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S afety and health in the volatile industrial sectors in which workers represented by ICEM affiliates are employed continues to be major focus of the 20-million-member global union federation. The predominant trade union federation covering mining, chemicals, energy and process industries vows on 28 April 2004-Workers' Memorial Day-to continue its work in promoting a safe and healthy work culture worldwide. 
 
28 April is officially known as the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, and has seen official legislation adopting that day as such by 12 nations. The ICEM in early March issued a circular to its 400 affiliates in 125 countries encouraging them to draw attention to the day in some official manner. 
 
&quot;Workers' Memorial Day is gaining local, national and international recognition with each passing year,&quot; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &quot;But, important as the day is to draw attention to those who perished or have been injured at work, April 28th must become a day in which we focus on what workers and their unions can do to improve everyday workplace health and safety.&quot; 
 
Higgs added that the ICEM has committed to carrying forward-looking health and safety language into all the Global Framework Agreements it signs with multinational firms. &quot;Such agreements crucially contain a commitment to the development and promotion of the highest health and safety standards in the company concerned,&quot; said Higgs. 
 
The ICEM's Global Agreements now numbering eight provide the framework for ongoing dialogue, information exchange and joint activities with signatory companies that are vital components of a longer-term programme for health and safety improvements. 
 
The ILO estimates 2.2 million people die annually due to their work. That amounts to 6,000 deaths a day, or one every 15 seconds. In addition, workers suffer 270 million occupational accidents and 160 million occupational diseases each year. The ILO also states that twice as many men than woman die at work because they are more likely to perform dangerous tasks. 
 
On 28 April 2004, the ICEM has endorsed a twin theme for workers and affiliates to follow: a World Day for Safe and Healthy Work, and Employer Accountability. The Safe and Healthy Work theme focuses on promoting a clear position on a world asbestos ban, as well as stringent actions in safe use of pesticides, industrial compounds and byproducts such as PCB variations and dioxins. The goal is to link safe use and union activities promoting such with the principles drawn from work performed by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. 
 
Employer Accountability calls on private sector employers to adhere to the key institutional mechanisms such as ILO Conventions, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN's Global Compact and Global Reporting Initiative. This also relates to all levels of governments since they are both employers and guardians of the public interest regarding private sector enterprises.

28 April: A Day to Focus Improvement on Safe, Healthy Worksites

The ICEM has published the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualEN.pdf">ICEM HIV/AIDS Training Manual for Collective Bargaining</a> and a <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf">Guide on HIV/AIDS Resources and Funding</a>. Both publications are available in English, French and Spanish. They can be accessed from the <a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS">front page</a> of the&nbsp;HIV/AIDS section of the ICEM&nbsp;website. In the framework of the LO/FTF-sponsored HIV/AIDS project for the mining sector in Ethiopia, two policies were developed in workshops with participants from the National Industrial Federation of Energy, Chemical and Mine Trade Unions (NIFECM). These are an <a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3650">HIV/AIDS Policy for a union</a> and an <a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3649">HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy</a>.&nbsp;Affiliates are urged to use these policies as examples to formulate their own HIV/AIDS policy and to negotiate HIV/AIDS workplace policies with employers. These are generic versions in which only the names of the union, country and company have to be filled in. Also included are power point presentations on <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP_Basic%20HIV.ppt">Basic Facts about HIV/AIDS</a>, <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP_HIV_workplace.ppt">HIV/AIDS and the Workplace</a>, on <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP-Negotiating.ppt">Negotiating on HIV/AIDS</a> and on <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP-WPPolicy.ppt">Elements of an HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy</a>. You can adapt these PPPs and use them in your educational activities. A large number of documents is available. We can only give a small selection of what we consider the most relevant. We refer you to the links of the organisation on this website. Most of their publications are not included here. The Global Union AIDS Programme initiated a survey on union action with case studies, which was published by UNAIDS in September 2006 <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>. On this website you also find HIV/AIDS statistics on your country and contact points. The ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work can be downloaded <a href="http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/publ/codelanguage.htm">here</a>, but for workshops and seminars the printed pocket version is more useful. You can get it at ILO offices in your country. <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/ILO%20HIV.AIDS%20Leaflet.pdf">This leaflet</a>, produced by the ILO Office in New Delhi, can serve as a basis for your own leaflet for mass distribution.In April 2011, the ILO Bureau for Workers&#039; Activities (ACTRAV) published toolkits for trade unions on HIV and AIDS. The six toolkits deal with 1. Core Information on HIV and AIDS, 2. Respect for Rights, 3. Workplace Action on HIV and AIDS, 4. Trade Union Education and Training on HIV and AIDS, 5. Mobilizing Resources for Trade Union Action and 6. Project Development and Proposal Writing. They are accompanied by a Guide to the Toolkit which includes learning activities, case studies and references. The seven documents can be accessed <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids/Publications/lang--en/index.htm">here</a>. The World Bank has produced a generic operations manual (GOM) on its multi-sector HIV/AIDS Program in Africa &ldquo;Turning bureaucrats into warriors&rdquo;, which devotes a chapter to the importance of civil society organisations. The World Bank sees the strength of trade unions in the size of their membership and that they usually have paid staff and some financial management capacity. According to the GOM &ldquo;They represent a greatly underused and promising channel to reach thousands of employees and their families in all sectors and levels of employment&rdquo;. The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group has produced an <a href="http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/aids.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/HIV_AIDS_Mining_Guide/$FILE/AIDS_Mining_Guide.pdf">HIV/AIDS Guide for the Mining Sector</a>. It provides practical advice and management guidance that will help stakeholders implement intervention strategies. The full document is a 10 MB pdf file but the sections and appendixes can be downloaded separately. Section Two Management Strategies and Section Three Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme are of particular interest. <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria</a> publishes an annual report, which gives information on the approved grants and includes some country profiles. It is useful to subscribe to the Global Fund Observer, a free monitoring service at <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>.

Overview of useful HIV/AIDS materials

Contents: 
	 
	1. Brief Report of ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee, 9-10 May 2005 
	2. Brief Report of Evaluation of ICEM/FNV/SASK Equal Opportunities Project in Latin America 
	3. Equal Opportunities Agreement at Repsol 
	4. Information from Canada 
	

	1. ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee, 9-10 May 2005 
	 
	The ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee decided to prioritise the following issues for work up to the 2007 Congress: 
	 
	a. Women&rsquo;s Communication and Information. This includes a women&rsquo;s website page, the women&rsquo;s network, a women&rsquo;s section in ICEM publications, and gender issues in global agreements. The ICEM website is currently being remodelled. Once this work is finished, there will be a women&rsquo;s section on the website. The main ICEM publication, the twice-yearly GLOBALINFO, will contain a page on women&rsquo;s issues. Gender issues will be given greater priority in global agreements. AND THIS IS THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE ICEM WOMEN&rsquo;S BULLETIN. It was decided to send this bulletin out electronically on the 1st of every month. All of these initiatives will only work, however, if we receive sufficient input from YOU, because without the input from our affiliates, there will not be sufficient information to publish. We therefore call upon each and every one of you to send us information. 
	 
	Binda Pandey, Nepal, ICEM Vice-President, wrote the following suggestions for women to communicate: 
	 
	These can be the content to share among women&rsquo;s network as well as include into the Gender WebPages
<ul>
	<li>
		ICEM&rsquo;S Gender policy, 11-points programs and activities</li>
	<li>
		Women networking/structure under ICEM structure</li>
	<li>
		Gender proportion in participation 
		 
		- Decision making structure of ICEM&nbsp; 
		 
		- Workforce participation in sectoral basis (if possible)&nbsp; 
		 
		- Participation in activities organized by ICEM as sector and regional basis</li>
	<li>
		National Labor Legislation from gender point of view</li>
	<li>
		Information collected from affiliates 
		 
		- Women&rsquo;s participation as member, congress and executive committee&nbsp; 
		 
		- Gender participation in activities on annual basis.&nbsp; 
		 
		- Women&rsquo;s structure, activities and achievement&nbsp; 
		 
		- Major gender agendas at workplace and society, which is being dealt by UNION&nbsp; 
		 
		- Gender demand in CBA process and agreements&nbsp; 
		 
		- Action against HIV/AIDS and women trafficking&nbsp; 
		 
		- Ratification of ILO convention related with gender issues&nbsp; 
		 
		- Gender agenda included into Global Agreements.</li>
</ul>

	b. The ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee further decided to prioritise equal pay for work of equal value in the pharmaceuticals industry. This will include giving maximum publicity via the website, publications, press releases, a briefing note and leaflets, posters and stickers. Surveys will be done of major companies, and CEO&rsquo;s of multinational companies approached. The policy should be pursued in collective bargaining, with ICEM assistance if required. 
	 
	c. One additional priority will be the offshore oil and gas industry. The ICEM is already involved in the ICEM-ITF Oil and Gas Alliance, a working group with the ITF, the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation, and gender issues should be included in future meetings of the working group. 
	 
	d. The women&rsquo;s committee also heard reports about ICEM&rsquo;s work on contract and agency labour as well as HIV/AIDS. Women&rsquo;s involvement in these two areas of work is vital and should be boosted. 
	 
	 
	2. Brief Report of Evaluation of ICEM/FNV/SASK Equal Opportunities Project in Latin America 
	 
	The evaluation seminar was held from 24 to 26 May in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The main results of the 3-year project were as follows:
<ul>
	<li>
		Significant rise in women&rsquo;s participation in trade unions, including in leadership. For example, six women union presidents attended the seminar, five of whom were elected as a direct result of the project work.</li>
	<li>
		Progress in collective bargaining proposals, especially in Chile and Brazil. 70% of the unions involved presented new gender-related proposals in their demands. In Nicaragua the sisters realised that it was a great achievement already having women present in negotiations.</li>
</ul>

	Special highlights were the creation of a permanent parity commission in Sao Paulo to discuss equal opportunities in the pharmaceuticals industry, where a major conference was held in 2004 to discuss gender and bullying at work, attended by 120 employers. The parity commission is a direct result of this conference. A second conference will be proposed to discuss women&rsquo;s health, with particular emphasis on RSI, repetitive strain injury, which is an epidemic in Brazil. 
	 
	CNQ-CUT, the Brazilian chemical confederation, has been training 30 women a year with its own resources in the FORMAQUIM program. 
	 
	In Santa Catarina, the FETIESC federation organised a public hearing on RSI, which was attended by 600 people. 
	 
	It is important to stress the fact that the experiences in the different countries in Latin America differ greatly due to the political, social and economic contexts. In many countries, negotiations have not even taken place for some time. Of all countries in Latin America, Brazil has the most advanced process of collective bargaining, due to its size, socio-economic situation and the history of the trade union movement. 
	 
	Work will continue on the oil industry, pharmaceuticals, collective bargaining, health issues such as RSI and HIV/AIDS, contract work and violence against women. 
	 
	 
	3. Equal Opportunities Agreement at Repsol 
	 
	On 17 May 2005 the Spanish energy company Repsol YPF concluded an agreement on equal opportunities with the Spanish trade unions FIA-UGT and FITEQA-CCOO. The main objective of the agreement is to improve women&rsquo;s working position on the job and in their career in the Group&rsquo;s companies. This will be achieved by:
<ul>
	<li>
		Increasing the number of women working in each of the Group&rsquo;s companies,</li>
	<li>
		Diversifying the jobs done and functions performed by women,</li>
	<li>
		Promoting women workers&rsquo; participation in job training,</li>
	<li>
		Re-evaluating women workers&rsquo; skills and abilities to guarantee equal pay for work of equal value,</li>
	<li>
		Making work more compatible with family responsibilities, both for women and men.</li>
</ul>

	The Repsol YPF group will strengthen its role as a Group by committing and advancing equal opportunities policies as part of its strategic plan, which will contribute to its future viability by making the objectives of competitivity and employment more compatible. This will be achieved by:
<ul>
	<li>
		Managing human resources to avoid discrimination and to provide real equal opportunities, backed up by permanent social dialogue,</li>
	<li>
		Committing to the adoption of positive action programs, backed by efficient instruments and adequate funding,</li>
	<li>
		Promoting changes in attitude detrimental to the achievement of this objective,</li>
	<li>
		Projecting an image inside and outside of a company committed to equality.</li>
</ul>

	4. Information from Canada 
	 
	Carol Fraser, CEP Canada, communicated the following website <a href="http://www.gov.on.ca/lab/pec/index.html">www.gov.on.ca/lab/pec/index.html</a>, which contains information on pay equity in Canada. 
	 
	For further information on these topics, do not hesitate to contact ICEM. 
	 
	 
	To add a colleague or a friend to this distribution list, send her or his e-mail address to carol.bruce@icem.org, mentioning &quot;Add to ICEM women&#039;s news list&quot; in the subject line.

ICEM Women&#039;s bulletin No. 1 - June 2005

With a Trade Union and Human Rights Conference scheduled for Kathmandu this weekend, 10-12 September, the 20-million-member ICEM has again protested loudly to the King of Nepal over actions taken by royal police to suppress free assembly and free speech in the Himalayan kingdom. 
 
In a letter today to King Gyanendra, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs specifically referred to harsh actions by police yesterday and Sunday. Police used tear gas and brute force in the country&rsquo;s capital to break up a march of political and Trade Union leaders, who were calling for full restoration of fundamental political liberties in Nepal. Some 400 leaders of Nepal&rsquo;s seven political parties as well as leaders of Trade Unions, including ICEM affiliates, were arrested over the two days. In addition, 65 protesters on Monday were hospitalized due to unnecessary force by the royal administration on 5 September. 
 
&ldquo;It has become obvious to the ICEM that King Guyanendra of Nepal is using an anti-corruption task force to repress political liberties and restrict universally accepted principles of free speech and free assembly,&rdquo; said Higgs. &ldquo;It also is obvious that this device is being used to restrict Trade Union activity.&rdquo; 
 
In his letter, Higgs cited a statement by the king on April 30, 2005, lifting the state of emergency and authoritarian rule that Guyanendra had imposed on 1 February. &ldquo;But you left in place a powerful anti-corruption panel and continued to ban free speech, assembly&mdash;most notably Trade Union meetings&mdash;and protests. It has become apparent to the ICEM and to the world that your lifting of authoritarian rule was not genuine, but rather a ruse to the outside world while still retaining a ban on free and democratic participation, particularly by trade unions.&rdquo; 
 
Higgs pointed out that the ICEM, representing 420 chemical, energy, mining and other unions in 125 countries, will participate fully in the 10-12 September conference in Kathmandu aimed at producing an agenda toward restoration of full democracy. The conference, sponsored by national trade union centers and others in Nepal, is backed by global trade union confederations and will draw 1,500 participants. 
 
At last May&rsquo;s Annual Executive Council meeting of the ICEM, global trade union leaders condemned King Gyanendra&rsquo;s &ldquo;irrational and unacceptable acts of denial to democratic rights and liberties.&rdquo; The Global Union Federation&rsquo;s Exectutive produced a resolution calling for five specific actions in Nepal: 
 
&bull; Immediate restoration of democratic governing principals and acceptance of a representative, parliamentary system, and release of all detainees; 
 
&bull; Withdrawal of censorship on media and guarantee of freedom of association and information; 
 
&bull; For the G-7 governments, the EU, India, and the rest of the International Community, to focus on the problem of liberty and democracy in Nepal and to use political and economic influence to bring about peace and a return to full democracy; 
 
&bull; For all civil societies of the World to mobilize and engage every possible means to wage campaigns and protests against the oppression of basic human rights in Nepal; 
 
&bull; For strenuous work, together with Global Union Federations and other Trade Unions of the World to support Trade Unions in Nepal through assistance in union building and other measures until full democracy and complete compliance with international labour standards, particularly freedom of association, are rediscovered in Nepal.

ICEM Again Calls for End to Nepalese Repression

The 20-million-member ICEM, the dominate global union federation of the mining sector, is calling on Botswana President Festus Mogae to raise an olive branch to the country&rsquo;s Mine Workers&rsquo; Union (BMWU) and to 461 mineworkers at diamond-rich Debswana who were fired one year ago. 
 
The ICEM is calling on President Mogae to meet and begin concerted social dialogue with the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) and leaders of its affiliates to correct a rapidly eroding labour climate in the southern African nation. The ICEM has also called upon DeBeers, joint-venture partner with the government in Debswana, to step in to do its part to resolve the festering dispute. 
 
In a 3 October letter to DeBeers Managing Director Gary Ralfe, ICEM's Fred Higgs wrote, &ldquo;Some 461 workers have been fired, many forcibly evicted from company-owned housing, their children denied entrance to company-subsidized schools, themselves, in many cases, blackballed from other employment, and now Debswana managers appear to be on a destructive and lethal course against a free and democratic trade union,&rdquo; referring here to the company&rsquo;s refusal now to recognize ICEM-affiliated BMWU even though the government has certified the union. 
 
In August 2004, some 500 of Debswana&rsquo;s 7,000 employees struck over a severe pay disparity. In the days leading up to the strike, the government had declared any potential strike an illegal one, using powers it had gained only months before through labour reform legislation. 
 
In asking DeBeer&rsquo;s Managing Director Gary Ralfe to involve himself directly in a &ldquo;true spirit of fairness and compassion,&rdquo; Higgs commented on the inherent unfairness and damage an enterprise such as Debswana can have on the social and political landscape of Botswana: &ldquo;The shaping of law in a free and democratic society comes through judicial interpretations. Last year&rsquo;s Industrial Court decision, and then Debswana&rsquo;s harsh and retaliatory subsequently taken against leaders and trade union members of BMWU, has left a perilous situation on all industrial relations in Botswana.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM, with over 400 affiliates in 125 countries, calls on President Mogae of Botswana to respond to trade union leaders&rsquo; petitions for a different path regarding labour relations in the country, and for constructive dialogue to begin. The ICEM calls on DeBeers to assert itself over the enterprise&rsquo;s refusal to recognize BMWU, and to reinstate the 461 in an act of reconciliation and a constructive future.

ICEM Calls on Both Botswana Government and DeBeers to Halt Mining Grudge

ICEM and its Thai affiliate EGAT-LU welcomed a report, passed by a 50-3 vote, from the nation&rsquo;s Senate that opposes privatising the national Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The report was sent to the ruling government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra calling for reforms to its plan to privatise 25% of the utility. Part of the report says that the entire electric distribution system must be excluded from sale because of its importance to citizens of Thailand. One senator opposing the government&rsquo;s plan said the privatisation of EGAT would allow some ten wealthy families to own Thailand&rsquo;s most profitable state enterprise. The government, however, has now revoked the statutory laws for the state run utility in anticipation of listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and that order has been sent to the King of Thailand for Royal decrees.

Thai Senate report opposes electric privatisation

French unions geared up for late summer and autumn general strikes by partially shutting some gas and electric operations last week. The protest is in opposition to government posting 22% of Gaz de France&rsquo;s (GdF) shares in an initial public offering. Five unions&mdash;including FCECFDT and FO&mdash;took strike action 20 June in response to GdF&rsquo;s initial privatisation. The one-day strike crippled underground gas supplies at Gournay and Manosque, and at three nuclear and coal-powered electric generating sites. Last week&rsquo;s strike actions could well be a prelude to bigger strikes in October when the French government expects to place shares of the much larger state-operated &Eacute;lectricit&eacute; de France on bourses.

French unions shut down operations in gas and electricity sector

The fight over privatisation of Thailand&rsquo;s electric utility EGAT has seen further aggressiveness by both the government and management. Threats of discipline were made to union members of ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU as they prepared to assemble for the one-year anniversary of resistance on 23 February. EGAT management then overtly interfered in EGAT-LU&rsquo;s internal activities on 3 March by directly challenging leadership at the union&rsquo;s annual national meeting. EGAT bosses put forward a small group of workers demanding the union support public listing of EGAT. The government also announced 3 March that an initial public offering to raise US$783 million would occur in October.

Government Playing Hard in Thai Electric Privatisation

Despite Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declaring the 6 February election victory of his Thai Rak Thai Party a mandate for the privatisation of electric utility EGAT, ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU will continue to resist. The government went through the motions to conduct a survey among EGAT's 27,000 workers that offered 18 restructuring options with most centring on different forms of privatising the utility. EGAT-LU sent a letter to the Energy Ministry demanding a stop to the survey and again asking that a national referendum be held to keep the power sector as part of the public infrastructure.

Opposition to Thai Government’s Electric Privatisation

The 700 striking workers that occupy the Turkish Cellulose and Paper Factories (SEKA) in Izmit, Turkey, also faced a police invasion. At the plant, where ICEM affiliate Sel&uuml;l&ouml;z-Is, with the overwhelming support of the local community, is engaged in a struggle against impending privatisation, police tried to force their way into the factory late last week. A number of people, including family members of the workers, were wounded during the operation which led to a stand off between the union members, together with 5,000 union supporters, on the one hand, and the police on the other.

Turkish Paperworkers Hold Firm on Government’s Plant Shutdown

Archive

28 April: A Day to Focus Improvement on Safe, Healthy Worksites

Overview of useful HIV/AIDS materials

ICEM Women's bulletin No. 1 - June 2005

ICEM Again Calls for End to Nepalese Repression

ICEM Calls on Both Botswana Government and DeBeers to Halt Mining Grudge

Thai Senate report opposes electric privatisation

French unions shut down operations in gas and electricity sector

Government Playing Hard in Thai Electric Privatisation

Opposition to Thai Government’s Electric Privatisation

Turkish Paperworkers Hold Firm on Government’s Plant Shutdown

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