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The ICEM supports the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) who last week lodged a complaint against the Mexican Government to the ILO in Geneva. 
 
The complaint calls on the ILO to condemn Mexican labour laws, which prevent real freedom of association and contravene ILO Convention 87, the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention. 
 
Under Mexican law, the vast majority of collective agreements are so-called &ldquo;contratos de protecci&oacute;n&rdquo; or protection contracts, which force workers to join unions created by company management rather than ones of workers&rsquo; own choosing. In practice, the law means only unions that have the support of companies and government can operate. 

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IMF General Secretary, Marcello Malentacchi
Mexican law also does not require any democratic structures such as secret ballots related to contract ratifications, which more often than not are created without workers&rsquo; knowledge. Protection contracts are used in many countries to prevent legitimate unions and workers from mobilizing to secure better rights and conditions. 
 
Labour lawyers estimate that some 90-95% of all collective contracts in Mexico are &ldquo;contratos de protecci&oacute;n.&rdquo; Three of the biggest and best known unions, the CTM, CROM and CROC, have been accused of operating almost exclusively with protection contracts. Only in the UNT and FAT labour confederations do member unions have democratic structures and meet recognised standards required of democratically structured labour organizations. 
 
Mexico ratified Convention 87 in 1950, two years after this core labour standard came into existence. However, its present labour law stands in the way in implementing the intent of Convention 87. Although the ILO has no means to sanction governments that do not properly implement ratified conventions, the IMF is hopeful public pressure can be generated by condemnation of Mexico over its regressive labour laws. 
 
&ldquo;The pressure generated from official action by the ILO would send an important message to governments and companies globally that protection contracts must not be used to take away workers&rsquo; rights to freely organise,&rdquo; said IMF General Secretary Marcello Malentacchi.

Metalworkers’ Federation Serves ILO Complaint on Labour Practices in Mexico

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Two Finnish trade unions began membership voting last week on a merger of six industrial unions. Kemianliitto, the ICEM-affiliated chemicals, rubber, glass, and textile union, and the Finnish Metalworkers&rsquo; Union (Metalli) began separate voting on 5 February, with balloting by both unions to close on 19 February. 

The proposed new name for the merged union is to be TEAM. If all six unions ratify the merger, TEAM will have 360,000 members in Finland. Other unions that have been in the longstanding merger discussions, including the Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union, Finnish Media Union, Finnish Railwaymen&rsquo;s Union, and ICEM-affiliated Finnish Electrical Workers&rsquo; Union, will conduct other ratification processes in the coming months. The date for the merger to take effect is 1 January 2010. 
 
Kemianliitto&rsquo;s membership balloting this month is binding, while the vote by metalworkers is a consultative ballot. The Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union numbers some 48,000 members and Metalli has 167,000 members. 
 
TEAM&rsquo;s bargaining structure would consist of 51 collective agreements, and the merged union would be divided into seven sectors, each operating relatively independent. The cumulative number of local branch unions will remain the same at 1,120, with each retaining its autonomy. A proportional delegate Congress will be seated every five years, with the Congress electing a General Council and Executive Committee. The General Council, in turn, would elect Sectoral Executive Committees and Sectoral Directors. 
 
In Kemianliitto&rsquo;s endorsement of the merger, the union said TEAM would constitute an adequate counterforce to current employer power. &ldquo;A big union would be stronger and more efficient in safeguarding membership interest both locally, nationally, and internationally. The smaller sectors would benefit from the strength of a big union. Regional activities would gain more efficiency, and the expertise available within the union would benefit all.&rdquo;

Voting Begins on 6-Way Union Merger in Finland

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ICEM'e bağlı T&uuml;mka-İş &uuml;yesi 190 k&acirc;ğıt iş&ccedil;isinin'a karşı 16 g&uuml;nd&uuml;r s&uuml;rd&uuml;rd&uuml;ğ&uuml; grevle ilgili olarak yapılan m&uuml;zakerelerde &ccedil;ok az ilerleme kaydedildi. Greve yol a&ccedil;an &uuml;cret uyuşmazlığı Procter&amp;Gamble'ın Gebze'deki fabrikasında 21 Şubat'ta başladı. Amerikan şirketi fabrikada k&acirc;ıt havlu, k&acirc;ğıt mendil ve &ccedil;ocuk bezi gibi hijyenik &uuml;r&uuml;nler &uuml;retiyor. 
 
Grevcilerin ve onları destekleyenlerin 26 Şubat g&uuml;n&uuml; fabrikanın &ouml;n&uuml;nde yaptığı mitingde, d&uuml;nyanın d&ouml;rt bir yanındaki sendikalardan gelen dayanışma mesajları okundu. Dayanışmayı &ouml;rg&uuml;tleyen ICEM şirketin T&uuml;rkiye'deki y&ouml;netimine bir protesto mektubu g&ouml;nderdi. 
 
Mitingin yapıldığı g&uuml;n, şirket y&ouml;neticileri &uuml;cret tekliflerini yenilediler, ama bu &ouml;nemli bir artış i&ccedil;ermiyordu. 

<img height="132" alt="" src="" width="180" />
Gebze Mitingi, 26 FŞubat
&Ouml;nceki iki yıl s&uuml;reli toplu s&ouml;zleşme 31 Ağustos 2008'de son erdi. 
 
Şirketin &uuml;cret artışı teklifi ilk altı ay i&ccedil;in y&uuml;zde sıfır ile 2 arasında oynuyor. Diğer altı aylık d&ouml;nemler i&ccedil;in &ouml;nerilenler de dahil, toplam artışlar, T&uuml;rkiye'deki enflasyon oranının &uuml;&ccedil;te ikisini ancak karşılıyor. Sendika ise ilk altı ay i&ccedil;in y&uuml;zde 8'lik bir artışın yanı sıra diğer altışar aylık d&ouml;nemler i&ccedil;in &uuml;lkedeki enflasyon oranını karşılayacak artışlar talep ediyor. 
 
T&uuml;mka-İş Genel Başkanı Kemal Yılmaz ve Y&ouml;netim Kurulu &uuml;yesi Erg&uuml;n Tavşanoğlu grevi başından beri destekleyen ICEM'e ve ICEM &uuml;yesi kardeş sendikalara teşekk&uuml;r etti.

Türkiye&#039;de Procter&amp;Gamble&#039;daki Grev İkinci Haftasını Doldurdu

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ICEM d&ouml;rt yılda bir yapılan D&uuml;nya Lastik Konferansı'nı 12-13 Mayıs 2009 g&uuml;nlerinde ABD'nin Tennessee eyaletinin Nashville kentinde d&uuml;zenliyor. Evsahipliğini ICEM'in Kuzey Amerika'daki &uuml;yesi Birleşik &Ccedil;elik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'nın (USW) yapacağı konferansı ABD Birleşik &Ccedil;elik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası Başkanı ve ICEM Lastik Seksiyonu Başkanı Leo Gerard y&ouml;netecek. ICEM Kimya ve Lastik İşkolu Sorumlusu Kemal &Ouml;zkan &ldquo;İşkolunda K&uuml;resel Trendler ve Sorunlar&rdquo; konusunda bir sunum yapacak. 
 
Konferans sırasında d&uuml;zenlenecek beş panel tartışmasının konuları ş&ouml;yle: &ldquo;K&uuml;resel Krizin İşkolu &Uuml;zerindeki Etkileri ve Sendikal Sorunlar&rdquo;, &ldquo;&Ccedil;alışma İlişkilerinde Ortaya &Ccedil;ıkan Zorluklar&rdquo;, &ldquo;K&uuml;resel S&ouml;zleşmeler, K&uuml;resel/B&ouml;lgesel Şirket ve Sekt&ouml;r Ağları ve Kampanyaları&rdquo;, &ldquo;İş&ccedil;i Sağlığı ve G&uuml;venliğinin İyileştirilmesi: İş G&uuml;vencesi İ&ccedil;in Ne T&uuml;r Bir &Ccedil;evre Politikası Gerekiyor?&rdquo; ve &ldquo;K&uuml;resel Sendikal Dayanışma ve İşbirliğinin Koordinasyonu&rdquo;. 
 
Ayrıntılı bilgi i&ccedil;in, irtibat bilgisi: Kemal &Ouml;zkan +41 22 304 18 43 veya <a href="mailto:kemal.ozkan@icem.org">kemal.ozkan@icem.org</a>.

ICEM Dünya Lastik Konferansı 12-13 Mayıs&#039;ta ABD&#039;de

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The ICEM will convene its quadrennial World Conference for the Rubber Industries in the US city and state of Nashville, Tennessee, 12-13 May 2009. The conference will be presided over by United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard, Chairman of the ICEM Rubber Industry Section. Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer, will give a presentation on &ldquo;Global Industry Trends and Challenges.&rdquo; 
 
The host union is the ICEM North American affiliate, USW. The venue is the Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville. 
 
The Conference will be structured around five panel discussions: &ldquo;Effects of Global Crisis on the Industry and Trade Union Challenges,&rdquo; &ldquo;Rising Hardships and Distortion in Work Relationships,&rdquo; &ldquo;Global Agreements, Global/Regional Company &amp; Sector Networks and Campaigns,&rdquo; &ldquo;How to Improve Health and Safety for Workers: What Kind of Industrial Policy for a Greener Environment for Securing Jobs,&rdquo; and &ldquo;How to 
Better Coordinate Global Union Solidarity, Support and Cooperation.&rdquo; 
 
Find the attendance form to the conference <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/EN%20Attendance%20Form%20for%20rubber%20conference.pdf">here</a>. 
 
For more information, contact Kemal &Ouml;zkan at +41 22 304 18 43, or <a href="mailto:kemal.ozkan@icem.org">kemal.ozkan@icem.org</a>.

ICEM World Conference for Rubber Industries: 12-13 May in US

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The ICEM was incensed to learn late last week that Iraqi management of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries (SCPI) has levelled discipline against Kareem Johi Sahan, a trade union leader for the Petrochemical Workers&rsquo; Union of Basra. 
He was given compulsory six-month banishment from the chemicals facility, meaning that his salary has been reduced to the minimum level. Kareem Johi was unjustly punished for his role in organising a peaceful workers&rsquo; protest late in January, a protest brought on by SCPI not meeting its payroll. He had been ruthlessly interrogated in the weeks that followed, so much that he developed heart problems. 
SCPI is 100% owned by Iraq&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry and Minerals. 
<img height="161" alt="" src="" width="180" />
Kareem Johi (centre) handling leaflets
&ldquo;We vehemently insist that discipline was not warranted against Kareem Johi Sahan,&rdquo; ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda said in a letter this week to Iraq&rsquo;s Minister of Industry and Minerals. &ldquo;This is a violation of his basic human rights. He used his internationally-recognised right of free speech and his right to peacefully assemble co-workers in a remuneration claim, and for this his livelihood has been placed in jeopardy. 
&ldquo;We call on you to immediately repeal this order given by your managers of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries.&rdquo; The letter in its entirety can be found <a href="http://The ICEM was incensed to learn late last week that Iraqi management of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries (SCPI) has levelled discipline against Kareem Johi Sahan, a trade union leader for the Petrochemical Workers’ Union of Basra.">here</a>. 
 
The ICEM will continue to press this case until justice is achieved.

ICEM Protests Discipline Given to Iraqi Trade Unionist

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On 6 March, ICEM Dutch affiliate FNV Bondgenoten hosted an international conference on decent work in Utrecht, The Netherlands, attended by 200 activists. 
 
The main topic of the conference was how trade unions globally can work together to respond to and resist the increasing trend of using flexible, contract, and agency workers. The conference featured various speakers from different sectors and regions, discussing union strategies to combat this worrying trend. 
 
As the basis of a now five-year campaign by the ICEM, many corporations throughout the world are increasingly employing workers on temporary contracts, and sometimes use fake employment agencies to avoid labour legislation. The ICEM has documented many instances in which employees remain on rolling, short-term contracts for many years, allowing management to skirt social responsibilities such as health care, welfare benefits, overtime pay, and liveable wages. 
 
The practice of outsourcing allows companies to become extremely flexible in their planning, with improvements in their bottom financial line, while at the same heavily inflicting job security for workers. 

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Manfred Warda
In Utrecht on 6 March, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda chaired the panel discussion on &ldquo;Flexibilisation: What can you do as a union?&rdquo; that included Joseph Toe, ICEM regional coordinator for the Contract and Agency Labour campaign in sub-Saharan Africa. The specific case of Unilever workers in Pakistan was examined, which can be found <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/3015-Support-Needed-for-Contract-Agency-Workers-Forming-Union-at-Unilever-Tea-Factory-in-Pakistan">here</a>. 
 
Practical examples of trade union approaches to Contract and Agency Labour were exchanged through workshops. Issues of health and safety brought about by the increased trend were discussed, as well as concrete future steps in the continued fight for decent work.

Dutch FNV Bondgenoten Holds Decent Work Conference on Contract, Agency Work

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The UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) will host a &ldquo;Put People First &ndash; March for Jobs, Justice, Climate&rdquo; on 28 March in London. The Saturday afternoon event will serve as a mobilisation of civil society prior to the convening in London of the G20 Summit on 2 April. 
 
Although a UK event, the TUC and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are encouraging union delegations from around the world to attend in order to bring to the attention of G20 leaders the imperative need for effective, adequate, and appropriate action to eliminate the hardships caused by the global recession. 
 
&ldquo;The only sustainable way to rebuild the global economy is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, ends global inequality and builds a low carbon future,&rdquo; stated TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber. 

<img height="114" alt="" src="" width="80" />
Brendan Barber
&ldquo;Recession must not be an excuse for putting off action for global justice or to stop climate chaos,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Creating a just, fair, and sustainable world is the only lasting way out of recession.&rdquo; 
 
The march will assemble at Victoria Embankment at 11h00. (Nearest tube station is Temple.) It will then set off at noon and pass the UK Parliament, wind through central London, before ending up for a rally at Hyde Park. 
 
The TUC is using three separate themes: Decent Jobs and Public Services for All; End Global Poverty and Inequality; and Building a Green Economy. More details on the TUC&rsquo;s London march and rally can be found <a href="http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk">here</a>. 
 
In addition, during the week of 16 March, the ITUC will release a trade union statement with recommendations to the G20 for a fairer, more sustainable economic system. The ITUC is requesting that this &ldquo;Trade Union G20 London Declaration&rdquo; be sent to respective governments by trade unions everywhere on 23 March. 
 
The document will support the necessity for inclusion of trade union representation on the four working groups established by the G20 governments, a promise that was made to global labour by world financial institutions in November 2008, but one which so far has not been met.

London Manifestation Set for 28 March, Prior to G20 Summit

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The International Metal Workers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), in collaboration with the ITUC and other Global Union Federations, last week announced the third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival, to take place 16 June 2009. The event will &ldquo;explore ways of reaching broader audiences and promote and support the capacity of trade unions to communicate through film.&rdquo; 
 
Started in 2007 as part of the IMF Communicators&rsquo; Forum, the Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival has grown over the last two years and has positioned itself as one of the only international film festivals to showcase primarily film and videos made by unions about unions and working people. 
 
The three-hour programme will focus on 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 IMF asks for copies of films, in English, on DVD with a short paragraph describing the film and why it was produced, by 13 February 2008. Please contact Kristyne Peter (<a href="mailto:kpeter@imfmetal.org">kpeter@imfmetal.org</a>) or Alex Ivanou (<a href="mailto:aivanou@imfmetal.org">aivanou@imfmetal.org</a>).

Third Annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival Announced

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Pulp and Paper trade union leaders of the ICEM concluded their World Conference on 10 December in Piri&aacute;polis, Uruguay, with delegates forging a clear and concise solidarity action plan. With that, ICEM&rsquo;s Pulp/Paper Work Group activities will be extended and expanded to other leading affiliates. 

The conference featured a work plan, built around collective bargaining and other important work, and it took on issues of debt collapse, global growth slowdowns in the south, and pricing and labour costs from region to region.
<img height="169" alt="" src="" width="300" />
The conference heard a thorough and first-of-its-kind mapping of Mercosur unions in the pulp and paper sector and the companies that these unions are present at. The mapping came way of Brazil&rsquo;s Instituto Observat&oacute;rio Social, through funding from Finland&rsquo;s SASK, the global solidarity arm of the country&rsquo;s national labour centre. 
Delegates heard comments from Argentine trade union leader Blas Juan Alari, President of FOEIPCyQ, that a cold-war dispute between Argentina and Uruguay over a pulp mill did not take into account the sentiments of Argentine workers. The conference also heard moving presentations about workers&rsquo; rights in Uruguay from leaders of the national labour centre, PIT/CNT. 
They also heard from Ilkka H&auml;m&auml;l&auml;, President and CEO of Metsa-Botni&auml; Oy, whose pulp mill in Fray Bentos has brought controversy between Argentine and Uruguyan governments, and from Jeronimo Ruiz, Director of S&atilde;o Paulo State&rsquo;s BRACELPA employers&rsquo; grouping, who also heads collective bargaining for Brazil&rsquo;s pulp and paper employers. 
Workers&rsquo; representatives queried the industry leaders on several things, including wood supply issues; pulping, delivery, and labour costs, and questions on social responsibility records, a sharp challenge that was put forward by ICEM Pulp and Paper Charman Jouko Ahonen, President of Paperiliitto of Finland. He said the precedence of profits to investors over society&rsquo;s interests is the foremost affront to a company&rsquo;s social responsibility record.
<img height="107" alt="" src="" width="240" />
Trade Union leaders on panel, from left, Jan-Henrik Sandberg, Sweden; Blas Juan Alari, Argentina; and Fred Wilson, Canada 

The conference also heard from Uruguay Industry and Energy Minister Daniel Martinez and Labour and Social Security Minister Eduardo Bonomi. Martinez, a former trade union leader in Uruguay, gave an impassionate speech on the need to uphold high labour and social standards in all industrial development. Bonomi gave a vivid account of a crumbling civilian government giving way to military in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as proclaiming that Uruguay&rsquo;s cuurent plans for industrial growth will better integrate the Mercosur countries. 

President of the host union, CUOPyC&rsquo;s Walter Silva, reminded trade union guests that any financial crisis inevitably harms workers first and the hardest, and said the most recent economic collapse must be the call for deepening democratic trade unions, opening of workers&rsquo; channels to investment decisions, and an absolute end to &ldquo;any type of social dumping.&rdquo; 

Silva also called the Argentine-Uruguay dispute &ndash; now in the World Court &ndash; regrettable, stating &ldquo;our opinion wasn&rsquo;t taken into account, although we had the ability to offer experience and knowledge&rdquo; to calm the political difficulties of the Fray Bentos mill. The mill has now been operating for one year and produces 100,000 metric tonnes of pulp annually, 70% of which is bought by Metsa-Botni&aacute;&rsquo;s three paper-making owners. 

ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda told delegates the neo-liberal model of economic structures has failed. &ldquo;It is not a time to heal a system that has failed, but rather a time to forge a sustainable future built on justice and equality.&rdquo; 

He said Uruguay was the right place to hold this conference, considering the dark days of repression in the 1970s and 1980s, with the ICEM purposely scheduling the conference on the 60th Anniversary of signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

The three-day ICEM forum was preceded by a two-day conference, 6-7 December, on forest certification programmes sponsored by the global union federation, Building and Woodworkers&rsquo; International (BWI). That forum proved highly successful and afforded.ICEM affiliates the opportunity to learn about forest certification programmes.

ICEM Pulp/Paper Conference Held in Uruguay

Archive

Metalworkers’ Federation Serves ILO Complaint on Labour Practices in Mexico

Voting Begins on 6-Way Union Merger in Finland

Türkiye'de Procter&Gamble'daki Grev İkinci Haftasını Doldurdu

ICEM Dünya Lastik Konferansı 12-13 Mayıs'ta ABD'de

ICEM World Conference for Rubber Industries: 12-13 May in US

ICEM Protests Discipline Given to Iraqi Trade Unionist

Dutch FNV Bondgenoten Holds Decent Work Conference on Contract, Agency Work

London Manifestation Set for 28 March, Prior to G20 Summit

Third Annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival Announced

ICEM Pulp/Paper Conference Held in Uruguay

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