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The daily dangers continually faced by trade union officials and activists in Iraq were graphically demonstrated by the brutal murder 26 November 2009 of Majiid Karim, an executive member of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers. Brother Karim died when his car exploded. An improvised explosive device, believed to have been timed, had been attached to his car by as yet unknown individuals. 
 
The GFIW is the largest national trade union centre in Iraq, two of its affiliates covering workers in the Oil and Gas and Electric Power Industries are affiliated to ICEM. 

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Majiid Karim had been a key union official ignoring the anti-trade union legislation from the Saddam era and actively organizing workers in the public sector despite continued government attempts to use legislation 150 of 1987 to ban public sector workers from trade union membership. He was also a key figure in building unity among Iraqi workers and in the trade union movement. 
 
ICEM joins the GFIW in mourning their loss, as well as joining their demand that the Iraqi government and its security authorities conduct an urgent and thorough investigation to uncover the full circumstances of this appalling criminal act, and ensure that the guilty are brought to justice. 
 
We will keep you informed of the case as more information becomes available.

Iraqi Trade Unionist Murdered

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Tens of thousands of Nigerian citizens took to the streets in the federal capital territory of Abuja on 29 October in a visible display at protest over the government&rsquo;s plan to deregulate the downstream oil sector. The manifestation was led by the nation&rsquo;s two national labour centres, the blue-collar Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the white-collar Trades Union Congress (TUC). 
 
Both ICEM trade union affiliates in the energy sector, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, were forefront in the manifestation, turning out thousands of members. The government&rsquo;s plan to deregulate also would end fuel subsidies to the nation&rsquo;s citizenry, an insensitive move that would &ndash; the labour federations claim &ndash; immediately lift fuel costs from 65 naira per litre (US$.43) to 95 naira (US$.63). 

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Three Arms Monument at the National Assembly
Such an increase on heating, cooking, and transport fuel costs would drive millions of people in Africa&rsquo;s most populous country deeper into poverty. 
 
Last Thursday&rsquo;s protest culminated at the Three Arms Zone in front of the National Assembly, where union and civil society leaders delivered a letter intended for President Umaru Musa Yar&rsquo;Adua. It called on the government to conduct a citizens&rsquo; referendum on the question of deregulation. 
 
The letter was jointly signed by NLC President Abdulwahed Omar, TUC President Peter Esele, and Dr. Dipo Hasfhina, co-chairman of the Labour and Civil Society Coalition. The manifestation started at Berger Junction in Abuja and marched passed several key buildings, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) Towers, the Court of Appeals, and the Nigerian Television Authority, locations where the march halted for rallying speeches. 

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Both NUPENG and PENGASSAN believe that deregulation can only occur when there is increased local refining capacity from Nigeria&rsquo;s five oil refineries. NUPENG President Peter Akpatason said deregulating the downstream sector would allow shadowy marketers to limit supplies, thus boosting prices and their profits, &ldquo;spelling misery to the teeming poor of the country.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="" width="120" height="90" />
NUPENG President Peter Akpatason
Withdrawing fuel subsidies, he added, when the domestic market is dependent on 80% imported supplies is a recipe for civil strife. The country&rsquo;s refineries have a combined stated capacity of 445,000 barrels-per-day, but have never operated at that due to neglect, negligible NNPC and government capitalisation, and lack of reliable feedstock supplies. Even if run at full optimisation, the refineries would produce just barely half of the 32 million litres of petrol, kerosene, and other fuel products demanded daily. 
 
PENGASSAN President Babatunde Ogun also expressed skepticism at the current government process toward deregulation. &ldquo;We vehemently reject import-driven deregulation. We need the free and uninterrupted flow of petroleum products across the country,&rdquo; he said, adding that means the government must focus on developing more domestic refining capacity and creating jobs for Nigerians. 

<img alt="" src="" width="140" height="210" />
PENGASSAN President Babatunde Ogun
A major complaint by labour and civil service leaders is the arrogance of Rilwanu Lukman, Nigeria&rsquo;s Minister of Petroleum Resources, who has concluded publicly that deregulation and the end of price subsidies is now irreversible. His neo-liberal thinking, some believe, is tied to his own relationships with marketers. 
 
The mass number of Nigerians who assembled last week in Abuja resent the government&rsquo;s fast-track effort to deregulate oil supplies. As NLC President Abdulwahed Omar said at one rally stop, &ldquo;Nigeria belongs to all of us and if the government is for the people, then the voice of the people must count. If they think that deregulation is a popular policy, let them subject it to a referendum and let Nigerians decide.&rdquo; 
 
Although the government has been silent on the exact date that liberalisation would occur, indicators such as vessel arrivals and ramping up supply access signal that perhaps it will be soon. But following last week&rsquo;s mass mobilization, the government may very well have backed off immediate deregulation and an end to subsidies until more public discourse is heard.

Nigerian Labour, Citizenry Protest to Fuel Oil Deregulation

On the recent call by the Iraqi government to form a new preparatory committee for the election of the GFIW leadership. 
 
 
The Higher Ministerial Committee overseeing the implementation of Governing Council's decision No.(3) for the year 2004 officially announced recently that nominations are open to establish a national preparatory committee with responsibility to organize and supervise the GFIW leadership election across Iraq. 
 
This government action was done without any prior knowledge or consultation with GFIW despite the government claim that it is organizing this (election) in line with current labour law[ Law 52 of 1987] and the internal rules of the GFIW [GFTU Rules]. 
 
The Executive Committee of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers states that the current move by the High Ministerial Committee completely violates Labour Law number (52) of 1987 and the internal rules of the GFIW [GFTU]. 
 
The High Ministerial Committee overseeing the implementation of Governing Council's decision No. (3) for the year 2004, should have implemented what it had issued before ( reference to the letter of the Ministry of State for Civil Society No c s / 106 On 13 September, which lead to the formation of a national preparatory committee on 2/2008 set up with the task of preparing and supervising workers election. A date for election was set on 22 June 2008 and then on 1 March 2009 but all this was cancelled without any justification by an order ( No 86 on 1March 2009) issued by the Minister of Civil Society. 
 
The GFIW stressed repeatedly that workers have the right to form and join union is and it believes that this is a legitimate democratic practice endorsed by international Labour organization (ILO) standards and guaranteed by article 22 of by the permanent Iraqi constitution. 
 
Convention No. 87 of 1948 of the ILO and Convention No. 8 of 1977, of the Arab labour organization obliges Member States to provide workers with freedom to form trade unions and compel states not to interfere in internal affairs of the unions. 
 
The main aim of organizing workers into trade union is to strengthen industrial relations and improve social and cultural conditions for workers so that they can help in the reconstruction of Iraq. 
 
The GFIW/IFTU while rejecting the current government interference in its internal affairs, Is calling on Iraqi workers to stand up to defend their legitimate rights and is appealing to the wider trade union movement, professional associations and civil society organizations, political parties and members of the Iraqi parliament for support and assistance and for the solidarity support of the international trade union movement in order to put an stop to all government interference. 
 
GFIW Executive 
October 2009

GFIW Statement

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The IG BCE National Executive last week raised the urgency for a round of collective bargaining for Germany&rsquo;s 550,000 workers in the chemical sector. Under the motto &ldquo;Seize opportunities for employment&rdquo;, the 2010 round of negotiations will focus on job security and good career prospects for young people, along with the goal of achieving commensurate increases in income. The labour agreement will apply for twelve months. 
 
Peter Hausmann, in charge of the tariff policy of the IG BCE&rsquo;s National Executive stated &ldquo;Especially during the economic crisis, it is important that we stick to our long-term tariff policy objectives. We want decent work with fair conditions, we want to protect jobs and create more opportunities for employment. And of course we want to make gains in income&rdquo;. 

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Peter Hausmann
The new agreements would cover workers in around 1,900 companies in the German chemical industry. There are eleven regional commissions, the debate will occur in each, with collective industry-wide decisions also made. In the collective bargaining districts, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine current contracts run until 31 March 2010, in Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Lower Saxony / Bremen, Schleswig Holstein and Berlin they expire 30 April, in the Saarland and East 31 May. 
 
A date for the negotiations to begin is not yet set, but it is estimated that they will start in spring 2010.

IG BCE Begin Preparations for Collective Bargaining in Germany’s Chemicals Industries

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K&uuml;resel sanayi sendikalarının iklim değişikliğiyle ilgili toplantısındaki katılımcılar, d&uuml;ş&uuml;k karbonlu ekonomiye ge&ccedil;işin istihdamı g&uuml;vence altına alması ve insana yakışır yeni istihdam olanakları a&ccedil;ması gerektiğini s&ouml;ylediler. 
 
14 ve 15 Ekim g&uuml;nlerinde, Uluslararası Metal İş&ccedil;ileri Federasyonu (IMF), Uluslararası Kimya Enerji Maden ve Genel İş&ccedil;i Sendikaları Federasyonu (ICEM), Avrupa Metal İş&ccedil;ileri Federasyonu (EMF), Avrupa Maden Kimya ve Enerji İş&ccedil;ileri Federasyonu (EMCEF) Almanya'nın Bad Orb kentinde &ldquo;Gaz Emisyonunu Kısmak, İstihdamı D&ouml;n&uuml;şt&uuml;rmek&rdquo; konulu bir konferans d&uuml;zenledi. 

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Toplantının amacı, Kopenhag'da yapılacak olan İklim Değişikliği &Uuml;zerine Birleşmiş Milletler &Ccedil;er&ccedil;eve S&ouml;zleşmesi Konferansı'nda sanayi iş&ccedil;ilerinin ortak tutumunun ne olacağı konusunu g&ouml;r&uuml;şmekti. Bilinen adıyla UNFCCC COP-15 konferansının, sera gazı emisyon hedefleriyle ilgili olarak Kyoto Anlaşması'nda &ouml;ng&ouml;r&uuml;len h&uuml;k&uuml;mleri yenileyecek ya da o h&uuml;k&uuml;mlerin yerine ge&ccedil;ecek bir dizi anlaşma ortaya koyması bekleniyor. 
 
Toplantıda konuşan IMF Genel Sekreteri Jyrki Raina ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;Bizim faaliyet g&ouml;sterdiğimiz sekt&ouml;rler genellikle mevcut &ccedil;evre krizinin yaratıcıları arasında g&ouml;r&uuml;l&uuml;yor. Bununla birlikte, sorunun &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m&uuml; bu sekt&ouml;rlerde yatıyor. İstihdamı artırır ve &ccedil;evreyi korurken emisyonu da azaltmak istiyoruz.&rdquo; 

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Sanayi iş&ccedil;ilerinin sendikaları, ICEM'in kabul ettiği s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilirlik politikası gibi daha &ouml;nce yapılmış &ccedil;alışmaları dikkate alarak bir tartışma belgesi hazırladı. Toplantı şu beş panel tartışmasından oluşuyordu: &ccedil;evrenin korunması, s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilir gelişme, sekt&ouml;r sorunları, s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilir istihdam yaratılması ve adil ge&ccedil;iş. 
 
Canlı ge&ccedil;en tartışma geniş bir alanı kapsıyordu. &Ouml;ne &ccedil;ıkan g&ouml;r&uuml;şlerden bazıları şunlardı: 
 
- &Ccedil;evre krizi de tıpkı yaşadığımız k&uuml;resel ekonomik kriz gibi k&uuml;resel kapitalizmin bir başarısızlığıdır. 
- İnsana yakışır istihdam ve temiz &ccedil;evre el ele gider. Ya ikisini birlikte ger&ccedil;ekleştireceğiz ya da hi&ccedil;birini ger&ccedil;ekleştiremeyeceğiz. 
- Gelişmekte olan &uuml;lkelerin gelişme olanağına sahip olması gerekiyor. Ne var ki bunun gelişmiş &uuml;lkelerin ge&ccedil;miş olduğu ve &ccedil;evre krizine yol a&ccedil;mış olan zahmetli yolları izleyerek ger&ccedil;ekleşmesi gerekmiyor. Uluslararası sermaye ve finans kurumları, dirilen korumacılık ve teknoloji transferi &uuml;zerindeki kısıtlamalar, eğer &ouml;nlemeyecek olursak, yeni bir s&ouml;m&uuml;rgecilik &ccedil;ağı başlatabilir. 
- Sendikalar &ouml;zellikle s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilirliğin sosyal boyutu konusunda h&uuml;k&uuml;metleri ve işverenleri hesap vermeye zorlamalıdır. 
 
D&ouml;rt &ouml;rg&uuml;t&uuml;n temsilcileri, mevcut &ccedil;evre krizine getirilecek &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m&uuml;n sosyal ve ekonomik sonu&ccedil;larını tartıştılar. Sanayi sekt&ouml;r&uuml;nde faaliyet g&ouml;steren sendikaların Kopenhag'da seslerini duyurmaları ve &ouml;zellikle s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilir gelişmenin sosyal boyutunu savunmaları gerektiği konusunda genel bir mutabakat vardı. Belli sanayi kollarında ve b&ouml;lgelerde sorunlar olduğu ve bu nedenle g&uuml;&ccedil;l&uuml; Adil Ge&ccedil;iş programlarına ihtiya&ccedil; bulunduğu kesin olmakla birlikte, s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilir istihdam yaratılmasının da olanakları var. 
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="97" /><img alt="" src="" width="146" height="46" /><img alt="" src="" width="105" height="94" />
ICEM, IMF, EMF ve EMCEF tartışma belgesini ve a&ccedil;ıklanan g&ouml;r&uuml;şleri &ouml;n&uuml;m&uuml;zdeki haftalarda g&ouml;zden ge&ccedil;irecek. Daha sonra, Kopenhag'daki COP-15 konferansına g&ouml;t&uuml;receğimiz belgelere son bi&ccedil;imini vereceğiz. 
 
Toplantıdan sonra ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;Sanayi iş&ccedil;ileri ve onların sendikaları a&ccedil;ısından d&uuml;ş&uuml;k karbonlu ekonomiye ge&ccedil;işte &ouml;nemli bir sorun, faturayı kimin &ouml;deyeceği ve ge&ccedil;işten kimin yarar sağlayacağıdır. For industrial workers and their unions an important question for changing to a low-carbon economy is who pays for it and who benefits from the transition. Tek gezegenimiz var ve hepimizin &ccedil;ıkarı geleceğimizin korunmasında.&rdquo; 
 
Toplantıyla ilgili b&uuml;t&uuml;n materyal IMF web sitesinde, <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?c=21012&amp;l=2">burada</a>. 
 
İklim değişikliği ve sanayi sendikalarının bu konudaki tutumu konusunda başkaca bilgi edinmek isteyenler aşağıdaki web bağlantılarına gidebilirler: 
 
<a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/climatechange">www.imfmetal.org/climatechange</a> 
 
<a href="/en/97-Sustainable-Development-Health-and-Safety">/en/97-Sustainable-Development-Health-and-Safety</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.industrialpolicy.eu/COP15">http://www.industrialpolicy.eu/COP15</a>

Gaz Emisyonunu Kıs, İstihdamı Dönüştür

pulp and paper/pâte et de papier/pulpa y papel

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The deadline is 1 April 2009 for applications to two of the four Global Labour University (GLU) programmes offered in 2009-2010. Those programmes are at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India, and at Germany&rsquo;s University of Kassel and the Berlin School of Economics. 
 
The one-year course work leads to a Masters Degree in Labour and Globalisation. The programme at the Tata Institute, which begins in July 2009, is entitled &ldquo;Globalisation and Labour.&rdquo; In Germany, where course work starts in September 2009, the Masters Programme is called &ldquo;Labour Policies and Globalisation.&rdquo; 

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The other two GLU programmes have application deadlines of 20 September 2009, and are scheduled for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), S&atilde;o Paulo State, Brazil. The South African programme is called &ldquo;Labour and Development, Economic Policy, Globalisation and Labour,&rdquo; which begins in January 2010, while the Campinas, Brazil, programme is entitled &ldquo;Social Economy and Labour,&rdquo; and begins in February 2010. 
 
Because of the enlargement of the GLU, there are additional scholarships available to trade unionists. This includes the possibility to support more European students. More details are available by visiting the GLU&rsquo;s website at <a href="http://www.global-labour-university.org">www.global-labour-university.org</a>. 
 
Courses are offered in English, and applicants should, as a rule, be under the age of 40. The endorsement of a trade union is a requirement for a scholarship, and such scholarships are conditional on a &euro;1,500 contribution from a supporting trade union or another donor. GLU is an initiative of the ILO, with support from global trade unions, the respective academic institutions, and foundations.

Global Labour University Seeking Applicants for Germany, India Masters Programmes by 1 April

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The Main Workers&rsquo; Board of EPS Trade Union, representing 48,000 employees of Serbia&rsquo;s state-run Electric Power Industry, re-elected Milan Đorđević on 12 February as President. This is Đorđević&rsquo;s first full term, having succeeded Miroslav Veličković early in 2008. He had been Vice President. 
 
Đorđević is from the town of Barosevac, and worked for EPS as a coal miner at the Kolubara-Lazarevac open-cast coal mine, Serbia&rsquo;s largest colliery. He was a strong activist for miners&rsquo; rights and continues to be an effective advocate for all workers at EPS. 
 
Re-elected Vice President by the Main Board was Branko Tomić, who comes from an electric power distribution company in Kraljevo. 
 
EPS consists of 11 electric power distribution companies, 7 electric generating plants, and three coal production, process, and transport enterprises. The EPS Trade Union was founded in 1992.

EPS Trade Union of Serbia Re-elects Milan Đorđević as President

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ICEM Belgian affiliate FGBT/ABVV stepped up its campaign calling for protection of workers&rsquo; rights in the glass and ceramics sector. 
 
Six hundred workers in the sector have lost their jobs, and over 1,000 contract workers have been sacked as global companies operating in Belgium face the worst economic downturn in decades. 
 
The FGTB/ABVV accused several companies of taking advantage of the crisis by shifting production to countries where wages and social payments are much lower. The Vesuvius group, for instance, is accused of closing a profit-making site in a &ldquo;race to the bottom.&rdquo; 
 
The economic downturn has seen scores of temporary and contract workers in glass and ceramics rendered jobless in Belgium without notice, prospect of job reclassification, or retraining. 
 
The 1,000 short-term contract workers represent between 11-12% of the total workforce in these sectors. 
 
Saint-Gobain, the Paris-based glass producer, announced last year that it would cut 4,000 jobs globally this year, many in Belgium. 
 
The FGTB/ABVV calls attention to the obvious fact that although workers are hardest hit by the crisis, production quotas remain high and dividends to shareholders continue to flow. 
 
Considering the government assistance and programmes available to employers, there should be no need for dismantling these sectors in Belgium. 
 
The union pledges to continue the struggle throughout 2009 to restore workers&rsquo; jobs and rights, as well as to ensure that workers have the necessary purchasing power in Belgium.

Belgian FGTB/ABVV Outlines Steps in Glass, Ceramics to Meet Economic Crisis

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The ICEM expressed concern recently at the actions of Sinotex Lanka, Ltd., a garment producer which is owned by Hong Kong-based Cristal-Martin Group. The company has closed two factories after operating 27 years in Sri Lanka. 
 
Members of the Sri Lanka Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union, who recently applied for affiliation to the ICEM, have called for international solidarity for the 2,500 workers that have lost their jobs. The ICEM insists that the company make the correct pay settlements to workers, in line with national legislation. 
 
Reports suggest that Sinotex has already made arrangements for the factories to reopen with new workers, a clear illustration of how a company uses the global economic crisis to destroy a trade union. Most of the Sinotex workers are women, and many are migrants from rural villages far from the factories in the Investment Promotion Zone of Katunayake. 
 
Many of the workers were sacked after up to 20 years employment. 

<img height="138" alt="" src="" width="200" />
The Joint Secretary of the union, Anton Marcus, sent a letter early in February to the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa. That letter urged him to organize &ldquo;dialogue between social partners in order to overcome the challenges posed by the world economic crisis.&rdquo; 
 
The legislation that must be upheld is the Termination of Employment of Workmen (Special Provisions) Act No. 45 of 1978. In order for a different settlement to be agreed outside of the terms of this law, it must be carried out under a Memorandum of Settlement, covered in section 12(1) of the Industrial Disputes Act of Sri Lanka. This must be based on negotiations between the employer and employees before the Commissioner of Labour. 
 
Sinotex Lanka, Ltd. has violated all of these legal provisions, summoning workers one by one, and then terminating their services with a small stipend. Neither the union nor the Commissioner of Labour had been consulted, even though the union had requested a meeting. 
 
The ICEM believes this has set a dangerous precedent for other anti-union companies across Sri Lanka. Members of the union at Wheel Works Private, Ltd. have also been threatened by managers with discharge if they do not resign their membership.

Global Economic Crisis Used to Destroy Union in Sri Lanka

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