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ICEM&rsquo;s Turkish affiliate Sel&uuml;loz-Is, Pulp, Paper and Products Workers&rsquo; Union has been picketing in front of the plant of Form Mukavva Ambalaj Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd.Şti located in Torbali, close to the country&rsquo;s third biggest city Izmir. The Sel&uuml;loz-Is picket-line is in protest over the dismissals of sixteen union members by the Turkish-based cardboard packaging company Form Mukavva following recent successful organising drives of the union which lasted several months.
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Sel&uuml;loz-Is applied to the Ministry of Labour on 9 May 2011 for the authorisation documentation showing that the union organises more than the legally-required 50% of workers at the workplace. The Ministry sent the authorisation paper, confirming the union&rsquo;s majority. At the time of the application to the Ministry, Sel&uuml;loz-Is had much more than the legally required minimum 50% registered union members. But when the management received the paper from the Ministry, they first filed a case at local labour court claiming that the union did not hold the required legal majority to become a bargaining partner, a common tactic by employers in Turkey for union de-recognition, subsequently 16 pioneering members of Sel&uuml;loz-Is were kicked out on 20 June 2011. Since then Sel&uuml;loz-Is has conducted industrial action calling for the reinstatement of those dismissed workers and for union recognition. The action is receiving wide support from the families of workers and the local community. 
 
&ldquo;The reason for the dismissal of our members was that they enjoyed trade union rights guaranteed by the country&rsquo;s constitution&rdquo; said Ergin Alşan, President of Sel&uuml;loz-Is. &ldquo;We vehemently protest dismissals of our members because of their joining our union. We clearly announce that our struggle will continue until our members are reinstated&rdquo; added Alşan.
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President Ergin Alşan
In his letter to Yılmaz Mineli, Owner and General Director of Form Mukavva, the ICEM General Secretary urged the company that sixteen dismissed workers must be immediately reinstated without delay. &ldquo;This targeted and systematic attack by your management to block your employees from exercising their right to organise and bargain collectively will cause much anger. We expect the hindrance of union rights at Form Mukavva Ambalaj in Turkey to be solved without further intervention&rdquo; added Warda. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/65.ICEM.Form%20Mukavva%20Ambalaj.Turkey.27June.pdf">protest letter</a> can be found here. Support letters to Sel&uuml;loz-Is can be sent to <a href="mailto:selulozis@selulozis.org.tr">selulozis@selulozis.org.tr</a>.

Turkey’s Selüloz-Is struggles for recognition at Form Mukavva

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In New Zealand over the weekend, ICEM joined host union, Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia in calling for recovery of the bodies of 29 miners killed inside Pike River Coal Ltd.&rsquo;s colliery. The unions want the miners&rsquo; remains returned to families before the mine is sold and reopened. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, ICEM Japanese Affiliates Federation (JAF) General Secretary Yoshio Sato, and Asia-Pacific Regional Contact Person Phee Jungsun joined EPMU leaders on 1 July in making the demand at Greymouth and then again the next day at the Pike River mine in New Zealand. 
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At a press briefing in Greymouth, the trade unionists said it was morally irresponsible for New Zealand&rsquo;s government to allow the trustee of the mine, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to sell the mine and allow production to begin before bodies are recovered. The unionists also met with families of the deceased miners, their representative Bernie Monk, and Greymouth District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn, who is adamant that victims&rsquo; families get a full accounting of events of the November 2010 methane gas explosions. 
 
The ICEM delegation on 2 July laid a wreath in memory of the 29 at the Pike River colliery, New Zealand&rsquo;s largest underground mine laden with seams of premium metallurgical coal under the Paparoa Range of the South Island. 
 
On 19 November 19, a horrid methane gas blast killed 29 miners, including 11 members of ICEM affiliate EPMU. It was the worst New Zealand mine disaster in 119 years, killing 24 Kiwi nationals, two Australians, two UK citizens, and one South African. A subsequent explosion occurred on 24 November, after which authorities declared the miners dead, and in the days that followed two further explosions occurred. 
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Warda lays wreath
&ldquo;Mine workers have a special bond with one another and we will use our influence globally to assure that production at Pike River does not re-start until the bodies are recovered,&rdquo; said Warda. 
 
EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little and Assistant National Secretary Ged O&rsquo;Connell were part of the delegation. Little said New Zealand&rsquo;s government must be mindful that the Pike River catastrophe had reverberations world-wide, highlighting the nation&rsquo;s lax mine-safety regulations. 
 
O&rsquo;Connell said recovery of miners&rsquo; bodies remains a priority for the EPMU. The trustee or prospective owners, he said, &ldquo;must have a recovery plan for those bodies to the satisfaction of the families before they consider mining coal, or making money out of that mine.&rdquo; 
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Name badges of those miners still to be recovered from the mine
PricewaterhouseCoopers became receiver of the mine in January after Pike River Coal Ltd., an enterprise previously owned by New Zealand Oil &amp; Gas Ltd. with minority stakes held by Indian and Asia steel-making concerns, filed for bankruptcy due to the tragedy. The mine ramped up to full production only in 2010. It contains reserves of 17.6 million tones of hard coking coal. 
 
PricewaterhouseCoopers had hoped to sell the mine&rsquo;s assets by June, but a possible sale has now been pushed backed until later in the year. Meanwhile, a Royal Commission conducting an inquiry into the search and rescue attempts, and the safety and government regulatory policies surrounding the Pike River tragedy. The Commission held a preliminary hearing in Greymouth on 5 April (see <a href="/en/97-Sustainable-Development-Health-and-Safety/4385-Royal-Commission-Convenes-over-Pike-River-New-Zealand-Mine-Deaths ">ICEM report</a> here), and will begin full proceedings on 11 July. 
 
Prior to visiting the South Island and the Pike River mine site, the ICEM delegation laid a wreath in the city of Christchurch near the Canterbury Television site in memory of a Turkish student, 31-year-old Didem Yaman, who was killed there by an earthquake earlier this year. She is the niece of a member of ICEM-affiliated Petrol-Is in Turkey.

New Zealand: ICEM Wants Bodies Recovered from Inside Deadly Pike River Mine

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Why did NUMSA decide to make CAL a priority? 
 
Contract and agency work is one of the big challenges for trade unions. The percentage of contract and agency work has gone up. That&rsquo;s why NUMSA has demanded that the government ban labour brokers. Workers are exploited in a big way &ndash; because they are not employed by the primary employer they receive less benefits. They are easy to dismiss &ndash; a broker is just told to take that worker off my premises. 
 
In the engineering sector, labour brokers are regulated, but there are many loopholes. There is no proper monitoring system to make sure there is respect for their rights. 
 
In the auto sector, we won our demand &ndash; it was agreed that the use of labour brokers will be phased out until there are none. The workers who had been employed by brokers must become permanent. Despite the need the workers to have medical care, employers do not want to pay medical aid and also transport allowances. In the engineering sector, the employers have rejected our demand. In all sectors, there are more and more workers employed by brokers. 
 
Do permanent workers and labour broker workers receive different wages? Does this create tensions? 
 
This issue also divides workers. I work next to you but my conditions are not the same as yours. Why should I support you? If I am earning $US50 and you earn $US40 but we are doing the same work, that&rsquo;s inequality. South Africa is seen as the most unequal country in the world. Workers employed through labour brokers are on the minimum wage of the industry. 
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What are the challenges in organising labour broker workers? Have you had successes? 
 
In many of our companies, we organise labour broker workers. Some company unions are not strong, some workers are afraid. Labour broker workers are easy to dismiss. Labour brokers often say just don&rsquo;t come back. 
At ITRON, a company which manufactures pre-paid electricity meters, 100% of the workers are unionised. They have a history of dealing with the workers. They can challenge the primary employer if conditions are not up to standard. 
 
Then there is the constitution. There is the constitutional right to be associated with any organisation of the workers&rsquo; choice. We can use the constitution to fight when it comes to labour brokers. The union must be strong to fight. 
 
Canteen and cleaning workers are often outsourced. You find that these workers belong to another union. 
 
What are the main concerns and priorities for labour broker workers? 
 
In some companies, permanent workers get medical aid, but labour broker workers don&rsquo;t qualify. Medical aid is not compulsory. Labour broker workers don&rsquo;t have job security. They cannot plan in the long term. They live one day to the next. There is never stability in their life. The wages are different, mostly labour broker workers are paid the minimum wage of the industry. In terms of training and growth, as a labour broker worker you are compromised. 
 
In the auto sector, when we go to negotiate, we look at what we can demand that responds to the challenges. It might take one-to-two years before labour brokers are completely out of the industry, but at least there is that agreement for them. The workers know the union will give legal support. 
 
There are two parallel processes. We still continue to demand that labour brokers are banned and also, at the same time, we organise labour broker workers. The number of permanent workers has been drastically reduced. In the engineering sector, workers who have been retrenched must be employed first, but they do so with labour brokers &ndash; there are so many loopholes. 
 
An argument against the use of labour brokers is that they are a form of modern day slavery. They are the worst kinds of exploitation. These workers are vulnerable but trade unions can fight for their rights. There are more women working for labour brokers.

Interview with Christina Olivier, Vice President, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa

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ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda used his plenary address on 8 June to the 100th session of the ILO&rsquo;s International Labour Conference to denounce the labour practices of Swiss multinational Holcim, specifically against contract workers at two cement plants in India. 
 
Holcim subsidiaries ACC in Jamul and Ambuja Cement Limited in Rawaan are blatantly violating Indian labour legislation. The Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act of India stipulates that contract workers may only be hired to perform non-core functions, and that those who perform the same or similar kinds of work as regular workers must receive equal treatment in terms of wages and conditions. However, contract workers in both plants are employed to carry out tasks which are fundamental to production, but receive only one third of permanent workers&rsquo; wages. 
 
Holcim-ACC has refused to respect a Chhattisgarh State High Court ruling that it is using &ldquo;sham and bogus&rdquo; contracts, and should regularise 27 contract workers. A recent report found that contract workers at the plant do not have basic personal protective equipment, such as gloves, boots and masks, and are denied access to medical facilities, including basic first aid, in the factory. 
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Between September 2010 and March 2011, 80 members of Pragatisheel Cement Shramik Sangh (PCSS), the union representing the contract workers, were dismissed by Holcim-Ambuja. Management of the plant repeated refused to participate in conciliation efforts by the Regional Labour Commissioner at Raipur, and in early March the RLC directed the company to reinstate the workers by 25 March. Two days later, the company filed false criminal charges against leaders of the PCSS through two of its security officers. Addressing the ILO&rsquo;s plenary, Warda said: &ldquo;We demand that such malicious prosecution, which is an instance of union-busting and illegal labour practice under Indian labour law, be withdrawn and the management negotiate with the union on its justified demands, failing which we will be constrained to take action under international law.&rdquo; 
 
Warda denounced as &ldquo;deplorable&rdquo; the refusal of the Labour Minister of the State of Chhattisgarth to meet with 250 Holcim workers who had travelled to Raipur to demand implementation of the High Court ruling and reversal of the criminal charges against the union leaders. 
 
The ICEM General Secretary also made clear that it is incumbent on the ILO to urgently address the trend towards precarious employment relationships that is undermining the effectiveness of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 for workers all around the globe. 
 
The <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/ICEM_Manfred_Warda_ILC_Plenary_Speech%20_8_June%20FINAL.pdf">full text</a> of the speech is available here. 
More information about Holcim India&rsquo;s practices can be found <a href="http://blogs.bwint.org/mnc/category/mnc-info/holcim/">here</a>.

ICEM General Secretary Spotlights Holcim as Contract Workers’ Abuser at ILO

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The ICEM, as the global trade union federation representing 20 million workers in the mining, energy, chemicals, and materials industries, together with EMCEF, the European Mine, Chemical, Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation, are following with concern present discussions towards establishing a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Colombia. 
 
Free Trade Agreements represent opportunities to improve labour and human rights in more countries around the world, and can increase access to international markets for developing countries. An FTA between the European Union (EU) and Colombia would, however, symbolically endorse the appalling labour rights violations in the most dangerous country in the world for a trade unionist, and also significantly weaken the pressure on the Colombian government to fulfill its human rights obligations. 
 
The EU signing one of its very first FTAs with a government that has been so clearly complicit in the abuse of labour and human rights is an insult to workers everywhere, and to the core principles of freedom and justice. The effect of this FTA on Europe would be political, not economic, as only 0.3% of EU trade is with Colombia.&nbsp; 
 
Norway, and initially the US,&nbsp;blocked their own FTAs with Colombia, citing human and labour rights concerns. The EU must follow this example. 
 
It is important to note that Colombia is already bound by strong language requiring adherence to key UN and ILO human and trade union rights conventions, under the EU Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+). This agreement instructs the European Commission to mount an investigation and ultimately suspend GSP+ status where key UN and ILO rights conventions are breached. Disregarding repeated UN and ILO recommendations, the European Commission renews Colombia&rsquo;s GSP+ status without investigation. 
 
So replacing current &ldquo;binding&rdquo; labour standard provisions with weaker, &ldquo;non-binding&rdquo; provisions in an FTA is not reasonable. Labour rights in the FTA&rsquo;s Sustainable Development chapter are not subject to the FTA&rsquo;s dispute settlement mechanism. If Colombia were to breach a central clause on human rights, there would be no mechanism available to suspend the agreement. 
 
There have been 200 trade unionists killed in Colombia in the past three years, simply for exercising their basic rights. The murders are carried out by the army, police, and paramilitaries. Perpetrators are not being brought to justice, and are free continue to act 
 
with impunity. The death tally this year is already over 30. Activists are also silenced by imprisonment on false charges. 
 
The ICEM and EMCEF are absolutely opposed to the EU-Colombia FTA while our sisters and brothers in Colombia continue to be brutally murdered and violently intimidated. 
 
We support and will work closely together with all trade union initiatives of our affiliates all over the world. 
 
One source to take action against the EU-Colombia FTA, or to learn more about the situation facing workers in Colombia is <a href="http://www.justiceforcolombia.org/?link=3_0_3">Justice for Colombia</a>.

ICEM, EMCEF Totally Oppose EU-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

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The funeral was held on 4 June for 22 year old worker Roshane Chanaka in Minuwangoda, Sri Lanka. Chanaka was killed on 30 May, when police opened fire on workers protesting in the Katunayake Free Trade Zone, against the government&rsquo;s proposed &ldquo;Employees Pension Benefit Fund&rdquo; Bill. Hundreds of workers were injured, 60 seriously, at the hands of the police. 
 
Police repression in the Export Processing Zone escalated to the point that workers were blocked from leaving factories, and women were beaten. Police have now handed over security in Katunayake to the army, meaning workers can not exercise their right to assemble and protest. 
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The huge worker outcry forced the government to withdraw the controversial bill, but reserves the right to reintroduce it following further discussions. While the 26 Sri Lankan trade unions of the Joint Trade Union Alliance (JTUA) welcome improved pension legislation, they insist on tri-partite discussions at the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) before such an important change in the law is made. 
 
The ICEM-affiliated Free Trade Zones &amp; General Services Employees Union (FTZ &amp; GSEU) played a central role in the establishing of the JTUA, and together with the textile workers, were forefront in the fight to block the bill.

Unionists Mourn Sri Lankan Protester Killed by Police, Continue to Fight Government on Pensions

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the ICEM African Workshop on the ILO Decent Work Agenda and HIV and AIDS, on the work in Nigeria, on the UNAIDS report &ldquo;AIDS at 30: Nations at the Crossroads&rdquo; and a new ILO tool kit that is available for trade unions.
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ICEM African Workshop on ILO Decent Work Agenda and HIV and AIDS 
 
In the framework of the ICEM HIV/AIDS project, sponsored by FNV Modiaal of the Netherlands and the Finnish SASK, an African Regional Workshop was organised in Johannesburg from 24-26 May. National coordinators and union activists from 11 countries participated in this workshop. The workshop was organised by the HIV/AIDS Project Coordinator, Paula Ndessomin, with technical assistance from Shirley Miller. 
 
The objectives of the workshop were to identify key elements of the Decent Work Agenda and understand how HIV and AIDS affect decent work and how, in turn, workplace action against the pandemic must be part of pursuing decent work. 
 
In an excellent presentation, the HIV/AIDS Focal Person of the ILO Pretoria office, Simphiwe Mabhele, linked decent work and HIV/AIDS in a rights-based approach using ILO Recommendation 200 concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work. The ICEM HIV/AIDS consultant focused on the ILO Global Action to promote the implementation of Recommendation 200 and global and national union action to this effect. 
 
In group work, participants explored challenges with respect to the Decent Work Agenda and fighting HIV and AIDS and discussed the difficulties of achieving decent work in the current worldwide economic crisis, including the difficulties of organising as more and more workers are forced into the ranks of the unemployed. They also identified workplace policies and collective bargaining agreements as tools to implement the Decent Work Agenda and eliminate stigma and discrimination. 
 
The workshop also gave an opportunity to Kettie Tembo from the British union Unite and Tsitsi Mariwo from the Public Services International (PSI) to present their HIV/AIDS projects and exchange information with participants. 

<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
HIV and AIDS Project in Nigeria Sponsored by the Canadian CEP 
 
For several years now, the Humanity Fund of the Canadian ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy and Paperworkers&rsquo; (CEP) Union, has sponsored an HIV and AIDS project in Nigeria in cooperation with the ICEM HIV/AIDS project and the ICEM affiliates in Nigeria, NUPENG, and PENGASSAN. 
 
In May, the ICEM HIV/AIDS consultant, who was accompanied by the national coordinator, Olawale Afolabi, visited Lagos and surrounding locations to assess the impact of the project. After having trained 210 peer educators cum counsellors and 120 community mobilisation agents, the unions focused on campaigns for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) at workplaces. Leaflets and handbills were produced for mass distribution. 
<img alt="" src="" width="200" height="133" />
Prevention campaigns were mounted in some 40 workplaces across the country and about 20,000 individuals were reached with awareness and prevention messages. VCT was carried out at 20 sites with close to 10,000 individuals tested. 
 
During his visit, the consultant had discussions with the unions&rsquo; leadership, observed a VCT campaign, spoke to peer educators about their work, and met with the staff of the NUPENG HIV/AIDS Prevention Office. Over the years, the national coordinator has managed to access resources at national level. For example, the testing in May was facilitated by the Nigeria Business Coalition against AIDS (NIBUCAA) free of charge. The prevention office has been sponsored by SmartWork, the HIV/AIDS workplace programme of the US Academy for Educational Development. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
30 Years of HIV and AIDS 
 
As the world marks 30 years of HIV and AIDS, UNAIDS estimates that 34 million people are living with the HI-virus and nearly 30 million people have died of AIDS-related causes since the first case of AIDS was reported on 5 June 1981. An estimated 7,000 new infections occur every day (editor&rsquo;s note: these figures do not tally with those in the following article, according to which the new infection rate would be about 6,000). 
 
Although about 6.6 million people in low- and middle-income countries were receiving antiretroviral therapy at the end of 2010, which in itself is a great achievement, an estimated nine million people who would qualify for ARVs did not receive them. 

<img alt="" src="" width="125" height="137" />
Access to treatment will transform the AIDS response. According to UNAIDS, accelerating access and finding new treatment options not only stops people from dying but also prevents transmission of the virus. 
 
However, prevention efforts are still a priority and they are showing results: between 2001 and 2009, new HIV infections declined by nearly 25%. In India, the rate of new infections fell by more than 50% and in South Africa by more than 35%. India and South Africa are the two countries that have the largest absolute number of HIV-positive people. 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, New York/Nairobi, 3 June, on the report &ldquo;AIDS at 30: Nations at the Crossroads&rdquo;) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
UNICEF: Two Million Teenagers HIV-positive 
 
According to a recent report by UNICEF, jointly published with ILO, WHO, UNESCO, and The World Bank, worldwide two million teenagers in the age group to 19 years are infected with the HI-virus, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Young people in developing and newly-industrialised countries have an especially high risk of infection. 
 
Daily, some 2,500 adolescents in the age group 15 to 24 years get infected. That means that 41% of every new infection is in this age group. Girls and young women have the highest risk. UNICEF demands better access to awareness and prevention for young people. 
 
(Source: UNICEF website) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Global Fund Suspends Disbursement of China Grants 
 
Citing concerns about insufficient participation of civil society organisations in programme implementation, inadequate financial management and possible misuse of grant funds, the Global Fund Secretariat has temporarily suspended disbursements for all active Global Fund grants in China. 
 
Several articles about the suspensions have appeared in the mainstream press. The Global Fund has not made any public announcement concerning the suspensions, but it has responded to questions from journalists. 
 
According to the Global Fund website, China has four active grants: two for malaria, and one each for HIV and TB. China has been awarded 14 grants by the Global Fund, but in 2010 China went through an elaborate process of grant consolidation. The sole principal recipient (PR) for all of China&rsquo;s grants is and has been the (China) Center for Disease Control (CDC), a government entity. 
 
The suspensions appear rooted in a collision between the Fund&rsquo;s conviction that grass-roots organizations must be intrinsically involved in the fight to control diseases like AIDS, and the Chinese government&rsquo;s growing suspicion of any civil-society groups that are not directly under its control. They follow complaints by some AIDS activists that Chinese officials have sought to suppress their public-health activities, have shunted grant money to groups under government control, and have failed to account for how some funds were spent.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 148 of 2 June. GFO is a free service of <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">Aidspan</a>; to receive GFO send an <a href="http://receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">email</a> here) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
ILO ACTRAV Tool Kit on HIV and AIDS 
 
In April, the ILO Bureau for Workers&rsquo; Activities (ACTRAV) published a tool kit to guide trade union responses to HIV and AIDS. The tool kit contains six factual booklets, collected learning exercises, case studies and information resources and a CD-Rom with key ILO publications on HIV and AIDS and the world of work. as well the DVD &ldquo;Workplaces in Africa respond to HIV and AIDS.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="" width="143" height="49" />
Booklet 1 deals with Core Information on HIV and AIDS, the Impact and Global Response. Booklet 2 focuses on Respect for Rights: The Key to Labour and Workplace Responses. Booklet 3 has information on Workplace Action on HIV and AIDS: Contributing to Universal Access. Booklet 4 deals with Trade Union Education and Training on HIV and AIDS. Booklet 5 contains information on Mobilising Resources for Trade Union Action. Booklet 6 gives an overview on Project Development and Proposal Writing. All this is accompanied by a Guide to the tool kit. 
 
(Source: ILO/AIDS website &ndash; for the <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids/publications/lang--en/index.htm ">toolkit</a>&nbsp;click here&nbsp;or go to the ICEM website, see below) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
New Resources on the ICEM Website 
 
The <a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS">ICEM HIV/AIDS website</a> has been updated to include ILO Recommendation 200 concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, as well as the Global Action Plan to promote and implement the Recommendation. The latter was adopted by the ILO Governing Body in March 2011. You can also find the brand new tool kit on HIV and AIDS, developed by the ILO Bureau for Workers&rsquo; Activities (ACTRAV) &ndash; see article in this e-bulletin. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
News from Global Unions 
 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (<a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">ITF</a>) in its latest HIV/AIDS update No. 107 of 15 May, reports on the on the High Level Meeting (HLM) of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which takes place in New York from 8-10 June. The meeting will adopt an outcome document (a new UNGA Declaration) that will aim at recommitting governments on universal access to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support. Thanks to trade union advocacy, the zero draft of the HLM outcome document does feature reference to the role of trade unions and ILO Recommendation 200 on HIV and AIDS and the world of work. It is, however, not certain whether this reference will survive in negotiations between governments for the final draft. 
 
The May <a href="void(0);/*1307697779467*/">Newsletter</a> of PSUFASA (Public Sector Unions Fighting AIDS in Southern Africa) gives a first preliminary survey of the findings of the evaluation of the project and reports on two regional seminars in February and March, the latter on collective bargaining and HIV and AIDS. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Five Years Ago: From the June 2006 Issue (No. 9) 
 
The first issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin was published in October 2005. In current issues, we refer to an article from the same month five years ago and reflect on developments. 
 
In the June 2006 issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin, we reported on the mission to Ghana together with representatives of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This was the first joint mission of a Global Union with the Global Fund. In 2011 we can say that it probably was also the last. 
 
Although the ICEM concept to target clinics operated by companies for HIV and AIDS services for workers and the surrounding communities with the involvement of unions had found recognition, little concrete follow-up activities resulted from this mission. Companies did engage in public/private partnerships and the Global Fund promoted co-investment projects but the ICEM&rsquo;s claim that the private sector includes business and unions went unheard. 
 
On the positive side, it should be mentioned that roll-out of antiretroviral drugs accelerated considerably and that major mining companies provided prevention, care and support services to their workers and dependents. 
 
We also referred to the report by FNV Mondiaal, &ldquo;Trade union support in the struggle against HIV/AIDS,&rdquo; which cited the ICEM project as a good example of integrating HIV/AIDS issues in collective bargaining and global framework agreements and gave credit to our efforts to build partnerships. 

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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 69, July 2011

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ICEM-affiliated United Mine Workers&rsquo; of America (UMWA) members ratified a front-end loaded and pattern-setting US national coal collective agreement on 17 June. The contract with the Bituminous Coal Operators&rsquo; Association (BCOA) was ratified by 70% of miners voting at 125 UMWA local branches, and comes six months before expiry of an existing national contract. 
 
The five-and-a-half-year agreement replaces the existing one and takes effect on 1 July. It will cover 10,000 miners and preserves the long UMWA tradition of providing excellent salaries, pension benefits, and health care coverage to US miners and retired miners. 
 
The US$6-an-hour wage increases over the life of the contract will now serve as a national pattern in union and non-union mines across North America. More importantly, that pattern is extended to include pension benefits &ndash; including health care benefits &ndash; for tens of thousands of retired miners and for workers and retirees of many coal and energy companies outside of the BCOA. 
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="139" />
UMWA President Cecil Roberts
&ldquo;Our members will receive the largest pay increase in the 121-year history of our union,&rdquo; said UMWA President Cecil Roberts. &ldquo;In addition, we were able to preserve full health care benefits for active and retired members and their dependants, as well as preserve pensions for current and future retirees with no cuts in benefits.&rdquo; 
 
The national accord includes two US$1-per-hour increases in the first six months of the new agreement, on 1 July and again on 1 January, which is an average 8.2% increase over current wages. Wages will be increased by US$1-per-hour on 1 January in each successive year until 2016. 
 
The UMWA preserved health care benefits for active and retired miners with no cuts. The agreement preserves a pension plan that sees a company-contributed US$5.50-man-hour-worked into a pension fund that ensures the benefits are paid in full. 
 
The UMWA posted several other improvements in the proposed agreement, including pay increases for shift work, increased sickness, accident, vision and dental benefits, and better life insurance terms. 
 
The ICEM termed the new collective accord exemplary on several fronts. &ldquo;This contract again is verification of the tremendous power that UMWA holds for a social America,&rdquo; said General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;It deserves attention and wide applause.&rdquo;

UMWA Wins Excellent Terms in US National Coal Talks

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The ICEM CAL Mini Guide to Dealing with Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) is now available in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, and Bahasa Indonesian. 
 
The guide gives an overview of what the ICEM and its affiliates around the world are doing to promote permanent, direct employment and at the same time to promote better conditions for CAL workers. It also suggests ways in which unions can build relations with CAL workers, for example by creating a dedicated precarious workers&rsquo; section or representative, or introducing different membership fee levels and/or an alternate methods of dues collection. ICEM affiliates are encouraged to initiate a discussion on CAL within their own unions, and the Guide suggests a number of questions which may help to get these discussions started. 
 
The CAL Mini Guide in <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/ICEM%20Mini%20Guide%20CAL%20French.pdf">French</a> is available here. 
 
The CAL Mini Guide in <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/ICEM%20Mini%20Guide%20Spanish%20HQP.pdf">Spanish</a> is available here. 
 
The CAL Mini Guide in <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/ICEM%20Mini%20Guide%20CAL%20Portuguese.pdf">Portuguese</a> is available here. 
 
The CAL Mini Guide in <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/ICEM%20Mini%20Guide%20CAL%20Hindi.pdf">Hindi</a> is available here. 
 
The CAL Mini Guide in <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/ICEM%20Mini%20Guide%20CAL%20Bahasa.pdf">Bahasa Indonesian</a> is available here.

ICEM Mini Guide to Dealing with CAL now in multiple languages

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On 8 March, to coincide with International Women&rsquo;s Day, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released a report exploring the gender dimensions of the increasing move towards contract, agency and other types of precarious work. Entitled &ldquo;Living with Economic Insecurity,&rdquo; the report analyses global employment trends, including the global economic crisis, and concludes that the crisis has had a particularly far-reaching, but under-acknowledged effect on women. This has been exacerbated by the fact that women are over-represented in insecure forms of employment. 
 
There are no global figures regarding the number of women in precarious employment, but the report details a number of studies which illustrate the over-representation of women in insecure employment. In industrialised countries, where the female employment rate in 2009 was 53.1% versus 68.4% for men, women are more likely to be employed in part-time jobs. In Japan, women represent two-thirds of all non-regular workers and 80% of the female workforce are in temporary jobs. In some developing countries, female employment is predominantly in export-orientated manufacturing sectors, characterised by low wages, insecurity and denial of trade union rights. 
 
According to the report women are increasingly working in the outsourced public sector jobs, for example as cleaners and care-workers, where they are denied access to social protections and receive lower wages than their permanent counterparts. Jobs in the care sector are highly precarious and low paid. Many workers in the sector do have contracts that guarantee a set number of hours, and work on an &ldquo;upon request&rdquo; basis. Workers in the cleaning sector suffered due to the cutbacks brought on by the crisis, such as in Belgium where many office cleaning contracts were reduced from once a day to once a week, with negative impacts for the predominantly female, precarious workforce. 
 
According to the ITUC, women suffer from a &ldquo;double pay deficit,&rdquo; firstly from gender discrimination and secondly as a result of lower pay for precarious work. In Korea, for example, 70% of female workers are in precarious employment and earn only 43% of the salaries of regular male workers. 
 
The overrepresentation of women in precarious employment has become a key factor contributing to the global pay gap between men and women, and according to the report &ldquo;Job insecurity, far from being compensated through higher wages, actually tends to go hand in hand with low pay.&rdquo; 
 
The ITUC has prioritised getting women out of precarious and informal jobs in the following ways: 
 
1. Shifting policy focus to the creation of quality jobs, including by ensuring that the employment relationship is legally secure. 
 
2. Implementing the gender equity agenda, including through investment in public services and taking steps to promote the employment of women in all sectors. 
 
3. Providing universal access to social security through the implementation of a social protection floor for all, regardless of their employment situation. 
 
4. Taking up the challenge of organising workers in insecure forms of work by removing legal obstacles and broadening collective bargaining strategies. 
 
The <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/ITUC%20report%20-%20women%20and%20precarious%20work.pdf">full report</a> is available here.

Gender and CAL: ITUC’s Women in Precarious Work Report

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