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To support IMF's global efforts the Committee of Metal Industry Unions (CMIU) in Hong Kong made the following actions: •·        Put posters on boards and dispatched some leaflets to members.•·        On Oct 7, when the &quot;Minimum Wage Bill&quot; was submitted to the Legislative Council, CMIU gathered in front of the Legislative Council Building to take a petition.  For the &quot;Minimum Wage Bill&quot; suggested the wage calculating only on hourly rate, the unions believe this will lead more precarious work.  So, the unions made the action to warn the Government and the Councilors.  CMIU participated in the action carry posters with the slogans &quot;Minimum Wage Legislation! We Support!&quot; and &quot;Precarious Work! We Oppose!&quot;

HONG KONG

BANGLADESH: Md. Jahangir Alam, a shipbreaking worker who had migrated from the poverty stricken Rangpur district to work at the Habib steel shipbreaking yard in Chittagong, Bangladesh, died as a result of an accident at work on October 12, 2009. He was the seventh Bangladeshi shipbreaking worker to die in one week.On October 11, three other shipbreaking workers at the Pakija shipyard died from inhaling poisonous gases. On October 8, three other workers were smashed to death by an iron-plate at the Crystal shipyard.&quot;The labour law is being blatantly violated and the police have recorded these incidents as un-natural deaths,&quot; reports Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan, General Secretary of IMF affiliate the Bangladesh Metalworkers' League.At a meeting between Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), an organization of workers and employees' organizations, and the Bangladesh State Labour Minister, on October 15, Bhuiyan demanded that the Minister investigate and punish the companies responsible for the deaths.&quot;This is murder by shipyard owners and we demand exemplary punishment. We can not allow this to happen anymore. No one can take advantage of poverty and unemployment. The government has a responsibility to create decent jobs,&quot; Bhuiyan said to the Minister.BML also demanded a mechanism for inspecting the ships before their entrance into the Bangladeshi territory, and that the rights of labour are protected. The union also appealed for international solidarity to &quot;stop these barbaric killings&quot;.The IMF sent a letter to the Bangladeshi State Labour Minister in support of the shipbreaking workers, calling for immediate action to respect the rights and improve the health, safety and welfare of shipbreaking workers in Bangladesh. To sign a petition calling on the G20 heads of states to do more to protect the rights of shipbreaking workers in Bangladesh, go here: <a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/677/t/7078/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2108">http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/677/t/7078/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2108</a>

BML and the IMF call for an end to barbaric deaths in the shipbreaking yards in Bangladesh after seven workers die in one week.

IMF joins global effort in support of Bangladeshi shipbreakers

IMF letter to Bangladesh Labour Minister regarding shipbreaking worker deaths

Seven shipbreaking workers die in one week

Text / Rob Johnston, IMF Executive DirectorWe live at a pivotal time in human history. This year will be a defining one for the climate. In December, governments will meet in Copenhagen to agree a new treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Climate change is the great transformational issue of our time. Industrial unions believe that by cutting emissions and transforming jobs we can meet this challenge. We must set out a new green economy which addresses workers' concerns, but in order to do so it is vitally important that we get our message across and understood by governments, policy makers, businesses and communities.Climate change is an issue that is moving up the political agenda in the majority of countries. Both the politics and policy are incredibly difficult. Whether you believe in the science of climate change or not, the fact is that the will of the majority of people seems to be for some global action on this issue. This means trade unions face a choice: we can try to argue against change, to fight against the majority view; or, we can influence the debate and the outcome to the benefit of ordinary working people. The simple fact is that the best people to represent industrial workers in a fair and balanced way are industrial workers themselves through trade unions. For the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF), our journey began at the IMF Congress in May 2009 where a resolution was passed calling on the IMF to develop a common position and represent the views of metalworkers in Copenhagen. The resolution also called for the IMF to seek discussions with other Global Union Federations in order to facilitate coordination of climate change policy across industrial sectors. On October 15 and 16 in Germany the IMF, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions (ICEM), the European Metalworkers' Federation (EMF) and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers' Federation (EMCEF) held a joint meeting to develop common demands that could be presented in Copenhagen.<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../index.cfm?c=21575&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">forward &gt;&gt;</a> </td></tr></tbody></table>

Industrial trade union federations representing workers in the metal, chemical, energy and mining sectors in Europe and globally will be in Copenhagen in December 2009 demanding a strong legally-binding, comprehensive global agreement ensuring ambitious reduction of green house gas emissions. The federations will argue that social justice and long-term employment policies are an integral element 
of climate policy.

Influencing the climate debate

How it all started

What is COP 15

Sustainable job creation

Special report Download the pdf file with illustrations >>

Peter and Gordon at Astrium agree that technology can't solve climate change on its own. &quot;The technology exists to do all these wonderful things, but having the technology and using it are different things,&quot; says Peter. &quot;At the moment, the majority of technology we need to monitor climate change and fix it is already there, but we need someone to direct it.&quot;They both believe that the key is international cooperation on climate change. &quot;We need an international organization,&quot; Gordon says. &quot;But it takes political will and money!&quot;Peter and Gordon are both committed to their work as shop stewards and fully aware of the need to tackle climate change. But neither of them see an explicit link between their union membership and their commitment to prevent climate change. Nor do they believe that other workers see any such link. Climate change is an increasingly important part of Astrium's work for the European Space Agency, but workers tend to focus on their own job rather than looking at the bigger picture.Nevertheless, Astrium could be the place where a clear link between union membership and climate change awareness is finally forged. The relationship between union and management represents a step away from old-style British union relations. Rather than having a combative relationship, both sides work together to lobby the government for greater investment in the aerospace industry. &quot;It's very much a partnership between company and union,&quot; says Peter. &quot;The idea is that we communicate the same message.&quot; This cooperative way of working underpins Astrium's success at the cutting edge of the aerospace industry. Perhaps it also demonstrates a better way to handle industrial relations in the 21st century.&quot;You've got to cooperate,&quot; says Peter, who believes that working together is essential for addressing climate change on a political level, as well as for developing the technologies to monitor and tackle it. Many traditional union qualities are exactly what's needed to fight climate change: solidarity, an international outlook, a proactive approach and a focus on social justice. The joint focus on cooperation and technological excellence seen at Astrium is a model for fighting the world's biggest threat. At the moment, we don't have an effective international strategy for climate change. There's no global agreement on who should be doing what. But one thing we do know: the satellites will continue to do the job they were built for, spinning around the Earth and giving us the information we need to act.<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../index.cfm?c=21572&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../index.cfm?c=21567&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">beginning</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

The cutting edge of tackling climate change

A global view

Advance warning

Protecting pensions

Negotiating solutions

Technology & investment

Feature: Download pdf file with illustrations >>

Cooperation essential

The traditional British image of a trade unionist is a militant figure, someone more interested in threats than in dialogue. Peter couldn't be further away from the stereotype. In fact, his union activities brought him to the attention of management in a positive way: his skills at negotiation saw him elected as co-chair to Astrium's European Works Council. He subsequently became co-chair of Astrium's European Committee for Space and gave up technical work in order to concentrate on his committee and union work. Peter believes that the union has played a role in keeping Astrium at the cutting edge of technology. When the union fights for better pay and conditions, it's helping the company to recruit and retain the best people in the industry. EADS management clearly agrees: he is paid by the company for the time he spends on union work, as are the two other shop stewards at Astrium. Peter also sees the satellites themselves as tools for negotiation and communication. On a basic level, a satellite is a switchboard in the sky, designed to send information back and forth. At a human level, satellites provide information that could help to solve international arguments. The example Peter gives is of competition for water supplies, a situation likely to get worse as the Earth's climate becomes drier. If people in one area of the world try to steal the water supply from another area by diverting a river, it will be obvious from space what's going on. Peter believes that satellites can help with arbitration of water disputes, because they provide neutral evidence of what's going on. It's just one example of how the technology created at Astrium can help us to deal with the effects of climate change.But on a national level Peter's union, Unite, struggles to communicate a coherent policy on environmental issues. As a relatively new union, it still doesn't have an official policy on climate change, let alone a strategy for how members can work together to fight it. Bernie Hamilton, Unite's national officer for the aerospace and shipbuilding sectors, expects the union to finalize its policies on the environment and other issues at its policy conference early next year. Since Amicus and T&amp;G, the two unions which merged to form Unite in 2007, were both very aware of climate change issues, Bernie believes that the new union will come up with a robust policy on tackling climate change. However, there are signs that the picture may be more complicated than that. Many of the workers represented by Unite are in high-carbon sectors such as vehicle manufacturing, passenger air travel, offshore drilling (for oil and gas) and shipbuilding.Perhaps the most problematic sector is aviation. Per capita, British people emit more emissions from flying than any other nation in the world. If aviation expansion in the UK is allowed to continue as predicted, the British government will find it almost impossible to achieve its own targets for cutting emissions. Aviation will gobble up half, perhaps more, of the total emissions allotted to the whole country.That's why most of the UK's big workers' unions opposed recent plans to build a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport. The unions joined with environmental groups last year to take out an advertisement in The Times that called on the government to scrap Heathrow expansion. Unite was the only British workers' union to come out in support of the Heathrow plans. How does this square with a commitment to protect the environment? &quot;The fact that the union supported the third runway is not incompatible with fighting climate change,&quot; says Bernie. &quot;There is undoubtedly going to be more air travel and there are going to be airports throughout Europe which are aiming to be hub airports, and a hub airport is a big airport. We have to acknowledge the inevitability of increased air travel, or Britain could be left out.<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../index.cfm?c=21570&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../index.cfm?c=21567&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../index.cfm?c=21572&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

With climate change comes the increased incidence of hurricanes and other extreme weather events, and weather satellites can give countries the advance warning necessary to prepare for such events. Gordon Larkins, engineer and fellow shop steward, tells me that Thailand signed up to satellite disaster monitoring shortly after the December 2004 tsunami. Satellite technology is also a lifeline after a disaster strikes. Peter explains that extreme weather events often knock out phone lines on the ground. &quot;How do you communicate then? Someone turns up with a box of satellite cellphones.&quot; When the immediate emergency is over, satellites still have a role to play, providing the reconstruction planners with important information about the extent and nature of the damage.Astrium's next weather satellite, AEOLUS, will be even more sophisticated than ENVISAT. Alistair Scott, the plant's communications manager, describes it as &quot;the next generation of everything&quot;. The stereoradar used by AEOLUS is so sensitive that it can tell the difference between corn and wheat, between tarmac and concrete. Named after the keeper of winds in classical mythology, AEOLUS specializes in monitoring wind speed and direction throughout the whole height of the Earth's atmosphere.AEOLUS will also be able to spot human activity that contributes to climate change. It is sensitive enough to pinpoint areas of deforestation, recording evidence of climate-wrecking behaviour by individuals, companies or governments. Peter explains that such fine-grained detail is also very useful for managing resources on a smaller scale, even at the level of telling a farmer that there's something wrong with the crops in one field.Peter is a Midlander with a gift for translating complex engineering concepts into plain English and making them interesting into the bargain. But he didn't always plan to become an engineer. His first job after leaving school was in the Warwickshire constabulary, but left the police force after a motorcycle accident. After that he briefly studied chemistry. Perhaps it was a fluke of geography that led Peter to a career in engineering: his family home in the East Midlands was near a nuclear power plant, so he took a job at the plant, discovered his flair for engineering and gained professional qualifications there. His move to his current workplace was a matter of circumstances too. The company that ran the East Midlands plant began discussing a move to the north of England just as Peter and his wife-to-be were planning a wedding and a life together in the south. So Peter took a job at BAE Space &amp; Communications, at the Stevenage site now known as Astrium. 1981 marked the beginning of both his marriage and his career at the plant.<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><a href="../index.cfm?c=21568&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">&lt;&lt; back</a></td><td> </td><td><a href="../index.cfm?c=21567&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">beginning</a></td><td> </td><td align="center" valign="middle"><a href="../index.cfm?c=21570&amp;mwId=21566&amp;l=2">forward &gt;&gt;</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

Aktivitäten der OS KOVO im Zusammenhang mit dem globalen Aktionstag gegen prekäre Beschäftigung: <h1 style="margin: 12pt 0cm 3pt 18.7pt;text-indent: -18pt;text-align: left" align="left">·         Einbeziehung von Informationen über die zweite gemeinsame EMB-Forderung „FÜR MEHR ARBEITSPLATZSICHERHEIT, GEGEN PREKÄRE ARBEITSVERHÄLTNISSE"  in den Handlungsleitfaden für betriebliche Tarifverhandlungen.</h1>·          Unterstützung der zweiten gemeinsamen EMB-Forderung im Handlungsleitfaden, der OS KOVO-Wochenzeitschrift Kovák, im OS KOVO-Vorstand und auf den Beiratssitzungen (einschließlich <a href="http://www.precariouswork.eu/">www.precariouswork.eu</a>).·         Mitarbeit am EMB-Film „Prekäre Beschäftigung" für die tarifpolitische Konferenz des EMB.·          Vorschlagsentwürfe für neue Branchentarifverträge (zweite gemeinsame EMB-Forderung).·          Interview mit J. Souček, Vizepräsident der OS KOVO, über die globale Kampagne gegen prekäre Beschäftigung in der Wochenzeitschrift Kovák.·          Verteilung der Poster und Broschüren des IMB über die globale Kampagne. ·         Veröffentlichung der vom IMB-Kongress verabschiedeten Entschließung ‚Prekäre Beschäftigung in der Wirtschaftskrise' in der Wochenzeitschrift Kovák.·         Informationen über die zweite gemeinsame EMB-Forderung im Magazin für Sozialfragen Sondy.·         Einbeziehung der zweiten gemeinsamen EMB-Forderung und Fragen der prekären Beschäftigung in die Schulungs- und Bildungsaktivitäten der OS Kovo.·         Vor den Parlamentswahlen Versendung der von Vorstand und Beirat der OS KOVO verabschiedeten Erklärung über prekäre Beschäftigung an die Mitglieder des tschechischen Parlaments, des europäischen Parlaments, der politischen Parteien und Kandidaten. ·         Aktive Teilnahme an der tarifpolitischen Konferenz des EMB in Madrid.·          Besondere OS KOVO-Mappe über prekäre Beschäftigung im Rahmen der Serie „OS KOVO berät, informiert, empfiehlt".

TSCHECHISCHE REPUBLIK

OS KOVOs verksamheter i samband med den globala aktionsdagen mot otryggt arbete: <h1 style="margin: 12pt 0cm 3pt 18.7pt;text-indent: -18pt;text-align: left" align="left">·         Information om EMFs andra allmänna krav, om säkrare sysselsättning och mot otryggt arbete, har införts i metodvägledningen för kollektiva förhandlingar på företagsnivå.</h1>·          Stöd för EMFs andra allmänna krav i metodvägledningen, i OS KOVOs veckotidning Kovák, samt under OS KOVOs presidie- och rådsmöten (inklusive <a href="http://www.precariouswork.eu/">www.precariouswork.eu</a><a name="_Hlt241410201"></a><a name="_Hlt241410177"></a>)·         Samarbete om EMFs film &quot;Otryggt arbete&quot; för EMF-konferensen om kollektiva förhandlingar·          Förslag till nya kollektiva branschavtal (EMFs andra allmänna krav)·          Intervju med J. Souček, OS KOVOs viceordförande i veckotidskriften Kovák om den globala kampanjen mot otryggt arbete·          Spridning av IMFs affischer och flygblad om den globala kampanjen ·         IMFs kongressresolution om otryggt arbete under den ekonomiska krisen publicerad i veckotidskriften Kovák·         Information om EMFs andra allmänna krav till Sondy -- tidskrift om sociala frågor·         EMFs andra allmänna krav, och frågor som berör otryggt arbete, tas upp i OS KOVOs utbildningsverksamheter·         OS KOVO-uttalande om otryggt arbete godkänt av OS KOVOs presidium och råd, och skall skickas till parlamentsledamöter, europaparlamenta­riker, politiska partier och kandidater under de allmänna valen·         Aktiv medverkan under EMFs konferens om kollektiva förhandlingar i Madrid·          Särskild OS KOVO-broschyr om otryggt arbete i serien &quot;OS KOVO råder, informerar och rekommenderar&quot;. &#160;

TJECKIEN

I Belgien kommer det att anordnas ett möte och en demonstration fredagen den 9 oktober i Bryssel (vid &quot;Tour et Taxis&quot; i närheten av järnvägsstationen Bruxelles Nord) med minst 2 000 fackliga aktivister. Aktionen anordnas av de två större huvudorganisationerna ACV-CSC och ABVV-FGTB.Aktionen går under parollen &quot;Anständigt arbete mot krisen&quot;. De två huvudorganisationerna kommer att framföra sina prioriteter till Belgiens regering.

BELGIEN

In Belgio si terranno una riunione ed una manifestazione venerdì 9 ottobre a Bruxelles (sul sito 'Tour and Taxis' vicino alla stazione ferroviaria di Bruxelles Nord) con almeno 2.000 militanti sindacali. L'azione è organizzata dalle due principali confederazioni, ACV-CSC e ABVV-FGTB.L'azione è battezzata &quot;Un lavoro dignitoso contro la crisi&quot;. I due sindacati dichiareranno le loro priorità al governo belga.

BELGIO

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