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Three months after European chemical unions and employers jointly applied for Social Dialogue with the European Commission, the EC granted it last month. New Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, welcomed the formal establishment of the Dialogue Committee on 14 December. EMCEF, lead organization for the unions, and the European Chemical Employers Group intend to use the formalized dialogue in the interests of both workers and the industry to create initiatives and enhance competitiveness of the European chemical industry.

European Social Dialogue Will Begin in Chemicals Sector

ICEM affiliate Indian National Cement Workers’ Federation’s annual Congress was held in mid-December and G. Sanjeeva Reddy was elected as President. Re-elected as General Secretary was N. Nanjappan. C.L. Dudhia chaired the union’s general meeting, held at Mumbai.

India’s Cement Workers’ Conduct Congress

The ICEM has challenged Norwegian chemical producer Jotun’s record of facts in a Turkish dispute at a paint factory where workers are represented by ICEM affiliate Petrol-Is. Jotun is violating global social standards by hiring more supervisors to avoid majority representation. The company is also misdirected with a public statement that strikers at the factory in Cerkeznöy, Turkey, are responsible for equipment sabotage. The ICEM and Petrol-Is assert outside contractors inexperienced with Jotun’s equipment were inside doing the strikers’ work.

ICEM Questions Norwegian Chemical Firm’s Facts in Turkey

ICEM Japanese affiliate UI Zensen’s Central Committee has announced it will launch a Spring Offensive this year aimed at achieving basic wage increases. Japanese workers have faced double trouble in terms of battered family finances after years of wage neglect, and heavier tax and social security burdens placed on working class citizens. UI Zensen’s courageous leadership is calling for a unified wage hike of ¥1,000 or 2.5% as the goal for the offensive.

Japanese Affiliate UI Zensen Aims at Wage Increase

The Ukrainian Trade Union Federation (FTUU) turned to ICEM Vice President Alexander Yurkin for leadership at a FTUU Council late in January. Yurkin, who heads ICEM’s nuclear sector and was president of Nuclear Power and Industry Workers’ Union of Ukraine, was elected chairman of the national union center. At a 31 January meeting of the ICEM-affiliated Nuclear Power Workers, former Vice President Valeryi Matov was elected to succeed Yurkin.

ICEM Ukrainian Leader Takes Top Post of National Centre

The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) extended the US national rubber agreement to another tyre company when workers of Yokohama Tire Corp of Japan ratified an agreement in Salem, Virginia. Similar to USWA’s rubber workers employed at Goodyear and Michelin’s B.F. Goodrich, the 670 trade unionists in the state of Virginia won guaranteed job security measures, as well as increases to their pension formula. USWA currently is in talks with Bridgestone/Firestone over the same issues—job security, capital investment in US unionized tyre sites and other economics—at BSF’s US tyre factories. Talks on the US pattern agreement for rubber have followed extensions for most companies since 2003 expirations. Bargaining broke off, however, between Continental Tire and USWA during mid-term negotiations when the German company proposed concessionary terms including increased out-of-pocket health care costs for retirees.

USWA’s Master Tyre Contract in US Extended to Yokohama

In Nepal, the ICEM has been informed that GEFONT’s offices have been searched by the police on 18 February. At around 10.30 AM, 15 to 20 policemen entered the building during a union meeting. The police officers searched the premises thoroughly, up to the rooftop, intimidating the trade unionists present and forcing them to leave the building. When they apparently didn’t find what they were looking for, the police left, but not without locking up the GEFONT office, taking the key with them. The offices were kept closed for the whole day and the key was only returned in the evening. The ICEM fears that the invasion by the police was in search of particular high-ranking GEFONT leaders, who the ICEM fears are in danger of being arrested. The ICEM wrote to the Nepalese authorities last week, voicing its concern about the labour rights situation in the country after the sudden dismissal of the Nepalese government, and asking for the protection of trade union leaders from arbitrary arrest.

Nepal’s Government Continues Rights Abuses Under Martial Law

The ICEM has written to French-based energy concern Total asking the company to rethink its position concerning investment in Burma. As one of the few remaining large foreign investors in Burma, Total’s business enterprises prop the country’s dictatorial junta behind a constant flow of foreign currency. Burma is a country that spends over 40% of its national budget on military expenditures, while 0.4% of GDP is spent on health and education. The letter anticipates an upcoming high profile NGO campaign against Total because of its links with Burma.

Total Must Disinvest from Burma’s Military Junta

The latest development in the paper strike in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada is that a two-day blockade by 500 picketers at the mill ended 16 February when the number of picketers was scaled back again to six, as before. The dispute is between Finland’s UPM Kymmene and 770 members of ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union, who have been on strike since 16 December 2004. The workers sought to maintain pressure on the company to delay dismantling of an economically viable kraft pulp mill across the Miramichi River from the paper mill. Some 65 managers claim they were trapped inside the mill for over 24 hours, even though CEP local 689 maintains strikers never refused anyone wishing to exit the mill to leave, as long as they did so on foot. A day after the action on 17 February, a company representative stated demolition of the pulp mill would begin early this week.

Strikers Block UPM Kymmene’s Pulp Mill in Canada

US affiliate PACE has re-introduced a website dedicated to tracking the ongoing labour dispute in America with French-based Imerys. The website, www.imerys-solidarity.org, will cover the dispute at the company's Sylacauga calcium carbonate plant in Alabama, as well as upcoming talks between PACE and Imerys at a kaolin operation in Dry Branch, Georgia, USA.

PACE in US Renews Website Dedicated to Imerys’ Abuses

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