English

Español

Français

Русский

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy 

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action Plan 2021-2025

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Campaigns

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Women

Youth

LGBTQI+

Gender, equality, diversity and inclusion (GEDI)

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL 

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia 

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean 

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Logos of IndustriALL Global Union

Press

<img height="40" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100" alt=""/>
The Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada used 22 January as a National Day of Action in Canada to expose a government devoid of effective policies on halting job losses in the pulp, paper, and the forestry sector. Together with local branches, the CEP waged a massive e-mail campaign aimed at MPs and Premier Stephen Harper, and conducted a symposium in Ottawa on the jobs crisis. 
 
CEP also aired radio advertisements across Canada, demanding urgent action from Parliament on the issue. 
<img height="83" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/canadacep.gif" width="100" alt=""/>
“The industry is facing unprecedented hardship impacting on more that 300,000 Canadians who depend on it for their livelihoods,” said CEP President Dave Coles. “There are solutions to this crisis, solutions based on the fair treatment of workers and their families, sustainable forest practices, value-added productivity, and more. But the first step is to break the silence and open discussions with all parties affected.” 
 
The CEP symposium on Parliament Hill heard from labour leaders, elected officials from affected areas, representatives from the Forest Products Association of Canada, and members of Parliament. Coles said, “The survival of dozens of communities are threatened, and yet we have had very little response from the federal government.” 
 
The CEP reported at an ICEM statutory meeting last year that, in the preceding two years in the paper sector alone, 34 full, partial, or permanent mill closures had occurred, costing 7,000 jobs.

CEP Draws Attention to Massive Job Losses in Canadian Forestry Sector

<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
Opinion 
Ignorance is not Bliss – Testing to Know your Status
In this article, some controversial issues of voluntary versus routine testing are discussed. Let us know your opinion; write to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. 
 
Of the one million Americans with HIV, some 250,000 do not know that they are infected. If they do not know, they will not seek treatment and they are more likely to infect others. The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) of the US Department of Health and Human Services therefore recommends that all Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 should be routinely tested for HIV. 
 
The tests would not be compulsory but rather than testing only those who asked to be tested, the CDC wants clinics to test everyone who does not refuse to be tested, or the opt-out clause. In this way, HIV can be detected earlier, and the earlier it is detected the easier it can be treated. 
Some 40% of Americans who are diagnosed HIV positive progress to full-blown AIDS within a year of that diagnosis, which suggests that they were infected without knowing it for as much as a decade. 
 
The number of Americans with HIV increases every year. This is partly because drugs are keeping people alive longer. But the number of new infections has not fallen. It remained stable because people who are HIV positive do not know their status. 
 
With routine testing, doctors also hope to reduce stigma which is one of the largest barriers for people to avoid testing. The head of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) AIDS Department, Kevin de Kock, is quoted as saying that routine testing is a big step towards “normalising” HIV. 
 
Will routine testing lead to mandatory testing? Doing away with written consent forms and pre-test counselling to simplify procedures as part of routine testing is certainly a dangerous development and poses threats to human rights. 
 
Views have also begun to shift in Southern Africa. In 2004, Botswana became the first African country to introduce routine testing in its health sector, with Malawi and Lesotho following suit. Here the hope is also that by offering HIV testing as a routine part of any treatment, more people would be encouraged to know their status and that, over time, stigma will lessen. 
 
Zambia has initiated routine testing at health facilities in a bid to eradicate the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, by transforming it into an “ordinary disease”. 
 
The Botswana authorities claim that very few people are opting out when confronted with the possibility to be tested and that a large majority of the population now know their status. 
However, the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) has criticised the government for failing to launch a public information campaign, arguing that routine testing is only acceptable if patients know that they can refuse. Informed consent, counselling, confidentiality and access to treatment must be guaranteed. 
 
The WHO currently holds consultations on provider-initiated testing. Testing for HIV serves as an entry point for both prevention and treatment. Taking an HIV test is arguably the most influential driver for behaviour change. If a person tests negative, the focus must be on education and support to ensure that the person takes responsibility to remain negative. 
A person testing positive must be supported to take responsibility for managing HIV/AIDS as a chronic treatable disease, and to bring about changes in behaviour that will prevent further transmission. Antiretroviral treatment must be available. 
 
The GBC/COSATU Guide quoted below sets out principles for counselling and testing at the workplace. Together with the unions, companies must take steps to: 
• prevent any discriminatory practices against HIV status; 
• ensure confidentiality and informed employee consent; 
• ensure that there is no penalty if an employee chooses not to get tested; 
• ensure that testing is not in the form of pre-employment screening or mandatory testing; and 
• reduce stigma against people living with HIV in the workplace. 
 
[Source: The Economist, 30 September 2006, from which the headline “Ignorance is not bliss” is also taken and various web postings of the UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. 
A Practical Guide for Business Managers: Accelerating Access to HIV Counselling and Testing was published by the Global Business Coalition (GBC) Africa Office and the Confederation of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in its 2nd print in August 2005.] 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
Facilitators’ Guide on Counselling and Testing 
 
In December 2006, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance based in Brighton, UK, published a Facilitators’ Guide entitled “Let’s Talk about HIV Counselling and Testing.” The guide is a toolkit to build NGO/CBO capacity to mobilise communities for HIV counselling and testing. It makes specific reference to the significant policy changes that have occurred to models of HIV testing and the recent CDC recommendations (see article above). 
 
The publication, which is available in English and Spanish, can be downloaded from the Alliance’s website <a href="http://www.aidsalliance.org">www.aidsalliance.org</a>. Established in 1993, the Alliance is a global partnership of nationally based organisations working to support community action on HIV/AIDS. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
Russia – European AIDS Treatment Group Demands Action 
 
With an estimated HIV prevalence of 1.1%, the Russian Federation is one of the European countries hardest hit by the HIV epidemic. 
 
In a letter to the Russian Minister of Health Care and Social Development, the European AIDS Treatment Group deplores the serious shortcomings in standards of HIV care in the Russian Federation. Despite the fact that the alarming prevalence figures have been well known for years, the country has not scaled up treatment programmes to cover all in need of medication. 
 
The European AIDS Treatment Group appeals to the Government of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Health Care and Social Development to amend treatment guidelines. They must include, among other strengthening guidelines, the provision of antiretroviral drugs which conform to international standards; attention to the specific needs and requirements of injecting drug users, who represent 80% of all HIV cases in the country; and to adjust national healthcare budgets and the treatment programmes, under the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to treat all patients in need. 
 
(Source: Break-the-Silence e-forum on HIV/AIDS, 3 January 2007. You can join by sending a blank message to <a href="mailto:join-break-the-silence@eforums.healthdev.org">join-break-the-silence@eforums.healthdev.org</a>) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
Caribbean – AIDSs Crisis Blamed on Ignorance 
 
Delegates at a Caribbean Summit on HIV/AIDS blamed widespread ignorance for the AIDS crisis in the region. Ignorance is undermining the efforts to fight the spread of the disease in the Caribbean, which has the second highest rate of infection after sub-Saharan Africa. 
An estimated 500,000 people – or 2.4% - are HIV-positive. In 2005, an estimated 24,000 people died in the region from AIDS, making it the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 44. 
 
Discrimination by employers and others is so pervasive that people do not go for testing and infected persons often delay seeking treatment for the virus. A contributing factor is also that it is still largely perceived as a “gay disease.” Social stigma associated with the disease keeps many sufferers from receiving life-prolonging medicines. 
 
(Source: Web posting on <a href="http://www.planetout.com">www.planetout.com</a>, 22 January 2007) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
India – Generic Drugs 
 
India has become the premier drug provider for the developing world by producing cheaper generic versions of some of the world’s most effective medicines, including antiretroviral drugs. But the country’s decision to adhere to international patent regulations could limit access to generic drugs in the developing world. In future, when the country’s patent laws will hinder its pharmaceutical companies from producing the latest drugs as generic versions, prices will go up. 
 
Some estimates indicate that Indian generic drug firms provide treatment for 50% of HIV-positive people in the developing world. The Indian generic drug company, Cipla, alone provides one in three HIV-positive people in Africa with antiretrovirals. 
 
Pharmaceutical companies in India are, however, seeking to expand their market to wealthy nations – a move that could come at the expense of the world’s poor. In addition, the change in India’s patent laws has led many foreign drug firms to enter the market and target India’s growing middle class. 
 
(Source: Web posting on <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a>, 10 January 2007, referring to a Christian Science Monitor article). 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
Global Fund Round 7 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will call for proposals for Round 7 on 1 March 2007. The deadline for submission of Round 7 proposals is set for 4 July 2007. Having learned from past experience, the Fund is encouraging early planning. A call for proposals for Round 8 will be issued on the same date in 2008. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Aids%20ribbon.jpg" width="25"/>
ICEM Resource Guide on Website 
 
In the January issue of the e-bulletin, we reported on the African Regional Workshop on fundraising and project writing. One of the tools used at the workshop was the ICEM Guide on HIV/AIDS Resources and Funding. 
 
<a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf" type="internal">The Guide is now available on the ICEM website</a>, in <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf" type="internal">English</a> and <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideFR.pdf" type="internal">French</a>. A Spanish translation is being prepared. 
 
The Guide takes account of the fact that funding resources are decentralised and largely accessible at the national level. The introductory part refers to small-scale funding from national AIDS commissions and resources from employers, especially companies with which the ICEM has signed Global Agreements. 
 
It gives fact-sheets on relevant intergovernmental organisations such as ILOAIDS, UNAIDS, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, WHO, and the World Bank and lists a number of foundations and other organisations engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS. An annex explains in more detail the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, its structures and procedures.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 17

<img height="181" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0701USWBanner.jpg" width="300"/> 
 
USW women march against the Iraq war in Washington, DC, on 25 January 2007 
 
1. Bahrain – Women Are Still Badly Paid 
2. Canada – New Federal Policies Affect Women’s Equality 
3. European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) – Gender Equality Report Released 
4. European Union – 2007 is Equal Opportunities Year 
5. International Monetary Fund (IMF) – Helping Women Helps the Economy 
6. India – SEWA Marks Achievements in 2006 
7. OECD – Women Scientists Wanted 
8. Palestine – Seminar Held on Democracy and Women’s Rights 
9. South Africa – NUM and SINTIQUIGRA Have Women’s Exchange 
10. Spain – The Government Legislates on Dependent Care 
11. Resources 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
1. Bahrain – Women Are Still Badly Paid 
The Bahrain Centre of Studies and Research has published findings which indicate that only 9.9% of women are in leadership positions, a fact which also has a bearing on their earnings. With gender bias still predominant, women’s salaries are low in spite of their qualifications. Most women are in low-end jobs such as secretaries, receptionists, and clerks. Their main problems involve working time, holidays, working environment, and low pay. 
The women surveyed work in industry, tailoring, construction, finance and insurance, tourism, hospitality, and other services. A full 60.7% of the women surveyed had university degrees. Some companies were also surveyed, and their opinions of women employees in their employment were largely positive. 
Some 70% of those companies deny there was any discrimination on the basis of gender. The study found, “…gender had no effect on a worker’s productivity, continuation of work, ability to develop themselves and creativity in their companies.” It also said that women’s looks or attractiveness did not affect their ability to be hired. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
2. Canada – New Federal Policies Affect Women’s Equality 
 
The Canadian government enacted many changes in 2006 that adversely affect women’s equality, including cutting and changing programmes that benefit women. The government rejected the recommendations from the Task Force on Pay Equity and refused to broaden maternity and parental leave coverage. The women’s programme no longer speaks of equality. 
The Early Learning and Childcare agreements were cancelled with the provinces, instead of following recommendations to strengthen them. Housing subsidies were cut, and legal aid programmes were reduced for people who needed to fight against discrimination. In general, women now have less economic equality and less access to affordable childcare. Status of Women Canada saw its budget cut by C$5 million with the argument, “women are already equal.” 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
3. European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) – Gender Equality Report Released 
 
On 29 January, the European social partners ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, and CEEP released a report which showed progress in the field of gender equality. 
The social partners have integrated the gender equality actions defined in 2005 into their activities in 20 countries. Actions have been taken, such as negotiating collective agreements, discussing with authorities, designing gender equality projects, and developing projects to tackle equality gaps. Work-life balance was the theme of many of the activities. 
The work done in this area included introducing or extending care leave, preventing long working hours, promoting flexible and innovative forms of employment such as telework. 
Equal pay was one other area where information and guidance tools were developed, training schemes were carried out, studies and statistics were produced to deal with the pay gap. Labour market segregation and under-representation of women in decision-making were also contemplated. 
More follow-up actions are also planned at European, national, cross-industry, sectoral, and company levels. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
4. European Union – 2007 is Equal Opportunities Year 
 
The aim of the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All is to make people aware of the right to equality, and to reinforce the message that all people have the right to equal treatment without discrimination on the basis of sex, ethnic or racial origin, religion or conviction, incapacity, age or sexual orientation. 
One other aim is to boost participation in society on the part of groups who have suffered from discrimination as well as to increase equal participation by women and men. The ultimate goal is to celebrate diversity and equality. All people have a positive contribution to make to society. Stereotypes must be eliminated as well as prejudices and violence. 
The European Year of Equal Opportunities for All was launched officially at the EU Equality Summit held on 30 and 31 January. In spite of the progress achieved so far at European level in eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities, much remains to be done, and hopefully more positive steps will be taken in this year. For more information, see: 
<a href="http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/cha/c10314.htm">http://europa.eu/scadplus/leg/en/cha/c10314.htm</a>.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
5. International Monetary Fund (IMF) – Helping Women Helps the Economy 
 
A recent IMF study indicates that gender inequality hinders economic growth. Higher rates of economic growth and macroeconomic stability will stem from greater gender equality. Lowest-income countries with the highest degrees of gender inequality should take the benefits of policies into account, which reduce inequality. 
The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals expressly link economic progress to the realization of equal opportunities for women. Women’s status should be raised, and the gaps between men and women must be eliminated. 
Women’s and men’s economic behaviour differ. For example, women tend to spend more on a household’s basic requirements and to make the most of children’s potential. Women save more and invest in more productive ways. Women’s lack of education, health care, and economic and social opportunities hinders economic growth. 
The study suggests that when women’s access to education, health care, employment and credit are improved, and when differences between men’s and women’s opportunities are narrowed, the pace of economic development speeds up and poverty is reduced. 
For more see the IMF Working Paper No. 06/232, “Gender Budgeting,” and No. 06/233, “Gender and Its Relevance to Macroeconomic Policy: A Survey,” both available at <a href="http://www.imf.org">www.imf.org</a>.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
6. India – SEWA Marks Achievements in 2006 
 
The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of India held its annual meeting from 10 to 12 January, and was able to celebrate victories in 2006. To start with, the union grew to 965,000 members with membership growing in various states. 
SEWA managed to win legal battles for vendors in Gujarat and Indore, obtained identity cards for paper picker women, made gains in SEWA insurance, launched a new pension scheme by SEWA Bank, among other achievements. 
At a conference, the Prime Minister of India agreed to establish a national policy for home-based workers. Nevertheless, the government of Gujarat state continues its repression and intimidation of SEWA. SEWA is not clear about the reasons for the attacks by the government, except that the union speculates that the government does not like a growing and empowered organisation of poor working women who believe in the Gandhian ideology of unity across castes and religions. 
Ela Bhatt, the founder of SEWA, was honoured with a series of international awards throughout 2006.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
7. OECD – Women Scientists Wanted 
 
OECD science ministers are trying to get more women into research. Women make up only some 30% of researchers. It is increasingly important to attract, recruit, and retain women scientists because of the need for more scientists and technology specialists, the ageing workforce and youth’s lack of interest in science. 
One reason why women are not attracted to science jobs is because of trouble with work-life balance. One major problem is the requirement for mobility in early years. 
About one-third of US university professors are women, but the figure is lower in the EU, Australia, and Korea, where it is 14.5%. Women make up less than 20% of senior academic staff in the EU, which means that there are not enough role models to encourage women to embark upon similar careers. 
The number of women researchers is on the rise, however. In the EU, the number of men in science and engineering increased by 4.9% from 1998 to 2002, while the number of women rose by 4.2%. Women tend to work more in biology, health, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals, with lower numbers in physics, computing, and engineering. Most women researchers in OECD countries work in the public sector, while men work in industry. 
Only 17.5% of women researchers in the EU and 6% of women in Japan work in business, yet nearly two-thirds of women researchers in the US work in industry or business.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
8. Palestine – Seminar Held on Democracy and Women’s Rights 
 
Twenty women participated in the seminar organized by ICEM affiliate General Union of Petrochemical, Mining, and Chemicals Workers in Palestine (GUPMCWP) on democracy and women’s rights. 
Dr Nuza, head of the women’s committee, explained that the seminar continues the union’s education programme to raise women’s consciousness and to encourage women to participate in the political and economic fields, thus enabling them to reach decision-making levels. The union started such training programmes for women in all areas, and Dr Nuza called upon the women to participate more and more. 
Women’s creativity is important for their participation. The participants stressed the importance of the training and called for it to be extended.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
9. South Africa – NUM and SINTIQUIGRA Have Women’s Exchange 
 
This project was conceptualized in 2003. The Secretariat of both unions met in Mozambique and discussed common issues that affect them both. Out of that, what was agreed upon between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa and Sindicato Nacional Dos Trabalhadores Da Industria Quimica, Borracha, Papel e Grafica (SINTIQUIGRA) was a program of action for three years, which included an exchange programme of women structures from the two unions. 
 
The activity, held 22-26 January, was the second leg of the exchange programme in which 31 women and one man participated. Fifteen of the participants were from Mozambique. 
The objective of the workshop was to strengthen women’s understanding of labour law, health and safety, and employment equity, as well as transformation issues in the mining and energy sectors. At the political level, the African National Congress’ Women’s League secretary general made a presentation on the challenges facing women, particularly working class women in South Africa. 
What was concluded was that the third leg of the exchange will take place in the last week of August 2007, where the South African women will be hosted in Mozambique. What was agreed was that in between, the two unions will invite each other when they have activities on labour law, occupational health and safety, HIV/AIDS, and women’s empowerment.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
10. Spain – The Government Legislates on Dependent Care 
 
The number of dependent individuals in Spain is increasing rapidly. The growing demand for dependent care is largely related to the rapid aging of Spain’s population: 30 years ago, 9.7% of Spain’s population was over 65 years of age (3.3 million), where today, that percentage has increased to 16.6% (6.6 million). 
Furthermore, the number of Spaniards over 80 has doubled over the past 20 years. Thirty-two percent of the population over 65 years of age has some kind of disability, as compared with 5% of the remaining population. 
In 1999, taking into account all age groups, approximately 9% of the Spanish population had some degree of disability that required special care. Traditionally, this care has been provided by family members, particularly women. The growing participation of women in the work force, together with the breakdown of the extended family, has sharply increased the social service requirements of this dependent population. 
 
Comisiones Obreras comments on the new legislation as follows: “It establishes the right to care, and co-financing (central government, regional government, and the individual with dependency if his earnings/properties are sufficient). 
But the specific mechanisms by which the system will work have yet to be established …The system will create many new skilled and unskilled jobs, and be good for employment. However, its application requires more trained personnel in the social service sector than what schools are currently providing …The Law barely touches the need for coordination with the health system, in spite of its importance. 
 
“We are aware of the fact that we will have to put a lot of work into the application of this law, and pressure on administrations to make sure they take it seriously and get it right. Nevertheless, we consider that this legislation is a huge and necessary step in the right direction.” 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
11. Resources
The State of the World’s Children 2007, see <a href="http://www.unicef.org/">www.unicef.org/</a>. 
 
For books on women and development, see <a href="http://www.womenink.org">www.womenink.org</a>. 
 
Human Rights Watch 2007 Report, <a href="http://www.hrw.org/wr2k7">www.hrw.org/wr2k7</a>.
Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development and Peace, <a href="http://www.learningpartnership.org/news/events/2007/wsfjan21panel">www.learningpartnership.org/news/events/2007/ 
wsfjan21panel</a>.
<a href="http://www.genderaction.org">www.genderaction.org</a> highlights the gendered impacts of World Bank and IMF policies, including news about oil’s gender impacts in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Sakhalin.

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 19

ICEM affiliate in the United Kingdom, Transport & General Workers Union (TGWU), began a ballot today for industrial action against Imerys among its members in the UK’s South West. The balloting, over the French-based building materials company’s intransigence in redundancy bargaining, will run until 23 February.
TGWU has scheduled meetings with workers and management on 27 February to release the results, and to discuss possible action.
<img height="66" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/UKTGWU.gif" width="120"/>
The ballot will have two questions: 
Are you prepared to take industrial action short of a strike? and 
Are you prepared to take part in strike action? 
 
In July 2006, Imerys announced it would make 900 workers redundant in its former English China Clay mining and processing operations, in the Cornwall and Devon regions of the UK’s South West. Although TGWU and other unions representing Imerys’ workers negotiated job reductions down to just over 600, the company refused to negotiate an adequate redundancy packages. 
 
The ICEM believes that Imerys has demonstrated contempt for the social consultation process in the UK, and complete unfairness to industrial workers in the South West. The ICEM notes that the redundancy package put forward by the company is barely above the minimum British requirement, an amount commonly recognised as low. The 20-million-member ICEM believes that Imerys, one of the world’s biggest and most profitable materials sector companies, must improve its social obligations to its workers in the South West. 

<img height="233" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0611UKCornwall3.jpg" width="350"/>

TGWU Issues Strike Ballot at Imerys Today in UK

Two tragic coal mine explosions in Colombia over the past nine days illustrates again how deadly the combination of high coal demand is with inadequate safety methods. Thirty-two miners perished in a methane gas explosion on 3 February at two inter-connected mines in Sardinata, Norte de Santander state, while eight people died at an illegal mine near Gámeza, Boyacá state, on 6 February. 
 
Among the Gámeza fatalities was a 13-year-old boy, killed with 3 others by an initial blast some 160 metres underground. Four others were either killed by a second explosion, or asphyxia, when they entered the mine shaft in a rescue attempt. The proprietor of the illegal mine, as well as the three others, including the wife of one trapped miner and the brother of another, were killed in the rescue attempt. 
<img height="219" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/04miningsafety.jpg" width="300"/>
In the deadly 3 February explosion at the San Roque and La Preciosa Mines, colleries without union representation, miners were trapped and perished 400 metres underground. Two days after the blast, authorities were investigating whether or not the mines had the proper permits for operating. 
 
The two mining catastrophes come at a time when Colombia’s government fails to adopt labour protections, as stated under ILO standards, into the nation’s labour code. The mining deaths also occurred just days before a 90-day review process opens on the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, a market pact in which civil society is demanding those same labour standards be included. 
 
The Norte de Santander death toll of 32 nine days ago is the worst mining day in Colombia in 30 years, dating back to 1977 when 100 miners perished at the Amagá mines in Antioquia state. There are some 200 underground mines now operating in Norte de Santander state, which lies along the Venezuelan border. The high price and high demand for coal means operators are striving to meet maximum output, with little or no time for safety. 
 
The equipment at the San Roque and La Preciosa Mines was described as antiquated and rudimentary, while equipment at the Gámeza mine was nearly non-existent. Mining there was artisan. Operators at nearly all of Colombia’s small and mid-sized collieries employ short-term contract workers. 
<img height="96" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMminingsector2.JPG" width="100"/>
In Boyacá state, in central Colombia, it is estimated that some 100 coal mines operate illegally. In many, children between the ages of 10 and 18 are digging or carry coal to the surface. Many of the mines are unregistered collectives, unaffiliated with any company or enterprise. 
 
Much of the blame for last week’s deaths can be placed squarely with the federal government, as can countless other safety deficiencies causing death and injury in Colombia’s mines,. With a rigid priority of attracting foreign investment to Colombia, the Uribe government has been remiss to adopt global labour standards, while focusing instead on neo-liberal deregulation. 
 
Statutory changes, for instance, have weakened the role of state governments in monitoring and regulating work conditions, while federal oversight has been slow or non-existent. The proliferation of illegal mining in remote portions of different Colombian departments bears this out. 
 
The ICEM expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the 40 miners in Colombia, and promises to remain vigilant on the global front in pressing the Colombian government for safety and security, both on and off the job.
Click here for a joint ICEM-ITUC letter, in <a href="/en/?id=5&doc=2146&la=EN" type="internal">English</a>, or in <a href="/en/?id=5&doc=2146&la=ES" type="internal">Spanish</a>, to the President of Colombia on the disasters.

13-Year-Old Child Among 40 Dead in Colombian Mine Disasters

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
A delegation that returned recently from Guatemala said that serious concerns exist in the investigation of Pedro Zamora, general secretary of the STEPQ Dockers’ Union in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. The 10-member delegation, headed by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the ITUC, found there was vital evidence missing and that police failed to properly secure the crime scene. 
 
Zamora, 43, was killed in a hail of bullets on 15 January after gathering his children, ages 3 and 5, from medical appointments. As the STEPQ union leader lay critically wounded in the front seat of his car, one of the assailants came up to him at close range and shot him in the face. His 3-year-old son was severely wounded in the attack.
<img height="102" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ITF.jpg" width="102" alt=""/>
 Port workers in Quetzal, led by Zamora, have been campaigning to preserve their trade union in the face of privatisation. STEPQ is seeking job security and decent work for port workers through a programme of investment and modernisation, but government and port officials have ignored workers’ expertise on the port’s expansion. 
 
The trade union delegation, in Guatemala from 28 January to 2 February, also found that police were pursuing only a single line of investigation – that of a family and domestic violence case, thus ignoring telephone death threats and suspicious followings, which occurred before the 15 January death of Zamora. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Guatemala.png" width="250"/>
While in Guatemala, the delegation, comprised of Spanish, US, and Venezuelan unionists, along with ITF and ITUC leaders, called for the reinstatement of 9 STEPQ members at the port. They were fired in October for their trade union activities. 
 
“One of the key recommendations to come out of the visit is that the global union campaign for justice for Zamora should be expanded to support STEPQ and its leaders whose lives remain under threat,” said ITF Assistant Gen. Sec. Stuart Howard. The ITF and ITUC have submitted a formal ILO complaint against the Guatemalan government on the assassination of Zamora and infringement of trade union rights. 
 
Trade unions and activists are encouraged to join the ITF’s Guatemalan Charter for Justice Campaign by visiting: <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/zamora.cfm">http://www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/zamora.cfm</a>.

‘Serious Concerns’ in Murder Investigation of Guatemalan Dockworkers’ Leader

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
Global trade unions were shocked to learn of the brutal Colombian murder of Carmen Cecilia Santana Romaña in her home in Apartadó, Antioquia state, on 7 February. She was the partner of a leading official of a Colombian national labour centre, and a proven and dedicated trade unionist herself. 
 
Santana Romaña, age 28, was a leader in the agriculture union Sintrainagro and a workers’ organiser at Finca Palmeras, where she served on the union’s negotiating committee. The cold-blooded murder occurred in the home she shared with her three children and Hernán Correa Miranda, the first vice president of Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT). 
<img height="74" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ColombiaCUT.jpg" width="83" alt=""/>
The killing was preceded by telephone and e-mail death threats. CUT is demanding that the national government conduct a full, speedy, and impartial investigation. CUT also reiterates its demand that the political establishment undertake immediate measures to eradicate all forms of violence against trade unionists. CUT states that a total of 96 murders in 2006 in Colombia were a result of trade union activism. 
 
The shock and grief of this most recent cowardly killing in Colombia was expressed in an outpouring of letters from Latin American and trade unions worldwide. In a letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, ITUC Gen. Sec. Guy Ryder expressed global labour’s contempt, by stating his disappointment that “yet another three children have been orphaned, thereby joining the long list of sons and daughters of workers.”

Trade Union Activist, Partner of CUT Vice President, Slain in Colombia

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief1.gif" width="100"/>
ICEM affiliate FNTMMSP in Peru has threatened to strike the copper extraction and smelting enterprises of Southern Copper Corporation, a company that is 75% owned by Grupo México. The union said if the company did not begin fair and honest dialogue this week, a strike could begin on 19 February.
 A current collective agreement for some 850 workers at the company’s copper cathodes and blister copper refinery in Ilo expires on 1 March. Miners at the company’s Toquepaka and Cuajone Mines have vowed to launch sympathy strikes if workers at the smelting and refinery operation do strike. 
<img height="95" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/PeruFNTMMSP.jpg" width="100"/>
The union issued a strong statement against Grupo México and other multinational mining houses, claiming they have taken rich resources from Peru while leaving many of the nation’s citizens in dire poverty. 
 
FNTMMSP vows that it will not grant another seven-year agreement at Southern Copper. The union also claims the company is attempting to “impose” its bargaining agenda, rather than engage in honest social dialogue. 
 
Southern Copper realised net profits in 2006 of US$2.02 billion on sales of US$5.46 billion. That earnings figure represents a 69% increase over profits posted in 2005. 
 
Southern Copper is currently part of the dispute between Grupo México and another of its subsidiaries, Asarco Inc. The latter company filed for bankruptcy in a US court, and part of the case rests on Asarco’s claim that it did receive adequate value when Grupo México sold Asarco’s 54.2% stake in Southern Peru Copper Corporation to another Grupo México company in 2003. 
In mid-2005, Grupo México purchased Phelps Dodge’s 14% stake in Southern Peru, and now holds 75% of the company. Also in 2005, then-named Southern Peru Copper purchased the assets of Minera México.

Peruvian Mining Union, FNTMMSP, Threatens Strike at Grupo Mexico’s Copper Enterprises

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
Bargaining between ICEM affiliate IGBCE and the BAVC employers’ association for 550,000 chemical workers in western Germany proved futile on 8 February. After several rounds of talks on regional levels, IGBCE and BAVC met at a national table in Hannover. 
 
The result was non-conclusion, with employers submitting no viable proposals. IGBCE Head of Collective Bargaining, Werner Bischoff, called it “completely incomprehensible” that chemical employers offered nothing of substance. “We want a contract of economic fairness,” Werner said. “That means: good money for good work.” 
 
Werner added that it would be impossible for the union to settle for a wage increase of less than 3% in 2007, while 4% is a fair and realistic target. “We seek an attractive proposal that addresses the unique position the industry is in,” he said. 
<img height="166" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/IGBCEWernerBischoff.jpg" width="125" alt=""/>
Werner Bischoff
This unique position is a result of the 2004 round of negotiations with the IGBCE, through which wages increased only 2.7% and a single payout was granted. More importantly, to boost the industry, IGBCE agreed to increase the number of trainees and apprenticeships allowed to work in the industry. 
 
Werner called that agreement a complete success, with 7% more training places for young workers in Germany’s chemicals sector. He said the industry has been stabilised and it is now time for employers to bargain fairly. “Young people need to know that they have a future in the chemicals industry.” 
 
IGBCE and the BAVC employers group will return to national level talks on 8 March in Lahnstein.

Chemicals Bargaining in Germany Hits Standstill

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
The oil industry of Argentina saw two strikes over the past two weeks, as workers protested against current and exorbitant taxation rules. A third strike was postponed to allow labour and management to continue bargaining. 
 
The strikes affected the leading oil and gas producing provinces of Neuquen, Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Rio Negro. 
 
Both ICEM affiliates from Argentina’s energy sector, Federación de Trabajadores de la Energía de la Republica Argentina (FeTERA) and Federación Argentina Sindical del Petróleo y Gas Privados (F.A.S.P.Y.G.P), were involved in the actions. 
<img height="69" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ArgentinaFeTERA.jpg" width="120" align="middle"/>         <img height="80" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ArgentinaFASPYGP.gif" width="58" align="middle"/>     
Oil and gas production plant workers first went on strike, just under two weeks ago. Their strike ended five days later after an agreement guaranteeing a bonus, ranging from US$30 to US$180 per month, to compensate for high taxes on overtime pay. A bill exempting food and transportation costs from income taxes was hastily put through Congress at the same time.
Early last week, a second strike broke out, this time by the supervisory staff of the oil & gas production plants. Supervisors were seeking the same benefits granted to other workers in the plants. Here, as well, talks between supervisors and their employers, mediated by the Ministry of Labour, resulted in an agreement, on 22 November. In addition to agreeing on tax reductions, supervisory personnel also won the right to have their own collective bargaining agreement. 
<img height="100" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMoil2.JPG" width="100"/>
A third strike, by Argentina’s 18,000 oil refinery workers, also seeking similar benefits, was postponed, as workers agreed, on 21 November, to abstain from striking to allow for a one-week period of negotiations. That was then extended to 15 days. Oil refineries, as well as upstream operations affected by the strikes and potential strikes include facilities and fields owned by Repsol, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Petrobras. 
 
Full blown strikes of the refineries would have a serious impact on the country’s petrol supplies, since any shut down of operations would take weeks to re-open production. 
 
“For the moment, there are no refineries on strike,” said Alberto Roberti, Organisational Secretary of F.A.S.P.Y.G.P., quoted in the country’s press late last week. “We will use this window of opportunity to talk, even though, so far, we have not seen any changes from the employer’s side.”

Strike Actions Hit Argentina’s Oil Sector

Archive