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The ICEM expressed its relief to the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) on learning of the 1 February release of Talib Khadim Tayee, president of the Iraqi Mechanics, Metalworkers and Printworkers Union. Talib Khadim was abducted 27 January when armed gunmen burst into a paper factory in Baghdad where he was conducting union business. He was beaten repeatedly by the gun butts of his assailants before being dragged off. This criminal act was done in front of workers, and occurred just 23 days after the senseless assassination of Hadi Saleh, IFTU International Secretary.

Kidnapped Iraqi Trade Union Leader Free

All communication was cut off to and from Nepal late last week and the ICEM was unable to ascertain the safety and whereabouts of leaders of its affiliated unions, including ICEM Vice President Binda Pandey of the Independent Chemical and Iron Workers&rsquo; Union and GEFONT. King Gyanendra of Nepal on 1 February dissolved his handpicked government and declared a state of emergency. At the weekend army forces were going after Maoist rebels. GEFONT leadership and ICEM leaders and contacts inside Nepal are not connected with the insurgency. ILO Director- General Juan Somavia reminded Nepal&rsquo;s king on 4 February that emergency decrees &ldquo;aimed at anti-social disruptive elements should not be applied against workers for exercising their legitimate trade union rights, including the right to organize public meetings.&rdquo;

Emergency Law in Nepal Suspends All Human, Labour Rights

ICEM affiliate Indian National Cement Workers&rsquo; Federation&rsquo;s annual Congress was held in mid-December and G. Sanjeeva Reddy was elected as President. Re-elected as General Secretary was N. Nanjappan. C.L. Dudhia chaired the union&rsquo;s general meeting, held at Mumbai.

India’s Cement Workers’ Conduct Congress

Three months after European chemical unions and employers jointly applied for Social Dialogue with the European Commission, the EC granted it last month. New Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, welcomed the formal establishment of the Dialogue Committee on 14 December. EMCEF, lead organization for the unions, and the European Chemical Employers Group intend to use the formalized dialogue in the interests of both workers and the industry to create initiatives and enhance competitiveness of the European chemical industry.

European Social Dialogue Will Begin in Chemicals Sector

ICEM affiliate General Workers&rsquo; Union of Malta is protesting that government&rsquo;s introduction of legislation aimed at eliminating all public holidays that fall on weekends. This means workers&mdash;if the bill is passed as an amendment to Legislation on Public Holidays&mdash;will not get an additional leave day for holidays occurring on weekend days, as mandated in Malta&rsquo;s Industrial and Employments Relations Act. In 2005, if passed, workers will lose three holidays, including the 1 May holiday and Christmas Day.

Maltese Union Protests Government’s Public Holiday Elimination

While the legal proceedings for over 400 sacked miners at Debswana diamond operations in Botswana continue on hold, the fate of their children&rsquo;s education hit a sad, cruel end. Debswana, jointly owned by DeBeers and the government of Botswana, has dismissed from company sponsored schools the children of those who participated in a strike last August. The company does allow children of others from the mining areas to attend on a private-school fee basis. &ldquo;Management has now turned to the cruellest form of torture methods in hitting where it hurts most, children,&rdquo; stated Chimbidzani Chimidza, national chairman of the Botswana Mining Workers&rsquo; Union.

Debswana Delivers Cruel Fate to Children of Botswana’s Miners

The Executive Boards of ICEM North American affiliates USWA and PACE voted to merge in January, creating the continent&rsquo;s largest industrial union with 850,000 members. The merger is scheduled to be consummated in April when the two unions will hold concurrent conventions.

PACE, USWA Unions in US Lay Preliminary Work for Merger

<img height="55" alt="" src="" width="138" />
In the chemicals sector, bargaining will resume 19 July in Canada in the five-week-old strike between CEP and Invista. Some 380 members of CEP Local 28-0 have been on strike in Maitland, Ontario, since 4 June over a concessionary company proposal. 
That proposal would cut benefits in the third year of a proposed three-year contract, force unwanted language on them in which they would be made redundant before contract workers are laid off. The proposal also includes longer working hours, which, judging by Invista&rsquo;s experience, would result in layoffs. 
CEP has taken the fight to Ontario&rsquo;s elected officials fearing Invista is braced to start production with replacement workers, an obvious health and safety menace to the Maitland community. 
The plant manufactures nylon intermediates, refrigerants, and engineered polymer products. Invista was formed in 2004 when DuPont spun off its textiles and interiors business to Koch Industries of the US for US$4.4 billion. Koch combined its KoSa fibres business with the DuPont business, and Invista now has 24,000 employees at operations in 50 countries, including 90 plants in the US and Canada.

CEP Members Strike Former DuPont Plant in Canada

The labour dispute between New Zealand&rsquo;s state-run coal company Solid Energy and ICEM affiliate Engineering, Printing, and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) has heated up again. Some 200 union members at two of the company&rsquo;s mines were locked out by Solid Energy and by one of its operating contractors for engaging in limited industrial action. Some 700 miners are seeking EPMU&rsquo;s national call for a 5% pay increase and a commitment to pay parity at underground and surface mines on both New Zealand&rsquo;s North and South Islands. Solid Energy, posting windfall profits this year due to high prices of coking coal, is offering only 10% over three years.

EPMU, Solid Energy Dispute Continues in New Zealand

Leaders and activists of the unaffiliated Lepanto Employees Union in the Philippines are still off work at Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co.&rsquo;s gold operations in Benquet province. The trade unionists were sacked for continuing an allegedly illegal strike. The country&rsquo;s Department of Labor and Employment stepped in last week to resolve the pay dispute that has lingered since last November for 1,700 miners, but made no provisions to reinstate the leaders. Workers struck legally on 4 June, but the labour agency issued a back-to-work order on 8 June. Many of the miners are remaining off jobsites in sympathy with the discharged leaders. The company says it will attempt to reach full production using supervisors and contract workers.

Mine Workers&#039; Leaders in Philippines Still Off Jobs

Archive

Kidnapped Iraqi Trade Union Leader Free

Emergency Law in Nepal Suspends All Human, Labour Rights

India’s Cement Workers’ Conduct Congress

European Social Dialogue Will Begin in Chemicals Sector

Maltese Union Protests Government’s Public Holiday Elimination

Debswana Delivers Cruel Fate to Children of Botswana’s Miners

PACE, USWA Unions in US Lay Preliminary Work for Merger

CEP Members Strike Former DuPont Plant in Canada

EPMU, Solid Energy Dispute Continues in New Zealand

Mine Workers' Leaders in Philippines Still Off Jobs

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