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Workers across South Korea held strikes and demonstrations today. 
 
Chemical workers were to the fore in the protests, which were called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to &quot;bring an end to state violence and the attempt to destroy the democratic trade union movement represented by the KCTU.&quot; 
<img height="265" alt="" src="" width="200" />
WANTED: Police have distributed leaflets calling for the arrest of KCTU President Dan Byung-Ho. (photo: KCTF) 

47 Korean workers have been imprisoned since June because of their trade union activities, the KCTU reports. Warrants are out for another fifty, including KCTU President Dan Byung-ho and General Secretary Lee Hong-woo. 
 
If the government wants &quot;a process of consultation and consensus,&quot; the KCTU said, then &quot;it would need to revoke the current orders of arrest issued against the key KCTU leadership, including President Dan.&quot; The launching of a dialogue could &quot;end the escalation of confrontation,&quot; the union centre stated. 
 
 

<img height="161" alt="" src="" width="215" />
Strikers in Korea today. The KCTU put the turnout at 80,000. (photo: KCTF) 

Violent police tactics against striking workers all over Korea have provoked national and international protests. The repression has been particularly severe since the KCTU launched a campaign of &quot;coordinated strikes&quot; on 12 June. 
 
Coordinated strikes are something of a tradition in Korea, where enterprise-based trade unions are grouped in sectoral federations. Company-level unions draw up separate bargaining agendas, and hold separate ballots on action in each company. But they also pursue broader common demands set by their national confederation, and the separate strikes are timed to coincide. 
 
The KCTU believes that the authorities are out to destroy it, because it is the chief opponent of the &quot;neoliberal&quot; policies pursued by the government of President Kim Dae-jung. 
 
 

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="150" />
 
&quot;The main features of his economic policy have been 'foreign capital attraction', 'privatisation', and 'flexibilisation',&quot; the KCTU points out. &quot;These objectives are all designed to favour capital (investors, employers, business) rather than labour.&quot; 
 
The June strikes were in support of &quot;six points&quot; aimed at countering these neoliberal trends. The &quot;six points&quot; were also a focus of today's action. They are: 
<ul>
 <li>An end to the neoliberal structural adjustment drive and retrenchments 
 </li>
 <li>A 12.7 percent wage increase and renewal of collective agreements 
 </li>
 <li>Employment status change for &quot;irregular&quot; workers to &quot;regular&quot; employees, legislative reform to eradicate discrimination against irregular workers, and consolidation of basic labour rights (trade union rights for government employees (civil servants, university professors, etc.) 
 </li>
 <li>Reductions in working time (5-day work week) 
 </li>
 <li>Expansion of the public medical system, expansion of the public education system, reform of the media and tax reform 
 </li>
 <li>Abolition of the National Security Law, achievement of national independence, opposition to President Bush's missile defence programme. </li>
</ul>
 
Taking a prominent part in the June campaign, and in today's protests, were company-based member unions of the Korean Chemical and Textile Workers' Federation (KCTF). 
 
Particularly violent raids by the police - and by gangs of specially recruited armed thugs - were deployed against strikers at the Hyosung synthetic fibre plant in Ulsan. 
 
On 5 June, more than 3,000 riot police stormed the plant. For a while, workers succeeded in holding the police at bay, so as to give others time to escape. Most of those who stayed behind - 242 in all - were arrested. 
 
But the union's Deputy President Choi Min-seok and seven other activists shinned up a 40 metre high chimney at the plant. It took five days, two helicopters and an elite squad of police climbers to arrest them. 
 
Once the strikers had been cleared from the site, riot police barred the entrance and strike-breakers were brought in to get production going again. 
 
The violence of the attack brought protests from the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the KCTF is affiliated at the global level. 
 
&quot;The Hyosung dispute is essentially over management bad faith during negotiations on employment security,&quot; ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs pointed out in a letter to Kim Dae-jung. &quot;It is therefore an industrial relations issue, and there was no good reason why riot police and troops should have intervened in the Hyosung dispute at all - let alone in the very violent way that they did.&quot; 
 
Higgs asked President Kim to &quot;put a stop to such unwarranted police interventions in industrial disputes.&quot; He also urged him to &quot;order the police to withdraw from the Hyosung plant&quot; and to &quot;bring your influence to bear on company managements so that they bargain in good faith with trade unions, notably in the case of Hyosung.&quot; 
 
The KCTU has called for a &quot;summit meeting&quot; between Kim Dae-jung and KCTU President Dan Byung-ho. In the meantime, the KCTF and other industrial union federations are ready for more protests, leading up to a mass rally on 22 July.

Korean Strike Against Arrests and Neoliberalism

Forced labour in Burma and union-busting in the USA - Norwegian oil workers' union NOPEF is helping to fight both. 
 
Behind the campaigns is the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which NOPEF is affiliated at the global level. 
 
 
 
BURMA 
 
NORWAY'S PETROLEUM FUND SHOULD HALT INVESTMENTS, UNION SAYS 
 
Norway's state-run Petroleum Fund must avoid investing in companies that operate in Burma, says NOPEF President Leif Sande. His call follows revelations that the Fund, which is a big international investor, had put money into foreign companies with interests in Burma. 
 
The Burmese military regime is involved in the systematic, widespread and brutal use of forced labour, as well as in other human rights violations and the worldwide trafficking of illegal narcotics. 
 
Last November, the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) approved a resolution urging members to &quot;review their relations with Burma&quot; and &quot;ensure that such relations do not perpetuate the system of forced or compulsory labour in that country.&quot; The ILO brings together representatives of the world's governments, employers and unions. 
 
NOPEF's call is part of a worldwide lobby by the ICEM and other union internationals to halt foreign investment in Burma until forced labour ends and democracy is restored. 
 
The ICEM's Burma campaign - with a special screensaver - is online now. 
 
The Norwegian Petroleum Fund was set up in 1990 to administer and invest the State's revenues from the oil industry. Rising oil prices, a 78 percent taxation rate on the oil sector and investment of the proceeds have rapidly stocked up the Fund. By the first quarter of this year, it was worth 424.9 billion Norwegian kroner - over 45.5 billion US dollars. So it is a significant force on international capital markets. 
 
Norway is often quick to criticise human rights violations, NOPEF's Leif Sande pointed out. So the Petroleum Fund's involvement with companies operating in Burma is &quot;not only hypocrisy, it is totally unacceptable. 
 
&quot;Where is the sense of decency and business ethics?&quot; Sande asked. The Norwegian State should &quot;establish ethical regulations for its investments,&quot; he insisted. 
 
U.S. UNION-BUSTING 
 
NORWEGIAN OIL COMPANIES PRESS TRICO MARINE 
 
Urged on by NOPEF, Norwegian oil companies are now pressing Trico Marine Services to end its union-busting in the USA. 
 
In both the US and Norway, Trico supplies shipping to the oil industry. In Norway, Trico respects workers' right to organise, but in the US, it is actively anti-union. 
 
Norwegian oil company Norsk Hydro has halted negotiations with Trico on the chartering of vessels. Hydro had been due to extend its charter of two Trico vessels and sign a new contract for a third. But &quot;Hydro has shown great understanding for our point of view,&quot; says NOPEF shop steward Geir Nilsen. &quot;The contracts, which were to have been concluded on 30 June, have now been postponed for an indefinite period.&quot; 
 
Nilsen was on a delegation of Norwegian union reps who visited Louisiana last month to look into the situation at Trico. They found that the company was engaged in &quot;very serious trade union busting&quot; there. The Norwegians also complained that they were prevented from entering relevant sites, and said they were repeatedly harassed by the police. 
 
Statoil is another Norwegian oil company that hires Trico vessels for use in the North Sea. &quot;Statoil must use its position vis-a-vis the Norwegian Trico to press the US company Trico to accept the freedom to organise,&quot; NOPEF insists. 
 
&quot;Our aim is that Trico Norway and Trico USA must talk to each other in order to settle the question,&quot; says Svein Erik Hansen, NOPEF shop steward at Statoil. The Statoil management has asked for his proposals on follow-up. 
 
Statoil has a clear policy of promoting trade union rights worldwide. In 1998, the ICEM, NOPEF and Statoil signed the oil sector's first-ever globally applicable agreement on industrial relations. This covers basic trade union rights, health, safety and the environment, information and training. In March 2001, an updated and further strengthened version of the agreement was concluded. This new agreement takes full account of the UN's Global Compact initiative, under which multinationals commit themselves to promote trade union rights and other human rights. 
 
The ICEM, in cooperation with the International Transport Workers' Federation, has been fully involved in the Trico campaign. ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs has been in contact with senior Statoil management on this issue and has emphasised that Statoil, as a major Trico customer, could use its influence to help resolve the question of trade union recognition in the US. 
 
Also on last month's visit to Louisiana were Ingard Haugeberg, NOPEF shop steward at BP Amoco, and Arild Theimann, who chairs the NOPEF oilworkers' section in Transocean Sedco Forex. Both have raised the Trico case with their company managements. 
 
&quot;On Trico and on Burma, NOPEF's response has been rapid and effective,&quot; Fred Higgs said today. &quot;These are good, practical examples of global solidarity in action.&quot; 
 
 
 
NORWAY 
 
OIL STRIKE FROM TONIGHT? 
 
Back in Norway, meanwhile, NOPEF could be involved in strike action from midnight tonight. Along with two other unions, it has served notice of a strike on eight mobile drilling units operated by eleven offshore contracting companies. About a thousand workers would be called out. At issue is a union claim for shorter working hours. The employers' last offer was &quot;no proposal at all - in fact, it was back to the Stone Age,&quot; said NOPEF President Leif Sande. A final attempt at mediation began at 11.00 this morning. If no agreement is reached by midnight, the strike could go ahead.

Norwegian Oil Workers Back Labour Rights In Burma And US

Pirzada Imtiaz Syed, General Secretary of the Pakistan WAPDA Labour Union (PWLU), has been released on bail. 
 
Pirzada was arrested on 1 June, when the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided the union's headquarters. The raid was a very violent one, during which a member of the union staff had his arm broken, computers and other equipment were smashed and the PWLU's files were seized. 
 
At the time, no reason was given for Pirzada's arrest. 
 
WAPDA is the Pakistani power utility, currently facing privatisation plans. 
 
Pirzada was detained until 12 June, when a judge ordered his release. The union leader is now in hospital, as a result of the ill-treatment that he received during interrogation. 
 
It is understood that he could still face trial on vaguely formulated financial charges. Pirzada says he wishes to answer the charges as soon as he is fit enough to do so, as they are completely bogus. 
 
At the global level, the PWLU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
The ICEM and its affiliated unions worldwide lobbied for Pirzada's release, and have assured him of their continuing solidarity.

Pakistan Power Workers&#039; Leader Released

A 4-day strike paralyzed Nigeria the week of 11 October, and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is gearing for a second, heavier general strike aimed at getting the government to reverse a fuel price hike. A 2-week break in the strike ends this week and NLC leadership and leaders of the federation&rsquo;s 29 affiliates meet tomorrow to schedule another general strike if the government does not rescind September&rsquo;s 25% petrol hike.

Four-Day Nigerian General Strike Over Fuel Prices

Canadian affiliate CEP is challenging the decision by Finnish firm UPM Kymenne to shut a kraft pulp mill in Miramichi, New Brunswick. &ldquo;We have questions about this announcement and we are not getting logical answers,&rdquo; said the CEP&rsquo;s Max Michaud. Citing the union&rsquo;s recent decision to seek mediation in bargaining with the company. CEP also is concerned about wood source policies that hamper the mill and is asking the provincial government to investigate. Some 400 high-paying and family-supporting jobs are at stake in the rural community.

CEP in Canada Seeks to Keep Pulp Mill Open in New Brunswick

US affiliate PACE filed a formal inquiry to the US Contact Point over French-based Imerys&rsquo; labour conduct at a calcium carbonate operation in the state of Alabama. The inquiry hopefully will start an investigation by US and French Contact Points under OECD&rsquo;s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Unlawful complaints issued by the US labour board have been levied against Imerys for interference in union activities and for failure to provide PACE with necessary information to process workers&rsquo; grievances. Imerys management says it will not comply with US labour board investigations of its illegal actions, and PACE is seeking injunctive relief under the labour code in a federal court.

PACE Seeks OECD Investigation on Imerys’ Labour Conduct

FUB-CNQ affiliate in Brazil is conducting meetings this week for 40,000 Petrobras oil workers to gain an affirmative vote for a five-day strike against the state firm beginning 19 October. The issue is an inferior pay proposal for active workers, and an inadequate benefit escalator for retirees. The union conducted surprise, 24-hour strikes in early October over four days protesting the company&rsquo;s unwillingness to pay. The two sides are 5.3% apart over this year&rsquo;s increase.

FUB Brazilian Affiliate May Strike Petrobras

A 24-hour strike 20 September by FNV Bondgenoten largely shut down the city of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The following day saw thousands of workers protesting in The Hague, Utrecht, Arnhem and Eindhoven. FNV and other Dutch unions are protesting government proposals to slash social protections and healthcare. A mass strike over the issue will occur this Saturday, 2 October, beginning at 12:00 noon in Amsterdam.

Bondegenoten Shuts Rotterdam in Protest to Proposed Social Cuts

Canadian affiliate CEP at the same 13 September labour rally and march over health care issued a call to adopt a national pharmacare programme aimed at providing low-cost and accessible drugs to Canadian citizens. The rising cost of drugs, the CEP asserts, has produced a number of examples of bargaining table discord between the union and employers.

CEP Proposes &#039;Pharmacare&#039; Programme for Canada

ICEM affiliate CFMEU was forefront during mid-September international actions protesting building materials firm James Hardie&rsquo;s dodge of asbestos liabilities in Australia. The company in 2001 shifted its headquarters from Sydney to The Netherlands in a move seen as cutting its liability for over 60 years of asbestos exposure to workers in Australia. On 15 September, 20,000 workers rallied across Australia&mdash;still home to the vast number of Hardie shareholders&mdash;while a contingent of mesothelioma victims with trade union leaders including the CFMEU&rsquo;s Lindsay Fraser went to Amsterdam for James Hardie&rsquo;s AGM on 17 September. A damning report on the company was issued September 21 by an Australian state government inquiry, which found that the chief executive had misled investors and the company developed a &ldquo;culture of denial.&rdquo;

Australian Unions Angry Over James Hardie’s Asbestos Cover-ups

Archive

Korean Strike Against Arrests and Neoliberalism

Norwegian Oil Workers Back Labour Rights In Burma And US

Pakistan Power Workers' Leader Released

Four-Day Nigerian General Strike Over Fuel Prices

CEP in Canada Seeks to Keep Pulp Mill Open in New Brunswick

PACE Seeks OECD Investigation on Imerys’ Labour Conduct

FUB Brazilian Affiliate May Strike Petrobras

Bondegenoten Shuts Rotterdam in Protest to Proposed Social Cuts

CEP Proposes 'Pharmacare' Programme for Canada

Australian Unions Angry Over James Hardie’s Asbestos Cover-ups

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