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Three deadly mine accidents last week in China left 33 miners dead. On 8 June, an explosion at the Zijiang coal mine in Loudi, province of Hunan, killed 21 and injured 24. On the same day at an iron ore mine in Shahe, Hebei province, another gas blast killed nine and injured eight. On 7 June at the Shilongxiang coal mine near Zhaotong, Yunnan province, a methane explosion killed three. 
In a further Chinese mine safety note, it was revealed through an investigation that the owner of the illegal Xinfu coal mine in Qitaihe, Heilongjiang province, in which 18 miners died in a 14 March explosion was also a top safety official for the provincial mine supervisory bureau. The Xinfu mine was found to lack basic ventilation and gas monitoring equipment.

Three Mine Accidents in China Leave 33 Dead

Canadian offshore oil workers at Hibernia, members of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union, are voting over the next few weeks on their first collective agreement. CEP organized the 450 workers in 2001, was certified by the Newfoundland provincial labour board in October 2001, but was met by union-blocking legal challenges since by Hibernia&rsquo;s lead company, ExxonMobil. &ldquo;We felt it was time for our members to have a say on what has been settled and tabled in bargaining,&rdquo; said CEP National Energy Sector Coordinator Joe Gargiso. The successful organising of the offshore oil workers by the CEP was the first of its kind in North America.

Canadian Offshore Oil Workers Near Deal at Hibernia

Australian trade union leaders are fine tuning a National Union Fightback Campaign against the conservative coalition government of Prime Minister John Howard&rsquo;s radical reforms. Such industrial relations reforms would further weaken collective bargaining. Howard&rsquo;s reforms, expected to be rushed into law after conservatives take control of the Australian Parliament&rsquo;s Senate next month, will destroy the power of the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to set minimum wage, job classification structures and minimum statutory employment conditions. 
It will abolish the IRC&rsquo;s ability to judge cases of unfair dismissal of workers in businesses employing less than 100, or two-thirds of all Australian workers. If enacted, approval of enterprise bargaining agreements will pass from the IRC to an agency that now regulates the Howard creation of individual contracts between employees and employers. The draconian reforms will also strip the country&rsquo;s states from employment regulation in favour of a centralized federal system. Trade unions have the support of Australian state governments in resisting the Howard plan.

Australian Unions Resist Government&#039;s Labour Reforms

In Canada, USW held a rally in the province of Ontario 26 May to keep open a copper smelting refinery employing 140 steelworkers. Toronto based Inco Ltd. has threatened to close the Copper Cliff refinery. &ldquo;This is about keeping jobs in our communities,&rdquo; said USW Ontario/Atlantic Director Wayne Fraser. &ldquo;This company has made huge profits for decades using the blood, sweat and tears of our members. Inco owes it to the community to invest in upgrading the Copper Cliff refinery.&rdquo; The USW represents over 4,000 copper and nickel miners employed by Inco in and around Sudbury in western Ontario, and another 1,500 in the province of Manitoba.

USW Seeks to Keep Inco Mining Operating Open in Canada

On June 12, the ILO will focus a day on child labour in the mining sector in celebration of its fourth World Day Against Child Labour. The ICEM and mining employers&rsquo; organisation International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) last week signed an accord calling for an end to child labour in all mining and quarrying activity. 
The ILO&rsquo;s International Programme on Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) has found that most child miners are employed in small-scale enterprises which are unregulated and undocumented. IPEC has undertaken pilot projects on child labour in mining in Mongolia, Tanzania, Niger and the Andean countries of South America. Results show the best way to halt such practices is direct involvement in local mining communities and providing access to quality education with real prospects of meaningful employment when children leave school.

ILO’s Child Labour Focus to be on Mining Sector

Oil workers in France at Total won a major victory to preserve holidays by successfully conducting a five-day strike in mid-May. The job actions at five Total refineries saw the French supermajor back down by agreeing to keep Pentecost as a holiday even though the French government abandoned it as a national holiday this year. That means Total will assume all government payouts, giving workers the extra paid day in 2005. Total also agreed to pay workers during the 16-20 May strike. The unions involved were the CFDT, CGT and Force Ouvriere. The Total refineries that were shut: Gonfreville, in northern France; Feyzin and La Mede plants in the south; Grandpuits near Paris; and Donges in western France.

Strike at Total in France Protects Holidays

<div class="doctitle"><a href="#practical">Click here for general practical information</a></div>
<div class="content">
<img height="113" alt="" src="" width="100" /> 

Provisional Programme for the Fourth ICEM World Congress
Saturday 17 November 2007&nbsp; 
10.00 &ndash; 17.00 <a href="/en/?id=184&amp;doc=2429&amp;la=EN">Women&rsquo;s Conference 
</a> 
Sunday 18 November 2007 
09.30 &ndash; 17.00 <a href="/en/?id=184&amp;doc=2429&amp;la=EN">Women&rsquo;s Conference</a> 
 
Monday 19 November 2007&nbsp; 
09.00 &ndash; 17.30 Presidium 
19:00 Dinner for ICEM Presidium Members and accompanying persons 
 
Tuesday 20 November 2007&nbsp;&nbsp; 
09:00 - 17:00 Executive Committee Meeting 
19.00 Dinner for ICEM Executive Committee Members and accompanying persons 
 
Wednesday 21 November 2007&nbsp;&nbsp; 
09:00 - 17:00 <a href="/en/?id=184&amp;doc=2428&amp;la=EN">Contract and Agency Labour Conference</a> 
10:00 -&nbsp;16:00 <a href="/en/?id=184&amp;doc=2441&amp;la=EN">Meeting of the ICEM Pulp and Paper Section</a> 
17.00+ Meeting of Congress Credentials Committee 
 
Thursday 22 November 2007&nbsp;&nbsp; 
10.00 Opening of Congress 
12:00 WFIW Integration 
17.30 Congress Sessions close 
19.00 Dinner 
 
Friday 23 November 2007&nbsp;&nbsp; 
09:00 Congress Sessions continue 
17:30 Congress Sessions close 
19.00 Dinner 
 
Saturday 24 November 2007&nbsp;&nbsp; 
09:00 Final Congress Sessions 
14:00 Congress Closure 
15:00-17:00 New ICEM Presidium meets 
<img height="29" alt="" src="" width="25" align="absMiddle" />&nbsp; <a href="/en/?id=184&amp;doc=2430&amp;la=EN">Click here for a more detailed Draft Congress Agenda 
(22-24 November)</a>&nbsp; <img height="29" alt="" src="" width="25" align="absMiddle" /> 
 
Departure of Delegations
 
<img height="113" alt="" src="" width="100" /><a name="practical"></a>
4th ICEM World Congress - 2007 
Practical general information 

</div>


1. Congress Venue 
 
Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre 
60 New Rachadapisek Road, Kongtoey 
Bangkok 10110 
Thailand 
Tel: +66/2229-3000 
Fax: +66/2229-3392 
Website: <a href="http://www.qsncc.com">www.qsncc.com</a> 
2. Timetable 
Congress Registration will be every day, from Monday 19 November until Wednesday 21 November, from 08:00 to 17.00. Last minute Congress Registration will be on Thursday 22 November, from 08:00 to 10:00.
3. Transportation during congress 
 
A skytrain and a metro line are disserving the congress venue from all hotels block booked by the ICEM for the congress. The ICEM will provide tickets for delegates during the 3 days of Congress (22, 23 and 24 November). Those tickets will be available on site upon registration.
4. Social Activities 
 
Thursday 22 November &ndash; a dinner will be organised for congress delegates and accompanying persons. The information on the venue and other arrangements will be distributed at the time of the congress. 
 
Friday 23 November &ndash; a gala dinner will be organised for congress delegates and accompanying persons. The venue for the dinner will be the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. Further information on the arrangements will be distributed at the time of the congress. 
5. Tourism Information 
 
An information desk with tourism info, including&nbsp;on tours will be available on the congress site. 
6. Currency 
 
The Monetary unity of Thailand is the baht (THB). 
Exchange rate in early 2007 is: 1&euro; = +/- 44 THB. 
There is no black market. Changing Euros can be done, without any problems, everywhere, even in traveller&rsquo;s checks. For European countries, it is not necessary to bring dollars. 
7. Climate in Thailand 
Thailand's climate is tropical, high both in temperature and humidity, and dominated by monsoons. From November to the end of February the climate is much less trying with a cooling North East breeze and a reduction in the humidity level. This is also the main tourist season, and the best time to visit Thailand. 
The north and north-east are generally cooler than Bangkok in winter and hotter in summer. In the far north, around Mae Hong Son temperatures can occasionally drop as low as 20C. 
8. Time 
 
The standard time zone for Bangkok is GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) + 7 hours. 
9. Visa for Thailand 
 
Visa on Arrival: 
 
- According to the Interior Ministerial Announcements, passport holders from 20 countries may apply for visas at the immigration checkpoints for the purpose of tourism for the period of not exceeding 15 days. 
 
- The applicant must possess means of living expenses at the amount of 10,000 Baht per person and 20,000 Baht per family accordingly. 
 
- The applicant must present full paid ticket which is usable within 15 days since the date of entry 
 
- Visa on arrival is provided at 32 designated international checkpoints and applicants should submit the application form duly filled out and to which his/her recent photograph (4 x 6 cm) is attached. The application fee is 1,000 Baht. 
 
- Visitors who enter the Kingdom with Visa on Arrival generally cannot file an application for extension of stay except in special cases such as illness which prevents them from travelling, etc. They can submit an application at the Office of Immigration Bureau, Immigration Division 1, Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120. Tel. 02 287-3127 or 02 287-3101-10 ext. 2264-5 or at website <a href="http://www.immigration.go.th">http://www.immigration.go.th</a>. 
The list of 20 countries is as follows: 
 
1. Bhutan 
2. China 
3. Cyprus 
4. Czech Republic 
5. Estonia 
6. Hungary 
7. India 
8. Kazakhstan 
9. Latvia 
10. Liechtenstein 
11. Lithuania 
12. Maldives 
13. Mauritius 
14. Sultanate of Oman 
15. Poland 
16. Russia 
17. Saudi Arabia 
18. Slovakia 
19. Slovenia 
20. Ukraine 
 
Further information can be found on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kingdom of Thailand: <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.th">www.mfa.gov.th</a>.
Visa not needed for the following countries: 
1. Australia 
2. Austria 
3. Belgium 
4. Brazil 
5. Bahrain 
6. Brunei 
7. Canada 
8. Denmark 
9. Finland 
10. France 
11. Germany 
12. Greece 
13. Hong Kong 
14. Iceland 
15. Indonesia 
16. Ireland 
17. Israel 
18. Italy 
19. Japan 
20. Korea 
21. Kuwait 
22. Luxembourg 
23. Malaysia 
24. Netherlands 
25. New Zealand 
26. Norway 
27. Oman 
28. Peru 
29. Philippines 
30. Portugal 
31. Qatar 
32. Singapore 
33. Spain 
34. South &Aacute;frica 
35. Sweden 
36. Switzerland 
37. Turkey 
38. United Arab Emirates 
39. United Kingdom 
40. USA 
41. Vietnam 
10. Vaccination &ndash; Yellow Fever Certificate 
 
List of countries which are declared YELLOW FEVER INFECTED AREAS: 
 
- The Ministry of Public Health has issued regulations that applicants who have travelled from or through the countries which have been declared Yellow Fever Infected Areas must provide an International Health Certificate proving that they have received a Yellow Fever vaccination. 
 
- The International Health Certificate must be submitted together with the visa application form. The traveller will also have to present the said certificate to the Immigration Officer upon arrival at the port of entry in the Kingdom. As for those nationals of the countries listed below but who have not travelled from/through those countries, such a certificate is not required. However, they should possess concrete evidence showing that their domicile is not in an infected area so as to prevent unnecessary inconvenience. 
 
1. Angola 
2. Benin 
3. Bolivia 
4. Brazil 
5. Burkina Faso 
6. Burundi 
7. Cameroon 
8. Central Africa 
9. Chad 
10. Colombia 
11. Democratic Republic of Congo 
12. Congo 
13. Ivory Coast 
14. Ecuador 
15. Equatorial Guinea 
16. Ethiopia 
17. French-Guiana 
18. Gabon 
19. G&acirc;mbia 
20. Ghana 
21. Guinea-Bissau 
22. Guinea 
23. Guyana 
24. Kenya 
25. Lib&eacute;ria 
26. Mali 
27. Maurit&acirc;nia 
28. Niger 
29. Nigeria 
30. Panam&aacute; 
31. Peru 
32. Rwanda 
33. S&atilde;o Tome &amp; Pr&iacute;ncipe 
34. Senegal 
35. Sierra Leone 
36. Somalia 
37. Sudan 
38. Suriname 
39. Tanzania 
40. Togo 
41. Trinidad and Tobago 
42. Uganda 
43. Venezuela 
 
Further information can be found on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kingdom of Thailand: <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.th">www.mfa.gov.th</a>.

4th ICEM World Congress - Agenda and Practical general information

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 23

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
With private equity funds in 2006 going on unprecedented buying sprees totaling US$725 billion, the International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers (IUF) has published a 36-page booklet entitled &ldquo;Workers&rsquo; Guide to Private Equity.&rdquo; 

The booklet is aimed at trade unions and their members, and highlights the threat of private equity companies when they take over companies. The IUF says the heavy debt loads that companies often carry following such buy-outs means they pay less in taxes, thus creating a more increased tax burden for individuals and small businesses. 
<img height="112" src="" width="110" alt="" />
The IUF also says cost-slashing following takeovers by private equity funds means that research and development budgets of major companies are cut, so new product innovations go by the wayside. The sole corporate investment strategy by such funds is maximum short-term financial returns to shareholders. 
&ldquo;Workers&rsquo; Guide to Private Equity&rdquo; includes chapters on the Impact to Unions and Undercutting the Public Interest. It also contains two &ldquo;Trade Union Action&rdquo; programmes, one on the &ldquo;organising challenge,&rdquo; the other entitled &ldquo;mobilising and intervening for re-registration.&rdquo; The booklet, in its appendix, lists the top 50 private equity buy-out funds. It also contains an IUF Public Equity Buyout Watch. 
A&nbsp;PDF version of the booklet can be viewed <a href="http://www.iufdocuments.org/www/documents/A%20Worker's%20Guide%20to%20Private%20Equity-e.pdf">here</a>.&nbsp; The IUF is selling the booklet for CHF 5 each (plus postage), or for CHF 3 (plus postage) each for bulk copies of ten or more. 
The IUF also has a part of its web-site decidated to the private equity problem: <a href="http://www.iuf.org/buyoutwatch">http://www.iuf.org/buyoutwatch</a>.

IUF Offers ‘Workers’ Guide to Private Equity’

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The Federation of Energy, Geology, and Mining Trade Unions of Mongolia held its Fourth Extraordinary Conference in Ulaanbaatar late in May, and elected a new President for the 15,000-member union. 
Ganbold Sukhbaatar, a mining engineer, was elected to succeed Chultem Baljinyam. Ganbold is a 15-year veteran of the mining industry, and has been active in elected positions in trade unions for the past ten years.

Mongolian Mining Union Federation Elects New President

Archive

Three Mine Accidents in China Leave 33 Dead

Canadian Offshore Oil Workers Near Deal at Hibernia

Australian Unions Resist Government's Labour Reforms

USW Seeks to Keep Inco Mining Operating Open in Canada

ILO’s Child Labour Focus to be on Mining Sector

Strike at Total in France Protects Holidays

4th ICEM World Congress - Agenda and Practical general information

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 23

IUF Offers ‘Workers’ Guide to Private Equity’

Mongolian Mining Union Federation Elects New President

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