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

Contents
1. Brazil leads in gender equality in collective bargaining 
2. Chile: Michelle Bachelet elected President 
3. Denmark: Anti-trafficking campaign 
4. Germany: Women in the labour market 
5. Korea: Businesses will recruit more women 
6. Spain: Trade Unions have to change their approach 
7. United Kingdom: One in five firms break law over Women&rsquo;s pay 
8. United States: Women are getting even 
9. Venezuela: World Social Forum condemns the US for patriarchal violence 
10. Resources 
<img height="112" alt="" src="" width="300" /> 
 
1. Brazil leads in gender equality in collective bargaining 
 
According to the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, Brazil ranks first in Latin America in terms of parental provisions obtained through negotiations between employers and trade unions. 
According to the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, Brazil ranks first in Latin America in terms of parental provisions obtained through negotiations between employers and trade unions. 
A new ILO document provides comparative data on collective agreements in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Venezuela. Of these, Brazil is the country which attaches most importance to parental issues, followed by Argentina. 
 
 
2. Chile: Michelle Bachelet elected President 
 
The election of Michelle Bachelet as President of Chile promises to widen the path to a more equal society as well as bring a sea change in gender relations. Already, Ms Bachelet has appointed women to occupy half of the Cabinet. 
A new women&rsquo;s organization has been created, Women Constructing the Country, made up of women representing Ms Bachelet&rsquo;s party as well as trade union leaders. The point is to have a more democratic, transparent and participative government. The organisation&rsquo;s aim is to support Ms Bachelet&rsquo;s government. 
 
 
3. Denmark: Anti-trafficking campaign 
 
In 2006, the trade union movement will focus on the increasing trade of humans. On 8 March &ndash; Women&rsquo;s International Day &ndash; launch of a campaign against trafficking of humans will start. 
Women all over the world are traded to prostitution and in Denmark, an increased trade of Women from Eastern Europe has been noted. The Danish trade union movement can and will not ignore this crime which is the modern world&rsquo;s slave traffic. 
Among other things, Women in Danish trade unions insist that priority and resources be given police to investigate the illegal prostitution environment. 
The view of human nature that lies behind the trade with women and children, with prostitution, is very far from the view of human nature that the trade union movement stands for. Therefore, more and more organisations elaborate ethical codes for employees about not going to prostitutes. For more information on what is occurring in Denmark on this most important issue, contact <a href="mailto:marianne.bruun@3f.dk">marianne.bruun@3f.dk</a>. 
 
 
4. Germany: Women in the labour market 
 
The number of Women working in Germany has gone up rapidly since 1991, but not the amount of work they do &ndash; that is only divided up among more people. With just under 49%, almost half of those employed in Germany are women &ndash; in 1991 it was only about 44%. However, the number of hours that they work has not gone up to the same degree. 
In 2004, Women&rsquo;s work only made of up 41% of the overall volume of work. That is mostly due to the fact that many Women work part-time. In 2004, 75% of all part-time jobs were done by Women, whereas only about 37% of full-time jobs were occupied by Women. 
<hr />
From our readers: 
 
Patricia Ferreira from Brazil writes that on 25 November they distributed a bulletin to the rubber plants to commemorate &ldquo;International Day to Combat Violence against Women.&rdquo; They also passed out white bands for women workers to put on their wrists in memory of the Women victims of violence. 
 
 
Oluchi Okorie from Nigeria writes that they had the NUPENG Congress in November. Prior to the election, the Women wanted to include in the constitution a review that a woman should be Deputy President. 
 
The National Executive Council of the union decided to make the national chairperson of the NUPENG Women&rsquo;s Committee one of the NEC members. &ldquo;So now we have a woman in the NEC of our union in the person of Mrs Funke Adediran. NUPENG&rsquo;s Constitution now says that every NUPENG national chairperson of the Women&rsquo;s Committee is automatically an NEC member. Our struggles continue until we get the best for Women.&rdquo; 
<hr />
5. Korea: Businesses will recruit more women 
 
Large private and public companies will likely be required to disclose how many female workers they employ as part of governmental efforts to promote the hiring of Women. Domestic firms will also be obliged to come up with action plans to increase the number of female workers if they are found to have employed fewer females than other companies in the same business sector. 
The Ministry of Labor has submitted a revision bill on equal employment opportunities, and if approved, it will become law and go into effect in March. Companies with over 500 workers will be required to make an annual report about the ratio of female workers to their total employees and the types of positions Women hold. 
The aim is to promote more corporate hiring of female workers, as the country is expected to face a labor shortage in the near future due to the falling birthrate and the ageing population. The government plans to provide incentives to companies that show a significant rise in female employment. 
 
 
6. Spain: Trade Unions have to change their approach 
 
The trade union confederation CCOO calls itself a union for Women and Men, but that is hard if the trade unions do not change their approach inside companies. In industry, it is hard to find more than 30% Women in production, and most companies do not even reach that many. 
True, companies make their own hiring decisions, but trade unions can intervene in how these decisions are taken. Hiring is discriminatory almost all over industry. Many companies are multinationals, and in other countries they do hire Women in production. 
CCOO has sections comprised of companies which have European Works Councils. European Works Councils should be asking questions about how Spanish women can have the same opportunities that Women have in other countries. 
 
7. United Kingdom: One in five firms break law over Women&rsquo;s pay 
 
Almost one in five of the country&rsquo;s biggest employers are breaking the law by paying Women significantly lower wages than their male colleagues, according to research by the Equal Opportunities Commission. 
A study by the commission of 870 employers, all of whom have reviewed their pay structures to check if they are paying equally, found that 16% are unlawfully discriminating against female workers by paying them less than Men to do the same job. 
The EOC said the true proportion was likely to be higher as these organizations were among the more enlightened employers, having voluntarily undertaken pay reviews. The 16% of companies which were breaking the law were found to have a gap between Men and Women&rsquo;s salaries which could only be explained by the workers&rsquo; gender. 
The survey also revealed that Women were routinely missing out on senior jobs, starting on lower salaries and taking longer to get promoted, largely because they were more likely to take career breaks to have children. 
 
 
8. United States: Women are getting even 
 
The WAGE Project is an organization established for one purpose: to end discrimination against Women in the US workplace in the near future. WAGE means Women Are Getting Even. You can calculate your wage gap by visiting the site <a href="http://www.wageproject.org">www.wageproject.org</a>. 
 
Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women by the Global Fund for Women indicates how Women and children suffer most from natural disasters, of which there were too many in 2005 &ndash; tsunamis in Asia and Africa, Hurricane Katrina in the US, Hurricane Stan in Guatemala, the massive earthquake in Kashmir. 
During and after natural disasters, women face effects in a variety of ways. Women are far more likely to die than men; Women are at increased risk of violence; Women do not receive necessary health care in many cases; Women may be denied adequate relief aid or compensation for their losses; Women experience ongoing economic vulnerability; Women are excluded from a say in rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. For the report, see: <a href="http://www.globalfundforwomen.org">www.globalfundforwomen.org</a>. 
 
The US organization CODEPINK launched a campaign in January to bring US women together with women worldwide to put a stop to the war in Iraq. Working Women are encouraged to sign the Global Women&rsquo;s Call for Peace in Iraq. The global call will be delivered to the White House on 8 March. To sign the call, see <a href="http://www.womensaynotowar.org">www.womensaynotowar.org</a>. 
 
9. Venezuela: World Social Forum condemns the US for patriarchal violence 
 
The United States was one of the main targets of condemnation by the International Court of Women Against the Patriarchal Violence of Neoliberalism, held on 27 January in Caracas, Venezuela. The court was organized by diverse feminist movements as part of the Sixth World Social Forum. 
The interference by the US in other countries&rsquo; policies, the constant attempts to destabilize Venezuela, the extraditions of Colombian political prisoners, the manipulation of the press, the perverse economic embargo of Cuba, the violation of human rights inside and outside the country, the invasion of Iraq and the genocide of the Iraqi population, all bring great suffering to millions of Women, who are the first victims of the numerous forms of violence caused by these acts. 
 
10. Resources 
 
EI/PSI Action Tool on Pay Equity for Union Activists at <a href="http://www.world-psi.org">www.world-psi.org</a>. 
 
Five reasons why equal pay can add value to your workplace, by the European Commission is available at <a href="http://www.equalpay.nu/it_fakta.html">www.equalpay.nu/it_fakta.html</a>&nbsp;together with the link between gender equality and profitability by the Swedish Business Development Agency. 
 
Pay equity is good for the economy, by the Business and Professional Women&rsquo;s Clubs of Ontario <a href="http://www.web.net/~equalpay/economy.html">www.web.net/~equalpay/economy.html</a>. 
 
The International Herald Tribune article, &ldquo;In Scandinavia&rsquo;s equality central, an antifeminist backlash?&rdquo; contains an interview by ex-ICEM women&rsquo;s committee member Lilian Knudsen, <a href="http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/12/06/style/feminists.php">www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/12/06/style/feminists.php</a>. 
 
Austrian Metalworkers and Textile Union women&rsquo;s site: <a href="http://www.metallerfrauen.at">www.metallerfrauen.at</a> - in German. 
 
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) Manual on Women in the Global Economy: <a href="http://www.icftu.org">www.icftu.org</a>. 
Human and labor rights for women workers in the maquilas of Mexico: <a href="http://www.cfomaquiladoras.org">www.cfomaquiladoras.org</a>. 
 
European Women&rsquo;s Lobby, <a href="http://www.womenlobby.org">www.womenlobby.org</a>. 
 
&ldquo;Women, Work and Health Congress on Safety and Health at Work,&rdquo; 27-30 November 2005 in India: <a href="http://www.swl-delhi.org/wwh/wwh_2005_conference.html">www.swl-delhi.org/wwh/wwh_2005_conference.html</a>. 
 
International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders, 
<a href="http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org">www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org</a>. 
 
Human Rights Watch World Report 2006: <a href="http://www.hrw.org">www.hrw.org</a>. 
 
The World&rsquo;s Women 2005, Progress in Statistics, critical for making crucial development decisions: <a href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Demographic/products/indwm/wwpub.htm">http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Demographic/products/ 
indwm/wwpub.htm</a>. 
 
World Health Organization&rsquo;s (WHO) &ldquo;Multi-country Study on Women&rsquo;s Health and Domestic Violence against Women&rdquo; at <a href="http://www.who.int/gender/violence/who_multicountry_study/en/index.html">www.who.int/gender/violence/who_multicountry_study 
/en/index.html</a>. 
 
State of the World&rsquo;s Children 2006: <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc06">www.unicef.org/sowc06</a>. 
<hr />
 
&bull; For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a>&nbsp;and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=1639">www.icem.org/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=1639</a>.&nbsp; 
 
&bull; To add a colleague or a friend to this distribution list, send her or his e-mail address to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>, mentioning &quot;Add to ICEM women's news list&quot; in the subject line. 
 
&bull; To unsubscribe from the ICEM news list, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>, mentioning &quot;Unsubscribe ICEM women's news list&quot; in the subject line.

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN NO. 8: January/February 2006

Mr. Jukka H&auml;rm&auml;l&auml; 
CEO 
Stora Enso Oyj 
Kanavaranta 1 
FIN-00160 Helsinki 
FINLAND 
 
Sent Via Fax +358 2046 21471 
 
 
Dear Mr. H&auml;rm&auml;l&auml;, 
 
The ICEM, a 20-million-member Global Union Federation with affiliates in 122 countries of the world, has been informed by our Canadian affiliate, the Communications, Energy and Paper Workers&rsquo; Union (CEP) of Canada, that the North American management of your company&rsquo;s Port Hawkesbury mill in Nova Scotia locked out 600 workers with crippling effect on the whole of the local economy in that Canadian province. 
 
The lock-out came as workers predictably rejected North American management&rsquo;s contract proposal, which would have given managers unprecedented rights to outsource unionised work. Such a proposal regarding the use of contract labour is in total contradiction to the norms now in place regarding contract labour in the paper industry&rsquo;s pattern agreement for Eastern Canada. 
 
The ICEM strongly urges you to personally intervene to amicably resolve this dispute. We believe attitudes demonstrated by Stora Enso&rsquo;s North American managers are contrary to your publicly-declared international principles of sustainability. 
 
We appeal to you to apply the principled custom of Nordic fairness and to direct your North American managers to immediately reopen dialogue with the CEP to resolve this dispute. 
 
The ICEM will closely monitor this dispute and we will bring it to the attention of our global affiliates who represent Stora Enso workers across the world. We look forward to an early and just settlement of this lockout. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM letter to Stora Enso

<img height="73" alt="" src="" width="150" />
The ICEM is fully supportive of French affiliates Filpac-CGT and FCE-CFDT, and the French paper workers, in their manifestation Saturday, 17 December, in Lille, France. The unions are protesting against the actions of several multinational paper companies, who are firing workers and closing mill and paper converters, or have plans to do so, in the Nord/Pas-de-Calais area of northern France. 
<img height="67" alt="" src="" width="100" />
According to Filpac-CGT, paper companies are creating &ldquo;a genuine social earthquake&rdquo; with job losses and closures in the region. 
Paper companies Stora Enso of Sweden and Finland, International Paper of the US, Cascades of Canada and Smurfit-Kappa of Ireland and The Netherlands have all announced harmful restructurings in the Nord/Pas-de-Calais area. Over 1,000 jobs might be lost in total. 
Companies are ignoring their social responsibilities and cite external causes, such as surplus capacity, the overall economic situation or global energy costs. 
 
According to the unions, however, the real reasons lie elsewhere. Stora Enso is pursuing its Profit 2007 initiative aimed at adding another &euro;300 million to its annual pre-tax profit in 2007. FCE-CFDT reminds us that Stora Enso, as part of this initiative,&nbsp;intends to&nbsp;get rid of 2,500 work places world-wide, with 500 of them in France,&nbsp;for the sole purpose of making more profit.&nbsp;
Cascades is equally seeking improved profitability of its boxboard unit, while pointing to capacity build-up in China and the pressures of Asian exports as the reason for the possible closure. 
International Paper (IP) first refused to sell its Maresquel mill to a potential buyer earlier in the year and then gave local managers just two months to find investors, demonstrating that it is more interested in closing this operation than having to live with a potential competitor. Lastly, the closure of a paper converter in Gravelines, along with another converting plant in Cevennes, was announced by a Smurfit subsidiary immediately after the merger between Smurfit and Kappa Packaging. 

The manifestation on 17 December begins at 9h00. For more information, visit Filpac-CGT&rsquo;s website at <a href="http://www.filpac.cgt.fr">http://www.filpac.cgt.fr</a>&nbsp;or FCE-CFDT's site: <a href="http://www.fce.cfdt.fr/n1/2005/12/bra%5Fpacart%5F97.doc">http://www.fce.cfdt.fr/n1/2005/12/bra%5Fpacart%5F97.doc</a>.

Paper Multinationals plan to eliminate jobs in France

The ICEM expresses sadness and grief on news of the death of PENGASSAN President Uche Okoro in an airline crash Saturday, 10 December, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Comrade Okoro was one of the 108 passengers killed when a commercial airliner crashed on approach to the Port Harcourt airport. 
 
Having the distinction of serving as president of both Nigeria&rsquo;s white-collar oil and gas workers&rsquo; union, PENGASSAN, and the blue-collar union, NUPENG, Okora was a grass-roots organizer and activist who stood for free and democratic trade unions in Nigeria. His life-long dedication to democratic principles and fairness to workers, particularly during the Abacha military regime, proved invaluable in building Nigeria&rsquo;s oil unions, as well as today&rsquo;s Nigerian labour movement.
<img width="120" height="126" src="" alt="" />
He became president of PENGASSAN in 2005. He left the blue-collar ranks of NUPENG when he was promoted to senior staff of the oil company employing him. He was seen as a unifying force between PENGASSAN and NUPENG, as well as all of labour in Nigeria. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, in a letter to PENGASSAN, called Okora a &ldquo;fierce defender of workers&rsquo; interests in Nigeria and all of Africa. I am sure that both (PENGASSAN and NUPENG), and civil society as a whole in Nigeria, will miss Comrade Okora&rsquo;s presence.&rdquo;

ICEM Mourns Tragic Death of PENGASSAN Leader in Nigeria

EPS Trade Union of Serbia-Montenegro elected new officers last week. Elected president was Miroslav Veličković, and elected to serve as vice president was Žikica Đorđević.
<img height="267" alt="" src="" width="200" />
Veličković had been a union vice president who got his start in union matters shortly after EPS Trade Union was founded in 1992. He served as president of the Ni&scaron; branch of the union, and began working in the Electric Power Distribution Co. of Ni&scaron; in 1977. 
He has a background in electrical engineering. Veličković is a founder and acting president of a democratic and free trade union confederation of unions serving public enterprises in the Balkan country.

EPS Trade Union in Serbia Elects New Officers

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A study commissioned by the Swedish Employment Ministry states that companies with ten or more employees should be limited to hiring only full-time workers.
The study also says that part-time or temporary workers employed for three years should be given the right to demand a full-time job from their employer. At least 200,000 Swedes&mdash;75% of whom are women&mdash;are stuck in part-time jobs but seek full-time employment, according to the study.
&nbsp;

Swedish Government Study Calls for More Full-time Jobs

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The General Confederation of Labour in Greece (GSEE) has called for national strikes this week, on 14 and 15 December, over the conservative government&rsquo;s planned revisions to public sector employment.
One such revision is to phase out permanent jobs for DEKO workers employed at public utilities, and replace them with employees on private-sector contracts. The strikes have been called together with ADEDY, the public sector union of civil servants.
The proposed changes, crafted by the government of Premier Costas Kamanlis, also would affect collective bargaining. This week&rsquo;s strikes will get a prelude today when all public transport will stop between the hours of 11 AM and 4 PM.

Strikes in Greece This Week over Cuts to Permanent Jobs

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
French affiliate FCE-CFDT has grown impatient with progress in wage negotiations in France&rsquo;s chemicals sector. 
The union refused last week to sign a memorandum on the chemicals sector wage policy. FCE-CFDT termed results of a joint committee meeting on 18 November as unacceptable. In 11 months of futile bargaining on the wage issue, FCE-CFDT&rsquo;s agenda and goals have not been realized.
The union expressed dissatisfaction with that in a letter to the chemical employers&rsquo; federation and to the Minister of Employment. FCE-CFDT week is meeting this week with the other French trade unions in the sector to formulate future action.

French FCE-CFDT Union Expresses Chemicals Bargaining Concerns

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
British Gas engineers and technicians, members of ICEM affiliate GMB in the UK, began the first of five 24-hour strikes today at 7 AM on the company&rsquo;s insistence to close the final pension scheme to new employees.
The 6,000 union workers will strike again on 19 and 21 December, and on 6 and 9 January. GMB members will also suspend off-hour service and repair from 8 PM to 8 AM from today to 23 December, and again from 4-10 January.
The union said it would keep service workers available to the utility&rsquo;s most vulnerable customers, and is urging British Gas to supply customers that experience furnace problems with electric heaters. The union asks for British Gas to pay their electric bills as well.

GMB Members at British Gas Launch Strike Actions

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
In Nepal, on International Human Rights Day this past Saturday, police used water canons and unnecessary force to arrest 130 activists, trade union leaders and academics who tried to conduct a protest in Kathmandu&rsquo;s Ratna Park.
The protest, led by a multi-NGO coalition called Citizens&rsquo; Movement for Democracy and Peace, was to focus attention on continued restrictions on freedom of speech and assembly imposed by King Gyanendra&rsquo;s suspension of the government and his imposition of authoritarian rule last February. Ratna Park in Kathmandu&rsquo;s city centre is declared a restricted area by Nepalese authorities.
The head of the UN&rsquo;s Human Rights office in Nepal, Ian Martin, on the occasion of the 10 December observance of the UN&rsquo;s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, said that the number of torture cases by security forces in the Himalayan country has shown no sign of letting up over the past several months.

Security Forces Crush Human Rights Day Demonstration in Nepal

Archive