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1. Costa Rica - Parliament Approves Law to Penalize Violence against Women 
2. Denmark - From our readers: Marianne Bruun, 3F, writes 
3. Ecuador - Women Workers’ Coordinate and Meet 
4. India - Women’s Ceremony for Children of Worker Victims 
5. Iraq - May Day in Basra 
6. Korea - Women Workforce Expands 
7. Mexico - Mexico City Legalises Abortion 
8. Morocco - Women’s Network Holds Workers’ Memorial Day Cause 
9. South Africa - Pushes for Constitutional Guarantees of Gender Equality 
10. Resources
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1. Costa Rica – Parliament Approves Law to Penalize Violence Against Women
On 12 April 2007, the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly passed pioneering legislation to penalize violence against women. The aim is to protect the rights of the victims of violence and to sanction such in all its forms – physical, psychological, sexual, property – in the context of a relationship of power or confidence. This will only be the second time in the world, after Spain, that this type of legislation has been passed. 
The law implies a change in the penal code and the traditional concept of related crimes. Women should thus have better protection against violence in relations with partners. Costa Rica is now a reference point in the Americas in terms of legislation against violence against women. 
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2. Denmark
From our readers: Marianne Bruun, 3F, writes: 
Average male earnings are higher than average female earnings in the Danish labour market. Depending on how hourly wages are calculated, the unadjusted pay differences, i.e., the percentage difference between the average earnings of men and women, is between 12-19%. 
The main single explanation of the pay differences between men and women in Denmark is that women work in other professions than men, and that people working in those professions are generally paid less than people working in the typically male professions. 
 
For years we have asked for statistical tools that would show pay inequalities in various lines of business and job categories. The Danish government has now adopted legislation requiring that major enterprises prepare gender-separated statistics. 
If they prefer it, the enterprises may instead prepare reports on equal pay, provided employees agree with this. Such reports must contain information about matters that have an impact on male and female employees’ pay in the enterprise, and must also describe initiatives taken by the enterprise to avoid pay inequality. 
 
The new legislation applies to enterprises with 35 or more full- and part-time employees and have at least ten people of each gender employed in the same job function. Enterprises that do not have any groups of at least ten men and ten women do not have to prepare gender-separated pay statistics. 
 
In the trade union movement, we are not at all pleased with this limitation, which means that only a small proportion of our members will be covered by the new legislation. We have therefore decided to create a number of supplementary tools that can be used by union representatives in most workplaces, thus enabling them to collect data on pay themselves and to identify any pay inequality issues in their own enterprise. 
Paternity leave 
In connection with the recently finalised collective bargaining in Danish industry, we have achieved two very important improvements in the field of equal opportunities for men and women. 
 
First of all, a number of weeks have been earmarked for leave for fathers. Danish legislation provides a total of 32 weeks of leave to be shared by parents (in continuation of the mother’s 14-week maternity leave). However, in most cases it is the woman that takes the entire ’shared’ leave, while men are rarely keen to take leave. One reason is that women want to have the entire leave; another is that colleagues and employers are reluctant to let men take time off to go on paternity leave. 
 
It has now been agreed that a family is entitled to full pay in nine of the thirty-two weeks of leave, but that either parent may only take leave for six of those nine weeks. This means that at least three weeks are earmarked for leave for the father if the family wants to receive full pay for nine weeks. We hope this will make more men go on paternity leave. 
 
Another important aspect is that we will now do something about the fact that women who take maternity leave lag behind in terms of pensions, as they do not contribute to any pension scheme while they are on leave. The new collective agreements compensate a bit for that. 
Reconciliation between family and working life
We have long discussed our members’ need for a better work-life balance, so in order to find out what our members mean when they say they want a better balance between work and family life, we have carried out a questionnaire survey. 
 
Our members, first of all, point out that they believe this particular issue should be one of the union’s focus areas. They also express a strong wish to have family policy included in our collective agreements, which it has not previously been in Denmark. 
 
The survey also shows that stress is a common phenomenon among our members. This is particularly true of women members, not least single mothers. The distribution of work in families is still far from equal, which means that most women work full-time outside the home and also have to do the housework. That is why our focus will be, to an increasing extent, targeting labour market demands that can possibly make daily work-life easier for families with young children. 
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3. Ecuador – Women Workers’ Coordinate and Meet
The Eighth Meeting of the Coordination of Andean Women Workers took place on 2-3 May in Manta, Ecuador, with the proposal to fight for equal opportunities between men and women. About 20 women from trade union national centres met in Bolivia. Representatives from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela attended the meeting of COMUANDE. 
 
The meeting adopted a proposal to be passed on to the Andean Community of Nations that equal opportunities between men and women must become reality once and for all. COMUANDE meets once a year in regional assembly at rotating venues. It is a space for coordination and exchange to make proposals regarding trade unions, social policy, and politics in the process of Andean integration. 
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4. India – Women’s Ceremony for Children of Worker Victims 
In the framework of Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April, the Society for Working Life held a women’s meeting in New Delhi to organise a candle ceremony with children of worker victims. Local trade unions in Bihar state also organised a similar commemoration. SWL, the Society for Working Life, is involved in the Women, Work, and Health Initiative, and works with NGOs in Bihar to create awareness of HIV/AIDS among migrant workers. 
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5. Iraq – May Day in Basra 
<img height="285" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0705Iraqwomen.jpg" width="380"/>
 The GFIW Says Strong Unions Need Women 
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6. Korea – Women Workforce Expands
Women comprise more than 42% of the Korean workforce, according to a recent survey by the state-run Korean Employment Information Service. This marks a steady increase over the years. 
 
The survey analysed the nation’s employment structure based on gender, salary, and occupational category. The female workforce increased most in the chemical industry, with a 6.5% rise. On the other hand, the number of women’s jobs decreased by 4.1% percentage points in the industrial arts and furnishing services. And fewer women took jobs in the electric and telecommunication sectors. 
 
An earlier survey by the Korea Institute of Finance showed that women had outpaced men in the tight job market. According to the National Statistical Office, women took 154,000, or 69.4%, of about 222,000 new jobs in various high-paying professions in 2006. Those jobs included lawmakers, high-ranking government officials, lawyers, doctors, and professors. 
 
Men claimed the remaining 68,000 new jobs. The number of lawmakers, corporate executives, and managers reached 571,000 in 2006, down 3,000 from 2005, but the number of women increased by 2,000 during the same period. 
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7. Mexico – Mexico City Legalizes Abortion 
 
The Mexico City legislature passed a bill to legalize abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. This occurred on 24 April. 
 
Feminists hailed the decision as a victory. For decades women, especially poor women, have been forced by way of backstreet abortions and questionable practices to end unwanted pregnancies. Thousands die every year due to botched abortions. 
 
Mexico City has now become the largest entity in Latin America after Cuba and Puerto Rico where women may have abortions on demand in the first three months of pregnancy. Most other states in Mexico only allow abortion in cases of rape or danger to the woman’s health. 
 
Opponents have condemned this measure, passed in this highly Catholic country. Court battles and clashes are bound to be launched. It may ultimately be challenged by the Supreme Court. The Pope publicly condemned the bill. 
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8. Morocco – Women’s Network Holds Workers’ Memorial Day Cause 
The women’s network “Women and Sustainable Development” lit candles on 28 April to commemorate victims in countries without protective legislation. They also rang out an alarm at fetal deformities due to cancer in women because of health hazards on the job, or pollution. 
 
The women called on politicians to pay more attention to health and safety, and for trade unions to be more involved in job-related safety issues in Arab-Muslim countries. The network appealed to women throughout the world to stand in solidarity against victims of injustices, and with women in areas of conflict in order to promote peace. 
 
The network aims to connect with women workers throughout the world in order to promote sustainable development and occupational safety. It started with women in Arab-Muslim countries, and now extends to Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Kuwait, Tunisia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, Somalia, United Arab Emirates. 
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9. South Africa Pushes for Constitutional Guarantees of Gender Equality 
 
South Africa’s Cabinet is 42% women, one of the highest percentages in the world. South Africa’s Commission on Gender Equality has called consultations on a draft protocol to break new ground to make first-time commitments on gender equality in a sub-regional document. 
 
In August, the Heads of State of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will be called upon to elevate the SADC Declaration on Gender and Development to a more biding Protocol. NGOs have audited the 1997 declaration and decided that non-binding measures have not worked. Legally binding measures are now being sought to move SADC to implementation. 
 
The African Union has come out in favour of gender parity, but it has not set targets. 
 
Setting targets has the effect of mobilising those who lag behind, since no country wants to be seen as the worst performer. All SADC countries, except Botswana, have increased the proportion of women in parliament. The increases have been particularly marked in Swaziland, Malawi, and Mauritius. On average, women comprise 20% of the region’s legislators, second only to the Nordic countries. 
 
In addition, countries would be required to specify that in case there is a conflict between customary and state law, the national constitution will take precedence, as is the case in South Africa. Customary laws govern most women’s lives in the region, so that this change may be the most significant of all. These changes are slow but necessary if the root inequalities are to be eliminated. 
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10. Resources
The World Bank’s Global Monitoring Report on the Millenium Goals shows that progress toward gender equality is lagging. Available on the World Bank’s website: 
<a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21296903~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html">http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS 
/0,,contentMDK:21296903~pagePK:64257043~ 
piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html</a>
Coalition of Labor Union Women, the working women’s organization in the United States: 
<a href="http://www.cluw.org">www.cluw.org</a>
The Berger-Marks Foundation assists organizations in organizing: 
<a href="http://www.bergermarks.org">www.bergermarks.org</a>
Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2007 (draws attention to gender inequalities) 
<a href="http://www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=1205">www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=1205</a>

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 22

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Three gold miners, jailed on 17 December, for illegal gold mining in the southern Zimbabwe region of Matabeleland, died six days after their arrest from exhaustion and starvation. The three died after days of filling trenches without being given food or enough water by the police forces of Robert Mugabe’s government. 
 
In a country with 80% unemployment and an inflation rate that hit a new high of 1,281% in December, the three miners were arrested with 12 other gold diggers as part of the government’s crackdown on illegal mining, called Operation Makorokoza Zvakwana by the Mugabe police forces. 
<img height="111" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Zimbabwe%20ZCTU.gif" width="107"/>
One police officer told ZimOnline, Zimbabwe’s independent news agency, that when the workers tried to resist the continuous trench filling, or complained of hunger, they were beaten “because that’s how our bosses had instructed us to treat them.” 
 
The three died at separate times on 24 December after experiencing extreme dizziness before collapsing. 
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s labour leaders, who were severely beaten in September after police forces broke up an anti-poverty rally, have sued top Mugabe aides for unlawful arrests and injuries incurred to them. Zimbabwe Council of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Sec. Gen. Wellington Chibebe and 14 other labour leaders sued Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri, and several other police officers for Z$1.34 billion (US$9.13 million), which includes general damages, and unlawful arrest and deprivation of liberty. 
<img height="140" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0609ZCTU3.jpg" width="120" alt=""/>
ZCTU Secretary General Wellington Chibebe 
In the lawsuit, attorneys for the labour leaders cite violations of the Zimbabwe constitution, Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 of the African Charter for Human and People’s Rights, Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Treatments. 
The labour leaders, on 12 and 13 September, were subjected to beatings that caused bone fractures, serious cranial/facial bruising, and head injuries. Some 256 ZCTU activists were arrested at the time. 
 
The current economic crisis in Zimbabwe, which saw the inflation rate jump a full 182% from November to December 2006, has caused mass labour strikes in the health care and education sectors, not to mention in mining and energy industries, because salaries have become miniscule compared to the vast inflation jumps. For example, staff of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority staged a two-day strike on 3-4 January, when an internal memo was released stating that salaries would only increase by 50%.

Mugabe Regime Starves Jailed Gold Miners

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Belgian unions FGTB/ABVV and CSC/ACV have boosted their joint project in Colombia to draw attention to human and trade union rights. The unions now have a petition drive underway on the project’s website, aimed at the government of Colombia, including members of Parliament. The petition drive also addresses the management of both Colombian and multinational companies to take action. 
The project, called Syndicol, is operated by the two Belgian unions, in full cooperation with all three Colombian national labour centres, CUT, CGT, and CTC. A number of ICEM’s Colombian affiliates are directly involved in the project.      
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Syndicol’s action plan is to bring aid and solidarity to the workers of Colombia. Its aim is to build broad campaigns of information around the abuses of human and trade union rights in the South American country, including the many assassinations of trade union leaders. 
The current petition, located on Syndicol’s French language website at <a href="http://www.syndicol.be/Petition">http://www.syndicol.be/Petition</a>, states that over 3,000 trade unionists have been assassinated since 1990, and calls on government and business leaders to take immediate action to end this state of terror. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Colombia.png" width="250"/>
“The flagrant and inadmissible violations of human rights and, in particular, of the rights and trade union freedoms are a denial of justice, and disgraceful for those who commit the crimes, as well as their protectors. The systematic assassination of trade unionists and human rights defenders is a throwback to another age and what’s worse, the perpetrators enjoy impunity from the Colombian legal system and the country’s authorities.” 
 
ICEM affiliates and activists are encouraged to visit the website to sign the petition.

Belgian Unions Team on Colombia Petition Drive

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Members of ICEM’s Colombian mining affiliate, Sintracarbón, were braced to strike the massive coal enterprise called Carbones del Cerrejón, in Guajira state, over the weekend. The mining operation in northeastern Colombia, complete with a 150-kilometre rail link to company-owned deep-water port facilities at Puerto Bolivár, is owned by global mining houses AngloAmerican, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata. 
 
Sintracarbón union members at the world’s largest open pit coal mine voted to strike over a week ago. The union’s National Assembly of Delegates, which met on 25 January, voted to give approval for a possible strike to begin anytime in the next ten working days. Company and union representatives were continuing bargaining over the weekend. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Colombia.png" width="250"/>
A total of 4,000 workers are represented by Sintracarbón, while the mining enterprise employs another 4,000 contract workers. 
 
All three multinational mining companies, along with the Colombian subsidiary, are partners with the ICEM and Sintracarbón in a unique Social Dialogue arrangement in the South American country. That agreement, set in 2004, covers some eight global companies doing business in Colombia, and establishes a formalised procedure not only for the safety and security of trade unionists, but also for meaningful labour-management discussions on all issues. 
 
Carbones del Cerrejón and Sintracarbón called on the ICEM to intervene in the dispute two weeks ago. The ICEM had been monitoring the negotiations since November. 
 
General Secretary Manfred Warda responded to the company, as well as to the three parent firms, stating, “ICEM has taken note of the extended period of negotiations involved in settling a new, two-year collective agreement between Sintracarbón and your company. We are also keenly aware of the profitable coal mining and export operations that Carbones del Cerrejón and its three multinational partners have in Guajira state, as well as the high demand for this coal on global markets. 
“We urge your company not only to maintain the level of respectful Social Dialogue that exists in the charter developed by the ICEM with multinational companies doing business in Colombia, but also to seriously consider the proposals set forth by Sintracarbón. These social proposals are just and proper in view of the operation that your company has in Colombia.” 
<img height="100" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMminingsector.JPG" width="100"/>
Sintracarbón is seeking a 2007 salary increase of 8%, and a 2008 increase of 2.5% above the Colombian consumer price index for this year. The ICEM affiliated trade union is also seeking monthly health care stipends to cover the costs of medicines for family members. It also seeks a university educational stipend for children of miners, as well as a non-conditional production bonus. Management is attempting to apply conditions to such a bonus plan. 
 
Another legitimate union demand calls on Carbones del Cerrejón to begin discussions on buying the land of indigenous people who live in the vicinity of Cerrejón, and possibly relocate them to areas away from the company’s vast mining operations. Sintracarbón is proposing immediate “working sessions” between the union, company, and community leaders to analyse environmental problems and find solutions. 
 
A last unresolved issue involves the high number of contract workers on Cerrejón worksites. Sintracarbón is seeking for the minimum level of pay for contract workers to be increased and linked to the minimum legal salaries in Colombia. It also seeks application of all Colombian employment laws for these workers, including the right to union representation. 
In the ICEM letter to the companies, the Global Union Federation asks Carbones del Cerrejón to actively monitor the work practices of contract employers. The ICEM also insists that “contract workers receive the same protections and rights that full-time, permanent employees have, including the right to trade union representation.” 
 
The mining operation, once jointly owned by ExxonMobil and the Colombian government, has ramped up excavation of thermal coal from 17 million tonnes in 1995 to an expected 28 million tonnes this year. Cerrejón’s coal reserves are estimated at 930 million tonnes. 
 
The coal is highly desirable on global markets because it is high in energy and has a low sulphur and ash content. Europe accounts for 56% of exports, while 20% is exported to North America. The three parent companies have seen coal prices tripling over the past year, and the operation posted revenues of US$1 billion.

Sintracarbón’s Miners Poised to Strike at Carbones del Cerrejón in Colombia

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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

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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) 
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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). 
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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. 
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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

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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 
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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. 
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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.” 
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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. 
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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>.
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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>.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.” 
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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.
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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. 

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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

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UK ICEM affiliate Amicus denounced French multinational Saint-Gobain’s decision to reduce the number of workers at its Stanton Iron Works plant in Ikeston, Derbyshire. The company announced on 5 December that is was cutting 220 of 400 jobs, beginning in April 2007, citing price increases in scrap steel and high energy costs. 
 
Amicus called the holiday-season announcement “a heavy blow to the workers who face an uncertain few months ahead,” and the union immediately scheduled meetings with management to discuss the need for redundancies and to begin enhanced severance talks. 
Saint-Gobain’s announcement said it would retain flange pipe making at Stanton, and keep customer servicing staff based in Derbyshire. But the community loses the production of water pipes, which it has been supplying to the UK’s water-delivery system for decades. The Paris-based company said the work will now be done in France and Germany. 
<img height="153" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/UK.png" width="150" alt=""/>
Amicus said that the loss of 220 jobs in Ikeston will lift November’s job-loss totals in the East Midlands to nearly 1,000. Amicus has been campaigning and lobbying the government to introduce better employment laws that protects UK workers and assist more in alternative job placements. 
 
Amicus has also been calling for a statutory entitlement to be established that provides workers with a skills and training agenda, as well as for a statutory employer investment fund for training. Amicus says the current tone and level of the debate over jobs and training is “largely irrelevant” next to the tens of thousands of high-skilled and well-paid jobs that have left the UK. 
 
Amicus Assistant General Secretary Tony Burke provided a stark reminder on why the UK was in such a jobs crisis: “Employers have neglected to invest in the skills of their workforces for decades. This under-investment means that we now have to run to stand still in terms of up-skilling.”

Amicus Refutes Saint-Gobain’s 50% Reductions in UK Pipe Manufacturing

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