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The ICEM Executive Committee, meeting in Brussels on 10 and 11 May 2007, deplored the fact that the strike by 82 women workers at Novamed in Antalya, Turkey, is continuing without settlement since September 2006. 
 
In 2007 we can no longer permit practices such as employers granting permission to women to become pregnant and other measures to limit women&rsquo;s rights to maternity and family. These practices no longer belong in the 21st century. 
 
Maternity is a social responsibility. Women may not be penalized by meeting their obligations as mothers. On the contrary, society must acknowledge women&rsquo;s roles as mothers and workers and provide the conditions for them to perform these roles. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The practice of restricting women&rsquo;s maternity rights is against ILO Conventions and EU directives and does not suit a country applying for membership in the European Union. 
 
ICEM urges the company to respect its obligations toward international and European law. 
 
ICEM on behalf of 20 million members worldwide expresses its wholehearted solidarity and support to the strikers at Novamed and Petrol-Is. 
 
ICEM Executive Committee 
Brussels, 10 May 2007

ICEM resolution on strike by women workers at Novamed, Antalya, Turkey

<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
1. Costa Rica - Parliament Approves Law to Penalize Violence against Women 
2. Denmark - From our readers: Marianne Bruun, 3F, writes 
3. Ecuador - Women Workers&rsquo; Coordinate and Meet 
4. India - Women&rsquo;s Ceremony for Children of Worker Victims 
5. Iraq - May Day in Basra 
6. Korea - Women Workforce Expands 
7. Mexico - Mexico City Legalises Abortion 
8. Morocco - Women&rsquo;s Network Holds Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day Cause 
9. South Africa - Pushes for Constitutional Guarantees of Gender Equality 
10. Resources
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1. Costa Rica &ndash; Parliament Approves Law to Penalize Violence Against Women
On 12 April 2007, the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly passed pioneering legislation to penalize violence against women. The aim is to protect the rights of the victims of violence and to sanction such in all its forms &ndash; physical, psychological, sexual, property &ndash; in the context of a relationship of power or confidence. This will only be the second time in the world, after Spain, that this type of legislation has been passed. 
The law implies a change in the penal code and the traditional concept of related crimes. Women should thus have better protection against violence in relations with partners. Costa Rica is now a reference point in the Americas in terms of legislation against violence against women. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
2. Denmark
From our readers: Marianne Bruun, 3F, writes: 
Average male earnings are higher than average female earnings in the Danish labour market. Depending on how hourly wages are calculated, the unadjusted pay differences, i.e., the percentage difference between the average earnings of men and women, is between 12-19%. 
The main single explanation of the pay differences between men and women in Denmark is that women work in other professions than men, and that people working in those professions are generally paid less than people working in the typically male professions. 
 
For years we have asked for statistical tools that would show pay inequalities in various lines of business and job categories. The Danish government has now adopted legislation requiring that major enterprises prepare gender-separated statistics. 
If they prefer it, the enterprises may instead prepare reports on equal pay, provided employees agree with this. Such reports must contain information about matters that have an impact on male and female employees&rsquo; pay in the enterprise, and must also describe initiatives taken by the enterprise to avoid pay inequality. 
 
The new legislation applies to enterprises with 35 or more full- and part-time employees and have at least ten people of each gender employed in the same job function. Enterprises that do not have any groups of at least ten men and ten women do not have to prepare gender-separated pay statistics. 
 
In the trade union movement, we are not at all pleased with this limitation, which means that only a small proportion of our members will be covered by the new legislation. We have therefore decided to create a number of supplementary tools that can be used by union representatives in most workplaces, thus enabling them to collect data on pay themselves and to identify any pay inequality issues in their own enterprise. 
Paternity leave 
In connection with the recently finalised collective bargaining in Danish industry, we have achieved two very important improvements in the field of equal opportunities for men and women. 
 
First of all, a number of weeks have been earmarked for leave for fathers. Danish legislation provides a total of 32 weeks of leave to be shared by parents (in continuation of the mother&rsquo;s 14-week maternity leave). However, in most cases it is the woman that takes the entire &rsquo;shared&rsquo; leave, while men are rarely keen to take leave. One reason is that women want to have the entire leave; another is that colleagues and employers are reluctant to let men take time off to go on paternity leave. 
 
It has now been agreed that a family is entitled to full pay in nine of the thirty-two weeks of leave, but that either parent may only take leave for six of those nine weeks. This means that at least three weeks are earmarked for leave for the father if the family wants to receive full pay for nine weeks. We hope this will make more men go on paternity leave. 
 
Another important aspect is that we will now do something about the fact that women who take maternity leave lag behind in terms of pensions, as they do not contribute to any pension scheme while they are on leave. The new collective agreements compensate a bit for that. 
Reconciliation between family and working life
We have long discussed our members&rsquo; need for a better work-life balance, so in order to find out what our members mean when they say they want a better balance between work and family life, we have carried out a questionnaire survey. 
 
Our members, first of all, point out that they believe this particular issue should be one of the union&rsquo;s focus areas. They also express a strong wish to have family policy included in our collective agreements, which it has not previously been in Denmark. 
 
The survey also shows that stress is a common phenomenon among our members. This is particularly true of women members, not least single mothers. The distribution of work in families is still far from equal, which means that most women work full-time outside the home and also have to do the housework. That is why our focus will be, to an increasing extent, targeting labour market demands that can possibly make daily work-life easier for families with young children. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
3. Ecuador &ndash; Women Workers&rsquo; Coordinate and Meet
The Eighth Meeting of the Coordination of Andean Women Workers took place on 2-3 May in Manta, Ecuador, with the proposal to fight for equal opportunities between men and women. About 20 women from trade union national centres met in Bolivia. Representatives from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela attended the meeting of COMUANDE. 
 
The meeting adopted a proposal to be passed on to the Andean Community of Nations that equal opportunities between men and women must become reality once and for all. COMUANDE meets once a year in regional assembly at rotating venues. It is a space for coordination and exchange to make proposals regarding trade unions, social policy, and politics in the process of Andean integration. 
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4. India &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Ceremony for Children of Worker Victims 
In the framework of Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day, 28 April, the Society for Working Life held a women&rsquo;s meeting in New Delhi to organise a candle ceremony with children of worker victims. Local trade unions in Bihar state also organised a similar commemoration. SWL, the Society for Working Life, is involved in the Women, Work, and Health Initiative, and works with NGOs in Bihar to create awareness of HIV/AIDS among migrant workers. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
5. Iraq &ndash; May Day in Basra 
<img height="285" alt="" src="" width="380" />
&nbsp;The GFIW Says Strong Unions Need Women 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
6. Korea &ndash; Women Workforce Expands
Women comprise more than 42% of the Korean workforce, according to a recent survey by the state-run Korean Employment Information Service. This marks a steady increase over the years. 
 
The survey analysed the nation&rsquo;s employment structure based on gender, salary, and occupational category. The female workforce increased most in the chemical industry, with a 6.5% rise. On the other hand, the number of women&rsquo;s jobs decreased by 4.1% percentage points in the industrial arts and furnishing services. And fewer women took jobs in the electric and telecommunication sectors. 
 
An earlier survey by the Korea Institute of Finance showed that women had outpaced men in the tight job market. According to the National Statistical Office, women took 154,000, or 69.4%, of about 222,000 new jobs in various high-paying professions in 2006. Those jobs included lawmakers, high-ranking government officials, lawyers, doctors, and professors. 
 
Men claimed the remaining 68,000 new jobs. The number of lawmakers, corporate executives, and managers reached 571,000 in 2006, down 3,000 from 2005, but the number of women increased by 2,000 during the same period. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
7. Mexico &ndash; Mexico City Legalizes Abortion 
 
The Mexico City legislature passed a bill to legalize abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. This occurred on 24 April. 
 
Feminists hailed the decision as a victory. For decades women, especially poor women, have been forced by way of backstreet abortions and questionable practices to end unwanted pregnancies. Thousands die every year due to botched abortions. 
 
Mexico City has now become the largest entity in Latin America after Cuba and Puerto Rico where women may have abortions on demand in the first three months of pregnancy. Most other states in Mexico only allow abortion in cases of rape or danger to the woman&rsquo;s health. 
 
Opponents have condemned this measure, passed in this highly Catholic country. Court battles and clashes are bound to be launched. It may ultimately be challenged by the Supreme Court. The Pope publicly condemned the bill. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
8. Morocco &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Network Holds Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day Cause 
The women&rsquo;s network &ldquo;Women and Sustainable Development&rdquo; lit candles on 28 April to commemorate victims in countries without protective legislation. They also rang out an alarm at fetal deformities due to cancer in women because of health hazards on the job, or pollution. 
 
The women called on politicians to pay more attention to health and safety, and for trade unions to be more involved in job-related safety issues in Arab-Muslim countries. The network appealed to women throughout the world to stand in solidarity against victims of injustices, and with women in areas of conflict in order to promote peace. 
 
The network aims to connect with women workers throughout the world in order to promote sustainable development and occupational safety. It started with women in Arab-Muslim countries, and now extends to Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Kuwait, Tunisia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, United Arab Emirates. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
9. South Africa Pushes for Constitutional Guarantees of Gender Equality 
 
South Africa&rsquo;s Cabinet is 42% women, one of the highest percentages in the world. South Africa&rsquo;s Commission on Gender Equality has called consultations on a draft protocol to break new ground to make first-time commitments on gender equality in a sub-regional document. 
 
In August, the Heads of State of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be called upon to elevate the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development to a more biding Protocol. NGOs have audited the 1997 declaration and decided that non-binding measures have not worked. Legally binding measures are now being sought to move SADC to implementation. 
 
The African Union has come out in favour of gender parity, but it has not set targets. 
 
Setting targets has the effect of mobilising those who lag behind, since no country wants to be seen as the worst performer. All SADC countries, except Botswana, have increased the proportion of women in parliament. The increases have been particularly marked in Swaziland, Malawi, and Mauritius. On average, women comprise 20% of the region&rsquo;s legislators, second only to the Nordic countries. 
 
In addition, countries would be required to specify that in case there is a conflict between customary and state law, the national constitution will take precedence, as is the case in South Africa. Customary laws govern most women&rsquo;s lives in the region, so that this change may be the most significant of all. These changes are slow but necessary if the root inequalities are to be eliminated. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
10. Resources
The World Bank&rsquo;s Global Monitoring Report on the Millenium Goals shows that progress toward gender equality is lagging. Available on the World Bank&rsquo;s website: 
<a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21296903~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html">http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS 
/0,,contentMDK:21296903~pagePK:64257043~ 
piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html</a>
Coalition of Labor Union Women, the working women&rsquo;s organization in the United States: 
<a href="http://www.cluw.org">www.cluw.org</a>
The Berger-Marks Foundation assists organizations in organizing: 
<a href="http://www.bergermarks.org">www.bergermarks.org</a>
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2007 (draws attention to gender inequalities) 
<a href="http://www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=1205">www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=1205</a>

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 22

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ICEM affiliate Petroleum, Mining, Chemical Workers&rsquo; in Palestine (GUPMCWP) undertook a two-day course in Ramallah on trade union education and committee building. The workshops took place 27-28 April. 
 
The training for 25 workers is a continuation of programmes and practices that the union is engaged in to build a democratic trade union movement. 
 
In February, some 60 Palestinian labour activists took part in a similar seminar, also in the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah. 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
Workers in Palestine have suffered immeasurably due to restrictions by the Israeli military on freedom of movement to and from jobs. The production of goods from Palestine and the providing of services have also stricken the country&rsquo;s economy, in what the ICEM has stated is &ldquo;collective punishment of a people.&rdquo; 
 
Viable and democratic trade unions hold the future for growth and a measure of prosperity for millions of Palestinians, the ICEM believes. To help achieve that, the ICEM has established a programme with GUPMCWP that includes training for women workers inside Birzeit Pharmaceutical, a factory that has experienced shortages of raw products due to delays caused by the Israeli authorities. 
<img height="129" src="" width="100" alt="" />
GUPMCWP President Mohammad Mousa Jadallah 
GUPMCWP President Mohammad Mousa Jadallah said that the Palestinians that are hurt the most by Israel&rsquo;s blockade on movement, trade, and revenues are women, children, and the elderly. 
 
Jadallah said the union&rsquo;s workers&rsquo; training programmes will heighten awareness to potential gains that can be made for all Palestinian workers. 
 
Nabeel Mahmmoud, GUPMCWP&rsquo;s International Director, said the training serves as basic organising, and that building of democratic committee structures inside workplaces &ndash; particularly Birzeit Pharmaceutical &ndash; is a necessity in Palestine to alleviate poverty.

Palestine Trade Union GUPMCWP Conducts Further Trade Union Courses

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ICEM has expressed shock and anger at the mid-April killing of General Federation of Iraq Workers (GFIW) Vice-President Moaaid Hamid and his wife. The two were killed in the province of Nineveh during a clash between forces of the Iraqi army and terrorist elements inside the province. 
 
Hamid was a contributor to the founding of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions in 2003, before that trade union centre evolved into the GFIW. He had been a victim of Saddam&rsquo;s regime against free and independent trade unions, and after the invasion, had been abducted and tortured by terrorists before he was freed by Iraqi security forces. 
&nbsp;<img height="36" alt="" src="" width="300" />
In a letter to the GFIW, the ICEM wrote, &ldquo;This appalling violence, coming as it does so soon after the abduction, torture, and subsequent murder of Najim Abd-Jasem, the General Secretary of the Mechanic Workers&rsquo; Union of your Federation, strengthens our view that there is a systematic campaign to eliminate the leadership of the newly formed independent and democratic unions that strongly oppose sectarianism.&rdquo; 
 
The letter was sent by ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda on 29 April 2007.

ICEM Mourns Killing in Iraq of GFIW Vice-President

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM affiliate Argentine Federation of Private Oil and Workers Union (FASPyGP) launched a series of rolling strikes to oil and gas production on 3 May across several provinces of the South American nation. The dispute is over a continued wage impasse between the union and several companies, covering 35,000 workers. 
 
The companies have balked at paying 2007 wage increases of 20%, an amount FASPyGP claims is only 45 minutes of combined production in oil and gas fields. The strikes have occurred at gas deposits near Mendoza and Salta, and other energy extraction in the provinces of Tierra del Fuego, Chubut, and Neuqu&eacute;n y Santa Cruz. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The companies being targeted include Repsol YPF, Argentine-British Pan American Energy, Apache, Argentina&rsquo;s PlusPetrol, as well as units of major energy producers, such as Petrobras and ExxonMobil. The industry has offered only 15% increases. 
 
Oil and gas companies doing exploratory and extraction work in Argentina have increased gas output by 5.2% in the first quarter of 2007, while oil production has jumped 4.9%. The companies export some 65% of all production and with oil and gas prices remaining high, multinationals have prospered from the country&rsquo;s natural resources. 
 
The government of Nestor Kirchner has called on oil and gas companies to expand their investment efforts in Argentina&rsquo;s energy sector, as well as to compensate oil and gas workers fairly as a means to curbing consumer price inflation.

Argentina Oil Union, FASPyGP, Launches Oil, Gas Strike

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A gem-polishing dispute that saw intense ICEM involvement in 2001 has flared again at Almond Jewellery in Bangkok. The New York-based jewellery exporter locked out 254 workers on 9 April. 
 
Workers are in protest over the firing of two key leaders of the plant-level union, which occurred in September 2006, and management&rsquo;s refusal to enter into to obligatory social talks over renewed labour terms. Workers began picketing the factory on 17 April. On 19 April, 200 of Almond&rsquo;s workers marched to the Government House in Bangkok and presented a petition. They were joined by trade union leaders from ICEM&rsquo;s Thai-affiliated unions. 
<img height="263" src="" width="350" alt="" />
Almond unionists marched to Govt House on 19 April
A government representative met with leaders of the workers at Almond, and pledged to investigate the lockout within seven days. That is now in progress. 
 
Almond is continuing to operate the gem-polishing factory with a small number of regular workers and some 400-500 agency workers. 
 
The contract dispute started in late January, after the union requested the re-opening of contract talks. Managers responded by demanding benefits back from workers that had previously been obtained during negotiations. Managers then made threats of dismissal to workers if they engaged in union activity, and they have forced some workers to sign petitions indicating their withdrawal from the union. 
<img height="263" src="" width="350" alt="" />
The ICEM obtained bargaining rights for workers at Almond&rsquo;s factory in Bangkok in late 2001. Then, Almond had sacked over 50 workers, including the entire leadership of the plant-level committee. The ICEM pressured Almond&rsquo;s owners to reinstate the workers, begin negotiations with the union, and to drop lawsuits the company brought against leaders for legitimate trade union activity. 
 
Almond&rsquo;s New York-based leader Jonathan Mandelbaum agreed to a four-point charter, which included the above. Since 2001, gem-polishing workers made positive gains in negotiations with managers. Almond&rsquo;s managers now seek to dismantle those gains. 
But workers have been tested before, and the 19 April march and protest at the Government House signals renewed resistance. Workers are demanding the re-hiring of plant-level President Patoom Kamdeewan and Committee Member Akom Thongdeewan, and are insisting on backpay for both, as well as for all locked-out workers.
<img height="264" alt="" src="" width="350" />
Former ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs&nbsp;talking to 
Thai Almond workers in 2001
The united workforce is seeking a 5% wage increase, plus a bonus payment. Workers seek a monthly-wage pattern, instead of daily wages, and demand that Almond pay them a transportation allowance. 
 
They also are demanding inclusion of contract and agency workers under terms of the collective bargaining agreement. 
 
The ICEM supports these demands as fair and just.

Thai Gem-Polishing Firm Again Bringing Labour Problems to the Fore

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ICEM teamed with the International Transport Workers&acute; Federation (ITF) in applying pressure on President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ICEM also lodged strong protest to Kabila over the dispute by workers at the Soci&eacute;t&eacute; Mini&egrave;re de Bakwanga (MIBA), a diamond extraction company. 
 
The transport matter concerned the unfair and arbitrary arrest of trade unionist Leon Ngoy Bululu, vice-president of ITF-affiliated Solidarit&eacute; Syndicale des Travailleurs et Cadres du Congo (SOLIDARITE). 
He was arrested on 20 April 2007, following an appearance on a 14 March television programme on the Moli&egrave;re channel. In the broadcast, he reportedly spoke out against ongoing mismanagement of the national transport company, Office National des Transports (ONATRA). Mr. Bululu was arrested at his office by agents of the Brigade Criminelle du parquet de la Gombe and detained, following a complaint by the management of the transport company. 
<img height="93" alt="" src="" width="200" />
ONATRA employs 17,800 workers throughout DRC&rsquo;s five provinces: Kinshasa, Bas-Congo, Bandungu, Equateur and the Province Orientale. Among the issues raised by Comrade Bululu was the fact that the company keeps hiring new workers, over 1,200 recently, even though wages for current workers are delayed by four months. 
 
Bululu was first imprisoned at the &quot;Parquet de Grande Instance de la Gombe.&quot; Later, he was transferred to the notorious Makala prison, where he finds himself incarcerated without due and diligent legal processes. Efforts to find out more about his current condition have, so far, been without result. 
 
Both ICEM and ITF call for his immediate release, which they say is clear and calculated trade union repression. 
 
The diamond mining dispute at state-run Soci&eacute;t&eacute; Mini&egrave;re de Bakwanga (MIBA), a diamond extraction operation near Mbuji-Mayi, in south-central Kasai-Oriental Province, has forced a strike by workers also over non-payment of wages. The strike began 23 April. 
MIBA is some seven months behind in paying wages.
<img height="63" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A joint trade union delegation is furthermore demanding a return of social benefits that the government has taken away from diamond miners and others, and calls on the company to provide adequate equipment to guarantee health and safety. 
 
Participating unions in the strike are FENAMICO, SYTRAME, CTP, GST, SYGEMI, SLC, FGTK, FTF, all of which are ICEM affiliates, and FOSYCO, which is affiliated to the International Energy &amp; Mines Organisation (IEMO).

ICEM protests Congo’s Transport, Diamond Injustices

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Some three months after miners of AVVS de Moederbond trade union in Suriname staged a strike at a Canadian-based gold-mining enterprise, called IAM Gold, they know their rewards. A new collective agreement was formally signed 25 April 2007, giving 900 miners their first collective agreement. 
 
It was the second strike within a year at the two-year-old gold pits &ndash; both against Canadian mining houses. IAM Gold bought the central Suriname site from Ciambor Inc. late in 2006. AVVS de Moederbond hit already that Canadian company with a strike that lasted four days in May 2006. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
This first labour accord serves as a strong precedent in the resource-rich South American country, since new mining development is occurring and IAM Gold is keenly interested in moving into eastern Suriname. 
 
In this initial three-year collective agreement, miners will receive a 24% increase, retroactive to 1 January 2007. They will also receive a 10% raise in 2008. In 2009, the union and management will negotiate a further raise.
In addition, the union won improved medical care and child benefits, while the vacation scheme was enhanced. In signing the agreement on 25 April, IAM Gold, a company with assets in Botswana, Ghana, Mali, Peru, and other South American countries, expressed public conviction to AVVS de Moederbond President Errol Snijders that it will build a trusting, cooperative relationship with the mining union. 
<img height="166" alt="" src="" width="200" />
President Errol Snijders
IAM Gold, founded in 1996, holds joint venture stakes with AngloGold Ashanti in Mali, Goldfields in Ghana, and owns the Mupane gold mine in Botswana. Mupane is a shared enterprise with the state, and the ten-year lease with civil society comes due in the year 2013. 
 
IAM Gold was a takeover target of Goldfields in the recent past, but the deal failed when shareholders of Goldfields rejected it. IAM Gold, in 2006, acquired Gallery Gold, and has several shared investments with Battle Mountain Gold. It also has mining interests in Senegal and Tanzania in Africa, and in Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador in South America. 
 
The Toronto-based company also holds mining interests in Canada and collects mining royalties on Canadian precious-metal mining.

Gold Miners in Suriname Win Two-year, 34% Wage Hikes

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A mass strike in Peru has proven successful, despite government efforts to downplay the effect the strike has had on a number of mining enterprises. The strike was called by ICEM affiliate National Federation of Mining, Metallurgy, and Steel Workers Union (FNTMMSP) on 30 April and, by all accounts, over 40 copper, nickel, zinc, iron, gold, and silver mining operations have lost high levels of production since last week. 
 
The strike can easily be said to be a success, with the government already guaranteeing higher social benefits for contract and agency workers at the outset of the strike. After the union&rsquo;s return to tri-partite bargaining on 4 May, and following cessation of the strike, FNTMMSP is now pushing for further regularisation of the contract labour status, which needs to include the right to unionisation for contract workers. 
<img height="100" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The strike by the 28,000-member FNTMMSP saw roughly half of Peru&rsquo;s 110,000 miners participating. This included a good number of the mining sector&rsquo;s 50,000 contract or agency workers. 
Peru&rsquo;s Labour Minister Susanna Pinilla, however, has taken to the airwaves and has been quoted in the business press playing down the success of the strike. Throughout last week&rsquo;s strike, she kept providing a regular narrative of mining operations in Peru that continued production. 
 
The mining union federation, FNTMMSP, covering some 75 individual site-level unions, has complained bitterly to the government for some time that the Labour Ministry and other monitors have failed to keep pace with the burgeoning number of agencies or contract labour providers doing business in Peru&rsquo;s booming mining industry. Many of these agencies and service providers operate in the black. 
<img height="240" alt="" src="" width="380" />
&ldquo;The over-exploitation of these workers has been going on for too long,&rdquo; said FNTMMSP Sec. Gen. Luis Castillo Carlos, who himself has participated in ICEM conferences on Contract and Agency Labour. &ldquo;The miners&rsquo; strike was called because the authorities lack the political will to enforce labour rights,&rdquo; he added. 
 
FNTMMSP and its affiliated mining unions are seeking strict regularisation of mining employment agencies; enhanced profit-sharing arrangements for its members and newly-established profit-sharing for contract and agency workers; shorter work days; and improved pension benefits.
The 30 April strike actually started two days earlier when miners from two sites of Grupo Mexico-connected Southern Peru Copper Co. blocked roads around Ilo, Peru. Southern Peru&rsquo;s mines in Toquepala and Cuajone suffered deep production losses during the strike. FNTMMSP held marches in several regions on 1 May, and also conducted rallies on 2 May and 4 May at the Labour Ministry in Lima. 
A sampling of mining operations in Peru affected by the strike includes: Southern Peru Copper Co.; US-operated Doe Run&rsquo;s La Oroya copper and lead smelting operations; several of Volcan Cia Minera SA&rsquo;s zinc smelters; BHP Billiton&rsquo;s Tintaya copper operations in Cusco; Chinese state-run Shougang Hierroperu&rsquo;s iron ore mines in the country&rsquo;s south; Glencore International AG&rsquo;s Los Quenuales zinc operation; Cia. De Minas Buenaventura; and zinc producers Cia. Minera Santa Luisa SA and Cia. Minera Raura SA. 
<img height="93" alt="" src="" width="200" />
At US-based Newmont Mining&rsquo;s Yanacocha SRL&rsquo;s gold mine and smelter, South America&rsquo;s largest gold operation, miners conducted a march and protest in support of FNTMMSP&rsquo;s strike. 
 
One already achieved result of the strike is that the government did commit to increase the number of labour inspectors in Peru from 100 to 250 by the end of the year. That should help in monitoring and in getting agency labour agencies to comply with Peruvian law. 
 
Despite Labour Minister Pinilla downplaying the effect of the strike, one cabinet minister did publicly confirm the significance of the strike. &ldquo;The demands voiced by these workers are fair,&rdquo; stated Energy and Mines Minister Juan Valdivia in a published report. 
 
Referring to the vast proliferation of service-providing entities inside Peru&rsquo;s mining sector, he added, &ldquo;There are companies that comply and others that don&rsquo;t. The ones that do not respect labour rights should be punished,&rdquo; said Valdiva.

Mining Strike in Peru Produces Gains for Contract Workers

<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
ICEM Gives Priority to Global Union G8 Campaign
A special issue of ICEM InBrief, published prior to 28 April &ndash; International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers &ndash; deals with global union efforts to press the United Nations to recognise 28 April as an Official Day. It also reports on national trade union centres&rsquo; events, as well as on plans of ICEM affiliates for 28 April. 
 
InBrief gives priority to the global trade union campaign to create a permanent high-level G8 Working Group on HIV/AIDS as a major part of the G8 programme to combat the pandemic. The ICEM has urged its affiliates to send letters to the German embassy or consulate in their countries, requesting the creation of such a Working Group. Germany is to host the G8 Summit this year. 
 
The ICEM strongly believes that such a Working Group is needed to guarantee that there is progress on prior G8 commitments, including achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment and care by 2010 and developing a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. The ICEM further believes that a more sustained political commitment and commitment of resources by the world&rsquo;s richest nations must occur to reverse the pandemic, which hits workers and their families in the developing world hardest. 
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Leadership: The World AIDS Day Theme for 2007 and 2008 
The theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008 is &ldquo;leadership&rdquo; This theme will be promoted with the campaign slogan &ldquo;Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise&rdquo;. 
 
Since the beginning of the epidemic, experience has clearly demonstrated that significant advances in the response to HIV/AIDS have been made when there is strong and committed leadership. Leadership must be demonstrated at every level to get ahead of the disease &ndash; in families, in communities, in trade unions, in countries and internationally. 
 
We have to start early. The ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator will keep affiliates informed on materials available and will give guidance on campaigning on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2007. 
 
We should also bear in mind that the leadership of ICEM affiliates will meet for the World Congress in Bangkok, 22 &ndash; 24 November, just one week before World AIDS Day. 
 
(Source: World AIDS Campaign website <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>) 
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Mining Sector the Focus at Ghana Health Conference 
 
The Ghana Health Conference brought together a wide range of private and public sector participants. The ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator was invited to speak at the roundtable on &ldquo;Mobilizing the Mining Industry in Ghana and West Africa&rdquo;. 
 
At the roundtable and in plenary sessions, he had several opportunities to intervene and emphasise the role of organised labour in workplace programmes and co-investments projects. 
 
He urged the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, a co-sponsor of the Conference, to set targets for the conclusion of workplace agreements with union participation in all mining companies in Ghana and West Africa by the end of 2007; to start massive VCT &ndash; Know Your Status Campaigns; to provide anti-retroviral treatment and to form public/private partnerships to bring HIV/AIDS services, including ART, to the wider community around mining sites. 
 
A major development in Ghana is the inclusion of a private sector representative in the Country Coordinating Mechanism. This development is an outcome of the joint ICEM/Global Fund mission to Ghana in May 2006. The Manager of the AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control Programme is a member of the CCM. A proposal for a public/private sector co-investment project for malaria is being prepared for Round 7 of the Global Fund. 
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ICEM Feasibility Study on HIV/AIDS Services in Mining Areas in Ghana 
While in Accra, the ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator also had an opportunity to discuss the recommendations and follow-up action to be taken of the recently completed feasibility study of HIV/AIDS services in Obuasi and Tarkwa, two major mining areas in Ghana where HIV prevalence rates are higher than the country&rsquo;s average. 
 
The study was prepared by the Credible Technical Forum, Accra, in cooperation with the Ghana Mineworkers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) and some major mining companies in order to identify gaps in HIV/AIDS services in these areas. Work will continue with the GMWU, companies and local health authorities to close these gaps. 
 
Priorities will be the conclusion of workplace policies where they do not yet exist, hiring of full-time HIV/AIDS coordinators, training of VCT counsellors and the extension of VCT and ART to those members of the community who are not able to secure this for themselves. 
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Thailand: Strategic Plan to Reduce HIV Prevalence among Youth 
Thailand&rsquo;s National AIDS Prevention and Control Committee recently approved a three-year plan to reduce the alarmingly increasing HIV cases among young people in the country. The plan will focus on educating youth about HIV prevention and promoting social values with the involvement of local civil society organisations. 
 
About 17,000 new HIV cases occur annually in Thailand, about half of them among young people aged between 18 and 19. 
 
(Source: Medical News Today, 23 April 2007, <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a>) 
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Bangladesh: Awareness for HIV/AIDS Prevention 
 
According to UNAIDS estimates, only 7,500 people are infected with the virus in Bangladesh. At a recent workshop, however, a warning was sounded that the number is on the rise. If hard measures are not taken now, HIV/AIDS could reach epidemic proportions in the country soon. 
 
The closeness to India and Thailand, two major HIV/AIDS afflicted countries, widespread poverty, illiteracy, high practice of pre and extra marital sex are reasons to spread awareness about prevention methods. Of great concern are also the large number of private blood banks without facilities for screening blood and the multiple use of syringes and needles. 
 
(Source: New Nation, Dhaka, online edition 29 April 2007, <a href="http://www.nation.ittefaq.com/">www.nation.ittefaq.com</a>) 
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Global Fund Board Meeting Makes Progress on Many Fronts 
At its meeting in Geneva at the end of April, the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria reached agreement on a number of issues. 
 
Board members agreed on a new Chair from the private sector (Rajah Gupta, formerly CEO of McKinsey &amp; Co); a new Vice-Chair from an African NGO (Elizabeth Mataka from Zambia); an ambitious new target for fundraising; a new concept that each grant should normally have one Principal Recipient from government and one from outside government; a new method whereby countries can obtain financial support for well-developed national strategies for tackling HIV/AIDS, TB or malaria; a new approach to appointing Local Fund Agents; and more. 
 
The Board recommended (but did not require) that, starting with Round 8, each proposal submitted to the Global Fund should specify both a government Principal Recipient (PR) and a non-government PR. The Fund refers to this concept as &quot;dual-track financing&quot;. If a proposal does not include both types of PR, it should contain an explanation for this. 
The Board noted that the possible benefits achieved through dual-track financing include increased absorption capacity (from taking full advantage of the implementation capacity of all domestic sectors, both governmental and non-governmental), accelerated implementation and performance of grants, and the strengthening of weaker sectors. 
 
The Board meeting took place just two days after Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, the Fund's new Executive Director, took office. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 75, 30 April 2007. GFO is a free service of Aidspan www.aidspan.org. To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>)
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News from the Global Union Programme and Global Union Federations 
The Steering and Advisory Committees of the Global Union AIDS Programme met in Geneva, 2 &ndash; 4 April to assess progress in the programme and discuss a work plan for 2007 and 2008. The meeting was addressed by Peter Piot, UNAIDS Executive Director and Sophia Kisting, Director of ILOAIDS. 
 
A delegation of the Steering Committee met the Director of External Affairs of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Christoph Benn, and its Civil Society Officer, Mick Mathews, to discuss the way forward for a greater involvement of workers organisations in Global Fund structures, such as the Board and national Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM). The delegation also met the focal point of the Global Business Coalition (GBC) at the Global Fund, Barbara Bulc. 
 
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (no. 18 and 19 of 1 and 15 April) the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) reports, among others, on efforts to develop an HIV vaccine, on increases in HIV infections in Korea and on producing more affordable antiretroviral drugs in Zimbabwe <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>. 
 
Education International (EI) has published an interview with Clementine Dehwe, the Global Union HIV/AIDS Coordinator, <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=455&amp;theme=hivaids&amp;country=global">http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=455&amp;theme=hivaids&amp;country=global</a>. EI launched its new website of the EFAIDS programme in April <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 20

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