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Contents&nbsp;
1. Chile &ndash; Government Publishes 
Gender Equity Guide 
2. France &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Position at EdF and GdF 
Worsens 
3. Germany &ndash; Men and Women 
Experience Stress Differently 
4. Kenya &ndash; Nairobi +21 Conference Held 
5. Korea &ndash; Equality Job Index&nbsp;Increases 
6. New Zealand &ndash; Government Prepares 
for Equal Pay Reviews 
7. Nicaragua &ndash; National Assembly Passes Total Abortion Ban 
8. South Africa &ndash; NUMSA Gender Awareness Quiz 
9. United Kingdom &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Pay Gap Narrows 
10. United States &ndash; Supreme Court&nbsp;To Hear Goodyear Case 
11. From Our Readers 
12. Resources 
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1. Chile &ndash; Government Publishes Gender Equity Guide 
 
SERNAM, the Chilean Women&rsquo;s National Office, published, on 9 November, a guide on gender equity in companies, called Gu&iacute;a para Impulsar la Equidad de G&eacute;nero en las Empresas. The guide contains examples of good practice, as well as tools to put the ideas into practice. 
 
With Chile&rsquo;s president Michelle Bachelet currently promoting corporate social responsibility, SERNAM found that discrimination against women continues to exist: women&rsquo;s average pay is still 30% below men&rsquo;s, with those in higher pay categories even earning 52% less. 
 
87% of all women work in services where they have less access than men to skills and management jobs. Chile ranks 110th out of 125 in terms of gender equity. There is, therefore, plenty of room for improvement. The SERNAM guide will soon be available on the Acci&oacute;n RSE site (in Spanish - <a href="http://www.accionrse.cl/">www.accionrse.cl</a>). 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
2. France &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Position at EdF and GdF Worsens 
 
In spite of the fact that an ambitious equal opportunities agreement was signed one and a half years ago, FCE-CFDT has found women&rsquo;s position worsening, or at best stagnating, at EdF (Electricit&eacute; de France) and GdF (Gaz de France). 
 
In 2005, the average number of hours&rsquo; training that women took advantage of went down, as did the number of women taking vocational training. There were also fewer men taking parental leave than the year before. In addition, new hires are generally found in technical areas, where fewer women are present. 
 
Women make up 23.1% of the workforce in the two companies, whereas they make up 49% of the precarious jobs. The union has also found that stereotypes still prevail &ndash; management still refuses men&rsquo;s requests to look after sick children, for example. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
3. Germany &ndash; Men and Women Experience Stress Differently 
 
IGBCE has launched a pilot project to investigate stress factors at three companies in Germany. The aim is for employees to cope better with stress so that, for instance, they can go home free of stress in the evening. 
 
Since women and men experience stress differently, preventive and curing measures have to be applied differently according to gender. In general, men have more injuries and accidents, whereas women suffer more from psychological problems. 
Men are more afraid of failure and high performance standards; women suffer more from poor communication and lack of recognition. Strategies to manage stress also differ &ndash; women get rid of stress by doing yoga or relaxation exercises, while men play football. 
 
The Infracor Company has distributed a questionnaire to track stress factors. While still analysing the results, one finding is that work against deadlines, heavy workloads, lack of decision-making power, fear of job loss or the double burden of working and looking after the family are all possible causes of stress. 
 
Stress has physical and psychological effects, which, if not eliminated, often reduce performance and concentration. However, they also lead to allergies and cardiovascular ailments. The IGBCE found that managing stress and health on the job pays for itself. 
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4. Kenya &ndash; Nairobi +21 Conference Held 
 
The Nairobi +21 Conference was held in Nairobi on 27 October 2006 to reflect on what has happened since the first UN International Women&rsquo;s Conference, which was held in 1985. Women evaluated the progress made over the years, by following the development of strategies aimed at fostering the advancement of women. Speakers reminisced about times gone by, when women&rsquo;s issues were treated with disdain. 
 
However, 20 years later, things are different. Kenya now has 18 women parliamentarians, and many women have been appointed to the judiciary and senior public service positions. Many battles have been won, but the war for realizing gender equality is far from over. 
 
Women are still under-represented in policy making. Societal and cultural biases and practices, such as female genital mutilation, still pose a health risk to girls. Insecurity and conflicts continue to expose more women to hunger, poverty and assault, and HIV/AIDS destructs millions of women&rsquo;s lives in sub-Saharan Africa. 
 
One conclusion of the conference was to demand better resource allocation for gender ministries and to push for 50-50 representation in leadership. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
5. Korea &ndash; Equality Job Index Increases 
 
Two recent findings by the Korea Labor Institute are that the labor status of women in Korea is lower than men&rsquo;s and that the labor status of workers over 50 has been declining. These findings are the result of an analysis of the Employment Equality Index in Korea, which includes factors such as gender, age, labor status and wage levels for the past 10 years. 
 
The Employment Equality Index consists of four sub-categories: the Labor Compensation Index, based on wage levels per hour; the Labor Participation Index, based on the ratio of wage workers; the Labor Status Index, based on the ratio of management level workers; and the Job Security Index, based on the ratio of regular workers. A figure above 100 indicates that the employment equality status is higher than that of men, whereas a figure below 100 indicates that the status is lower. 
 
With the male workers&rsquo; Employment Equality Index set at 100, the female workers&rsquo; index started at 50.1% in 1995, went down to 49.5% during the 1998 crisis, and reached 55.7% last year. 
 
According to the study, the women&rsquo;s Labor Status Index was 8.1%, indicating that the number of female management-level workers is less than one tenth that of men. The women&rsquo;s Labor Compensation Index stood at 69.4%, and the Job Security Index at 61.3%. The study also found that the labor status of older workers was gradually worsening. 
 
The Ministry of Labor hopes that more women will take management jobs after the government&rsquo;s affirmative action programs. The government also hopes to encourage workers over 50 to stay in the labor market. 
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6. New Zealand &ndash; Government Prepares for Equal Pay Reviews 
 
The New Zealand Cabinet has agreed on the terms of reference for the equal pay and employment equity reviews. Although the equal pay law has been in existence since 1972, women&rsquo;s average hourly earnings are still only 86.4% of men&rsquo;s. 
 
The public service, health and education sectors will all be subjected to a review designed to ensure that occupations dominated by women pay women fairly and provide equal employment opportunities. 
 
A template must be completed, which tests each occupation&rsquo;s job size and remuneration against a comparable occupation, before a pay equity or equal employment opportunity claim is lodged. A review will also be carried out before a claim is lodged. 
 
Depending on the review&rsquo;s findings, workers such as teachers, secretaries, librarians, dental therapists and nurses may have their pay boosted. 
 
New Zealand&rsquo;s Council of Trade Unions Vice-President Helen Kelly said that, with pay equity claims resolved, women would look at the state as a preferred employer, boosting the need for the private sector to undertake similar actions. 
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7. Nicaragua &ndash; National Assembly Passes Total Abortion Ban 
 
Nicaragua&rsquo;s national assembly has voted - 52 to 0 - to ban all abortions, even in those cases where the mother&rsquo;s life is at stake. Nicaragua already had restrictive anti-abortion laws, with women and doctors who take part in abortions facing prison sentences of up to six years. 
 
Members of Nicaragua&rsquo;s medical association and United Nations representatives opposed the timing of the vote, which coincided with the presidential elections on 5 November. They claimed the abortion debate had become too politicized. Hundreds of people protested outside the National Assembly in Managua before the vote took place, saying the law would be a death penalty for some. They fear the law will force women to die. 
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8. South Africa &ndash; NUMSA Gender Awareness Quiz 
 
NUMSA, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, has published a gender awareness quiz. Answer the questions and check where you stand on the public and private struggle. 
 
1. Your wife/partner wants to stand as a shop steward in her union. Do you: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>a) Say that she cannot stand because you are worried that the children will be neglected and it will interfere with the cooking and the cleaning of the household. </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>b) Support her and say that together as a family you will all discuss how she can be active in the union and how the family will accommodate her. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
2. Your wife/partner is a shop steward and wants to attend NUMSA National Congress for five days. Do you: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>a) Say she cannot go because a NUMSA National Congress is not a good place for a woman to be. </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>b) Encourage her to go and together with your family work out how you will all manage. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
3. Your workplace has many women workers. In shop steward elections, workers voted for three new women shop stewards. Do you: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>a) Carry on having your shop steward committee meetings after work as you have always done. </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>b) Ask the new women shop stewards if the time is all right for them or if they want to suggest an alternative time. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
4. Your workplace has always had many women workers but no women have ever stood as shop stewards. Shop steward elections will take place in 18 months time. Do you: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>a) Assume that it&rsquo;s because women are not committed and that&rsquo;s why they don&rsquo;t stand as shop stewards. </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>b) Speak to workers and set up a gender committee in your factory. Link the gender committee to the shop stewards committee and provide training to the gender committee reps so that they can learn the job of the shop steward. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
5. You are holding a shop steward council in your local. The meeting was meant to start at 9h00 and finish at 12h00. However some of the male office bearers are late and the meeting only started at 10h30. At 12h00 many people start to leave, especially the women comrades. Do you: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>a) Complain that those leaving are not committed. </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>b) Apologise to those that are leaving for having started the meeting late and appeal to all those present to respect the times so that next time the meeting can start and finish on time. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
ANSWERS: If you answered mostly (a) then you need to seriously look at your views on gender and your relationship with your wife/partner. If you answered mostly (b) then you have opened the door to challenge patriarchy. Congratulations but don&rsquo;t stop here! 
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9. United Kingdom &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Pay Gap Narrows 
 
Women are closing the pay gap with men, as indicated by recent government figures. The gap between male and female pay is at its lowest since 1938, the year when recording began. 
 
Men&rsquo;s average pay went up by 3.5%, while women&rsquo;s pay rose by 4.2%. Women now earn, on average, 12.6% less than men, compared to 13% last year. A man&rsquo;s weekly average earnings stands at 487 pounds. A typical woman is paid 387 pounds a week. The reason for the large gap is that men work more overtime. 
 
A key reason behind the change is that more women now work in high-earning professions. In the 22-29 age group, women actually earn more than 1.5% more than men. But beyond the age of 29, male earnings greatly outstrip those of women, as women returning to the workplace after childbirth tend to miss out on several years of pay rises. 
 
The Equal Opportunities Commission estimates that the pay gap means that the average women working full time will lose out on about 330,000 pounds over her working life. That means 19 years of down payments on a house, 15 new cars or 10,500 nights out. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
10. United States &ndash; Supreme Court To Hear Goodyear Case 
 
On 27 November, the US Supreme Court will hear the arguments on a pay discrimination case involving a former Goodyear employee. Ms. Ledbetter charged that she earned 15% less than the next lowest paid manager in her work group. She claimed that she had been underpaid for her management positions since she was first hired. 
 
Goodyear claims her lower salary was based on low performance ratings. Ledbetter, however, claimed her evaluations had been falsified, at least in part because one of those who reviewed her job performance was an immediate supervisor whose sexual advances she had rebuffed. 
 
A jury in the US District Court awarded Ledbetter nearly US$234,000 in back pay, almost US$5,000 for mental anguish and nearly US$3,3 million in punitive damages. In the end, the court was required by statute to limit the verdict to US$360,000. Goodyear is appealing this verdict. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
FROM OUR READERS: 
 
Oluchi Okorie from Nupeng, Nigeria, comments about Bulletin 16: 
 
 
&ldquo;It is surprising that Indian women still face these problems of dowry to their husbands. Unlike in our country Nigeria, the reverse is the case. 
 
The bride&rsquo;s family receives the bride price and other gifts from the groom and his family. Some extended family members of the bride also make their demands which, if not met, sometimes will lead to the threat of withdrawing from the marriage contract. 
 
The major problem with this in some cases is that the groom will start maltreating the bride after the marriage must have been contracted with the belief that he bought her expensively. There are other cases where the groom may not have enough resources to take care of the bride after marriage. 
 
In either way, none is perfect because the whole thing falls back on women. We pray there should be a remedy to this in this modern age.&quot;
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
RESOURCES 
 
Falling Through the Floor lets young Chinese women workers tell us in their own words about their arduous experiences of trying to earn a decent living in the boomtowns of the Chinese economic miracle today. See at: <a href="http://www.china-labour.org.hk/public/main">http://www.china-labour.org.hk/public/main</a>.&nbsp; 
 
WOMANKIND Worldwide helps women in developing countries - silenced or isolated by harmful traditions, conflict, violence and intimidation or the sheer exhaustion of surviving in poverty &ndash; to have a distinctive say in what goes on in their family, community and country. See <a href="http://www.womankind.org.uk/">http://www.womankind.org.uk</a>. 
 
Public Services International has done an evaluation of its 2002-2006 Pay Equity Campaign. The evaluation can be obtained from ICEM &ndash; write to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>.

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 17

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A founding Congress in Vienna, Austria, on 3 November gave birth to a new global union confederation for national labour centres. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) was formed, taking the place of its two founding members, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL). 
 
The new ITUC will represent 168 million workers from 306 affiliates in 154 countries. In addition to affiliates from the former ICFTU and WCL, eight other national trade unions, who were not affiliated to a global union organisation prior, are now affiliated to the new organisation. These include Nepal&rsquo;s GEFONT, France&rsquo;s CGT, Poland&rsquo;s OPZZ, Argentina&rsquo;s CGT and Colombia&rsquo;s CUT. 
<img height="166" alt="" src="" width="250" />
ITUC&nbsp;General Secretary Guy Ryder
At the Vienna Congress, the new organisation stressed the need to tackle the adverse consequences of economic globalisation and the devastating effect this has had on millions of workers. Specifically highlighted problems included off-shoring, abuse of workers&rsquo; rights, and increased levels of poverty. 
Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary, said the unification of ICFTU and WCL is an &ldquo;inevitable and welcome development, which we hope will lead to others uniting, creating a single global union confederation.&rdquo; 
 
He also said that the unity at the national centre level was preceded &ldquo;by agreements at sectoral level, including the one on integration between the ICEM and the World Federation of Industrial Workers (WFIW).&rdquo; 
 
Guy Ryder, former head of the ICFTU, was elected General Secretary of the ITUC, while Sharan Burrow of the Australian Council of Trade Unions won election as president. While those two were ICFTU incumbents, at the levels of deputy GSs and deputy presidents, each organisation will have one seat. 
 
Mamounata Ciss&eacute; (ICFTU) and Jaap Wienen (WCL) became the deputy GSs, while Michael Sommer (DGB-Gemany) and Luc Cortebeeck (CSC-Belgium) will serve as deputy presidents. The new ITUC will undergo a four-year transitional process, after which vice presidential seats and representation will be based on the organisation&rsquo;s affiliation protocol. 
 
The new website of the organisation is: <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org">http://www.ituc-csi.org</a>.

ITUC Founding: A New International Trade Union Confederation

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The joint ICEM-IUF project for South East Europe has developed a website to better assist participating unions in the project. The ICEM and the International Union of Food Workers&rsquo; have been running this union-building project since 1998. 
 
The site, which is available in English and Croatian, can be found at&nbsp;<a href="http://icemiufsee.org/index.php?lang=en">http://icemiufsee.org/index.php?lang=en</a>.&nbsp; 
 
The South East Europe project of the two Global Union Federations aims to increase social dialogue and negotiations between the participating unions and the employers and governments of Balkan nations. Activities focus on workplace representatives for engaging in workplace actions that support dialogue with managements and governments, specifically during industrial restructurings and privatisations.

Joint ICEM-IUF Project in Balkans Gets Website

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A severe industrial explosion at DuPont&rsquo;s Guarulhos facility, in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, reportedly injured three local workers on 5 October. One worker was seriously wounded and brought to hospital, allegedly with burns on 50% of his body. 
<img height="74" alt="" src="" width="73" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="66" alt="" src="" width="120" align="absMiddle" />
Information on the accident is limited. According to the ICEM affiliated Brazilian chemical union, Sindiqu&iacute;micos, the local DuPont company declined to provide information on the accident. The union was not allowed to enter the plant, further stating that &ldquo;not even the number of victims&rdquo; was communicated by the company. 
Jim Rowe, United Steelworkers (USW) Local 943&rsquo;s president from New Jersey, visited both the Guarulhos and Cama&ccedil;ari DuPont facilities in Brazil in August 2006, together with USW Director Joe Drexler. The company denied them the opportunity to tour the plants. In a USW news release on the current accident, Jim Rowe wonders how &ldquo;DuPont continues to maintain its reputation as a safe company and sell its safety program to other companies in the wake of serious accidents?&rdquo; 
<img height="304" src="" width="350" alt="" />
Workers at DuPont&rsquo;s Guarulhos facility, waiting for information
The tour of the facilities in Brazil was part of a larger effort by the USW to draw attention to safety and environmental problems stemming from DuPont plants worldwide. 
 
The USW states in its news release that, last year, a worker was killed by an explosion at the Cama&ccedil;ari facility. According to a report from the State of Bahia in Brazil at the time, DuPont was blamed for failing to implement control devices to prevent the explosion. Three serious accidents also happened over the last two years at a US DuPont plant in Niagara Falls, state of New York. 
 
The USW is the lead union in ICEM&rsquo;s Global DuPont Workers&rsquo; Network.

Explosion at DuPont Plant in Brazil

&nbsp;<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The Frente Autentica del Trabajo (FAT) will file, on behalf of ICEM US affiliate, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), a rare complaint tomorrow, 17 October, with the US Labor Department over the inability of public employees in the state of North Carolina to engage in collective bargaining. 
 
The complaint, to be filed under the North American Agreement on Labour Cooperation (NAALC), a 1993 side agreement to the US, Mexico, and Canada free trade agreement (NAFTA), includes over 40 labour organisations as co-signees, including Global Union Federations ICEM and Public Service International (PSI). 
<img height="61" src="" width="100" border="1" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="60" src="" width="113" border="1" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="58" src="" width="115" border="1" alt="" />
A branch union of UE in North Carolina, Local 150, has aggressively built a membership of 3,000 public workers in the US Atlantic seaboard state. But state law bars the employees, both state and municipal workers, from collective bargaining rights. 
 
Such a prohibition not only violates NAALC, but is also a clear affront to established international labour standards. Two other ICEM North American affiliates have also co-signed the FAT/UE complaint: Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, and the United Steelworkers (USW), which has membership in both the US and Canada. 
 
FAT and UE have had a decades-long relationship that has protected workers' labour and human rights on each side of the US-Mexican border. 
 
NAALC, the only agreement signed by the US government that deals with labour standards as a supplement to an international trade agreement, ensures that the three countries' labour laws provide for &quot;high labour standards and continue to strive to improve those standards.&quot; 
 
The FAT/UE complaint will be submitted to the US Labor Department's Office of Trade Agreement Implementation (OTAI), which has 60 days to either accept or decline to review the complaint. If accepted, consultations on the issue begin with the respective national administration offices for the trade pact of the other two countries.

US Affiliate teams up with Mexican Labour Federation on Complaint under Trade Pact

&nbsp;<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The 12-day strike by members of US affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. continues with no negotiations scheduled. The strike by 15,000 trade unionists at 16 US and Canadian plants began on 5 October, and is one of the biggest North American industrial strikes of this decade. 
 
Workers are striking the US-based tyre company for retention of job security guarantees won in 2003 negotiations. They also resist company proposals for steep wage and retirement benefit cuts. With Goodyear teetering on the edge of bankruptcy in 2003, the USW granted financial concessions in exchange for job security and job-retention protections. 
<img height="100" alt="" src="" width="100" />
This year, with Goodyear in excellent financial health, and with 2005 figures showing that North American production accounts for nearly one-half of its total US$19.72 billion in revenues, the company came to the bargaining table with intentions to take even more from its workforce. In addition, it proposes to close two tyre plants, employing 2,190 workers in Gadsden, Alabama, and Tyler, Texas. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs has called on all ICEM&rsquo;s rubber sector unions that represent Goodyear workers to monitor tyre inventories and production, so as to ensure that they are not undermining the USW's strike. The company claims that some US and Canadian production is continuing with supervisory personnel doing the work. Tyre production also continues from Goodyear's two non-union rubber facilities in Lawton, Oklahoma, and in Napanee, Ontario. 
 
The 12 US plants, eight tyre operations and four engineered rubber products operations in which 13,000 USW members are on strike, are located in: Gadsden and Tyler; Marysville, Ohio; St. Mary's, Ohio; Lincoln, Nebraska; Tonawanda, New York State; Topeka, Kansas; Union City, Tennessee; Danville, Virginia; Sun Prairie, Wisconsin; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Akron, Ohio. 
 
The four Canadian plants in which 2,000 USW members are striking are at: Collingwood, Ontario; Owen Sound, Ontario; the Toronto, Ontario, logistics center; and the Toronto commercial retread plant.

No Talks Slated in USW Strike of Goodyear Rubber

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 
As you may be aware at the May meeting of our Executive Committee, I announced my decision to retire from my position as General Secretary of the ICEM as of the end of December 2006. This decision was taken on health grounds. 
In response the Executive Committee mandated the Presidium to appoint an Acting General Secretary to cover this position from January 1st 2007 up to our Congress in November 2007. At yesterday&rsquo;s meeting of the Presidium, Manfred Warda was unanimously appointed to fill this position of Acting General Secretary.
<img height="209" alt="" src="" width="300" /> 
 
From left to right: Manfred Warda, ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and Fred Higgs
Manfred is currently the International Officer of IGBCE, our German affiliate, and has had extensive involvement with the ICEM Executive and Presidium activities since our merger Congress in1995. Prior to this, for many years Manfred was deeply involved with the work of the Miners International Federation. Clearly Manfred&rsquo;s experience in the international trade union movement makes him an ideal candidate to fulfil the demanding role he will be undertaking as Acting General Secretary of the ICEM. 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support, comradeship and assistance given to me during my period as General Secretary. I am sure this support will continued to be provided to Manfred. 
I would like to end by saying how proud I am to have been a leader of this great federation and to wish each of you, and the ICEM, every success for the future. 
Yours fraternally, 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM Letter to Affiliates on New Acting General Secretary

The ICEM has issued a call to all its global trade union affiliates, particularly unions in the rubber sector, to support the strike by 15,000 North American rubber workers against Goodyear Tire &amp; Rubber Co. ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) shut 16 plants down yesterday in the US and Canada.
<img height="99" alt="" src="" width="180" />
The USW conducted strike authorization votes at each plant in June. USW members at each plant voted overwhelmingly to grant union negotiators the right to call a strike. The two sides had been bargaining under a day-to-day contract extension since 18 July 2006, four days before the prior three-year contract expired. The USW issued the mandatory 72-hour notice to terminate the contract on Monday, 2 October. 
 
&ldquo;We call on our affiliated trade unions to send messages of support to the Steelworkers in North America,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &ldquo;We also call on trade unions in the rubber industry &ndash; particularly at Goodyear plants in Central and South America &ndash; to monitor their inventories and production to ensure that they are not undermining the USW&rsquo;s strike action.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM encourages trade unions to send immediate messages of support to USW President Leo Gerard at <a href="mailto:LGerard@usw.org">LGerard@usw.org</a>. The postal address for the union is 5 Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222 USA. Fax messages can be sent to +1 412 562 2598. 
 
Collective bargaining reached a stalemate when Goodyear demanded removal of job-security commitments made in an agreement three years ago. The Akron, Ohio-based multinational is seeking wage and retirement cuts in this year&rsquo;s renewal contract. With Goodyear suffering financial losses during the last contract round, the USW made contract concessions in order to assist the rubber manufacturer, but achieved job-security and job retention guarantees at the tyre factories. 
 
The strike began at 13h00, US Eastern Time, yesterday, 5 October. &ldquo;(Goodyear) left us with no option,&rdquo; said USW Executive Vice President Ron Hoover, who heads the union&rsquo;s bargaining team. &ldquo;We cannot allow additional plant closures after the sacrifices we made three years ago to help this company survive.&rdquo; 
 
Hoover added: &ldquo;We worked very hard with the company in 2003 to deal with a difficult situation. While more work can be done, Goodyear has rebounded and other stakeholders have been rewarded accordingly. Now the company seems determined to only take more away from our members.&rdquo;

ICEM Calls for Global Support to North American Goodyear Workers, Now on Strike

Meeting in Brussels today, the ICEM Presidium passed a strong resolution calling for Thailand&rsquo;s military to immediately end martial law, and called on interim Prime Minister Surayud to restore full civil rights and democratic freedoms to the country&rsquo;s citizens. 
 
According to the ICEM Presidium motion, the immediate priority is to end martial law in Thailand and move free and unencumbered elections to the earliest possible date. The ICEM feels that the current schedule for elections &ndash; October 2007 &ndash; is too far in the future, and Thailand&rsquo;s population deserves to have elections held as soon as possible. 
<img height="67" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Today&rsquo;s action by the ICEM body was delivered in a letter to Thailand&rsquo;s interim leaders. 
 
&ldquo;We feel it a matter of urgency that Thailand&rsquo;s coup leaders lift the broad range of restrictions placed on Thai citizens, particularly the ban on assembly, on the media, and the inherent rights of people to engage in democratic processes,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. 
 
The Thailand military coup occurred on September 19. The country&rsquo;s 1997 constitution was suspended, the Parliament, Senate and constitutional court system was dissolved, and political gatherings of more than five people were banned. The ICEM also noted that other restrictive measures were put in place, including prolonged detention without charges being brought, media censorship, and the shutting of some schools and universities. 
 
ICEM is scheduled to hold its Fourth World Congress in Bangkok next year, from 22 to 24 November 2007. The ICEM is a Global Union Federation with 379 affiliated trade unions in 123 countries.
The ICEM letter to the Thai Interim Government can be found <a href="/index.php?id=7&amp;doc=1982&amp;la=EN">here</a>.

ICEM Presidium Calls for Immediate Lifting of Thailand’s Martial Law

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UPM, formerly called UPM Kymenne, the global, Finnish-based wood products company, has angered the Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union of Finland by announcing it will sack its remaining 300 forestry workers. The company announced last month that it will restructure its forestry work by seeking &ldquo;prospective partners and assess their ability to offer different types of forestry work services.&rdquo; 
 
UPM, which owns 920,000 hectares of timberlands in Finland, said its objective is that workers would be taken on by companies providing forestry work services. But according to the Trade Union News of Finland, the Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union believes the real result will be the hiring of low-wage workers from other countries. 
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&ldquo;Never before have employees been contracted out to companies that do not even exist,&rdquo; said the union. The Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union, an affiliate of the Building Workers&rsquo; International, added that the plan is unrealistic and potentially damaging to UPM. &ldquo;It risks damaging UPM&rsquo;s quality system&rdquo; and threatens the company&rsquo;s accreditation under the social clauses of Finland&rsquo;s state forestry certification system, said the union in a statement to Trade Union News. 
 
The Finnish experience in forestry, the union adds, is that there are not enough forest service companies to handle the work, thus the belief that UPM is gearing to acquire such services from abroad. The union is convinced that UPM&rsquo;s plan, expected to be implemented this fall, would violate the corporate social responsibility principles that UPM is signatory to.

Finnish Paper Company, UPM, to Replace 300 Forestry Workers for Contract Labourers

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