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The 4th Congress of ICEM French affiliate Chemical and Energy Workers Union, FCE-CFDT, was held in Clermont-Ferrand last week, with participation by over 600 delegates. The theme was, &ldquo;Local to International: Anticipate and Act Everywhere.&rdquo; 
 
The venue of the Congress had another feature, as well. İt is &ldquo;the capital&rdquo; of tyre industry giant Michelin, the world&rsquo;s second biggest poducer.
The Congress stressed the international dimension to trade unionism, through transnational sectoral/intersectoral dialogue. According to the FCE, &ldquo;The congress is complementary to those of our international and European organizations. We have just experienced ICEM&rsquo;s Congress in Bangkok, which has entered into strengthened cooperation with the Global Union Federations.&rdquo; 
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The FCE noted in its report to Congress, &ldquo;Globalization facilitates development in new technologies, trade, commerce &hellip; but, in parallel to this, there is always a fact that developing countries are still being exploited &hellip; and trade unionists being imprisoned or killed.&rdquo;

FCE praised ICEM&rsquo;s activity on Contract and Agency Labour, and highlighted efforts by itself to start discussions and actions with other unions inside the CFDT on the issue of subcontracting. The FCE also intends to take an active role on sustainable development. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda addressed the Congress in an introductory speech. &ldquo;Support, assistance, and solidarity by the FCE-CFDT to the ICEM and its affiliates throughout the world is well known,&rdquo; Warda said. &ldquo;Your organisation takes its international responsibilities seriously, and I would like to thank you for that.&rdquo; 
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French Michelin Trade Union Leaders
Warda also credited the French chemicals and energy union for its efforts on union networking, global framework agreements, and globally around French-based companies such as Rhodia, Saint-Gobain, Lafarge, and Electricit&eacute; de France (EDF). 
 
The ICEM also used the Congress to discuss in depth with delegates from Michelin on the creation of a Global Union Network for trade unions at the tyre-maker. In concert with prior discussions with FCE and other unions organising Michelin workers, the need to establish solidarity between Michelin workers the world over through the ICEM would match networks for the other big rubber networks, namely Bridgestone and Goodyear. 
 
Patrick Pierron was re-elected as general secretary for a new four-year term, and with a 70% vote, delegates approved a general framework resolution which included the Congress report.

FCE-CFDT Holds 4th Congress, Accenting Strong Global Trade Union Stands

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Social partners in Slovenia averted a series of strikes scheduled for this week and next week by reaching agreement on a private-sector wage increase in Ljubljana. The accord was reached on Friday, 25 January. 
 
Pushed by a centre-right government headed by Prime Minister Janez Jansa, trade union federations and business groups agreed on a February pay increase of 5.6%. That offsets current inflation, as well as sparing Slovenia vast production losses at the exact time it presides over the EU. 
 
Slovenia&rsquo;s December consumer price index was 5.7% higher than in December 2006. Last Friday&rsquo;s negotiated increase came two months after a manifestation by 70,000 Slovenian workers. One of their demands was to move a traditional August pay raise to February in order to offset climbing inflation. 
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On 11 January, the country&rsquo;s largest labour federation, 300,000-member Zveza Svoodnih Sindikatov Slovenije (ZSSS), announced a general strike for 6 February. Several other labour federations were expected to follow. Other Slovenia workers, including civil servants, also announced intent to strike plans in the days leading up to 6 February. 
 
The government headed off the public sector strike by granting wage increases to civil servants. That brought forth the private sector settlement. 
 
On 17 November 2007, union members and civil society marched 70,000-strong in the largest manifestation in Slovenia&rsquo;s 16-year history. They demanded that salaries keep pace with spiraling inflation. The manifestation also marked the historical unification of Slovenia&rsquo;s six trade union centres coming behind a joint initiative. 
 
Slovenia, which became a member of the EU in 2005 and adopted the Euro as currency in January 2007, has been beset by rising commodity prices.

Private-Sector Wage Increases Halt General Strikes Set for Slovenia

Global Fund Calls for Round 8 Proposals 

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has issued its Eighth Call for Proposals. The application form and support documentation are available in six languages at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org">www.theglobalfund.org</a>. 
 
Proposals have to reach the Global Fund by 1 July 2008. 
 
All proposals submitted by the closing date of 1 July 2008 will be reviewed by the Secretariat to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria. Eligible proposals will then be forwarded to the Technical Review Panel (TRP) for consideration. The TRP will make recommendations on the basis of which the Global Fund Board will decide.
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How does the Global Fund work? 
The Global Fund, itself a public/private partnership, is a funding mechanism. Since it was registered in January 2002, and up to December 2007, the Global Fund has approved grants with a total commitment of US$14.5 billion, more than half of it targeted for HIV/AIDS projects. 
 
The Global Fund is based in Geneva. It does not have any country representation. The proposal process and the implementation of grants are devolved to the national level. The Global Fund gives the policy framework and issues guidelines on various aspects of its operations. It raises money, spends it, and proves it &ndash; the Global Fund is performance based. 
 
All proposals have to go through the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM). The composition of the CCMs is supposed to be representative of all stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including civil society, the private sector, and organisations of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
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How can unions get involved? 
The role of the workplace in the fight against HIV/AIDS is recognised. The workplace is an important entry point for HIV/AIDS services and no workplace activities can be efficiently implemented without unions. The role of national unions and their international bodies, the Global Unions, is acknowledged by international organisations such as the ILO, the WHO, and UNAIDS. 
 
The Global Fund is supportive of public/private partnerships, or co-investment arrangements. Without the involvement of the private sector universal access to voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), and to anti-retroviral treatment (ART), it is not possible to qualify, or projects will be further delayed. The private sector is business and trade unions, as the workers&rsquo; representatives. For the first time, the Guidelines for Round 8 proposals mention unions under eligible organisations of the private sector. 
 
The manpower capacities of unions are limited. Unions must tend to other day-to-day business. Unions are not single-issue NGOs. They have to look for partners and build alliances with companies and NGOs. 
 
Very few CCMs include unionists. While we continue to call for union representation on CCMs, in the short term, it is vital that unions work through members of the CCMs who are sympathetic to their cause. It is important that unions find cooperating partners who can develop their project ideas into proposals for the CCM. 
 
The German Organisation for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) operates the BACKUP Initiative (Building Alliances &ndash; Creating Knowledge &ndash; Updating Partners), which provides support. GTZ is represented in more than 130 countries. A lot of USAID offices have HIV/AIDS Coordinators and certain embassies, notably of Nordic countries, The Netherlands, the UK, and the European Union may be able to give assistance. Global Unions and the WHO have agreed to use the potential of unions in up-scaling and accelerating access to VCT and ART. The ILO and its workplace programme, ILOAIDS, has focal points on HIV/AIDS in a number of offices. 
 
The most significant new feature in Round 8 is that the Global Fund is recommending that applicants specify one (or more) Principal Recipients (PRs) from the government sector and one (or more) from the various non-government sectors, including the private sector which includes unions (dual-track financing).
<img height="35" src="" width="25" alt="" />
What are your next steps? 
&bull; Put down your ideas about a workplace programme on one page and prepare a draft budget. 
&bull; Get to know the members of your country&rsquo;s CCM and lobby those potentially sympathetic to union causes for the inclusion of workplace programmes in Round 8 proposals. Country-specific information is accessible at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org">www.theglobalfund.org</a>. 
&bull; Contact GTZ, USAID, the ILO, UNAIDS, and WHO offices in your country. 
&bull; Build alliances with companies; remind them of their social responsibility. 
&bull; Cooperate with NGOs and organisations of PLWHA. 
&bull; Access the website <a href="http://www.aidspan.org/guides">www.aidspan.org/guides</a> on which a guide to Round 8 applications is available.
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How can the ICEM help? 
The ICEM Global Coordinator has good working relations with all the organisations mentioned. He can help you with contacts and links to materials. Send your ideas about a workplace programme and inquiries to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. The ICEM has Global Agreements with 13 multinational companies. These companies should be engaged in the fight against the pandemic.
Above all 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>Start today if you want to do something.&nbsp;</div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Remember that the private sector includes business and unions as the workers&rsquo; representatives.&nbsp;</div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Remember that you have allies who can be mobilized and who can give assistance.&nbsp;</div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Write to the ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator at <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a> for further information and help. </div>
 </li>
</ul>

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin: Special Issue, 20 March 2008

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The ICEM mourns the death of German trade unionist Egon Sch&auml;fer, a former auditor of the ICEM who served with distinction on behalf of his trade union, IGBCE. He died on 14 February 2008 after a long illness. He was 69. 
 
He began his trade union service in 1962 for IGBCE&rsquo;s predecessor, IG Chemie, Papier, Keramik, in the union&rsquo;s Kassel office. He worked as head of collective bargaining and social issues for IG Chemie&rsquo;s white-collar membership, and was elected a regional chairman in 1973.
<img height="204" src="" width="140" alt="" />
&nbsp;Egon Sch&auml;fer 

He was elected to the union&rsquo;s central executive committee in1978 and rose to Deputy Chairman of the union, after which he took the major role on social policy matters. He also served on the supervisory board of German chemicals company Hoechst AG. He retired from union service in 1997. ICEM General Secretary said he had &ldquo;long and dedicated service&rdquo; in his voluntary role as ICEF and ICEM auditor. 
 
IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt called Egon Sch&auml;fer an &ldquo;outstanding social representative and a good friend,&rdquo; and said he was an ideological thinker who stood strongly behind his beliefs.

ICEM Mourns Death of Former Auditor, IGBCE Leader Egon Schäfer

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A near labour dispute by 2,100 Dutch workers at two of Europe&rsquo;s biggest oil refineries was averted last week when ICEM affiliates FNV Bondgenoten and CNV Bedrijvenbond came to terms with Royal Dutch Shell. The accord, reached on 4 March, will now be brought before the workforces for approval. 
 
The two-year agreement, which would become retroactive to 1 March at Shell&rsquo;s Pernis oil refinery, as well as at the company&rsquo;s Moerdijk refinery and chemicals operations, would give workers a 3.5% wage increase this year, and another 3.5% hike on 1 March 2009. It also grants one-half percent bonuses to workers each year of the agreement.
<img height="67" src="" width="100" border="1" alt="" />
The major stumbling block in negotiations throughout February was Shell&rsquo;s demand to buy back four ADV days. Those days were compensation for a cut in the work-week from 40 to 36 hours several years ago. Shell wanted the leave days back due to a shortage of personnel at the two refineries. 
 
The unions had sought to allow workers to keep the leave days, or, seek a higher compensation for these days. A compromise on this difficult matter was mutually accepted. 
 
The two unions engaged in joint membership consultations throughout in order to forge the agreement.

Settlement Expected for 2,100 Oil, Chemical Workers of Royal Dutch Shell in NL

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&nbsp;1. Colombia &ndash; ICEM focuses on South American Country on International Women&rsquo;s Day, 8 March 
2. Germany &ndash; Women Set up Network for Nanotechnology 
3. India &ndash; SEWA Assists Women in Afghanistan in Organising and Skills Building 
4. International Labour Organisation &ndash; Indigenous and Afro-descendant Women Are Still the Hardest Hit by Workplace-Discrimination 
5. International RSI Awareness Day 2008 
6. ITUC Launches Decent Work, Decent Life for Women Campaign 
7. Iraq &ndash; Women are Terrorised in Basra 
8. Nicaragua &ndash; Equality Law is Passed 
9. Peru &ndash; Luz y Fuerza Holds Women&rsquo;s Conference 
10. Spain &ndash; USO and Solvay Redress Discrimination - University Study Proposes Some 50 Measures for Work-Life Balance - CCOO publishes Booklet on Pregnancy and Breast Feeding 
11. United Kingdom &ndash; Single, Young Women Work More Overtime than Men 
12. Resources 
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1. COLOMBIA &ndash; ICEM focuses on South American Country on International Women&rsquo;s Day, 8 March
This year, on International Women&rsquo;s Day (8 March), the ICEM focuses on Colombia, a South American country with some 43 million inhabitants, 52% of whom are women. The country has 20 million people that are economically active, and of that figure, 50% are women. Due to the violence brought on by internal armed conflict, there are four million displaced persons, with 57% of them are women. 
Their lands and properties have been confiscated, while children, husbands, and partners have been murdered. Many have been sexually abused and taken advantage of by paramilitaries who arrive at their houses and force them to tend to their needs. It is a familiar sight to see many women in the streets of the main cities begging for food for their children. 
 
Informal workers are estimated to make up the 60% of the working population, or a total of 12 million people. Of this, 63% of them are women, or a total of 7.56 million. 
 
Through ICEM projects, the Global Union Federation has been carrying out leadership development among women members of its affiliated trade unions. As a result, many women have made their way into leadership positions in their organizations. 
 
However, a major concern is the phenomenon of domestic violence. 
 
The ICEM will be in Colombia on 6 March, the Day of the March against Violence, Kidnappings, and Violation of Human and Trade Union Rights in Solidarity with the Victims. On 8 March, of course, we will celebrate International Women&rsquo;s Day together with the women of ICEM Colombia, where the ICEM will receive a more detailed report on the situation of women in Colombia. 
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2. Germany &ndash; Women Set up Network for Nanotechnology 
Nanotechnology is the future. Nano 4 Women has been founded as an independent grouping of women who work in nanotechnology in Germany. It may be that nanotechnology is more open to women than other areas of technology. 
 
Evonik is a company involved in the women&rsquo;s network for nanotechnology. The network&rsquo;s goal is to support women in their jobs and in science-related careers. Women are encouraged to have an exchange in the network, and also on the internet, where forums are available and databases that include experts can be culled for concrete projects. Advice is also available for start-ups in nanotechnology. A photography competition has also been held. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.nano4women.de">www.nano4women.de</a>. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
3. India &ndash; SEWA Assists Women in Afghanistan in Organising and Skills Building 
Warfare, drought, economic instability, insecurity and unemployment have wreaked havoc on Afghanistan in the past three decades. Almost 60% of the population of Afghanistan is women. 
 
Decades of civil conflict and hardline rule by the Taliban have left most Afghan women isolated and illiterate. It is challenging for women even to go out alone. India&rsquo;s Self-Employed Women&rsquo;s Association (SEWA) has been working with women, widows, and the destitute in Afghanistan since 2004. 
In 2006, the government of India requested SEWA to help develop Bagh-e-Zanana as a centre for vocational training. The idea is to develop the centre with facilities for income generation, skills development, and training, recreation, childcare, healthcare, and marketing support. This would help to empower women and enable them to join the mainstream Afghan economy. 
 
In the strife-ridden country, organizations such as the Afghan Women Resource Centre are fighting to combat the practice of families selling their daughters into forced marriages in order to pay off debts. Women&rsquo;s organizations are doing advocacy and empowering women as well as encouraging them to vote. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
4. International Labour Organisation &ndash; Indigenous and Afro-descendant Women Are Still the Hardest Hit by Workplace-Discrimination 
In its recent Labour Overview 2007 for Latin America and the Caribbean, in spite of overall optimism, the ILO finds that the unemployment rate for women is 1.6 times higher than that of men, with the situation of indigenous and Afro-descendant women much worse. 
 
The ILO finds that hourly wages for the two groups of women make up only 39% of the wages earned by men who are not in those groups. The study was carried out in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Uruguay. 
 
The problem should be combated by strengthening members of the two groups&rsquo; knowledge, and improving statistics and studies on these groups in order to develop suitable policies for change. ILO Convention 100 on Equal Pay, Convention 111 on Employment and Workplace Discrimination, and Convention 169 on Indigenous Peoples has to be better applied. All these conventions make mention of women. 
 
Altogether, policies and programmes must be improved in order to do justice to these two groups. The existing barriers must be eliminated to enable women, the indigenous, and Afro-descendant persons to be fairly incorporated into the job market. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
5. International RSI Awareness Day 2008 
On 29 February 2008, it was Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) Awareness Day. RSI is the most common workplace injury in Canada, and it is nearly an epidemic in Brazil. Governments and employers must start taking the disorder seriously. In Canada, for example, one in ten adults suffer from it. 
 
Women have traditionally had high rates of RSI. They often suffer a lifetime of pain. RSI mostly affects neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. RSI Day is a good opportunity to raise awareness and contemplate measures to eliminate it. The injuries can best be eliminated by avoiding monotonous, repetitive and stressful work at fast speeds, and poor work organization, including unnecessary overtime.
&nbsp;Cutbacks and layoffs aggravate the problem. Substandard equipment and lack of control also contribute to it. The first RSI Awareness Day was 29 February 2000. It was chosen because it is the only non-repetitive day on the yearly calendar. In most years, the day is remembered on 28 February. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
6. ITUC Launches Decent Work, Decent Life for Women Campaign 
The ITUC has produced a poster and a campaign guide for Decent Work, Decent Life for Women. The ITUC also has produced a report on the gender pay gap. There are 67 national labour centres in 55 countries that are participating in the campaign. The poster is available at <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/AffWomenCampaingEN.pdf">here</a>.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Campaign Guide on Decent Work, Decent Life for Women can be found <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ITUC_Campaign_Guide_08_ENG.pdf ">here</a>. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
7. Iraq &ndash; Women are Terrorised in Basra 
Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, militias have been circulating in Basra, Iraq&rsquo;s second largest city, killing and torturing those seen to be an obstacle to the establishment of an Islamist state. Ambulance drivers know that more than 15 women are killed each and every month. Most are mostly professional women. 
 
The point to the killing and violence is to keep women home and to restrain their participation in political and social life. The Iraqi Women&rsquo;s League calls for the following actions to be taken to stop the violence: 
1. Send an international fact-finding mission to Iraq that is organized by the UN High Commission for Human Rights. Such a mission should investigate crimes against women, help the Iraqi authorities identify the perpetrators, and to stop the crimes; 
2. Reveal the criminals and those backing them, and bring them to justice; 
3. Disclose the outcome of the investigations; 
4. Take measures to safeguard personal freedoms that are constitutionally guaranteed; 
5. Take deterrent measures to ensure the safety of citizens and protect their lives; and 
6. Act firmly to improve the conditions of women and facilitate their involvement in the reconstruction process. 
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8. Nicaragua &ndash; Equality Law is Passed 
The Law of Equal Rights and Opportunities was passed in Nicaragua, after 11 years of being stalled. The Catholic hierarchy and ultra-conservative leaders lamented the approval of the law. 
 
After more then 10 years of opposition by religious and conservative sectors, the law will enter into force in a month&rsquo;s time after publication in the official bulletin. The term gender is not mentioned in the law, but the point is to promote equality and equity human, civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights between women and men. 
 
Feminists congratulated the Central American&rsquo;s parliament for passage, but still condemned one stumbling block in the country&rsquo;s constitution, which prohibits therapeutic abortion, only allowing it in very rare circumstances. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
9. Peru &ndash; Luz y Fuerza Holds Women&rsquo;s Conference 
The 2nd Women&rsquo;s Workshop of the Luz y Fuerza Federation was held 24-26 January 2008 in Arequipa, Peru. The objectives of the workshop were to integrate women into the trade union movement, make the women&rsquo;s role in the federation more visible, and to broaden women workers&rsquo; knowledge of themes such as collective bargaining, privatization, history of the trade union movement, etc. 
 
Women should be able to bring their demands into collective bargaining. Case studies were presented on tools that women can use to bring their rights to bear on the basis of international human rights instruments. Amnesty International and several practical cases were explained. 
ILO Conventions on equal opportunities were presented. It is important for awareness of rights that are defended by the ILO to be brought to all workers. More and more women attend these meetings every year, and the results get better and better. The women committed themselves to replicating the results of the workshop in their own workplaces. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
10. Spain&nbsp;- USO and Solvay Redress Discrimination - University Study Proposes Some 50 Measures for Work-Life Balance - CCOO publishes Booklet on Pregnancy and Breast Feeding 
In January, Belgian chemicals company Solvay and the USO union of Spain signed an agreement, which commits Solvay to hire six women who were discriminated against. These women faced bias on the basis of gender between 1999 and 2003. 
 
The six will follow five others who have already integrated into the production process. Solvay must acknowledge that the women passed all tests, including a psycho-technical one, but that they were excluded during the interview, in spite of the fact that all of them met the requirements for hiring valid from 1999 to 2003. This decision will open the way for more women to have access more readily to jobs at Solvay. 
 
A recent study by the Carlos III University in Madrid proposed some 50 measures to promote work-life balance. The measures are geared to administration and business, as well as social partners, and they are also intended to improve the working conditions of those with special difficulties, such as young people and immigrants. 
The proposals include the creation of public and private instruments for reconciling work and family life, subsidies and counseling for small and medium-sized companies, and making leave more flexible, as well as making part-time work more accessible. 
 
One of the aims of the study was to examine productivity. There is a close connection between productivity and work-life balance. Better work-life balance generally reduces turnover and absenteeism. Thus, the higher the qualification, training, and experience the worker has, the more expensive it is for the company to replace her or him. 
Findings show that people are less and less willing to dedicate their efforts to paid work alone, and therefore, people need to know that they will not be damaging their careers if they take advantage of measures to promote work-life balance. 
 
New technologies have a part to play in better reconciliation of work and family life. This does, however, require a cultural change &ndash; typical companies work on the basis of control. Commitment to the company is measured on the basis of time spent at work. New technology enables confidence to be built and evaluation to be based on results instead of working time. Teleworking could be one element of this. 
 
The stress prevalent in the typical women&rsquo;s jobs must be controlled and reduced, such as in health and education. Similarly, authorities and businesses have to work toward eliminating harassment, bullying, and violence on the job. 
 
All in all, networks must be created on the basis of social services to promote work-life balance. 
 
The CCOO trade union confederation in Spain has published a booklet for trade unions on preventing hazards during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Most women do work during pregnancy and go back to work during the period of breast-feeding. 
Companies need to adapt measures to facilitate women working during these times, and risk-prevention should be included in collective bargaining. Some hazards, such as noise and stress, are dangerous for all workers, but they do imply a higher health hazard for pregnant women because of the changes to their bodies or the potential danger to the fetus. For the booklet see <a href="http://www.ccoo.es">www.ccoo.es</a>.
<img height="226" alt="" src="" width="160" />
11. United Kingdom &ndash; Single, Young Women Work More Overtime than Men 
Single women in their 30s do more overtime than anyone else. On the occasion of Work Your Proper Hours Day, which was held on 22 February, UK&rsquo;s national labour centre, the Trades Union Congress, released a study on overtime. The general assumption is that men work longer hours than women, but the analysis shows that single women of all ages work more unpaid overtime than men. 
 
Women without children are more likely to work unpaid overtime than men without children, but the trend reverses when they have children, with the figure dropping from 24.2% to 27%. The percentage of men working unpaid overtime remains relatively unchanged. 
 
Women no longer have the option to put in extra hours once they have children. This goes a long way toward explaining why the senior levels of most organizations are male and why the gender pay gap persists. Career opportunities are measured by the number of hours put in at work. This limits women&rsquo;s choices. The unproductive long hours culture does no one any good and detracts from work-life balance. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
12. Resources 
<a href="http://www.msc.es/novedades/docs/informeSaludGenero2006.pdf ">Health and Gender (in Spanish) by Observatory of Women&rsquo;s Health, Spanish Health Ministry</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef07108.htm ">Working Conditions in the European Union: the Gender Perspective 
</a> 
<a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0789.htm ">Foundation Findings: Work-life Balance &ndash; Solving the Dilemma 
</a> 
<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/docs/com_2008_0010_en.pdf ">European Commission Report on Equality between Women and Men, 2008 
</a> 
<a href="http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/gender_equality/gender_mainstreaming/balancedparticipation/report_trends_final_2007_en.pdf ">Women and Men in Decision-making, 2007 (European Commission)</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/index.php ">The State of the World&rsquo;s Children 2008</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.hazards.org/women">UK: TUC Gender and Occupational Safety and Health &lsquo;Gender-sensitivity&rsquo; Checklist</a>&nbsp;

WOMEN’S BULLETIN NO. 27

The ICEM sent a letter of condolences to the families and colleagues of mineworkers who perished in an 11 April gas explosion in western Siberia. The letter was sent through the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo;&rsquo; Union (Rosugleprof). The explosion trapped and killed 44 miners some 600 meters down a mine in the village of Taizhina, Osinniki, in Russia&rsquo;s Kuzbass mining region.

Explosion in Western Siberia Kills 44 Russian Miners

Organised labour is regrouping to meet new challenges. Union mergers have become an important source of strength in many countries. 
 
That process took a big step further in the USA this week with the creation of PACE, the 320,000-member Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers Intl. Union. PACE results from a merger between two major US unions, the paperworkers' UPIU and the oil, chemical and atomic workers' OCAW. 
 
PACE immediately gave top priority to organising (i.e. actively recruiting new members) and to international trade union solidarity. Like both its forerunners, the new union is affiliated at the global level to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
First President of PACE is Boyd Young, who until now headed the UPIU. 
 
&quot;We intend to set the pace for organising, a progressive vision and international solidarity,&quot; Young said. &quot;The members of this great new union deserve to be and are prepared to be on the cutting edge as labour advances into a new century. We must fight for our future.&quot; 
 
The Executive Vice-President of PACE is Robert Wages, up to now President of the OCAW. He will take on key responsibilities in the union's organising programme and will continue to coordinate national oil bargaining. 
 
&quot;When the merger discussions started with the UPIU, President Young and I committed to a basic premise,&quot; said Wages. &quot;We were not interested in merging for the sake of being larger; we were interested in creating a new, more powerful and progressive union prepared to do the work our membership expects.&quot; 
 
Global trade unionism was highlighted during the merger Convention in a speech by the leader of locked-out Texan oilworkers. Crown Central Petroleum has kept unionised workers shut out of its Pasadena refinery since February 1996. Oil multinational Statoil has now told Crown that its contract to refine Statoil crude for the North American market will not be renewed unless Crown establishes normal relationships with the union. This pressure from Norwegian-based Statoil follows representations by the ICEM-affiliated Norwegian oilworkers' union NOPEF. During the PACE convention, the president of the Crown workers' union local paid tribute to this effective international solidarity. 
 
PACE has members in pulp, paper, oil, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nuclear energy, cement, automobile parts, appliance manufacturing and a wide variety of other industries. 
 
The advent of the new union was warmly welcomed by ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe, who attended the merger Convention. &quot;PACE represents a substantial consolidation of the ICEM's American membership,&quot; Thorpe commented. &quot;We now have a powerful new affiliate with a strong commitment to global solidarity. This is good news for workers everywhere.&quot;

Pace-setting Union Merger Boosts US And Global Labour

Andriy Volynets, son of Ukrainian Miners&rsquo; Independent Trade Union Mikhail Volynets, was released from a hospital but doctors have not permitted him to return to work. Volynets was abducted and then brutally beaten 7 March in an act the ICEM believes to be political repression against his father, a member of the opposition coalition in the Rada, Ukraine&rsquo;s Parliament.

Ukrainian Mining Leader’s Son Recovering from Brutal Beating

The National Union of Mineworkers in South Africa has joined two other unions, including affiliate CEPPWAWU, and filed a formal application under Section 77 of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) to investigate the strong Rand and the adverse affect it has had regarding job loss. The union seeks a tripartite summit to find an intervention strategy. &ldquo;The appreciating currency has had a negative impact in the mining industry. The mining sector has shed numerous jobs and is intent on cutting further,&rdquo; said NUM Gen. Sec. Gwede Mantashe in a South African report.

NUM and CEPPWAWU in South Africa Protest Strong Rand

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