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Fair Work now will replace former Prime Minister John Howard&rsquo;s draconian WorkChoices as the industrial relations law of the land in Australia. That was assured this past Friday, 20 March, when Parliament&rsquo;s Senate passed the Labour Government initiative.
But it didn&rsquo;t come without a political struggle. A compromise was struck between Labour and its allies and the Liberal Party, most notably over the definition of a small business and the inter-connected protection against unfair dismissals. 
The compromise sets the small business definition at 15 full-time workers, part-time workers not included for the first 18 months, or until 1 January 2011. But thereafter, workers with one year of service &ndash; no matter; full-time, part-time, or casual &ndash; will have protection. Under Howard&rsquo;s WorkChoices, businesses with fewer than 100 workers were exempt from the unfair labour dismissal statute. 
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The Labour Party also compromised on some restrictions to union access to worksites and union access to certain types of information. In all, 231 Senate amendments were submitted to a Fair Work House version, which passed in December 2008. But the new law is fairer and gives workers far better protections in an economic downturn than what was on the books under Howard. 
It creates ten national job standards, charters collective bargaining as the main tenet in labour-management relations, and creates a national industrial umpire with enforcement powers, the Fair Work Commission, thus replacing six Howard-era agencies that essentially were charged with removing workplace regulations. 
It also spells out workers&rsquo; rights to representation; access to arbitration; establishes a 38-hour workweek; grants four weeks annual leave; and allows the practice of flexible work schedules and conditions to take hold. Additionally, it sets out a standard process for regularly raising the minimum wage. 
The unfair dismissal statute, plus implementation of good-faith enterprise bargaining takes effect 1 July 2009, while the remainder of the provisions take effect 1 January 2010. 
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Sharon Burrow
Sharon Burrow, President of the Australian Council of Trades Unions (ACTU), called the Senate passage a &ldquo;major step forward for working Australians,&rdquo; marking &ldquo;a historic moment in restoring workers&rsquo; rights. After a decade of attacks on working people by the Liberal and National Parties the tide has turned,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We can take pride in what we have achieved.&rdquo;

Australia’s Senate Hammers Final Nail into WorkChoices Coffin

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As labour in Australia approaches 28 April next week, the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, one mining company stands beneath the rest with a dismal safety record: BHP Billiton. 
 
In Western Australia&rsquo;s rich Pilbara mining section in the country&rsquo;s northwest, BHP has had five workers die over the past nine months, four less than have died in BHP employ in the region in the last nine years. Three of those deaths in recent months have been contract workers &ndash; employed by subsidiaries of BHP&rsquo;s primary contractor in the region, Leighton Holdings &ndash; while two were direct BHP workers. 
 
It is estimated that 75% of BHP&rsquo;s total workforce of 10,000 workers in the Pilbara are employed by contractors. On safety, one union official claimed BHP Billiton is less disciplined toward its contract employers than to its own workers. 
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Whether or not that changes might depend on an external safety audit being conducted after the most recent workplace tragedy, the 19 March death of a contract worker employed by Leighton&rsquo;s John Holland subsidiary. He was killed after falling off a piece of machinery at BHP&rsquo;s Mount Whaleback iron ore mine in Newman. 
 
But since that death, there have two near tragedies, the latest on 8 April when an iron ore truck struck a worker at BHP&rsquo;s Nelson Point operations in Port Hedland. The safety audit, mandated by Australia&rsquo;s Mines Safety and Inspection Act of 1994, means that stop-work orders were placed on 12 company operations late in March, interrupting production. 
 
BHP&rsquo;s recent industrial safety record has brought condemnation from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU). 
 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fine to put stop work notices on,&rdquo; stated CFMEU&rsquo;s Joe McDonald, quoted in the Kalgoorlie Miner, a regional newspaper. &ldquo;But they need to be extremely well enforced because BHP will still find ways around these notices.&rdquo; McDonald said he favours company prosecution when industrial deaths happen. 
 
The AMWU has discounted BHP&rsquo;s &ldquo;safety is a priority&rdquo; rhetoric, and has pushed hard for state regulators to conduct full and independent investigations. 
 
The AMWU publicly stated that such an inquiry is absolutely necessary following the second death in a matter of two weeks. On 24 February, a railroad track maintenance worker was killed on the job. The 56-year-old machine worker was killed when he was hit by a BHP train on the company&rsquo;s Tabba rail line near Port Hedland. 
 
Last year, two deaths occurred within nine days of one another at BHP Billiton&rsquo;s 85%-owned Yandi iron ore mine in the Pilbara. Both workers were employed by HWE Mining, another subsidiary of Leighton Holdings and a company that is BHP&rsquo;s exclusive mining contractor at Yandi. 
 
One of the workers, a 19-year-old, was crushed to death on 4 September 2008 when the small truck he was driving was crushed by a large haul vehicle. The other HWE employee died on 26 August in an industrial accident while he was changing a tyre. 
 
And less than a month earlier, on 29 July, a 52-year-old BHP worker was killed when a scissor lift toppled onto him while he was working in a locomotive repair shop at BHP&rsquo;s Port Hedland ore crushing and shipping facility. (That same day, at BHP Billiton&rsquo;s Klipspruit coal mine in Northern Province, South Africa, a miner was killed when a drill rig fell on him.) 
 
Less than a month before Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day, Australian trade union activists were not silent on BHP Billiton and its contractors&rsquo; death toll. At the Safety Institute of Australia&rsquo;s &ldquo;Safety in Action&rdquo; Conference in Melbourne on 31 March, CFMEU and AMWU members gathered in loud protest on safety issues. The reason: John Holland Chairman Janet Holmes was delivering the keynote address.

BHP’s Mining Deaths in Western Australia Face Serious Scrutiny

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In a unified response to safety shortfalls that killed a contract worker at Drummond Coal&rsquo;s La Loma mine, 8,000 members of Sintramienerg&eacute;tica and other contract staff stage a four-day strike late in March that shut production of Colombia&rsquo;s second largest coal mine. 
 
Dagoberto Clavijo Barranco, a one-month worker at La Loma who was put there through a labour agency, was killed on 23 March when the coal-hauling vehicle he was operating fell into an open-cast mine. 
 
Drummond released all miners from work duties following the tragedy, but when the strike spread over the next few days because workers&rsquo; demanded improved safety, the company, in a statement, called the strike illegal. 

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A Sintramienerg&eacute;tica leader said Drummond agreed to meet with the union to discuss safety but was &ldquo;flippant&rdquo; in stating that no amount of negotiations will improve safety conditions. The company, on 27 March, issued a further public statement after full production at La Loma resumed. This time Drummond said it regretted the accident and would continue its &ldquo;best efforts together with the competent authorities to clear up this unfortunate incident.&rdquo; 
 
Drummond has had nine mining deaths at La Loma in C&eacute;sar state over the past decade. Another three have occurred at its port facilities near Barranquilla. 
 
In the days following the end of the safety strike, Drummond terminated 600 workers because of a strike by the transport union, Sintraime. Workers of coal-transport contractors Carbograneles and Fenoco (partially owned by Drummond) began strikes on 25 March, and these strikes were still underway late last week. Transport workers are striking for full union recognition on rail lines and at port facilities, as well as over overtime procedures. 
 
The mining union Sintramienerg&eacute;tica is insisting that Drummond recall the 600, claiming it has no responsibility in the transport strike. 
 
Drummond directly or indirectly employs 9,000 workers at La Loma, and the American company will soon start up its El Descanso mine in C&eacute;sar state, a US$1.8 billion investment that will increase the company&rsquo;s coal production to 27 million tones annually.

Contract Worker Death Causes Safety Strike at Drummond in Colombia

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Union and community leaders in the UK&rsquo;s northeast have mounted a campaign to save over 100 jobs at a chemicals plant. UK-based Elementis Plc., the EU&rsquo;s only producer of chromium chemicals used in superalloy production, timber treatments, and metal finishing, is currently in a 90-day consultation period with ICEM affiliate Unite the Union and workers at a plant in Eaglescliffe, near Teesside. 
 
In February, the specialty chemicals company &ndash; the world&rsquo;s largest producer of chromium chemicals &ndash; announced the plant was under &ldquo;a strategic review&rdquo; that could lead to a shutdown by July 2009. 
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Workers and community leaders are petitioning MPs and engaging in other activities to keep the profitable plant operating. Elementis, which also produces surfactants and specialty chemicals for paints, coatings, inks, and cosmetics, saw its chromium chemicals business post an operating profit of &pound;27.7 million in 2008, compared to a &pound;14.2 million profit in 2007. Sales in the division rose to &pound;168.6 million in 2008 from &pound;115.9 million in 2007. 
 
Unite Regional Secretary Bob Bolam stressed that production from the plant was crucial for the EU. &ldquo;If this plant were to close, the EU would be reliant on Kazakhstan and China. We intend to put together a case for the (Elementis) board to keep this site.&rdquo; 
 
The company&rsquo;s other chromium chemicals plants are in the US &ndash; Corpus Christi, Texas, and Castle Hayne, North Carolina. Raw materials used by Elementis come from South Africa and other parts of Africa, and are processed at the Eaglescliffe plant before being shipped to US facilities and other locations. The company&rsquo;s chromium chemicals business produces dichromate, chrome sulphate, chromic acid, chromic oxide, chromide hydrate, and sodium sulphate. 
 
Elementis senior executives have stated that no final decision on closure has been taken. The ICEM supports workers in the Teesside and Wilton area in their buoyant efforts to preserve jobs in this sector.

UK Workers, Community, Unite the Union Fight to Protect Jobs at Elementis Chemicals

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The UK&rsquo;s National Union of Mineworkers and Australia&rsquo;s Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) largely financed the Second International Coal Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, last month. The others on the preparatory committee were the ICEM, CITU and INMF of India, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) of South Africa, and FNME-CGT of France. The ICEM raised US$7,000 from the ILO to ensure attendance of delegates from Colombia, Mexico, Vietnam, and Mongolia. In total, 120 delegates from 20 coal-mining unions in17 countries attended. 

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The declaration of the conference included two items put forward by the ICEM. One related to the situation with Mexico&rsquo;s National Miners&rsquo; and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union (SNTMMSRM), or Los Mineros, and the other with the urgency for countries to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Health and Safety in Mines Convention. 
 
Delegates were appalled by trade union rights abuses reported by Mexican representatives present, especially compliance of the Mexican government with such abuses. The delegates declared their full support of Los Mineros, as well as ICEM-affiliated Sintracarb&oacute;n of Colombia. 
 
&ldquo;We pledge to provide as much political, financial, and moral support as are within the means of our national unions and call on our internationals to similarly focus on supporting these struggles,&rdquo; read the declaration. Unions pledged to send a delegation of trade unionists and members of parliament to Mexico within 90 days of the Edinburgh meeting to protest the efforts of Grupo Mex&iacute;co and the Mexican government to destroy Los Mineros. 
 
All those present at the conference demanded the ratification of ILO Convention 176, by all member states of the United Nations. Also demanded was a dramatically increased focus on ratification by the ILO itself, including the adoption of Convention 176 as a core convention, and focusing on its ratification in countries where there are the most deaths and injuries at work. India, for example, has yet to ratify the Convention. 
 
Andrew Vickers of CFMEU presented a paper to the conference on the effects of the financial crisis on the coal sector worldwide, pointing the blame for millions of job losses to greed and deregulation of bankers. He noted that demand for coal will be reduced in developed countries, but greatly increased in developing nations. China, Vietnam, and India plan massive expansion in their capacity to produce coal. Vickers called for collective worldwide efforts to protect the interests of coal miners. 
 
The declaration found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0904.mining.pdf">here</a>, was passed unanimously amid enthusiasm of the delegates.

Second International Coal Conference held in Scotland

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The ICEM will convene its quadrennial World Conference for the Rubber Industries in the US city and state of Nashville, Tennessee, 12-13 May 2009. The conference will be presided over by United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard, Chairman of the ICEM Rubber Industry Section. Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer, will give a presentation on &ldquo;Global Industry Trends and Challenges.&rdquo; 
 
The host union is the ICEM North American affiliate, USW. The venue is the Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville. 
 
The Conference will be structured around five panel discussions: &ldquo;Effects of Global Crisis on the Industry and Trade Union Challenges,&rdquo; &ldquo;Rising Hardships and Distortion in Work Relationships,&rdquo; &ldquo;Global Agreements, Global/Regional Company &amp; Sector Networks and Campaigns,&rdquo; &ldquo;How to Improve Health and Safety for Workers: What Kind of Industrial Policy for a Greener Environment for Securing Jobs,&rdquo; and &ldquo;How to 
Better Coordinate Global Union Solidarity, Support and Cooperation.&rdquo; 
 
Find the attendance form to the conference <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/EN%20Attendance%20Form%20for%20rubber%20conference.pdf">here</a>. 
 
For more information, contact Kemal &Ouml;zkan at +41 22 304 18 43, or <a href="mailto:kemal.ozkan@icem.org">kemal.ozkan@icem.org</a>.

ICEM World Conference for Rubber Industries: 12-13 May in US

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The ICEM was incensed to learn late last week that Iraqi management of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries (SCPI) has levelled discipline against Kareem Johi Sahan, a trade union leader for the Petrochemical Workers&rsquo; Union of Basra. 
He was given compulsory six-month banishment from the chemicals facility, meaning that his salary has been reduced to the minimum level. Kareem Johi was unjustly punished for his role in organising a peaceful workers&rsquo; protest late in January, a protest brought on by SCPI not meeting its payroll. He had been ruthlessly interrogated in the weeks that followed, so much that he developed heart problems. 
SCPI is 100% owned by Iraq&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry and Minerals. 
<img height="161" alt="" src="" width="180" />
Kareem Johi (centre) handling leaflets
&ldquo;We vehemently insist that discipline was not warranted against Kareem Johi Sahan,&rdquo; ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda said in a letter this week to Iraq&rsquo;s Minister of Industry and Minerals. &ldquo;This is a violation of his basic human rights. He used his internationally-recognised right of free speech and his right to peacefully assemble co-workers in a remuneration claim, and for this his livelihood has been placed in jeopardy. 
&ldquo;We call on you to immediately repeal this order given by your managers of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries.&rdquo; The letter in its entirety can be found <a href="http://The ICEM was incensed to learn late last week that Iraqi management of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries (SCPI) has levelled discipline against Kareem Johi Sahan, a trade union leader for the Petrochemical Workers’ Union of Basra.">here</a>. 
 
The ICEM will continue to press this case until justice is achieved.

ICEM Protests Discipline Given to Iraqi Trade Unionist

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On 6 March, ICEM Dutch affiliate FNV Bondgenoten hosted an international conference on decent work in Utrecht, The Netherlands, attended by 200 activists. 
 
The main topic of the conference was how trade unions globally can work together to respond to and resist the increasing trend of using flexible, contract, and agency workers. The conference featured various speakers from different sectors and regions, discussing union strategies to combat this worrying trend. 
 
As the basis of a now five-year campaign by the ICEM, many corporations throughout the world are increasingly employing workers on temporary contracts, and sometimes use fake employment agencies to avoid labour legislation. The ICEM has documented many instances in which employees remain on rolling, short-term contracts for many years, allowing management to skirt social responsibilities such as health care, welfare benefits, overtime pay, and liveable wages. 
 
The practice of outsourcing allows companies to become extremely flexible in their planning, with improvements in their bottom financial line, while at the same heavily inflicting job security for workers. 

<img height="150" alt="" src="" width="109" />
Manfred Warda
In Utrecht on 6 March, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda chaired the panel discussion on &ldquo;Flexibilisation: What can you do as a union?&rdquo; that included Joseph Toe, ICEM regional coordinator for the Contract and Agency Labour campaign in sub-Saharan Africa. The specific case of Unilever workers in Pakistan was examined, which can be found <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/3015-Support-Needed-for-Contract-Agency-Workers-Forming-Union-at-Unilever-Tea-Factory-in-Pakistan">here</a>. 
 
Practical examples of trade union approaches to Contract and Agency Labour were exchanged through workshops. Issues of health and safety brought about by the increased trend were discussed, as well as concrete future steps in the continued fight for decent work.

Dutch FNV Bondgenoten Holds Decent Work Conference on Contract, Agency Work

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The UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) will host a &ldquo;Put People First &ndash; March for Jobs, Justice, Climate&rdquo; on 28 March in London. The Saturday afternoon event will serve as a mobilisation of civil society prior to the convening in London of the G20 Summit on 2 April. 
 
Although a UK event, the TUC and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are encouraging union delegations from around the world to attend in order to bring to the attention of G20 leaders the imperative need for effective, adequate, and appropriate action to eliminate the hardships caused by the global recession. 
 
&ldquo;The only sustainable way to rebuild the global economy is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, ends global inequality and builds a low carbon future,&rdquo; stated TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber. 

<img height="114" alt="" src="" width="80" />
Brendan Barber
&ldquo;Recession must not be an excuse for putting off action for global justice or to stop climate chaos,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Creating a just, fair, and sustainable world is the only lasting way out of recession.&rdquo; 
 
The march will assemble at Victoria Embankment at 11h00. (Nearest tube station is Temple.) It will then set off at noon and pass the UK Parliament, wind through central London, before ending up for a rally at Hyde Park. 
 
The TUC is using three separate themes: Decent Jobs and Public Services for All; End Global Poverty and Inequality; and Building a Green Economy. More details on the TUC&rsquo;s London march and rally can be found <a href="http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk">here</a>. 
 
In addition, during the week of 16 March, the ITUC will release a trade union statement with recommendations to the G20 for a fairer, more sustainable economic system. The ITUC is requesting that this &ldquo;Trade Union G20 London Declaration&rdquo; be sent to respective governments by trade unions everywhere on 23 March. 
 
The document will support the necessity for inclusion of trade union representation on the four working groups established by the G20 governments, a promise that was made to global labour by world financial institutions in November 2008, but one which so far has not been met.

London Manifestation Set for 28 March, Prior to G20 Summit

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, on the new HIV/AIDS project in Ethiopia, a planned programme in Mongolia, and further work on the ILO HIV/AIDS instrument. 
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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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New HIV/AIDS Project in Ethiopia 
 
The LO/FTF Council, the Danish Solidarity Support Organisation, has obtained funding for a three-year HIV/AIDS project in Ethiopia in cooperation with the ICEM-affiliated National Industrial Federation of Energy, Chemical and Mine Trade Unions (NEFECM) of Ethiopia. 
 
The main objectives of the project are to reduce HIV/AIDS stigmatisation and discrimination in the high-risk mining sector and to increase the capacity of NEFECM and its affiliated unions to deal with HIV/AIDS at the workplace, negotiate agreements with employers and thus protect workers, their families and the wider community in remote areas. 
 
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant will work as a consultant to the project during the first year. After a fact-finding mission in December 2008, the first activities in the framework of the project will be organised in Addis Ababa towards the end of March. A more detailed article on the project and the first activities will follow in the April issue of this e-bulletin. 

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HIV/AIDS Programme in Mongolia 
 
Thanks to sponsorship from UI Zensen, Japan, the Taiwan Petroleum Workers&rsquo; Union and the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project, an HIV/AIDS programme in cooperation with the Federation of Energy, Geology, and Mining Workers&rsquo; Union of Mongolia will be organised in August. 
 
As Mongolia is a vast country with natural resources distributed throughout the country, it would not be possible to reach every workplace and union branch to train members and shop stewards. Therefore, 60 peer educators will be trained in two three-day centralised courses, one for the mining sector and another for the energy and geology sector. 
 
Participants will be chosen from union branches all over the country. On completion of the training, their task will be to take a pro-active role at their workplaces in organising awareness campaigns, inform about prevention measures, and advocate voluntary counselling and testing. The union will monitor the activities of peer educators and report back to the sponsors of the programme. 

<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
South Africa: Xstrata Sacks 106 Workers 
 
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will contest the sacking of 106 workers at the Rustenberg smelter, operated by Xstrata, the world&rsquo;s largest ferrochrome producer. NUM spokesperson Lesiba Shesoka said that the workers were sacked for not taking part in a compulsory health briefing in which they said they were to be told they would have to take an HIV test. South African legislation says that no worker can be forced to take an HIV test. 
 
The company, however, said that it had no intention to force the workers to take the test. The company stated that the workers were dismissed for taking part in an illegal strike when they had demanded to be paid 50% of their wages and shift allowances during their extended leave in December. Workers were sent on the long leave due to a drop of demand in ferrochrome, requiring cutbacks in output and the closure of furnaces. 
 
(Source: Reuters, 11 March as reported in Mining Weekly) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
Three Per Cent of US Capital City Living with HIV 
 
At least 3% of residents in Washington, D.C., are living with HIV, according to a report published on 16 March by the District of Colombia&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS Administration. 
 
The Report states that HIV positive people are found in all demographics in Washington: more than 4% of African-Americans, almost 2% of Latinos, and 1.4% of Caucasians are living with HIV. However, African-American men are disproportionately affected, accounting for 76% of people living with HIV. 
 
The United States has one of the largest HIV epidemics in the world, with an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in 2007. 
 
(Source: News item on UNAIDS website, 16 March) 
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Contribution from a Reader of the e-bulletin 
 
In a contribution to the February issue of the e-bulletin, Victoria Nanteza Kakooza of Uganda writes on &ldquo;Women and HIV/AIDS &ndash; a Ugandan Perspective&rdquo;: 
 
Cultural practices, norms and values deprive Ugandan women of the chances to decide whether they have sex with their husbands and to decide on the number of children to have. 
 
Women constitute 38% of the workforce and only 18% are employed in permanent jobs with very few in intermediate and senior positions. This makes a large number of women economically dependent on men. Men take advantage by taking a minimum of three wives, which has tremendously increased the number of people with HIV and AIDS. More so, children born with HIV/AIDS are now mature and dating and passing on the virus to others, hence increasing cases in the new generation. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
News from ILO/AIDS 
 
In the course of its work towards the adoption of a new international instrument on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, the ILO has now issued Report IV (2), presenting the views of the ILO's constituents on the new standard. 
 
The first report, entitled HIV/AIDS and the world of work, Report IV (1), was published and disseminated to all ILO Member States in January 2008, and contained a questionnaire to which the Member States, in consultation with the social partners, were asked to respond by 31 August 2008. 
 
The second report, Report IV (2), summarizes almost 250 responses received from governments, employers and workers to this questionnaire. The vast majority of the constituents recognised the need to increase the attention paid to the issue of HIV/AIDS in the world of work through the adoption of a new international instrument. Moreover, there was a general consensus in the replies that the instrument should incorporate and strengthen the ten key principles contained in the ILO Code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
On the basis of those responses, the report contains draft conclusions regarding the proposed contents of the new instrument. The first and second reports will now serve as the basis for the discussions to be undertaken at the International Labour Conference in June 2009 on the form and content of the new instrument. 
 
(Source: ILOAIDS website where the two reports can also be accessed) 

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News from the Global Union AIDS Programme 
 
The Steering Committee of the Global Union AIDS Programme, at its meeting in Brussels on 3 March, discussed, among other items, future cooperation between Global Union Federations (GUFs) on HIV and AIDS. India was chosen as a pilot target country as four GUFs, including the ICEM, have already HIV/AIDS projects in that country. 

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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; 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 &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. 
For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try http://www.google.com/language_tools and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
<a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS/3036-ICEM-HIV- AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-41-February-2009">/en/72-HIV-AIDS/3036-ICEM-HIV- AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-41-February-2009</a> 
Or click directly on the links below: 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=fr&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Cliquez ici pour une traduction automatique en fran&ccedil;ais</a>. 
Cette traduction est faite automatiquement par un logiciel internet gratuit. L&rsquo;ICEM n&rsquo;assume aucune responsabilit&eacute; &agrave; cet &eacute;gard. Elle est approximative, mais peut n&eacute;anmoins vous donner une id&eacute;e g&eacute;n&eacute;rale du contenu de l&rsquo;article. 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=de&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Hier Klicken f&uuml;r eine maschinelle &Uuml;bersetzung ins Deutsche</a>. 
Diese &Uuml;bersetzung, f&uuml;r die die ICEM keine Verantwortung &uuml;bernimmt, erfolgt durch eine frei zug&auml;ngliche Internetsoftware. Diese &Uuml;bersetzung ist nicht perfekt, gibt aber eine ann&auml;hernende Idee, wor&uuml;ber der Artikel handelt. 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=ru&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Щелкните мышью здесь для получения машинного перевода на Русский</a>. 
Этот перевод выполняется автоматически с помощью бесплатной Интернет-программы, и ICEM не несет за него ответственности. Перевод приблизительный, но все же может дать общее представление о содержании статьи. 
日本語への翻訳について、無料オン� ��イン翻訳サービス利用されたい方<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=ja&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">はここをクリ</a>ックしてください。ただし、当該サ� ��ビスを利用した翻訳の質等について 、ICEMは一切責任を負いませんので、� ��了承ください。 
 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=es&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Haga clic aqu&iacute; para una traducci&oacute;n autom&aacute;tica en espa&ntilde;ol</a>. 
Esta traducci&oacute;n se hace autom&aacute;ticamente con tecnolog&iacute;a libre del Internet. La ICEM no se responsabiliza de ella. La traducci&oacute;n es aproximada, pero puede proveer una idea general del contenido del art&iacute;culo. 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=sv&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Klicka h&auml;r f&ouml;r en maskin&ouml;vers&auml;ttning till svenska</a>. 
Denna &ouml;vers&auml;ttning utf&ouml;rs automatiskt med kostnadsfri internetteknik. ICEM tar inget ansvar f&ouml;r den. Den &auml;r inte helt korrekt men ger dig &auml;nd&aring; en allm&auml;n uppfattning om vad artikeln handlar om.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 42 March 2009

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