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Total said it will, between 2006 and 2012, close down several production lines at two different petrochemical sites in France: the TotalPetroChemicals Carling plant in the Lorraine region and the Gonfreville site in Normandy. This announcement by the company, which will result in the loss of another 300 jobs, comes only three months after the Arkema spin off, which already led to a serious reduction in the number of jobs at Total. 
 
In a press communiqué, ICEM affiliated FCE-CFDT called the restructuring exercise “purely defensive.” The company will take a €300 million charge to end the production of Styrene - a colourless toxic liquid used to make, among other products, polymers and rubber - at Carling, with a partial transfer of production to the Gonfreville site. Another €80 million charge on the company’s books will go towards a better exchange of products between the two sites. 
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Not only does the union find it difficult to see the economic logic of the plan, it also warns against the environmental dangers for both workers and general public, as Total will have to start traversing France by train to get extra benzene and styrene from one plant to another. 
 
The union calls for an independent expert to look into the social and environmental risks. It will also approach the industry minister to present an alternative industrial project.

Total Announces It Will Do Away with another 300 Jobs in France

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The ICEM has demanded that the Turkish parent company of Trakia Glass in Bulgaria intervene to settle a two-week strike at factories in Turgovishte, in the northeast of Bulgaria. Hundreds of glass workers, members of ICEM affiliate National Federation of Chemical Workers – CL Podkrepa, began a strike on 19 May over the company’s failure to keep pace with minimum salary levels, as set by Bulgarian labour code. 
 
Trakia is wholly-owned by Turkish glass and chemicals groups, Şişecam Group. In a letter dated 1 June, ICEM called on Şişecam’s General Director Doğan Arıkan to resolve the dispute immediately in a manner that protects the company’s reputation, as well as respects Bulgaria’s status as a member of the European Union.
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“Bulgaria’s membership in the EU assures that its citizens have certain rights and entitlements, and your company’s recent behaviour in Targovishte reflects disdain and disrespect for these rights and entitlements,” wrote ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda to Arikan. “A company headquartered in Turkey, which is now on a course of negotiations toward EU entry, must and should do better in pursuit of such entry.” 
 
Workers of Trakia are seeking increases in overtime work and night-shift work, increases which were mandated by the country’s minimum monthly salary which took effect 1 May.
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Because of the union’s salary demands, during the week of 7 May, Şişecam has suspended a €221.6 million investment at the glass factories, an investment that was to include a second flat glass factory, a second factory for glassware, and additions to processed glass works already operating. The Bulgarian government had made incentives available to the Turkish company, which included road construction and associated infrastructure needs. 
 
Trakia Glass Chief Executive Gulsum Azeri openly states that the investment was suspended until Bulgaria make regressive revisions to its labour legislation, social conduct which the ICEM termed “unacceptable.” 
The ICEM Regional Conference for Central Europe, meeting in Hungary on 5 and 6 June 2007, adopted a resolution in support of the striking workers in Bulgaria. To read the resolution, click <a href="/index.php?id=21&doc=2286&la=EN" type="internal">here</a>.

Turkish Glass Firm Şişecam Prompts Strike In Bulgaria

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Privatisation auctions by Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) of refineries owned by the state’s Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) have brought further strikes and threats of strikes. The two oil workers’ unions in the country – ICEM affiliates PENGASSAN and NUPENG – are protesting the lack of transparency in the sales. 
 
Late last week, branches of both unions at the Kaduna refinery threatened a shutdown of that facility if the BPE follows though on 51% sale of Nigeria’s second largest refinery. In mid-May, BPE threw out the lone offer for Kaduna, a US$102 million by the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC). But shortly thereafter, the government’s privatisation arm accepted a US$160 million bid by Bluestar Oil, which is a consortium of Nigerian industrial interests.
     <img height="137" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/NigeriaPengassan.JPG" width="130"/>           <img height="145" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/NigeriaNupeng.gif" width="140"/>
Bluestar had earlier won a bid on the larger Port Harcourt refinery with a US$561 million offer. The lack of transparency in that process brought a two-day strike by the unions on 24-25 May, which halted all shipments of crude oil into the refinery. 
 
The branch unions of PENGASSAN and NUPENG at Kaduna called Bluestar’s bid “a deal … sealed under the table, to a company that has no record of refinery operations, and for a price that can only be described as give-away.” 
 
The statement by the unions added: “Based on the glaring lack of transparency in the privatisation process and insincerity on the part of BPE, the sale of (Kaduna) fails to meet the minimum standard, set by the government and cannot in any sense of the word be said to have been a transparent exercise. 
 
“First, the sole bidder (CNPC), failed to match the undisclosed reserved price of Kaduna during the first and second rounds of bidding, suddenly another company (Bluestar) that did not submit a bit, that did not conduct any due diligence on the facility, that is completely alien to the transaction, that has no track record in the refining sector, is now said to have 51% shares of Kaduna in a process the BPE describes as “closed-in” bidding.” 
 
PENGASSAN and NUPENG have vowed to resist the turnover to Bluestar until all the issues raised by the union are resolved.

Privatisation of Nigerian Oil Refineries Bring Further Unrest

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With labour agreements now complete at two major tyre producing plants in Argentina, ICEM affiliate Sindicato Unico Trabajores del Neumático Argentina (SUTNA) is focused on obtaining a renewal two-year contract with the third – FATE S.A.I.C.I., an Argentine based producer and the country’s largest tyre-maker, employing some 1,200 workers. 
 
Workers at FATE had rejected the company’s prior offer, a proposal that fell short of wage gains and bonus payments made at Pirelli S.p.A. and Bridgestone-Firestone Argentina. Negotiations will resume at the Ministry of Work on 6 June. Rubber workers have protested FATE’s inferior demands, but have taken no industrial action.
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Earlier this spring, agreement was reached with both Pirelli and Bridgestone-Firestone, which employ a combined 1,400 SUTNA union members at Buenos Aires factories. At both worksites, workers won pay increases totaling nearly 25%, which included ratification and other bonuses. 
 
At the Firestone plant, workers received a 10% increase effective April 2007; they will receive a 6.5% increase in October 2007; 3.5% in March 2008; and 2.5% in May 2008. At Pirelli, SUTNA also negotiated a 10% increase effective in April 2007. Three percent is due in January 2008; 2% for April 2008; and 1.23% for June 2008. 
 
SUTNA General Secretary Pedro Wasiejko pledged early this spring that, in this round of national rubber bargaining, no worker would earn less than 2,741 pesos (€ 600) per month.

Argentina’s Tyre Union Focuses Now on Pact with Single Company

Due to the Iraqi military surrounding striking Basra oil pipeline workers, the 20-million-member ICEM today called on the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to conclude peaceful negotiations with the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) in order to resolve their legitimate trade union demands. 
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In a letter to the Prime Minister from ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, the global union federation of oil, gas, and energy unions throughout the world, stated, “On Tuesday evening, we learnt from the union that the Iraqi army had surrounded the strikers yesterday (5 June). The situation was, we understand, extremely tense. Urgent negotiations with your representatives have led to a temporary return to work to allow further negotiations, but the army remains in position and the situation remains very tense.” 
Pipeline workers of the 26,000-member IFOU, first struck pipe number 42 in the early hours of Monday, 4 June, following a company communication that a normal payment made to workers would not be forthcoming. Prior to the strike there had been weeks of negotiation, over a range of demands including terms and conditions of work, health and safety, and the future of the oil industry in Iraq. 
The following morning, 5 June, the strike strengthened when oil workers cut off the flow of oil from another pipeline. That was followed by Iraqi military troops surrounding the strikers. 
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“I assure you that military intervention in the dispute is not the way to resolve matters,” stated the ICEM letter to Prime Minister al-Maliki. “In particular, we urge you to ensure that there are no arrests or detentions of any strikers or strike leaders, and no one involved is physically harmed. Genuine negotiations over the workers’ legitimate grievances must take place.” 
 
The ICEM is calling on all its 384 affiliated trade unions in 124 countries to send messages of support to IFOU. The ICEM is coordinating efforts to assist the IFOU together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the US Solidarity Center, and the UK’s Trades Union Congress. 
 
For background on this week’s strike, visit <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/2284-ICEM-Supports-IFOU-in-Today’s-Oil-Industry-Strike-in-Basra" type="internal">/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/2284-ICEM-Supports-IFOU-in-Today’s-Oil-Industry-Strike-in-Basra</a>. 
 
For further information, contact Jim Catterson, Intl. Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) Energy Officer: +32 2 626 2045 - <a href="mailto:Jim.catterson@icem.org">Jim.catterson@icem.org</a>

ICEM Protests Iraqi Military’s Involvement in Basra Oil Strike

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The revamped ICEM International Nuclear Workers’ Unions Network (INWUN) held its annual meeting on 13-14 June, and some 26 nuclear workers’ union leaders from ten countries attended. The meeting were held at ICEM headquarters in Brussels. The meeting was the first nuclear network meeting since INWUN became an official ICEM network. 
 
David Shier of the Power Workers Union of Canada was elected as chairman of the network, and delegates also adopted an 11-point “Terms of Reference” for the network, which will stand as guidelines for the network. 
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ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, ICEM Energy Industries Chairman Lars Myhre and David Shier, Chairman of the ICEM INWUN Network
Those include promoting solidarity and cooperation with trade union worldwide, as well as supporting a balanced energy generation policy across all jurisdictions. Objectives also include promotion of effective and thorough national regulatory procedures and practices in the nuclear industry, and seek to ensure that some eight nuclear regulatory agencies and governmental entities are kept informed of the viewpoints of unionised nuclear workers. 
Delegates to the 13-14 June meeting heard a presentation from Hans Riotte, head of Radiation Protection and Waste Management of the Nuclear Energy Agency, which is part of the OECD. They also had a lively exchange on nuclear safety programmes within the various countries represented. Work conditions in those countries were also debated. 
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They also heard a presentation on women in the nuclear industry. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and ICEM Energy Industries Chairman Lars Myhre of Norway’s Industri Energi Union addressed the delegates. 
 
Countries from which trade unionists attended included: Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, and the UK.

ICEM’s Nuclear Workers’ Network Meets in Brussels

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With the last hurdle cleared on 13 June for the public stock listing next year of German mining, energy, and chemicals company RAG, IGBCE succeeded in getting workers’ future security guaranteed, as well as winning retirement security for coalminers in the event mining of anthracite coal ceases in 2018. 
 
The central tenet to a negotiated agreement between German politicians, IGBCE, RAG CEO Werner Müller, and others is the creation of a new foundation that will hold a 25.1% in the company, which is expecting a new name once it is listed. The foundation would sell shares in the chemicals, energy, and real estate portion of RAG, with proceeds estimated to range from €6 billion to €8 billion to cover pension and other liabilities. 
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Additionally, RAG will make €3 million available to immediately assist workers at the insolvent Deilmann Haniel Mining Co. in Dortmund. IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt thanked Müller for his leadership during the six months of difficult talks. IGBCE also endorsed the decision for Müller to hold the central strategic position of the new public-traded company. 
 
“It is now finally clear that we will go forward to the stock exchange with an integrated company involving chemicals, energy, and real estate,” stated Schmoldt. “This is a solid basis for future jobs,” adding that financial promises also have been made for the loss of coal-mining jobs, thus meeting that social obligation. 
 
The 13-member board of the new company will include Schmoldt, as well as the current Works Council chairman of RAG.

German IGBCE Wins Financial Security for Workers of RAG

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The Federation of Energy, Geology, and Mining Trade Unions of Mongolia held its Fourth Extraordinary Conference in Ulaanbaatar late in May, and elected a new President for the 15,000-member union. 
Ganbold Sukhbaatar, a mining engineer, was elected to succeed Chultem Baljinyam. Ganbold is a 15-year veteran of the mining industry, and has been active in elected positions in trade unions for the past ten years.

Mongolian Mining Union Federation Elects New President

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 23

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ICEM Workshop on HIV/AIDS and women workers in Latin America and the Caribbean
A workshop to plan activities on HIV/AIDS with special focus on gender issues was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 30-31 May 2007. The meeting opened by identifying the prejudices in connection with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has to be taken out of the private sphere. It is easier to tackle if it is discussed in public and in the unions. Women have to stop being victims. 
 
In the Caribbean, the region which is currently most affected by HIV after Africa, the Oil Workers Trade Union (OWTU) of Trinidad and Tobago has been working with the ILO. There is still a stigma about HIV and fear of disclosure and discrimination. The OWTU is currently negotiating a policy with the state-owned oil company Petrotrin. It is more difficult to negotiate with small employers 
 
Two important observations are that deaths have gone down since anti-retroviral drugs have become more affordable and that, still, more women are getting sick than men. 
 
A presentation was made on the correct use of condoms, with special emphasis on the female condom. The suggestion was made that ICEM should campaign with governments and international organisations for female condoms to be made available at more reasonable cost. In addition, Maria Luisa from FEQUIMFAR, Brazil talked about her experiences of being HIV positive in a very moving speech. 
 
The conclusions for unions to take the work forward varied greatly. In Costa Rica, for example, where work has not started, the union proposed creating awareness and called for a conference to be scheduled in October, where men and women should be invited. World AIDS Day, 1 December, should be a good day for union-company campaigns. Similar suggestions came from Uruguay and Colombia. 
 
CNQ-CUT, Brazil, proposed developing new clauses in collective bargaining agreements to eliminate discrimination and victimisation and guarantee medicines for those at work. 
 
HIV/AIDS should be included in health courses and the FORMAQUIMULHER women’s training courses. The gender and health committees should work in partnership and ‘train the trainers’ programs should include collective bargaining on HIV/AIDS. 
 
The SNQ-FS union, Brazil, suggested continuing the Summer Without AIDS program all year. This programme has been successful since 1995. The programme seeks to check where testing is done and includes HIV tests in preventive treatment. The use of the female condom is also encouraged. 
 
In Chile, women want to check all clauses in collective agreements to see if HIV/AIDS is adequate covered. They want to consult the company’s medical services to find out what the company has been doing. And the women unionists would also analyse the company’s position and propose common platforms on HIV/AIDS. 
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Women’s Rights Key to Africa’s AIDS Crisis
Improving women’s rights could boost the battle against HIV/AIDS in southern African countries, where women are often forced into risky sexual behaviour by male partners or economic desperation. 
 
Physicians for Human Rights said its study of 2,000 women in Botswana and Swaziland showed that inequality and gender discrimination were major factors behind the pandemic in these countries. 
 
The impact of women’s lack of power cannot be underestimated. In Africa, women make up almost 60 percent of HIV-positive people; in the age group 15-25 years, this soars to 75 percent. 
 
Economic dependency on men meant that women often lose control of their sexual choices, including whether or not to use a condom. Social inequality meant that men and women are held to different standards of behaviour when it comes to multiple sexual partners. The report can be accessed at 
<a href="http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf">http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/ 
reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf</a>
(Source: Reuters World Report, 25 May) 
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China: Infection Rate among Women Increases by 43%
In China, more and more women are infected with the HIV virus. Between 2000 and 2006, their proportion increased from 19.4 percent to 27.8 percent of all infected, an increase of 43 percent. 
 
(Source: NZZ, Switzerland, 6 June – from Xinhua News Agency) 
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G8 Summit: Unions Condemn Backsliding on AIDS
Trade unions joined HIV/AIDS activists in condemning the Summit in Germany for backsliding on its promise for universal access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010. In the final communiqué, the G8 had almost halved its goal by targeting only 5 million in Africa with life-saving antiretroviral drugs. 
 
On the other hand, progress was made towards better G8 monitoring. This year, a first-ever monitoring exercise was undertaken. The Global Union AIDS Programme has lobbied for this provision over the last two years. It must now become an enduring and effective working tool for the G8. 
 
The G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005 committed to reaching universal access, which is defined by UNAIDS as 80% coverage. Between 10 and 12 million people will need treatment by 2010, yet the same leaders now have only set a target of 5 million in the “next few years”. 
 
The G8 has vaguely promised to spend USD 60 billion on AIDS, TB, malaria (for all three diseases, not just for AIDS) as well as to strengthen health systems, without clarifying aims or timelines, specifying only that it will be spent “over the coming years”. UNAIDS estimates show that, by 2010, USD 23 billion will be needed for AIDS alone, each year. The G8 fair share of this figure would be almost USD 16 billion. 
 
“Africa will suffer greatly if the commitment is scaled back”, said Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa who is also the Executive Director of the Zambia National AIDS Network and the representative for non-governmental organisations from developing countries on the Board of the Global Fund, where she currently serves as Vice-Chair. 
 
(Source: Global Union AIDS Programme Press Release, 8 June; TUAC Press Release, 8 June; World AIDS Campaign Press Release, 7 June and PR Newswire, Lusaka, 5 June)
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Global Fund Releases Report on Participation of Civil Society
Civil society (CS) has played a key role in the design and development of the Global Fund, and in the response to AIDS, TB and malaria, but some challenges remain if the contribution of CS is to be maximised. This is the main message of a new report released by the Global Fund, “An Evolving Partnership: The Global Fund and Civil Society in the Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.” 
 
The 49-page report describes the participation of CS in four main areas: advocacy and resource mobilisation; the Board and governance of the Fund; CCMs; and the implementation of Global Fund grants. The report also describes how the Global Fund Secretariat works with CS. The report summarizes the history of CS involvement in the response to pandemics, and describes the comparative advantages of CS. 
 
The report says that, throughout the development and evolution of the Global Fund, CS has encouraged governments to commit more resources; that CS representatives have played a valuable role on the Fund’s Board, on CCMs and in programme implementation; and that CS has proven effective in targeting and delivering services to hard-to-reach communities. 
 
Supporting this view on CS involvement, a recent statistical analysis published in The Lancet found that Global Fund grants where the Principal Recipient (PR) is not a government entity are somewhat more likely to perform well. Grants in which the PR is from civil society, private sector, or a UN agency were 17% more likely to receive an "A" performance rating than grants for which the PR is from government. 
 
The authors note that this is probably because government agencies often have problems with bureaucracy and capacity. This, in turn, helps validate the GF Board's recent decision that countries should be encouraged to assign non-government PRs to operate alongside government ones. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 76, 15 June 2007. 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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The World Bank’s Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa
In a report on the activities of the Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa (MAP) from 2000 to 2006, released on 14 June, the World Bank notes that “mobilisation of empowered grassroots communities, along with delivering condoms and life-saving treatments, are beginning to slow the pace of the continent’s epidemic.” 
 
At its inception, MAP was the most important source of funds for HIV/AIDS work in Africa, but funding from other sources, notably the Global Fund, has since increased considerably. Almost USD 1.3 billion was invested over six years. 
 
MAP funds were disbursed to around 41,000 different organisations. MAP has also helped to establish 1,512 new Voluntary Counselling and Testing sites in 17 countries. 
 
The full report is available on the World Bank’s website <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21370918~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html">here</a>. 
 
(Source: allAfrica.com News, 18 June) 
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Zimbabwe: HIV/AIDS Policy for the Mining Sector 
The recent launch of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector in Zimbabwe is an important step in the fight against the pandemic, which is wrecking havoc in one of the country’s major economic sectors. 
 
The policy, which was formulated after extensive consultations between tripartite partners, aims to guide and direct the process of dealing with HIV and AIDS in the workplace at all levels of the mining sector. 
 
Government departments, the Chamber of Mines and the Associated Mine Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe, an ICEM affiliate, worked together with the ILO to produce the mining policy. 
 
Key principles of the policy include the recognition that HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue, non-discrimination, non-victimisation and confidentiality. 
 
Implementation strategies require enterprises to put in place their own programmes and allocate time, human and financial resources. Workers must be involved in programme formulation, implantation, monitoring and evaluation. 
 
(Source: The Herald, Harare, 7June 2007) 
 
(Note by the editor of the e-bulletin: The Herald is a newspaper controlled by the Mugabe regime. While the conclusion of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector is very good news, it is difficult to understand how in a country with some 80% unemployment, the collapse of the health system, an ever-increasing inflation rate that has reached more than 4,000% recently and the complete depletion of foreign exchange reserves, effective follow-up measures in prevention, treatment and care can be taken.) 
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News from ILOAIDS 
 
At a meeting in Geneva during the International Labour Conference, Labour ministers from the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) resolved to establish a SAARC Forum on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) launched its HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme in collaboration with the Namibia Development Foundation. This programme will encourage and support integrated HIV/AIDS interventions including behaviour change, measures for care, support and treatment and the elimination of stigma and discrimination. 
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News from the Global Union Programme and Global Union Federations
The Global Unions AIDS Programme organised a sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop for Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire in Abidjan, 6-8 June. 27 unionists participated in this workshop; the ICEM was represented by the national HIV/AIDS Coordinator in Côte d’Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (no. 22 and 23 of 1 and 15 June) the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF - <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>) reports, among other things, on its workshop on HIV/AIDS in the Arab world; on the HIV/AIDS situation in the Caribbean; on the Jamaican Senate passing a motion to prohibit HIV screening of prospective workers and on the ITF Regional Workshop for the Caribbean in Georgetown, Guyana. 
 
In its most recent newsletter on EFA and HIV/AIDS Prevention at Schools, the Education International (EI) has published, among other, articles on a new television programme in Botswana aired in schools across the country and on the meeting of the Inter Agency Task Team on Education and HIV/AIDS - <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 21

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