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Spain&rsquo;s ICEM-affiliated Confederaci&oacute;n Sindical de Comisiones Obreras (CC.OO) announced the passing of its first General Secretary, Marcelino Camacho, last Friday, 29 October. 
 
Marcelino Camacho, 92, a symbol for trade union rights and democracy in Spain, dedicated his life to the fight for those most in need, for justice and solidarity. 
 
The son of a railwayman, Camacho was a fighter for freedom and workers&rsquo; rights since his youth. Fighting Franco&rsquo;s 1939-1975 fascist dictatorship, and spending a total of 14 years in prison and concentration camps, as well as several years of political asylum in Algeria, Marceline Camacho was a true working-class hero. 
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Marcelino Camacho
In the late 1950s, Camacho and his comrades founded the CC.OO, now Spain&rsquo;s largest trade union confederation. He was elected General Secretary at its first congress in June 1978, and was re-elected at the second and third congresses. 
 
He was a member of the Spanish Communist Party, and was elected to the Spanish Parliament during the first democratic elections in 1977 following the defeat of the Franco regime. He resigned from the Parliament in1981 to devote himself to trade unionism. 
 
On resigning from the post of General Secretary at the 4th Congress of CCOO, Camacho was elected as President, a post he held until 1996. 
 
His important role was acknowledged with numerous honours and awards, in Spain and abroad.

Labour Movement Mourns Death of Spanish CC.OO’s Marcelino Camacho

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On 7-8 October, ICEM organised a session on decent work in Dakar, Senegal, together with the national trade union center Union D&eacute;mocratique des Travailleurs du S&eacute;n&eacute;gal (UDTS) and the ICEM affiliate, Syndicat Unique des Travailleurs des Industries Diverses du S&eacute;n&eacute;gal (SUTIDS). The meeting was sponsored by CSC Belgium, and ICEM Vice President Alfons de Potter was one of the facilitators of the meeting. 
 
&ldquo;We benefit from the experience of Belgium in discussion of employment problems,&rdquo; said SUTIDS General Secretary Seyni Mbaye Ndiaye. &ldquo;This country is very advanced on social issues.&rdquo; 
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In S&eacute;n&eacute;gal, the focus of decent work is to combat poverty and find a solution to social exclusion. The priority is to create employment for everyone backed by social protections. Such employment needs to have the support of social dialogue and the respect for global labour standards. In S&eacute;n&eacute;gal, a legal decree has been passed regulating temporary work. Nevertheless, it is the duty of trade unions to monitor the legislation. The country has a national programme to promote decent work. 
 
SUTIDS has a bilateral programme with CSC Belgium to strengthen capacities. The decent work programme was preceded by two days of a regional women's workshop for countries in French-speaking West Africa, which concluded that ICEM must do more to strengthen trade union action in the informal economy. Unions from Mauritania, Togo, B&eacute;nin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), S&eacute;n&eacute;gal, and Romania took part in the meeting. The unions also called upon ICEM to exert pressure on the production chains inside the DRC to put a stop to violence against women and rapes in Kivu. 
 
The meeting ended with a press conference.

ICEM, CSC of Belgium Conduct Decent Work Workshop in Sénégal

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A third meeting recently was held among trade unions and community groups of the Fako District of Cameroon in Buea to promote trade union cohesion. Cameroon Regional Delegate of Labour and Social Security Marie Catherine Kalati Lobe has been chairing the sessions, first started in June, and the forums are aggressively tackling issues regarding transportation, agriculture, and education, as well as a current labour issue at the state-run Soci&eacute;t&eacute; Nationale de Raffinage (SONARA) oil refinery at Cape Lembeh Limbe. 
 
Sector unions numbering about 12, some affiliated with the Confederation of Cameroon Trade Unions (CCTU), the General Federation of Free Workers of Cameroon (CGTTLC), and the Confederation of Cameroon Autonomous Trade Unions (CCATU), attended the most recent workshop in early October. They moved forward an agenda on the development of a common sense of purpose to enhance workers&rsquo; welfare and to improve the social climate. 
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Issues raised included consistent judicial delays on labour cases, the requisite standards for inclusion in a re-written labour code, and employer resistance in allowing union representation inside workplaces. Specifically at this month&rsquo;s meetings, grievances were heard over the low wages and long hours of agricultural workers in banana plantations, lack of paid leave for support staff of the University of Buea, in contrast to the teaching staff, and the influx of clandestine transportation modes in Fako District, most notably by police and law enforcement. 
 
Discussion also centered on the lack of movement in negotiations between management and the union &ndash; the Fako Petroleum Workers&rsquo; Union &ndash; at the country&rsquo;s only refinery, the 37,000 barrel-per-day Limbe refinery that processes light crude imported from neighbouring Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. The state refinery, started with the assistance of Elf and later Total, is currently undergoing a large capitalisation project.

Cameroon Trade Unions in Fako Meet to Improve Social Climate

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Glass workers of Unite the Union were to begin a third set of industrial actions today in the UK, this time a two-week stoppage at Tyneside Safety Glass where owners up to last week have refused to negotiate. But that changed late last week when management submitted an improved offer and significant changes to original proposals. 
 
Workers at two glass plants in Gateshead, near Newcastle in the North-East, did take lawful industrial actions during week-long walkouts on 20 September and again beginning 4 October. 
 
At an 8 October union meeting, Unite members at Tyneside Safety Glass decided to take two-week strike action and instructed the union to again approach management to reopen good-faith negotiations. The latter appeared to have worked, since managers had not bargaining since last June. 
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Unite North East Regional Officer, Bill Green
Family-owned Tyneside/Suntex Industries, a specialty glass producer, is picking up orders as it climbs out of the economic crisis, but had insisted on longer hours and continued freezes to glassworkers&rsquo; livelihoods. Tyneside is a laminator and supply-chain producer of sheet glass, mainly treating and toughening glass windshields for the heavy equipment industry. 
 
Workers accepted pay freezes in each of the past two years to aid the company during the financial crisis. The company originally sought a third year&rsquo;s freeze, in addition to a work-week ten hours longer at no additional pay. Unite will now consult with Tyneside workers on last week&rsquo;s amended offer, and announced over the weekend that the two-week walkout has been postponed. 
 
In ICEM&rsquo;s September letter of full support to Tyneside workers, the ICEM underscored the longer work-weeks as a potential cause for greater safety risks. Unite North-East Regional Officer Bill Green said workers&rsquo; pay would tumble closer to the UK minimum wage if another pay freeze is accepted.

UK Glass Workers Postpone Third Strike Against Tyneside Glass

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ICEM&rsquo;s sister trade union organization the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), together with the European Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (EMF) organized a joint meeting on steel multinationals and sectoral developments in Cardiff, Wales, 13-14 October 2010. The meeting was hosted by three UK unions, Unite, GMB, and Community. 
 
Delegates discussed labour and industry developments with the Steel Group Strategy Director of multinational Tata, as well as major challenges faced by workers in other steel companies, notably ArcelorMittal. Climate strategies were discussed by delegates as trade unions in the sector look to agree on a common strategy for the transition to cleaner production. 
 
The ICEM, attending the meeting as a guest, discussed the ever-increasing cooperation between the ICEM and IMF, focusing in particular on the coordinated global campaigns against Vale and Grupo Mexico. The need for further work together was stressed, in order to organize worker solidarity and strength along the chain of production. The supply chain for steel production starts with miners taking coal and iron ore out of the ground, while these raw materials are transported often by rail-workers, then by dockworkers and maritime workers, and the steel is manufactured by steelworkers. 
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Photo:EMF 
 
Over 60 delegates from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, India, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, and the UK, passed a common statement entitled &lsquo;Anticipating change for a sustainable global and European steel industry&rsquo;, calling for the enforcement of five pillars of sustainability: 
 
1. Long-term investment in plants and workers 
 
We urgently demand guarantees on long-term investment in upgrading our plants, investing in innovation and R&amp;D and providing quality and secure jobs. Considering increasing global demand for steel, investment in the upgrading of plants and processes is fundamental to a sustainable response to climate change. The reinvestment of profits into long-term funding for R&amp;D on low carbon steel technologies and carbon capture and storage, taking pilot projects to full-scale operations, must be delivered by steel companies, in cooperation with public authorities. Investment in workers is crucial to ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of our industry. Governments can play a key role in helping the steel industry build for a brighter future through supporting programmes that train the next generation of steel workers and ensure that we are not faced with a skills gap in the future. Our aim must be a highly skilled, secure workforce in the future. 
 
2. Employment security and safety 
 
Employment quality is a fundamental indicator of a sustainable industry. The IMF and EMF call on steel employers to act responsibly towards their workforces by committing to the respect of labour rights, negotiated solutions, respecting collective agreements, real wage increases, health and safety at work and worker information and consultation rights (including worker representation bodies). The maintenance and development of the skills and knowledge of workers in the steel sector is the basis to ensure its competitiveness emerging from the global economic crisis. We call for guaranteed rights for all workers to access and the provision of vocational training and retraining, plus better employment rights for contract staff and temporary agency workers, and the strengthening social security systems and employment services. The IMF and EMF totally oppose increasing precariousness at work. 
 
3. Environmental modernisation and social responsibility 
 
At Canc&uacute;n in December 2010, we call for our governments to conclude a binding, comprehensive and ambitious international agreement on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. We maintain our long-held demands for social justice and long-term employment policies as an integral element of climate policy. Only if employment concerns are effectively integrated into climate policy, can economic, technological and social change be directed towards achieving a low emissions and just society. We are concerned that international regulation on carbon emissions unless binding and applied evenly will lead to carbon leakage (the movement of heavy industries from countries who respect or try to implement international governance to countries with weaker or no measures). Climate change legislation must contain strong provisions dealing with international competitiveness (including border adjustment mechanisms), in order to ensure that nations that lack a strong emissions programme do not receive an unfair advantage, and investment in R&amp;D and technology transfer to ensure that industry globally continually upgrades its environmental performance and responsibility. 
 
4. A trade policy working for workers 
 
Promoting trade cannot be a goal in itself, but must be part of a strategy for growth and development in the developed world as well as in the developing world. The IMF and EMF demand that trade rules and trade defence measures provide a fair level playing field, guaranteeing and enforcing core labour rights and environmental standards. 
 
5. Active routes for worker participation 
 
The IMF and EMF demand that workers and their trade unions be fully informed, consulted and involved in corporate and sectoral industrial strategies with the aim of improving the quality and security of jobs in the industry.

ICEM Participates in International Steel Meeting

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The Council of Global Unions (CGU) sponsored the &lsquo;Quality Public Services&rsquo; Conference in Geneva 12-14 October, bringing together leaders of trade unions, municipal governments, and civil society, to take a strong stand in unity against further cuts to public services. 
 
Public services are under threat throughout the world as many governments look to cut spending and follow austerity measures encouraged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The members of the CGU, who represent 176 million working men and women, reject this and last week pledged to work together with civil society to promote investment in quality public services as the key solution to the global economic crisis. 
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The 400 conference delegates announced a global campaign, guided by a charter and action plan. 
 
CGU chair Aidan White said, &ldquo;This is a call to the trade union movement to advance its historic responsibility to work in broad social coalitions and act as a force for social change that improves the quality of life for all citizens. We don&rsquo;t have time to lose.&rdquo; 
 
Susan Hopgood, president of Education International, said, &ldquo;We are conveying a powerful message in uniting as advocates for strong schools, decent health services and social services, clean water and proper sanitation, effective fire and security services, affordable housing and utilities, accessible communications and transport, public media and culture, and good public administration and municipal services. Quality public services provide the foundation for sustainable growth, equitable redistribution of wealth, and the means for justice, good governance, and the exercise of democracy.&rdquo; 
 
Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International and council member of Global Call to Action Against Poverty, called for &ldquo;a new activism&rdquo; to back demands for quality public services as the foundation for social justice policies. 
 
Visit <a href="http://www.RadioLabour.org">www.RadioLabour.org</a>&nbsp;for audio links to daily and summary reports of the conference.

Quality Public Services Conference Offers Alternative to Austerity

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A joint information campaign by the European Mine, Chemical, and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMCEF) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is proving successful in alerting trade unions and workers&rsquo; representatives to coming deadlines of REACH and the Chemical, Labeling, Packaging (CLP) regulation of the EU. The campaign is aimed at workers inside companies that market or use chemicals in their manufacturing. 
 
REACH is the Registration Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals regulation, an EU statute that took effect in 2007 and which is being phased in over several years. REACH requires industrial operators to register any chemicals they make or import in quantities above one tonne per year with the new European Chemicals Agency. 
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EMCEF General Secretary Reinhard Reibsch
The deadline for employers to register is 30 November 2010, and the EMCEF/ETUC campaign is asking workers to remind employers of this fact. The accompanying CLP regulation says they have to notify the new agency regarding the classification and labeling of all hazardous substances that go on the market, regardless of production volume. 
 
A 1 December 2010 exists for CLP Reclassification, while a 3 January 2011 deadline looms for CLP notification. 
 
The two European trade union federations see fulfillment of the requirements as job-saving measures in the European chemicals sector. &ldquo;Workers in this industry are very interested in sustainable development of the sector based on high environmental values, social progress, and economic success,&rdquo; said EMCEF General Secretary Reinhard Reibsch, adding the joint EMCEF/ETUC campaign is an extension of that.

EMCEF, ETUC Alert European Workers to REACH Deadlines

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from the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) 
 
The meeting is the first joint activity on the organization of trade union networks in Latin American companies organized by the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and the Building and Woodworkers' International (BWI) to develop new strategies together with their affiliates. 
 
On 23-24 September, an international seminar on forming union networks in Latin American trans-national companies (TNCs) took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, representatives of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), the Building and Woodworkers' International (BWI), and the ICEM representing workers in metallurgical, chemical, construction and wood sectors took part. 
 
Supported by the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation (FES), the aim of the meeting was to exchange experiences on existing networking activities and joint planning of actions in these companies. GUFs and unions provided information on several companies, as well as on the relationship (or lack thereof) that currently exists between companies and unions. 
<img src="" width="331" height="189" alt="" />
Photo: IMF 
 
The companies reviewed were Vale, WEG, Votorantim, Petrobras, and Arauco Odebrecht. All of the companies are involved in more than one sector, and some engage in unacceptable anti-union practices. 
 
&ldquo;Unfortunately, we have suffered so much abuse by foreign TNCs. But today we see that the Latin American TNCs are no different. Our experience also shows that the anti-union practices and disregard of workers' rights by some companies are even fiercer in the countries where the company has opened new operations than in their home countries,&rdquo; said IMF Assistant General Secretary Fernando Lopes. 
 
During the meeting, all participants decided to support the workers struggle at Brazilian Vale's operations in Voiseys Bay, Canada, where 230 workers have been on strike since 1 August 2009, after the company would only accept to renew the collective agreement if the workers represented by USW agreed to a drastic reduction in conditions and increased job insecurity. 
 
The IMF Regional Representative for Latin America and Caribbean, Jorge Almeida said, &quot;This meeting was also a first step in the region. In a few years, we will work on a global scale with the merger of three confederations overall: IMF (metalworkers), ICEM (chemical) and ITGLWF (textiles).&rdquo; 
 
The meeting included affiliates from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru affiliated to IMF, ICEM, and BWI, and also included were representatives from IG Metall, Germany, and the US Solidarity Center, AFL-CIO.

FES Sponsors Tri-GUF Multinationals Seminar in Brazil

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After review of the deadly clash between workers and police at Advanced Chemical Industries Ltd. (ACI) in Siddhirganj, Bangladesh, on 23 January, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Union (ICEM) finds ACI&rsquo;s conduct contemptible and the root cause of the violence that left one worker dead and over 100 hospitalised. 
 
The Geneva-based ICEM also supports trade unions in Bangladesh who are risking repression and have demonstrated since last Sunday in opposing the heavy-handed use of police force in central Narayanganj district in putting down the legitimate protests of ACI workers on 23 January. 
 
After numerous attempts to correct disparities inside the 407-worker ACI Pharmaceutical plant, full-time and temporary workers alike attempted to stage a peaceful protest. ACI&rsquo;s response to the worksite protest was to call police, who caused mayhem by firing rubber bullets and some 30 canisters of tear gas at the protestors. 
 
One worker, a 25-year-old temporary worker, Enamul Huq, died in a hospital from wounds inflicted from police. Scores others remain hospitalised and the police now have unfairly issued arrest warrants for workers involved in the protest.
<img src="" width="123" height="151" alt="" />
Arrest warrant: Beaten Striker
The ICEM determines that responsibility for the melee belongs with ACI, which too long neglected the pleas of both workers and their plant-level trade union in addressing legitimate workplace concerns. Workers&rsquo; grievances center on failure to give temporary workers full-time, permanent work status, with some temporary staff working as long as 12 years in those unsecured position and without the level of benefits that permanent workers receive; refusal to allow temporary workers to join the plant-level union; and failure to address extremely low wage rates for both permanent and full time workers. 
 
&ldquo;The fact that nearly all 400 workers, temporary and full-time alike, participated in this disaffection and that is one signal that management of ACI failed in its duties,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in total support of workers&rsquo; grievances and call on ACI to adopt a higher level of social conduct.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM also reminds civil society that Bangladesh has ratified ILO Conventions 87 and 98, freedom of association/right to organise/right to organise/bargain collectively conventions, and the Bangladesh government has a duty to ensure these global standards are applied. 
 
The ACI plant produces drug aids for human use. The plant employs 167 full-time workers and 240 temporary workers. ACI is major Asian manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of drug aids, agri-chemical and pesticide products, and basic consumer products. 
 
The ICEM is a Global Union Federation representing 20 million workers, encompassing 467 trade unions in 132 countries. 
 
For further information, contact: ICEM Information Officer Dick Blin, <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>, +41 22 304 1842, or +41 79 734 8994.

ICEM Condemns ACI Conduct in Deadly Bangladesh Chemical Plant Riot

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The ICEM this month began a search for qualified candidates to assume the duties of Mining/Diamond, Gems, Ornaments, and Jewelry Production Officer. The vacancy was created when Joe Drexler decided to leave the ICEM to resume his duties with the United Steelworkers in North America. 
 
The position will be based in Geneva. The successful candidate must have fluent written and spoken English language skills, as well as IT skills. The Mining/DGOJP position at ICEM offers an excellent salary and level of benefits. 
 
Candidates must send full details of their background in a cover letter in English, along with a CV to General Secretary Manfred Warda and ICEM&rsquo;s Finance and Administration Officer Marie-France Sarfati <a href="mailto:marie-france.sarfati@icem.org">here</a>, (or to fax no. +41 22 304 1841) by 15 February 2011. 
 
The letter of job posting can be found <a href="/index.php?id=5&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=4203">here</a>, and a job description for the position in English can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Job%20description%20mining%20and%20DGJOP%20Officer.pdf">here</a>.

ICEM Seeks Mining Officer Based in Geneva

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