English

Español

Français

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action Plan 2025-2029

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Campaigns

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Women

Youth

LGBTQI+

Gender, equality, diversity and inclusion (GEDI)

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

New labour agreements covering more than 8,000 workers at nine Bridgestone/Firestone plants in the United States were overwhelmingly approved by union members in secret-ballot ratification votes over the past 10 days. 
 
The master agreement between the tyre multinational and the United Steelworkers of America (USWA) was expanded to cover seven Bridgestone/Firestone plants, and was approved by a nearly 4-1 margin. Separate agreements for two other facilities were adopted by margins of 10-1 and 17-1 respectively. All three contracts expire on April 23, 2003, and negotiations for successor agreements will all take place in the same location. 
 
Highlights of the master agreement include: 
 
Restoration of full cost-of-living protections. Coupled with general wage increases of US$0.65 over the life of the agreement, the 100% cost-of-living payments could generate a total wage increase of $2.30 per hour by 2003, based on recent inflation history. 
 
 
Pension benefits of $50 per month per year of service at all locations. A worker retiring with 30 years of service would receive a guaranteed pension of $1,500 per month, a 47% increase over the previous agreement. 
 
 
A nearly 700% increase in the early retirement supplement, from $50 to $340 a month. 
 
 
Extended supplemental unemployment benefits, which will pay workers with 10 or more years of service an additional 13 weeks of benefits at 80% of their average weekly wage once state unemployment benefits are exhausted. Workers with 20 or more years of service receive an additional 26 weeks of benefits. 
 
 
Significant improvements in health care and other insurance benefits with no employee contributions at any location. 
 
 
New language designed to preserve and expand skilled trades at Bridgestone/Firestone plants by limiting the company&rsquo;s right to subcontract maintenance work. 
 
 
Vastly improved health and safety provisions. 
 
 
Seniority improvements at all locations, giving workers greater control over their working lives. 
 
The two other agreements are broadly similar. 
 
The deals are a major success for the American union - and for organised labour in Bridgestone worldwide. 
 
Bridgestone workers' unions on all continents had pressed the company to reach a US settlement, as had the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the USWA is affiliated at the global level. 
 
Worldwide union support for the American workers was mobilised via the global network of unions in Bridgestone recently set up by the ICEM.

Bridgestone US Agreements Approved

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
Spanish affiliate FITEQA-CCOO conducted a meeting 24-26 October in Brazil of workers employed for Repsol YPF, the world&rsquo;s tenth largest private oil company headquartered in Spain. 
The meeting, coordinated by FITEQA-CCOO&rsquo;s Isidor Boix and Helio Seidel of FUP Brazil, served as a start for making concrete improvements for workers of Repsol in Latin America. A second such meeting will be held next year in Argentina, the country with the second highest number of Repsol employees after Spain. 
The conclusions of the meeting can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0511conclusionesBrazil.pdf">here</a> (in Spanish and Portuguese only).

Spanish Union Aids Repsol Networking in South America

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
Croatian ICEM affiliate Autonomous Trade Union in Power Industry, Chemistry and Non-Metal Industry (EKN) has a merger agreement in place with another powerful union in the Balkan country. 
On 19 October, EKN&rsquo;s Main Committee and the committee of the Metalworkers&rsquo; Trade Union of Croatia (SMH) signed a declaration of intent to merge to create the Confederation of the Trade Union of Metal and Chemical Industries.
The two unions will hold concurrent congresses in 2006 to formalize the merger, and a two-year process is proposed to coordinate the merger of affiliated unions into the new trade union, which will be independent and free from political party association.

ICEM Affiliate in Croatia to Merge with Metalworkers Union

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
The ICEM has issued an urgent Circular to all affiliates for solidarity action on behalf of a branch of the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) of Canada concerning a five-month strike at a plant of Invista, a global chemicals company owned by US-based Koch Industries.
The Circular can be found at <a href="/?id=155&amp;doc=1464">/?id=155&amp;doc=1464</a>&nbsp;and will be available in all statutory languages by clicking the respective language at the top-left of the homepage. ICEM has provided two model letters, one to the CEP local union as a sign of support, the other a protest letter to management in the US.

Urgent Action Needed in Support of Striking Canadian Union

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
Belgian affiliate FGTB-ABVV was joined by two other trade unions 28 October in a second general strike against government plans to raise the nation&rsquo;s voluntary early retirement age from 58 to 60. 
<img height="234" alt="" src="" width="350" />
The center-left governing coalition led by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has conceded to several demands put forward by FGTB-ABVV over end of career issues and adequate funding of social security. But the age for early retirement is still outstanding. 
<img height="234" alt="" src="" width="350" />
A 7 October strike that did not include formal endorsement of Christian union CSC-ACV and the Liberals CGSLB-ACLVB paralyzed the nation of ten million, and the two unions decided to join FGTB-ABVV in the 28 October action.

Second Belgian General Strike Aimed at Retaining Early Retirement

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
In ten days, the world will remember the tenth anniversary of the hanging of Nigerian human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa by that country&rsquo;s then military dictatorship. 
<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="300" />
Ken Wiwa, son of Ken Saro-Wiwa, London Mayor Ken Livingstone, and Anita Roddick, environmental campaigner and head of Bodyshop Company 
(photo: Sion Touhig)
On 10 November 1995, Saro-Wiwa, a writer, environmentalist and leader of the Ogoni people of Nigeria&rsquo;s delta who sought to free his people from the bonds of Shell Oil, was sent to the gallows along with eight other activists. He stood for the reality&mdash;current today as it was then&mdash;that social and environmental justice and the rights of citizens residing in oil producing regions must be protected in a world dominated by oil politics. 
One of several memorials to Saro-Wiwa will be erected in the UK at Jubilee Gardens, which lies across the road from Shell&rsquo;s London headquarters.

Ken Saro-Wiwa: Commemoration of a Human Rights Hero

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
ICEM affiliate Pan-Hellenic Federation of Employees in Petroleum Products&mdash;Refineries and Chemical Industry in Greece is engaged in a dispute with Chevron over the company&rsquo;s restructuring measures. 
On 12-13 October, 78 clerical and technical staff of Chevron&rsquo;s Lubricants Division involved in transport and storage operations struck over the company&rsquo;s disregard of terms in the national Collective Agreement for petroleum products and liquid gases. 
Despite social dialogue and consultation that did not reach mutual accord, Chevron has unilaterally imposed job cuts in certain departments and has said there could be further retrenchments to meet company-set competitiveness goals. 
The ICEM has intervened in the dispute with US-based Chevron.

US-based Chevron Causing Problems for ICEM’s Greek Oil Affiliate

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
FNV Bondgenoten, an ICEM affiliate, and Christian union CNV Chemie will strike Shell Nederland this week after the company on 28 October refused to withdraw a demand over changes in energy workers&rsquo; pension scheme. 
<img height="87" alt="" src="" width="150" />
Workers are to meet on 31 October at an oil refinery in Pernis and a chemical facility in Moerdijk to finalize strike plans, and Shell workers at other locations are expected also to commence strikes. Shell has proposed to the Central Works Council and to the unions that the pension age be raised from 60 to 65, with all Shell workers paying contributions on future pension premiums. Currently, Shell employees earning &euro;60,000 or less annually are exempt for payments toward early retirement. 
The unions contend Shell itself must maximize premium payments to ensure adequate pensions for workers choosing to retire early. Workers at NAM Nederland BV in Groningen, the joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil that is Europe&rsquo;s largest onshore gas field, also fall under the Shell pension scheme and also are considering a strike.

FNV Bondgenoten Braced to Strike Shell in NL

ICEM-JAF Conducts Informative 30th Anniversary Congress 
<img height="263" alt="" src="" width="350" />
The Japanese Affiliates Federation of ICEM (ICEM-JAF) conducted its 30th Anniversary Congress on 28 October in Tokyo and together with ICEM trade union affiliates from 14 other Asia-Pacific nations, held an action-oriented seminar the day prior on the growing menace of HIV/AIDS in the region. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
Both ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs and Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator Hans Schwass presented ICEM&rsquo;s ongoing work on the pandemic to the assembled trade union leaders, who vowed to strengthen the Global Union Federation&rsquo;s work on the issue both worldwide and in the Asia-Pacific Region. The union leaders will organise a broad and high-developed workshop in HIV/AIDS in 2006 in the Asia-Pacific Region. 
<img height="263" alt="" src="" width="350" />
 
The 27 October seminar also focused on REACH, the European Union&rsquo;s proposed directive on the regulation of chemicals. On REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals), delegates discussed an international response to the directive, focusing on the effect REACH will have on Asia-Pacific&rsquo;s chemicals industry. At the European level, ICEM&rsquo;s sister trade union federation EMCEF is coordinating trade union responses there on the directive and with ICEM, has briefed trade unions globally on REACH developments. 
 
&ldquo;Asia-Pacific is unique in ICEM terms because it is a region with modern and developed economies with strong and vibrant trade unions, as well as one with developing economies and newly organised trade unions,&rdquo; stated Higgs. 
 
&ldquo;Historically, ICEM-JAF has engaged with us on global projects, and the 30th Anniversary commemoration today reflects a renewed commitment of continued assistance to the ICEM for coordination with all our trade union affiliates across the region,&rdquo; Higgs added. 
 
Kiyoshi Ochiai chairs ICEM-JAF, and Toshio Sato is general secretary. 
 
Founded in the mid-1970s, ICEM-JAF encompasses nine Japanese unions, representing a total of one million workers. ICEM, based in Brussels, Belgium, represents 20 million workers that are affiliated to 389 industrial unions in 122 countries.

Japanese Affiliates Strengthen HIV/AIDS Fight

<img height="55" src="" width="138" alt="" />
The first issue of ICEM&rsquo;s e-bulletin on HIV/AIDS was published in early October and can be found on the GUF&rsquo;s website, <a href="http://www.icem.org">www.icem.org</a>. 
The e-bulletin will be a regular monthly feature to ICEM&rsquo;s information strategy on the pandemic, and gives useful links to materials and websites for union activists who desire to deepen their knowledge on the fight against HIV/AIDS.

ICEM&#039;s HIV/AIDS Project Gets Newsletter

Archive

Bridgestone US Agreements Approved

Spanish Union Aids Repsol Networking in South America

ICEM Affiliate in Croatia to Merge with Metalworkers Union

Urgent Action Needed in Support of Striking Canadian Union

Second Belgian General Strike Aimed at Retaining Early Retirement

Ken Saro-Wiwa: Commemoration of a Human Rights Hero

US-based Chevron Causing Problems for ICEM’s Greek Oil Affiliate

FNV Bondgenoten Braced to Strike Shell in NL

Japanese Affiliates Strengthen HIV/AIDS Fight

ICEM's HIV/AIDS Project Gets Newsletter

About IndustriALL

Follow us

Contact us