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ICEM Women’s Bulletin: Will and Conquests

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The ICEM Presidium on 23 May endorsed the appointment of Kemal &Ouml;zkan as new Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs effective 1 June. He picks up the new role in addition to his current duties of Chemical and Rubber Industries&rsquo; Officer, a position he has held since coming to the ICEM early in 2007. 
 
As an engineer with a master&rsquo;s degree in economics and business administration, &Ouml;zkan worked at ICEM&rsquo;s Turkish affiliate Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers&rsquo; Union for some 15 years before joining the ICEM. Coming from a family of trade unionists, &Ouml;zkan&rsquo;s father was imprisoned for four years for union activity during the military coup d&rsquo;&eacute;tat in Turkey in 1980. 
 
&ldquo;I am honoured to be named as new Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs of ICEM,&rdquo; said &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;It gives me more responsibility to ensure the success of our organization. I will continue to do my best efforts to reinforce ICEM activities in the sectors and in industrial relations.&rdquo; 
 
Added General Secretary Manfred Warda, &ldquo;Kemal &Ouml;zkan is a worthy person for this position with his knowledge, success, and activism. He has always shown his preparedness for taking further responsibility at the ICEM. I am sure with his new assignment he will again demonstrate his readiness to carry our flag into the future.&rdquo; 
 
&Ouml;zkan is 42 years old and married to Selma Basak.

Özkan Named ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs

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Some 5,000 metalworkers from the regional Metallurgical and Mining Industry Workers&rsquo; Union (MMIWU) of Ukraine marched in Zaporizhzhya on the state administration building on 31 May, demanding an industrial policy that protects jobs in smelting and metalworking sectors. Protestors conducted a mock funeral signifying an end to a proud industrial base in Zaporizhzhya province in southeastern Ukraine. 
 
The union last week threatened to bring protests to national leaders in Kiev if government fails to address the rampant loss of jobs. The problem is extremely high electricity prices and government&rsquo;s failure to pay VAT arrears due to the debt crisis. The result has been production declines and workers losing their jobs. Metalworkers and miners from Donetsk, Mariupol, Dnipropetrovsk, Kryvy, Rih, and Dniprodzerzhynsk joined the MMIWU protest in Zaporizhzhya last Wednesday. 
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Metalworkers in Zaporizhzhya on 31 May
The regional MMIWU called on Ukraine&rsquo;s President, the Cabinet of Ministers, and Parliament members to take immediate steps to save the metalworking industry in the region. 
 
MMIWU regional leader Valeriy Kozub said 18,000 metalworkers are unemployed in the region, and very soon that number will grow by 7,000. At one time, the region&rsquo;s smelters, foundries, and steel mills employed 60,000. 
 
Two plants that face imminent closure are the OJSC Zaporizhia aluminum plant and the Zaporizhia steel-rolling mill. In January, the Ukrainian Privat Group brought production at its Zaporozhye plant, a major silico-manganese producer, down to 75%. And in May, it reduced output even further to 50% because of large spikes in electricity pricing. Some 2,000 workers are facing unemployment. At Zaporozhye Ferro Alloy (ZZF), the board chairman complained that the state is selling electricity to Moldova at 60% lower than what it is charging local companies. 
 
Many Ukrainian industrial sites are operating, but several employers are months behind in the payment of salaries. The Kharkov State Aircraft Mfg. is one example. Metalworkers at last week&rsquo;s rally said they were ready to dismantle idled operations merely to reclaim the value of scrap steel.

Metalworkers Rally to Demand Jobs in Ukraine

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Security forces in Iraq are still holding 27-year-old Jihad Jalil, a leader of the Mechanics&rsquo; and Printers&rsquo; Union of ICEM-affiliated General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW). Jalil and three other young activists have been held at the Al Muthana airport detention centre since they were picked up on their way to a protest at Tahrir Square in Baghdad on 27 March. (See <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/4449-ICEM-Demands-Release-of-Iraq-Mechanics-Union-Leader ">ICEM news release</a> of 30 May.) 
 
Iraqi authorities had promised release the four within 24 hours at the weekend, but their expected freedom and trial on 5 June never materialized. In a statement released yesterday, the GFIW said their families and attorneys had not been allowed to meet with them at Al Muthana. 
 
The four, including Jalil and students Ahmed Alaa al Baghdaddi, Moyaid Fasil al Taib, and Ali Abdul-Khaliq, were initially charged with inciting violence. But those charges were retracted and new charges placed on them accusing them of carrying false identities. 

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Tahrir Square Rally this weekend
Tahrir Square near the Green Zone in central Baghdad has become a staging ground for regular protests for legitimate workers&rsquo; rights, jobs, basic public services, and against government corruption. The ICEM believes that the government of Nouri Al-Maliki has escalated repression of trade unions, thus cutting hope that a stable, safe, and secure society can take hold through democratic institutions such as trade unions. 
 
The ICEM also points to the forced relocation of trade union leaders from there regular jobs with the sole purpose of removing them from pockets of worker activism at enterprises. In late May, this happened to Jamal Abdul-Jabbar Akram, the President of the GFIW&rsquo;s Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union of Kirkuk. His crime is that he led a walkout in support of contract workers at the state-run Northern Oil Company (NOC). 
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He had been verbally warned by Iraq&rsquo;s Oil Ministry to stop his trade union activities. On 29 May, he was given a ministerial order that he was to be immediately transferred from his job at a Kirkuk oil facility to a remote location. 
 
In a 30 May letter to the Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda protested the suppression of democratic freedoms in both the arrests of the four near Tahrir Square and the transfer of Abdul-Jabbar Akram. He wrote, &ldquo;By restricting trade unions and the right of workers to freely engage in democratic assemblies that will benefit their work lives, and Iraqi society as a whole, your government appears to be stepping back in time.&rdquo; (View the full <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Iraq%20Letter.pdf ">ICEM letter</a> to Iraq&rsquo;s government here.)

Iraq Fails to Release GFIW Mechanics’ Union Leader, Others as Promised

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Australian coal miners of three unions, led by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), gave leadership a strong mandate for industrial action against the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) on 2 June. Some 4,000 miners and coal-processing workers in central Queensland voted by 92% to authorize union leaders to embark on varying industrial actions. 
 
Better than 90% of the 4,000 miners and export facility workers voted in the on-site, two-week ballot. The three unions &ndash; CFMEU, the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU) and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) &ndash; are jointly bargaining with the world&rsquo;s number one exporter of metallurgical coal and have been stymied since January by BMA&rsquo;s radical proposals for work rule changes. 
 
The strike ballot was preceded by BMA&rsquo;s breach of Australia&rsquo;s privacy act when it sent text messages to wives and partners of workers telling them that voting was not compulsory. The company used emergency contact numbers of the workers. In order for the ballot to be legal, better than 50% of workers needed to vote, and the strike ballot had to be passed by a simple majority to be valid. 
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BMA is seeking a seven-day roster, instead of a five-day one, flexibility on operators&rsquo; jobs, and retention of bygone WorkChoices-era employment practices. The pay package is also expected to be an issue. 
 
&ldquo;There is a massive concern amongst the workforce about BMA&rsquo;s desire for increasingly family-unfriendly working conditions,&rdquo; said CFMEU Queensland Region Vice President Steve Pierce, referring to the seven-day roster. Pierce expressed concern that many experienced miners would quit their jobs if forced onto non-family-friendly shift schedules. 
 
The unions are seeking job security and enhanced training opportunities. The two sides will resume negotiations on 10 June. 
 
BMA is a 10-year-old joint venture that mines some 58 million tones yearly of coking coal from the Bowen Basin. It consists of seven mines &ndash; Blackwater, Broadmeadow, Goonyella Riverside, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, and Gregory Crinum &ndash; as well as the Hay Point coal export terminal near Mackay on Australia&rsquo;s east coast. The CFMEU represents about 80% of the unionized employees.

Aussie Coal Miners Vote 92% to Strike BHP Billiton/Mitsubishi Alliance

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Ten US trade unions, working together as the Coordinating Bargaining Council (CBC) of General Electric (GE) Unions, are negotiating with the industrial and financial giant toward a 19 June expiration of a four-year agreement covering 15,000 workers. 
 
The ICEM-affiliated United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) and the International Union of Electronic Workers/Communications Workers (IUE/CWA) are the largest US unions at GE, representing 11,000 industrial workers. Collective agreements for the UE and IUE are national in scope. 
 
UE Local 506 in Erie, Pennsylvania, hosted a CBC rally on Saturday, 4 June, in which a larger-than-expected gathering of 4,000 trade unionists took part. The bargaining manifestation was held at Gannon University in the western Pennsylvania city. 

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UE-led Bargaining Rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on 4 June
Negotiations began in New York City on 24 May and after five rounds of bargaining it is evident that pension issues and health care costs have become the main agenda items. GE is trying to separate all new hires from a defined pension plan and shift them to an inferior plan. It also wants higher cost-sharing on medical insurance from workers and introduction of inferior option plans. The unions and GE resume bargaining tomorrow, 7 June. 
 
In opening bargaining statements delivered on 24 May, UE President John Hovis spoke of GE&rsquo;s role in the financial crisis in which a bursting real estate bubble and accompanying credit crunch had dramatically cut GE&rsquo;s stock price, its dividend payouts, and loss of GE&rsquo;s AAA credit rating. Hovis reminded GE executives they had &ldquo;lectured more than once in past negotiations&rdquo; how GE Capital represented a more important and profitable component of the company than its industrial and manufacturing businesses. 
 
&ldquo;The irony did not escape UE members when in the wake of the crisis, GE scrambled to persuade investors that it should once again be viewed as an industrial company,&rdquo; Hovis said. 
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Despite the crisis, GE is faring well in the marketplace and American unions will resist any rollbacks to pension schemes and health care costs. And they will seek a significant yearly wage increase and cost-of-living improvements. GE paid out three dividends to shareholders in the past year and recorded US$14.2 billion in gross profits in 2010. GE&rsquo;s cash surplus was US$82 billion in first quarter 2011, and UE claims GE workers produced an average of US$42,000 each in net profit for the company last year. 
 
View a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ueunion?blend=24&amp;ob=5">UE YouTube video</a> of 2011 bargaining here.&nbsp; 
 
The CBC of GE Unions in the US consists of the UE, the IUE/CWA, International Association of Machinists (IAM), NABET/CWA, the United Steelworkers (USW), the United Auto Workers (UAW), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees (IFPTE), the Electrical Workers (IBEW), Sheet Metal Workers Union (SMWIU), the United Association of Plumbing and Pipefitting Union (UA), the Firemen &amp; Oilers division of the Service Employees Union (SEIU). 
 
The national set of talks for UE is occurring on behalf of GE Transportation workers in Erie and for GE Energy staff at Fort Edward, New York, while the IUE/CWA has a common pact for GE Aviation in Lynn, Massachusetts, and GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky. Simultaneous bargaining for single-site agreements with the same 19 June expiry date also continues for the UAW and IAM at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as at some 30 other GE worksites, including plastics and chemical operations. 
 
Jim Clark, the head of IUE/CWA, is chairman of the CBC.

American Unions in Tough Talks for 15,000 General Electric Staff

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Since last year, ICEM affiliates in Colombia have been participating in a project to create strong national unions for IMF affiliates in Colombia, Fetramecol and Utrammicol. The project&rsquo;s objective is to strengthen trade union unity. 
 
The ICEM and the IMF have a common interest in strengthening trade unions in Colombia and both federations have been concerned about the situation of Colombian trade unions. Union membership is among the lowest in Latin America due to anti-trade union practices and to the obstacles to trade union activity created by the government. The creation of &ldquo;employment cooperatives&rdquo; (cooperativas de trabajo asociado - CTAs) has led to a deterioration in the quality of jobs, nullified inalienable workers&rsquo; rights and made jobs precarious. 
 
In 2009, a project was started to create national unions for the IMF affiliates in Colombia, Fetramecol and Utrammicol. This project was supported by IF Metall and LO-TCO of Sweden and its main objective was to strengthen metalworkers&rsquo; unions, improve co-operation between affiliates at the national level and strengthen trade union unity. 
 
Three regional workshops and one national workshop take place four times a year and the project is due to conclude in 2012. To date, these workshops have discussed such issues as collective agreements and collective bargaining and developed proposals to deal with the problems that face trade unionism at the national level. This year&rsquo;s central theme is trade union structures. 
 
When the project began, the main objective was to create the conditions to unite IMF affiliates in Colombia into one national organisation. However, the project, which also covers Chile, is now focusing on the creation of broader industrial unions and political alliances in the regions, in the context of the merger of three major international trade union federations (IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF). 
 
In 2010, Carlos Bustos, ICEM coordinator in Colombia, invited IMF affiliates to participate in the federation&rsquo;s current activities and in various national meetings. Meanwhile, Colombian ICEM affiliates began to attend the project seminars, explains Nohora Tovar, of Fetramecol and joint national coordinator of the project. 
 
Bustos adds that this year it was decided to increase participation of ICEM colleagues in the three regions where the project is operational (Bogot&aacute;, Boyac&aacute; and Medell&iacute;n). Luis Vel&aacute;zquez of Utrammicol, who is the other joint national coordinator, says that participation has been very good and IMF affiliates have welcomed the initiative as well. 
 
Both explain that at the end of 2010 the National Council formed by Fetramecol and Utrammicol was renamed the Unity Council and extended to include the ICEM affiliates. This council established committees to draft statutes and, along with ICEM colleagues, established an action plan with a dual focus: first, initiatives to promote unity and second, development of education and training. 
 
Marino Vani, from the IMF&rsquo;s Regional Office, explains that the project has forced each organisation to assess the situation and promote joint actions to strengthen their unions and formulate common objectives. The project proposal to discuss particular issues with a view to developing a trade union agenda has provoked discussion and resulted in new trade union practices, although the unions have yet to develop a broader consensual strategy with a unified agenda and action. It is hoped that the project will encourage union members to learn and to understand the need to create united and representative national trade unions that include precarious and outsourced workers and in this way strengthen the position of all members.

Creating strong unions in Colombia

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On the 18 April, 16 union leaders from the ICEM affiliate United Workers Union of Liberia (UWUL) and the IMF affiliate Metal, Mechanical Electrical Communications and Allied Workers Union (MMECAWU) met in Monrovia to discuss the possibility of a merger and to develop a program of cooperation. 
It is now 15 years since civil war left Liberia in ruins. Not only is there much work to be done in this post war era to re-establish infrastructure, the country is also engaged in nation building including revitalizing the educational, health, security, economic and governance sectors. For the last seven years Liberians have been consolidating peace, receiving support for development from the international community and making strides in securing foreign investment attracted by the countries abundant natural resources. 
Whilst some multinationals like Firestone have been in Liberia for many decades, ArcelorMittal and BHP Billiton are the new kids on the block, with substantial recent investments in iron ore extraction. Historically, foreign companies that have been granted concessions have been expected to take care of service delivery to people in the area, in the form of housing, education and health services. This system still exists today and further disempowers workers to challenge employers as it is not only their jobs at stake but also their homes. 
Organised labour has recognized that unity is needed for bargaining power to stand up to these multinational companies and meet the challenges to build worker rights, create decent work and improve the lives of workers. Liberia's two labour federations have united to form a strong single federation in the country. The forestry union and mining union merged to create UWUL. Now, building on these successful mergers and encouraged by their benefit for worker power, UWUL and MMECAWU have agreed to work towards a merger. 
 
At the April meeting, the unions formulated and signed a memorandum of understanding committing to form a joint committee to develop a programme of collaboration that would culminate in a merger within a 24 month period. Central to the joint work would be organizing workers of multinational companies. 
The unions agreed to take the memorandum of understanding to their constituencies to gain the support of workers for the merger. The IMF has offered support and guidance to the unions' efforts in the interest of building strong worker representation in Liberia.

Liberian Unions Work Towards a Merger

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The Global Union Federation for the mining industry, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM), acknowledges the measures taken by the Government of Chile to reform its antiquated workplace safety and health culture since the successful rescue of 33 miners at the San Jos&eacute; mine in northern Region III in October 2010. But the ICEM remains adamant that Chile must ratify and implement procedures under International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. 
 
Recently, the Chilean government delivered instrument of ratification to the ILO on Convention 187, the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention. This is commendable, the ICEM believes, but Chile must go further by ratifying Convention 176. 
 
&ldquo;Chile is a nation of rich mineral resources, extracted and sold on global markets,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;If the amazing story at San Jos&eacute; taught us anything it is Chile must meet world-class mine safety standards regarding prevention and monitoring.&rdquo; 
 
Warda added that it primarily is at small- and mid-size enterprises, similar to Campa&ntilde;ia Minera San Esteban Primera, the employer at San Jos&eacute;, where standardized and current methods of safety compliance is woefully missing. Just as these enterprises grow and produce more to meet the soaring global minerals boom, so too must Chile keep pace by proving it can provide the necessary safeguards for mineworkers. 
 
ILO Convention 187 is a general set of workplace safety standards that does commit Chile to establish a tripartite body to address overall occupational workplace health and safety practices. But it is not specific to mining. 
 
Mine Safety Convention 176, and its accompanying Recommendation R-183, addresses a range of hazards and specific problems faced by miners. Most importantly, it sets forth responsibility to not only remove mine hazards, but to remove the root causes of those hazards. 
 
The ICEM notes that since San Jos&eacute;, Chile has made some progress on mine safety. The National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) has seen an increase in funding and a proposed new law would revise mine regulations, including safety. But only by ratifying and fully implementing Convention 176 will Chile be able to claim that it meets mineworker safety standards inherent to a world-class extractive resources nation. 
 
For further information: ICEM Information Officer Dick Blin, <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>, or +41 22 304 1842.

Chile Needs More Progress to Eradicate Mine Safety Deficiencies

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ICEM&rsquo;s North American affiliate, the United Steelworkers (USW), signalled its intent to join a federal lawsuit with two US NGOs against Omnova Solutions for alleged failure to report toxic chemicals. 
 
The USW, the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League fulfilled a 60-day requirement providing notice of intent to file in US Federal District Court over alleged insufficient reporting of storage and release of toxic chemicals into the environment from Omnova&rsquo;s performance chemicals plant in Chester, South Carolina. 
 
Omnova Solutions, based in the US, is a global producer of specialty chemicals, emulsion polymers, and decorative products. Its performance chemicals division provides binders, coatings, adhesives, and additives primarily for the paper, textile, and carpet industries. 
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The suit by the three parties would fall under the US Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986. It will allege that Omnova, active in Europe, Asia, and North America, failed to accurately complete and submit required toxic chemical release forms for 2008 and 2009 to report releases of potassium permanganate and toluene diisocyanate. The groups also allege that the company failed to report its 2008 releases of isopropyl alcohol. Under the law, Omnova could be subject to civil penalties up to $US32,500 per violation, per day with liabilities that ultimately could reach millions of dollars. 
 
While all three chemicals can irritate the nose and throat, health warnings advise that toluene diisocyanate may cause cancer, lung irritation and an asthma-like allergy. Potassium permanganate may decrease fertility and affect the liver and kidneys. 
 
&ldquo;We have found that employers who disrespect workers often treat the environment with the same contempt,&rdquo; said USW Special Counsel Lynn Agee. &ldquo;Until OMNOVA starts obeying our laws and respecting workers, we&rsquo;ll continue in our efforts to bring the company to justice.&rdquo; 
 
The Chester facility is one of six OMNOVA plants that stores large volumes of extremely hazardous chemicals in quantities that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems a potential public risk and subject to risk management planning.

USW Joins US Environmental Groups in Lawsuit Against Chemicals Company Omnova

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