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As part of the cooperation and alliance between ICEM and the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) in the oil and gas industry, the two Global Union Federations (GUFs) cooperated in an ILO tripartite sector meeting called &ldquo;Promoting Social Dialogue and Good Industrial Relations from Oil and Gas Exploration and Production to Oil and Gas Distribution.&rdquo; 
 
Lars Myhre, from Norway&rsquo;s Industri-Energi (IE) Union and the ICEM Energy Industries Chairman, was elected chairperson of the Workers&rsquo; Group, while spokesperson Mick Dolman from the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) was elected as Workers&rsquo; Group vice chairman. Dolman chaired one of the plenary sessions of the meeting. 
 
ICEM Energy Officer Jim Catterson was elected secretary of the Workers&rsquo;Group. Ingo Marowski of the ITF closely followed all the discussions and worker delegates from both GUFs participated in both the plenary sessions and the working party, which produced tripartite conclusions following extensive negotiations. 

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The Workers&rsquo; Group ensured that as well as a strong focus on trade union rights and the ILO Core Conventions, there was detailed discussion of health and safety issues, especially the adverse long-term health effects of diving on workers. Helicopter safety to and from offshore rigs, given a recent spate of accidents in the Brazil, Canada, and UK, also was a prominent agenda item. 
 
A special solidarity message was sent by the Workers&rsquo; Group to the Offshore Divers&rsquo; Union in Norway, an organisation that includes many IE-organised divers. The organisation is presently engaged in compensation litigation. Other issues debated at length included the situation of contract and sub-contract workers, the respective responsibilities of operators and contract companies, and the specific problems of contract workers in the Mexican oil industry. The latter was a major issue for ITF, which had nominated both a worker delegate and an advisor from their Mexican affiliates. 
 
The agreed conclusions and report of the meeting&rsquo;s deliberations, as well as the detailed background report provided at the meeting are available from the ICEM Secretariat. However, it should be noted that the conclusions and report need to be approved at the next meeting of the ILO Governing Body before becoming official documents. 
 
ICEM has begun discussions with the ILO regarding follow-up work from the meeting.

ILO’s Oil and Gas Meeting Promotes Social Dialogue

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ICEM Indonesian affiliate, Federasi Serikat Pekerja Pulp Dan Kertas (FSP2KI), conducted training on collective bargaining and labour law from 4-5 July in Karawang with 30 participants. The union represents workers across the country&rsquo;s pulp and paper sector. 
 
The training was attended by workplace leaders of Asia Pulp &amp; Paper&rsquo;s PT Indo Deli, PT Graha Cemerlang, Asia Pacific Resources International&rsquo;s (APRIL) Riau Andalan paper and power operations, and DSS Karawang. 

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The workshops had the expertise of Akhirnya Asfinawati, the leader of the legal aid service LBH Jakarta; Khamid Istakhori from the Congress States Labour Congress of Indonesia (KSBI); and Odie Hudaya from the Labour Working Group, an Indonesian workers&rsquo; training institute. FSP2KI shop-floor leaders were instructed on bargaining techniques and legal procedures as outlined under Peneltian Hukum Indonesia, the country&rsquo;s legal information guide. 
 
The union intends to provide follow-up training to the 30 participants in order to give maximum protections to trade union members. 
 
Etin Rodiana serves as General Secretary of FSP2KI and Irzan Zulpakar is the President.

Indonesian Pulp, Paper Union, FSP2KI, Conducts Training for Mill-Level Leaders

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In Bandung, Indonesia in mid-July, the ICEM contributed to a two-day ILO Sectoral Conference on Chemicals. The ICEM presentation was on &ldquo;Benefits of Social Dialogue and the Roles of Unions,&rdquo; and the overall conference served as an effective regional follow-up to an ILO meeting entitled &ldquo;Instruments, Knowledge, Advocacy, Technical Cooperation, and International Collaboration on Hazardous Substances.&rdquo; 
 
Other subjects presented included the ILO&rsquo;s chemicals convention, the convention on Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents, the ILO&rsquo;s health and safety framework, and various green jobs initiatives. Safety and health issues common inside Indonesia also were discussed. 
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The workshops endorsed improved social dialogue techniques, better information gathering and sharing, and heightened promotional activities on safety and health, and sustainability. The forum provided a valuable set of learning tools to ICEM&rsquo;s Indonesian affiliates. 
 
The ICEM presentation in Bandung was made by Brian Kohler, Health, Safety, Sustainability Officer.

ICEM Participates in ILO Indonesian Forum

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ICEM Latin America/Caribbean affiliate Oilfields Workers&rsquo; Trade Union (OWTU) of Trinidad and Tobago was proud to have ICEM President and National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa) President Senzeni Zokwana keynote its 24-25 July Delegates Conference. Over 300 militant OWTU members attended the conference inside the proud union&rsquo;s headquarters in San Fernando, with OWTU terming opening day and Zokwana&rsquo;s keynote a &ldquo;momentous occasion.&rdquo; 
 
His theme was &ldquo;The Only Way Out of the Global Economic Crisis: an Independent Workers&rsquo; Agenda and Solidarity Actions.&rdquo; Comrade Zokwana highlighted the need for independent trade unions to engage political activism and collective mass action in solidarity with workers everywhere. He also addressed the necessity for unions to fight hard to always retain the right to strike and other protests. 
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Ancel Roget and Senzeni Zokwana
&ldquo;Your conference is taking place at a critical time when the global political economy is facing major challenges,&rdquo; said Zokwana. He added that the crisis has sent sharp signals to trade unions and citizens in the developing world &ldquo;that capitalism as a system cannot deliver.&rdquo; 
 
The Delegates&rsquo; Conference also reviewed the OWTU&rsquo;s Report of the General Council, which confirmed that the country&rsquo;s most powerful union, led by General President Ancel Roget, is continuing OWTU traditions of placing workers&rsquo; interests first on the agenda of Trinidad and Tobago. 
 
The conference ended on a high note on 25 July with delegates&rsquo; expressing full commitment to OWTU&rsquo;s &ldquo;Rescue Mission,&rdquo; a programme whereby the OWTU lends solidarity to all workers in struggles, with a series of community meetings held in areas affected by employer neglect and labour strike.

ICEM President Zokwana Addresses OWTU Delegates’ Conference in Trinidad/Tobago

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Last week, ICEM North American affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) pulled out of talks with the American Petroleum Institute on developing two new safety standards, worker fatigue and a set of process-safety performance indicators. 
 
The discussions originated with a 2007 US Chemical Safety Board report investigating BP&rsquo;s deadly Texas City, Texas, oil refinery explosion, which killed 15 contract workers in March 2005. The Safety Board recommended that labour unions and the industry lead a working group to develop the two standards in the aftermath of the disaster. 
 
The USW formally withdraw from the process on 4 August, citing skewed industry representation on the committee and lack of earnestness toward transparency issues, overtime work, and contract labour questions inside US refineries regarding safety. 
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Gary Beevers 
&ldquo;This industry will simply not get serious about developing standards that have real meat in them,&rdquo; said USW Vice President and ICEM Executive Committee Member Gary Beevers. He added that USW realised its work on the committee was being met by industry wanting &ldquo;as few regulations and mandates as possible.&rdquo; 
 
USW sought to introduce transparency measures by proposing to make public all safety failures in facilities. The union also wanted manning levels monitored and increased due to an industry practice of constant overtime and continuous work that has led directly to worker fatigue. USW was met with resistance on this, saying industry has called it strictly a &ldquo;management rights issue, and their solution is to force overtime.&rdquo; 
 
In a news release announcing the withdrawal, the USW was sharply critical of an American Petroleum Institute statement claiming injury rates inside refineries average less than in other manufacturing sectors. In fact, the union said, the industry drew data only on refinery workers that are directly employed by a primary energy operator, and failed to account for injuries, accidents, and deaths of contract employees. 
 
The work group is charged with developing two new standards for the American National Standards Institute. It had been composed of representatives from 22 oil companies and only three trade union representatives, with government and other stakeholders serving as well. 
 
The American Petroleum Institute responded defensively to USW&rsquo;s withdrawal. In a statement, also issued on 4 August, it charged the union with undermining the process and &ldquo;trying to silence the voices of other stakeholders on the committee.&rdquo; Beevers, in an interview with the Houston (Texas) Chronicle newspaper, called industry&rsquo;s assertion &ldquo;absolutely ridiculous.&rdquo; 

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Leo Gerard
Amerca&rsquo;s largest industrial union forewarned of management&rsquo;s recalcitrance to improve safety and health inside the downstream oil and gas sector in collective agreement talks that concluded early in 2009. After making health and safety the primary topic in the negotiations, USW was stonewalled on the issue, with USW President Leo Gerard saying &ldquo;the industry refused to allow us to be equal partners with them in resolving health and safety problems.&rdquo; 
 
The USW will now conduct a survey related to the two proposed standards and then use it in a direct and targeted campaign in order to get the US Chemical Safety Board to recommend proper fatigue and process-safety standards.

Steelworkers Say US Oil Industry Tainting Safety-Practice Standards

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A dispute between South Africa pulp and paper manufacturer Sappi and affiliate Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) at the company&rsquo;s Enstra mill there was resolved early in August. 
 
The dispute, which had garnered ICEM attention, was over the company&rsquo;s intent to severely discipline and even discharge 19 shop stewards and 24 other workers for engaging in safety strikes late in April and early May. The issue was covered by the ICEM and an earlier report can be found <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3285-ICEM-">here</a>.&nbsp; 
 
In a negotiated resolve to the issue, Sappi and CEPPWAWU arrived at a four-page memorandum that was signed on 5 August. There were no dismissals, and the union admitted that its shop-floor leaders had engaged in unprotected strikes. Instead, affected shop stewards and others were given relatively short, unpaid suspensions. And &ldquo;final written warning&rdquo; letters will stay in effect for only one year. 

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The ICEM congratulates both parties for using dialogue to resolve what had been a deeply contentious issue. We believe that the agreement is a sign that healing inside the Enstra pulp and paper might begin, as well as a new era in labour-management relations. As part of the memorandum, CEPPWAWU must write a letter to all Enstra workers condemning the illegal strikes. Sappi waives its claims on asset damages stemming from the unprotected industrial actions. 
 
Twenty-three workers received one-week suspensions and returned to work on 18 August 18. Fourteen shop stewards received a 2-week suspension and will return to their jobs this week. Five other shop stewards, plus one other worker, are suspended for one month and will return on 11 September. 
 
Many ICEM affiliates, health and safety activists worldwide, and scores of others issued protests at Sappi and gave the dispute a global voice over health and safety concerns. These protests, CEPPWAWU feels, played the major role in lessening the penalties for what were a series of three illegal strikes. The South African affiliate, as well as the ICEM, conveys sincere gratitude to those who voiced their concerns from every corner of the world.

CEPPWAWU, Sappi in South Africa Resolve Shop-Steward Disciplinary Measures

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Last week, 33,000 electric power workers in South Africa came to terms with state-owned electric provider Eskom, thus averting a string of strikes and industrial actions. ICEM affiliates National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA) are expected to sign a new labour accord today. 
 
On 19 August, Eskom, which supplies 90% of South Africa&rsquo;s power needs, presented the two unions and a third one with a 10.5% first-year wage increase. That is 2.5% higher than the utility was prepared to pay earlier in August when the dispute went before the country&rsquo;s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCCM). 
 
The NUM represents 16,000 workers at Eskom, while NUMSA represents 5,000. Eskom employs about 29,000 workers in South Africa. 
<img src="" width="100" height="102" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img src="" width="100" height="103" alt="" />
A key item in talks up to and through last week&rsquo;s wage offer was over housing allowances. NUM and NUMSA are seeking a 5,000 rand (US$621) per worker housing subsidy. Resolve of this issue will continue in tripartite talks with the CCCM until 1 December 2009, when a process to finalise and implement the housing allowance will be put in place, said NUM chief negotiator Paris Mashego. 
 
Mashego said the NUM polled its members on the wage offer and housing deferral late last week, and 80% consented to take the offer. 
 
Meanwhile, a NUM strike against Impala Platinum that was set to start today was averted when the world&rsquo;s second largest platinum miner returned to the bargaining table Saturday and raised its offer. The company offered a 10% increase. The NUM, which represents 18,000 ImPlats workers, cancelled the strike and is currently weighing the offer.

South Africa’s Mineworkers, Metalworkers Agree to Wage Terms with Eskom

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The strike by Bridgestone workers at an aircraft tyre retreading plant in Frameries, Belgium, has ended after nine weeks of continuous striking. 
 
After the failure of conciliatory negotiations at the national level, a draft agreement at the local level was finally agreed. Workers ratified the agreement by 57% to 42% on 7 August. 
 
The agreement accepts the closure of the plant, but with a number of conditions. Those conditions include payment of compensation to workers in lieu of plant-closing notice, plus compensation based on seniority. Also, placement of each worker into another job in a different company near the worker&rsquo;s home also was a condition. 

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A bonus pay-out with an advance of &euro;500 was agreed to, as well, to compensate for the loss of job security. The bonus also covers early retirement options. The eight temporary workers were given permanent contracts, this qualifying them for the benefits, and Bridgestone has lifted all sanctions or punishment related to the strike. 
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The strike by all 140 workers, led by ICEM Belgian affiliate FGTB Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale, started on 11 June over eight job cuts. 
 
The Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale-FGTB is proud of its victory, standing up to a huge multinational, with courageous rubber workers earning the respect of many. The achievements were not the goals that the union had set out for, but they are notable. 
 
The FGTB issued a message of thanks to all those who expressed their solidarity during the struggle.

Bridgestone Strike at Belgian Airplane Tyre Factory Ends

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ICEM affiliate, Union Sindical Obrera de la Industria del Petroleo (USO), has been negotiating a new collective agreement with state-owned Ecopetrol. The period of negotiation was extended by 20 days and ended on Saturday, 22 August. The negotiators worked continuously for the final 24 hours of the 40 day talks. Agreement was reached on a new collective agreement for the period 2009-2014, and will be backdated from 1 July 2009. The agreement will apply to all Ecopetrol employees, as well as those employed by contractors working on Ecopetrol projects. 
 
Major demands of the union were health care for the families of temporary workers, the reinstatement of workers who had lost their jobs due to trade union activities, opposition to US military bases in the country, an increased wage scale, the recognition of a conventional wage for all activities of industry, employment regulations in Ecopetrol, and issues of trade union and human rights. 

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The agreement satisfies USO&rsquo;s demands on health, education, and housing, as well as on occupational health. Families of temporary workers will receive health care from the company, on the condition that they have been employed for a minimum period of six months. 
 
Considerable wage gains were achieved, with base salaries rising by between 6.87% and 18.74%, depending on the worker&rsquo;s category. All salaries will then rise incrementally, by around 1% per year, for the remaining five years of the agreement. 
 
Another proposed article in the collective agreement sought support from the company for sport and recreation of workers and their families. Funding should be provided by management towards clubs and societies, with 80% of membership fees subsidized by Ecopetrol. 

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The union was eager to seek a collective agreement to solve the conflict, but the message from the USO leadership was clear: &ldquo;If there is no agreement, there will be no production,&rdquo; said Moises Baron Cardenas, President of USO Barrancabermeja. 
 
As reported by the ICEM in InBrief 135, the early days of the negotiation process were marred by violence and intimidation. On Thursday, 17 July, riot police attacked workers at the Barrancabermeja refinery with tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun bombs, seriously injuring three workers. Police arrested two workers. The attack occurred two days after the start of the negotiations; USO suspended the meeting to focus on treating the injured and securing the release of detainees. USO President Germ&aacute;n Osman condemned the attack.

Colombian Oil Workers Union, USO, Reach New Agreement with Ecopetrol

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Patience by members of ICEM-affiliated Ghana Mine Workers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) has worn thin with the African nation&rsquo;s three largest gold producers, AngloGold Ashanti, Goldfields, and Newmont Mining. The union has been in wage talks with the major producers throughout the summer, focusing mainly on narrowing the wide pay gap between expatriate workers and Ghana staff. 
 
The mining houses have become difficult in talks. Despite gold being one mineral which has maintained high pricing value during the economic crisis, AngloGold and Goldfields, in particular, are cold to the GMWU&rsquo;s proposal to lift base wages of Ghanaian miners gradually over the next three years. The wage agreement for 2009 in mining expired in July. 
 
The mining companies&rsquo; intransigence has already produced GMWU industrial actions. In early August, 4,600 miners staged a two-day strike at AngloGold&rsquo;s three mines and last week, 2,100 Goldfields miners began &ldquo;go-slow&rdquo; industrial actions at the South African-based mining house&rsquo;s two mines, including Ghana&rsquo;s largest producing gold mine &ndash; Tarkwa.
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Talks between GMWU and Goldfields on 17-18 September again went nowhere, and GMWU General Secretary Prince William Ankrah said the union&rsquo;s executive council met over the weekend to assess the situation and plan further action. 
 
&ldquo;The situation is dire,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There now is a very good possibility that we will conduct nationwide strikes against the entire industry.&rdquo; Such industrial actions would also involve smaller mining concerns. Since Goldfields has applied to the Ghana Labour Commission for intervention over last week&rsquo;s actions, GMWU will now file for arbitration with the commission. 
 
&ldquo;We are realistic that mining companies cannot equalize the pay disproportion between expatiates and local staff immediately,&rdquo; said Ankrah. &ldquo;But we have very clear direction from our National Executive Council that a wage review must now begin, with the disparity bridged over the next three years.&rdquo; 
 
The union is seeking a 24.5% increase over the three years, which would produce a minimum monthly salary of US$500 by 2011. The mining houses have offered an increment of only 3.5%. 
 
GMWU points out that pay of Ghana&rsquo;s AngloGold executives is 289 times that of the lowest-paid worker, while at Goldfields it is 201 times. Mid-level expat workers in the gold mines receive salaries that are above twice that of local staff doing the same jobs. Lower-tiered salary levels for Ghanaian staff are up to 30 times less than that of expat workers. 
 
At AngloGold, junior staff &ndash; numbering about 4,000 workers &ndash; account for 46% of the payroll, while 675 managers account for 35% and 42 expat workers count for 18% of payroll costs. 
 
In Ghana&rsquo;s mining sector, the US dollar is used as the basis for salaries. In bargaining with Goldfields, the company said the weakness of the American dollar had already lifted salaries when converted to cedis (GHC), an argument the GMWU found insulting.

Ghana Miners’ Escalate Pay Dispute with Gold Producers

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