which saw 1,200, of the total 5,000, workers receive redundancy notices. 
 
The 1,200 workers to lose their jobs were told they will be laid off on 2 April under the restructuring plan; however the management has said that 1,000 of those will be rehired by outsourced contractors, at the factories in Gwangju. 
 
The parent company of Kumho Tyres, Kumho Asiana Group, is close to bankruptcy due to the failure of their subsidiary Daewoo Engineering and Construction Co. which they purchased in 2006. These economic conditions will be used to the advantage of Kumho Tyres, as they seek to outsource their workforce to precarious employment, and move production to China where production costs are lower. 

<img src="" width="160" height="117" alt="" />
The Kumho Tyre Workers&rsquo; Union, which is through the Korean Metal Workers&rsquo; Union (KMWU), affiliated to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), sought to negotiate with management to avoid job losses. The union leaders offered management the chance to reduce salaries and bonuses, with management refusing the offer. 
 
A state arbitrator has stepped in to negotiate a settlement. If either of the two parties refuses the final settlement of this committee, workers are legally permitted to strike. The Tyre Workers&rsquo; Union has pledged its willingness to negotiate with management to find a solution, but has said that it is ready to fight should management continue its unreasonable stance. 
 
The KCTU has pledged its full support to the Kumho Tyre workers.

Korean Tyre Workers Plan General Strike in Reaction to Job Cuts

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ICEM&rsquo;s Spanish affiliates in the Chemicals industry have agreed a renewal of the&nbsp;collective agreement for the sector. The previous agreement expired in December 2009. The agreement, signed 9 February by ICEM affiliates FITEQA-CC.OO. and FIA-UGT, was described by CC.OO.&rsquo;s Communications Officer Fernando Lezcano, as a model to be followed by others in overcoming the financial crisis. 
 
The Agreement will be valid for three years, from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012. 
 
The economic and financial crisis caused the loss of 1.5 million jobs in Spain over the last 18 months, making negotiations between business and trade unions more significant. Spain is now in its seventh consecutive quarter of recession and unemployment is at 4 million for the first time in Spain&rsquo;s history. 
<img alt="" src="" width="130" height="131" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="155" height="126" />
The unions accepted the limitations of what could be achieved in the negotiations, but prioritised commitments on job stability and changes that would stop the rise of precarious work. The new agreement recommends that local collective agreements place emphasis on permanent jobs and a reduction of temporary work. Also equal opportunities for women and young people must be prioritised. These issues will be continually negotiated on during the period of the agreement, in the newly-created Follow-up Committee. 
 
Factors such as re-distribution of work, shorter working hours, and a program of partial retirement along with replacement contracts, are seen as important tools to avoid redundancies. 
 
Wage policies for the next three years were agreed by the trade unions and employers&rsquo; organizations, raising salaries by 2.5% over the three years of the agreement.

Spain: Renewed Collective Agreement for the Chemicals Sector

Archive

ICEM Asia-Pacific Electric Power Industry Network Meeting

20th Anniversary Congress of Federatia Sindicatelor Libere Independente Petrom

Italian Merger Congress Creates New Union FILCTEM-CGIL

SSARO Meeting Vale Resolution in Support of Canadian Strikers

Special Notice: ICEM Work Disrupted, Iceland’s Volcanic Ash Stops Air Travel

Unions Protest Rio Tinto's US Lockout at AGM

Women’s Symposium to be Held in Trinidad and Tobago, 11 March

Mining, Maritime Unions Meet

Korean Tyre Workers Plan General Strike in Reaction to Job Cuts

Spain: Renewed Collective Agreement for the Chemicals Sector

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