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Rolling work stoppages began at a Peabody Energy coal mine in central Queensland on 7 November. The legal industrial actions, brought on by the American company&rsquo;s proposed rollbacks in an enterprise labour agreement at its North Goonyella mine, could intensify in coming weeks, as members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) balloted this weekend on whether or not to take further industrial actions. 
 
A prior enterprise agreement expired early in 2008. But that was extended one year, until 31 March 2009. The dispute now centers on work rosters, rates of pay, and conditions of living in a mining camp. 
 
The CFMEU members took four three-hour work stoppages over a 24-hour period in the middle of last week. Further three-hour industrial actions could occur this week, and if this weekend&rsquo;s ballot passes, legalized work stoppages could extend to 24- or 48-hour periods. Unrelated to the dispute, Peabody announced on 11 November that 34 miners would be made redundant by year&rsquo;s end at North Goonyella.
<img src="" width="200" height="102" alt="" />
Peabody owns other coal-mining operations in Queensland and New South Wales, and is the major stakeholder of other collieries that operate with sub-contractors. All miners at these enterprises are represented by the CFMEU. Peabody bought the North Goonyella colliery from RAG AG as part of a three-mine purchase in 2003. 
 
The US multinational began mining coal in Australia through predecessor companies in the 1950s. Over the years, the CFMEU has developed close ties with the US mining union, ICEM affiliate United Mine Workers&rsquo; of America (UMWA), over Peabody&rsquo;s collective agreements and organizing efforts.

CFMEU Begins Job Actions at Peabody Coal in Australia

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On Sunday evening, 8 November, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) President Lovemore Matombo and four other trade union leaders were arrested in the Victoria Falls region of their country, after they met with the regional ZCTU Executive there. 
 
After four nights in jail, they were released late on Thursday, 12 November. They were arrested for violating Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Public Order and Security Act (POSA), a Mugabe device meant to stifle freedom of association. Under the POSA, participants must get police permission before conducting a public meeting. 
 
Besides Matombo, the other four ZCTU leaders jailed were Michael Kandukutu, Percy Mncijo, Dumisani Ncube, and Nhawu Ndlovu. 
 
But despite police winning an initial court bid on 11 November to keep the five in a jail in Hwange, a Magistrate threw out the charges and ordered their release, stating that trade union activity is exempt under the POSA.
<img src="" width="200" height="92" alt="" />
Last week&rsquo;s illegal incarcerations brought prompt protest and severe condemnation from the International Congress of Trade Unions (ITUC), the European Union, and other labour bodies around the world. 
 
Following release of the five, the ZCTU called for the resignations of the co-ministers of Home Affairs, including Giles Mutsekwa, representing the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, the partner in the failing power-sharing pact with Mugabe&rsquo;s ZANU-PF party. Mutsekwa had been silent on the trade union arrests, and on other repressive crackdowns of late. It was Mutsekwa and the MDC that was to take the lead in internal affairs following last year&rsquo;s formal power-sharing arrangement. 
 
It was the second time in less than a year that Lovemore Matombo had been arrested. In early December 2008, he was grabbed by Zimbabwean police after delivering a petition of protest to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Trade Union Leaders Jailed, then Released 12 November

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In the US, the ICEM intervened on behalf of the affiliated Teamsters Union in a strike that started on 3 November and ended 14 November against specialty chemicals manufacturer Rhodia. General Secretary Manfred Warda contacted the Paris-based company directly in efforts to bring the two sides together. 
 
The plant is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and it is part of Rhodia&rsquo;s Eco Services division, producing sulfuric acid and organic chemicals. The 135 members of Teamsters Local 5 went on strike following rejection of a company proposal given 1 November, but accepted a new three-year agreement with modifications on 13 November after managers and the bargaining committee reached agreement that day. 

<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="188" />
Teamsters Local 5 Members Last Week&nbsp;on Strike, a Strike that Ended on 13 November&nbsp;
The strike was primarily over rising health care costs and co-payments that Teamster members were asked to make. The negotiated settlement includes wage increases in each of the three years. It also includes positive modifications for workers to an on-call procedure, or provisions for calling staff to work during their off hours. That was a further cause in the ten-day strike.&nbsp; 
 
The ICEM has a constructive Global Framework Agreement with Rhodia. The difficult American issue of private and for-profit health care delivery systems is generally the leading cause of US labour-management disputes.

Ten-Day Strike by US Union against Rhodia Ends on 14 November

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The ICEM French trade union affiliate, the Federation of Chemical and Energy Workers (FCE-CFDT) Union, will conduct a day of action this week, 19 November, against the country&rsquo;s plastics manufacturers over a long simmering wage dispute. Some 150,000 workers in plastics, employed by 3,700 big and small plastics companies, have not seen any wage increase since 2006. 
 
Early in 2008, the employers&rsquo; federation abrogated a 2004 labour agreement which automatically gave liveable wage increases that at least matched French inflation. In the more than three years since the last pay hike, three pay grids in French plastics have fallen below the nation&rsquo;s minimum wage levels. 
 
Despite ongoing negotiations since May 2008, the employers&rsquo; grouping and French unions have been unable to reach acceptable wage standards, or a threshold on maximum seniority pay.
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The manifestation will occur at 10h30 on Thursday, 19 November, in front of the F&eacute;d&eacute;ration de la Plasturgie, at 65 rue de Prony in Paris. A joint union-management commission charged with resolving the longstanding impasse will again meet that day. 
 
FCE-CFDT said in a statement that many companies in the sector have profited handsomely from the three-year wage freeze, adding that thousands of workers are expected to take advantage of sick leave provisions on 19 November in plant-level protests. The union will hold a press conference on the foot-dragging by employers on Wednesday, 18 November. 
 
Since spring 2008, several manifestations have occurred across France over the lack of a current wage accord in this sector. 

&nbsp;

French Plastics Workers to Do Another Manifestation This Week

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Trade Unions in Iraq are faced with increasing interference and outright repression from government as they organize and increase their influence. Despite the right to organize being clearly guaranteed in the new constitution, Iraq&rsquo;s government falls back on blatantly anti&ndash;union legislation, some of it dating to the Saddam era, to hamper and restrict trade union activity. 
 
But trade unions are fighting back. On 24 October, hundreds of workers marched on the streets of Basra. Members of 12 unions gathered in front of the headquarters of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) there with banners demanding the central government stop interfering in internal workers&rsquo; issues, before marching towards the government administration building in Basra. 

<img alt="" src="" width="240" height="251" />
ICEM Executive Committee Member, Hashmeyia Saadawi
The GFIW is a Iraqi national centre of trade unions to which two ICEM-affiliated trade unions are members. Among the leaders of this demonstration was Hashmeyia Saadawi, President of the General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians (GFIW), and a member of the ICEM Executive Committee. 
 
Slogans prominently displayed during the march demanded implementation of new ILO compliant labour law, as well as abolition of Saddam&rsquo;s Law 150 of 1987, and ministerial Order 8750 of August 2005. 
 
The immediate issue at stake in the 24 October action is the government&rsquo;s attempt to form a government committee to implement workers&rsquo; elections for unions &ndash; under the old laws and without involving GFIW's executive board. This would continue to prevent workers in the public-sector from unionising, since public-sector workers are not officially allowed to join trade unions under the old legislation. 

<img alt="" src="" width="260" height="183" />
Given that both the oil and gas industry, and the electric power industry remain publicly&ndash;owned, this makes elections in those unions, as well as many others, farcical. The problems are compounded by the continued use by authorities of a controversial decree, Order 8750 of 2005, which froze all trade union assets and financial accounts, making it impossible for unions to function effectively. 
 
On arrival at the local government offices, workers met with local officials who promised to support and pass along their demands to the central government. 
 
But this crucial struggle will continue. The Iraqi trade union movement is about to launch a national campaign calling on the government and Parliament to implement a fair and just labour code that gives all workers, in both public and private sectors, the right to join trade unions. Once such a law is in place, then elections must be held, elections that are free from government interference. 

<img alt="" src="" width="260" height="195" />
The campaign has already attracted international attention and support. In the UK, Trades Union Congress (TUC) General Secretary Brendan Barber has written to Foreign Secretary David Miliband asking him to press Iraq to drop its interference, and instead put in place the ILO-compliant labour code that has been drafted, allowing all workers the right to form, join, and have a say in the running of trade unions. That letter is <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-17128-f0.cfm ">here</a>. 
 
And LabourStart has begun an electronic campaign, in which workers can show their support. Join this campaign by hitting the link <a href="http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=588 ">here</a>. 
 
A statement issued by the GFIW can be found <a href="/index.php?id=24&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3467">here</a>.

Iraq: Confronting Government Repression, Interference of Unions

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ILO'ya bağlı İş&ccedil;i &Ccedil;alışmaları B&uuml;rosu (ILO ACTRAV) 12-15 Ekim 2009 g&uuml;nlerinde Cenevre'de &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme ve toplu pazarlık hakkı konulu uluslararası bir sempozyum d&uuml;zenledi. 

<img alt="" src="" width="326" height="190" />
Sempozyum ulusal sendikal merkezlerden, ulusal işkolu sendikalarından, k&uuml;resel federasyonlardan ve ITUC'tan, akademik &ccedil;evrelerden ve ILO'dan 60'ın &uuml;zerinde katılımcıyı bir araya getirdi. ICEM'i Jim Catterson ve Phee Jungsun temsil ediyordu. Tartışmalarda, &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme ve toplu pazarlık haklarının sendikalarda &uuml;ye sayısının d&uuml;şmesinden, &ccedil;alışma ilişkilerinin giderek bireyselleşmesinden ve k&uuml;reselleşme bağlamındaki dizginsiz rekabet ve esneklik arayışından kaynaklanan sorunlarla karşı karşıya bulunduğu olgusu &uuml;zerinde duruldu. Bu sorunlarla başa &ccedil;ıkabilmek, &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme ve toplu pazarlık haklarını ve diğer temel hak ve ilkeleri yaşama ge&ccedil;irebilmek i&ccedil;in sendikaların g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirilmesi gerekiyor. 

<img alt="" src="" width="328" height="194" />
Sempozyum şunları ama&ccedil;lıyordu: 
- Toplu s&ouml;zleşme ve &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme haklarının uygulanmasındaki son gelişmeleri ve trendleri incelemek. 
- İnsana yakışır &ccedil;alışmanın sosyal ve ekonomik ama&ccedil;ları ile toplu pazarlık arasındaki ilişkiyi tartışmak. 
- Sendikaların &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme ve toplu pazarlık kapasitesini g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirecek politika ve stratejileri saptamak. 
- &Ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme ve toplu pazarlık hakkının genel ve yaygın bir bi&ccedil;imde uygulanmasını sağlamanın y&ouml;ntem ve ara&ccedil;larını saptamak. 
 
Toplantının oturumlarından biri k&uuml;resel &ccedil;er&ccedil;eve s&ouml;zleşmeler konusuna ayrıldı. &Ouml;zg&uuml;r Berlin &Uuml;niversitesi'nden Dr. Michael Fichter'in yaptığı genel girişten sonra, Rhodia ile ICEM arasında bağıtlanmış olan k&uuml;resel s&ouml;zleşme &uuml;zerinde duruldu. Bu konuda ICEM adına sunumu Jim Catterson yaptı.

ILO&#039;nun 98 nolu Sözleşmesinin 60. Yıldönümü

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Eyl&uuml;l sonlarında, ICEM, Ortadoğu/Kuzey Afrika B&ouml;lgesi'ndeki (MENA) faaliyetlerini canlandırma &ccedil;alışmaları &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde, b&ouml;lgedeki kimya ve petrokimya sendikalarına y&ouml;nelik bir &ccedil;alışma toplantısı d&uuml;zenledi. Friedrich-Ebert Vakfı'nın (FES) katkılarıyla 28-29 Eyl&uuml;l g&uuml;nlerinde L&uuml;bnan'ın Beyrut kentinde ger&ccedil;ekleştirilen toplantıda iki g&uuml;n boyunca at&ouml;lye &ccedil;alışmaları yapıldı. 
 
Enerji ve &ouml;zellikle petrol, b&ouml;lge ekonomilerinin başlıca itici g&uuml;&ccedil;lerinden biri ve ICEM'in b&ouml;lgedeki &ccedil;alışmalarının konusu olmuştur. Ama ayrıca, b&ouml;lgede petrokimya, &ouml;zellikle etilen ve onun polietilen ve etilen glikol gibi t&uuml;revleri alanında genel &uuml;retim kapasitesi artmıştır. 
 
ICEM'in FES ile birlikte d&uuml;zenlediği &ccedil;alışma toplantısının konusu şuydu: &ldquo;Ortadoğu/Kuzey Afrika B&ouml;lgesi'nde (MENA) Petrokimya Sekt&ouml;r&uuml;nde Sendikal Temsilin, &Ccedil;alışma İlişkilerinin ve Sosyal Diyalogun G&uuml;&ccedil;lendirilmesi&rdquo; Semineri L&uuml;bnan Kimya Sendikası Başkanı S&uuml;leyman Hamdan y&ouml;netiyordu. 

<img alt="" src="" width="332" height="89" />
&Ccedil;alışmalara L&uuml;bnan, Mısır, &Uuml;rd&uuml;n, Yemen, Bahreyn, Irak, Fas, Tunus, Libya, Filistin, T&uuml;rkiye ve Fransa'dan 30 temsilci katıldı. ICEM Kimya Sorumlusu Kemal &Ouml;zkan'ın sekt&ouml;rdeki k&uuml;resel trendler konusundaki sunumundan sonra, &uuml;lke raporları sunuldu. 
 
At&ouml;lye &ccedil;alışmalarından birinin konusu şuydu: &ldquo;&Ccedil;alışma İlişkilerinin K&uuml;resel Boyutu: Uluslararası Mekanizmalar, Sosyal Diyalog, K&uuml;resel &Ccedil;er&ccedil;eve S&ouml;zleşmeler ve K&uuml;resel/B&ouml;lgesel Ağlar&rdquo;. &Ouml;b&uuml;r oturumun konusu ise ICEM'in taşeron iş&ccedil;iliği kampanyası bağlamında ş&ouml;yle belirlenmişti: &ldquo;&Ccedil;alışma Koşullarına Y&ouml;nelen Yeni Bir Tehdit: G&uuml;vencesiz İstihdam&rdquo;. 

<img alt="" src="" width="146" height="66" />
Toplantının bitiminde, katılımcılar, bir &quot;ICEM MENA B&ouml;lgesel Kimya/Petrokimya Sekt&ouml;r Ağı&rdquo; kurma kararı aldılar. B&ouml;lge ağı &ccedil;alışmalarını şu alanlarda s&uuml;rd&uuml;recek: sosyal diyalog ve &ccedil;alışma ilişkileri; &ccedil;alışma mevzuatı ve uluslararası ara&ccedil;lar; sekt&ouml;rdeki &ccedil;okuluslu şirketler; taşeron iş&ccedil;iliği ve g&uuml;vencesiz istihdam; iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği. 
 
&ldquo;Bu girişim b&ouml;lgede ICEM i&ccedil;in yeni bir &ccedil;alışma alanıdır&rdquo; diyen &Ouml;zkan ş&ouml;yle devam etti: &ldquo;Seminerdeki katılımcıların tutumu, b&ouml;lgede kurulacak petrokimya ağının b&uuml;y&uuml;k bir potansiyele sahip olduğunu g&ouml;steriyor. ICEM b&ouml;lgede sekt&ouml;rdeki faaliyetlerini g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirmeyi ama&ccedil;lıyor.&rdquo;

Ortadoğu ve Kuzey Afrika Kimya Sendikaları Ağ Kuruyor

International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM)
&nbsp;International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF)
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF) 
Stronger Together - Fighting for a Sustainable Future 

We, the global industrial trade union federations representing workers in the metal, chemical, energy, mining, paper, rubber, textiles, materials, and related sectors, believe we have a golden opportunity to demand that the global economy be transformed from an unsustainable &ldquo;casino&rdquo; model into something that supports a sustainable environment and a sustainable society. 
 
The financial crisis that very nearly destroyed the world&rsquo;s economy is only the most obvious recent result of the same short-sighted thinking that has jeopardized the global environment, threatened human health, and destabilized society. In particular, the runaway gambling by banks, hedge funds and other finance institutions has had catastrophic implications for millions of working people. 
 
Working women and men, their families, and the communities that depend on them have paid heavily for the crash of the casino economy through massive job losses, decreased wages, and reduced benefits. The global trade union movement strongly opposes any attempt to make working people assume the major burden of the financial crisis through regressive tax reforms. We believe it is time for the people who caused this mess to pay to clean it up. 
 
The failure of world leaders in December 2009 in Copenhagen to reach an ambitious, fair and binding agreement on greenhouse gases is another example of short-term greed trumping long-term need. The price of inaction will be paid by future generations. From broad concerns like global warming to more specific examples like the Deepwater Horizon disaster, nothing about a de-regulated market ensures the protection the environment. 
 
The inability of the deregulated financial market to value the long-term health of the economy, the environment, or society must now be clear to any thinking person. The ICEM, IMF and ITGLWF are showing the way to a sustainable future by calling for re-regulation of the global financial market, including among other instruments the introduction of a financial transaction tax that would raise billions to tackle poverty and climate change. We believe this will generate substantial revenues to pay for the costs of the crisis, climate change measures, and official development assistance while reducing the pressures that could cause a renewed financial crisis. Coupled with fair and binding environmental regulations, and strong social programs, we can shape a prosperous and sustainable future. 
 
Industrial workers have a central role to play in building a future that lifts people out of poverty while protecting the environment. Through industrial and political action, our three global federations demand that the world&rsquo;s leaders take decisive actions to solve the economic, social and environmental crises. 
 
The economic crisis has not just been about how things are made, bought and sold, but also about people. Evidence shows that many companies that have begun hiring again are doing so with fixed-term or temporary workers. Such precarious work is bad for all workers. It creates cut-price labor that drives down wages. It increases the gap between rich and poor and amplifies the unfair practices that already disadvantage women, young and migrant workers. 
 
We believe the upcoming G8 and G20 summit meetings in Canada provide an opportunity for world leaders to address the legitimate concerns of industrial workers for social justice and long-term employment policies. The solution lies in global governance. Financial markets must be re-regulated, and the environment must be better protected. Jobs, workers&rsquo; rights, social protection, quality public services, and sustainability are at the heart of our proposal for a new system for global governance. 
 
We therefore call on world leaders to: 
&bull; Ensure that global financial markets are regulated, including as an initial step better disclosure of transactions, strengthened monitoring schemes and regulation of leveraging; 
&bull; Ban the creation or use of financial instruments with no verifiable real-world value, such as certain derivatives and swaps; 
&bull; Introduce an international financial transaction tax system to be levied on transactions between financial institutions. A tiny tax on financial transactions would make a massive difference in the way we face up to the challenges of today. Even at just 0.05 percent experts have estimated that an international transaction tax system could eventually raise as much as $400 billion every year - money that could be used to save our planet and build a future fairer for all. 
&bull; Make sustainable development a criteria of trade and investment deals; with balanced and fair access to markets, and transparent monitoring mechanisms of all trade and investment deals past and future; 
&bull; Assess the social, economic and environmental sustainability impact of potential trade agreements prior to the conclusion of negotiations; 
&bull; Consider the employment repercussions of trade liberalization in the negotiation of multilateral and bilateral trade agreements &ndash; to be assessed with full involvement of trade unions; 
&bull; Respect fundamental workers' and trade union rights as set out in the ILO Core Labour Standards; to be included in all bilateral and multilateral agreements on trade and investments along with effective enforcement mechanisms; 
&bull; Create jobs that meet the ILO definition of &ldquo;decent work&rdquo;. We recognize that industrial change is happening, but challenge the legal and political rules that allow precarious work to flourish; 
&bull; Reach an ambitious, fair, and binding, agreement on greenhouse gases at COP16 in Mexico; and 
&bull; Ensure that funds in the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund earmarked as part of the Copenhagen Accord are available to trade unions for vocational and educational purposes as part of the broader principle of Just Transition. 
 
In short we believe that world leaders can no longer ignore the big problems facing the world today. We are calling for an innovative, international regulatory response that will boldly deal with global issues.

ICEM-IMF-ITGLWF Declaration: Toronto, Canada, 19 June 2010

IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 17 June 2010 &ndash; Two Global Union Federations (GUFs) representing a combined 45 million workers will conduct a two-day conference on economic, environment, and social dimensions of sustainability in Toronto beginning tomorrow, aimed at forging a worldwide workers&rsquo; and communities&rsquo; declaration for the upcoming G8 and G20 summits. 
 
The &ldquo;Triple Crisis of Sustainability&rdquo; Conference is sponsored by Geneva, Switzerland-based International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Union (ICEM) and International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), and will include voices from 270 trade union and other leaders from over 50 countries. 
 
The conference runs from 9h00 to 17h30 on both 18 and 19 June in the Dominion Ballroom of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West. 
 
&ldquo;The financial crisis that brought the world&rsquo;s economy to its knees needs correcting and it needs the resonating voices of those most affected by runaway greed and banking calamities,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;Environmental catastrophes, monetary disparities, and destabilized societies all have related origins, and this is the pivotal time for the world&rsquo;s economic and political leaders to correct the imbalances.&rdquo; 
 
Added Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of the IMF: &ldquo;The uncertainties that workers and their families face is now unprecedented. We want guarantees that the G8 and G20 summits address the legitimate concerns of workers for social justice and long-term, sustainable employment, and include the introduction of a global tax on financial institutions.&rdquo; 
 
The two GUFs believe that the crises of failing economies, environmental inaction, and social disorder are interconnected. ICEM and IMF also believe these crises have been produced by absence of global financial and environmental regulations, as well as inept financial governance of markets. The conference will ensure that the voices of global workers are heard on these issues before the G8 and G20 summits convene. 
 
Jobs, workers&rsquo; rights, social protections, quality public services, and sustainability &ndash; both on environmental stewardship and in providing decent work &ndash; will serve as the heart of a common declaration from the conference to the G8 and G20. 
 
A keynote speech on 18 June will be delivered by United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, whose union has been victimized by the merciless globalization and one of the world&rsquo;s largest and most profitable mining companies in Ontario. A panel on the opening day will address the economic crisis. 
 
Other panels will be on topics of sustainable development and climate change, and on corporate governance. On the concluding day, 19 June, David Donnelly, a leading environmental attorney connected with Canada&rsquo;s Blue-Green Alliance, will speak, as will John Evans, the General-Secretary of the Paris-based Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 
 
The conference&rsquo;s programme has been built to allow for maximum comments from the 250 participants in order to gain a wide-ranging discourse over the effects of the social, environmental, and economic crises. 
 
The ICEM counts 467 trade union affiliates in 132 countries, and represents 20 million workers. The IMF represents the collective interests of 25 million metalworkers from more than 200 unions in 100 countries.
Note to Media Outlets: A Press Briefing will occur at the venue at 12h30, 18 June.)
For more, contact: Dick Blin, ICEM Information Officer on-site at <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>, +41 79 734 8994 (mobile); or Alexander Ivanou, IMF Communications, <a href="mailto:aivanou@imfmetal.org">aivanou@imfmetal.org</a>, +41 22 308 5033 (land line).

Global Trade Unions Meet in Toronto for Sustainability Conference

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Uni&oacute;n Obrera Metal&uacute;rgical (UOM), the national Metalworkers&rsquo; Union of Argentina, reached accord with six employers&rsquo; associations recently in wage negotiations for 2010. Some three weeks after mandatory government reconciliation stopped a scheduled 10 April strike, the UOM and four employer groups agreed to a two-phase wage increase for 2010 that totals 26.5%. 
 
In early May, two other employer federations &ndash; the household goods association (FEDEHOGAR) and the metallurgical industry association (ADIMRA) &ndash; agreed to the salary package, which gives a 15% increase backdated to 1 April with another 10% due on 1 July 2010. The latter increase will be adjusted according to inflation, and workers should realize 11.6%. 

<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="116" />
The contracts cover 260,000 workers and will run until 31 March 2011. The four employer federations that initially agreed to terms included the small and mid-size metallurgical chamber (CAMINA), the auto and other component association (AFAC), electronic parts manufacturers (AFARTE), and the related metals industry association (CAIAMA). The UOM affiliates to the ICEM on its members in the nuclear power sector. 
 
The union had sought a one-stage 25% adjustment, which it said would cover what was lost due to Argentina&rsquo;s high inflation rate in 2009. Initially, employers offered 15% in three stages, but amended that to 20% in three phases upon the threat of a strike. 
 
The metals pact in Argentina is expected to serve as the benchmark for bargaining in other industrial sectors. Javier Sanchez of the UOM&rsquo;s Nuclear Branch credited UOM Secretary-General Antonio Cal&oacute; with leading difficult negotiations in delivering just wage adjustments for metalworkers without an industrial conflict.

Metalworkers in Argentina Negotiate 2010 Wage Gains of 26.5%

Archive

CFMEU Begins Job Actions at Peabody Coal in Australia

Zimbabwe Trade Union Leaders Jailed, then Released 12 November

Ten-Day Strike by US Union against Rhodia Ends on 14 November

French Plastics Workers to Do Another Manifestation This Week

Iraq: Confronting Government Repression, Interference of Unions

ILO'nun 98 nolu Sözleşmesinin 60. Yıldönümü

Ortadoğu ve Kuzey Afrika Kimya Sendikaları Ağ Kuruyor

ICEM-IMF-ITGLWF Declaration: Toronto, Canada, 19 June 2010

Global Trade Unions Meet in Toronto for Sustainability Conference

Metalworkers in Argentina Negotiate 2010 Wage Gains of 26.5%

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