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A plan of action to combat outsourcing in Latin America was agreed at the regional Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) seminar held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, 6-7 April. The seminar, organised by ICEM CAL Project Latin American Coordinators Rosane Sasse and Elias Soares-Pintado, was attended by 28 union leaders from Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile. 
 
The event began with participants presenting on the status of outsourcing in their own country. Colleagues from Ecuador shared the findings of research into the impact of legislation introduced by President Rafael Correa to ban the use of outsourcing. A number of participants mentioned how legislation in their countries is being abused and many expressed concern at the gap between law and practice. It was agreed that outsourcing has a detrimental impact in all countries, and that coordinated action is needed to stop its use. 
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Elias Soares-Pintado, Rosane Sasse
On 28 July, it was decided, all participating unions will launch an ongoing campaign against outsourcing in Colombia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. To coincide with this, participants will organise activities to raise workers&rsquo; awareness of the issues. 
 
A CAL network was established during the seminar, with each country nominating at least one representative. Representatives will exchange information about challenges and successes. 
 
A detailed plan of action against CAL was agreed, which includes: 
 
- The ICEM will approach Ministries of Labour in particular countries calling for recognition of CAL problems, for respect for trade unions and for concrete actions to be taken against CAL. 
 
- All unions, federations, and confederations should communicate the problems associated with outsourcing and begin a debate on CAL with their governments. 
 
- The ICEM will prepare documents on CAL for the Summit of the President of Latin American countries and the Andean Parliament. 
 
- When a new business is established, unions will immediately start a debate on how production is set out and whether CAL or permanent workers will be employed. 
 
CAL Americas network &ndash; list of representatives 
 
The list of representatives for the CAL Latin America Network includes: German Paplecino, SUTNA, and Marcelo Sotosca, STI Black River Gas, Argentina; Ricardo Rodrigues Vera, Fenatrapech, Chile; Moises Ochoa Berrocal, FENUPETROL, Peru; Walter Silva, CUOPYC, Uruguay; Marcelo Solozano, Link, Ecuador; Rodrigues Manuel Acevedo, SITRAPEQUIA, Costa Rica; Carlos Bustos Pati&ntilde;o, ICEM Project Coordinator, Colombia; and Elias Soares-Pintado, ICEM Project Coordinator, Brazil.

Latin America Seminar Agrees Regional Action Plan and Launches CAL network

ICEM Contract and Agency Labour Newsletter

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Uni&oacute;n Obrera Metal&uacute;rgical (UOM), the national Metalworkers&rsquo; Union of Argentina, reached accord with six employers&rsquo; associations recently in wage negotiations for 2010. Some three weeks after mandatory government reconciliation stopped a scheduled 10 April strike, the UOM and four employer groups agreed to a two-phase wage increase for 2010 that totals 26.5%. 
 
In early May, two other employer federations &ndash; the household goods association (FEDEHOGAR) and the metallurgical industry association (ADIMRA) &ndash; agreed to the salary package, which gives a 15% increase backdated to 1 April with another 10% due on 1 July 2010. The latter increase will be adjusted according to inflation, and workers should realize 11.6%. 

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The contracts cover 260,000 workers and will run until 31 March 2011. The four employer federations that initially agreed to terms included the small and mid-size metallurgical chamber (CAMINA), the auto and other component association (AFAC), electronic parts manufacturers (AFARTE), and the related metals industry association (CAIAMA). The UOM affiliates to the ICEM on its members in the nuclear power sector. 
 
The union had sought a one-stage 25% adjustment, which it said would cover what was lost due to Argentina&rsquo;s high inflation rate in 2009. Initially, employers offered 15% in three stages, but amended that to 20% in three phases upon the threat of a strike. 
 
The metals pact in Argentina is expected to serve as the benchmark for bargaining in other industrial sectors. Javier Sanchez of the UOM&rsquo;s Nuclear Branch credited UOM Secretary-General Antonio Cal&oacute; with leading difficult negotiations in delivering just wage adjustments for metalworkers without an industrial conflict.

Metalworkers in Argentina Negotiate 2010 Wage Gains of 26.5%

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The ICEM affiliated Kuwaiti union, the Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers&rsquo; Confederation, vehemently opposed a Privatisation Bill that passed through the Persian Gulf country&rsquo;s Parliament, especially the inclusion of the oil industry of the country. 
 
The ICEM had closely monitored the situation since the legislation received strong backing in Parliament, on Thursday 15 April. Thirty-three MPs backed it, including the entire cabinet. This backing moved processing of the Bill to the Financial and Economic Committee of Parliament, where significant opposition moved the Committee&rsquo;s secretary, MP Yusif Zalzlah, to announce on 3 May that the panel advised against the inclusion of the oil and natural gas sectors in the legislation. 
 
The ICEM will remain alert to the threat of this legislation returning in the future, as MP Zalzlah stated that the government will remain &ldquo;very flexible&rdquo; on the issue in the future. 

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The Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers&rsquo; Confederation opposed privatisation of the oil sector, seeing it as a transfer of government assets into the hands of a small number of wealthy individuals. The confederation, which serves as the umbrella organisation for six unions representing Kuwaiti workers in the sector, pointed to the recent privatisation of petrol stations in Kuwait, which saw high levels of job losses. 
 
A total of 94% of Kuwait&rsquo;s revenues come from oil. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, in a letter to members of the Kuwaiti Parliament, stated, &ldquo;Kuwait&rsquo;s system of cradle-to-grave welfare is an example to all around the world; we believe strongly that the handing over of your oil assets would seriously jeopardise this welfare system.&rdquo; See the full letter <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/39.ICEM.Kuwait.Parliament.Oil.10May.pdf">here</a>. 
 
The Privatisation Bill was passed by Kuwait&rsquo;s Parliament on 5 May, but did exclude oil and gas production, as well as health and education. The bill angers Kuwaiti trade unionists, especially in sectors that were privatised. One trade union leader was forcibly removed from the public gallery during the parliamentary debate, for shouting slogans against the law. 
 
The new law will be effective in six months time and opens up public services to private ownership. A &ldquo;Higher Privatisation Council&rdquo; will be created, to be headed by the Prime Minister, and this council will oversee sale of public assets. 
 
There will be some regulation, with the law ensuring that when a public company is sold, 40% of its shares must first be offered for sale to Kuwaiti citizens, followed by 20% to be held by government, and 5% to Kuwaiti employees. The remaining 35% will be sold at auction to a local or foreign investor. 
 
In Kuwait&rsquo;s oil sector, striking workers at the Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery returned to work 14 May after a five-day strike was resolved. Workers at the utility unit, employed by the Kuwait National Petroleum Co., were protesting a cut in the workforce. Mohammad al-Hamlan, deputy president of the workers' union, reported that management had agreed to the union&rsquo;s demands, ending the strike. The utility unit workers had been joined in solidarity by the facility&rsquo;s tank farm workers since 11 May. The refinery is the country&rsquo;s largest, with production of 460,000 barrels per day.

Kuwaiti Oil Workers Succeed in Damping Sector from Privatisation

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The ICEM participated in the 36th Ordinary Congress of the Mexican National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union (SNTMMSRM), known as Los Mineros, in Mexico City, 3-4 May. Also included in the international delegation were ICEM affiliates, the United Steelworkers (USW), the Canadian Office and Professional Employees&rsquo; Union (COPE) of British Colombia, and Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF). 
 
The ICEM intervention called, on behalf of all affiliates, for Grupo M&eacute;xico and President Felipe Calder&oacute;n to find a negotiated and peaceful end to the conflict at the Cananea mine. 

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Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez Urrutia addressed the Congress through video conferencing, and was greeted with enthusiastic chants of &ldquo;Napo, Napo, Napo.&rdquo; He was endorsed by members to serve as General Secretary for another four-year term. Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez is leading the union from exile in Vancouver, Canada, while sham criminal charges against him are still pursued by Grupo M&eacute;xico and Calder&oacute;n. G&oacute;mez continues to receive death threats in Vancouver. 
 
A press conference that followed the Congress decried the efforts of Grupo M&eacute;xico and the Mexican government to form a yellow union and undermine Los Mineros. CLC President Ken Georgetti stated that Canadian workers would take action if the Mexico did not scale back its attacks on Mexican workers and unions soon, adding that the Canadian government must step up its pressure on Calder&oacute;n, and the CLC will be calling on them to do so. 

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The international delegation moved from the Congress in Mexico City to the Reclusio Norte prison on the outskirts of the city, to visit Los Mineros official Juan Linares, imprisoned since 2008, when he was arrested at an airport on his return from a labour conference in British Colombia. Mexico&rsquo;s law courts have dismissed the charges against Juan Linares, but he is forced to remain in prison while the Calder&oacute;n government files appeals. 
 
Linares has held firm in his loyalty to his sisters and brothers in Los Mineros. He told the visiting delegation that while in prison, representatives of Grupo M&eacute;xico have visited him and offered 5 million Mexican pesos (US$400,000) in return for him denouncing Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez and Los Mineros. Linares was also offered to freely leave the prison with his money, in return for this statement. He refused and remains in jail. &ldquo;I will walk out of here with my dignity,&rdquo; he stated. 
 
From Reclusio Norte, the delegation went to the Cananea copper mine where some 1,200 striking workers at Cananea in the northern Sonora state have occupied the Grupo Mexico mine for over 1,000 days. The visiting delegation was welcomed by hundreds of striking Los Mineros Section 65 workers and their families. Receiving special mention at the Cananea conflict are the &ldquo;Mujeres de Los Mineros&rdquo; of the community, women who are seen as the backbone of the solidarity and of the striking community. 

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The company has also lodged numerous lawsuits against the striking workers and strike leaders for alleged damage at the mine. The union has asked Grupo M&eacute;xico to withdraw those actions, and instead negotiate a revised collective agreement with Los Mineros that will raise salaries and benefits, and improve safety and hygiene, chief among reasons why miners struck in the first place. 
 
Recently there have been some major breakthroughs in the campaign, finally getting the attention of the US government. When Calder&oacute;n comes soon to the US and Canada, demonstrations and actions are planned. USW President Leo Gerard and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka have had two meetings with the Mexican Minister of Labour, and Gerard has been invited by US President Barack Obama to a state dinner &ldquo;in honor&rdquo; of Calder&oacute;n. 
 
Grupo M&eacute;xico reported profits of US$348million for the first quarter of 2010.

Los Mineros Continues Struggle Against Grupo México, Calderón

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The Associated Mine Workers&rsquo; of Zimbabwe (AMWZ) suspended its five-day strike today after receiving a show-cause order from the country&rsquo;s Labour Ministry late on Friday, 14 May. &ldquo;It is necessary for us to inform miners to return to their jobs or they could face dismissal,&rdquo; said AMWZ President Tinago Ruzive. 
 
The Labour Ministry will hold a hearing on 20 May to determine the validity of the strike, a walkout the ICEM declared justified last week because several mining houses affiliated with Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Chamber of Mines failed to deliver on wage adjustments that came in an arbitration award last year. 
 
That arbitration award should have meant a total salary increase of US$140.00 for the final three months of 2009, but most employers failed to enact the increase. For the vast majority of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s mineworkers, they have seen no increase in wages in over a year. 

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Upwards of 20,000 miners struck some 45 different mining companies on 12 May, shutting down a good portion of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s platinum, diamond, gold, and production. This came after the AMWZ filed the necessary 14-day intent-to-strike notice in April. The Chamber of Mines did petition the Labour Ministry for a show-cause order then, but after two meetings, the Chamber&rsquo;s offer of a US$9.50-per-month increase was insufficient. 
 
Some mining houses, including Imperial Platinum&rsquo;s Zimplats Holdings and Aquarius&rsquo; Mimosa Investments, did pay salary increases and were not part of last week&rsquo;s strikes. But others, including certain operations of Rio Tinto, Metallion Gold, Duration Gold, Redaurum&rsquo;s River Ranch mine, and Pan African Mining&rsquo;s Maligreen gold mine, saw production curtailed by the strike. 
 
The AMWZ has proposed a current wage adjustment of US$496 on top of miners&rsquo; total salaries. The union also insists that mining companies which have neglected to remit contributions to the Mining Industry Pension Fund, monies owed to the National Employment Council for the Mining Industry, and to the AMWZ for subscriptions be forced to meet these obligations. 
 
Depending on the outcome of the 20 May hearing, the AMWZ could issue another 14-day strike notice and resume strike activity in June, said Ruzive.

Zimbabwe Mine Strike Suspended by Decree of Labour Ministry

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Canadian steelworkers forced on strike by Brazilian mining house Vale last summer got another ally late last week. In West Africa, the Forestry, Logging, and Industry Workers of Liberia (FLIWUL) called on their President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, to look closely at Vale&rsquo;s social record before the Liberian government grants Vale a rail and logistics link through the country from newly gained iron ore mines in Guinea. 
 
In the 13 May letter to President Johnson-Sirleaf, FLIWUL said Vale &ldquo;infringes human rights, exploits both male and female workers, imposes precarious working conditions, destroys nature, and disrespects traditional communities&rdquo; in several countries, including Mozambique, Brazil, Canada, Peru, Chile, Germany, Italy, and New Caledonia. 
 
Early in May, Vale bought a 51% stake of BSG Resources, which holds concessions to rich iron ore deposits near Simandou in south-eastern Guinea. Vale paid US$2.5 billion, with an initial payment of US$500 million for the stake and expects to begin production there in 2012. BSG Resources is owned by Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz. 

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Parts of the deposits near Simandou were once owned by Rio Tinto, but the government of Guinea confiscated the blocks in a development dispute. 
 
The ICEM reacted favourably to FLIWUL&rsquo;s challenge to Vale&rsquo;s investment in Liberia, citing the fact that the world&rsquo;s largest iron ore producer has a forced a bitter strike &ndash; now in its eleventh month &ndash; on 3,500 nickel and copper miners in Canada. 
 
General Secretary Manfred Warda said the ICEM will also raise Vale&rsquo;s new investment in Guinea with trade unions there, as well as with the military government of Guinea, which has shown a willingness to halt worker abuses by multinationals. 
 
In the FLIWUL letter to President Johnson-Sirleaf (seen <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/fliwul.letter.liberia.1005.pdf">here</a>), Secretary-General David Sackoh said, &ldquo;We are aware of many serious issues surrounding Vale and its mistreatment of workers and communities where it operates around the world. 
 
&ldquo;We are disturbed at the treatment that Vale has given to its workforce in Canada. The company provoked a strike through its demands for deep concessions from its workers despite the fact that the company has made billions of dollars in profit in recent years. 

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&ldquo;Madame President, following many years of civil war and turmoil the Liberian people finally enjoy peace and have a promising future under your leadership. This behemoth Vale with its suspect actions could potentially destroy our fragile economy for the benefit of a greedy few. As key stakeholder in the infrastructural and economic development of Liberia, FLIWUL wishes to urge the government to carefully study the situation and ensure that transitional companies investing in Liberia do so responsibly.&rdquo; 
 
Vale has attempted to break the strike by 3,100 miners in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ontario, and another 400 in Goose Bay and Voiseys Bay, Labrador/Newfoundland, by using replacement workers to continue production. That practice is outlawed in two Canadian provinces, and generally discouraged in the others. In Sudbury and Port Colborne, where Untied Steelworkers Locals 6500 and 6200 share a common labour agreement, bargaining did resume for the second time since the strike began on 13 July 2009. But those mediated sessions, 5-7 May, broke off when Vale refused to retreat from its intractable demands for steep cuts to living and working conditions.

ICEM Affiliate in Liberia Balks at Vale Rail Link Through Country

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Strike actions in April and a flurry of trade union activities over the past two weeks have succeeded in bringing formal recognition to the ICEM affiliate, Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Georgia. Some 5,800 workers at the Zestafoni Ferroalloys Plant and the Georgian Manganese mines, some 40 kilometres from Zestafoni in Chiatura, now have a free and democratic trade union to call their own. 
 
That was reinforced on 13 May after the union, backed by the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), and top managers met for a second conciliation commission session and made headway towards resolving a host of demands put forward by workers. 
 
Miners and metalworkers were buoyed massively when, ten days after a three-day strike ended on 25 April that got management&rsquo;s rapt attention, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan travelled to western Georgian to meet with workers. 

<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="225" />
(LtoR) Irakli Petriashvili, President of GTUC, Manfred Warda, GTUC interpreter, Kemal &Ouml;zkan
Bringing pledges of solidarity from the ICEM and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), Warda told Georgian workers they were not alone. And speaking before regional news media and to workers directly, Warda assured all that the combined strength of the two federations was ready and willing to take this fight beyond central Asia if that was needed. 
 
The message underscored a resolve borne through several months of struggle, culminating in a series of April incidents, including grievous intimidation tricks (see prior ICEM report here) by management that served only to bring more staff into the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; fold. 
 
Initially in last week&rsquo;s second conciliation session, managers and their attorneys sought involvement of an existing but dying &ldquo;yellow&rdquo; union in the talks. But the seven union members of the joint, bilateral commission threatened to walk out and lead renewed strike actions. The union and GTUC representatives then showed managers a large number of power-of-attorney statements by workers that expressed their allegiance to the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union. 
<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="142" />
Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union Members
Recognition was achieved. The numerous petitions that workers demand to improve their working lives were then open for discussion. Foremost among them were wages. In the hours leading up to the talks, the ICEM and IMF scrambled to gather and succeeded in delivering wage rates from associated ferroalloy plants in Ukraine, owned by the metals arm of PrivatBank. 
 
Miners at the Georgian Manganese complex are paid an average monthly wage of GEL (lari) 450, or US$238, &euro;192. Metalworkers at the ferroalloy plant in Zestafoni earn a monthly average of GEL 562, or US$298, &euro;240. With both sides having already agreed to 1 May as the effective date for salary adjustments, management proposed a 15% increase for shift workers and 8% for day workers. 
 
This is unsatisfactory to the union side of the commission. But they are confident that further negotiations today and tomorrow, 17-18 May, and again on 20 May, will bring the long overdue percentage increases higher. The union did get a commitment at the 13 May set of talks that the enterprises will begin to comply with Georgia labour law regarding sick leave payments, including retroactive compensation for those workers who have been denied such pay. 

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&ldquo;It is a big step forward,&rdquo; said Gocha Aleksandria, Vice President of the GTUC, who is a member of the 14-member conciliation commission. &ldquo;The administration now accepts our union, but the hardest part is still ahead. We intend to achieve the obvious, meaningful, and tangible results for our members and that is permanent labour contracts that address all issues.&rdquo; 
 
Some of those issues include raising the number of yearly paid leave days from 30 (metal) and 32 (mining) to 35; creation of a joint contributory pension fund to supplement a miserly state pension; better safety and health conditions; and an upgrade to medical facilities. 
 
Even prior to the first commission negotiations, on 7 May, management reacted to workers&rsquo; militancy and ICEM&rsquo;s mission statement of that week by agreeing to permanent work contracts, as well as reinstatement of two union leaders who were discharged for strike activities. (At the 13 May session, management agreed to pay the two their full April salaries.) 
 
Another accomplishment in the recent bargaining is that union leaders will bring their demands directly to Georgian shareholders of the enterprises. The complex ownership of the ferroalloy plant and manganese mines has stock ownership by privately-held Stemcor Holdings of the UK. Shares are also traded publicly on the Georgian bourse with Georgia entrepreneurs and the Ukrainian oligarch Gennadiy Boholyubov and his manganese empire that is tied to PrivatBank holding vast sums. 
 
For now, 3,600 miners and 2,200 metalworkers have a free and democratic union they can call their own &ndash; the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Imereti Region. But as Aleksandria states, the journey now begins in earnest: erstwhile dialogue to gain the wage levels, benefits and work conditions that they justly deserve.

Free Trade Union Recognised for Miners, Metalworkers of Georgia

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A 15-week lockout by Rio Tinto on 760 members of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 30 in Boron, California, ended over the weekend, following a 75% approval of a new collective agreement by union members who voted Saturday, 15 May. 
 
The six-year labour accord at a borax mine and processing operation in California&rsquo;s Mojave desert comes minus nearly all of the job-destroying contract proposals that Rio Tinto Minerals sought over nine months, and stands as testament to the courage and resolution of ILWU Local 30 members. 
 
It came after three straight days of non-stop bargaining last week, negotiations in which ILWU President Bob McEllrath hammered home the fact that loyal and dedicated workers did not deserve the harsh contract-language takeaways that the company sought. Rio Tinto listened. 

<img alt="" src="" width="168" height="256" />
&ldquo;Bob brought something else, something completely different to the table,&rdquo; said a Local 30 Bargaining Committee member. &ldquo;His resolve to get this dispute ended, get these unfair issues wiped clean made all the difference.&rdquo; 
 
Last week&rsquo;s negotiations took place at the offices of the US Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in Glendale, California. 
 
Boron workers will begin reporting on 18 May for four days of US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) refresher training in Palmdale, California, training for which they will receive 40 hours pay from the company. Rio Tinto will remove the company that provided replacement workers this coming weekend, and Local 30 members will be back to work on 24 May. 
 
The six-year agreement, which takes effect 15 May, provides for a 2.5 percent wage increase each year. In addition, workers receive a US$5,000 ratification bonus.&nbsp; 
 
But more importantly, Local 30 and the ILWU leadership resisted Rio Tinto proposals to restrict job bidding and job transfers based on seniority; protected full-time employment against creation of part-time and temporary work; gained an agreement that prohibits sub-contracting unless union members cannot fulfill company assignments; and beat back a company proposal to eliminate one day of holiday leave each year. 
<img alt="" src="" width="205" height="154" />
The union did concede a few issues. It granted the company some flexibility regarding overtime, in that workers must give one week&rsquo;s advance posting if they will be available to work overtime; sick leave was reduced from 14 to ten days per year, but workers are allowed to maintain up to 200 hours of banked sick leave pay atop the ten days; and new hires will fall into a different pension-savings scheme. 
 
There was pressure on Rio Tinto Minerals to end the lockout, since orders for sodium borates were picking up and replacement workers provided by the private-security company were unable to handle processing work. The mineral is used in detergents, glass, building materials, and other uses such as an ingredient in chemicals. 
 
The ICEM congratulates ILWU President Bob McEllrath, Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams, Vice President Ray Familathe, and the entire membership of Local 30 for standing together, refusing to settle for less, and sending a signal to all that fiercely resisting a multinational company&rsquo;s family-wrecking agenda can succeed. 
 
The ICEM also commends the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, for providing continual aid and assistance to Local 30 members and their families.

ILWU Beats Back Concessions in Rio Tinto US Collective Agreement

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Errol McLeod, the former head of the Oilfields Workers&rsquo; Trade Union (OWTU) of Trinidad and Tobago, was named Minister of Labour on Friday, 28 May, by newly-elected Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the first woman to ever lead the twin island republic in the Caribbean. 
 
McLeod, also a former ICEM Executive Committee member, will head a Cabinet ministry entitled Labour, Small, and Macro Enterprise Development. He retired as President of OWTU a year ago after 21 years as leader of one of the world&rsquo;s most militant trade unions. 
 
The newly-founded Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) political party, which counted McLeod as a candidate for elections to Parliament a week ago, is part of a multi-party coalition&nbsp;called the People&rsquo;s Partnership that elected Persad-Bissessar and won 29 of 41 seats in Parliament on 24 May. 

<img height="167" alt="" src="" width="180" />
Those elections proved a crushing defeat to former Prime Minister Patrick Manning and his People&rsquo;s National Movement party. 
 
McLeod came on the political scene as a strong and charismatic leader of workers in the early 1980s when he founded the Committee for Labour Solidarity in Trinidad and Tobago. Even prior, his confident demeanor and apt leadership were apparent in the 1960s when he first worked at the former Texaco refinery in Pointe-&agrave;-Pierre. That complex is now part of state-owned Petrotrin and sits at the vanguard of workers&rsquo; militancy in Trinidad and Tobago. 
 
McLeod&rsquo;s fearless, honest, and tactful leadership over 30 years won working class gains for tens of thousands not just in his home country, but all across the Caribbean and the Commonwealth nations. 
 
&ldquo;The entire family of ICEM trade unions extends its hearty congratulations to Errol,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;His great number of achievements on behalf of workers bodes well for all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago and we truly look forward to working again with him.&rdquo;

Errol McLeod Named Labour Minister in Trinidad and Tobago

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