English

Español

Français

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action Plan 2025-2029

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Campaigns

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Women

Youth

LGBTQI+

Gender, equality, diversity and inclusion (GEDI)

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

<img height="130" alt="" src="" width="350" /> 
&nbsp;
&nbsp; Enactment of the unpopular WorkChoices labour reform law in Australia will reverse the course on gender equality in the workplace, said Sharon Burrow, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
&nbsp;Contents<a name="BackUp"></a>
<a href="#A1">1. WorkChoices Act - Australian Women&rsquo;s Rights Hit Hard</a> 
<a href="#A2">2. Nepal - Equality for Women Goes from Strength to Strength</a> 
<a href="#A3">3. USA - A New Movement for Family-Friendly Policies</a> 
<a href="#A4">4. Canada - C$100 Million Pay Equity Settlement</a> 
<a href="#A5">5. China - Women&rsquo;s Pay Still a Long Way from Equal</a> 
<a href="#A6">6. Colombia - Court Legalises Some Abortions</a> 
<a href="#A7">7. Finland - 100 Years of Women&rsquo;s Suffrage</a> 
<a href="#A8">8. Malaysia - Give Women What is Fair</a> 
<a href="#A9">9. Mexico - Women Allege Sex Abuse by Police</a> 
<a href="#A10">10. Switzerland - Work-Life Balance Means a High Return on Investment</a> 
<a href="#11">11. UK - Iraqi Women Visit Trade Unions</a> 
<a href="#A12">12. Resources</a> 

<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A1"></a><a name="1"></a>
1. <a name="1"></a>Australia &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Rights Hit Hard 
 
The Australian government&rsquo;s industrial relations reforms have set back women&rsquo;s fight for equal rights at work by decades, according to the national labour centre, Australian Council of Trade Unions. 
 
ACTU president Sharan Burrow told a recent women&rsquo;s conference that female equality in the workplace was unachievable under WorkChoices. She said, &ldquo;We were already struggling&hellip;.now with WorkChoices we&rsquo;ve lost the tools to do anything about it.&rdquo; The tools included the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, unfair dismissal laws and equal pay principles. She said the changes had angered many women who had fought hard in the past three decades to try to achieve equality. 
 
But she also predicted the Howard government&rsquo;s reforms will prompt a new generation of women to rally behind the cause for work rights. Burrow is the first woman ever to serve as president of the ICFTU. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A2"></a><a name="2"></a>
2.<a name="2"></a> Nepal &ndash; Equality for Women Goes from Strength to Strength 
 
The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) congratulates all women in Nepal for the new victory in the fight for equality. The House of Representatives made one more landmark declaration guaranteeing the right of women, by providing a 33% requirement in all state bodies. 
 
It will secure women a one-third representation on all security forces, bureaucracy and constitutional bodies, including Parliament. It will be imperative for every political party and mass organisation to follow the same rule. Moreover the declaration put an end to the patriarchal nature of the existing citizenship law and ensured citizenship to all. 
 
Now Nepali citizenship will be awarded on the basis of both mother and father, contrary to the previous practice of citizenship based on the father&rsquo;s only. By this declaration all discriminatory laws and practices against women will be annulled. The demands were the major agenda of Nepali women&rsquo;s movement including working-class women, the trade union movement and gender-friendly organisations. 
 
The ICEM congratulates GEFONT and all women in Nepal on this important achievement in the immediate aftermath of the political capitulation of King Gyanendra.
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A3"></a><a name="3"></a>
3.<a name="3"></a> United States &ndash; A New Movement for Family-Friendly Policies 
 
Patti Devlin from LIUNA wrote about the new movement for family-friendly policies because of the family crisis in America. Mothers and families are in trouble. A full quarter of families with children under six live in poverty, at least 9 million children have no health care, and far too many parents cannot afford to stay home with sick children. 
 
Working toward common sense, family-friendly policies, like those covered in The Motherhood Manifesto, will help all families. To support common sense family-friendly policies that protect and invest in mothers, children and families. Please sign the petition at: <a href="http://www.momsrising.org/">www.momsrising.org</a>.
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A4"></a><a name="4"></a>
4.<a name="4"></a> Canada &ndash; C$100 Million Pay Equity Settlement 
 
BCE Inc., Canada&rsquo;s largest telephone company, agreed to pay about C$100 million to workers represented by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers&rsquo; (CEP) Union of Canada. 
 
The union filed suit in 1992 to seek equal pay for Bell&rsquo;s largely female operators, and dining and housing-service employees. About 2,000 people who work or have worked full time as operators would each receive between C$25,000 and C$30,000, plus an adjustment to their pensions. 
 
&ldquo;People have waited a long time for this settlement,&rdquo; said CEP President Bryan Payne. The settlement covers current and former employees who worked for Bell between 1993 and 1999. Most of the people covered by the proposed agreement no longer work for Bell because their jobs were cut in the 1990s.
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A5"></a><a name="5"></a>
5. <a name="5"></a>China &ndash; Women&rsquo;s Pay Still a Long Way from Equal 
 
While more Chinese believe both genders are equal, a recent national survey by the All-China Women&rsquo;s Federation found women were still in a passive and disadvantageous position in the workplace. 
 
According to the survey, the employment rate of women age 18 to 49 has decreased by more than 16 percentage points compared to 1990. More than half of all laid-off workers are women. For working women in cities, their average income is roughly 70% that of men, representing a disparity of about 7% wider than a decade ago. This could be based on the fact that far fewer women want to have a voice in the managerial affairs of their units, even though China has many more women leaders in every aspect of social life than ever before, said survey analysts. 
 
According to the survey, only about 42% of women staff are concerned with the politics of their organisations, in contrast with more than 58% of men. 
 
While most men surveyed said their suggestions had been taken on board, most of the women said their suggestions had only brought &ldquo;negative&rdquo; results. It is this attitude towards the ability of women that freezes almost 65% of women in low-ranking positions, said Deng Li from the federation. &ldquo;While gender equality is widely recognized in China, the social tradition and climate promoting a subordinate female role in relation to the male role persists,&rdquo; Deng said. 
 
Consequently the survey found 20% of the men had promotion opportunities in the past three years, while only a little more than 16% of their female counterparts had the same opportunities. 
 
In addition, fewer women have been protected by proper unemployment and retirement pensions, which Deng said will prompt the federation to suggest that the National People&rsquo;s Congress write &ldquo;safeguarding equality in employment&rdquo; into the Law on the Protection of Women&rsquo;s Rights and Interests. 
 
&ldquo;Discrimination against women has become the most severe problem in the employment market in China, ranging from higher recruitment requirements for women to scarce promotion opportunities and humiliating workplace abuse,&rdquo; Deng said. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A6"></a><a name="6"></a>
6. <a name="6"></a>Colombia &ndash; Court Legalises Some Abortions 
 
Colombia&rsquo;s highest court has legalized abortion under limited circumstances. The decision is expected to embolden women&rsquo;s rights groups across Latin America to use courts in their countries to try to roll back some of the world&rsquo;s most stringent abortion laws. 
 
The court overturned Colombia&rsquo;s complete ban on abortion and ruled that the procedure would be permitted when the life of a mother was in danger, or the foetus was expected to die or in cases of rape or incest. 
 
The lawyer in Bogot&aacute; who brought the case fought on the grounds that Colombia was violating its own commitments to international human rights treaties ensuring a woman&rsquo;s right to life and health. The court, explaining its decision, said the life of a foetus could not be put ahead of the life of the mother, and called the complete ban &ldquo;disproportionate&rdquo; and &ldquo;irrational.&rdquo; Advocates of abortion rights say the arguments are applicable to other Latin American countries as well. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A7"></a><a name="7"></a>
7. <a name="7"></a>Finland &ndash; 100 Years of Women&rsquo;s Suffrage 
 
Finns are celebrating a century of being the first country to grant women full political rights. On the First of June, 1906, a law was enacted giving all citizens the right to vote and full political rights for women, the first country in the world to do so. A year later, 19 women were elected into the 200-member single chamber. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country permitting women to vote, but it initially did not allow them to compete in elections. 
 
Finland&rsquo;s Foreign Minister, Erkki Tuomioja, said the country was among &ldquo;the most advanced nations in gender equality. We&rsquo;re not perfect, we have a lot to do still, but we are an example for the rest of the world,&rdquo; Tuomioja said in an article distributed by the Associated Press. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A8"></a><a name="8"></a>
8. <a name="8"></a>Malaysia &ndash; Give Women What is Fair 
 
Referring to the complaint that salary should not be the basis for maternity pay, companies still treat women indifferently, especially when it comes to maternity leave. Employers could be charged in court if they sack a female employee just because she is pregnant, as provided by the 1955 Employment Act. Many companies give two months&rsquo; paid maternity leave (up to the fifth child), even though their salaries are above RM 1,500. 
 
Efforts are being made to amend the Employment Act for the definition of workers to include those who earn more than RM 1,500. The Malaysian government has not ratified ILO Convention 183 on maternity protection, which sets a requirement for 14 weeks&rsquo; paid maternity leave, parenting leave for the spouse, breastfeeding breaks for nursing mothers and provision of childcare centres. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A9"></a><a name="9"></a>
9.<a name="9"></a> Mexico &ndash; Women Allege Sex Abuse by Police 
 
Mexico&rsquo;s human rights agency said on 30 May it has filed complaints with prosecutors after nearly two dozen women claimed they were raped or sexually abused by police following a violent protest. 
 
The allegations are the most serious to arise against police, frequently accused of corruption and violence, during the administration of President Fox, said Guillermo Ibarra, coordinator-general of projects and communication for the Mexican National Human Rights Commission. He said seven women reported that they were raped and 16 others, including three foreign nationals, said they were sexually abused by police who detained them after violent clashes last week in the town of San Salvador Atenco. 
 
Ibarra said his panel has filed criminal complaints with the attorney general&rsquo;s office in the central state of Mexico, where local, state and federal police officers have been accused by the women in the alleged abuses. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A10"></a><a name="10"></a>
10. <a name="10"></a>Switzerland &ndash; Work-Life Balance Means a High Return on Investment 
 
The Swiss union UNIA has found that work-life balance is profitable for companies; that it provides an 8% return on investment. 
 
A government study proves this figure for three reasons. Mothers come back to work after their maternity leave, which lowers the rate of fluctuation and reduces costs for new hiring. New hiring costs for bringing low-paid workers (CHF 4,000 to 90,000) on to payrolls is significant, and making better use of part-time workers means that companies use their human resources more efficiently. And finally, work-life balance makes it possible for mothers to have qualified careers in spite of their family responsibilities. Motivation and company image were not taken into account in these figures. 
 
In addition, in the chemical and pharmaceuticals industry in the Basel region, UNIA managed to boost maternity leave from 16 to 18 weeks. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="11"></a>
11.<a name="11"></a> United Kingdom &ndash; Iraqi Women Visit Trade Unions 
 
Iraqi and Kurdish women trade unionists visited the UK in March with the support of the Trades Union Congress, and unions Unison and Amicus. 
 
The delegation consisted of Nazanin T. Ali, Head of Women&rsquo;s Affairs at the Kurdistan Workers Syndicate, member of the Service Workers Union; Hoda S Rafiq, member of the Kurdistan Journalists&rsquo; Union, who works for the Kurdistan Workers Syndicate newspaper; Hassana Abdulsatar, member of the Mechanics, Metal and Printing Workers Union, and a member of her union&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s committee; and Violet Issa Qalaab, President of the Oil and Gas Workers Union Al Zubair Branch and member of the Iraqi Women&rsquo;s League. 
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /><a name="A12"></a><a name="12"></a>
12. <a name="12"></a>Resources: 
 
The EU&rsquo;s Responsibility at the WTO: Environment, Gender and Development, written by Women in Development Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe, 2006. 
 
This publication aims to contribute to a constructive dialogue between civil society representatives from the North and the South, and representatives from the EU that could contribute to an EU trade policy consistent with social and gender justice and environmental sustainability. 
The first part reports on the public hearing, entitled &ldquo;The EU&rsquo;s Responsibility at the WTO: Environment, Gender and Development,&rdquo; highlighting issues such as the commoditization of natural resources under the WTO, the importance of people&rsquo;s food sovereignty, the gender dimension of the trade agenda and biosafety. 
The second part consists of an analysis of the outcome of the Hong Kong Ministerial meeting, from a feminist and environmentalist perspective. Available online at: 
<a href="http://www.eurosur.org/wide/Globalisation/WTO06.pdf">http://www.eurosur.org/wide/Globalisation/WTO06.pdf</a>
<a href="#BackUp">Back Up</a>

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 12

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
In New Zealand, offshore energy and drilling workers belonging to ICEM affiliate Engineering Printing &amp; Manufacturing Union (EPMU) are expected to ratify a new multi-employer collective agreement that will merge separate onshore and offshore agreements into one agreement. 
 
EPMU issued a strike notice to the five drilling companies and several oil firms involved. The strike was to have started on 24 May. Employers responded by filing a court injunction preventing a work stoppage. 
 
But two weeks ago, employers presented a revised two-year pay offer that EPMU&rsquo;s oil and gas negotiating committee was recommending for ratification to the 200 workers. Voting is expected to conclude on the contract proposal in the near future.

New Zealand’s Offshore Oil and Gas Workers Get Tentative Agreement

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The global mining industry did produce one piece of good news over the past fortnight. Canadian mining house Ivanhoe announced it would withdraw from Burma, expressing to sources discomfort with having to deal with the military junta, which jointly owns a copper mine with Ivanhoe. The company will sell its 50% in the Monywa mine to a consortium of South Korean investors, including Daewoo International, which already has investment deals with the Burmese generals. 
 
The Ivanhoe Mines exit will happen in a July 2006 sale. Last week, Burma&rsquo;s military junta extended the house arrest on Aung San Suu Kyi, 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Her strong voice for democracy and human rights in Burma has now been silenced for the past three years by the corrupt Burmese military rulers. In total, she has spent a total of ten of the past 17 years in detention.

Canadian Ivanhoe Mines Pulls Out of Burma

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The coal rush in the eastern United States has brought six more mining deaths in recent days, and again it is a fledgling mining company responsible for five of those deaths. On 20 May, five miners at the non-union Kentucky Darby Mine No. 1 in Harlan County, state of Kentucky, died after a methane explosion inside a shaft. Two of the miners died instantly due to the blast, while three others died underground later due to carbon monoxide poisoning. 
 
On 24 May, a miner underground at International Coal Group&rsquo;s (ICG) Sycamore II Mine near Jarvisville, state of West Virginia, died when he was struck in the head by a heavy wooden object. ICG is the non-union coal operator of the Sago Mine in West Virginia in which 12 miners were killed on 2 January 2006 following an explosion. 
A miner who escaped the Harlan County blast questioned the reliability of self-contained oxygen packs provided to miners only a month before the 20 May explosion. Both ICG and Kentucky Darby LLC, which has operated the mine in eastern Kentucky since 2001, utilized the same emergency devices. Thirty-three mining deaths have happened in the US so far in 2006, with 19 of those deaths in West Virginia and ten in Kentucky. 
<img height="98" alt="" src="" width="150" />
On the day of the latest ICG death, the US Senate passed legislation mandating improved oxygen supplies, electronic tracking systems, fire-resistant lifelines, and local rescue teams, all areas in which start-up coal operators have been lax. The bill also requires up-to-date emergency preparedness and response plans that are continually monitored by the Mine Safety &amp; Health Administration (MSHA). A companion bill is now in the US House. 
The legislation is endorsed by ICEM affiliate United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), as well as by a coalmining employers&rsquo; group. But the association tempered its support over of a 15-minutes notification requirement to MSHA in the event of serious accidents. MSHA has also issued new rules on mine safety since the Sago Mine explosion. 
 
The UMWA has called for miner tracking devises, wireless communication and emergency rescue chambers already in use in Germany, Poland and Australia. UMWA Director of Occupational Health and Safety, Dennis O&rsquo;Dell, in a published report, said, &ldquo;The emergency rules do some good things but don&rsquo;t go far enough. We in the United States are really behind on the kind of technology that protects miners&rsquo; safety and is already saving lives in other countries.&rdquo;

Mining Deaths Keep Occurring in US Coal Industry

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
In what the Chinese work-safety director is calling the worst coal mine disaster of 2006, 56 miners were trapped and killed by flooding at the Xinjing Coal Mine, Shanxi Province. Miners told managers to cease mining due to rising water levels six days before the 18 May mass flooding, but were ordered to continue mining. 
 
To make matters worse, local safety officials had attempted to cover up the extent of the disaster when it happened by stating only five miners were trapped. After two days, a State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) investigation discovered 56 were trapped. Nine managers are under arrest, while the owner of the licensed mine is reported to have fled. In addition, six others were arrested in connection to the disaster, including two bankers as well as the person charged with work safety, who stands accused of leading the cover-up. 
Also on 18 May, near Beijing, a coal mine collapsed in Fangshan District, killing five miners. The mine is owned by Jingmei Coal, part of the Beijing Coal Group. These two mid-May tragedies follow a fierce explosion that occurred at the Wayaobao Coal Mine in Shaanxi Province on 29 April. It killed 32. 
 
Fatalities occurred in other Chinese mining sectors as well over the past month. On 13 May, at last three were confirmed dead after the Dalongshan Iron Mine collapsed in Anhui Province. On April 30, in an effort to heighten production, the Zhen&rsquo;an County Gold Mining Co., raised water levels on a dam, which then burst and killed 17 villagers. That incident happened in Shaanxi Province.

Coal, Iron, Gold Disasters Kill Scores in China’s Mines

The 20-million-member ICEM, the Global Trade Union Federation representing workers in the mining industry, today commended its Colombian affiliate, Sintracarb&oacute;n, and coal producer Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n for achieving a new collective agreement over the weekend. After the union&rsquo;s National Assembly of Delegates issued a strike mandate on 25 January, Sintracarb&oacute;n&rsquo;s six-member bargaining committee met with the management of Colombia&rsquo;s biggest coal enterprise throughout the weekend to achieve the new two-year agreement. 
 
&ldquo;The ICEM applauds the fact that both sides saw the rationale to continue discussions even after it appeared a strike was inevitable,&rdquo; stated General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;This is a testament to the commitment that Sintracarb&oacute;n and the company has for the Social Dialogue process.&rdquo; 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n, with its three multinational stakeholders, AngloAmerican, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata, are partners with the ICEM and Sintracarb&oacute;n in a unique Social Dialogue arrangement adopted in 2004 in Colombia. The agreement, which also covers other multinational companies and several other ICEM-affiliated trade unions in Colombia, established a formal process for meaningful labour-management discussions between parties. 
 
Warda said it was essential that the three parent companies asserted themselves in talks over the weekend. 
 
The agreement, covering some 4,000 miners, awards a pay increase of 7.7% in the first year of the agreement, with a second year increase of either 1.5% above Colombia&rsquo;s consumer price index for 2007, or 6%, whichever is higher. 
 
The ICEM congratulates Sintracarb&oacute;n and its membership for standing steadfast in these negotiations in order to meet their other contractual demands. Those include sizeable payouts in both years of the agreement for university educations for children of miners; a series of bonuses for Cerrej&oacute;n&rsquo;s workers, which includes a ratification bonus and a set production bonus that will increase when the company&rsquo;s coal price exceeds US$48-per-tonne; additional employer contributions to a pension fund in each year of the agreement; and extra monthly medical stipends for family members. 
 
The ICEM is specifically proud of the achievements Sintracarb&oacute;n made for contract workers employed at Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n in Guajira state. That includes bringing 80 temporary workers to full-time, permanent status; and enlarging the level of benefits for contract labourers once six months of employment is complete. One more requirement is for the company to conduct interviews with contract employers to ensure they are complying with Colombian law, and that this process is shared with the union. 
 
For further details: <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/2105-Sintracarbón’s-Miners-Poised-to-Strike-at-Carbones-del-Cerrejón-in-Colombia">/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/2105-Sintracarb&oacute;n&rsquo;s-Miners-Poised-to-Strike-at-Carbones-del-Cerrej&oacute;n-in-Colombia</a>.

ICEM Applauds Coal Agreement Reached in Colombia

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM North American affiliated United Steelworkers (USW) and Stora Enso applauded an innovative labour agreement at four paper mills located in the state of Wisconsin, following union membership ratification on 17 January. 
 
The labour accord, covering some 1,400 USW members, is a five-year contract that will now backdate to 30 April 2005. It expires in 2010. It contains wage increases of 9% over the term of the agreement, and a US$3,000 ratification bonus also was negotiated. 
 
The agreement provides job security for all union members against contract labour, and gives USW local unions a strong voice in workplace redesign and restructuring at the paper mills in central Wisconsin. Workers also will be awarded quarterly bonuses for the redesign. The collective agreement contains language pledging Stora Enso to be neutral in union organising efforts, and contains a successorship clause in the event any facility is sold. It also brings all the mills under the same collective bargaining expiration date. 
<img height="82" src="" width="150" alt="" />
&ldquo;These negotiations are a model for improving the competitiveness of the US paper industry in the world market,&rdquo; said USW President Leo Gerard. &ldquo;Stora Enso recognizes that high productivity is tied to high road employee relations.&rdquo; 
 
Added USW Paper Sector Vice President Dick LaCosse, &ldquo;The willingness of Stora Enso and the USW to forge a new path in collective bargaining will make the company and union stronger.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;Simply put,&rdquo; said USW District 2 Director Jon Geenen, &ldquo;companies that rely on confrontation with the union lose a competitive advantage. Those that focus on working with the union to find innovative solutions benefit from it.&rdquo;

USW Achieves Innovative Collective Agreement with Stora Enso in US

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada used 22 January as a National Day of Action in Canada to expose a government devoid of effective policies on halting job losses in the pulp, paper, and the forestry sector. Together with local branches, the CEP waged a massive e-mail campaign aimed at MPs and Premier Stephen Harper, and conducted a symposium in Ottawa on the jobs crisis. 
 
CEP also aired radio advertisements across Canada, demanding urgent action from Parliament on the issue. 
<img height="83" src="" width="100" alt="" />
&ldquo;The industry is facing unprecedented hardship impacting on more that 300,000 Canadians who depend on it for their livelihoods,&rdquo; said CEP President Dave Coles. &ldquo;There are solutions to this crisis, solutions based on the fair treatment of workers and their families, sustainable forest practices, value-added productivity, and more. But the first step is to break the silence and open discussions with all parties affected.&rdquo; 
 
The CEP symposium on Parliament Hill heard from labour leaders, elected officials from affected areas, representatives from the Forest Products Association of Canada, and members of Parliament. Coles said, &ldquo;The survival of dozens of communities are threatened, and yet we have had very little response from the federal government.&rdquo; 
 
The CEP reported at an ICEM statutory meeting last year that, in the preceding two years in the paper sector alone, 34 full, partial, or permanent mill closures had occurred, costing 7,000 jobs.

CEP Draws Attention to Massive Job Losses in Canadian Forestry Sector

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A three-week strike by ICEM Belgian affiliate&nbsp;La Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale FGTB against ArjoWiggins is expected to end today at two paper mills. Union members over the weekend voted, by a 62% margin, to approve an amended company proposal that calls for a restructuring of the two Wallonian mills. 
 
Union members had twice before rejected the company&rsquo;s proposed social plan, once on 15 January, and again on 23 January. French-based ArjoWiggins is closing a paper mill and converting operation in Nivelles, and will transfer the paper converting portion there to the company&rsquo;s paper mill in Virginal-Samme. 
<img height="99" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The restructuring was to make 147 workers redundant, as well as 80 temporary employees. The company manufactures carbonless writing and printing papers at both locations. ArjoWiggins future plans for Nivelles are to use the mill merely for warehousing and logistics. 
 
The company and workers&rsquo; representatives, led by FGTB, came to a satisfactory agreement on 26 January, after pressure was brought on the company by both federal and provincial employment ministries. Belgium&rsquo;s federal labour ministry will conduct a final conciliation hearing on the dispute tomorrow, 30 January. 
 
ArjoWiggins is owned by the French holding company Sequana Capital, formerly called Worms &amp; Cie. Sequana is primarily owned by the Agnelli family of Italy.

Belgian Paper Strike at ArjoWiggins Ends

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB) on 22 January issued a call to enhance the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, in order for the Guidelines to become more transparent and more thoroughly implemented. The proposals from the DGB come at the outset of Germany&rsquo;s G8 Presidency term. 
 
The national labour centre&rsquo;s plan includes creating an inter-ministerial structure for National Contact Points (NCP) that will provide more efficient and pro-active case work. DGB also proposes to expand transparency among NCP offices through better public dissemination of cases, as well as insisting that the NCP&rsquo;s annual report to the OECD Investment Committee also includes those cases that the NCP decides not to move forward. The reasons for such decisions must be explained in a public declaration, DGB states. 
<img height="45" src="" width="81" alt="" />
A third proposal is to have the Guidelines codified in EU legislation, as well as established as the international benchmark for corporate social responsibility. In this, DGB calls on Germany and other countries to provide greater financial commitment to the OECD. This proposal also includes making the complaints procedure easier, and giving only MNCs who pledge, in writing, to comply with the Guidelines access to foreign trade instruments. 
 
&ldquo;The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises have proven to be the strongest international instrument to date for promoting corporate social responsibility,&rdquo; states the DGB. &ldquo;In practice, however, their implementation encounters limits. 
 
&ldquo;The DGB takes the view that the OECD Guidelines hold the potential to promote corporate social and environmental responsibility worldwide and to make an effective contribution to sustainable development and to the social dimension of globalisation.&rdquo;

DGB Trade Union Confederation Calls for Strengthening OECD Guidelines

Archive