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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Swiss trade union UNIA has achieved significant steps in the campaign to save the jobs of 470 workers at Swissmetal, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. The first victory was ensuring all staff received salary payments for the month of July. This was achieved through pressure on Switzerland&rsquo;s Secretary of State for the Economy, and on the cantonal governments of Soleure and Berne.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The federal, cantonal governments and UNIA provided the CHF 2 million to meet July&rsquo;s payroll. Swissmetal no longer has the liquidity to pay wages. UNIA provided the majority of the payment, approximately 70%.</span></p>
<div><span lang="EN-GB">This payment means that the possibility still exists that the two Swiss operations of the company still might be purchased by French-based Le Bronze Industriel SA, a manufacturer of bronze and copper electrodes.</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><img alt="" src="" width="240" height="159" /></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span>UNIA Occupy BNP Paribas Branch</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Another major step UNIA in trying to save Swissmetal jobs came when the Swiss national union succeeded in pressuring bank BNP Paribas &ndash; a creditor of Swissmetal that is owed CHF 20 million &ndash; to release the company&rsquo;s metal inventories, which the bank blocked at the two sites.</span></p>
<div><span lang="EN-GB">On 8 August, UNIA and workers at the main facility in Dornach held a symbolic manifestation at the Basle branch of BNP Paribas, urging the bank to lift the blockade of raw metal stock. Hundreds of workers rallied under the slogan, &ldquo;You occupy our warehouse, we occupy your bank!&rdquo; The occupation of the bank proved successful.</span></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><span lang="EN-GB">While work did re-start at the other plant, in Reconvilier, on 8 August, all attention today is on the Dornach site, where production must restart immediately. This depends on Swissmetal agreeing to operate and deal with pending orders before buyers look elsewhere. Reopening of operations in the immediate term would ensure Swissmetal&rsquo;s ability to pay wages for August.</span></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><span lang="EN-GB">As sale negotiations continue, redundancies are not necessary at this stage, and will be bitterly opposed.</span></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><span lang="EN-GB">UNIA underlines the vital importance that the cantonal governments of Soleure and Bern have. They have a duty to prevent the massive dismantling of operations and stop closure of the factories.</span></div>

Uncertainty Continues for Swissmetal Workers

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<p><span lang="EN">Union members of Sindicato No. 1 de Trabajadores de Minera Escondida, a branch of Chile&rsquo;s Federation of Miners (FMC), returned to work on 5 August after a 15-day strike at the world&rsquo;s largest copper mine, majority owned by BHP Billiton. Mineworkers voted by 65.5% to 34.5% on 4 August to end the strike after their leaders negotiating the previous two days with Escondida management. <br />
<br />
Those talks produced a memorandum of agreement providing a remedy to a dispute over a 2010 production bonus. But equally important, the memorandum addressed several grievances and breaches by Escondida management from a 2009 labour agreement. <br />
<br />
Sindicato No. 1, representing Escondida&rsquo;s 2,375 direct-employed miners, said of the memorandum, &ldquo;the company promises to solve a series of labour issues such as establishing a new attendance policy, regularising a certification system based on competency for promotions, and reformulating the criteria for calculating a production bonus.&rdquo; These were just some of the issues in dispute inside a four-year labour agreement that was signed in November 2009. <br />
<br />
In 2010, Escondida &ndash; 57.5% owned by operator BHP Billiton, 30% by Rio Tinto, and 12.5% by Japanese holding companies connected to Mitsubishi &ndash; saw profits of US$4.3 billion, up 35% over that of 2009. Last week&rsquo;s amended bonus to each worker amounts to CHP 2.65 million (pesos), or US$5,800. Miners will receive that on 25 August.</span></p>
<p><span lang="EN"><img alt="" src="" width="245" height="161" /><br />
</span><span lang="EN"><br />
<font color="#ff0000">Sindicato No. 1 Files Papers in a Labour Court in Late July</font></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN">Escondida called the strike illegal and said throughout that it would not negotiate with the union. But as the days wore on and production was crippling revenue from the rich mining complex, that changed. In a statement after signing the memorandum of agreement, the company said workers had ended their &ldquo;illegal work stoppage&rdquo; and &ldquo;this action is due to the success of talks between the parties. <br />
<br />
&ldquo;Minera Escondida reiterates that dialogue and respect are the foundation for maintaining a beneficial relationship with its workers.&rdquo; <br />
<br />
Besides the aforementioned issues, that respect includes a more transparent system for the production bonuses; restoration of a housing allocation that lifts restrictions on where miners may use those stipends; safer and higher-quality bus transport service, and compensation for tickets; no retaliation, redundancy, or punishment for union or strike activity; and review on why the company installed surveillance cameras. <br />
<br />
Miners will also be paid their salaries for the 15-day strike. Sindicato No. 1 de Trabajadores de Minera Escondida had filed labour court charges on several of the issues involved in the strike. <br />
<br />
For its part, the union said it hopes to maintain and deepen channels of communication with management, but also will stay vigilant that the issues agreed to in the memorandum will get addressed and resolved. <br />
<br />
Minera Escondida consists of two open-pit copper mines some 170 kilometres southeast of Antofagasta, in Chile&rsquo;s Region II. It also consists of two concentrator plants, Los Colorados and Laguna Seca, which have a combined capacity of 330,000 tonnes per day. The company operates two pipelines and a filter plant on the Pacific Ocean Port of Coloso. <br />
<br />
In 2010, Escondida&rsquo;s production totaled 1.087 million tonnes, consisting of 786,603 tonnes of copper concentrate and 300,098 tonnes of copper cathodes. The Escondida mine complex provides 7% of the world&rsquo;s copper supply.</span></p>

FMC Copper Union at Escondida Wins Dialogue Guarantees

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The ICEM has joined trade unions of Australia, New Zealand, and the UK in protesting flagrant trade union abuses by the military dictatorship in Fiji. On Saturday, 13 August, just two days after dictator Josaia Voreque Bainimarama tried to assure a high-level ILO delegation, including Deputy General Director Guy Ryder, that trade union rights in Fiji were being upheld, police showed up at the opening of Fiji Trades Union Congress&rsquo;s (FTUC) national council meeting and revoked the national centre&rsquo;s meeting permit.<br />
<br />
That came ten days after Daniel Urai, formerly of the ICEM-affiliated Fiji Electricity Workers&rsquo; Union, who is President of the FTUC, and union activist Dinesh Gounder were arrested under Fiji&rsquo;s new Public Emergency Regulation for meeting with trade unionists without a permit. They were charged with unlawful assembly in meeting with hotel workers over a pending collective agreement. <br />
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<div><img alt="" src="" width="120" height="120" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="120" height="120" /></div>
<div><span><br />
Daniel Urai, Dinesh Gounder</span></div>
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Both were released on bail on 4 August and are due to appear in the Nadi Magistrates Court on 2 September on those charges. (See <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/98.ICEM.Fiji%20Prime%20Minister.10August.pdf"><font color="#ff0000">ICEM protest letter</font></a> here.)<br />
<br />
The arrests, along with broader trade union repression, specifically against FTUC National Secretary Felix Anthony, are seen as recrimination against Fiji union leaders visiting Australia and New Zealand to speak out against the military dictatorship of Commodore Bainimarama.<br />
<br />
Australian unions, led by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), have begun a number of direct actions against Fiji, which have raised the stakes against Bainimarama&rsquo;s strong-armed tactics. For example, the Australian Transport Workers&rsquo; Union (TWU) has threatened to not load or refuel Qantas air flights headed to Fiji, which would severely impact the Pacific country&rsquo;s tourism trade. The blockade would also include Air Pacific, a Qantas partner and Fiji&rsquo;s flag carrier.<br />
<br />
On 2 September &ndash; the date that Urai and Gounder will be in a Fiji courtroom &ndash; the ACTU will organise two manifestations in front of Fiji consular offices in North Sydney and in Deakin near Canberra.<br />
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><img alt="" src="" width="160" height="160" /><br />
</div>
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<div>Dictator Bainimarama with ILO Representatives Last Week</div>
<br />
On 8 August, UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress and ICEM affiliate GMB called on British sugar multinational Tate &amp; Lyle to challenge the Bainimarama regime&rsquo;s abusive tactics. Tate &amp; Lyle purchases 100% of Fiji&rsquo;s sugar exports and the illegitimate Fijian ruler has a controlling stake in sugar production.<br />
<br />
On the same day that Urai and Gounder were arrested, 3 August, a dictum was issued by Bainimarama &ndash; Fiji&rsquo;s self-appointed Prime Minister following a 2006 coup &ndash; called the Essential National Industries Employment Decree. It bans all industrial actions, will ban workers from being covered by collective agreements in 60 days time, and restricts wage and benefit growth.<br />
<br />
Despite this, Bainimarama told the ILO delegation last week he was not trying to ban unions or take away workers&rsquo; rights. Not many in the international community believe this, least of all the government of Australia, which has recalled its envoy from Fiji.<br />
<br />
On 4 August, the day Urai and Gounder were released, Australian Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs Martin Ferguson, issued a statement saying: &ldquo;Since 2006 the Bainimarama regime has abrogated the constitution; detained political leaders; sacked the independent judiciary; censored the media; and restricted meetings of civil society, including church groups.<br />
<br />
&ldquo;Despite commitments to hold elections in 2014, it is not clear the regime intends to make good on its promise.<br />
<br />
&ldquo;The restriction of labour rights is part of a concerted campaign to curtail the human rights of the people of Fiji. The rights of workers in Fiji have been targeted through a series of decrees restricting labour rights, the most recent of which was aimed at essential industries.&rdquo;</div>

Trade Union Repression in Fiji Mounting

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<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Following an opening meeting in October 2010, the Global Safety Panel of ICEM and French chemicals company Rhodia under the Global Framework Agreement (GFA) held its second meeting at a Rhodia operation called Sertow in Serpukhov, Russia, on 19-20 July.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The safety forum was included in an amendment to the GFA in February 2010. The safety panel has duties to monitor Rhodia&rsquo;s health and safety policies and practices, as well as to continue ongoing dialogue between the company and its workers and make recommendations on improvements.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The Sertow plant is part of the group&rsquo;s Acetow company and makes cigarette filters for the global tobacco industry. Operated by </span><span>Rhodia since 1994, the plant uses cellulose acetate flakes as a key raw material. The plant does stress the importance to health and safety issues since a fatal accident happened on 12 September 2000. The plant since has gone for over ten years without a lost-time accident.</span></p>
<div><img alt="" src="" width="290" height="161" /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The ICEM delegation was composed of Juarez Nogueira of Sindquim, Brazil; Scott Harrington of the United Steelworkers (USW), US; Maurice Tritsch of CFDT, France; Jie Dong from China; and Kemal &Ouml;zkan and Brian Kohler from the ICEM headquarters. The delegation first met with </span><span>the elected representatives of the site concerning industrial relations and the health and safety situation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Local level labour relations were set up using the example of the German Works Council system as it exists at Acetow&rsquo;s centre, located in Freiburg, Germany. There is close collaboration between the workforce leaders of both operations, and the Sertow Works Council is actively involved in labour-related matters such as collective agreements, personnel health improvement, support of sporting events, and involvement in renovation of the social room. The Works Council has regular meetings with management as part of social dialogue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Following presentations about Rhodia, Acetow, and the Sertow plant with key figures presented on economic, social, and personnel-related matters, the meeting received a report on Rhodia Way, the company&rsquo;s integrated management system regarding sustainable development.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>The participants also heard a report from Rhodia managers on the five-year plan of personal safety that covered records of 2011, as well as projections for the period of 2011-2015. The report put forward a plan to significantly reduce the number of irreversible and chemical accidents until 2015. The targets cover Rhodia&rsquo;s temporary and sub-contact employees and its own staff.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>Having made comments on the report, the ICEM&rsquo;s Kohler presented his health and safety recommendations to plant-level and corporate management. A specific discussion was made on Rhodia&rsquo;s investigatory method named after the &ldquo;Casual Tree&quot; accident. The meeting also received a presentation from the Sertow management on practices and results regarding safety compliance. The participants later toured the facility.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span>The meeting was finalized with an assessment of the discussions and future activities. It was agreed to deepen co-operation for reflecting the work of the Global Safety Panel to workplace level in all of Rhodia&rsquo;s operations worldwide.</span><span lang="EN-GB"></span></p>

ICEM, Rhodia Global Safety Panel Hold Second Meeting in Russia

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<div>Three days before the annual two-week summer shutdown at a Clariant plant in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, management of the Swiss-based chemicals company fired two Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale-FGTB union representatives. Kamel Bennaceur and Mohamed Loukili were sacked on 27 July for doing the trade union work they were elected to do by co-workers.<br />
<br />
Management of Clariant Benelux SA unilaterally installed two other workers to fill their duties. Managers cited &ldquo;breach of trust&rdquo; as the reason for dismissing the two delegates, who are of Moroccan origin. The ICEM last week in Switzerland registered a <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/99.ICEM.Clariant.Belgium.10August.pdf"><font color="#ff0000">strong protest</font></a> with Clariant Chairman J&uuml;rg Witmer and CEO and Director Hariolf Kottman, and intends to press the breach of international labour standards on the global level unless the two are reinstated. <br />
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><img alt="" src="" width="129" height="161" /><br />
</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Kemal Bennaceur, Mohamed Loukili<br />
</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
ICEM Swiss affiliate UNIA also has written to the Belgian trade unionists expressing its support.<br />
<br />
The FGTB has prioritised the dismissals and will hold a day of action at the plant on Wednesday, 17 August. The action will start at 09h30. It will occur on day three after the re-start of work at Louvain-la-Neuve, a city in Belgium&rsquo;s Wallonia federal region some 40 kilometres southeast of Brussels. The plant is part of Clariant&rsquo;s Masterbatches division and produces colour additives for inks and textiles.<br />
<br />
FGTB says the real reason for the firings is the pair are just too conscientious in the performance of their duties. They conducted work inspections and were in constant communication with the 45 other blue-collar workers employed at Clariant regarding work rules and social legislation. The 45 solidly support the union stalwarts, Bennaceur and Loukili.<br />
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><img alt="" src="" width="212" height="159" /></div>
<div><span><br />
FGTB Adjunct Regional Secretary Enzo Gramaglia Talks to Clariant Workers</span></div>
<br />
The union held two abbreviated meetings with plant managers &ndash; on 28 July and 10 August &ndash; but bosses refused to discuss the sackings or consider immediate reinstatement. FGTB said that recent and similar firings at <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4558-BRC-Belgium-Conflict-Settled-Sacked-Oil-Workers-Reinstated"><font color="#ff0000">Belgian Refining Corporation (BRC)</font></a> in which shop stewards were also dismissed, but subsequently reinstated, will provide the template for this breach of Belgian work law and international labour standards. <br />
<br />
The ICEM vows to assist its Belgian affiliate in the entire legal process.<br />
</div>

FGTB Delegates Sacked at Clariant Chemicals Plant in Belgium

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<p align="justify">The ICEM conducted a seminar entitled &ldquo;Modern Occupational Health and Safety Management in the Mining Industry,&rdquo; in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 4-8 July. The seminar was facilitated with the financial support of the ILO through its Moscow branch, and included the participation of ILO specialists. <br />
<br />
Representatives of ICEM affiliates in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, as well as respective national trade union centres, were brought together with trade union leaders responsible for workers&rsquo; safety and health. <br />
<br />
ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, was the central topic. ILO Conventions 187 and 155 on occupational health and safety, and their related Recommendations were also studied by participants. In-depth discussions were conducted over the systematic and preventive approach of the ILO, particularly in the mining industry, and risk assessment and implementation of state standards for enterprises were studied. </p>
<p align="center"><img alt="" src="" width="354" height="159" /></p>
<p align="justify">At the opening session, Confederation of Trade Unions of Georgia President Irakli Petriashvili, took the floor. He noted the relevance of the chosen topic, as well as the importance of the realisation of such a project in Georgia. As before, the relationship between unions and the government remain strained, he said, and there is no social dialogue. Most importantly, there is no legal basis for the adoption of necessary documents concerning labour protection. <br />
<br />
Petriashvili thanked international trade union representatives for their participation, which would again pressure the Georgian government to respect the national trade unions and their struggle for workers&rsquo; rights. <br />
<br />
Especially significant was involvement in discussions from representatives of ICEM affiliated unions in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The trade unions in these countries are working closely with their governments and employers. Armenia ratified Convention 176 back in 1999, while Azerbaijani participants reported a good situation for workers in the mining industry. In Georgia, there is no possibility of ratification of ILO Convention 176 in the foreseeable future, due to a total lack of dialogue between unions and the government. <br />
<br />
The seminar was attended by the ICEM Representative for Central and Eastern Europe, Anatoly Surin, and ICEM Health, Safety, Sustainability Officer, Brian Kohler. From the ILO, Viking Husberg, Specialist in Occupational Safety, and Oksana Gerasimova, Occupational Safety Coordinator of ILO Moscow took part. Also participating was Martin Hahn, Chief Specialist of the ILO responsible for the mining industry. </p>

ICEM, ILO Conduct Mine Safety Seminar in Tbilisi, Georgia

<p align="center"><img width="100" height="39" alt="" src="" /></p>
<p align="justify">A two-year organizing campaign conducted by ICEM Turkish affiliate Petrol-İş, the Oil, Chemical, and Rubber Workers&rsquo; Union, has faced serious difficulties at targeted worksites. The anti-union Turkish labor legislation, which has been criticized by the ILO and whose major conventions have been ratified by Turkey, as well as hostile employer actions are the main reasons why. <br />
<br />
Petrol- İş has been picketing several factories to showcase this absence of genuine union rights. The ICEM was recently in Turkey supporting the union&rsquo;s organizing drives. General Secretary Manfred Warda and Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs Kemal &Ouml;zkan visited in early July to lend support. <br />
<br />
They first visited workers at Polyplex in the Corlu free trade zone, close to the Bulgarian border. Workers at Polyplex were in their 240th day of struggle after joining Petrol-İş in November 2010. When management learned of the drive, they used different tactics to get rid of the union, including firing 22 workers seen as union activists. </p>
<p align="center"><img width="256" height="171" alt="" src="" /></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">Manfred Warda Addresses Workers of Polyplex Europa</font></p>
<p align="justify">The Turkish Ministry of Labour and Social Security authorized Petrol-İş as the lawful bargaining unit on 5 January 2011. But managers immediately used the anti-labour provisions of Turkish legislation to delay collective bargaining by filing an appeal at a local labor court alleging that Petrol- İş had not signed up the required majority of workers. This stood as clear signal that Polyplex Europa would not recognize the union&rsquo;s existence. Such an appeal could run for two years, thus denying workers union rights. Both ICEM and Petrol-İş asked the company for a meeting to reconcile, but Petroplex consistently refused. Union representatives met with the General Consulate of India in Istanbul and stressed that the current situation brings a bad public image to the reputation of India. <br />
<br />
&ldquo;I am here on behalf of the entire ICEM family to show our solidarity,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;We applaud the workers&rsquo; honorable struggle and we vehemently protest the Indian company Polyplex because of disrespect to workers&rsquo; rights guaranteed by international conventions.&rdquo; <br />
<br />
Warda and &Ouml;zkan later visited dismissed workers at the Aroma-Polifarma pharmaceutical company in the same region. A large majority of 300 workers at Aroma-Polifarma became Petrol-İş over the last few weeks. This came because of inhumane working conditions such as extended working hours, up to 16 hours per day; short breaks, only a maximum 30-minute break for lunch; inadequate drinking water in which some workers developed kidney problems; and most shamefully, cameras in the dressing rooms, even in the women&rsquo;s room. </p>
<p align="center"><img width="248" height="162" alt="" src="" /></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">Warda and Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkın (center) with Polifarma Workers</font></p>
<p align="justify">The day before the ICEM visit, Polifarma dismissed some 150 workers because they were suspected of joining the union. In his letter to the owners of the company, the Kumrulu family, Warda said the sackings are clear violations of basic human and labour rights which can never be accepted or tolerated. &ldquo;I am sure most of these practices are subject to measures in Turkish penal and labor legislation,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;Under all these circumstances, on behalf of the whole ICEM family, I vehemently protest all that you&rsquo;ve done &hellip; and urge you to immediately&rdquo; cease and desist. <br />
<br />
The ICEM delegation also went to the city of Gebze where dismissed workers of German-based Bericap were in their 200th day of resistance to the company&rsquo;s mass dismissals. Petrol-İş organised workers at Bericap in July 2009, following dismissal of six workers initally for attempting to unionise. On 26 January 2010, a collective agreement was agreed to in hopes of a mature labour relations relationship. <br />
<br />
But local management never intended to fully recognize the existence of Petrol-İş and began implementing a hostile attitude against the union and union members. Under such negativity, four union members were dismissed without justification on 25 December 2010 with no union rights being adhered to. In response, some 100 Petrol-İş members started an industrial action in front of the workplace. Local management terminated employment contracts of all those protesting and failed to provide any severance compensation. The Bericap situation became a prominent case in Turkey, which created an environment against the company and workers won the support of different community groups. (A short video of a <a href="http://www.evrensel.net/news.php?id=9396"><font color="#ff0000">Bericap Manifestation</font></a> can be seen here.)&nbsp; <br />
<br />
ICEM and Petrol-İş several times tried to initiate dialogue with Bericap in order to reinstate the dismissed workers, but reciprocal good will from the company never resulted. ICEM also informed its German affiliate, the IGBCE, the German Metalworkers&rsquo; Union, IG Metall, and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), since the German unions represent workforces there. Labor inspectors appointed by the Labour and Social Security Ministry recently disclosed their report after investigations. The report clearly states that local managers abused workers&rsquo; rights. Bericap Turkey is now liable and must pay compensation to the dismissed workers. In addition, local management must pay penalties since deficiencies and legislative misalignments were found during the inspection. <br />
<br />
&ldquo;Bericap cannot behave irresponsibly to its employees,&rdquo; said Warda in his address to striking workers on the picket line. &ldquo;We will give a last chance to the company to solve this problem in a peaceful way. Otherwise an international &lsquo;shame campaign&rsquo; will be launched.&rdquo; Immediately after the visit, ICEM sent another letter to Bericap Managing Director Alexander Krautkramer to take immediate actions to restore good-faith labour relations. <br />
<br />
&ldquo;We are pleased to have the support and solidarity of the ICEM in these struggles,&rdquo; said Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkın. &ldquo;Our international partner has offered tremendous support in all our organizing drives and we know success will come with global solidarity from all workers of these companies worldwide.&rdquo; </p>

ICEM Lends On-site Support to Workers Organising with Turkey’s Petrol-İş

<p align="center"><img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" /></p>
<p align="justify">The annual meeting of ICEM&rsquo;s International Nuclear Workers&rsquo; Union Network, (INWUN) took place in the US city of Boston on 14 July, preceded by a two-day ICEM Electric Power conference. Some 30 union delegates from ten nations attended, including unions representing nuclear power station workers, uranium miners, and staff employed along the nuclear supply chain, including fuel conversion and enrichment processes. <br />
<br />
INWUN was founded inside the ICEM in 2004 and was incorporated as an official workers&rsquo; network of the Global Union Federation (GUF) in 2008. It is presided over by David Shier of the Canadian Power Workers&rsquo; Union (PWU), who stressed the importance of adding more unions to the network once conclusion of a new GUF is built with the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) and the International Textile, Garment, Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation. </p>
<p align="center"><img alt="" src="" width="120" height="159" /></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">IGBCE&rsquo;s Ralf Barttels</font></p>
<p align="justify">This year&rsquo;s event featured in-depths looks at the US lockout by Honeywell of members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-669 in Metropolis, Illinois, as well as a spirited question and answer session of leaders of the 220,000-member Japanese affiliate Denryoku Soren, or the Federation of Electric Power Related Industry Workers&rsquo; Union. That focused on the cooling down and aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station following March&rsquo;s earthquake and tsunami. <br />
<br />
Denryoku Soren leaders Takashi Wakasugi, Kiyoaki Kotabe, and Manabu Sasaki spoke of the courage that came to workers and union staff working at Fukushima in the days immediately following when hundreds of ICEM affiliates poured moral and physical support to the Japanese union. &ldquo;Your encouragement and solidarity enabled all of us to press forward with restoration work as strenuous as it was,&rdquo; said Wakasugi, Denryoku Soren&rsquo;s Policy Officer. <br />
<br />
The USW was represented at INWUN by Vice President James &ldquo;Kip&rdquo; Phillips, Local 7-669 President Darrell Lillie, and the local&rsquo;s Vice President, Tim Goines. The lockout by Honeywell, ongoing now for 55 weeks (see recent ICEM <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4538-Honeywell-Threatens-Safety-by-Extending-Lockout-of-USW-Members-"><font color="#ff0000">news dispatch</font></a> here), pits a multinational company against a group of 228 workers, who represent the safety and security of a community of 6,400. </p>
<p align="center"><img alt="" src="" width="249" height="161" /></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">Ukraine Atomprofspilka President Valeriy Matoc, with Lesia Semeniaka Seated</font></p>
<p align="justify">Since last July, Honeywell has been attempting to operate the uranium conversion plant with scab workers and several near-miss safety and environmental occurrences have happened. INWUN delegates condemned the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission&rsquo;s decision to grant licenses to Honeywell to operate the plant with scab workers, and a letter to that extent was sent to the American agency. <br />
<br />
INWUN delegates also heard reports from individual countries, including the German union IGBCE on the de-commission of all nuclear facilities by the year 2022. IGBCE Representative Ralf Barttels made clear that although the union accepts closure of power stations in harmony with the wishes of the German public, the union has lobbied successfully to retain uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel production, research and development, and manufacture of nuclear components. <br />
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French delegates told of their ongoing efforts to achieve a Global Framework Agreement with Areva, as well as their court efforts to block outsourcing by the global nuclear provider in France. Delegates to INWUN also pledged to build a more coordinated dialogue with employer federations in the nuclear industry, particularly around safety. A representative from the industry-based World association of Nuclear Operations (WANO) also addressed the group. </p>

INWUN Conference Hears Heroic Deeds of Japanese Nuclear Workers

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<p align="justify">Mediated negotiations this week between ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Chamber of Mines in South Africa will prove pivotal in determining if gold and coal strikes occur in the coming weeks. The NUM has also declared disputes in the nation&rsquo;s important platinum mining sector, with talks between the union and Anglo Platinum, Impala, and Northam Platinum at a stalemate. <br />
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On 7 July, the NUM filed a declaration of dispute with South Africa&rsquo;s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) over unresolved issues &ndash; including pay awards &ndash; in the coal industry. Talks on 8 July with the Chamber went nowhere, with employers refusing to budge from an offer that is less than the inflation rate. The Chamber represents AngloCoal SA, Exxaro, Xstrata Coal, Delmas Coal, Optimum Coal, and Springlake. <br />
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The two sides will meet again this Wednesday, 20 July, under the auspices of the CCMA. There are a combined 250,000 miners covered under the coal and gold talks with the NUM representing 80% of those workers. Gold companies represented by the Chamber include AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, and Goldfields. </p>
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<p align="justify">If no solution is found this week, the CCMA is likely to issue a certification of non-resolution, which means the union need only give employers a 48-hour notice before striking. In coal, the NUM is seeking a 14% pay hike, while the Chamber of Mines has been steadfast on granting only a 4.5% increase for the lowest mine classifications and 4.2% for others. <br />
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A coal strike will severely cripple state-run electricity producer Eskom, which generates 95% of South Africa&rsquo;s power needs and 45% across the whole of Africa. <br />
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In gold mining, talks failed on 6 July and again on 13 July, after which the NUM filed for dispute resolution with the CCMA. The union is also seeking 14% from the Chamber in the gold talks, while employers have increased their offer from 4.2% to between 5% and 5.5% in the most recent set of talks. <br />
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&ldquo;We have already begun the mobilisation for massive strike action by over 250,000&rdquo; miners, said NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni. &ldquo;A real war has just started, a war over a living wage and this is not reversible.&rdquo; <br />
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That war likely will be extended to South Africa&rsquo;s rich platinum mines, as well, where the nation is the world&rsquo;s leading producer. On 12 July, NUM declared a dispute with Northam Platinum at the company&rsquo;s 6,800-worker Zondereinde Division in Limpopo Province, and at two other Northam mines. A day later, a formal dispute was lodged against Impala Platinum, where NUM is seeking 14% for the lower classifications and 13.5% for higher job grades. The union is also polling members at the world&rsquo;s number one producer, AngloPlatinum, where it is seeking a 20% increase. <br />
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One mine strike has already commenced. That is at the chrome mine of Chemstof Pty. Ltd. in Boksfontein, North-West Province, where 200 workers downed tools on 11 July over wage differences, living-out allowances and transport stipends. And at diamond producer DeBeers, the two sides are still far apart over a 2011 wage package. </p>

NUM in Formal Disputes with South African Gold, Platinum, Coal Mining Houses

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<p align="justify">The two-week strike by 120,000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers&rsquo; of South Africa (NUMSA) ended over the weekend when union members accepted a three-year contract from the Steel and Engineering Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA), the main metal employers&rsquo; federation in South Africa. <br />
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NUMSA members will receive a first-year pay rise of 10% effective 1 July 2011. In the second and third years, metalworkers will receive no less than 8% in each year. If the consumer price index (CPI) is less than that percentage, the 8% increases will take hold; if it exceeds 8%, workers will receive 2% above the CPI. <br />
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&ldquo;We ran a successful action,&rdquo; NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim said of the strike that began 4 July. &ldquo;We applied excellent pressure, workers were firm in their determination, and the timing for settling was good before the country&rsquo;s economy was bruised.&rdquo; </p>
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<p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">NUMSA Manifestation on 12 July</font></p>
<p align="justify">Jim said another fundamental issue resolved concerned labour brokers. Contract language was improved whereby labour brokers are allowed to deploy workers for only a four-month period. If a labour broker is retained for more than that period that broker&rsquo;s workers will win full-time, permanent positions with the primary employer inclusive of all social benefits. Workers will begin returning to jobs today and tomorrow, 19 July. <br />
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Meanwhile, talks between the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union (CEPPWAWU) and several employers&rsquo; federations resume today. Some 70,000 CEPPWAWU members have been striking since 11 July against scores of employers in the petroleum, pharmaceutical, glass, plastics, industrial chemicals, fast-moving consumer goods, and pulp, paper, and wood products sectors. <br />
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By far the biggest impact of those strikes has been in petroleum distribution businesses. The CEPPWAWU strike there has created panic buying and fuel shortages, with the seven members of the South African Petroleum Industry Association unable to move supplies to market from the country&rsquo;s 130 fuel depots. </p>
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<p align="center"><font color="#ff0000">CEPPWAWU Members March in Johannesburg, 11 July</font></p>
<p align="justify">CEPPWAWU&rsquo;s strikes were joined last week across several sectors by 14,000 members of the South African Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union (SACWU) and 10,000 members of the General Industrial Workers&rsquo; Union of South Africa (GIWUSA). <br />
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The unions are seeking wage increases ranging from 11% to 13%, while respective industries are offering only 6.5% to 7%. ICEM-affiliated CEPPWAWU seeks a complete ban on labour brokers, a minimum month wage of R6,000 (&euro;615), six months paid maternity leave, and a 40-hour work-week. <br />
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The strike, specifically in regard to fuel shortages and transport, is expected to be exacerbated starting today with the start of the third trimester of school in South Africa. Some of the companies affected are petrol giants BP Southern Africa, Chevron SA, Engen Petroleum, PetroSA, Shell SA, and Total SA; pharmaceutical companies Adcock Ingram, Aspen Pharmaceutical, and Pharmacare; consumer companies Revlon and Colgate; the industrial chemicals company Sasol, as well as Nampak Glass and paper companies Sappi and Mondi. <br />
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South African strikes were amplified this winter by a PricewaterhouseCoopers&rsquo; report showing that executive pay trends of the 40 top-listed companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange saw median pay increases of 23.3%, while executive bonuses rose 56%. </p>

Metal Strike Ends in South Africa with Exemplary 3-Year Contract

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