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In 2009, according to the annual survey of the International Trade Union Confederation&rsquo;s (ITUC), 101 murders of trade unionists occurred worldwide. Colombia again was the leader among countries with 48. Despite the gruesome repeat, the ILO&rsquo;s Committee on the Application of Standards, on 5 June, excluded Colombia from the list of 25 countries sanctioned for trade union rights abuses. 
 
The ICEM expresses disbelief over the omitting of Colombia, and itself sanctions employers&rsquo; representatives at the ILO for manipulating the exclusion. The ICEM also calls attention to the fact that President &Aacute;lvaro Uribe V&eacute;lez immediately used Colombia&rsquo;s elimination to promote free trade agreements with North American nations and the European Union. 
 
It was the first time in 20 years that Colombia, far and away the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists to carry out their activities, was left off the list. The ITUC reports that over the last decade, 63% of all trade union murders occurred in Colombia. It counts at least 10,887 acts of violence against unionists, and over the past 24 years, 2,832 murders occurred. 
 
&ldquo;The ICEM is appalled at the political power play by employers&rsquo; representatives, both from Colombia and elsewhere, to exclude Colombia from the list of 25,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;Not only do murders, telephone threats, physical assaults continue there on a regular basis, but despite government rhetoric, impunity for such crimes is nearly always certain.&rdquo; 
 
The exclusion, at the 99th Session of ILO&rsquo;s International Labour Conference in Geneva, came days before Colombia hosted the US Secretary of State in another effort to get America to implement its end of the 2006 United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Act. The US Congress has held up a vote over implementing it because of Colombia&rsquo;s horrid labour and human rights record. 
 
Uribe welcomed the US foreign minister to Colombia by stating the ILO&rsquo;s move was a &ldquo;harbinger of your visit&rdquo; to the Latin nation. 
 
Similar free trade agreements are also currently pending between Colombia and both Canada and the European Union. Resistance by constituencies, including labour unions, against such foreign trade deals also hinge on human and union rights abuses. 

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Colombia&rsquo;s murder rate speaks for itself. In the first five months of 2010, 17 Colombian trade union activists were murdered. And on 5 June, the same day the ILO&rsquo;s tripartite committee excluded the country, Hern&aacute;n Abdiel Ordo&ntilde;ez Dorado, treasurer of the prison workers&rsquo; union ASEINPEC, was shot dead by unknown assailants on motorbikes in Cali. The number of assassinated trade unionists in Colombia in 2010 is 18. 
 
In 2009, 22 of Colombia&rsquo;s 48 killings were made against senior trade union leaders, with five of those being women. 
 
Overall, again according to the ITUC statistics, murders of trade unionists jumped 30% in 2009 over 2008, when 76 killings were recorded. But it is a known fact that many murders, and other abusive violations aimed at trade unionists, go unreported. 
 
Compared to Colombia&rsquo;s 48 trade union murders in 2009, 16 happened in Guatemala, 12 in Honduras, six each in Mexico and Bangladesh, four in Brazil, and three each in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines. 
 
The ITUC survey provides detailed documentation of harassment, intimidation, and other measures on anti-union persecution in 140 countries. The survey can be found <a href="http://survey.ituc-csi.org/+-Whole-World-+.html?lang=en">here</a>.

Home to Half of World’s Union Murders, Colombia Excluded from ILO’s Sanctions List

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, the HIV/AIDS programmes that ICEM affiliates have been implementing, on the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, and on the UNAIDS Outlook Report 2010. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, the HIV/AIDS programmes that ICEM affiliates have been implementing, on the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, and on the UNAIDS Outlook Report 2010. 
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ICEM Affiliates: Implementation of 2010 Programmes in Full Swing 
 
Midterm reports from ICEM affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa show that the implementation of activities through the ICEM HIV/AIDS project, which is sponsored by the solidarity support organisations SASK of Finland and the Dutch FNV Mondiaal, is according to plan. 
 
In C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, workplace activities on awareness and prevention and advocacy for early testing reached 170 workers in three different companies. In Mauritius, initial training of women delegates and workers provided the basis for awareness campaigns at worksites through which, so far, 375 workers have been reached. A locally produced DVD multiplied the effect of these campaigns. Twenty-one women unionists were trained as peer educators in Nigeria. Some 1,450 workers and community members were mobilised in one VCT campaign alone. Affiliates in Tanzania organised two workshops in preparation for a massive VCT campaign in the mining area around Mwasa in August, which is sponsored by the women&rsquo;s structure of the German ICEM affiliate, IGBCE. In Ghana and Uganda training workshops were organised for shop stewards and negotiators on building capacity for bargaining on HIV/AIDS issues. 
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Labour&rsquo;s Role at the International AIDS Conference 
 
Trade unions and the ILO played an important role at the 18th International AIDS Conference (IAC), which was held in Vienna, Austria, in July. Some 25,000 scientists, health professionals, representatives of governments, and AIDS activists met for this Conference which takes place every two years. 
 
During the Labour Forum, organised by the Global Union AIDS Programme (GUAP) and the &Ouml;GB, the Austrian trade union centre, labour&rsquo;s participants were prepared for their different roles and interventions during the Conference. 
 
ILO/AIDS organised a tripartite Workplace Forum during which Jan Eastman, GUAP Chairperson also spoke. The ILO launched the implementation phase of the newly adopted Recommendation concerning HIV and AIDS and the world of work. Numerous other events included trade union speakers and displays gave examples of union HIV/AIDS materials. 
 
Medical advances in treatment have made great progress since the HI virus was discovered almost 30 years ago. Early treatment can effectively reduce the viral load (see also article below). A precondition for this is early testing. 
 
Behaviour change has also contributed to a reduction in new infections. South African Vice President Kgalema Motlanthe underlined that a change of policies has led to a decline in infections. He, like many others, pleaded that world leaders renew their commitment to universal access for HIV/AIDS treatment, especially in view of the fact that funds have fallen flat during the economic recession. 
 
The ICEM was represented at the IAC by Charlotte Nguessan, HIV/AIDS Coordinator for Francophone countries based in Abidjan. 
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UNAIDS: 10 Million Death, 1 Million New Infections Could be averted 
 
The UNAIDS Outlook Report 2010 outlines a radically simplified HIV treatment platform called Treatment 2.0 that could decrease the number of AIDS-related deaths drastically and could also greatly reduce the number of new HIV infections. 
 
Treatment 2.0 is a new approach to simplify the way HIV treatment is currently provided and to scale up access to life saving medicines. Using a combination of efforts it could bring down treatment costs, make treatment regimens simpler and smarter, reduce the burden on health systems, and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV and their families. Modelling suggests that compared with current treatment approaches, Treatment 2.0 could avert an additional ten million deaths by 2025. 
 
In addition, the new approach could also reduce new HIV infections by up to one million annually if countries provide antiretroviral therapy to all people in need, following revised WHO treatment guidelines. Today, only five million of the 15 million people in need are accessing these life-saving medicines. 
 
A supplement to the report also shows that young people are leading the HIV prevention revolution. HIV prevalence among young people has declined by more than 25% in 15 of the 25 countries most affected by AIDS. In eight countries&mdash;C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe&mdash;significant HIV prevalence declines have been accompanied by positive changes in sexual behaviour among young people. 
 
For example, in Kenya there was a 60% decline in HIV prevalence between 2000 and 2005. HIV prevalence dropped from 14.2% to 5.4% in urban areas and from 9.2% to 3.6% in rural areas in the same period. Similarly in Ethiopia, there was a 47% reduction in HIV prevalence among pregnant young women in urban areas and a 29% change in rural areas. 
 
The report was launched in Geneva ahead of the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna. It is available on the UNAIDS website <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>. 
 
(Sources: UNAIDS Press Statement, Geneva, 13 July) 
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Knowing Your HIV Status through Workplace Initiative 
 
A Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) Centre opened at the Primary Health Clinic at Jikwoy in Abuja, Nigeria, on 5 July 2010 under the Building Workplace Capacity to Combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria Project, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The new Clinic will cater to the needs of workers willing to know their HIV/AIDS status in the area and is part of the Project launched in July 2009 by the British Trades Union Congress (TUC) in partnership with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). 
 
The workplace initiative in Nigeria implemented by TUC Aid is designed to contribute to a reduction in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, better protection and promotion of employment and human rights of workers infected with or affected by HIV and AIDS, and to the elimination of stigma and discrimination against them. Six affiliates of the NLC in the Education and Health Sectors are taking part in it. It is hoped that the establishment of the VCT Centre will enable workers and their families to know their status and seek counselling, treatment, and care at an early stage. 
 
In many parts of the world, trade unions combating HIV/AIDS through workplace action have played a decisive role in overcoming the initial reluctance of workers to come forward for testing. The current VCT initiative in Abuja follows the successful completion of a pilot project in 2009 funded by TUC Aid in the Ashanti Region, Ghana, in collaboration with the Timber and Woodworkers' Union (TWU). 
 
(Source: TUC Briefing Document issued 12 July)
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Glaxo, Pfizer Joint Venture Opens HIV Pipeline to Generic Companies 
 
ViiV Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer's joint venture company for AIDS drugs, is opening its entire product line-up to generic drug makers working in the world's poorest countries. 
 
The announcement, on the eve of the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, means generic companies will be able to obtain royalty-free voluntary licences for all current ViiV products, as well as products still in development. 
 
The move would help drive down the cost of second-line treatments for HIV, which will be needed increasingly as more people in poor countries develop resistance to cheaper first-line drugs. 
 
The ViiV offer is open to 69 countries, including all least-developed countries, all low-income countries and the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. ViiV, which was launched last November, pools the two drug makers' HIV/AIDS businesses into a new company, owned 85% by Glaxo and 15% by Pfizer. 
 
(Sources: Reuters, 16 July as reported in Pambazuka News 490) 
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South Africa: Counsellors to Give &lsquo;The Prick&rsquo; 
 
Lay counsellors in South Africa can now legally perform HIV tests, but delays in paying them and shortages of test kits are threatening a national campaign to scale up voluntary HIV testing and counselling (VCT). 
 
Before new regulations came into effect in May 2010, only nurses were allowed to administer finger-prick HIV tests, but AIDS activists had long argued that this not only added to an already heavy work load and could also hamstring the VCT campaign aiming to test 15 million South Africans by 2011. 
 
South Africa's public health system is struggling to cope with one of the world's worst HIV epidemics, as well as a shortage of doctors and nurses. The South African Nursing Council estimates that the country has about one registered nurse for every 440 patients. 
 
South Africa's new legislation requires counsellors to undergo three hours of training before being added to a database of healthcare providers allowed to perform &quot;the prick&quot;. 
 
Malawi and Zambia, faced with even worse health worker shortages, have put HIV testing in the hands of trained lay counsellors, a strategy known as &quot;task-shifting.&quot; 
 
(Source: IRIN PlusNews, Johannesburg, 9 July) 
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Global Fund: OIG Identifies Shortcomings in Rounds-Based Grant Application Process 
 
The Global Fund's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a wide-ranging, 107-page audit report in April 2010, &quot;The OIG Review of the Global Fund Grant Application Process.&quot; 
 
The report made six key observations: 1. The way that calls for proposals in the rounds-based channel are structured is inconsistent with the Global Fund principle of supporting country-driven programmes; 2. While a good proposal may be fitted into the Global Fund's proposal form, it is by no means clear that a proposal would be significantly shaped and improved by following the form; 3. There is little scope for the Board to provide assurance on the financial soundness of proposals; 4. After seven years of activity, the Global Fund's relationship with its partners remains poorly defined and even, in some ways, uncomfortable; 5. The present obscurity of the deliberations of the Technical Review Panel (TRP) represents something of a contrast to the rest of the Global Fund's business model; and 6. The current grant application process impairs the ability of the Global Fund Board to set policy and strategy. 
 
The report further comments on the high rejection rate of proposals; the lack of Global Fund presence in-country; the limitations of the screening process; the timing of principal recipient assessments; and the lack of investment in forging and maintaining more effective relations with partners as well as the roles of the Fund's Country Programs staff and the TRP. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 127 of 24 June. GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>; to receive GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>) 
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Not the Universal Access We Are Campaigning For 
 
Authorities in the Arusha region of Tanzania are investigating the case of a hospital which is alleged to distribute expired medicines to HIV patients. Apparently the anti-retroviral drugs at the faith-based hospital were imported as donations not going through the Medical Supplies Department of the Tanzanian government. 
 
One of the patients who were given expired antiretroviral drugs has started suffering contraindicative complications including rashes, blisters, and periodical fever. There is fear that the expired drugs could be harmful to other patients in the region without them knowing, and officials suspect that other private hospitals could be still issuing them. 
 
The ARVs had an expiry date of December 2009 and were still given out in the first half of 2010. 
 
(Source: Daily News, Dar Es Salaam, 8 July) 
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News from Global Unions 
 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF &ndash; <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>) reports in its latest HIV/AIDS update No. 90 of 15 July on its HIV/AIDS work with civil aviation workers in Ecuador. It also gives a preview of HIV/AIDS workshops to be held at the ITF Congress in Mexico City in August. 
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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 59/60, August/September 2010

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ICEM affiliated trade unions in Central and Eastern Europe discussed challenges in the chemicals and pharmaceutical industries with a view to reinforcing representation, industrial relations, and social dialogue in an 8-9 June seminar in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. The meetings, hosted by ICEM&rsquo;s Slovakian affiliate, the Chemical and Energy Workers Union (ECHOZ), were supported by the German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), one of the principal project partners in the world. 
 
The meeting was chaired by Juraj Blahak, ICEM&rsquo;s Vice President for Central Europe, who underlined the importance of the meeting for unions in chemicals who face restructurings, including privatisation that has had severe impacts on employment and trade unions. 
 
Clemens Rode, representing FES in the region, stressed the role of trade unions in shaping economic and social life in Central Europe. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda gave specific attention to the togetherness of Central and Eastern European trade unions, calling exchanges of information and experience in restructurings as vitally important. Warda also made a specific presentation on precarious employment and ICEM&rsquo;s global Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) campaign. 

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Attended by around 30 trade union leaders from Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belorussia, and Tadjikistan, the meeting received an extensive report from the ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Industries&rsquo; Officer, Kemal &Ouml;zkan, on global chemical and pharmaceutical trends, with specifics on the Central and Eastern Regions and individual countries. 
 
The meeting also got a presentation from Mr. Roman Karlubik, President of the Association of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry of the Slovak Republic, who drew the overall picture of the Slovak chemical industry and social dialogue with ECHOZ. 
 
The industry in Central and Eastern Europe suffered through the economic crisis in parallel to many economies in the region posting negative GDP growth, with some countries suffering near financial meltdown. Prior to the crisis, the region was seen as a good place to invest. For the pharmaceutical industry, generic medicines represent around half the industry in the region, with a number of number of companies including KRKA, Gedeon Richter, Polpharma, and Zentiva specifically focusing on generics. 
 
Central and Eastern European countries are projected to spend an estimated US$157.1 billion on healthcare in 2015, equal to 6.9% of total GDP. At present, only 30% of spending in the region is private, but over 85% of this is composed of out-of-pocket payments by people. 

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The Bratislava meeting agreed that in Central and Eastern Europe, chemical and pharmaceutical industries are still in the restructuring process, although levels differ from country to country. Restructuring occurs in ownership, particularly with privatisation, production, technology, and labour relations, which brings fear and challenges trade union recognition and survival. The participants agreed that there could an important exchange of experience on privatisation between Central and Eastern Europe, particularly for countries now undergoing privatisation, namely Belorussia. 
 
Another important point stressed was that the region&rsquo;s chemical industry is still under the dominance of basic chemicals, like fertilizers in Central Asia for example, which brings sustainability problems regarding jobs to workplaces. 
 
Occupational Health and Safety was specifically mentioned since current production systems create serious problems on this issue. A need for capacity building for unions in the region was underlined by the participants. 

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Participants also drew attention to the effects of the standards such as REACH and ETS, which regulates the environment where the chemical industry operates over employment. Outside of the European Union, there are also initiatives in the individual efforts of countries, such as Russia, to be able to harmonise their chemical legislations for survival of the industries. A need for a specific work about this particular area was mentioned by the participants. 
 
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that networking, regular exchange of information and experience, capacity building on industry matters, collective bargaining, and trade union issues should be continued. 
 
&ldquo;The Bratislava meeting has clearly shown to us that Central and Eastern Europe is still the area where the ICEM needs to focus its activities in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry,&rdquo; said Kemal &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;Coming just months before ICEM&rsquo;s World Chemical Conference in October 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey, the meeting has given us a great overview on what to do for having genuine global union activities in this industry.&rdquo; 
 
On 7 June 2010 a regional ICEM Central Europe Council meeting took place in Bratislava, Slovakia. Trade Union representatives from Hungary, Macedonia, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia took part in the meeting. The meeting was headed by Juraj Blahak, ICEM Vice-President and President of the Central European regional Council.

Challenges to Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals Focus in Central, East Europe Forum

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Two sector-wide collective agreements in Turkey in tyre and glass industries have been concluded, with preservation of gained rights and improvements to salaries and social benefits realised. 
 
The tyre negotiations, which started on 5 February and cover over 4,000 members of the union of Lastik-Iş in four plants of three multi-national companies, namely Bridgestone Brisa, Goodyear, and Pirelli located in the cities of Izmit and Adapazari. 
 
The union&rsquo;s strategy was to preserve gained rights and improve current salaries and social benefits, while employers demanding some concessions on working conditions, such as flexibility of working hours, holidays, extended temporary work, and changing wage grades, particularly the gap between newly- hired workers and existing ones. 
 
The demands of employers were on the basis of the labour code, which recognises flexible working conditions at workplaces in Turkey. 

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Abdullah Karacan, President of Lastik-Is during voting for the CBA, in front of Goodyear plant, Izmit 
After the three-and-a-half-month period of negotiations, with disagreements on 21 provisions of the agreement still in play, Lastik-Iş moved to begin strike action on 9 June. Following a 12-hour bargaining session just hours before the strike was to begin, the two sides reached a two-year agreement covering the 2010-2011 period. 
 
Employers rescinded their concessionary proposals. In addition, wages and social benefits were adjusted in line with the Turkish inflation rate, thus managing to secure purchasing power of workers. The agreement was voted upon by the members of Lastik-Iş in each factory and approved unanimously. 
Commenting on the new agreement, &ldquo;During tough and tensioned negotiations, our members showed a great deal of decisiveness in securing their gained rights, thus the agreement has resulted in preserving past achievements,&rdquo; said Abdullah Karacan, President of Lastik-Iş. 
 
Another important sector-wide agreement was achieved in the glass sector by the ICEM affiliate Kristal-Iş, who negotiates with the Turkish Glass Employers&rsquo; Federation on behalf of over 5,000 members at the factories of Şişecam Group&rsquo;s Paşabah&ccedil;e Cam Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. (plants at Kırklareli and Mersin); Anadolu Cam Sanayi A.Ş. (plants at Topkapı-Istanbul, Mersin, &Ccedil;ayırova-Kocaeli); Trakya Cam Sanayi A.Ş. (plants at Thrace and Mersin Fabrikası) and Cam Elyaf Sanayi A.Ş. 

<img src="" width="210" height="173" alt="" />
Bilal Cetintas, President of Kristal-Is
During negotiations, which started on 10 January as the twenty-second negotiation period for this industry, the Kristal-Iş primary aim was to keep patterns of working conditions intact, patterns existing in the plants for over 40 years. 
 
The union did put forward limitations on sub-contracting, which it defined as one of the most sensible issues in labour relations in the glass sector. The union, through the negotiations, aimed at reaching soıme principles with the employers on regulating this long-standing problem. For this Kristal-Iş proposed some tools to eliminate and minimise sub-contracting in glass factories where maintenance, cleaning, catering, and loading activities are done through sub-contractors. The union&rsquo;s first demand was to stop sub-contracting in maintenance and repair. 
 
Following a tough, ten-round set of negotiations, the two-year agreement was signed on 14 May and it preserves the gained rights and past settlements, as well as improving wages with increases. For the first year of the agreement, the hourly wage is increased 0.65 Turkish Liras (0.35euros) on average, while the second-year increase will be awarded at the level of inflation. Social benefits, such as education, marriage, death, and holiday benefits were also increased at levels higher than the current inflation rate.

Tyre, Glass Labour Agreements in Turkey Preserve Past Conventions

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One of the ICEM&rsquo;s long-standing mining union affiliates, T&uuml;rkiye Maden-İş, lost its president last week, and the entire family of ICEM mourns his passing. Ekrem Fedai had been valiantly fighting lung cancer for some time, but the disease claimed his life on 26 June. He was 58. 

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Ekrem Fedai
Brother Fedai was a substitute member of the ICEM Executive Committee. He started his trade union career in the state-owned lignite company in the city of Tavşanli, and in 1986 was first elected as regional secretary-treasurer of the union in that city. He won election as regional chairman in 1996, and then was elected to the post of Secretary of Collective Bargaining and Legal Affairs for Maden-İş at union headquarters in Ankara. At an extraordinary congress in 2008, he was unanimously elected President of Maden-İş. 
 
In a letter to Maden-İş Vice President Murat Bekem today, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, &ldquo;We know his many contributions to your union and his many achievements across Turkey on behalf of miners.&rdquo; The ICEM extends its condolences to Ekrem Fedai&rsquo;s family and to all the union members of T&uuml;rkiye Maden-İş.

ICEM Mourns Death of Turkish Mines Leader, Maden-İş President Ekrem Fedai

The ICEM calls serious attention to activities on Friday, 26 June, as Day of Action against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the repressive and tyrannical means it uses to suppress the people of Iran. Specifically, ICEM stands with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Global Union Federations (GUFs), and Amnesty International in denouncing the illegal arrests of trade union leaders and others in Iran. 
 
As witnessed by the regime&rsquo;s conduct before and after the sham 12 June elections, global pressure must be steadfast against Iran&rsquo;s ruling zealots who commit untold human rights violations. The ICEM stands with the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), the International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers (IUF), and Education International (EI), as they call for this Day of Action together with the ITUC and Amnesty International. 
 
These GUFs have worked tirelessly to end trade union rights abuses in specific cases in Iran. More details on 26 June Day of Action, and on specific cases can be found at <a href="http://www.justiceforiranianworkers.org">www.justiceforiranianworkers.org</a>.
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In brief, the ITF champions the cases of Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi, leaders of the Syndicate of Workers&rsquo; of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, who are serving unjust jail terms. The IUF has sharply criticised the one-year jail terms of five union leaders and forced dissolution of their union, Haft Tapeh Sugar Workers&rsquo; Union, and EI has taken up the case of Farzad Kamangar, who was handed a death sentence last year. 
 
He is a leader of the banned Iranian Teachers&rsquo; Trade Association, an affiliate of EI, and has been convicted of &ldquo;endangering national security&rdquo; for his advocacy of teachers&rsquo; unions. The 26 June Day of Action also is aimed at freeing four activists who remain locked up from a 1 May manifestation at Laleh Park in Tehran. There, secret police violently attacked peaceful workers celebrating May Day, arresting between 100 and 150. 
 
Demonstrations tomorrow (26 June) will occur at Iranian embassies and missions include Belgium, France, Netherlands, Switzerland Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Nigeria, the UK, and in several other countries. The ICEM encourages trade unionists and others to take part. 
 
&ldquo;ICEM is in full support and will assist in every effort to free trade unionists and others who have been locked up because they dared to exercise free speech or free association in Iran,&rdquo; said General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;This brutal regime cannot be allowed immunity in its continuing escalation of human rights violations.&rdquo;

26 June: Day of Action Against Iran

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K&uuml;resel sekt&ouml;r federasyonu ICEM, Uluslararası Sendikalar Konfederasyonu'nun 26 Haziran'ı İran'da yaşanan iş&ccedil;i hakları ihlallerine karşı k&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml; ilan etmesini destekliyor, &uuml;yelerini bu bağlamda yapılacak etkinliklere katılmaya &ccedil;ağırıyor. K&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml;nde İran'da yaşanan iş&ccedil;i hakları ihlallerine dikkat &ccedil;ekilecek. 
 
K&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml; faaliyetlerinin &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenmesini Uluslararası Tarım, Gıda, Lokanta, Yiyecek, T&uuml;t&uuml;n ve İlgili İşkolları Federasyonu IUF, Uluslararası Taşımacılık İş&ccedil;ileri Federasyonu ITF ve Eğitim Enternasyonali EI Uluslararası Sendikalar Konfederasyonu ile birlikte yapıyor. 
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Iranlı sendikacılar bir &ccedil;ok kez sendikal hak ihlalleri ve yasa dışı tutuklamalarla karşı karşıya kaldılar. K&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml; sendikayı desteklediklerinden dolayı işini kaybeden iş&ccedil;ilerin işlerine iade edilmeleri i&ccedil;in bir &ccedil;ağrı niteliği taşıyor. K&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml; aynı zamanda İran y&ouml;netimi &uuml;zerinde İLO'nun 87 Nolu &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme &ouml;zg&uuml;rl&uuml;ğ&uuml; s&ouml;zleşmesi ve 98 Nolu toplu pazarlık yapma s&ouml;zleşmesini imzalanması i&ccedil;in baskı oluşturacaktır. K&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml; etkinlikleri İran iş&ccedil;ilerinin meşru temsilcileri ile işverenleri arasında toplu s&ouml;zleşme g&ouml;r&uuml;şmelerini başlamasına da yardımcı olacak. 
 
Bu &ccedil;er&ccedil;evede 26 Haziran'da b&uuml;t&uuml;n d&uuml;nyadaki İran b&uuml;y&uuml;k el&ccedil;ilikleri ve konsoloslukları &ouml;n&uuml;nde protesto g&ouml;sterileri yapılması planlanıyor. &Uuml;lkedeki iş&ccedil;i hakları ihlallerinin son &ouml;rneği Tahran'da yapılan son 1 Mayıs g&ouml;sterisinde yaşandı. Barış&ccedil;ıl bir şekilde g&ouml;steri yapmak isteyen iş&ccedil;ilere gaz bombaları ile saldırıldı, iş&ccedil;iler yaralandı, hakkını arayan 100 kadar iş&ccedil;i tutuklandı. 
 
26 Haziran k&uuml;resel eylem g&uuml;n&uuml; İran y&ouml;netiminin sendikaya sempati duyan iş&ccedil;ilere y&ouml;nelik ayrımcılığa son vermesi, İLO s&ouml;zleşmelerini onaylaması, bağımsız iş&ccedil;i &ouml;rg&uuml;tlerini tanıması ve hapsedilen sendikacıların tamamını serbest bırakılması bağlamında uluslararası iş&ccedil;i hareketini bir araya getirecek.

GUF ve ITUC 26 Haziran&#039;ı İran Küresel Eylem Günü ilan etti

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The members of ICEM affiliate, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers' Union (CEPPWAWU) have engaged in a protected strike in companies around the country. The strike began on 20 July. The Union&rsquo;s 40,000 striking workers are demanding wage increases of between 13-15%, while employers are willing to pay between 8-10%. The negotiations have taken over two months and a dispute was officially declared last month, Skhumbuzo Phakathi, CEPPWAWU&rsquo;s International Coordinator, informed the ICEM. 
 
A countrywide march is planned for today. Thabane Mdlalose, the deputy general secretary of CEPPWAWU says the pulp and paper section met with employers at the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration last Monday, without agreement. &ldquo;All our members are still picketing,&rdquo; he added. The labour union also wants six months paid maternity leave and temporary employees to be made permanent staff members. 

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The union&rsquo;s Bargaining Council for the Wood and Paper Sector (NBCWPS), oversees the strike in the country&rsquo;s Pulp and Paper industry, focused at SAPPI and Mondi. The wage demand is 13% and the offer from the employer is 7.5%. 
 
CEPPWAWU&rsquo;s National Bargaining Council for Chemical Industries (NBCCI) has the following sectors currently on strike; Pharmaceutical, where the demand of 13.6% is countered with an offer of 7%, Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), where the demand is 10% and offer is 8%, Industrial Chemicals, with a demand of 11% versus an offer of 8%. 
 
CEPPWAWU&rsquo;s compromise position is a rise of 10% across all sectors, for settlement. Employers have offered 8 percent, which was the rate of inflation in May. 

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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has come out in support of the CEPPWAWU mass action, warning that if employers do not better their wage offer, the federation's 2 million members will come out in support of its affiliate. 
 
In the petroleum sector, employers have settled for an acceptable offer covering a two year period, with 40% for maternity leave. 
 
Some of the major companies currently facing strikes are; Adcock Ingram, Air Liquide, Aspen Pharmacare, Barloworld Decorative, Umicore Autocat. Others are Afrox, Johnson and Johnson, Plascon paints, Dulux Paints, Unilever, Colgate/Palmolive, Lake International, Mondi, Sappi, and&nbsp;others across the different&nbsp;sectors. 
 
The ICEM will report developments as&nbsp;strikes continue.

South African Wage Strikes Continue

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The ICEM has received information from the Federation of Workers Councils Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) that one of their leading women activists is under attack. The management of the General Company for Leather Industries (GCLI) has punished Sawsan Mahmoud, by transferring her to another company. The decision follows her leadership and participation in a strike at the beginning of April 2009, after protesting against the company's failure to make all outstanding payments due to workers in April. 
 
The company's management, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, has transferred the trade union activist to Elez Company, a subsidiary of the Ministry. Sawsan has appealed to the Minister for the cancellation of the transfer. As a result the Ministry required the company&rsquo;s reasons for the transfer, which were reported by the company as being her participation and incitement of workers to go on strike at the beginning of last April, &ldquo;strike instigators are not keen on the stability of the country&quot;. The company reiterated its reply to the Ministry that the transfer was due to the recent events, referring to its workers' last strike. Subsequently the management of the company also proceeds now to punish another six workers for the same reasons. 

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FWCUI President Falah Alwan
The FWCUI has taken up her case and that of the other victimised workers, mounting a media campaign and a legal case against the company and the Ministry. They have called on the international trade union movement to publicise the case and protest the action of the Ministry and the company. ICEM has done so and is in communication with ITGLWF about further support action. 
 
In a letter to Fawzi Franso Hariri, the Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals, ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney expressed his concern over the treatment of Sawsan Mahmoud. Kearney stated that the company&rsquo;s behaviour &ldquo;represents a blatant breach of the right of freedom of association which protects the right of workers to strike as a means of defending their interests. This fundamental right is enshrined in the Iraqi Constitution as well as in Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation, which apply to Iraq by virtue of its membership of the ILO&rdquo;.

Iraqi Labour Federation Protests Attack from Industry and Government Ministry

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Over 1,000 mineworkers at the Chinese owned Marcona mine in Peru, ended their indefinite strike action on 24 July, returning to work following a government resolution ordering increased wages, plus a one-off bonus. The workers are members of the ICEM affiliated Federaci&oacute;n Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metal&uacute;rgicos y Sider&uacute;rgicos del Per&uacute; (FNTMMSP). 
 
Shougang Hierro Peru is the country&rsquo;s only iron producer, producing 7.5 million tones of iron ore in 2008. Production was halted at the Marcona mine, 217 miles south of the capital Lima in Ica Province, when workers downed their tools on July 13, starting an indefinite strike action for higher wages. 

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Shougang mineworkers in Marcona
The global financial crisis has lowered prices for most of Peru&rsquo;s metals exports; companies throughout the industry are using that as an excuse to avoid making overdue salary rises. &quot;Shougang has the capacity to raise our salaries, just with 4 percent of its profits,&quot; union leader Julio Ortiz stated at the outset of the strike. Nearly 10,000 mineworkers have lost their jobs in Peru since November 2008. 
 
Ortiz then reported last Friday &quot;We have lifted the indefinite strike following a (pay) increase granted by the Ministry of Labour, although we don't agree with the increase,&quot; 
 
The Chinese Shougang Group, which has run the mine since 1993, had previously offered an hourly wage increase of US$0.23 but that was rejected by the union. The Peruvian government instead passed a resolution ordering a US$1.1 a day increase, plus a one-off bonus of US$433. The 1,124 striking workers had been seeking a US$3.3 increase on their US$18.3 daily wage. The rise is backdated to 31 March 2009. 
 
Local press had reported that the strike had cost the company over US$6 million, the claims were denied by the company. Negotiations between the union and company management were brokered by Labour Minister Manuela Garc&iacute;a, and provincial Governor R&oacute;mulo Trive&ntilde;o. 
 
Peru is the world's top producer of silver, and second top producer of copper and zinc.

Peruvian Miners Achieve Wage Gains at Chinese Owned Iron Mine

Archive

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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 59/60, August/September 2010

Challenges to Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals Focus in Central, East Europe Forum

Tyre, Glass Labour Agreements in Turkey Preserve Past Conventions

ICEM Mourns Death of Turkish Mines Leader, Maden-İş President Ekrem Fedai

26 June: Day of Action Against Iran

GUF ve ITUC 26 Haziran'ı İran Küresel Eylem Günü ilan etti

South African Wage Strikes Continue

Iraqi Labour Federation Protests Attack from Industry and Government Ministry

Peruvian Miners Achieve Wage Gains at Chinese Owned Iron Mine

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