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Following last October&rsquo;s release of the English version of the &ldquo;ICEM Guide on Contact and Agency Labour (CAL),&rdquo; the Global Union Federation has now released an Arabic version. Further language versions are in the works. 
 
The Arabic version can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/09-02-09%20Word%20version%20ICEM%20CAL%20Guide%20in%20Arabic.pdf ">here</a>. 
 
The CAL Guide describes numerous short-term contract, agency labour, and other precarious work situations from around the world. It contains a number of best practice examples, as well as worrying situations, such as the horrid work terms and working conditions that temporary workers fine themselves in. 
 
The guide also provides an overview of some of the most recent changes in national and international labour laws and standards. It further deals with combating the phenomenon at company level through collective negotiations. Useful and encouraging examples, together with union strategies are also provided. 
 
The English version of the manual, as well as the ICEM&rsquo;s CAL campaign website can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org/">here</a>.&nbsp;

ICEM Releases Contract and Agency Manual in Arabic

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Effective 24 March 2009, the ICEM will be located in new office space in Geneva. The new offices, located in the Eaux-Vives section of Geneva near the old city, are located at 20 rue Adrien Lachenal, 1207 Geneva. 
 
The general phone number, fax number, and all individual extension numbers will remain the same. 
 
The new offices have 570 square metres of space spread across two floors of a modern building. It will serve as more functional and accommodating leased office space compared to the 150 square metres of temporary offices that the ICEM occupied since the April 2008 move from Belgium to Switzerland. 
 
We encourage all ICEM affiliates and their representatives, whenever in Geneva, to visit us at 20 rue Adrien Lachenal.

ICEM Relocates inside Geneva, Effective Tomorrow, 24 March

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In efforts to hold the government of &Aacute;lvaro Uribe responsible for prosecuting the real perpetrators behind the murders of trade union activists before a US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement is enacted, the US House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee heard vivid testimony last month on several murders. 
 
One was the 2001 assassination of Jorge Dar&iacute;o Hoyos, who was once the Colombian coordinator for the Miners&rsquo; International Federation (MIF), one of the predecessor trade union federations of the ICEM. 

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Yessika Hoyos
Testifying in Washington, DC, was his daughter, 25-year-old Yessika Hoyos. She said that despite police arresting two individuals who actually committed the crime, no effort has been made to apprehend and prosecute those who ordered the assassination. 
 
&ldquo;We know there is evidence of other perpetrators, including members of the national army,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The investigation remains open, but with no follow-up of the evidence as requested, and no identification of other possible perpetrators.&rdquo; 
 
Dar&iacute;o Hoyos, then 61, was gunned down in his home town of Fusagasuga, in central Colombia near Bogot&aacute;, on 3 March 2001.At the time, a paramilitary group called the Block Centaurs was thought to have carried out the killing. He was MIF&rsquo;s national coordinator from 1984 to 1991, and then served as an organiser and collective bargaining advisor to unions representing teachers, bank workers, and telecommunications staff. 
 
At the February 2009 US Congress hearing, the House Education and Labour Committee stated, &ldquo;The Colombian government has not done enough to stem the rising violence against trade union leaders or address the backlog of labor union leader killings.&rdquo; A representative from Colombia&rsquo;s National Labour School testified that 60% of all murders of trade union activists throughout the world occur in Colombia.

US Congressional Committee Hears Testimony of Slain Colombian Mine Union Activist

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Yao Fuxin, a Chinese labour activist who led a 2002 peaceful protest against the corruption that drove a steel mill into bankruptcy, was released from prison 16 March. He served a full seven-year term for &ldquo;subversion of state power.&rdquo; 
 
In March 2003, after a hasty four-hour trial two months earlier, Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang were sentenced to prison terms for leading worker protests demanding back wages and pension payments at the Liaoyang Ferroalloy mill in northeastern Liaoning Province. 

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In March 2002, some 15,000 workers at five metal-working operations protested against government and management corruption at state-run enterprises in China&rsquo;s steel belt. At the Liaoyang Ferroalloy facility a year earlier, workers there alleged that 2,000 tons of iron ore disappeared, leading to bankruptcy and non-payment of wages and benefits. 
 
Xiao Yunliang, a retired metalworker, was released just three weeks before his four-year prison term was up in March 2006. 
 
But Yao Fuxin persevered through harsh conditions at Lingyuan No. 2 prison where he suffered two heart attacks, a stroke, and was consistently placed before an open window in the cold of winter. He also suffered from sleep depravation. Prison officials ordered other prisoners to step on him when he fell asleep. 
 
Upon his release last week, Yao Fuxin, now 63, expressed no remorse. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with what I did,&rdquo; he said in a telephone interview with a news wire service, adding he and others were only exercising their rights under China&rsquo;s constitution. &ldquo;I feel no regret at all. What I did was protect the interests of the country and the interests of the people, the law-given interests of the workers.&rdquo;

After 7 Years, China Releases Metalworker Labour Activist

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The ICEM supports the actions of its Ukrainian affiliate, the Coal Mining Industry Workers&rsquo; Union of Ukraine (PRUPU), as it announced a series of mass rallies throughout the country, protesting the situation facing miners in an industry in crisis. 
 
The decision to commence with mass protest actions on 25 March was taken by the union&rsquo;s Shop Stewards at the 3rd Plenary Meeting of PRUPU&rsquo;s Central Committee, held on 27 February. Delegates resolved to launch the mass protest actions, starting this Wednesday, including the picketing of the seats of the state authorities in Kiev and other major coal-mining towns in the eastern Donbass region. 

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PRUPU President Victor Turmanov
Ukrainian miners face ongoing violations of their right to timely remuneration, significant wage arrears, and a reduction of 4.6 times of the budgetary allocations for the industry in 2009 over that of 2008. 
 
The Ukrainian Federation of Trade Unions, in a statement released 11 March, accused the country&rsquo;s leadership of &ldquo;ignoring the interests of the people to please international financial magnates.&rdquo; 
 
In exchange for a US$2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, the Ukrainian government agreed to restrictive conditions for the loan. Notable promises were the cancelling of social utility discounts for poor families, raising the retirement age by five years, and a six-fold increase in gas prices for Ukrainians.

Ukrainian Miners’ Union, PRUPU, to Launch Government Protest Rallies This Week

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A strike by 190 Turkish paperworkers, members of ICEM affiliate T&uuml;mka-İş, against Procter &amp; Gamble ended on 30 March. The end came when workers voted in front of the plant gates in Gebze, Turkey, for a two-year agreement. 
The negotiated agreement is a significant improvement over the American company&rsquo;s proposed wage freeze in the first year of the agreement. Workers will receive a 3.9% increase, an improvement over the 2% offer made by Procter &amp; Gamble 11 days into the strike. In addition, all workers will receive a lump-sum TL 1,250 payment upon returning to work. 
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The second year&rsquo;s wage increase, to come on 1 September 2009, will equal the rate of Turkish inflation. The company&rsquo;s offer in early March was two-thirds the inflation rate. T&uuml;mka-İş retained all work rights already in the collective agreement, and won increases in certain compensations, including night-shift premium pay. 
 
T&uuml;mka-İş General President Kemal Yilmaz thanked the ICEM and the many pulp and paper unions throughout the world which supported workers during the strike. &ldquo;For success to come in a struggle against a giant multinational company such as P&amp;G, international solidarity is a necessity,&rdquo; said Yilmaz. &ldquo;When it is coupled with the decisiveness of workers on the front lines, success can come easily.&rdquo; 
Procter &amp; Gamble manufactures paper towels, tissue, and hygiene products, including nappies, at the Gebze plant outside of Istanbul.

Turkish Paperworkers at Procter &amp; Gamble End 37-Day Strike

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In September 2007, ICEM and the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) jointly signed a Global Framework Agreement with Belgian-based Umicore, a chemicals, metals technology, and catalysts systems company. In line with a relevant article of the agreement calling for the parties to have an annual mission to a Umicore worksite to monitor compliance, a visit to a plant in Shanghai, China, producing cobalt and zinc powders for battery application was made from 16-20 March. 
 
The ICEM was represented by Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan, while IMF General Secretary Marcello Malentacchi, IMF Director of Education, Health and Safety Magnus Palmgren, and Jef Peeters, chairman of Umicore&rsquo;s European Works Council also were along. The company was represented by Ursula Saint L&eacute;ger, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources. 

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Umicore&rsquo;s corporate officials presented the topics covered in the global agreement related to social objectives, human rights, working conditions, and environmental issues. Both Global Union Federations explained their activities regarding multinational companies, and Peeters provided information on the structure of the company&rsquo;s European section. The union side commented on the reports given and put forward expectations for the future. 
 
The delegation then visited the company's subsidiary in Shanghai, called Shanghai Blue Lotus. Employing 88 workers &ndash; 71 men and 17 women &ndash; the plant does have trade union representation. ICEM and IMF had the opportunity to meet Lu Yaozhong, chairman of the branch union at Shanghai Blue Lotus, and discussed working conditions and trade union rights. 
 
Commented &Ouml;zkan on the visit, &quot;This first joint activity has created hopeful expectations for the future. In&nbsp;view of the importance of international industrial relations, the global agreement between ICEM/IMF and Umicore will continue to serve to improve working conditions of the company worldwide.&quot;

ICEM, IMF Join Umicore on a Joint Mission to Shanghai, China, Plant

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Trade unions joined with aid agencies and environmentalists on the streets of London last weekend, 28 March, to march under the banner &ldquo;Put People First&rdquo;. The 35,000 peaceful protestors called for reform of the world&rsquo;s economy under a common banner, &ldquo;Jobs, Justice, Climate.&rdquo; Decent jobs and public services for all, justice for the world&rsquo;s poor, including the 200 million people that the United Nations predicts will be thrown into poverty as a result of the economic crisis, and a green economy to slow climate change. 
 
The march was part of the global campaign to challenge the G20 ahead of the summit meetings last week, and was sponsored by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) of the UK. 

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The colourful four-mile march from Embankment to Hyde Park was accompanied by brass bands and chants of &ldquo;Bail out the people, not the bankers!&rdquo; Speeches were then heard from trade union leaders, including United Steelworkers of America President Leo Gerard, Australian Council of Trades Unions (ACTU) President Sharon Burrow, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, and comedian Mark Thomas. All called for an overhaul in the mechanisms governing the world economy. 
 
&ldquo;Even before the crisis, the world suffered poverty and faced the threat of climate change,&rdquo; said GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny of the UK. &ldquo;The G20 must fight recession by making the world fairer and greener.&rdquo; At least 1,500 GMB members took part in the march. 
 
The high turnout has been attributed in part to the use of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media used by organizers in the run-up to the event. During the march, messages that had been posted on Twitter were shouted through a loud speaker.

Trade Unionists join others on streets of London demanding G20 to ‘Put People First’

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Ukrainian unions in the chemical and related industries discussed crisis conditions and challenges at a meeting on 24 March in Kiev, a meeting organised by ICEM and Nordic-In, the industrial labour federation covering workers in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. 
 
The main objective of the meeting was to develop cooperation with Ukrainian unions in chemicals and other such industries in the Ukraine. The emphasis included organising, collective bargaining, multinational companies, and capacity building for trade union officers, with firm intent to conduct a long term and extensive project in the country. 

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The participants included Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer of ICEM, Kent Karrlander, Head of Chemicals for the Nordic-In, which represents over 20 trade unions in the metal, energy, chemicals, plastics, paper, and mining sectors, and Swedish IF Metall Union&rsquo;s International Officer Henrik Nilsson and Local Officer Peter Johansson. The participating labour organisations from Ukraine included the Nuclear Power and Industry Workers&rsquo; Union (Atomprofspilka), Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Workers Union, Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union, and the Construction and Building Materials Workers&rsquo; Union. 
 
Before starting any specific activities, the participants discussed needs, views, and the expectations that a long-term project would undertake. One key aspect expressed by Ukrainian trade unionists was bargaining during crisis conditions, such as at present with the global economic recession. The Ukrainians were interested in learning the experiences of unions in other countries as a major need. 
 
Structural issues, finances, and organising were put forward as burning issues in which a future project should centre on. As well, using international tools for developing organising drives was also mentioned as an agenda item of future activities. The project is scheduled to start in September 2009 and continue for a three-year period. 
 
&quot;With great appreciation to Nordic-In, which strives to initiate great cooperation with the unions represented chemical workers in the Ukraine, I am confident that the issues and problems will be addressed and handled in this project,&rdquo; said the ICEM&rsquo;s &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;This, indeed, will have a big impact on ICEM affiliates in the Ukraine and signifies a good example of international trade union solidarity.&quot;

Ukraine’s Unions Seek Tools to Overcome Economic Crisis in Joint ICEM-Nordic Project

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Pencho Torkmachiev, President of the Federation Independent Union of Miners of Bulgaria (FIUM), opened a day-long celebration on 31 March of the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Bulgaria&rsquo;s oldest and largest mining union in Pernik, the industrial city where the trade union movement and FIUM were born. As in many other countries, the miners&rsquo; union became the leading force in the trade union movement and survived numerous cataclysmic changes including two world wars and the advent and fall of communism. 
 
The importance of the FIUM was demonstrated in the final event of the day when Georgi Parvanov, the president of Bulgaria, spoke to the audience, which included several government ministers. President Parvanov spoke about how the FIUM shaped his life, having grown up in Pernik. 

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President Parvanov
Joe Drexler, ICEM&rsquo;s director of industry and corporate affairs, spoke in the final event on the economic crisis sweeping the world and how mining trade unions are addressing the crisis. He also spoke on the importance of Bulgaria moving to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Health and Safety in Mines Convention. In private conversations, the FIUM expressed confidence that Bulgaria will make a major step toward ratification in 2009. 
 
There are few places in the world that would rival Pernik in terms of its celebration of miners. Monuments and sculptures to miners dominate the city center along with a mining museum that includes an underground coal mine. Those attending the event were given a tour of the underground mine which showed how technology has changed the nature of mining 
 
FIUM President Torkmachiev along with Vice Presidents Alexander Kanev and Valentin Valchev, expressed their appreciation to the ICEM for its continuing support to the trade union. The FIUM has approximately 11,000 members engaged in coal, metal, and industrial materials mining.

Bulgarian Miners’ Union Celebrates 100 year Anniversary with President of Bulgaria

Archive

ICEM Releases Contract and Agency Manual in Arabic

ICEM Relocates inside Geneva, Effective Tomorrow, 24 March

US Congressional Committee Hears Testimony of Slain Colombian Mine Union Activist

After 7 Years, China Releases Metalworker Labour Activist

Ukrainian Miners’ Union, PRUPU, to Launch Government Protest Rallies This Week

Turkish Paperworkers at Procter & Gamble End 37-Day Strike

ICEM, IMF Join Umicore on a Joint Mission to Shanghai, China, Plant

Trade Unionists join others on streets of London demanding G20 to ‘Put People First’

Ukraine’s Unions Seek Tools to Overcome Economic Crisis in Joint ICEM-Nordic Project

Bulgarian Miners’ Union Celebrates 100 year Anniversary with President of Bulgaria

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