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A pattern oil bargaining agreement for 30,000 US workers was reached last week, a year before the current four-year labour agreement was due to expire. ICEM affiliate PACE and Shell came to terms on a three-year extension that will now be carried to other oil companies primarily operating in the US downstream sector. The contract contains wage gains of 3.5% for 2006, 3.5% in 2007, and 3.7% in 2008, plus gives workers a US$1,500 ratification bonus. Perhaps most importantly, however, as a measure to address a problem common in many US labour-management talks is creation of a joint union/management Health Care Strategic Committee that will devise solutions to lessen the impact of soaring health costs on all parties.

PACE Gets US Oil Bargaining Pattern with Deal at Shell

Forest Industries Federation of Finland has provoked an industrial dispute with paperworkers represented by affiliate Paperiliitto. Since late in 2004 when the employers&rsquo; federation dropped from the national incomes policy agreement, it has engaged in a consistent pattern of intentionally not coming to any deal with the union. The foot-dragging has caused Paperiliitto to issue an overtime ban, which began 30 March. The union represents 29,000 paperworkers in the sector. Paperiliitto has charged employers with breaking a &ldquo;principle on equality&rdquo; commitment in negotiations.

Finnish Paper Employers Provoke Industrial Dispute

<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
ICEM Workshop on HIV/AIDS and women workers in Latin America and the Caribbean
A workshop to plan activities on HIV/AIDS with special focus on gender issues was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 30-31 May 2007. The meeting opened by identifying the prejudices in connection with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has to be taken out of the private sphere. It is easier to tackle if it is discussed in public and in the unions. Women have to stop being victims. 
 
In the Caribbean, the region which is currently most affected by HIV after Africa, the Oil Workers Trade Union (OWTU) of Trinidad and Tobago has been working with the ILO. There is still a stigma about HIV and fear of disclosure and discrimination. The OWTU is currently negotiating a policy with the state-owned oil company Petrotrin. It is more difficult to negotiate with small employers 
 
Two important observations are that deaths have gone down since anti-retroviral drugs have become more affordable and that, still, more women are getting sick than men. 
 
A presentation was made on the correct use of condoms, with special emphasis on the female condom. The suggestion was made that ICEM should campaign with governments and international organisations for female condoms to be made available at more reasonable cost. In addition, Maria Luisa from FEQUIMFAR, Brazil talked about her experiences of being HIV positive in a very moving speech. 
 
The conclusions for unions to take the work forward varied greatly. In Costa Rica, for example, where work has not started, the union proposed creating awareness and called for a conference to be scheduled in October, where men and women should be invited. World AIDS Day, 1 December, should be a good day for union-company campaigns. Similar suggestions came from Uruguay and Colombia. 
 
CNQ-CUT, Brazil, proposed developing new clauses in collective bargaining agreements to eliminate discrimination and victimisation and guarantee medicines for those at work. 
 
HIV/AIDS should be included in health courses and the FORMAQUIMULHER women&rsquo;s training courses. The gender and health committees should work in partnership and &lsquo;train the trainers&rsquo; programs should include collective bargaining on HIV/AIDS. 
 
The SNQ-FS union, Brazil, suggested continuing the Summer Without AIDS program all year. This programme has been successful since 1995. The programme seeks to check where testing is done and includes HIV tests in preventive treatment. The use of the female condom is also encouraged. 
 
In Chile, women want to check all clauses in collective agreements to see if HIV/AIDS is adequate covered. They want to consult the company&rsquo;s medical services to find out what the company has been doing. And the women unionists would also analyse the company&rsquo;s position and propose common platforms on HIV/AIDS. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Women&rsquo;s Rights Key to Africa&rsquo;s AIDS Crisis
Improving women&rsquo;s rights could boost the battle against HIV/AIDS in southern African countries, where women are often forced into risky sexual behaviour by male partners or economic desperation. 
 
Physicians for Human Rights said its study of 2,000 women in Botswana and Swaziland showed that inequality and gender discrimination were major factors behind the pandemic in these countries. 
 
The impact of women&rsquo;s lack of power cannot be underestimated. In Africa, women make up almost 60 percent of HIV-positive people; in the age group 15-25 years, this soars to 75 percent. 
 
Economic dependency on men meant that women often lose control of their sexual choices, including whether or not to use a condom. Social inequality meant that men and women are held to different standards of behaviour when it comes to multiple sexual partners. The report can be accessed at 
<a href="http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf">http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/ 
reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf</a>
(Source: Reuters World Report, 25 May) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
China: Infection Rate among Women Increases by 43%
In China, more and more women are infected with the HIV virus. Between 2000 and 2006, their proportion increased from 19.4 percent to 27.8 percent of all infected, an increase of 43 percent. 
 
(Source: NZZ, Switzerland, 6 June &ndash; from Xinhua News Agency) 
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G8 Summit: Unions Condemn Backsliding on AIDS
Trade unions joined HIV/AIDS activists in condemning the Summit in Germany for backsliding on its promise for universal access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010. In the final communiqu&eacute;, the G8 had almost halved its goal by targeting only 5 million in Africa with life-saving antiretroviral drugs. 
 
On the other hand, progress was made towards better G8 monitoring. This year, a first-ever monitoring exercise was undertaken. The Global Union AIDS Programme has lobbied for this provision over the last two years. It must now become an enduring and effective working tool for the G8. 
 
The G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005 committed to reaching universal access, which is defined by UNAIDS as 80% coverage. Between 10 and 12 million people will need treatment by 2010, yet the same leaders now have only set a target of 5 million in the &ldquo;next few years&rdquo;. 
 
The G8 has vaguely promised to spend USD 60 billion on AIDS, TB, malaria (for all three diseases, not just for AIDS) as well as to strengthen health systems, without clarifying aims or timelines, specifying only that it will be spent &ldquo;over the coming years&rdquo;. UNAIDS estimates show that, by 2010, USD 23 billion will be needed for AIDS alone, each year. The G8 fair share of this figure would be almost USD 16 billion. 
 
&ldquo;Africa will suffer greatly if the commitment is scaled back&rdquo;, said Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa who is also the Executive Director of the Zambia National AIDS Network and the representative for non-governmental organisations from developing countries on the Board of the Global Fund, where she currently serves as Vice-Chair. 
 
(Source: Global Union AIDS Programme Press Release, 8 June; TUAC Press Release, 8 June; World AIDS Campaign Press Release, 7 June and PR Newswire, Lusaka, 5 June)
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Global Fund Releases Report on Participation of Civil Society
Civil society (CS) has played a key role in the design and development of the Global Fund, and in the response to AIDS, TB and malaria, but some challenges remain if the contribution of CS is to be maximised. This is the main message of a new report released by the Global Fund, &ldquo;An Evolving Partnership: The Global Fund and Civil Society in the Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.&rdquo; 
 
The 49-page report describes the participation of CS in four main areas: advocacy and resource mobilisation; the Board and governance of the Fund; CCMs; and the implementation of Global Fund grants. The report also describes how the Global Fund Secretariat works with CS. The report summarizes the history of CS involvement in the response to pandemics, and describes the comparative advantages of CS. 
 
The report says that, throughout the development and evolution of the Global Fund, CS has encouraged governments to commit more resources; that CS representatives have played a valuable role on the Fund&rsquo;s Board, on CCMs and in programme implementation; and that CS has proven effective in targeting and delivering services to hard-to-reach communities. 
 
Supporting this view on CS involvement, a recent statistical analysis published in The Lancet found that Global Fund grants where the Principal Recipient (PR) is not a government entity are somewhat more likely to perform well. Grants in which the PR is from civil society, private sector, or a UN agency were 17% more likely to receive an &quot;A&quot; performance rating than grants for which the PR is from government. 
 
The authors note that this is probably because government agencies often have problems with bureaucracy and capacity. This, in turn, helps validate the GF Board's recent decision that countries should be encouraged to assign non-government PRs to operate alongside government ones. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 76, 15 June 2007. GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>. To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>).
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
The World Bank&rsquo;s Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa
In a report on the activities of the Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa (MAP) from 2000 to 2006, released on 14 June, the World Bank notes that &ldquo;mobilisation of empowered grassroots communities, along with delivering condoms and life-saving treatments, are beginning to slow the pace of the continent&rsquo;s epidemic.&rdquo; 
 
At its inception, MAP was the most important source of funds for HIV/AIDS work in Africa, but funding from other sources, notably the Global Fund, has since increased considerably. Almost USD 1.3 billion was invested over six years. 
 
MAP funds were disbursed to around 41,000 different organisations. MAP has also helped to establish 1,512 new Voluntary Counselling and Testing sites in 17 countries. 
 
The full report is available on the World Bank&rsquo;s website <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21370918~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html">here</a>. 
 
(Source: allAfrica.com News, 18 June) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Zimbabwe: HIV/AIDS Policy for the Mining Sector 
The recent launch of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector in Zimbabwe is an important step in the fight against the pandemic, which is wrecking havoc in one of the country&rsquo;s major economic sectors. 
 
The policy, which was formulated after extensive consultations between tripartite partners, aims to guide and direct the process of dealing with HIV and AIDS in the workplace at all levels of the mining sector. 
 
Government departments, the Chamber of Mines and the Associated Mine Workers&rsquo; Union of Zimbabwe, an ICEM affiliate, worked together with the ILO to produce the mining policy. 
 
Key principles of the policy include the recognition that HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue, non-discrimination, non-victimisation and confidentiality. 
 
Implementation strategies require enterprises to put in place their own programmes and allocate time, human and financial resources. Workers must be involved in programme formulation, implantation, monitoring and evaluation. 
 
(Source: The Herald, Harare, 7June 2007) 
 
(Note by the editor of the e-bulletin: The Herald is a newspaper controlled by the Mugabe regime. While the conclusion of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector is very good news, it is difficult to understand how in a country with some 80% unemployment, the collapse of the health system, an ever-increasing inflation rate that has reached more than 4,000% recently and the complete depletion of foreign exchange reserves, effective follow-up measures in prevention, treatment and care can be taken.) 
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News from ILOAIDS 
 
At a meeting in Geneva during the International Labour Conference, Labour ministers from the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) resolved to establish a SAARC Forum on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) launched its HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme in collaboration with the Namibia Development Foundation. This programme will encourage and support integrated HIV/AIDS interventions including behaviour change, measures for care, support and treatment and the elimination of stigma and discrimination. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
News from the Global Union Programme and Global Union Federations
The Global Unions AIDS Programme organised a sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop for Burkina Faso and C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire in Abidjan, 6-8 June. 27 unionists participated in this workshop; the ICEM was represented by the national HIV/AIDS Coordinator in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (no. 22 and 23 of 1 and 15 June) the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF - <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>) reports, among other things, on its workshop on HIV/AIDS in the Arab world; on the HIV/AIDS situation in the Caribbean; on the Jamaican Senate passing a motion to prohibit HIV screening of prospective workers and on the ITF Regional Workshop for the Caribbean in Georgetown, Guyana. 
 
In its most recent newsletter on EFA and HIV/AIDS Prevention at Schools, the Education International (EI) has published, among other, articles on a new television programme in Botswana aired in schools across the country and on the meeting of the Inter Agency Task Team on Education and HIV/AIDS - <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 21

28 April &ndash; International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers 
Workers throughout the world participated in activities to commemorate the millions of workers who died, were injured or became ill due to unsafe, unhealthy or unsustainable workplaces. Focus of the activities this year was the call of the international trade union movement for a total ban of asbestos and the fight against HIV/AIDS. 
 
In a massive campaign international and national union bodies called on G8 governments to establish a permanent high-level G8 Working Group on HIV/AIDS at their forthcoming summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Such a working group will help G8 countries achieve commitments made at the 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, for universal access to treatment by 2010 and to the development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. (<a href="/?id=72&amp;doc=1729&amp;la=EN">See also e-bulletin No. 7, April 2006</a>). 
 
Global Unions have updated their workbook, which reports on ICD activities. It can be accessed at <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/"></a><a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_4c.EN.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_4c.EN.pdf</a>. 
 
The ILO, as the current chair of the Committee of Co-sponsoring Organisations of UNAIDS, put the spotlight on HIV/AIDS as a workplace issue and produced a report, &ldquo;Decent Work &ndash; Safe Work &ndash; HIV/AIDS.&rdquo; 
 
Global Unions Advisory Committee 
 
The Advisory Committee of the Global Unions Programme on HIV/AIDS met in Geneva from 4 to 6 April. The committee, which brings together representatives of all Global Unions, funding organisations and the ILO and UNAIDS, developed a strategic work plan for 2006 and 2007 and a joint action plan for interventions at major events. The overall objectives of the GU Programme are: 
<ul>
 <li>Make HIV and AIDS a priority issue for trade unions </li>
 <li>Strengthen capacity of trade unions&nbsp; </li>
 <li>Develop partnerships to position trade unions within the AIDS response&nbsp; </li>
 <li>Mobilise resources, especially at country level. </li>
</ul>
Go to <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/hiv-aids">www.global-unions.org/hiv-aids</a>&nbsp;for more information on the programme. 
 
 
High Level Meeting on AIDS 
 
The United Nations General Assembly will undertake a comprehensive review of the progress made in achieving the targets agreed by member states at the 2001 General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS), which adopted the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. The review will take place during a high-level meeting at the UN Head Office in New York City from 31 May to 2 June. 
 
The UN produced two reports, which can be accessed on the UNAIDS website www.unaids.org: a report on progress made until the end of 2005, entitled &ldquo;Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS: Five Years Later&rdquo; and &ldquo;Towards Universal Access: Assessment by UNAIDS on Scaling Up HIV Prevention, Treatment, Care and Support.&rdquo; 
In his foreword to the progress report, the UN Secretary General warned, &ldquo;Failure to urgently strengthen the AIDS response will mean that the world will achieve neither the 2010 targets of the Declaration of Commitment nor Millennium Goal 6.&rdquo; 
(Note: the wording &ldquo;universal access to treatment by 2010&rdquo; has mutated in some official documents to &ldquo;coming as close as possible to universal access to treatment by 2010.&rdquo;) 
 
Civil society organisations and trade unions will be represented at this important event. The South African government objected to the participation of the Treatment Action Campaign and two other NGOs and refused their accreditation. 
 
 
Bangladesh 
 
The ICEM-affiliated Bangladesh Chemical, Energy and Allied Workers&rsquo; Federation is getting involved in the fight against the pandemic. In a wide-ranging report to the ICEM, the Federation pinpoints the dangers which high-risk behaviours pose. 
Although the overall prevalence rate in Bangladesh is still very low, a large commercial sex industry, low levels of condom use and needle sharing among drug users contribute to a slow but steady increase in the infection rate. The Union is getting involved in awareness raising campaigns and the promotion of prevention. 
 
 
World Bank Suspends US$60 million AIDS project in Ukraine 
 
The World Bank has suspended a US$60 million project on combating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis because of the government&rsquo;s failure to implement the project. Only 2% of the funds earmarked in January 2004 have been spent. This is a major tragedy for the people who need treatment in this country, which has one of the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in Europe. 
(Comment: While a series of political crises&rsquo; may have contributed to this development, the World Bank may also have failed to include capacity building into such a large project). 
 
(Source: Kyiv Post, 12 April 2006) 
 
 
Life Expectancy in Zimbabwe &ndash; World Health Report 2006 
 
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published the 2006 World Health Report in advance of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, 22-26 May. 
 
Outstanding from the mass of data are the statistics for the life expectancy in Zimbabwe, which at an average of 36 years is lower than anywhere else in the world. The high mortality rate of people at a young age is largely due to death caused by AIDS. 
Ten years ago, life expectancy was still 56 years. Zimbabwe is the only country in the world where women have a lower life expectancy (34 years) than men (37 years). Behaviour change may have contributed to a falling HIV infection rate in the country in recent years but more tragically a lower rate at this stage of the pandemic is probably due to the high death rate. People who have died of AIDS are no longer included in the statistics of people living with HIV/AIDS. 
 
By the end of 2005, only 20,000 people in Zimbabwe were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The target was 145,000 people, around half of the total of 295,000 believed to require the drugs. 
 
 
Global Fund Phase 2 Renewals 
 
Only 23% of the 124 Global Fund grants that have reached the end of their second year have met or exceeded the performance targets that were set by the applicants when they submitted their original proposals. This constitutes an A rating. 
(Note: Global Fund grants are approved for five years but are reviewed and rated after two years. The Fund can then decide whether a grant receives funding for Phase 2, i.e. years 3 to 5).
The rest of the grants received a B1 or B2 rating with a conditional or revised go-ahead. Only two grants received a C rating, which means that no funding is approved for Phase 2 (Senegal and South Africa). 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 56 of 17 April 2006) 
 
Theoretically, the Fund has the right to terminate grants at any stage, not only after a Phase 1 review. The Global Fund Board meeting on 27-28 April applied this exceptional procedure to two HIV grants worth some US$81 million to Nigeria on the grounds of inadequate performance. One of the grants was supposed to have 14,000 people on ARV treatment by the end of the first year, but the actual number was zero. 
 
On continuation of services, the Board agreed that in cases where people have started treatment on ARVs or for TB, financial support for such treatment would not automatically stop when a grant is terminated. 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 57 of 1 May 2006) 
 
Note: The Global Fund Observer is an independent source of news, analysis and commentary about the GFATM. To receive it, you can send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. The subject line and text can be left blank. 
 
 
News from ILOAIDS 
 
The ILOAIDS website <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids">www.ilo.org/aids</a>&nbsp;now features country profiles with information on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. They are also linked to new pages providing details of project activities. The 15 countries, which are so far included, can be found on the roll-down menu on the left side of the screen. 
 
ILOAIDS has made available, on its website, a tool kit for the workplace on Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) jointly published with Family Health International. The tool kit provides a step-by-step approach, emphasising prevention through education, gender awareness and practical support for behaviour change. 
 
 
Resource Pack on Gender and HIV/AIDS 
 
The UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Gender and HIV/AIDS developed a resource pack. It aims to strengthen the impact of national HIV/AIDS programmes by tackling a key underlying factor that fuels the epidemic: gender inequality. 
The resources pack contains an Operational Guide on a rights-based approach, a Review Paper on Integrating Gender into HIV/AIDS Programmes and 17 Fact Sheets with concise information on gender-related aspects of HIV/AIDS. The resource pack can be accessed at <a href="http://www.unfpa.org">www.unfpa.org</a>. 
 
 
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
<a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1790">/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1790</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 8

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
In Belgium on 1 May, trade unionist Paul Lootens and historians Marie-Louise De Roeck and Julie Urbain will unveil their new book, Tutti Cadaveri: The Trial of the Catastrophe at the Bois du Cazier in Marcinelle. The book depicts the aftermath of Belgium&rsquo;s worst mining tragedy in history, a fire that raged inside a coal mine near the Wallonian town of Marcinelle, killing 262 miners. 
 
The tragedy occurred on 8 August 1956 and the book marks the 50th anniversary of the devastating loss of so many lives. The book&rsquo;s title, Tutti Cadaveri, comes from an Italian rescuer who, after surfacing from the mine, said, &ldquo;All corpses.&rdquo; 
<img height="127" src="" width="120" alt="" />
The book is available from Aden Publishers for &euro;22 and can be ordered from Aden by contacting editionsaden@skynet.be, or calling +32 2534 46 61. The ICEM will bring further attention to the 50th Anniversary events as the August date draws closer.

May Day Launch of Book on Marcinelle Coal Mine Tragedy

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Amicus Union in the UK has launched a massive fundraising effort among members to raise money for sanitary products for women in Zimbabwe. The campaign, announced on 26 April, came after Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions&rsquo; (ZCTU) Women&rsquo;s Committee Chairperson Thabitha Khumalo gave moving accounts at an Amicus conference and regional events on how women are forced to bear the brunt of the economic crisis gripping Zimbabwe. 
<img height="62" alt="" src="" width="120" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="60" alt="" src="" width="120" />
Sanitary pads cost about a third of a woman&rsquo;s monthly wage, and most women have resorted to newspapers and rags, causing infections. Recently, Amicus was a party to bringing one million sanitary pads into Zimbabwe from South Africa. 
Fundraising efforts will now develop into a monthly project in which sanitary products will be distributed free of charge through the ZCTU. The products will be sourced in Zimbabwe, which will prevent the government of Robert Mugabe from blocking shipments as it has attempted to do in the past.

UK’s Amicus Union Launches Campaign to Aid Zimbabwean Women

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A coal mine blast in China that killed four women on 6 April has drawn angry responses from women&rsquo;s groups. Nine miners died when the explosion occurred at Dongtang Coal Mine in central Hunan Province. Production at the mine had been suspended earlier this year when owners had failed to apply for a work safety certificate. Since 1993, Chinese mine safety law forbids women from working in underground mines. 
 
The gas blast, in which five miners&mdash;including two women&mdash;managed to escape, caused local police to detain owners and investors of the enterprise. But the production manager of the Dongtang Mine and his wife fled the area as soon as word of the blast occurred. 
 
In a another mine catastrophe, seven miners died and four were injured on 11 April when a shaft collapsed at the Tanhan Coal Mine in Shanxi Province.

Chinese Coal Mine Blast Kills Four Women

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
With the supply of European energy sources becoming increasingly political, German affiliate IGBCE has called on the EU to update its coal regulatory policies in order to become less reliant on imported resources. In a letter to the European Commission calling on consultation to begin on re-working a 2002 regulation on coal mining, IGBCE said it is strategically important for the EU to have access to domestic raw materials. 
 
&ldquo;The development of world energy markets with dramatic price increases and increasing energy use,&rdquo; said IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt, &ldquo;makes it clear that Germany and Europe cannot let go of its own energy sources.&rdquo; The union continues to advocate for a balanced energy mix, but says the Commission&rsquo;s regulation must include promotion of domestic hard coal beyond the year 2010.

IGBCE Calls on EU to Develop Domestic Energy Sources

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Contract workers for Goodyear Tire &amp; Rubber in Bangkok, Thailand, won another victory for fairness and justice recently. Goodyear was ordered by the country&rsquo;s Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to reinstate 18 contract workers&mdash;some working up to 10 years under single-year term agreements&mdash;who were sacked last year for attempting to exert collective bargaining rights. The contract workers are members of the Tyre Makers Union, which is affiliated to ICEM member Chemical Federation of Thailand (PCFT). 
<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The workers, employed in rubber stock and warehouse operations of Goodyear&rsquo;s 40-year-old factory in Bangkok, now will press again for collective bargaining rights. A hearing on that matter was held in a separate court on 26 April, but an outcome was delayed by a new judge who was just assigned to the case. 
 
Goodyear found itself under considerable pressure last October when it discharged the contract workers, in spite of deducting union dues from them through a check-off system for as long as four years. In an effort to correct its mistake, the American-based company halted direct employment of contract workers, and brought in a labour agency to handle employment. 
 
Eighteen of 25 contract workers refused employment with the agency, preferring instead full-time employment with Goodyear. The IRC ruling in early April calls for Goodyear to reinstate the workers. Two of the 18 contract workers cited in the victory have passed away in the meantime, one due to heart disease in 2005, the other of cancer the day before the IRC issued its ruling.

Contract Workers Triumph at Goodyear in Thailand

<img height="45" alt="" src="" width="80" />
In Finland on 1 May, a new policy takes effect that will no longer restrict the free movement of labour from the new EU Member States. Over the past two years, since the addition of ten new countries into the EU, Finnish control mechanisms have been put in place through a subscriber liability law. The legislation now makes it harder to abuse foreign workers, and also puts meaningful stops to the grey economy. 
 
Companies are now obligated to investigate the handling of taxation, social security payments and work practices of their subcontractors. The Finnish government will also seek to tighten control over foreign agency labour through a new policy that requires foreign workers from EU states to register at an employment bureau within two weeks of arrival. Finnish trade unions have fully endorsed the policy changes. 
<img height="42" alt="" src="" width="80" />
In the United States on May Day, a day that bosses in the late 19th century stripped of significance so that American workers would not have the same Labour Day, immigrant workers will wage a general strike as well as a consumer strike. The strikes are further protests against restrictive measures against immigrants that have surfaced in the US Congress. 
The day will vividly illustrate not only the jobs that immigrants fill in America, but also the purchasing power they have in the marketplace. Leading up to the twin strikes, businesses and companies in several large US cities have fired thousands of migrant workers who participated in marches in March and April. 
<img height="52" alt="" src="" width="80" />
In Belgium on 1 May, trade unionist Paul Lootens and historians Marie-Louise De Roeck and Julie Urbain will unveil their new book, Tutti Cadaveri: The Trial of the Catastrophe at the Bois du Cazier in Marcinelle. The book depicts the aftermath of Belgium&rsquo;s worst mining tragedy in history, a fire that raged inside a coal mine near the Wallonian town of Marcinelle, killing 262 miners. 
<img height="134" alt="" src="" width="120" />
The tragedy occurred on 8 August 1956 and the book marks the 50th anniversary of the devastating loss of so many lives. The book&rsquo;s title, Tutti Cadaveri, comes from an Italian rescuer who, after surfacing from the mine, said, &ldquo;All corpses.&rdquo; 
The book is available from Aden Publishers for &euro;22 and can be ordered from Aden by contacting editionsaden@skynet.be, or calling +32 2534 46 61. The ICEM will bring further attention to the 50th Anniversary events as the August date draws closer. 
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On Monday, 1 May, German IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt will deliver a major speech in Osnabr&uuml;ck on some fundamental issues affecting Germany and its trade unions, including joblessness, health reform and an energy policy. 
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The trade union leader will warn against the notion that the German economy can be strengthened by lowering wages, or through increasing the number of hours in the work week. IGBCE also calls for minimum standards, including wage levels, to be maintained for all sectors of the economy. 
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From Argentina on May Day comes a greeting from ICEM affiliate SUTNA. The union reminds us of the origins of International Workers&rsquo; Day&mdash;the fight for an eight-hour workday in the US city of Chicago, which produced a mass general strike that was met by brutal repression and then execution of those leading the strike by the state. &ldquo;SUTNA salutes, on the occasion of this International Workers&rsquo; Day, all workers who continue the excellent work that was started by the martyrs of Chicago.&rdquo; 
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The All Pakistan Trade Union Federation, which has organised huge May Day rallies for Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Quetta, sends this message: &ldquo;The growing economic might of multinationals and transnational corporations, and the imposition of policies of globalisation, have led to an unprecedented large-scale offensive against the democratic and social achievements of working people, and against the trade union movement.&rdquo; 
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And from Azerbaijan, Jahangir Aliyev, chairman of the Oil and Gas Industry Workers Trade Union (OGWU), expresses &ldquo;health, happiness and great progress for the welfare of all labour people.&rdquo;

May Day Actions, Greetings from Around the World

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