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In Jordan, ICEM affiliate, the General Trade Union of Workers in Mining and Metal Industries, decided to postpone a strike mid- August until 27 August. The decision was taken to give the managers of the Jordan Phosphate Mines Company (JPMC) at the Shidiyeh mines some more time to meet with the workers' demands. The dispute, in which the union president, Khalid Fanatsah, is taking a leading role, is on housing units to be built for the workers by the company. Support for the workers reportedly came from the king of Jordan himself, His Majesty King Abdullah, who announced that the units should be distributed to the workers.

Tension Remians at Jordanian Phosphatre Mine

Another sad episode in the seemingly never-ending story of mining disasters in China took place in the country&rsquo;s Guangdong Province, where over 120 workers most probably drowned in an illegally-operated coal mine on August 7. The mine, partly owned by local officials in Xingning, Guangdong, was reportedly seriously mismanaged, with health and safety issues being widely ignored. According to Li Yizhong, director of the National Bureau of Production Safety Supervision and Administration, &quot;the tragedy was caused by mine-owners' greed for economic profits and malignant violation of safety rules&quot;. He also said that the mine did not have a production license, and that it had ignored a government order to suspend production following a flooding incident at a nearby mine on July 14. The provincial authorities in Guangdong and the Chinese Central Government have started an inquiry into the tragedy and ordered 69 officials to make themselves available to investigators.Two mayors have already been suspended.

Flooding Kills 120 at Illegal Guangdong Province Mine

Both in Ecuador and Nigeria, oil exports have been hampered by popular demonstrations. In Ecuador, following days of protests in two Amazon provinces over foreign companies and their levels of investment, the export of over 100,000 barrels a day had been brought to a standstill last week. Protesters want more of the country&rsquo;s oil money to be spent on new jobs and infrastructure. Oil revenues account for 25% of Ecuador&rsquo;s GDP. The state-owned company Petroecuador said over the weekend that production has been restarted &ldquo;with the help of the army&rdquo;. In Nigeria, Shell had to shut down the Agbada 1 flow station in Rivers State in the oil-rich Niger delta in southern Nigeria, following action by angry local protesters from the Ogoni community. Protests there were mainly over compensation for a 2003 spill which protesters say impacted over 500HA.

Mass Protests over Oil Exports in Ecuador, Nigeria

In South Africa, a statement was released by a coalition of trade unions, including ICEM affiliates NUM and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), expressing serious concern about possible job losses after the merger of the 7 power distribution business units of Eskom and those of the municipalities, consisting of 187 licensed municipal distributors. According to an industry restructuring document, about 1,000 jobs could be lost a year. The report contradicts statements by the Electricity Distribution Holdings (EDI), the state-owned company set up to reform the sector, which said that no jobs would be lost during the restructuring.

Unions Fear SA Electric Merger Migh Mean Job Cuts

The first industry-wide industrial strike in the South African gold sector in 18 years ended on 10 August when an improved wage offer was accepted by the members of ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and two other smaller unions. Taking part in a strike for which the support was so overwhelming that there was no need for a picket line, around 110,000 workers had stayed of work, affecting all large enterprises in the sector, such as Goldfields, Harmony and AngloGold Ashanti. The compromise was reached between the South African Chamber of Mines, negotiating on behalf of the gold companies, and the trade unions, agreeing on a pay rise between 6 and 7%.

Wage Gains End South African Gold Mining Strike

In Canada, a tentative agreement was reached in Miramichi, New Brunswick, on 13 August, between the workers at the UPM Kymmene mill, represented by CEP Local 689, and the company management. The result of 12 days of negotiations, this agreement is hoped to be the start of a solution that would bring an eight-month long struggle to an end, which shut down paper production completely in Miramichi. Amongst the 700 employees on strike for a new collective agreement are 400 former employees from the kraft pulp mill, which closed permanently in December 2004. Issues such as severance and pensions were part of the contract under discussion. A large majority of the members of Local 689 has in the meantime voted in favour of the proposed agreement.

Canadian Paper Strike Ends in Miramichi, New Brunswick

Seven separate coal mine disasters in China over the past month have claimed 102 lives. On 3 August, 13 miners suffocated after a wooden support caught fire with flames spreading throughout shafts rapidly. The fire occurred at the illegal Taodingshan mine, Handan county, Hebei province. A day earlier on 2 August, a gas leak caused an explosion at the privately-run legal mine of Xingfa in Wenshu township, Henan province,killing 26. Managers of the mine fled the scene after the deadly accident.On 27 July, 14 miners perished due to a gas blast and ventilation shaft collapse at the village-run Fengxiangpo coal mine, Kaiyang county, Guizhou province. On 23 July, four miners were poisoned and died underground by gas at a mine in Tanghou village, Shaanxi province. And in the same province on 19 July at the Jinsuo mine near Tongchaun, 26 coal miners were killed when a gas explosion occurred. On 17 July, four miners were trapped by flooding while three escaped at the small-scale Xigou mine in Xin&rsquo;an county, Henan province. On 14 July, a faulty explosives detonation caused collapse of an underground cave full of water, drowning 16 miners. That happened at the Fusheng mine near Xingning city, Guangdong province. Authorities in China on 21 July closed a total of 5,290 mines in which owners had failed to apply for safety permits.

Death Again Visits China&#039;s Coal Mines

IGBCE has undertaken action plans together with the German government and employers in order to implement sustainable family practices across Germany. The tripartite Alliance for the Family was announced 28 July and includes policies for work councils and spells out the roles of trade unions and politicians for creating family-friendly work environments. The Alliance for the Family endorses three specific areas for better work-life balance: parental leave provisions, strong child care programmes, and family monetary allowances. IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt said Germany&rsquo;s federal government has delivered on family monetary allowances and now it must be the goal of the Alliance to find better compatibility between family and work.&nbsp;Read the IGBCE&#039;s&nbsp;press release <a href="/index.php?id=22&amp;doc=1406&amp;la=DE">here</a> (in German)&nbsp;

IGBCE Spearheads Family Values Agenda in Germany

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Both South Korea&rsquo;s national centers are ready for a general strike in early July if the ruling Uri Party pushes through a non-regular workers&rsquo; bill, aimed at undermining workplace rights and union protections. Members of the Democratic Labor Party, backed by trade unions, have staged sit-ins in the Assembly to block the measure, which would give companies in 26 business sectors the right to extend contract or agency labour for up to three years. 
The FKTU is joined by the larger and generally more conservative Korean Federation of Trade Unions in calling for the general strike. &ldquo;The Parliamentary committee on labor and environmental issues is poised to railroad the bill as drafted by government regardless of the argument made during the three-party negotiations. We will not hesitate to launch a general strike,&rdquo; FKTU said in a statement.

South Korea Braces for General Strike over Irregular Workers&#039; Bill

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A branch leader of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) was run over and killed by a cement mixing truck 14 June while striking with ICEM-affiliated FKTU-Chemical Workers Union. Kim Tae-hwan, leader of the Chungju branch of FKTU, was killed when police ordered a replacement driver through a picket line at cement company Sajo Remicon. 
Drivers are seeking to unionise with FKTU-Chemical Workers Union and gain permanent work status, as well as qualify for full rights under Korea&rsquo;s Labor Standards Act. They have been on recognition strikes since 8 June at three cement companies. The drivers are considered selfemployed contract workers, contrary to union beliefs. On 18 June, 6,000 workers together with other activists rallied at the city hall of Chungju demanding accountability for Kim&rsquo;s murder, including accountability of ten police officers that were at the picket line scene on 14 June.

Korean Labour Leader Killed on the Picket Line

Archive

Tension Remians at Jordanian Phosphatre Mine

Flooding Kills 120 at Illegal Guangdong Province Mine

Mass Protests over Oil Exports in Ecuador, Nigeria

Unions Fear SA Electric Merger Migh Mean Job Cuts

Wage Gains End South African Gold Mining Strike

Canadian Paper Strike Ends in Miramichi, New Brunswick

Death Again Visits China's Coal Mines

IGBCE Spearheads Family Values Agenda in Germany

South Korea Braces for General Strike over Irregular Workers' Bill

Korean Labour Leader Killed on the Picket Line

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