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<img height="39" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100"/>
Find this article in Arabic <a href="/index.php?id=78&la=EN&doc=2994" type="internal">here</a>.
The first cargo plane full of humanitarian supplies for the people of Gaza landed last week, 8 January, at Al-Areesh, Egypt, courtesy of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). Both the ITF and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are actively engaged in trade union relief operations to deliver food, water, and medical assistance to Gaza, following nearly three weeks bombing by Israel.
The supplies, collected from transport trade unions and other across the Middle East, were passed to the Red Crescent in Gaza. ITF Representative for the Arab World, Bilal Malkawi, also chief leader of Jordan’s General Trade Union of Workers in Air Transport and Tourism, supervised a cargo that included mostly vital medical supplies purchased by the ITF. 

<img height="141" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/PalestinePGFTU.jpg" width="130"/>
Bilal Malkawi was aboard the aircraft as it landed in Egypt late last week. The ITF-affiliated union has headed up the collection of essential supplies that were transported on Royal Jordanian planes, donated by the airline for the cause. Further relief flights will follow. 
 
“We hope that this will be the first of several mercy flights carrying humanitarian supplies,” said ITF General Secretary David Cockroft. “Vital though these medical supplies are, they do not lessen in any way the need for an immediate cease fire in Gaza.” 

<img height="90" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/PalestineFlag.gif" width="150"/>
The ICEM called for an immediate cease fire in a statement issued on 31 December. “The loss of innocent Palestinian lives is deplorable, and an immediate and fully respected ceasefire by both Israel and Hamas is now clearly the only way forward,” the ICEM statement read.  
 
Labour groups worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, have condemned Israel’s disproportionate attacks on Gaza. Late last week, the ICEM-affiliated General Trade Union of Public Utilities of Egypt issued a call for the international community “to exercise and exert pressure on Israel to bring an end to Palestinian suffering, and to stop the violent and atrocious aggression on the armless people of Gaza.” 

<img height="95" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ITUC100.jpg" width="100"/>
The ITUC is working in cooperation with national labour centres in Palestine and Jordan (the PGFTU and GFJTU) to bring trade union aid for Gaza’s citizens. The ITUC has set up an account called “Trade Union Aid for Gaza.” Information on bank transfer donations can call +32 2 224 0211 for information. 
 
Union wishing to contribute to the ITF, Jordanian Air Transport Workers Union efforts can do so by contacting Bilal at <a href="mailto:malkaw_bilal@itf.org.uk">malkaw_bilal@itf.org.uk</a>.

Relief Aid Begins Reaching Gaza through ITF and ITUC Efforts

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A comprehensive study entitled “Temporary Agency Work and Collective Bargaining in the EU” expertly lays out the many differences in the 27-member union on laws and regulations, the broad shapes temporary work takes from country to country, and collects vital collective bargaining data on an issue that is the world’s biggest threat to decent work. 
 
The study was compiled by surveying 28 national labour centres last March. It was done by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). The research was done by Eurofound’s European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO). 
 
The 48-page study can be found in pdf <a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/docs/eiro/tn0807019s/tn0807019s.pdf">here</a>. 
The study charts agency work growth, country by country, from 2004 to 2007, both in numbers of workers and in revenue growth and it also graphs male, female ratios, and percentages in young and old workers. 

<img height="79" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/EUflag.jpg" width="120"/>
Regarding laws relating to agency work, the study includes Norway’s 1977 Work Environment Law as the earliest statute on the books in greater Europe. The late 1980s witnessed Belgium, Austria, and Portugal adopting statutes. Eurofound’s study finds that today, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta are without clear legal frameworks. 
 
In Bulgaria, trade unions and businesses have sought a legal remedy for the triangular employment relationship, but disagreements on content in any proposed law has prevented passage both in 2006 and 2008. In Estonia and Lithuania, legislation is non-existent but there are licensing systems for agency labour firms. The study also points out that in Denmark, uniquely, strict regulation occurs inside the social dialogue process. The Danish model is considered by many to be the most evolved. 
 
In late October 2008, the European Parliament passed the Directive on Temporary Agency Work, premised on the principle of equal treatment for temporary workers. “Temporary Agency Work and Collective Bargaining in the EU’s” value, clearly, can be found in the fact that this Directive allows countries to have exemptions or derogations, specifically with collective bargaining and social dialogue between partners. 
 
The study cites 10 countries that have umbrella employer associations which bargain collectively with trade unions on behalf of temp agency firms. All 10 are original EU member states. The study also says that, nearly without exception, there is not any role defined for collective bargaining in regulating temp work in the new member states. 
 
The survey of labour organisations cites 10 countries with having estimates of trade union density for agency workers. It ranges from Denmark (50%) and Finland (44%), to Slovenia (0.18%), France (0.9%), Italy (1.4-1.7%), to Austria and Luxembourg (5% each), and the Netherlands (17%). In Sweden, a difference is noted between white-collar (17%) and blue-collar (50%), the latter figure, the study says, “might reflect higher exposure to trade unions in the user companies.” 
 
The study notes that the CGT in France was the earliest to sign a collective agreement with a temp firm – Manpower in 1968 – and that all three Italian trade union organisations (CGIL, CISL, UIL) established, in the late 1990s, internal units to represent temporary workers. It says the trend now in most countries is for agency workers to join the trade union closest to their sector or job. 
The study contains scores of useful pieces of information, best characterising the broad effects the issue paints across all worklife in EU countries. In Austria and Germany, for instance, agency work is found more often in the blue-collar jobs of metalworking and manufacturing. In Finland, some two-thirds of agency workers are employed by firms for less than a year, with an average assignment of 94 days. In Denmark, 13% of the government’s “work and stay” permissions since 2004 have been granted to east Europeans hired through labour agencies. Temporary workers in France have the shortest average work lengths, 1.9 weeks, while in the UK, one in five agency workers have been on a single job for an average of 18 months. 
 
Eurofound’s 2008 study compilation, done by its EIRO research arm, is a valuable document in terms of developing a substantive view on the effects and proliferation of agency labour in Europe.

Temp Agency Work in EU Clearly Defined in Eurofound Study

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the changes in the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009, on the sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and on the latest report from PEPFAR.
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 
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The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009 
 
While the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project will continue in 2009, the management of the project will undergo some changes. The assignment of the Global Coordinator ended on 31 December 2008. During the transition year 2009, he will work as a part-time consultant. The management of regional and national activities in Africa has been fully transferred to the project office in Johannesburg. 
 
The project team and national coordinators have worked hard to achieve concrete results in HIV/AIDS interventions at the workplace over the past four years. We have seen successes and we have had some disappointments. We must build on our achievements. Some countries and ICEM affiliates have emerged as champions and must lead those who have yet to live up to their commitments. 
 
In some countries, steps forward have been made towards sustainability because the leadership sees HIV/AIDS as a union issue and because working relations have been established with organisations which can give technical and material assistance. 
While it is important to achieve universal access, the fight against the pandemic cannot be won by putting more people on treatment alone. When there are five new HIV infections for every two people put on treatment, the importance of prevention is obvious. We have used the workplace as an entry point for prevention measures, and for our advocacy for voluntary counselling and testing. The ICEM has focused its efforts on the workers, their families, and the larger community. 
 
We will continue to do so in 2009 with national programmes in sub-Saharan African countries and sub-regional workshops in Africa, with funding from the LO/TCO and FNV Mondiaal, and new or expanded projects in India with sponsorship from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. In Tanzania, with the help of the German affiliate IGBCE, in Trinidad and Tobago, with assistance from the Humanity Fund of ICEM’s Canadian affiliate CEP, and in Mongolia with the support from Japanese UI Zensen and TPWU of Taiwan, our project work will be expanded. 
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ICEM Sub-regional HIV/AIDS Review Workshop in Abidjan
Unionists from Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mali came together in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, from 15-17 December 2008 for a sub-regional workshop to review progress in their HIV/AIDS work. Working groups dealt with constraints in their HIV/AIDS work and possible solutions; considered new proposals; discussed the role of women and young workers and argued in favour of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in all union activities; and explored the idea of making HIV/AIDS an organising tool for unions. 
 
Above all, participants discussed future sustainability in view of the expiry of the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project. While funding from employers and national and international organisations, and cooperation with NGOs and faith-based organisations are all important, commitment by union leadership is crucial in the fight against the pandemic. This was demonstrated by the active participation of the General Secretaries of the three ICEM affiliates in Côte d’Ivoire in the workshop. Unions should also develop technical competence in proposal writing and project management. 
 
Presentations on HIV/AIDS workplace policies, the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, workers’ rights and the companies’ response were made by representatives of government agencies, NGOs and CECI, the business coalition in Côte d’Ivoire to fight HIV/AIDS. 
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Assessment Missions Completed
As reported in previous e-bulletins, a series of assessment missions was undertaken in all sub-Saharan project countries. These were successfully completed in November and December with missions to Tanzania by the Project Management Assistant, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the Coordinator in Côte d’Ivoire, and to Côte d’Ivoire by the Global Coordinator. 
 
These assessment missions have become an important tool in the ICEM’s HIV/AIDS work. The conclusions of all mission reports reveal the strength and weaknesses in the different countries and allow for more focussed interventions in the 2009 programme. This has also been facilitated by the three sub-regional review workshops. 
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ICEM Affiliates and World AIDS Day
More reports have come in from affiliates on their activities on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2008. SITRAPEQUIA, the union organising petroleum and chemical workers in Costa Rica, organised a day of action with its own flyer and information material from UNAIDS. 
 
In India, World AIDS Day activities were lead by master trainers and peer educators trained under the workplace project of the Indian affiliates and the ICEM, with support from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Large rallies were organised in Dhanbad, Korba, and Indore on this occasion in India. Exhibitions on HIV/AIDS with photographs, banners and campaign material were also put up. 

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Namibia: Assessment of Chamber of Mines Programme 
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project funded an assessment of the Occupational Health Education and Awareness Programme (OHEAP) of the Chamber of Mines in Namibia. OHEAP includes a strong HIV/AIDS component. The report, prepared by the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), was finalised in December 2008. 
 
One of the objectives of this assessment was also to foster more cooperation on HIV/AIDS activities between the Chamber of Mines and ICEM-affiliated Mineworkers’ Union of Namibia (MUN), which also contributed funding towards the assessment. The report shows, among other items, that despite good intentions, HIV/AIDS interventions were often not as effective as it could have been with better communication and more involvement of shop stewards and the union in general. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="40"/>
African AIDS Conference 
The 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 3-7 December 2008. The ILO organised sessions with a range of UN, donor, and NGO partners and presented good practices from public and private sector workplaces. 
 
The leader of the ILO delegation, Executive Director of the Social Protection Sector, Assane Diop, emphasised that prevention remains the real tool to respond to the HIV epidemic. “There needs to be more access to prevention and treatment,” he said, adding, “We have many examples of how the world of work provides information and delivers a range of services.” 
 
The ICEM was represented at ICASA by the Coordinator for Côte d’Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
(Source: ILO/AIDS website) 

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Latest PEPFAR Results
In 2003, former US President Bush launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The latest report to the US Congress states that US$18.8 billion were provided in HIV/AIDS funding. The report states that more than two million people were put on treatment in the 15 focus countries; that care was supported for more than 10 million people worldwide; and that community outreach programmes, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and condom distribution has prevented millions of new infections. 
 
The US Congress has authorised up to US$48 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria over the next five years. While the PEPFAR Coordinator has been asked to stay on temporarily, it is hoped that the Obama administration will break with the emphasis on abstinence and favour a broader spectrum of HIV prevention strategies. 
 
PEPFAR was conceived as a public/private partnership with buy-ins from the private sector. From the beginning, programmes have tilted towards business, not least because trade unions have yet to assert their role as workplace partners with credible programmes. The report specifically states that “PEPFAR also remains dedicated to expanding workplace programs that provide HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.” 
With a more favourable political environment in Washington, the ball is now in the unions’ court. 
 
(Source: Information from Robert E. Lovelace, Consultant to the Global Union AIDS Programme and website <a href="http://www.pepfar.gov">www.pepfar.gov</a> where the report and a fact sheet can be found) 
<img height="57" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="40"/>
TUC Launches Projects to Combat HIV/AIDS
To coincide with World AIDS Day, the UK’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) launched two new projects in Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the stigma and discrimination associated with it. TUC Aid – the development arm of the UK trade unions – will be assisting the Timber Workers’ Union in Ghana and the national centre, National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTC), in Uganda. 
 
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, “We will help unions in Ghana and Uganda help their members by making the workplace the frontline in the battle against the AIDS pandemic. Workplaces have the infrastructure for training and education campaigns on HIV/AIDS and – where unions are recognised – can help to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.” 
 
(Source: TUC Press Release, 28 November 2008) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="40"/>
Colombia: Most Vulnerable Fall Through Health System Gaps
Although the Colombian government mandates that private health companies provide essential services, including those related to HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention, many have refused to comply. The UNAIDS Country Coordinator said that companies receive federal funding, but are not using it to do interventions. There is no national HIV prevention strategy or budget to target high-risk groups – such as men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, and displaced people. 
 
According to UNAIDS estimates, about 170,000 people in Colombia are living with HIV/AIDS. The testing rate is very low. Of the 25,000 people who have tested and found in need of treatment, around 18,000 are currently accessing treatment. 
 
(Source: IRIN, 12 January 2009, as reported in Medical News Today, 15 January) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="40"/>
New UNAIDS Executive Director
Michel Sidibé, previously Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, was appointed Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 
 
Accepting his appointment, Mr Sidibé said, “I am indeed honoured to serve UNAIDS. The AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world. We have to ensure that there is strong and long term leadership and financial commitment to respond to AIDS that is grounded in evidence and human rights.” 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, 1 December 2008) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="40"/>
Global Fund Becomes Autonomous Institution  
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced that effective 1 January 2009 it will become an administratively autonomous international financing institution, separating from the World Health Organization (WHO). 
 
When the Global Fund was established in 2002, it entered into an Administrative Services Agreement (ASA) with the WHO to provide a range of administrative and financial services to the Global Fund. This arrangement enabled the Global Fund to start operations quickly and to fund programmes delivering life-saving services less than a year after it was established in January 2002. 
 
The arrangement with WHO was intended to be temporary, and in November 2007, the Global Fund Board decided that it should be terminated on 31 December 2008. Becoming administratively autonomous allows the Global Fund greater flexibility as an institution. The Global Fund retains a status as an international institution with privileges and immunities similar to UN organisations that are headquartered in Switzerland. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release, 19 December 2008) 
<img height="57" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="40"/>
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter – How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
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. 
 
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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 40 January 2009

<img height="39" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief100.jpg" width="100"/>
Last month, an inspiring group of US trade unionists staged a six-day occupation of a manufacturing plant in Chicago, Illinois, a success story that continues to resonate. The sit-in, done by ICEM affiliate United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers’ Union of America (UE), sent a potent worldwide message on how to defend jobs when a company is foreclosed by banks. (Read more <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/2929-Chicago-Plant-Takeover-Vivid-Reminder-Amidst-American-Banking-Bailout" type="internal">here</a>.) 
 
Seven weeks after that plant occupation, another, and bigger reward awaits the 300 UE members: they may get their jobs back. A small eco-friendly building materials company that likes the plant, the equipment, but more importantly, likes the grit of the workers, is in serious negotiations to buy the plant, reopen it under a UE collective agreement, and produce energy-efficient building materials. 
 
Serious Materials, a maker of triple-pane windows and soundproof drywall, is attempting to buy the plant’s assets from bankruptcy from the creditor, Bank of America. The California-based company, with only three other factories – all operated non-union – sees an opportunity with the UE workforce to expand a manufacturing base that likely will flourish in post-Bush America. “We saw a great opportunity with a great facility and great workers,” said the company’s CEO in a published report, who admitted he was inspired by the 5-11 December plant occupation. 

<img height="87" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/USUE.jpg" width="149"/>
The good news comes as UE workers from the closed Republic factory travel the US on a “Recovery and Resistance” tour. They are telling their story and developing a campaign that puts a priority on jobs as the jumpstart to economic recovery. The workers, in hand with their union, are touring some 15 American cities under the broad-based banner of the labour-community coalition group, Jobs with Justice. 
 
An important aspect to the UE’s campaigning is its “Window of Opportunity Fund” for Republic workers, a financial mechanism for the UE that will assure the union a seat at the table to determine the future of the plant. The occupation’s success in December rested with the UE winning that seat, forcing a just settlement for Republic workers, who had seen their jobs taken from them with three days notice. 
 
The ICEM commends the UE and Republic workers for their success. The ICEM also recognises the need to grow the “Window of Opportunity” Fund, and encourages trade unions to take part. 
 
On the UE website, the “Recovery and Resistance Tour” can be found <a href="http://www.ueunion.org/ue_republicworkerstour.html">here</a>. 
The site has a method for making donations to ensure that as many Americans as possible hear the courageous story on how UE members in Chicago are going about saving their factory. The ICEM encourages unions to make a donation to this deserving effort.

Hope Turns Green: Republic Windows & Doors Factory Might Reopen in Chicago

ICEM Women’s Bulletin No. 33

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This month’s 98th Session of the ILO Conference adopted a landmark Global Jobs Pact on 19 June. The accord, called a Jobs Pact, was agreed to by governments, trade unions, and employers, and lays out a template for economic recovery and reform. 
 
Jobs, workers’ rights, social protections, quality public services, and sustainability are at the heart of the proposal for a new system of global governance, said International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Guy Ryder. 

<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Guy.Ryder.jpg" width="129" height="97"/>
ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder
Global labour unions fear that the ILO will return to a course of business as usual, and that world economic institutions will continue with the failed policies of free-market radicalism. Some commentators say that the financial crisis has already bottomed out and recovery is now imminent, but voices at the 19 June ILO session argue that the affect of lost jobs will be lasting and devastating. 
 
The Jobs Pact is seen as an alternative to shocking ILO projections that the crisis will push 50 million workers into unemployment, and that 200 million of the world’s population will be pushed into extreme poverty. The creation of sustainable jobs is essential, as is the fight against climate change. 
 
Another aspect of the Jobs Pact is the high level of importance given to tripartite dialogue, social dialogue, and collective bargaining. High standards of working conditions and improved wages are vital, along with education and training programmes for the unemployed. The Jobs Pact calls for increased implementation of public-sector job creation schemes. 
 
The Global Jobs Pact signifies an important and significant step forward. Implementation must now occur. The ICEM supports demands for concrete results before the next G20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, on 24-25 September 2009.

ILO’s Jobs Pact; a Solid Proposal for Exiting the Financial Crisis

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Germany’s two biggest industrial unions, ICEM affiliate IGBCE and IG Metall, urgently called upon elected officials and employers within Germany to begin a constructive dialogue on overcoming the consequences of the current global crisis. The unions recently issued a joint statement to draw attention to the fact that economic and industrial policy challenges cannot be undertaken with mere "cosmetic adjustments without a genuine substance." 
 
In cooperation with the Hans Böckler Foundation, IGBCE and IG Metall organised a joint conference in Oberhausen, Germany, entitled “Industrial Policy for Tomorrow.” 
 
“The industrial base of our economy must be strengthened to lay the foundations of sustained growth and prosperity,” said IGBCE board member Michael Vassiliadis. 

<img height="109" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/GermanyIgMetall.jpg" width="110"/>
Added Berthold Huber, President of IG Metall, “We need a bridge over the crisis and it must lead to the other shore and not back to the same shore. We must now have a model for a sustainable industrial policy.” 
 
In the joint statement, the unions warn of the danger that industrial cores could be lost and entire value-chains in industrial processes might collapse. Therefore, the unions call on the German government to provide “short term loans and guarantees, and to generate additional demand.” 
 
Specifically, IGBCE and IG Metall call for a public equity fund, effective protections for companies to secure jobs, the adoption of a sustainable industrial policy that would replace unregulated markets, comprehensive social-democratic participation rights, decent work, regulated labour markets, and a coordinated industrial policy for all of Europe.

IGBCE, IG Metall in Germany Combine to Demand Sustainable Industrial Policy

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Two miners in South Africa died on 20 June deep inside South Africa’s biggest gold mine, the Driefontein mine owned by Gold Fields. They died when an earth tremor, registering 3.5 on the Richter scale, caused a shift of rock. Eight other miners were rescued, three of whom were hospitalized. One miner is suffering with serious injuries. 
 
It was the second accident caused by a shift ground at Gold Fields’ mines in a month. On 20 May, two miners died deep in the earth at the company’s Kloof mine near Westonia in West Rand. A day earlier, one miner at Kloof died in a similar but separate accident. 

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The tragedy that occurred 20 June at Driefontein near Carletonville caused mine production to halt for four days. The spokesman for the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Lesiba Seshoka, called the latest accident deeply disappointing. “There doesn’t seem to be any willingness to improve safety,” he said. 
 
Gold Fields, the world’s fourth largest gold miner with operations in Australia, Ghana, Peru, and South Africa, said in a statement to financial markets late last week that it has had 20 mining fatalities since July 2008. All have occurred in South Africa. In the first six months of 2008, 23 of 87 mine fatalities in South Africa occurred in mines operated by Gold Fields.

Gold Fields Struck by 5 South African Mining Deaths in Past Month

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At ICEM’s Executive Committee in late June, the body acted on a 2007 Congress resolution to develop a mandate for an ICEM policy on sustainable development. That policy was adopted, following a presentation by Sustainability Work Group Chairman Lars Myhre and ICEM’s Health, Safety, and Sustainability Officer Brian Kohler. 
 
The working document can be found <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/EN%20ICEMsustainability090518.pdf" type="internal">here</a>.  It establishes parameters for ICEM positions and “a good, balanced, sensible, and intelligent industrial policy” to go forward with, in the words of Tony Maher of the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia. 
 
The challenge now, according to Executive members, is to bring this balanced industrial plan to senior-level policymakers at UN climate change forums. 

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ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana gave special tribute to long-time Executive members Michel Decayeux of France and Errol McLeod of Trinidad/Tobago
The ICEM policy calls for a new focus and new dialogue between governments, employers, and unions. The policy calls for an energy future that includes cleaner use of fossil fuels (including carbon capture and storage/sequestration), nuclear, and renewable energy sources. The future of energy must consider questions about access to energy and price fairness and stability. 
 
Pulp and paper, chemicals, rubber, and materials sectors all have their particular sustainability challenges, which the ICEM acknowledges. Most importantly, the notion of sustainable jobs must be decent jobs and inherent in those jobs is the recognition and practice of principles of human rights, labour rights, and particularly respect for the rights of women and other disadvantaged groups. 
 
Also during the June Executive meetings, the body endorsed a resolution submitted by the Asia-Pacific Region of the ICEM. That resolution calls on all affiliates of the ICEM to lend support to Thai labour unions. They are battling hostile work environments imposed by multinational companies, including rubber manufacturers Goodyear and Michelin and industrial gases company Linde, to name just a few.

ICEM’s Executive Formally Adopts Sustainability Policy

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A unified strike by members of three unions at Saint-Gobain glass plants in Belgium ended Friday, 10 July. But not before Auvelais workers at the French multinational made a defining stand in this industrial action: no company will be allowed to use the financial crisis as a pretext to implement common restructuring! 
 
Workers returned to their jobs 11 July, after voting 58 to 48% to end the nine-day strike, a strike that saw two plants totally blockaded for most of that time. A mediated agreement was put forward on 8 July. The dispute started in February 2009, when Saint-Gobain proposed 241 job cuts. Over the ensuing months, Saint-Gobain resisted all practical alternatives put forward by social partners. 
 
Some 880 are employed at the twin plants of Saint-Gobain Sekurit and Saint-Gobain Knell near Charleroi, in southern Belgium. 
When the strike started – 2 July, after months of fruitless bargaining – the company still wanted 215 job cuts. The unions, including ICEM affiliates Centrale Générale-FGTB/ABVV and the CSC/ACV, proposed constructive options to the job cuts. But these proposals were ignored. Saint-Gobain as well sought cuts to worker entitlements, such as pre-pension benefits, transfer compensation, and severance on voluntary departures. 

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“The absence of meaningful dialogue is an insult to what is now demanded,” said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. “We know that Saint-Gobain is guilty of social dumping and we also know that this conduct is not related to the financial crisis.” 
 
Trade union strikers blocked access to all company assets at Saint-Gobain Knell throughout the strike, and at Sekurit, a blockade was lifted partially in the sixth day of the strike. Other restructurings have occurred in these Wallonian plants. In May 2008, 100 jobs were cut. The Sekurit plant makes flat glass, while the Knell operation makes glass in building and construction products. 
 
The ICEM extended support to the strikers during the labour action. “The ICEM questions Saint-Gobain and its motives in using the world’s economic crisis to gain financial strength in the restructuring of the Belgian factories,” the Global Union Federation wrote Belgian union members. “The ICEM and its family of trade unions worldwide stand with you in Auvelais as you take justified industrial actions.” 
 
Saint-Gobain has faced fierce resistance to job cuts in other parts of Europe, as well. Strikes in Italy and France occurred in April and May, and European trade union federations manifested at Saint-Gobain offices in Paris on 20 May. 
 
Currently, CGT in France has called for urgent talks with the company at Mers-les-Bains over 100 proposed job cuts, and social partners at Saint-Gobain Desjonquères in Real Sitio, Spain, began deep discussions over a proposed six-week shutdown in August and September, affecting 180 workers. 
 
In Germany, IGBCE, EWC, and Saint-Gobain completed social talks related to transfer and re-skilling at Saint-Gobain Vetrotex operations.

Financial Stress Brings Industrial Unrest to Belgian Glass Sector

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