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The Executive Boards of ICEM North American affiliates USWA and PACE voted to merge in January, creating the continent’s largest industrial union with 850,000 members. The merger is scheduled to be consummated in April when the two unions will hold concurrent conventions.

PACE, USWA Unions in US Lay Preliminary Work for Merger

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After one strike ultimatum given in March to Nigeria’s oil industry was lifted to conduct further talks, affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN are prepared now to take three-day strike action beginning 11 April. Talks broke off 30 March between the two unions and several global oil companies and their contractors and mediation is being done by the country’s Ministry of Labour and Productivity. 
At issue is the ever increasing number of expatriate workers entering Nigeria’s oil sector, a fact that shatters set quota levels. The two unions also list among issues casualisation, deductions in worker salaries to fund pension benefits, and Nigeria’s downstream restructuring programme which already has brought 4,700 redundancies. NUPENG and PENGASSAN members are wearing red shirts and other red items in the days leading up to the planned 11 April action.

Strike Threat in Nigerian Oil Industry Over Expat Workers

ICEM affiliate Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) won a round against global paper and packaging firm Visy Industries when the firm backed off forcing single-site labour agreements at 13 of its corrugated packaging plants in Australia. Visy had offered workers A$1,000 cash payment to accept the stand-alone labour agreements, but AMWU unity and resistance defeated the measure. The two sides agreed on a three-year, 14.25% wage hike covering some 600 paper-converting workers that preserves a system-wide agreement.

AMWU Wins Master Contract for Paperworkers in Australia

Progress was made 10 September in negotiations between the Botswana Mining Workers’ Union (BMWU) and Debswana, the diamond mining operation in the southern African nation. The two sides agreed to a 10% wage hike for 6,000 miners that is retroactive to 1 April 2004, plus a maximum 10% production bonus for 2004-05 with a minimum of BWP 3,500 (US$790). 
In a separate and thornier issue—the fate of some 500 strikers— Debswana has agreed to reinstate 100 and continue dialogue on the remaining. BMWU Gen. Sec. Donald Lebotse termed this second set of face-to-face negotiations in the six-week dispute “positive engagement” and said the firm, a joint venture between DeBeers and the government, has agreed to void the housing eviction notices for all those who were fired while the dialogue continues.

Botswana’s Mining Union Hopes Debswana Dialogue Will Continue

Protest actions began today by ICEM’s two Nigerian affiliates, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, aimed at forcing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. to upgrade four oil refineries. Following a 24 June joint emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the two unions, a five-point communiqué was issued to the government to revitalize the refineries in order that petrol prices in Nigeria be stabilized. The unions gave the government a 21-day ultimatum beginning today; otherwise a national strike of the refineries will be called.

Nigerian Oil Affiliates Seek Upgrades to Refineries

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US affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) expressed disbelief that BP blamed workers for the 23 March explosion at its Amoco refinery in Texas City, Texas. BP said in an interim report that the “root causes” were a failure to follow operating procedures by workers and supervisors, but backed off that statement when the USW called the company on it. 
USW Region Six Director Gary Beevers said the blast that killed 15 and injured 170 could have been prevented had BP taken the union’s advice to properly vent hydrocarbons released from an isomerization unit and had not violated its own policy by granting a variance in placing contractors’ trailers in a dangerous location.

BP Wrongly Blames Workers, Managers in Deadly US Explosion

Talks continued in New Zealand last week at the highest level to resolve issues surrounding a series of strikes over the past two months by coal miners of ICEM affiliate EPMU. National Secretary Andrew Little and Solid Energy CEO Don Elder met to clarify issues and to seek an end to the dispute. Miners are seeking a 6% pay hike and a national coal mining agreement that will bring pay parity to miners on both the North and South Islands, and in underground and open cast mines.

Talks Pressing Forward for End to New Zealand’s Coal Dispute

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A branch leader of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) was run over and killed by a cement mixing truck 14 June while striking with ICEM-affiliated FKTU-Chemical Workers Union. Kim Tae-hwan, leader of the Chungju branch of FKTU, was killed when police ordered a replacement driver through a picket line at cement company Sajo Remicon. 
Drivers are seeking to unionise with FKTU-Chemical Workers Union and gain permanent work status, as well as qualify for full rights under Korea’s Labor Standards Act. They have been on recognition strikes since 8 June at three cement companies. The drivers are considered selfemployed contract workers, contrary to union beliefs. On 18 June, 6,000 workers together with other activists rallied at the city hall of Chungju demanding accountability for Kim’s murder, including accountability of ten police officers that were at the picket line scene on 14 June.

Korean Labour Leader Killed on the Picket Line

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ICEM Nigerian affiliate PENGASSAN is adamant about improving laws and regulations concerning the use of casual workers. At a four-day workshop in mid-June in Owerri, Imo State, leaders of the white-collar petroleum union issued a communiqué aimed at both the Nigerian Department of Petroleum Resources and contractors: PENGASSAN members “frown at the increasing level of casualisation and contract staffing in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry because of its dehumanizing and exploitative nature but cautions that the proposed Recruiters License should be given to consultants who will respect Labour Laws.” 
PENGASSAN also stated such licenses “be renewed annually to check abuse while the Association should be made to certify that the vacancies to be filled are temporary in nature. Also, the workshop reaffirms the stand of the Association on unionizing contract workers and urges Companies that are yet to enter into Collective Agreements with this category of workers do so immediately.” 
The union is also seeking an amendment to the Petroleum Act of 1969 in that private enterprises awarded licenses to build new refineries are given two-to-three years maximum to construct such refineries, or risk losing permits and licenses. PENGASSAN insists that at least 40% of all crude oil drilled in Nigeria be refined in the country in order to create jobs for Nigerians.

Nigerian Unions Seek Controls on Casual Labour Use

A vote by two UK unions for industrial action against Imerys has moved the French materials company back to the negotiations table over a contentious pension issue. Union members of ICEM affiliates Transport & General (T&G) and GMB voted to take industrial action at Imerys’ English China Clay at several southwestern UK worksites. Rather than face an angry 2,500 workers ready to disrupt operations over pensions being chopped, Imerys agreed to negotiate after a meeting between T&G General Secretary Tony Woodley and corporate managers of the company. 
Imerys previously had refused any dialogue over its plan to close the pension scheme to new workers and cut anywhere from 33-40% in pension benefits to existing workers. In the US, Imerys workers in Dry Branch, Georgia, represented by another ICEM affiliate, USW, ratified a three-year agreement with the company, but fellow USW union members in Sylacauga, Alabama, still seek a commitment from management that it cease union-busting.

UK Unions, Imerys Agree to Re-start Pension Talks

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