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The ICEM-hosted International Nuclear Workers Unions&rsquo; Network (INWUN) will meet in Brussels on 8-10 November. INWUN and the ICEM are encouraging nuclear workers&rsquo; trade unions worldwide to participate and further information can be obtained by contacting chairman Dave Shier of the Canadian Power Workers Union at dshier@pwu.ca. INWUN currently has ten trade unions as members from eight countries.

Nuclear Network Meeting Coming to Brussels in November

Hundreds of trade union members of an unaffiliated electrical workers&rsquo; union in Costa Rico marched on the country&rsquo;s Legislative Assembly 26 September in protest against CAFTA, the free trade agreement between the US, Central American nations, and the Dominican Republic. The workers of Instituto de Electricidad (ICI) presented a petition to the Assembly during the manifestation calling for it to invoke terms of a 1988 law that protects the autonomy and independence of ICI against multinational companies. It also called on Costa Rico not to impose capitalization limitations on the public utility in order to attract transnationals.

Costa Rican Union Protests CAFTA

Colombian oil workers&rsquo; Union Sindical Obrera de la Industria Del Petroleo (USO) held a day of manifestation 22 September calling for workers and citizens of the South American nation to resist privatisation of Colombia&rsquo;s second largest refinery, a state-run Ecopetrol refinery in Cartagena. 
The Uribe government has received letters of interest from three multinational oil companies to invest S$850 million for expansion of the refinery, which would effectively transfer 51% ownership to the winning bidder. In it&rsquo;s call to resist privatisation, USO demands greater unity between workers and the public in Colombia to protect the interests of the nation and it&rsquo;s citizens for generations to come.

Colombia&#039;s Oil Union Rejects Refinery Privatisation

ICEM&rsquo;s Global Network of ExxonMobil Workers&rsquo; Solidarity is spotlighting recent deaths and physical abuses to protesters among 4,000 contract workers who have been denied overtime pay by Chad-Cameroon Constructors (TCC), a pipeline-building consortium led by Esso-Tchad, Chevron, and Petronas of Malaysia. 
<img height="80" src="" width="120" alt="" />
On 18 September, national gendarmerie of Chad violently broke up a peaceful sit-in, leaving three dead, three with serious injuries and 30 arrested. Workers have been protesting in the capital of N&rsquo;djamena and in the southern oil regions of Chad. 
The network&rsquo;s attention on the Chad-Cameroon pipeline, opened in 2003 and now carrying 200,000 barrels-per-day, comes just months after Amnesty International issued a comprehensive report on how commercial contracts between Chad&rsquo;s government and private-sector interests have destroyed human rights for both workers and civilians. 
Contract workers are owed some US$12 million in overtime wages collectively for completing the US$3.7 billion pipeline ahead of schedule. Visit the website of the ExxonMobil workers&rsquo; network at www.ExxonMobil-solidarity.org.

Two Dead Among Contractors on Chad-Cameroon Pipeline

Fourteen workers were hospitalized and 30 treated for injuries following a 24 September hydrogen sulphide leak at Caltex Australia Ltd.&rsquo;s refinery in Sydney. Less than a week later, on 29 September, another suspected gas leak forced evacuation of hundreds of oil workers at the country&rsquo;s second largest refinery. The incidents occurred near a new, A$395 million clean fuels plant inside the Kurnell refinery, a major producer of transport fuels in Australia. Caltex, 50% owned by US-based Chevron, is behind schedule and has been burdened with unplanned maintenance and outages at the 124,000 barrel-per-day refinery.

Leak Hospitalizes 14 at Caltex Refinery in Australia

New Zealand paper workers at a Carter Holt Harvey (CHH) converting factory in Auckland have won a 5% pay hike, but CHH workers in the woods sector are still staging industrial actions to get similar pay increases. On 23 September, 200 workers at a laminated veneer plant at Marsden Point in Whangarei began a week-long strike aimed at achieving affiliate Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union&rsquo;s (EPMU) goal of 5% in 2005. The EPMU has succeeded in getting 5% hikes in 269 collective agreements since it&rsquo;s Fair Share Campaign began in February 2005, 85% of all contracts open this year. The &ldquo;5% in &lsquo;05&rdquo; Campaign prompted an industry association spokesman to remark, &ldquo;If you get the message out there, it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.&rdquo;

New Zealand Affiliate Succeeding at 5% Wage Hikes

French ICEM affiliate F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Chimie Energie CFDT is calling for a tripartite commission to be established to resolve wage talks in the paper carton industry of France. The trade union rejects the inferior minimum levels put forward by the trade industry grouping Nationale des Industries Papeti&egrave;res pour les Affaires Sociales (l&rsquo;Unipas). FCE-CFDT says the heavy pressure to hold down wages will not be good for this papermaking sector since workers will become reluctant to take promotions into jobs requiring higher technical skills.

French Affiliate Seeks Wage Hikes in Paper Sector

Tomorrow, a general strike will occur throughout France, called by the nation&rsquo;s five major trade union confederations. French workers are saying no to privatisations, no to the new jobs contract proposed by the government, no to erosion of job security, and yes to public service investments and fair pay gains. Some 140 public demonstrations will be held across France, and a weekend opinion poll says 74% of French citizens support the day of actions. The strike has postponed&mdash;at least temporarily&mdash;a government campaign to promote partial privatisation of Electricit&eacute; de France (EDF). Release of analysts&rsquo; reports of EDF&rsquo;s initial public offering commissioned by the government have been ordered delayed until after 4 October strikes.

French Trade Unions Stage 4 October Actions

The Canadian government was target of a 9 September International Day of Protest against the export of asbestos products. Unions in Australia, Asia, India, Africa and Latin America joined the protest against Canada&rsquo;s government, which bans the sale of asbestos products to its own citizens yet profits by export of it. Canada is the world&rsquo;s third largest exporter of asbestos products. Demonstrators gathered in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, Australia, demanding a ban, and Canadian embassies in 12 countries were delivered strongly-worded letters asking for Canada to stop its asbestos exports. In Japan, where 60% of all asbestos comes from Canada, three unions sent a high-level delegation to the Tokyo embassy of Canada formally requesting that its export promotion policy be terminated.

Global Unions Protest Canada&#039;s Asbestos Exports

The exchange of information and the development of good working practice within StatoilHydro worldwide operations. 

 
1 PREAMBLE 
 
This agreement is set up by Industri Energi, as the central bargaining union for StatoilHydro operations in Norway and Industri Energi on behalf of ICEM (International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions) which represents trade unions organising StatoilHydro employees in the Company world-wide and StatoilHydro. 
 
The purpose of the agreement is to create an open channel of information between Industri Energi /ICEM and StatoilHydro Management about industrial relations issues in order to continuously improve and develop good work practices in StatoilHydro's worldwide operations. 
 
This agreement covers all activities where StatoilHydro has direct control. Where StatoilHydro does not have overall control, it will exercise its best efforts in order to secure compliance with the standards set out in this agreement. StatoilHydro will notify its subcontractors and licensees of this agreement and encourage compliance with the standards. 
 
Based on the Parties&rsquo; common recognition of fundamental human rights and StatoilHydro's own values, the purpose is to monitor the practical application of the agreed principles and to discuss any improvements in the working practices or any positive contribution the Parties may make to the eradication of poverty through economic and social progress. 
 
2 HUMAN RIGHTS, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND HSE ISSUES 
 
StatoilHydro and Industri Energi/ICEM affirm their support for fundamental human rights in the community and in the place of work. Furthermore, the Parties recognise the importance of protecting safety, health and well being at work and share the concern about the impact of exploitation that production, use and disposal may have upon the natural and human environment. This agreement is intended to ensure the best possible standards of protection for those employed in our business. 
 
The respect of human rights includes: 
 
&bull; The right of every employee to be represented by a union of his or her own choice and the basic trade union rights as defined by ILO Convention 87 and 98 covering freedom of association and the right to organise, as well as the right to engage in collective bargaining. StatoilHydro therefore agrees not to oppose efforts to unionise its employees. 
 
&bull; A commitment not to employ forced or bonded labour as proscribed in the IL0 Conventions 29 and 105 or otherwise. 
 
&bull; A commitment to employ no child labour as proscribed by IL0 Convention 138. 
 
&bull; A commitment to exercise equality of opportunity and treatment in recruitment, employment, training and career development, including equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value, and the prevention of discrimination*, in respect of employment and occupation as required by ILO Conventions 100 and 111 respectively. 
 
&bull; A commitment to pay fair wages and benefits according to good industry standards in the country concerned. 
 
&bull; A commitment to provide a safe and healthy work environment, deploying common &quot;best practice&quot; standards. 
 
&bull; Ensure that the company provides a clear and supportive policy on HIV/AIDS and that this policy is effectively implemented throughout StatoilHydros operations. 
 
 
* Discrimination is defined as any distinction, exclusion, or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment 
 
3 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 
 
StatoilHydro and Industri Energi/ICEM will cooperate to ensure that StatoilHydro activities are carried out with the fullest possible regard for the environment in particular this will include: 
 
&bull; Supporting a precautionary approach to environmental challenges. 
 
&bull; Undertaking initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility. 
 
&bull; Encouraging the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies. 
4 IMPLEMENTATION 

4.1 Annual Meeting 
 
StatoilHydro and Industri Energi/ICEM will meet annually to review practice in the area of the agreed principles and follow up this Agreement. The purpose shall be to discuss the issues covered by this agreement with a view to jointly agreeing actions that will further develop good working practices. In addition to the general industrial issues and HSE-matters, the following topics may be addressed: 
 
&bull; General corporate policy on employment, occupational health, safety and environmental issues affecting within the company and, as appropriate, between the company and its related companies including suppliers and subcontractors. 
 
&bull; The economic and financial position of the company and the development of its business and related activities. 
 
&bull; Training matters. 
 
&bull; Issues affecting the exercise of trade union rights. 
 
&bull; Any other issues mutually agreed upon. 
 
Participants at these annual meetings will normally be 4-5 senior officials from Industri Energi/ICEM and relevant managers from StatoilHydro. 

StatoilHydro and Industri Energi/ICEM will meet annually to review practice in the area of the agreed principles and follow up this Agreement. The purpose shall be to discuss the issues covered by this agreement with a view to jointly agreeing actions that will further develop good working practices. In addition to the general industrial issues and HSE-matters, the following topics may be addressed: &bull; General corporate policy on employment, occupational health, safety and environmental issues affecting within the company and, as appropriate, between the company and its related companies including suppliers and subcontractors. &bull; The economic and financial position of the company and the development of its business and related activities. &bull; Training matters. &bull; Issues affecting the exercise of trade union rights. &bull; Any other issues mutually agreed upon. Participants at these annual meetings will normally be 4-5 senior officials from Industri Energi/ICEM and relevant managers from StatoilHydro.
4.2 Local Industrial Relations practice 
 
The agreement between the Parties shall be applied consistently throughout StatoilHydro operations but is not intended to replace or interfere with local industrial relations practice related to information, problem solving and negotiations. The Parties to the agreement respect the principle that industrial relations issues are best resolved as close as possible to the place of work. 

4.3 Training Programmes 
 
Industri Energi/ICEM and StatoilHydro will cooperate in developing joint training arrangements covering those issues &ndash; and their implementation - dealt with in this agreement. This will include appropriate training in health, safety and environmental best practice for union delegates from countries where StatoilHydro is the operator. It will also include Management training programmes within StatoilHydro. The cost of Industri Energi/ICEM involvement in StatoilHydro training programmes may be covered by StatoilHydro, subject to agreement. 

4.4 Union delegates 
StatoilHydro will refrain from dismissing or otherwise discriminating against union delegates, identified as such by the Parties, or employees providing information relevant to the observance and implementation of this Agreement. All union delegates must agree to respect the commercial confidentiality of information disclosed in the exercise of their duties. 
 
StatoilHydro will assist union delegates in the performance of their functions by making available relevant information and other agreed facilities. When it is necessary to take time off from work to perform these functions this will be agreed upon locally and may be given as paid time off within the framework of local agreements. 
 
StatoilHydro may also facilitate the opportunity for union representatives from StatoilHydro operations to meet as necessary to discuss the application and future development of this agreement. 

StatoilHydro will refrain from dismissing or otherwise discriminating against union delegates, identified as such by the Parties, or employees providing information relevant to the observance and implementation of this Agreement. All union delegates must agree to respect the commercial confidentiality of information disclosed in the exercise of their duties. StatoilHydro will assist union delegates in the performance of their functions by making available relevant information and other agreed facilities. When it is necessary to take time off from work to perform these functions this will be agreed upon locally and may be given as paid time off within the framework of local agreements. StatoilHydro may also facilitate the opportunity for union representatives from StatoilHydro operations to meet as necessary to discuss the application and future development of this agreement. 
4.5 Information 
 
Industri Energi/ICEM will distribute copies of this agreement to all its member unions that organise employees in StatoilHydro companies around the world, and will broadly publicise the existence of the agreement and explain its implications to its unions in the Company. 
 
StatoilHydro will in the same manner distribute copies of this agreement to all StatoilHydro offices in local languages of the countries concerned and will inform local management of the existence and contents of this Agreement. 
 
Any external information about this agreement shall be mutually agreed by the Parties. 

4.6 Administration 
 
The President of Industri Energi on behalf of ICEM or person authorised by him, and the Vice President Labour Relations in StatoilHydro are responsible for the administration of this agreement. 
 
5 DURATION AND EVALUATION 
 
The duration of this agreement is two years, until 1st September 2010, after which this agreement will be evaluated and may be prolonged for a new period. 

 
Gen&egrave;ve, Nov 13th . 2008 

 
Lars Myhre on behalf of Leif Sande Industri Energi
Erling Brevik StatoilHydro&nbsp; 
Manfred Warda ICEM

Text of the Global Agreement between the ICEM and StatoilHydro

Archive

Nuclear Network Meeting Coming to Brussels in November

Costa Rican Union Protests CAFTA

Colombia's Oil Union Rejects Refinery Privatisation

Two Dead Among Contractors on Chad-Cameroon Pipeline

Leak Hospitalizes 14 at Caltex Refinery in Australia

New Zealand Affiliate Succeeding at 5% Wage Hikes

French Affiliate Seeks Wage Hikes in Paper Sector

French Trade Unions Stage 4 October Actions

Global Unions Protest Canada's Asbestos Exports

Text of the Global Agreement between the ICEM and StatoilHydro

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