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<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39"/>
The ICEM heralds a 20 July resolution by the Goodyear Tyre Makers’ Union in Thailand, part of ICEM affiliate Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Federation (PCFT), to actively recruit the growing number of fixed-term contract workers in the factory. The union’s resolution appeared the very next day on the Tyre Makers’ bulletin board inside the Goodyear-Thailand Ltd. plant in Bangkok. 
 
The union has recorded 120 workers thus far in 2009 with whom Goodyear has brought in as short-term contract employees. Most have had experience working at the tyre plant because, prior to 2009, they had been employed through a labour agency. Now they work side by side with regular workers doing the same jobs in the same production lines, such as sprays, pigments, trucking, apexing, timer, etc. 
 
Thai law, under the Industrial Relations Act of 1975, clearly states that where there is a collective agreement – such as at Goodyear Thailand Ltd. – management cannot hire workers on individual contracts unless wages, benefits, and conditions exceed the negotiated agreement. The 120 workers, many of whom are now working directly for Goodyear on 11-month contracts, are paid significantly less than the plant’s 600 regular workers. 
<img border="0" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Goodyearblogbanner.jpg" width="370" height="82"/>
The collective agreement between the Tyre Makers’ Union and Goodyear excludes workers performing work under definite terms of employment, which appears to counter the law. It should be noted that Goodyear’s decision to switch from a labour agency to fixed-term contract workers came about because a portion of the Labour Protection Act of 1998 was amended to facilitate this. But Goodyear has violated the spirit of that amendment by not improving the work conditions of the contract workers. Most are paid at the Thai minimum wage. 
 
Goodyear-Thailand has refused to consult with the union on any matters related to contract labour, and instead has persisted in defaming PCFT members who bring the company’s legal irregularities to light. Seventy-four permanent workers were sacked late in 2008, and the union has taken up cases on 62, with an Industrial Relations Court issuing unfair dismissals. But Goodyear has appealed the ruling. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Thailand.png" width="220" height="101"/>
Goodyear’s obstinacy over the contract labour issue is reminiscent of 2005-2006 when the union fought for, and mainly won, a case involving 18 contract workers in the warehouse. In November 2006, the Industrial Court made Goodyear pay up to ten years’ backpay to the workers. 
 
The ICEM commends the Tyre Makers’ Union and President Aukaphol Thongdeeleard and other trade unionists for continuing to press Goodyear on this issue, and especially with actively recruiting fixed-term workers into their ranks. The ICEM also encourages contract workers at Goodyear-Bangkok to stand up for themselves by actively joining the PCFT. 
 
Equal rights for contract and agency workers is ICEM’s theme this year for Day of Decent Work, 7 October, and activities of the Global Union Federation will centre on worksites in Thailand and Turkey. The situation at Goodyear in Thailand is an issue that all rubber workers must mobilise around; to support the solid work being done by the ICEM affiliate, particularly with the collective bargaining agreement up for renewal this month. 
 
The Tyre Makers’ Union at Goodyear-Thailand is also resisting a unilateral management policy that it maintains the right to dismiss any employee who has family members or relatives working for a rival company of Goodyear. Brother Aukaphol called it a violation of privacy rights and vowed the union will challenge the recent policy.

Contract Labour Issue Again Surfaces at Goodyear-Thailand Ltd.

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39"/>
A full season of biannual wage negotiations is nearly complete, following several fierce but short strikes in a handful of ICEM sectors. Other sectors, including public service and the construction trades witnessed raucous strikes in July. 
 
In mining, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) settled major gold and coal contracts covering 200,000 miners without strikes, while another ICEM affiliate, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers’ Union (CEPPWAWU) was forced to take industrial actions against companies in the chemicals, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, and fast Moving Consumer Goods in order to achieve wage objectives. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/SouthAfricaCEPPWAWU.gif" width="100" height="100"/>
One set of negotiations that remains contentious is in electricity, with ICEM affiliates NUM and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) poised to take protest and industrial actions this week against Eskom. The state-run utility, Africa’s largest electrical provider, and the unions are not far apart in negotiations, talks now being conducted by South Africa’s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCCM). 
 
The agency presented a mediated offer of 9.5%, but the unions, including a third one, seek an increase in housing allowances on top of a first-year 9.5% increase. Eskom has remained fixed on offering only 8%, but that is likely to change this week as industrial actions draw closer. Some 29,000 workers are employed at Eskom, with NUM representing 16,000 and NUMSA covering 5,000. On 5 August, the two unions held a joint strategy meeting and charted a common course of action for the coming days. It will start with a march and mobilisation scheduled for Thursday this week, 13 August. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/SouthafricaNUM.gif" width="100" height="103"/>
It is unclear what shape industrial actions will take against Eskom since, by law, the power generator and supplier is considered an essential service. A majority of workers at Eskom would be exempt from striking. But the unions are prepared to stretch the law in order to win fair wage gains. “Our workers are angry, they are very angry and they are prepared to get fired by Eskom if need be,” said NUM’s Eskom Chief Negotiator, Paris Mashego. 
 
Elsewhere in South Africa, wage discussions that now are complete show better than inflation gains. The Consumer Price Index had been 8% or higher during most of the second quarter, but dropped to 6.9% late in June. The rand has weakened of late, which should help the country’s export-oriented economy and the major hope is that the jobs situation will improve. 
 
CEPPWAWU used nine-day rolling strikes against several employers to win wage increases ranging from 8% to 10% for 45,000 workers. Companies that faced walkouts included industrial chemicals firms Sasol, Omnia, and Afrox; pulp and paper producers Sappi and Mondi; pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline, Pharma, and Indigo Cosmetics; and Fast Moving Consumer Goods, such as Unilever, Colgate, and Tiger Brands. Strikes lasted from 20 July to 29 July. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/SouthafricaNumsa100.jpg" width="100" height="102"/>
CEPPWAWU negotiates with industry associations or companies in ten separate areas, including petroleum, glass, sawmilling, tissue and allied, particle board, and Sasol Mines. In petroleum, a two-year accord was reached with such companies as BP, Shell, PetroSA, Engen, and Chevron’s Caltex without a strike. The agreement calls for a 9.5% increase effective 1 July, with another 0.5% hike coming in January 2010 that will be based in June 2009 wages. 
 
In 2010, petroleum workers will receive the South African inflation rate then, plus 1.5%. They will get another 0.5% increase in January 2011. 
 
A priority for CEPPWAWU in this set of talks was extending paid maternity leave, and abolition of labour brokers and upgrading jobs held by casual workers to permanent status. In pharmaceuticals, where 10% gains were realised, and in Fast Moving Consumer Goods, maternity leave was extended to six months, at 33% of pay. 
 
As for the NUM, the gold and coal contracts were concluded for the first time without dispute resolution involvement by the CCCM. On 28 July, NUM settled with the mining houses in both sectors. In gold, with AngloGold, Harmony, and Goldfields leading the way, miners will see 10.5% for lower-classified staff and 9% for those in the higher categories. In 2010, the increase will be inflation plus 1%, with a minimum increases of 7.5% guaranteed. 
 
In coal mining, where BHP Billiton, AngloAmerican, and Xstrata dominate, lower-tiered miners receive 11% retroactive to 1 July, with higher classified workers getting 9%. 
 
The NUM is in dispute with Murray and Roberts, a contract mining and construction services company, and with Two Rivers Platinum, jointly owned by African Rainbow Minerals and Impala Platinum. Talks with the major platinum producers are continuing. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/South%20Africa%20SAMWU.png" width="100" height="103"/>
Fierce strikes were waged by the NUM in mid-July against construction companies, specifically on the FIFA 2010 World Cup stadium, and by the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) late in July. Satisfactory wage terms were reached in both, ending the strikes. The Communications Workers Union (CWU) is still in dispute with several companies, including Telkom.

Eskom Strike Looms, But South African Pay Talks Wind Down

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on, among other items, the HIV/AIDS seminar in Mongolia and how the economic crisis affects prevention and treatment.
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
HIV/AIDS Workshop in Mongolia 
 
With funding from ICEM-JAF, Japan, the Taiwan Petroleum Workers’ Union, and the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project, the ICEM affiliate, the Mongolian Energy, Geology and Mine Workers’ Trade Unions (MEGMTU) organised an HIV/AIDS seminar in Ulaanbaatar from 10 to 12 August. Forty-five participants, of whom 17 were women, attended the seminar. The opening was also attended by representatives from the ILO and the Asian Development Bank, which has recently started an HIV/AIDS prevention project, focusing on infrastructure and the mining sector. 
 
Following up on the Tripartite Declaration on the prevention of HIV/AIDS at workplaces, signed in October 2007 by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour, the Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions (CMTU) and the Mongolian Employers’ Federation (MONEF), the seminar had the title “Development of Social Partner Cooperation to Prevent HIV/AIDS in the Mineral and Energy Sectors”. In line with the objectives of the seminar, representatives from government agencies and from MONEF also attended. 
 
As an outcome of working groups, participants made detailed recommendations concerning the improvement of legislation and HIV/AIDS interventions at national, industry and workplace level. The final declaration calls for tripartite cooperation at national level and bipartite cooperation at the workplace level with action-oriented programmes to be implemented. 
 
The prevalence rate in Mongolia is still low; UNAIDS estimates 820 cases. The objective is to keep it at this low rate, or push it to zero. Prevention is therefore the focus of HIV/AIDS work in Mongolia. Mining areas and also some energy projects are in remote areas. Workers are often separated from their families for a long time; they earn wages above the national industrial average and commercial sex workers are attracted to these areas. Foreign migrant workers are also employed. The present low prevalence rate therefore hides a potentially explosive situation. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
Disruption of Treatment Threatened by Global Economic Crisis 
 
In 22 countries, disruption of HIV prevention and treatment programmes is expected over the course of this year, as a result of the global economic crisis, according to a report by UNAIDS and the World Bank, released on 6 July. 
 
According to the report “The Global Economic Crisis and HIV Prevention and Treatment Programmes: Vulnerabilities and Impact”, eight countries are already facing shortages of antiretroviral drugs. Together, these countries are home to more than 60% of people receiving AIDS treatment. 
 
In 34 countries, representing 75% of people living with HIV, there is already an impact on HIV prevention programmes, focusing on high-risk groups. Furthermore, the report suggests that poor nutrition because of reduced incomes and rising unemployment could also influence the effectiveness of ARV drugs. Community networks, which often are the only social safety net for the poor, are also being crippled by the financial crisis. 
 
While there are no reports of substantial cuts in donor assistance for 2009, there is concern that financial sustainability of antiretroviral treatment programmes that depend mainly on external aid is uncertain. 
 
(Source: Press Release UNIADS, 6 July. The report can be accessed at <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>) 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
SWHAP Network Meets on Economic Crisis 
 
The economic crisis was also the focus of the South Africa Network workshop of the Swedish Workplace HIV and AIDS Programme (SWHAP). Twenty-eight coordinators from 11 workplaces discussed the implications of the economic crisis and how workplace programmes on HIV and AIDS, as well as wellness programmes, could cope with the financial stress they are currently experiencing. 
 
Participants also discussed how health workers and lay counsellors in the programme can be empowered with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to ensure effective adherence to treatment by workers. ICEM HIV/AIDS Project Management Assistant, Paule Ndessomin, attended the meeting in Johannesburg. 
 
(Source: Information on the SWHAP website <a href="http://www.swhap.org">www.swhap.org</a>) 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
Ethiopia: Nurses are Empowered to Boost ARV Treatment 
 
Facing mounting difficulties in bringing antiretroviral drugs to people living with HIV and AIDS who need them, the Ethiopian Government has given nurses the authority to prescribe and supervise ARV therapy. This will expand access to treatment, especially in rural areas where there are few doctors. The number of clinics staffed by nurses trained to dispense the drugs will increase from 400 to 1,300 over the next three years with help from the Global Fund. 
 
About 370,000 of the 1.1 million Ethiopians with HIV/AIDS need ARVs but only 120,000 are getting the medication. Ethiopia hopes to more than double that number to meet the United Nations Millennium Goal of having 80 percent receiving treatment by 2010. 
 
The target is ambitious. Half the children under five years old are chronically malnourished and almost 40 percent of the 85 million population live below the poverty line, but the biggest hurdles are training and keeping enough doctors to distribute the drugs, bringing health services to the 80 percent of the population who live in the countryside, and making the programme self-supporting, should money from the donors dry up. Poor pay and difficult working conditions have driven many health professionals to seek higher-paid jobs abroad. 
 
(Source: IRIN PlusNews, 7 August) 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
Namibia: Court Case Highlights Workers’ Rights 
 
An out-of-court settlement was reached in the case of the Namibian hotel workers (see <a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS/3322-ICEM-HIV-AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-46-July-2009" type="internal">HIV/AIDS e-bulletin no. 46, July 2009</a>). The workers had fought a nine-year legal battle after being tested without their consent, and for having their confidentiality breached by their employer, the Oshakati Country Lodge. They settled for monetary compensation before the case was heard in court. 
 
While a court case would have set precedents, the Legal Assistance Centre in Namibia nevertheless managed to re-emphasise fundamental principles during the drawn-out case, such as: no testing without informed consent, and maintenance of confidentiality. 
 
(Source: Additional information provided by Robert E. Lovelace, Washington) 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
AIDSPAN Releases Beginners’ Guide to the Global Fund 
 
Aidspan has released a new guide, designed to provide a broad introduction to the Global Fund for people who have little or no prior experience of the Fund. A Beginner’s Guide to the Global Fund will be of interest to a wide range of people. 
 
A Beginner’s Guide to the Global Fund comes in three versions: the full guide (about 60 pages), an eight-page summary and a two-page summary. All three versions are available in English at <a href="http://www.aidspan.org/guides">www.aidspan.org/guides</a>. French-, Spanish- and Russian-language editions of all three versions will be available by early September 2009 at the same site. The full version of the guide contains numerous links to the websites of the Global Fund and Aidspan, for people who need in-depth information. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 105, 28 July. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>). To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. 
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
News from the Global Union Federations 
 
The fortnightly HIV/AIDS updates of 1 and 15 July of the International Transport Workers’ Federation report, among others, on the integration of HIV/AIDS in ITF Inspectors’ seminars, and the progress of the US Government to end its longstanding ban on HIV positive visitors and migrants. (<a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>). 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/image_aids_ribbon.gif" width="40" height="40"/>
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter – How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 47 August/September 2009

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39"/>
ICEM affiliate, Union Sindical Obrera de la Industria del Petroleo (USO), has been negotiating a new collective agreement with state-owned Ecopetrol. The period of negotiation was extended by 20 days and ended on Saturday, 22 August. The negotiators worked continuously for the final 24 hours of the 40 day talks. Agreement was reached on a new collective agreement for the period 2009-2014, and will be backdated from 1 July 2009. The agreement will apply to all Ecopetrol employees, as well as those employed by contractors working on Ecopetrol projects. 
 
Major demands of the union were health care for the families of temporary workers, the reinstatement of workers who had lost their jobs due to trade union activities, opposition to US military bases in the country, an increased wage scale, the recognition of a conventional wage for all activities of industry, employment regulations in Ecopetrol, and issues of trade union and human rights. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0908.uso.jpg" width="290" height="140"/>
The agreement satisfies USO’s demands on health, education, and housing, as well as on occupational health. Families of temporary workers will receive health care from the company, on the condition that they have been employed for a minimum period of six months. 
 
Considerable wage gains were achieved, with base salaries rising by between 6.87% and 18.74%, depending on the worker’s category. All salaries will then rise incrementally, by around 1% per year, for the remaining five years of the agreement. 
 
Another proposed article in the collective agreement sought support from the company for sport and recreation of workers and their families. Funding should be provided by management towards clubs and societies, with 80% of membership fees subsidized by Ecopetrol. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Colombia.png" width="250" height="115"/>
The union was eager to seek a collective agreement to solve the conflict, but the message from the USO leadership was clear: “If there is no agreement, there will be no production,” said Moises Baron Cardenas, President of USO Barrancabermeja. 
 
As reported by the ICEM in InBrief 135, the early days of the negotiation process were marred by violence and intimidation. On Thursday, 17 July, riot police attacked workers at the Barrancabermeja refinery with tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun bombs, seriously injuring three workers. Police arrested two workers. The attack occurred two days after the start of the negotiations; USO suspended the meeting to focus on treating the injured and securing the release of detainees. USO President Germán Osman condemned the attack.

Colombian Oil Workers Union, USO, Reach New Agreement with Ecopetrol

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39"/>
Slovakia declared 11-12 August a period of national mourning, after 20 miners died in an underground explosion in the town of Handlova, central Slovakia. It was the worst mining disaster in the country’s history. 
 
All state institutions flew the nation’s flag at half mast, starting at 08h00 on 11 August until 08h00 12 August following the 10 August mine blast at the Hornonitrianske Banke Mining Company’s lignite coal mine. A public memorial for the departed miners was held on 20 August in Handlova. 
 
Hornonitrianske Banke Prievidza is Slovakia's top brown coal producer, supplying fuel to the nearby Novaky heating plant. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Slovakia.png" width="185" height="188"/>
Recovery teams continued last week to search for the bodies of the fallen mineworkers, however finding survivors was impossible not a possibility. The mine’s Director, Peter Cicmanec, stated that heat caused by the blast, and the high concentration of poisonous gases, put it beyond doubt that any of the missing miners would still be alive. 
 
Cicmanec has been criticised inside Slovakia for not making public condolences on the mine tragedy until the memorial service last week. 
 
The disaster was caused by a methane gas explosion, 330 metres underground, at around 09h30 on 10 August. Several of the deceased were fire fighters, who were in the shaft to put out small fires of self-igniting coal. The gases had been left in the shaft by previous “imperfect combustion.” 
 
Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek stated that nine workers were recovered from the mine and treated in a local hospital on Monday. 
 
Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, has promised financial aid to the families of the victims in the amount of €33,000. He has also ordered an independent investigation into the cause of the accident. 
 
The mine produces 2.2 million tonnes of lignite per year and Hornonitrianske Banke Prievidza has plans to open new mines in the region after the discovery of deposits of some 7.2 million tonnes. 
 
A total of 445 people have lost their lives in the mines surrounding Handlova since 1915. But over the past 17 years, only 12 have died.

Slovakia Holds National Days of Mourning Following Mine Tragedy

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Young trade unionists around the world marked International Youth Day, on 12 August, around the theme, “Sustainability: Our Challenge, Our Future.” As young workers struggle everywhere for the right to have sustainable, decent, green jobs, the days was marked as such. 
 
The youth of the international labour movement are focusing more and more on the issue of sustainable jobs in the face of climate change. Climate change is the cause of increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, of the loss of biodiversity, of the future’s food and water supplies, diseases, and employment. These impacts will hit the poor and vulnerable hardest. 

<img src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMsustdev.JPG" width="150" height="142" alt=""/>
The voice of the International Trade Union Congress (ITUC) Youth Committee called for intra and inter-generational solidarity in solving climate change. Measures must be taken to move more quickly towards a low-carbon economy. Young trade unionists want to be part of the solution for a fairer, environmentally responsible society, one that respects trade union rights. 
 
Organisers of the International Youth Day stressed the need to support and assist the most vulnerable, and the need to build a sustainable green economy that creates new jobs that combat social inequalities and environmental damage.

Global Labour Celebrates International Youth Day, 12 August

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39"/>
The struggle continues for trade union rights for contract workers at Colombia’s vast mining complex, Carbones del Cerrejón. ICEM mining affiliate Sintracarbón has been fighting to organize the contract workers at the mine. 
 
Following the successful organization of mechanics and machinists of the company Chaneme at Cerrejón in November (see InBrief No. 144 <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/" type="internal">here</a>), the new union Sintrachaneme was formed and recognized by Chaneme. Since, the company has refused to discuss even the slightest improvements to salaries and working conditions with either Sintrachaneme or Sintracarbón. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ColombiaSintracarbon.jpg" width="100" height="108"/>
A second union of contract workers under Sintracarbón’s guidance, Sintrans, representing transport workers of the Sotrans company, has seen that employer refuse to recognise the union or to consider any of the bus drivers’ demands. In fact, the sacking of union activists among bus drivers has brought fear and reluctance by workers to engage in union activity. 
 
Sintracarbón, with the full support of ICEM, is focusing efforts towards the consolidation of Sintrachaneme and pressuring the mechanical maintenance contractor to accept the demands of workers. International support is important in the push for a collective agreement between Chaneme and its 300 staff, an accord that will guarantee the existence of the union. 
 
“The Chaneme management, Carbones de Cerrejón management, and the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection must all commit to the process,” said Sintracarbón representative Jaime Deluquez. 

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Since workers of Chaneme and Sotrans at Cerrejón took the step to organize, they have suffered a campaign of harassment and persecution from employers. Sintracarbón, consisting of 3,500 direct employed miners at Cerrejón, has denounced complicity by their employer of denial of work rights by contractors, saying Carbones del Cerrejón has “turned a blind eye to the abuses.” 
 
Harassment has included workers being visited at home, with threats of dismissal or offers of perks in return for loyalty to the contractors and a turn against the newly-formed unions. 
 
Cerrejón management is also criticised by its mining workforce for applying double standards, claiming on the one hand that it respects human and trade union rights with rhetoric that it support the free association into unions of workers of contractors, while working covertly with the contractors and units of government to destroy the trade union organization process. 
 
These abuses of the right of association and collective bargaining contravene national law, the Colombian Constitution, and ILO Conventions 87 and 98, ratified by Colombia. 
 
An ICEM Project on Social Dialogue, organized by Colombian Coordinator Carlos Bustos and counting Carbones del Cerrejón as a participant, has achieved exemplary results. The multinational companies holding stakes in one of the world’s largest open-cast coal mining operations – Xstrata, AngloAmerican, and BHP Billiton – must now prove that a commitment to the Social Dialogue Project and to global labour standards is genuine by stepping forward to defend the rights of outsourced workers at its mining operation in La Guajira department in northeastern Colombia.

Union, Contract Workers Continue Fight for Work Rights at Cerrejón in Colombia

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the new ICEM HIV/AIDS Project, on project work with other sponsors, and on forthcoming events in 2010. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
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New SASK/FNV-sponsored HIV/AIDS Project 
 
Agreement was reached with the Solidarity Support Organisations SASK (the Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland) and FNV-Mondiaal of the Netherlands for a new HIV/AIDS project running for three years from 2010 to 2012. 
 
The project will allow the ICEM and its affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa to build on the experience of five years HIV/AIDS project work and intensify activities in a number of countries, as well as continue regional and sub-regional work in Africa. 
 
Special emphasis in the project will be on the training of peer educators/lay counsellors from affiliates to advocate voluntary counselling and testing and counsel on treatment and care, as well as on the conclusion of HIV/AIDS workplace policies and HIV/AIDS clauses in collective bargaining agreements. 
 
The project will be coordinated from the ICEM Johannesburg Project Office with a consultant based in Geneva. 

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Sponsors Continue ICEM HIV/AIDS Projects 
 
Several other HIV/AIDS projects will continue in 2010. The Women’s Department of ICEM’s German affiliate, IGBCE, is sponsoring the successful campaigning and advocacy project in Tanzania, in cooperation with ICEM affiliates TAMICO and TUICO. The Humanity Fund of ICEM Canadian affiliate, the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers (CEP) Union, is supporting the second phase of the HIV/AIDS programme in Trinidad and Tobago in cooperation with ICEM-affiliated Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU). Negotiations are underway to extend the very successful HIV/AIDS project in India, which was sponsored by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, and to initiate a new project in Jordan with support from the Norwegian affiliate Industri-Energi (IE). 
 
The HIV/AIDS project sponsored by the Danish Solidarity Support Organisation, LO/FTF Council, in cooperation with the Ethiopian affiliate, the National Industrial Federation of Energy, Chemical, and Mine Trade Unions (NIFECM), will be running until the end of 2011. 
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A Successful Year in Nigeria 
 
The HIV/AIDS project in Nigeria, jointly sponsored by the Humanity Fund of the Canadian CEP Union, the ICEM HIV/AIDS project, and Nigerian affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN, has been particularly successful. 
 
Almost 8,000 workers and members of the community were mobilised for awareness meetings in a six-month period in 2009. Well over 2,000 agreed to be tested. This number would have been much higher if counsellors had not been limited in the number of people they can counsel in a day. The project also demonstrated how far good cooperation with the business sector can go, since the Nigeria Business Coalition against AIDS (NIBUCCA) provided mobile testing units. 
 
Training of project staff was facilitated by USAID and training of union officials and members was sponsored by SMARTWork, which also provided funding for a project office and for the salaries of three staff members. 

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HIV/AIDS Events in 2010 
 
Important HIV/AIDS events will take place in 2010. The 18th International AIDS Conference, a major biannual event, will take place in Vienna, Austria, from 18 to 23 July. The theme of the Conference is “Right Here, Right Now,” and the conference will emphasise the importance of protecting and promoting human rights as a prerequisite to a successful response to HIV and AIDS. 
 
The G8/G20 Meeting in Huntsville, Canada, just outside of Toronto will test the commitment of the world’s leaders to universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support which, they had pledged to achieve by this year. 
 
At the 99th Session of the International Labour Conference in June in Geneva, the second reading and likely adoption of a new ILO instrument on HIV/AIDS and the world of work will take place. 
 
For the Global Fund, 2010 is a key year with the 3rd Replenishment Meeting taking place in the Netherlands in March. The meeting will determine the amount of funding governments will pledge for the years 2011 to 2013. 

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US Commits US$1.05 Billion to Global Fund 
 
US President Barack Obama signed a spending bill for the 2010 fiscal year that includes a US$1.05 billion appropriation for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This is the largest sum ever committed by one country to the Global Fund in a single year. 
 
With this amount, the Global Fund is closer to meeting the demand for financing Round 9 grants worth US$2.4 billion over two years. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release of 18 December 2009) 

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Asia Close to Winning AIDS Treatment Battle 
 
The departing head of the UNAIDS Programme in the Asia-Pacific Region, Prasada Rao, said that the region is within three years of winning the battle against the AIDS pandemic. Increased treatment coverage and prevention programmes are turning the tide against AIDS. 
 
In Thailand and Cambodia, treatment coverage has reached almost 90%. In India, 50% get treatment, but in China and Burma the number stands at only 30 to 35%. This puts the region on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the epidemic by 2015. 
 
However, access in remote areas in China and India, disrupted AIDS programmes in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and sharp rises in prevalence rates in Indonesia’s Papua province and neighbouring Papua New Guinea leave millions at risk. 
 
(Source: World AIDS Campaign website, accessed on 7 January) 

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Zambia: HIV Testing Services Missing the Mark 
 
Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) services form a critical opportunity to provide risk reduction counselling and HIV prevention information. According to a report by Private Sector Partnerships-One, VCT services in Zambia are squandering this opportunity to reach clients with information about how to reduce their HIV risk. 
 
The study found that although condom use was emphasised only one in three clients received counselling on reducing their number of sexual partners and even fewer were advised on how to disclose their HIV test results to partners. The research also found that VCT services were mainly accessed by the most educated segments of the population and were largely failing to reach those who have no or only primary school education. 
 
Zambia has a prevalence rate of 14.3% but the infection rate is as high as 20% in some urban areas. 
 
(Source: IRIN PlusNews, 5 January) 

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Travel Restrictions Based on HIV Status Lifted 
 
The UN, UNAIDS and HIV/AIDS organisations all over the world welcomed the elimination of travel restrictions based on the HIV status of a person by the US and the Republic of Korea. The US policy change was announced by President Barack Obama in October 2009 (see <a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS/3492-ICEM-HIV-AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-50-November-2009" type="internal">ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 50</a> of November 2009). 
 
Some 57 countries still have some form of restrictions on entry, stay, and residence based on the HIV status of a person. UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé called for freedom of movement for people living with HIV in 2010, the year when global leaders have committed to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support. 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Statement, 4 January) 

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Global Fund Board Addresses Risks of Treatment Disruptions 
 
The Global Fund is taking action to minimise the risk of treatment disruptions arising from interruptions in Global Fund financing and from weaknesses in country-level procurement and supply management systems. 
 
Inadequate stock management and poor state of medical warehouses, non-transparent procurement and late submission of disbursement requests are among the reasons which contribute to the danger of treatment disruptions. 
 
A report of the Portfolio and Implementation Committee to the Global Fund Board contains detailed measures to prevent treatment disruptions, which are a death sentence to people on anti-retroviral drugs. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 113 of 18 December. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>); 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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TAC Receives FES Human Rights Award 
 
On 10 December, Human Rights Day, Germany’s Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) awarded its Human Rights Prize to the South African Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). TAC has been in the forefront to advocate better HIV/AIDS services and fight for treatment in South Africa. 
 
(Source: News from the FES, 14 December) 

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SWHAP Conference: Business Combating HIV/AIDS 
 
The Swedish Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme (SWHAP) organised a major conference in Stockholm on World AIDS Day, 1 December, on the role of the world of work in combating HIV/AIDS. Close to 100 representatives from business and trade unions in sub-Saharan Africa and from Swedish companies and unions took part in the event. It was co-organised with the ILO. 
 
In this occasion, Atlas Copco South Africa was awarded the SWHAP 2009 Achievement Award for its commitment and support of HIV/AIDS workplace programmes since 2003. 
 
(Source: SWHAP Newsletter December 2009) 

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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter – 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 “subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin” in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 52, January 2010

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The ICEM reported <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3571-Safety-Benefits-Won-by-Iraqi-Leather-Workers-after-53-Day-Strike" type="internal">here</a> of the successful leather workers’ strike that concluded in December in Iraq, a strike that spawned a shorter strike in the clothing and textile sector in the Baghdad area. Both workers’ units come under the Federation of Workers’ Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI), a national labour centre that counts two ICEM affiliates to its rolls. 
 
In January, the Ministry of Industries has retaliated by predictably reverting to something that other Iraqi ministries have done: It has taken the leader of the textile strike, FWCUI President Falah Alwan, and transferred him from a Cotton Industry enterprise, under the State Company for Textiles, to another enterprise in order to suppress his union activities. 

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Falah Alwan
The ICEM condemns this action and urges trade unionists and human rights activists globally to protest. The ICEM notes that global protests in the past produced reversals for other Iraqi trade unionists who were exiled for trade union building, including port workers of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) in Um Asr and eight leaders of ICEM-affiliated Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) in the Basra area. 
 
Please send an e-mail in your own words to Minister of Industry and Minerals, Fawzi Hariri, <a href="mailto:minister.office@industry.gov.iq">here</a> and <a href="mailto:minister@industry.gov.iq">here</a>, and copy the State Company for Textiles <a href="mailto:textile@industry.gov.iq">here</a>. 
 
Trade unions in Iraq are under constant pressure, considering neither the occupation forces nor the Iraqi government has lifted the draconian Saddam era Decree150 that prohibits independent unions from existing in the all-encompassing public sector. The Iraqi government has also failed to pass into law a meaningful labour code, a set of fair and universally accepted statutes that have been drawn up by Iraqis with assistance from experts at the ILO.

Iraqi Government Reprimands Falah Alwan by Exiling His Work Posting

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Hashmeya Muhssin Saadawi, ICEM Executive Committee member and President of the Basra Electricity Workers’ Union, has long been fighting for the rights and welfare of women, as well as for men, in Basra, Iraq, for many years. She has now launched a campaign inside the worn-torn country for social security, a campaign funded in large part by money awarded to her upon winning the Dutch Human Rights Award, the FNV’s prestigious Febe Elisabeth Velasquez Trade Union Award. 

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Hashmeya Muhssin Saadawi
She was awarded that on 12 May 2009, after being nominated by the ICEM, for her courageous work under challenging circumstances and great personal risks, in the furthering of the trade union struggle in Iraq. (See report of that award <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3218-Dutch-FNV-Trade-Union-Award-to-Goes-to-Iraq’s-Hashmeyia-Muhsin-Saadawi " type="internal">here</a>.) 
 
The elements of the social security campaign are equality and social equality, as well as security, social security, work, housing, and education. Land needs to be redistributed, health insurance has to be provided, and cures for different diseases have to be found. Click <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/denicezelmalombard/IraqSocialSecurity#">here</a> to view the campaign manual in English.  
 
Hasmeya Muhssin is the first female trade union leader in the Arab-speaking world.

Hashmeya Muhssin Launches Social Security Campaign in Iraq

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