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The former battery workers at two Gold Peak Industrial Holding plants in China who had been diagnosed with excessive levels of cadmium had their case heard in a Chinese court on 3 November. Some 146 workers – mostly young women – are being victimised by the Hong Kong-based company.
In 2004, some 400 workers at two of Gold Peak’s battery plants in China engaged in strike action to overcome the company’s refusal to carry out health tests. Now, Gold Peak is arguing that the 146 workers have no legal basis for claims to compensation, claims for lost working time, or re-employment. 
<img height="98" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMchemical2.jpg.JPG" width="100" alt=""/>
The 146 employees, 95% of whom are women between ages 20 and 30, worked at the Gold Peak battery plants of Huizhou Xianjin and Huizhou Chaoba in Guangdong province. In documents, the workers said they were terminated from employment and given little compensation when high levels of cadmium were found in their bodies. The Huizhou city government had certified that a total of 177 Gold Peak workers had been tested and that excessive levels of cadmium had been found in their blood systems. 
 
The Chinese court, after hearing the case on 3 November, adjourned without issuing a verdict. 
 
Investor-based Gold Peak operates several battery-producing factories in China, and sells the batteries under different brand names worldwide.

Gold Peak Battery Workers Have Their Day in Court in China

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Another Colombian trade unionist was murdered, continuing a trend that labels the South American country as one of the worst in the world with respect to trade union rights and human rights. 
 
Jesús Marino Mosquera, an activist in the rural workers’ agricultural union of SINTRAINAGRO, was murdered last month while returning home from the farm that he worked at in Carepa, Urabá state. He served as a union representative for SINTRAINAGRO on a joint labour-management committee for the past 12 years. 
 
Following the mid-October assassination, two members of the union’s national executive received death threats. On 26 October, masked gunmen broke into the home of one of those members, Medardo Cuesta, who was not there, and left a death note for him.
<img height="80" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/IUF.jpg" width="80"/>
SINTRAINAGRO, an affiliate of the International Union of Food Workers’ (IUF), and of the Colombian national labour centre CUT have denounced the murder and death threats, and have called on the government to provide all necessary protective measures for SINTRAINAGRO officers and members. 
 
Far more trade unionists are murdered in Colombia each year than in any other country in the world. Last year, the count was listed at 70, although it is believed another 25 trade union leaders were victims of death squads. 
 
The IUF provides further information on this latest instance of trade union killings in Colombia, as well as a link to send a message of protest to the government on its website. To get there, click <a href="http://www.iufdocuments.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=3823&view_records=1&ww=1&en=1">here</a>.

Agricultural Trade Unionist Slain in Colombia

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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’s GEFONT, France’s CGT, Poland’s OPZZ, Argentina’s CGT and Colombia’s CUT. 
<img height="166" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0611ITUCCongress1.jpg" width="250"/>
ITUC 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’ rights, and increased levels of poverty. 
Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary, said the unification of ICFTU and WCL is an “inevitable and welcome development, which we hope will lead to others uniting, creating a single global union confederation.” 
 
He also said that the unity at the national centre level was preceded “by agreements at sectoral level, including the one on integration between the ICEM and the World Federation of Industrial Workers (WFIW).” 
 
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 Cissé (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’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

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Contents 
1. Chile – Government Publishes 
Gender Equity Guide 
2. France – Women’s Position at EdF and GdF 
Worsens 
3. Germany – Men and Women 
Experience Stress Differently 
4. Kenya – Nairobi +21 Conference Held 
5. Korea – Equality Job Index Increases 
6. New Zealand – Government Prepares 
for Equal Pay Reviews 
7. Nicaragua – National Assembly Passes Total Abortion Ban 
8. South Africa – NUMSA Gender Awareness Quiz 
9. United Kingdom – Women’s Pay Gap Narrows 
10. United States – Supreme Court To Hear Goodyear Case 
11. From Our Readers 
12. Resources 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
1. Chile – Government Publishes Gender Equity Guide 
 
SERNAM, the Chilean Women’s National Office, published, on 9 November, a guide on gender equity in companies, called Guía para Impulsar la Equidad de Género en las Empresas. The guide contains examples of good practice, as well as tools to put the ideas into practice. 
 
With Chile’s president Michelle Bachelet currently promoting corporate social responsibility, SERNAM found that discrimination against women continues to exist: women’s average pay is still 30% below men’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 Acción RSE site (in Spanish - <a href="http://www.accionrse.cl/">www.accionrse.cl</a>). 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
2. France – Women’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’s position worsening, or at best stagnating, at EdF (Electricité de France) and GdF (Gaz de France). 
 
In 2005, the average number of hours’ 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 – management still refuses men’s requests to look after sick children, for example. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
3. Germany – 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 – 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. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
4. Kenya – 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’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’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’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="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
5. Korea – 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’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’ Employment Equality Index set at 100, the female workers’ 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’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’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’s affirmative action programs. The government also hopes to encourage workers over 50 to stay in the labor market. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
6. New Zealand – 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’s average hourly earnings are still only 86.4% of men’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’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’s findings, workers such as teachers, secretaries, librarians, dental therapists and nurses may have their pay boosted. 
 
New Zealand’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. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
7. Nicaragua – National Assembly Passes Total Abortion Ban 
 
Nicaragua’s national assembly has voted - 52 to 0 - to ban all abortions, even in those cases where the mother’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’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. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
8. South Africa – 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’s because women are not committed and that’s why they don’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’t stop here! 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
9. United Kingdom – Women’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’s average pay went up by 3.5%, while women’s pay rose by 4.2%. Women now earn, on average, 12.6% less than men, compared to 13% last year. A man’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="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
10. United States – 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="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="25"/>
FROM OUR READERS: 
 
Oluchi Okorie from Nupeng, Nigeria, comments about Bulletin 16: 
 
 
“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’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."
<img height="31" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" 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>.  
 
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 – 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 – write to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>.

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 17

Photos of the march and rally can be found <a href="/index.php?id=21&doc=2038&la=EN" type="internal">here</a>.
A march and mass rally against Imerys’ rash restructuring in the UK'S South West was held on Saturday, 18 November, in St. Austell.
Sponsored by UK trade unions Transport & General Workers Union (TGWU), Amicus, and GMB, the colourful march featured French, American and global union representatives, who reminded Imerys workers in the Cornwall and Devon region that the company will grant nothing without a fight. The march culminated with the rally and speeches at Polkyth Carpark. 
 
The march and rally, in which 450 people participated, was part of a build-up to an industrial ballot that the UK unions will take in the South West Imerys, a Paris-based multinational that produces building materials. Imerys is targeting some 610 jobs to be made redundant at its kaolin mine and processing operations in the South West by the end of next year.
<img height="50" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/UKFlag.gif" width="100"/>
The restructuring has gained global attention through the TGWU’s outreach to other unions representing Imerys workers around the world. 
Speakers at Saturday’s event included Serge Gonzales, from the French trade union Fédération Force Ouvrière (FO) Matériaux, Céramique et Thermique, who is Secretary of Imerys’ European Works Council; Keith Fulbright, a shop-floor leader at Imery’s Sylacauga, Alabama, calcium carbonate mine and plant, who is President of Local Branch 3-0516 of the United Steelworkers (USW) of America; and Dick Blin, a representative of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers' (ICEM) Unions, the Brussels-based Global Union Federation, which includes Imerys’ trade unions worldwide. 
 
Also speaking were Jennie Formby, TGWU National Secretary, and Laura Lamprell, TGWU Regional Industrial Organiser. 
 
“Imerys has exhibited utter contempt in regards to workers, their families and, indeed, the entire well-being of communities built by the labours of English China Clay,” said Formby. “That contempt has stretched from the manner in which they made the announcement last July, to the manner in which they’ve conducted the consultation process with the workers’ representatives.” 
 
“We have told Imerys that their anti-social policies in the UK will affect their reputation globally,” said Serge Gonzales. “We demand of Imerys a reversal to the anti-worker conduct that it is displaying in various countries throughout Europe.” 
<img height="60" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/FranceFO.jpg" width="100"/>     <img height="62" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/USAUSW.jpg" width="113"/>      <img height="60" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Icemrouge.GIF" width="70"/>
In Sylacauga, Alabama, Imerys also has demonstrated a record of union-busting and non-adherence to its social obligations. The USW has fended off two de-unionisation efforts by the company since the turn of the decade, and it is only now, through renewed strength of the USW among the 500-member workforce, that the company has tempered its anti-worker agenda. 
 
“The lesson that I bring about Imerys from America to workers of the South West is this: ‘Stay united, stay focused,’” said the USW’s Keith Fulbright. “Our experience is that Imerys will attack when they know the union is weak. It was only after we signed nearly every worker into the union that everyone began displaying that fact on the shop floor. It was only then that Imerys backed off.” 
 
“Imerys must begin making real commitments to workers and communities of the South West,” said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. “The ICEM guarantees that unless fairness and respect are granted, we will do everything in our power to bring this dispute into all the company’s global workplaces.”

Anger at Imerys Expressed at Rally in UK's South West

<img height="40" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100" alt=""/>
In the United Kingdom, a private member’s bill in Parliament to extend full employment rights to workers of employment agencies has the full support of the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) and Amicus, both ICEM affiliates. UK’s government has been lax in implementing a new European Union directive giving agency and migrant workers new rights across all 27 EU nations. 
 
But that now has changed, thanks to a bill by Labour MP Paul Farrelly of Newcastle-under-Lyme. His bill to introduce into law the same rights, pensions, and working conditions that full-time workers enjoy, apparently has awoken the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), at least partially.
<img height="171" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/CALhorse.jpg" width="120" alt=""/>
 
On 20 February, DTI ministers agreed that they will consult on measures to protect the 1.4 million agency employees working in UK’s economy. 
 
TGWU Gen. Sec. Tony Woodley said, however, that UK’s government must go further, while pledging full support to MP Farrelly’s bill: “Agency workers need protection, not simply advice on how to deal with abusive employers. Without domestic legislation, 1.4 million agency workers in this country will continue to face discrimination.” 
 
Regarding DTI’s announcement, Woodley added, “At Warwick, the government agreed to support the EU directive on agency workers, the fundamental principle of which is equal treatment. In the absence of any progress at EU level, we need EU legislation that will ensure this equality. What has been announced (by DTI) falls far, far short of this and will not significantly assist workers who endure abuse or undercutting because the law allows agency workers to be discriminated against on essential matters like pay, sick leave, and overtime. 
 
“There is an opportunity with Paul Farrelly’s private member’s bill to outlaw this mistreatment. We urge government to grab it – and we urge MPs not to be misled into thinking that (DTI’s) consultation will deliver the fundamental employment protections that vulnerable agency workers need.” 
 
The Farrelly bill received full support from Amicus Gen. Sec. Derek Simpson when it was introduced. MP Farrelly is hoping to get backing from 100 MPs in March for the measure. Britain’s government stands accused of actively blocking the directive at the EU level.

UK Unions in Support of Full Rights for Contract and Agency Labourers

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
Effective 1 March, German workers in the fine ceramics industry will see wage increases of 3.5%. This was announced in a statement on 16 February by ICEM German affiliate IGBCE, which negotiated the increase. 
 
The IGBCE’s wage negotiating committee for the ceramics industry unanimously approved the negotiated settlement, calling it a good result and one corresponding to the current position that the industry is in. 
 
The agreement will run for 16 months and, in addition, workers will receive a bonus payment of €100, while trainees in the industry will receive €30. Further elements to the agreement include no changes in work time, and the preservation and enhancement by employers of education opportunities.

IGBCE Negotiates 3.5% Wage Gains for Germany’s Ceramics Workers

Jawad al-Maliki 
Prime Minister of Iraq 
Brussels, 5 March 2007 
 
Dear Prime Minister, 
 
On behalf of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions, the Global Union Federation, representing 20 million workers in the Mine, Energy, Chemical and related Process Industries I wish to express to you my strong condemnation of the recent attacks on the head office of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) and I call on you to intervene as a matter of urgency in what is obviously an illegal and grossly irresponsible act. 
 
The ICEM has been informed by the GFIW Executive that on 23 February, American and Iraqi forces raided the head office of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) and arrested one of the Union security staff. 
 
This unprovoked attack resulted in the destruction of furniture, the confiscation of a computer and fax machine and the arrest of an employee who we understand was released unharmed later same day. 
 
The same force repeated this unprovoked attack on 25 February and caused further extensive damage. 
 
ICEM adds its voice to the demands of the GFIW which condemn this unprovoked attack and also calls on the occupation forces to issue a written apology, to return all the GFIW property and compensate for the damages they caused to the unions office. 
 
These attacks are a clear violation of fundamental human and trade union rights. They are also a cynical attempt to not only harass the trade union movement of your country but to limit their ability to communicate with both their members and their international contacts. This is appalling, particularly at the present time. Genuine and democratic trade unions are a cornerstone of democracy and at the same time are a force for reconciliation, peace and stability in a society. 
 
It is essential that your government upholds internationally recognised rights, including full respect for the fundamental human rights of workers. We urge you to order a thorough investigation into these attacks on the GFIW. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary

ICEM letter to Prime Minister of Iraq on raids on trade union office

+ First Ever Strike in a Free Trade Zone in Turkey 
+ Strike Started on 26 September 2006 
+ 98% of 300 Strikers are Women 
+ Petrol-Is successfully organised workers in March 2005 
+ Women subjected to constant insults by managers; they were forced to apply to management if they wished to marry; they were forbidden to talk to one another on the job; and were subjected to breath tests following 2 daily breaks of 15 and 25 minutes for smoking 
+ Management began collective bargaining with Petrol-Is in April 2006 with no intention of arriving at collective agreement 
+ Management threatened to move the plant out of Turkey if workers did not reject the union 
+ Management has retained 50-60 scabs during the strike, a violation of Turkish law

Fact Sheet on Strike at Novamed GmbH (Fresenius Medical Care) in Turkey

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The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada has chosen Petro-Canada and its 135,000-per-day refinery near Edmonton, province of Alberta, as the lead enterprise for its 2007-2008 National Energy and Chemical Bargaining Programme. 
 
That decision was made by the CEP’s Energy and Chemical Advisory Committee on 1 March after a three-month process. 
 
“We chose to negotiate the pattern in Edmonton because we believe that the oil and gas sector and the labour market conditions in Alberta create the best conditions to deliver the kind of settlement that our members are expecting,” stated National Energy Bargaining Coordinator Joe Gargiso. 
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CEP's Joe Gargiso
The CEP’s National Energy and Chemical Bargaining Committee will conduct the national pattern bargaining negotiations, while CEP Local 501A of Sherwood Park, Alberta, conducts local negotiations at the refinery. 
 
“There is no doubt that this industry can well afford a significant wage increase as well as other improvements,” said CEP President Dave Coles. “I want to acknowledge the role Local 501A is prepared to play in stepping out in front to set the pattern.” 
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CEP President Dave Coles
Once the CEP comes to terms with Petro-Canada at its refinery near Edmonton, the union will hold a bargaining conference with all energy local unions to ratify the proposed agreement for pattern issues. The CEP’s process to choose a lead company started in December when it entered into consultations with all major employers in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. 
The union further met with Petro-Canada in February. This meeting was followed by a special meeting of all CEP Petro-Canada local unions in Toronto on 24 February.

CEP in Canada Chooses Petro-Canada Refinery in Alberta as Lead for Pattern Bargaining

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