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<img alt="" src="" style="width: 100px;height: 39px" width="390">

	A deadly coal mine tragedy and two near misses occurred in Ukraine&rsquo;s eastern coalfields over the past three weeks. The worse came on 6 February when a methane gas explosion rocked the Pivnichna coal mine near the city of Dzerzhynsk.

	One 54-year-old pitman died instantly and seven others died from severe burns in the days to follow in the Donetsk burn centre. The Coal Mining Industry Workers&rsquo; Union of Ukraine (PRUPA) was taking stock of the gas blast and welcomed a Donetsk regional prosecutor&rsquo;s criminal investigation of the tragedy.

	The mine, operated with 136 workers at the time of the explosion, is owned by the state-owned Dzerzhynskruhillia company. In August 2010, a methane explosion killed two workers at Pivnichna and trapped several more.

	&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 120px;height: 120px" width="390">&nbsp;

	Another mine accident happened a week earlier at a different eastern colliery. This occurred at the Rumaniantseve mine in Horlicka, Donetsk, and it trapped four miners. PRUPA said sound communication was made early with the trapped miners and rescue followed.

	The other near miss came on 2 February at the Kalinin mine of the Donetsk Coal Energy Co. when a fire torched wooden carriages inside the mine. Seventy-three miners were working inside at the time, and the fire immediately trapped 22 of them. They were eventually all rescued from depths of 1,000 metres.

	Ukraine&rsquo;s government has officially put the number of miners killed on the job in 2011 at 161.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Spate of Mine Deaths Plague Ukraine in February

<img alt="" src="" style="width: 100px;height: 39px" width="390" />

	Somyot Pruksakasemsuk was once again denied bail on 20 February by the Thai Criminal Court and is still incarcerated at the Bangkok Remand Prison. Somyot, a long-time labour activist in Thailand, was arrested on 30 April 2011 for his activities as a journalist in the run-up to the Thai elections last July.

	He is charged with violating Section 112, or the l&egrave;se majest&eacute; law, a charge of defaming, insulting and threatening the King, Queen and heir apparent.&nbsp;Somyot is also alleged to have resisted arrest.&nbsp; He denies all charges.

	Now working as the prison librarian, the Court ruled against bail on the following grounds: 
	- The trial is high profile and evokes strong reactions from the public; 
	- That Somyot is likely to escape Thailand if he is released; and 
	- That Somyot would interfere with the prosecution witnesses if released. 
	These reasons are not credible to Somyot&rsquo;s supporters.

	&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 88px;height: 178px" width="390" />&nbsp;

	Somyot Pruksakasemsuk

	Somyot&rsquo;s son, Panithan Pruksakasemsuk, conducted a well-publicised 112-hour hunger strike that ended on 16 February, to protest against the order of the Criminal Court to deny his father&rsquo;s bail. The request for bail has been made seven times and sufficient deposit has been offered. His protest is aimed at demanding the right to temporary release of his father.

	Prosecutors have relocated Somyot to various provinces of Thailand for hearings by the prosecutor&rsquo;s witnesses.&nbsp; This has been described as a form of persecution of Somyot as several witnesses live in or near to Bangkok.

Thai Trade Unionist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk Still in Prison

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 100px;height: 39px" width="390" />

	Automotive and supplier sectors in Thailand have been booming. Some say Thailand is on the way to becoming the &ldquo;Detroit&rdquo; of Asia. The export oriented industry is overwhelmingly located in the cities of Bangkok, Chonbori, Rayong, Samutprakaran and Pathumthani.

	Thailand&rsquo;s tyre industry is made up of 16 companies, most of them multinationals, and operating in 20 factories employing 30,000 direct employees. Only nine factories are unionized, and those unions come from different sector and regional labour bodies in Thailand.

	Some 33 union representatives from factories of French-based Michelin&rsquo;s two plants, US-based Goodyear, Japanese-based Bridgestone and Yokohama, Taiwan-based Maxxis, and the Thai national company, Siam Rubber, came together in an ICEM workshop held 18-19 February in Bangkok. The meeting&rsquo;s purpose was to organize a common union view of the tyre industry at both global and regional levels, introduce international labour standard applications, and chart the future union strategies in rubber in Thailand.

	&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 369px;height: 144px" width="390" />&nbsp;

	&ldquo;The Thai tyre industry has developed and international&rsquo;s support of the sector&rsquo;s unions is a must,&rdquo; said ICEM Thai Council Chair Prakob Parimon in opening the meeting. Chaiyuth Choosakul, the new President of ICEM affiliated Petroleum and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Federation (PCFT) said six out of 18 unions belonging to his federation are active in the tyre industry.

	&ldquo;We need knowledge, experience and support from the outside to better serve our members in the tyre industry,&rdquo; said Choosakul in his initial remarks.

	The workshop examined general trends, and challenges economically and socially that affect labour matters, presentations by ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs Kemal &Ouml;zkan. Participants also warmly welcomed the Secretary of the European Works Council from Michelin, Cyrille Poughon, a member of ICEM&rsquo;s French affiliate FCE-CFDT.

	&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 261px;height: 160px" width="390" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

	from right to left: FCE-CFDT&#039;s Cyrille Poughon, Kemal Ozkan, ICEM Thai Council Chair Prakob Parimon

	Poughon provided detailed information on the French union and collective bargaining structures, as well as rubber industry collective agreements with details such as wages, work hours, labour relations in France and in Europe, as well as Michelin&rsquo;s corporate situation. ICEM&rsquo;s Asia Multinational Companies and Social Dialogue Project Coordinator Yoon Hyowon addressed international labour standards such ILO Conventions, OECD Guidelines, the UN&rsquo;s Global Compact, and other instruments.

	The participants then extensively discussed their difficulties, challenges, strong points, opportunities and future ideas on cooperation and solidarity. Widespread union de-recognition practices by employers in the sector was specifically mentioned. Differences in wages and social payments between different tyre companies, even among subsidiaries of the same companies, were noted as important challenges to overcome.

	At the meeting&rsquo;s conclusion, delegates unanimously agreed to form a national tyre union network for defending the interests and rights of employees in the sector. The participants further agreed that regular network activities must materialize in the near future. Continuation of ICEM&rsquo;s leading role was underlined. Participants from Michelin asked French union representatives to assist them in upcoming negotiations to break the negative attitude of local management by intervening with senior management.

	&ldquo;The ICEM is proud to take the lead in a workers&rsquo; voice in the start-up of the Thai tyre network,&rdquo; said &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;Following the initiative to form a national network in India last December, ICEM will follow the same decisiveness in Thailand to ensure that effective union networking occurs in the tyre sector.&rdquo;

Thailand’s Tyre Unions Join Forces into National Network

<img alt="" src="" style="width: 100px;height: 39px" width="390" />

	The threat of strikes across Austria&rsquo;s electric energy sector in mid-February brought a national labour agreement to 21,000 workers. ICEM affiliate PRO-GE and GPA-djp, the Salaried Employees, Print, Journalism, Paper Union reached accord on 12 February after the third round of bargaining last week failed.

	In keeping with a decision made in worksite meetings after the second round of talks failed, late in January, the two unions got strike endorsement from the Austrian Federation of Trade Unions (&Ouml;GB) and were to start manifestations today, with warning strikes commencing tomorrow.

	<img alt="" src="" style="width: 165px;height: 160px" width="390" />

	PRO-GE&rsquo;s Manfred Anderle

	Instead, the employers&rsquo; association moved a previous 3.6% wage offer to over 4%, with the minimum level of wages in the utility sector lifted to 4.2%. Higher-level wages will be increased by 3.8%, while those of apprentices will be hiked by 4.2%.

	The two unions took the stalemate in 2012 wage negotiations to union memberships at the shop-floor level because employers were refusing to come close to wage level increases reached in Austria&rsquo;s metal sector last October, or to account for a 2011 inflation rate of 3.2% that continues to rise. The unions also cited rising company earnings as reason why electric generating and distribution companies could pay what was achieved in the nation&rsquo;s metal sector.

	In a statement issued yesterday, PRO-GE&rsquo;s Manfred Anderle and GPA-djp&rsquo;s Karl Proyer jointly said: &ldquo;Our great thanks go to all employees and to the shop stewards, who made this possible through their solidarity and readiness for action.&rdquo;

Strike Threat in Austria Brings National Electric Accord

&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 140px;height: 68px" width="390" />

	In calling attention to jobs creation as equivalent economic growth, working people across Europe today led by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) are in a Day of Action in opposition to the European Council&rsquo;s adoption of a budget discipline treaty.

	The decentralised mobilisations are occurring in scores of cities and worksites with a common theme pointed at EU governments and decision-makers: &ldquo;Enough is enough! There are alternatives to austerity. Employment and social justice are the number one priorities.&rdquo;

	Today&rsquo;s ETUC Day of Action is taking the form of demonstrations, work stoppages and information postings inside workplaces and government institutions stating that the European summit&rsquo;s Treaty on Stability, Co-ordination and Governance is a straightjacket that will plunge the Eurozone into free-fall recession.

	The actions include two demonstrations in Brussels, site of the European Council&rsquo;s 1-2 March summit where the misguided treaty will intrinsically slash wages and social protections, restrict collective bargaining, and provide even more neo-liberal policies, hardly the remedies for economic growth to assure a sustainable future.

	Union leaders, led by ETUC General Secretary Bernadette S&eacute;gol, meet with Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Parliament President Martin Schulz at the European Council Building, while a mass rally takes place outside. Meanwhile, members of all Belgian trade unions will protest today outside the Belgian National Bank.

	A sampling of other actions today includes a mass demonstration organised by the Romanian national trade union centres between 14h and 16h at Victoria Square in Bucharest. In Rome, Italian labour federations CGIL, CISL and UIL will demonstrate at Pantheon Place at 16h, while Hungarian trade unions will hold a press conference and manifestation.

	In Greece, trade unions will take a three-hour work stoppage from 12h to 5h, while even in Georgia trade unions will protest Trade Union Action Day with a rally at Parliament in Tbilisi against their government&rsquo;s one-sided labour code and the economic harm it brings.

	&ldquo;In mobilising on the same day everywhere in Europe for the first time,&rdquo; said S&eacute;gol, &ldquo;European trade unions are reacting with anger and exasperation.&rdquo;

	In the UK, British trade unions used the day to gear up their defence of the National Health Service (NHS), which will happen across the UK massively on 7 March. Both the ETUC and Trades Union Congress (TUC) denounced austerity measures that always &ldquo;fall hardest on the shoulders of the weakest&rdquo; when public services are cut.

Europe’s Unions Protest ‘Straitjacket’ Treaty

<h3 style="text-align: justify">
	Packaging Workers Need Support!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify">
	Des travailleurs de l&rsquo;emballage ont besoin de votre soutien!</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify">
	&iexcl;Trabajadores/as del empaque requieren tu apoyo!</h3>

	After engaging in lawful industrial actions earlier in February, 140 workers represented by Unite the Union in the UK were locked out by Austrian packaging firm Mayr-Melnhof on 20 February. The reason: so management could move product and equipment to another plant in event of a further stoppage. UK workers at this plant are vigilant over this misdeed and they deserve our prompt support.

	The lockout forced 40 workers to occupy the plant on 20 February. Unionised workers of Unite need our immediate support during this acrimonious dispute in the Bootle food packaging plant in Merseyside. Please cut and paste the message below, or write your own message in your own language to <a href="mailto:Tony.burke@unitetheunion.com; ian.tonks@unitetheunion.com; p-potter1@sky.com; mmpcanpaywontpay@unitetheunion.org">these workplace leaders</a>, and be sure to include the name of your union. Subject head: Support to Unite at Mayr Melnhof.

	Dear Comrades,

	We have heard of your dispute and the lockout imposed on you by Mayr-Melnhof. We understand that management has been completely unreasonable regarding a compromise offered over redundancies. It seems that Mayr-Melnhof wants it their way, or the alternative is a harsh lockout. Please know that our union stands with you and we will be watching this dispute very closely in the coming days. Best of luck and we stand with you in winning this dispute!

	(name)

	(union)

	For further information on this lockout, please see this <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4904-UK-Packaging-Workers-Face-Lockout-at-Mayr-Melnhof-Plant-in-Merseyside">ICEM report</a>&nbsp;from last week.

	Thank you for your Prompt Action on this.

	In Unity,

	Dick Blin

	ICEM Pulp and Paper Officer/Geneva
<hr />

	Des travailleurs de l&rsquo;emballage ont besoin de votre soutien!

	Apr&egrave;s avoir entrepris des actions syndicales tout &agrave; fait l&eacute;gales d&eacute;but f&eacute;vrier, 140 travailleurs repr&eacute;sent&eacute;s par le syndicat britannique Unite ont &eacute;t&eacute; lockout&eacute;s par la firme d&rsquo;emballage autrichienne Mayr-Melnhof ce 20 f&eacute;vrier. Raison avanc&eacute;e&nbsp;: pour permettre &agrave; la direction de d&eacute;placer les produits et les &eacute;quipements vers une autre usine en cas de nouvel arr&ecirc;t de travail. Les travailleurs britanniques de cette usine font preuve de beaucoup de vigilance par rapport &agrave; cette agression et ils m&eacute;ritent notre soutien imm&eacute;diat.

	Ce lockout a oblig&eacute; 40 travailleurs &agrave; occuper le site le 20 f&eacute;vrier. Les syndiqu&eacute;s de Unite ont sans d&eacute;lai besoin de notre soutien dans le cadre de cet impitoyable conflit qui se d&eacute;roule &agrave; l&rsquo;usine d&rsquo;emballage de Bootle dans le Merseyside. Veuillez faire un copier-coller du message propos&eacute; ci-dessous, ou en r&eacute;diger un autre de votre cru dans votre langue et le faire parvenir &agrave; <a href="mailto:Tony.burke@unitetheunion.com; ian.tonks@unitetheunion.com; p-potter1@sky.com">ceux qui m&egrave;nent l&rsquo;action&nbsp;</a>, en prenant soin d&rsquo;y inclure le nom de votre organisation. Sujet&nbsp;: Soutien &agrave; Unite chez Mayr Melnhof.

	Chers Coll&egrave;gues,

	Nous avons eu connaissance du conflit chez Mayr-Melnhof et du lockout qui vous est impos&eacute;. Nous savons que la direction s&rsquo;est montr&eacute;e totalement d&eacute;raisonnable par rapport &agrave; un compromis qui lui &eacute;tait propos&eacute; &agrave; propos de licenciements. Il semble bien que Mayr-Melnhof ne veuille rien entendre et que sa seule alternative soit un lockout brutal. Sachez que notre organisation est derri&egrave;re vous et suivra ce conflit&nbsp; de tr&egrave;s pr&egrave;s dans ces prochains jours. Nous vous souhaitons bonne chance et sommes &agrave; vos c&ocirc;t&eacute;s pour emporter cette victoire&nbsp;!

	(nom)

	(organisation)

	Pour davantage d&rsquo;informations sur ce conflit, nous vous invitons &agrave; consulter <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4904-UK-Packaging-Workers-Face-Lockout-at-Mayr-Melnhof-Plant-in-Merseyside">l&rsquo;article que l&rsquo;ICEM</a> a publi&eacute; la semaine derni&egrave;re en anglais.

	Merci de bien vouloir agir rapidement.

	Bien fraternellement.

	Dick Blin

	Responsable P&acirc;te et Papier de l&rsquo;ICEM/Gen&egrave;ve
<hr />

	&iexcl;Trabajadores/as del empaque requieren tu apoyo!

	Despu&eacute;s de participar en paros legales de protesta durante el mes de febrero, 140 trabajadores/as miembros de Unite the Union en el Reino Unido resultaron v&iacute;ctimas de un cierre patronal impuesto el d&iacute;a 20 de ese mismo mes por la empresa austriaca de empaque Mayr-Melnhof. La administraci&oacute;n actu&oacute; as&iacute; para poder trasladar productos y equipos a otra planta en caso de producirse otra huelga. Los trabajadores de esta planta brit&aacute;nica est&aacute;n en estado de alerta a consecuencia de esta siniestra maniobra, y merecen nuestro apoyo urgente.

	El cierre patronal oblig&oacute; a 40 trabajadores/as a ocupar las instalaciones de la planta el 20 de febrero. Los trabajadores/as sindicalizados de Unite necesitan de nuestra ayuda inmediata durante este agrio conflicto en la planta de envasado de Bootle, en la regi&oacute;n de Merseyside. Rogamos copiar el mensaje que aparece a continuaci&oacute;n, o bien escribir su propio mensaje en su idioma, dirigido a <a href="mailto:Tony.burke@unitetheunion.com; ian.tonks@unitetheunion.com; p-potter1@sky.com">estos dirigentes sindicales</a>, sin olvidar de mencionar el nombre de su propio sindicato. Encabezamiento: Apoyar a Unite en Mayr-Melnhof.

	Estimados compa&ntilde;eros/as:

	Hemos sabido de su conflicto y el cierre patronal que les impusiera Mayr-Melnhof. Entendemos que la administraci&oacute;n ha sido completamente irracional con respecto a una soluci&oacute;n intermedia que afectar&iacute;a a los trabajadores despedidos. Parece que Mayr-Melnhof quisiera imponer a la fuerza su intransigencia: la alternativa es un inflexible cierre patronal. Por favor sepan que nuestro sindicato est&aacute; con ustedes y que en los pr&oacute;ximos d&iacute;as vamos a estar vigilantes ante este conflicto. &iexcl;Cuenten con nuestro apoyo para ganar este conflicto!

	(nombre)

	(sindicato)

	Para mayor informaci&oacute;n sobre este cierre patronal, ver el <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4904-UK-Packaging-Workers-Face-Lockout-at-Mayr-Melnhof-Plant-in-Merseyside">informe de la ICEM</a> que se public&oacute; la semana pasada, en ingl&eacute;s.

	Agradecemos su pronta atenci&oacute;n a este asunto.

	Unidos en solidaridad,

	Dick Blin

	Encargado del Sector Pulpa y Papel de la ICEM/Ginebra

Packaging Workers Need Support!

<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />

	In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the ICEM HIV/AIDS regional workshop in Johannesburg, developments at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and on the severe consequences arising from the funding crisis.

	<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />

	Regional HIV and AIDS Workshop in Johannesburg

	A very successful sub-Saharan Africa regional workshop was organised in Johannesburg from 14-16 February. With the active participation of national coordinators from ten countries, a review of activities in 2010 and 2011, the first two years of the present three-year project cycle, was conducted. Participants also presented country plans for 2012, the last year of the current project.

	Key challenges and opportunities for the future and creative methods of addressing HIV and AIDS in the current social and economic environment were elaborated. In further group work, key elements for a possible new project cycle for 2013-2015 were developed. The outcome of this work were power point presentations from three groups which constitute valuable input for a possible new project.

	Evelyn Serima, HIV/AIDS Technical Specialist in the Decent Work Team for East and Southern Africa at the ILO Pretoria office, gave a presentation on progress in the implementation of ILO Recommendation 200 concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work and on new targets for 2015, especially the UNAIDS triple zero initiative &ndash; zero new infections, zero death and zero discrimination. Her presentation was highly relevant for the work on a project beyond 2012.

	&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />&nbsp;&nbsp;

	The Global Fund at Ten Years &ndash; Not a Happy Anniversary

	At the end of January, the Global Fund celebrated its tenth anniversary. These past 12 months, which ended with the Board persuading the Executive Director to resign, have been the Fund&rsquo;s most difficult to date.

	The stage was set for the Global Fund&rsquo;s problem-filled 2011 when the Fund said in October 2010 that it needed well over US$13 billion to meet anticipated demand for 2011&ndash;2013 but donors pledged only US$11.7 billion.

	Then on 23 January 2011, the Associated Press published an article entitled &quot;Fraud Plagues Global Health Fund,&quot; based on public reports from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The story took off like wildfire. Alarmed, some of the Global Fund&rsquo;s donors held back on delivering their promised contributions pending clear action by the Fund to deal with fraud.

	The OIG&rsquo;s findings on fraud were obviously important and required action. But the OIG made little distinction between outright fraud and multiple lesser crimes such as documenting expenditures using photocopies rather than originals.

	The Fund set up a High Level Panel to review how the Fund identifies and manages risk in its grant-making. The panel issued a report in September that was daunting in terms of the number of things it said need fixing.

	The downhill trajectory continued when the Global Fund, having launched Round 11 in August 2011, cancelled it three months later because of inadequate funding.

	Then came a final nose-dive when the Global Fund Board, after reviewing the events of the past year and conducting an in-depth assessment of the managerial performance of Michel Kazatchkine, the Fund&rsquo;s Executive Director (ED), concluded that Dr Kazatchkine had to go. He resigned on 24 January 2012 after the Board had appointed a General Manager to whom all top management would report.

	The Global Fund performs vital work affecting millions of lives. The Fund cannot afford to have a second year like 2011, and might be permanently damaged if so.

	(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 175 of 6 February. GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org/">www.aidspan.org</a>; to receive GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>)

	&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

	Delayed Disbursements of Grants Threatens South Africa&rsquo;s TAC

	The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), a sub-recipient (SR) for a Round 6 HIV grant in South Africa, has experienced significant delays in receiving disbursements. TAC says that because of these delays, the organisation is perilously close to having to shut its doors. TAC is known world-wide for its pioneering advocacy work in South Africa on HIV treatment.

	The South Africa National Department of Health (NDOH) is the principal recipient for the HIV grant. Under its contract with the NDOH, TAC was due to receive 6.5 million rand (US$833,000) by the start of July 2011 to cover expenses between then and the end of 2011.

	TAC has still not received any of this funding. On 1 January 2012, TAC was due to receive a further disbursement of 2.7 million rand (US$346,000) to cover expenses for January to March 2012. That funding has also not yet been received, increasing the shortfall to 9.2 million rand (US$1.2 million).

	On 23 November 2011, TAC issued a statement in which it said that the organisation faced possible closure because of the lack of funds. The statement said that TAC depended on the Global Fund grant for a large portion of its work. It added that the delays were primarily due to poor administration by the NDOH.

	(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 176 of 20 February)

	&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

	Zimbabwe: Improved AIDS Levy Collections

	With global funding for HIV/AIDS on the decline, Zimbabwe&#039;s innovative AIDS levy &ndash; a three percent tax on income &ndash; has become a promising source of funding for the country, with a dramatic increase in revenue collected in the past two years.

	The levy was introduced in 1999 to compensate for declining donor support, but low salaries and the poor performance of industry meant not enough money had been collected until recently. In its 2010 report on Zimbabwe&#039;s progress in implementing the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2001, the government admitted the levy was &quot;essentially non-existent in 2007-2008 due to economic challenges the country was facing.&quot;

	According to the National AIDS Council Board, a total of US$20.5 million was collected in 2010 against US$5.7 million the previous year; non-audited figures for 2011 suggest a collection of US$25 million.

	Although 347,000 people are on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in the country, another 600,000 need the medication. The treatment gap widened after Zimbabwe adopted the new World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines that recommend starting treatment earlier.

	The AIDS levy contributed almost a quarter of the money to purchase ARVs, while 76% of the treatment programme was financed by international donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the UK Department for International Development. But Zimbabwe &ndash; one of the hardest countries hit by HIV/AIDS &ndash; still needs a lot more funding to cover the worrying treatment gap.

	(Source: IRIN, Harare, 3 February)

	&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

	South Africa to Produce Active Ingredients for ARVs

	South Africa is to build a ZAR 1.6 billion (US$ million) pharmaceutical plant to produce the ingredients for antiretroviral drugs. The plant is a joint venture between the government and Lonza, a Swiss chemicals and biotechnology company.

	So far, most antiretroviral drugs used in South Africa are manufactured locally but all the active ingredients used in them are imported. South Africa is the world&rsquo;s largest market for antiretroviral drugs. Pharmaceutical imports are one of the most important contributors to the country&rsquo;s trade deficit.

	(Source: Business Day, Johannesburg 10 February)

	&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img alt="" src="" style="width: 40px;height: 40px;cursor: default" width="390" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

	DR Congo: Alarm Bells over Poor Funding

	The lives of thousands of HIV-positive people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are at risk as the country faces declining donor funding and a severe shortage of treatment, according to M&eacute;decins sans Fronti&egrave;res (MSF).

	More than one million people are living with HIV and of the 350,000 people who qualify for antiretroviral treatment, only 44,.000 &ndash; 13% &ndash; receive it. Seventy-five percent of funding in the DRC comes from the Global Fund, 25% from UNITAID and from PEPFAR, the US President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Earlier World Bank funding ended in 2011.

	As the DRC did not qualify for funding under the 9th and 10th round of Global Fund grants, it is using funds from previous rounds which will last at the most to 2014, not counting up-scaling. UNITAID funds through the Clinton Health Access Initiative are for paediatric and second-line ARVs and PEPFAR provides funds for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

	(Source: IRIN, Nairobi/Kinshasa, 2 February)

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	News from Global Unions

	The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF &ndash; <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org/">www.itfglobal.org</a>), in its latest HIV/AIDS update 119 of 1 and 15 February, reports on the signing of a policy on HIV and AIDS of the Confederation of Railway Workers of Bolivia with two railway companies. It also draws attention of affiliates to the process of reviewing ILO Recommendation 200 concerning HIV and AIDS and the World of Work, and the importance of trade unions getting involved in this process of monitoring the implementation of Recommendation 200.

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	Five Years Ago: From the March 2007 Issue (No. 18)

	The first issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin was published in October 2005. In current issues, we refer to an article from the same month five years ago and reflect on developments.

	In the March 2007 issue, we reported on the signing of a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with the Swedish paper multinational Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), which included an HIV/AIDS clause. The company agreed to comply with the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work.

	We pointed out the importance of such a clause for affiliates. If a company agrees to comply with the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work, this opens a whole range of possibilities for negotiations and activities for the unions organising inside a GFA company. The ten key principles of the Code of Practice include non-discrimination, gender equality, confidentiality, prevention, care and support. A GFA applies to all operations of a company worldwide. Often, local management is not familiar with a GFA signed by their head office. Insist on implementation and compliance!

	Regrettably, only a minority of ICEM GFAs include an HIV/AIDS clause.

	We also reported on the appointment of a new Executive Director at the Global Fund, Michel Kazatchkine. He resigned recently (see e-bulletin February 2012, No. 77).

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 78, March 2012

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The 26th Congress of ICEM Turkish affiliate Oil, Chemical, and Rubber Workers&rsquo; Union (Petrol-İş), was held 17-18 September in Istanbul and provided an open platform on discussing labour&rsquo;s current shape in Turkey with expectations for the future. Attended by a large number of guests from political parties, trade unions, professional groupings, employers, and civic society organizations, the Congress also welcomed ICEM representatives Manfred Warda and Kemal &Ouml;zkan, as well as EMCEF General Secretary Michael Wolters. 
 
Members of the Presidium of South Eastern European Energy Unions&rsquo; Network (RETUNSEE) were also present. 
 
Participants on 17 September viewed two documentaries prepared by Petrol-İş, namely &ldquo;Trade union is Your Future&rdquo; and &ldquo;What Did They Say for Petrol-İş at its 60th anniversary?&rdquo; In his opening address, President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkın said that the economic crisis first occurring in developed countries and then impacting the whole world caused political, economic, social, and cultural crunches. 
<img alt="" src="" width="243" height="160" />
&ldquo;The crisis brought inequality and injustice to humankind,&rdquo; said &Ouml;ztaşkın. &ldquo;We witnessed continuous rising unemployment and poverty, causing human death through starvation, and we saw a polluting environment caused by for profit.&rdquo; 
 
He also cautioned that human health is being threatened by genetically modified products. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Warda, in his address, praised the determination of Petrol-İş in defending the rights and interests of its members. He cited struggles undertaken by the union at multinational companies such as Novamed, Bericap, and Polyplex. 
 
&ldquo;It is shameful that multinational companies, particularly Western European MNCs, do not recognize internationally accepted trade union rights in Turkey, while they do it in their home countries,&rdquo; said Warda. 
 
The delegates discussed and approved a series of political resolutions under different chapters which included World, Turkey, Society, Economy, Industrial Relations, the Trade Union Movement, as well as Action Principles and Programme. A special resolution was unanimously voted on that gives full support to the coming creation of a new Global Union Federation for industry. 
 
&ldquo;Petrol-İş believes international solidarity of the working class has great importance over attacks by capitalism against the union movement,&rdquo; states the resolution, adding &ldquo;unification under the roof of single Global Union Federation in manufacturing with three existing organizations, including the ICEM, will create a promising initiative, and the Congress pledges fully supports it.&rdquo; 
 
The Congress also amended the union&rsquo;s statutes by bringing new mechanisms into the current structure, particularly for special groups of workers. One union objective has been &ldquo;to struggle against child labour and to strive protecting and promoting the rights of young workers.&rdquo; Another now enshrined in Petrol-İş statutory objectives is gender equality, with the union pledging &ldquo;to take all necessary measures in practices at home, in workplaces, and within the trade union to build equality and struggle against all forms of gender violence.&rdquo; 
 
Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkın was unanimously re-elected President of Petrol-İş, while Ali Ufuk Yaşar won election as General Secretary, İbrahim Doğang&uuml;l as Finance Secretary, Nimetullah S&ouml;zen as Organizing and Education Secretary, and Ahmet Kabaca as Administrative Secretary. The five trade unionists were named as members of the union&rsquo;s Executive Committee.

Turkey: Petrol-İş Congress Endorses Creation of New Trade Union International

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Following the first joint mission in October 2007, ICEM and Rhodia again visited the company&rsquo;s Chinese operations from 19-21. This second visit came within the context of the Global Framework Agreement (GFA) that was signed in 2005 and renewed twice since. The objective of such missions is to monitor implementation of the principles and indicators set out in the GFA. Such joint missions by ICEM and Rhodia have also been made to Brazil in 2008, the US in 2009, and to South Korea in 2010. 
 
The ICEM was represented by its General Secretary Manfred Warda and Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs Kemal &Ouml;zkan. Rhodia had Jacques Kheliff, Group Vice-President for Sustainable Development, and Jean-Christophe Sciberras, Group Vice-President for Industrial Relations, on the mission. Rhodia&rsquo;s Asia &amp; Pacific Zone Chairman, Michel Ybert, Chinese General Manager Michael Zhu, and Asia &amp; Pacific Research and Development Director Pascal Metivier accompanied the joint mission. 
 
The trip coincided with 95% of Rhodia shares being tendered by Belgian-based chemicals company Solvay. Rhodia and Solvay together will create a chemicals company that will have &euro;12 billion in sales, with 40% of that generated in emerging markets. Rhodia will become the third sector of Solvay, in addition to its Chemicals and Plastics segments. This situation also made possible Olivier du Roy de Blicquy, President of Greater China of Solvay Group, being present during the first day of last week&rsquo;s joint mission. 
<img alt="" src="" width="200" height="161" />
The mission first received a briefing at Rhodia&rsquo;s zone headquarters in Shanghai. Employing over 2,800 workers in the zone and producing 23% total sales, Rhodia has sites in China, South Korea, India, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, and Vietnam. The zone&rsquo;s sales in 2010 increased 36% over that of 2009. Rhodia also has shown rapid development in China where the chemical industry has grown on average by 24% from 2005 to 2010. The recent takeover of Feixiang Specialty Chemicals gives Rhodia a leading position in the amines and surfactants markets in China. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s Warda and &Ouml;zkan met with the chairperson and board members of the local trade union organizing employees of Rhodia at the Shanghai campus. Chairperson Jie Dong, who also serves as union representative for the Asia-Pacific region of the ICEM-Rhodia Global Safety Panel, gave a review of union activities at all plants of Rhodia, preparations for collective agreements, and social dialogue initiatives. 
 
She gave a specific attention to the joint training sessions between union and management representatives, which were launched through the GFA. Jie Dong&rsquo;s report stated that the local union committee got authorization from employees for collective consultation in early June. A questionnaire for getting views and demands of employees was answered with a high percentage. Salary and income (62.5%), insurance and welfare (62%), and rest and vacation (58.7%) were priority topics. 
 
She also reported that workers elected 35 representatives from each workplace section to prepare and negotiate a collective agreement. The collective agreement is expected to be signed at the end of 2011. 
 
ICEM and Rhodia representatives later met with the representatives of Association of International Chemical Manufacturers (AICM), which regroups multinational companies in China. Discussion focused on the Responsible Care initiative. The meeting then welcomed representatives of the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) from the Minhang area and Xinzhuang Industry Park. The parties exchanged information about union activities at multinational companies. 
 
The second day of the mission saw ICEM and Rhodia representatives travel to the city of Feixiang, where Rhodia recently acquired a plant that has been placed in its Novacare business. Warda and &Ouml;zkan met with union leaders and union members of the plant in a separate meeting where current topics were reviewed. 
 
During the mission&rsquo;s final day, representatives drove to a Rhodia plant located in Zhenjiang, where union delegates explained work conditions, union activities, and labour-management relations. This was followed by presentations on the site, business activities, employment-related matters, and how the GFA has been implemented at this site. 
 
Warda noted that there has been improvement and progression in union activities in the Chinese operations of Rhodia since the 2007 visit. &ldquo;The situation in China demonstrates how a GFA can prove instrumental in improving labour relations, even in China. Our clear hope and expectation is this good model of global industrial relations extends to the Solvay Group in the future.&rdquo;

ICEM, Rhodia Review Chinese Workplaces as Part of GFA

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BHP Billiton-Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) in Queensland, Australia, is a major global coal exporter to the metallurgical industry. In enterprise bargaining in the coal-rich Bowen Basin of Queensland, it has painted itself as a big bully. 
 
BMA and three Australian trade unions, the latter in unison in trying to preserve miners&rsquo; basic quality-of-life, have been locked in a ten-month dispute that has now become the bellwether on trade union rights under the nation&rsquo;s two-year-old Fair Work law. On issues of rosters, subcontracting, and other job conditions, BMA has tried to dictate, much like it could under the draconian WorkChoices Act of ousted Prime Minister John Howard a handful of years ago. 
 
The three unions, negotiating as the Single Bargaining Unit (SBU), are the Construction, Forestry, Mine and Energy Union (CFMEU), the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU), and the Communications, Electrical, Plumbing Union (CEPU). They are making a stand for fair rights and equitable job protections on behalf of workers so those workers can determine their own terms and conditions of work. 
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SBU Picket at Goonyella Riverside Mine, July
That is a tenet to Fair Work Australia. Over the weekend of 17-18 September, BMA used FWA to suspend bargaining, circumvent the SBU, and take its rotten work proposals directly to 4,000 miners. A ballot will be held between 29 September and 5 October. Knowingly or not, but characteristic in itself, BMA scheduled the ballot during Australian school holidays &ndash; many workers will be away with family. 
 
Nonetheless, the ballot will receive near 100% rejection. Ever since a strike vote passed by 92% on 2 June, miners at six collieries have gained ever more strength and unity, and have developed the ironclad fortitude that extended work rosters and Howard-era management rights are not good for family life and destructive to job security. 
 
The ICEM will continue to champion the workers under the SBU banner of our three affiliated unions. Their fight is one that must be won so that the bad choices made in WorkChoices finally make their way to the dustbin. The ICEM has chronicled this struggle and the lawful industrial actions taken by the SBU, and a sampling of past developments can be found <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4611-CFMEU-Still-Seeking-Australian-Coal-Agreement-with-BHP-Billiton-Mitsubishi ">here</a> and <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4506-Stop-Work-Meetings-Raise-Stakes-in-Queensland-Coal-Talks ">here</a>. 
 
In sync with BMA&rsquo;s recent ballot initiative, shift-long work stoppages occurred early last week at four of the six mines &ndash; Norwich Park, Saraji, Gregory, and Crinum. The SBU has effectively called for quality-of-life balances in print and media advertisements and industrial actions have continued at all mines in recent weeks.

Coal Boss Conceit: BMA Tries to Bully Aussie Labour Law Back to Howard Era

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