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More than 1500 trade unionists participated in a torch-lit march in the city centre of Gent, Belgium, yesterday, protesting against the shocking behaviour of the management of Stora Enso&rsquo;s paper mill in Langerbrugge, near Gent. 
 
 

<img height="178" src="" width="390" alt="" />
 
At the heart of the demonstration were the two Belgian trade union representatives&nbsp;that Stora Enso, a Finnish-Swedish multinational headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, dismissed at the end of last year for their union activities. For the full background see: <a href="/?id=77&amp;doc=1638&amp;la=EN">Stora Enso Retaliates Against Union Leaders in Gent, Belgium (3 February 2006)</a>. 
 
 

<img height="265" src="" width="390" alt="" />
 
An ICEM delegation, led by Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary,&nbsp;participated in the protest march. The presence of the ICEM highlighted the international character of the dispute, as the ICEM representatives carried the banner of the Canadian Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), another ICEM affiliate also facing an attack by Stora Enso management. 
 
One similarity between the disputes in Canada and Belgium is the desire of the company to have unchecked freedom in contracting out jobs, thereby seriously jeopardising job security at Stora Enso facilities. Another similarity is the blatantly anti-union behaviour. Stora Enso is becoming increasingly known as a company showing little or no regard for the rights of its workers and their unions in its chase of higher profitability. 
 
 

<img height="230" alt="" src="" width="250" />
 
At the march, flags were exchanged between representatives of the ICEM, in the name of CEP, and the Belgian ACCG, in a display of solidarity between the Canadian unionists and the Belgian protesters. Discussions took place between the two unions and the ICEM in Brussels last week. 
 
 

<img height="236" alt="" src="" width="380" />

Protest March Against Stora Enso Behaviour in Belgium

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
An ICEM News release on 3 February mentions current Belgian political debate on the legal status of a trade union. It said Swedish-Finnish paper company Stora Enso has now joined that debate on the side of right-wing political parties to re-classify unions across Belgium. 
Something basic and fundamental is at play at Stora Enso&rsquo;s Langerbrugge mill in Gent. The company is systematically attempting to carve further job rights from workers at Gent&rsquo;s Langerbrugge mill. 
Intimidations, bullying and divide-to-conquer tactics are the means. The company&rsquo;s intention is for the 300 members at Langerbrugge to concede 70 jobs to subcontractors, to agree on flexibility at the expense of working conditions, and to give up their long-term right to 1 January as a shutdown day. 
That is reason enough to march in Gent tomorrow night (7 February, 19h00) to condemn Stora Enso&rsquo;s intentions. The ICEM News release can be found at <a href="/?id=77&amp;doc=1638">/?id=77&amp;doc=1638</a>.

Stora Enso Readies Itself for More Cuts at Belgian Paper Mill

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM Serbia-Montenegro affiliate EPS Trade Union has halted strike actions against three electric and mining enterprises of the state-run electric power generation and distribution company. Progressive strike actions had been underway to claim wage arrears and pay hikes for 2006. 
The union and government came to a tentative deal that workers would accept loans for shortfalls in January, February and March, and bargaining would start again in a month&rsquo;s time. EPS Trade Union had engaged in daily strike actions and other protests since 10 January, in efforts to claim workers&rsquo; rightful wages.

EPS Trade Union in Serbia Suspends Strike Actions

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM French affiliate F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Chimie Energie CFDT attacked the announcement by Belgian chemicals maker Solvay SA that it would make 400 French workers redundant. 
Solvay said, in March 2004 when it bought France&rsquo;s Fournier Pharma, that no jobs would be cut in the takeover until at least July 2006. Some 400 French jobs will now go, and Solvay will cut another 186 in Italy, Spain and Belgium. 
FCE-CFDT is calling the job cuts socially irresponsible, and is asking for a more transparent review of Solvay in order to save the jobs.

French Affiliate Calls for Reversing Solvay’s Redundancies

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Engineering, Printing &amp; Manufacturing Union (EPMU) of New Zealand has re-launched its 5% wage hike campaign last week for workers at Carter Holt Harvey (CHH) operations. The ICEM affiliate had put wage talks on hold last year with the forest products firm after Graeme Hart&rsquo;s Rank Investments began buying stakes in the Auckland-listed company. 
EPMU has successfully negotiated 5% wage increases at three CHH enterprises, with bargaining at seven sites still outstanding from last year. 
Hart, owner now of 86% of CHH, increased his bid for shares last week by offering NZ$2.75-a-share, twenty-five cents better than his original offer. Hart needs 90% of CHH to de-list the company and take it private.

EPMU Re-boots 5% Wage Campaign at Carter Holt Harvey

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A strike by ICEM affiliate International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) ended at US building products producer National Gypsum in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Some 90 IUOE members at the Milford quarry and Burnside loading facility ratified a four-year labour agreement in late January calling for wage and benefit increases. 
The strike started 10 August 2005. It ended after the company had been cited by the provincial government for six safety infractions in January and after IUOE Local 721 announced a boycott of National Gypsum products, a boycott that had backing from the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour and Nova Scotia&rsquo;s building trades. In a statement, the company said it would work to repair broken relationships and to build a foundation of trust.

National Gypsum Strike in Canada Ends

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />&nbsp;
Turkish ICEM affiliate Petrol-Iş again successfully dampened Turkey&rsquo;s privatisation attempts of state-run oil refiner Tupras by winning a Council of State judicial decision on 2 February. 
The decision by the Council, Turkey&rsquo;s highest administrative court, suspends the sale of 51% of Tupras to a consortium led by Turkey&rsquo;s Koc Holdings and Royal Dutch Shell. Only a week earlier, the consortium transferred US$4.14 billion to the Privatisation Administration Council for the 51% stake. But the court, acting on an appeal by Petrol-Iş, struck down the sale, saying it had failed to comply with privatisation law. 
<img height="80" alt="" src="" width="120" />
The union has been conducting day-long strikes at the four refineries and at one petrochemical plant of Tupras, as well as holding massive strikes at workplaces on 26 January, the day Koc and the government rushed through the finalisation of the deal. Petrol-Iş has been conducting&mdash;and continues to&mdash;a campaign called &ldquo;Tupras is Our Future, It Cannot Be Sold Off&rdquo; in the form of billboards, print and television announcements, and other medium directed at Turkey&rsquo;s citizens. 
Last week&rsquo;s court decision, according to Platt&rsquo;s Commodity News, provoked panic shares&rsquo; selling of both Tupras and of Koc&rsquo;s liquid petroleum gas subsidiary, Aygaz, on the Istanbul Stock Exchange. Petrol-Iş has now won some five court and regulatory agency rulings against gas and oil refinery privatisations using both legal means and public campaigns.

Turkish Petrol-Iş Again Blocks Tupras’s Oil Privatisation

<img height="80" alt="" src="" width="120" />
An ICEM intervention in a Thai glass factory dispute at Saint-Gobain Sekurit produced a victory for 700 workers last week. 
The majority of the workers, members of a plant union affiliated with the Federation of Thailand Automobile Workers&rsquo; Unions, had been locked out since 6 January by hostile local managers. They conducted demonstrations in front of the factory in Thailand&rsquo;s Rayong province and at the Labour Ministry in Bangkok, while the ICEM and French trade unions used a steady stream of facts and data in open-channelled dialogue with senior officials of Saint-Gobain in Paris. 
<img height="225" alt="" src="" width="300" />
The factual matter included the harsh treatment inflicted on trade unionists at the plant, including initiating a court case in order to sack four of them for leading plant-gate protests. The contract dispute was over many issues, including bonus payments for 2005 and management proposals to cut Sunday overtime pay by half. 
After Saint-Gobain Sekurit imposed the lockout on half the workforce and sacked the four, bargaining became regressive as Thai managers dramatically reduced the bonus proposal and said it would be for two years instead of one. 
With front-line information provided by the ICEM, French unions F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Chimie Energie CFDT, CGT Verre C&eacute;ramique and F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGT-FO were in daily contact with Saint-Gobain in Paris, putting pressure on top-level decision makers who steered the dispute to a successful conclusion. 
The result is that Thai glass managers reinstated the four and dropped the court cases. Union and local managers also agreed on all collective bargaining issues, including a bonus. The ICEM commends the French unions for delivering a fair and just labour agreement to workers at the productive and growth-filled glass factory.

Saint Gobain Glass Workers in Thailand Gain When ICEM Intervenes

Contents
1. Brazil leads in gender equality in collective bargaining 
2. Chile: Michelle Bachelet elected President 
3. Denmark: Anti-trafficking campaign 
4. Germany: Women in the labour market 
5. Korea: Businesses will recruit more women 
6. Spain: Trade Unions have to change their approach 
7. United Kingdom: One in five firms break law over Women&rsquo;s pay 
8. United States: Women are getting even 
9. Venezuela: World Social Forum condemns the US for patriarchal violence 
10. Resources 
<img height="112" alt="" src="" width="300" /> 
 
1. Brazil leads in gender equality in collective bargaining 
 
According to the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, Brazil ranks first in Latin America in terms of parental provisions obtained through negotiations between employers and trade unions. 
According to the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, Brazil ranks first in Latin America in terms of parental provisions obtained through negotiations between employers and trade unions. 
A new ILO document provides comparative data on collective agreements in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Venezuela. Of these, Brazil is the country which attaches most importance to parental issues, followed by Argentina. 
 
 
2. Chile: Michelle Bachelet elected President 
 
The election of Michelle Bachelet as President of Chile promises to widen the path to a more equal society as well as bring a sea change in gender relations. Already, Ms Bachelet has appointed women to occupy half of the Cabinet. 
A new women&rsquo;s organization has been created, Women Constructing the Country, made up of women representing Ms Bachelet&rsquo;s party as well as trade union leaders. The point is to have a more democratic, transparent and participative government. The organisation&rsquo;s aim is to support Ms Bachelet&rsquo;s government. 
 
 
3. Denmark: Anti-trafficking campaign 
 
In 2006, the trade union movement will focus on the increasing trade of humans. On 8 March &ndash; Women&rsquo;s International Day &ndash; launch of a campaign against trafficking of humans will start. 
Women all over the world are traded to prostitution and in Denmark, an increased trade of Women from Eastern Europe has been noted. The Danish trade union movement can and will not ignore this crime which is the modern world&rsquo;s slave traffic. 
Among other things, Women in Danish trade unions insist that priority and resources be given police to investigate the illegal prostitution environment. 
The view of human nature that lies behind the trade with women and children, with prostitution, is very far from the view of human nature that the trade union movement stands for. Therefore, more and more organisations elaborate ethical codes for employees about not going to prostitutes. For more information on what is occurring in Denmark on this most important issue, contact <a href="mailto:marianne.bruun@3f.dk">marianne.bruun@3f.dk</a>. 
 
 
4. Germany: Women in the labour market 
 
The number of Women working in Germany has gone up rapidly since 1991, but not the amount of work they do &ndash; that is only divided up among more people. With just under 49%, almost half of those employed in Germany are women &ndash; in 1991 it was only about 44%. However, the number of hours that they work has not gone up to the same degree. 
In 2004, Women&rsquo;s work only made of up 41% of the overall volume of work. That is mostly due to the fact that many Women work part-time. In 2004, 75% of all part-time jobs were done by Women, whereas only about 37% of full-time jobs were occupied by Women. 
<hr />
From our readers: 
 
Patricia Ferreira from Brazil writes that on 25 November they distributed a bulletin to the rubber plants to commemorate &ldquo;International Day to Combat Violence against Women.&rdquo; They also passed out white bands for women workers to put on their wrists in memory of the Women victims of violence. 
 
 
Oluchi Okorie from Nigeria writes that they had the NUPENG Congress in November. Prior to the election, the Women wanted to include in the constitution a review that a woman should be Deputy President. 
 
The National Executive Council of the union decided to make the national chairperson of the NUPENG Women&rsquo;s Committee one of the NEC members. &ldquo;So now we have a woman in the NEC of our union in the person of Mrs Funke Adediran. NUPENG&rsquo;s Constitution now says that every NUPENG national chairperson of the Women&rsquo;s Committee is automatically an NEC member. Our struggles continue until we get the best for Women.&rdquo; 
<hr />
5. Korea: Businesses will recruit more women 
 
Large private and public companies will likely be required to disclose how many female workers they employ as part of governmental efforts to promote the hiring of Women. Domestic firms will also be obliged to come up with action plans to increase the number of female workers if they are found to have employed fewer females than other companies in the same business sector. 
The Ministry of Labor has submitted a revision bill on equal employment opportunities, and if approved, it will become law and go into effect in March. Companies with over 500 workers will be required to make an annual report about the ratio of female workers to their total employees and the types of positions Women hold. 
The aim is to promote more corporate hiring of female workers, as the country is expected to face a labor shortage in the near future due to the falling birthrate and the ageing population. The government plans to provide incentives to companies that show a significant rise in female employment. 
 
 
6. Spain: Trade Unions have to change their approach 
 
The trade union confederation CCOO calls itself a union for Women and Men, but that is hard if the trade unions do not change their approach inside companies. In industry, it is hard to find more than 30% Women in production, and most companies do not even reach that many. 
True, companies make their own hiring decisions, but trade unions can intervene in how these decisions are taken. Hiring is discriminatory almost all over industry. Many companies are multinationals, and in other countries they do hire Women in production. 
CCOO has sections comprised of companies which have European Works Councils. European Works Councils should be asking questions about how Spanish women can have the same opportunities that Women have in other countries. 
 
7. United Kingdom: One in five firms break law over Women&rsquo;s pay 
 
Almost one in five of the country&rsquo;s biggest employers are breaking the law by paying Women significantly lower wages than their male colleagues, according to research by the Equal Opportunities Commission. 
A study by the commission of 870 employers, all of whom have reviewed their pay structures to check if they are paying equally, found that 16% are unlawfully discriminating against female workers by paying them less than Men to do the same job. 
The EOC said the true proportion was likely to be higher as these organizations were among the more enlightened employers, having voluntarily undertaken pay reviews. The 16% of companies which were breaking the law were found to have a gap between Men and Women&rsquo;s salaries which could only be explained by the workers&rsquo; gender. 
The survey also revealed that Women were routinely missing out on senior jobs, starting on lower salaries and taking longer to get promoted, largely because they were more likely to take career breaks to have children. 
 
 
8. United States: Women are getting even 
 
The WAGE Project is an organization established for one purpose: to end discrimination against Women in the US workplace in the near future. WAGE means Women Are Getting Even. You can calculate your wage gap by visiting the site <a href="http://www.wageproject.org">www.wageproject.org</a>. 
 
Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women by the Global Fund for Women indicates how Women and children suffer most from natural disasters, of which there were too many in 2005 &ndash; tsunamis in Asia and Africa, Hurricane Katrina in the US, Hurricane Stan in Guatemala, the massive earthquake in Kashmir. 
During and after natural disasters, women face effects in a variety of ways. Women are far more likely to die than men; Women are at increased risk of violence; Women do not receive necessary health care in many cases; Women may be denied adequate relief aid or compensation for their losses; Women experience ongoing economic vulnerability; Women are excluded from a say in rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. For the report, see: <a href="http://www.globalfundforwomen.org">www.globalfundforwomen.org</a>. 
 
The US organization CODEPINK launched a campaign in January to bring US women together with women worldwide to put a stop to the war in Iraq. Working Women are encouraged to sign the Global Women&rsquo;s Call for Peace in Iraq. The global call will be delivered to the White House on 8 March. To sign the call, see <a href="http://www.womensaynotowar.org">www.womensaynotowar.org</a>. 
 
9. Venezuela: World Social Forum condemns the US for patriarchal violence 
 
The United States was one of the main targets of condemnation by the International Court of Women Against the Patriarchal Violence of Neoliberalism, held on 27 January in Caracas, Venezuela. The court was organized by diverse feminist movements as part of the Sixth World Social Forum. 
The interference by the US in other countries&rsquo; policies, the constant attempts to destabilize Venezuela, the extraditions of Colombian political prisoners, the manipulation of the press, the perverse economic embargo of Cuba, the violation of human rights inside and outside the country, the invasion of Iraq and the genocide of the Iraqi population, all bring great suffering to millions of Women, who are the first victims of the numerous forms of violence caused by these acts. 
 
10. Resources 
 
EI/PSI Action Tool on Pay Equity for Union Activists at <a href="http://www.world-psi.org">www.world-psi.org</a>. 
 
Five reasons why equal pay can add value to your workplace, by the European Commission is available at <a href="http://www.equalpay.nu/it_fakta.html">www.equalpay.nu/it_fakta.html</a>&nbsp;together with the link between gender equality and profitability by the Swedish Business Development Agency. 
 
Pay equity is good for the economy, by the Business and Professional Women&rsquo;s Clubs of Ontario <a href="http://www.web.net/~equalpay/economy.html">www.web.net/~equalpay/economy.html</a>. 
 
The International Herald Tribune article, &ldquo;In Scandinavia&rsquo;s equality central, an antifeminist backlash?&rdquo; contains an interview by ex-ICEM women&rsquo;s committee member Lilian Knudsen, <a href="http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/12/06/style/feminists.php">www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/12/06/style/feminists.php</a>. 
 
Austrian Metalworkers and Textile Union women&rsquo;s site: <a href="http://www.metallerfrauen.at">www.metallerfrauen.at</a> - in German. 
 
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) Manual on Women in the Global Economy: <a href="http://www.icftu.org">www.icftu.org</a>. 
Human and labor rights for women workers in the maquilas of Mexico: <a href="http://www.cfomaquiladoras.org">www.cfomaquiladoras.org</a>. 
 
European Women&rsquo;s Lobby, <a href="http://www.womenlobby.org">www.womenlobby.org</a>. 
 
&ldquo;Women, Work and Health Congress on Safety and Health at Work,&rdquo; 27-30 November 2005 in India: <a href="http://www.swl-delhi.org/wwh/wwh_2005_conference.html">www.swl-delhi.org/wwh/wwh_2005_conference.html</a>. 
 
International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders, 
<a href="http://www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org">www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org</a>. 
 
Human Rights Watch World Report 2006: <a href="http://www.hrw.org">www.hrw.org</a>. 
 
The World&rsquo;s Women 2005, Progress in Statistics, critical for making crucial development decisions: <a href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Demographic/products/indwm/wwpub.htm">http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Demographic/products/ 
indwm/wwpub.htm</a>. 
 
World Health Organization&rsquo;s (WHO) &ldquo;Multi-country Study on Women&rsquo;s Health and Domestic Violence against Women&rdquo; at <a href="http://www.who.int/gender/violence/who_multicountry_study/en/index.html">www.who.int/gender/violence/who_multicountry_study 
/en/index.html</a>. 
 
State of the World&rsquo;s Children 2006: <a href="http://www.unicef.org/sowc06">www.unicef.org/sowc06</a>. 
<hr />
 
&bull; For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a>&nbsp;and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=1639">www.icem.org/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=1639</a>.&nbsp; 
 
&bull; To add a colleague or a friend to this distribution list, send her or his e-mail address to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>, mentioning &quot;Add to ICEM women's news list&quot; in the subject line. 
 
&bull; To unsubscribe from the ICEM news list, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>, mentioning &quot;Unsubscribe ICEM women's news list&quot; in the subject line.

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN NO. 8: January/February 2006

Mr. Jukka H&auml;rm&auml;l&auml; 
CEO 
Stora Enso Oyj 
Kanavaranta 1 
FIN-00160 Helsinki 
FINLAND 
 
Sent Via Fax +358 2046 21471 
 
 
Dear Mr. H&auml;rm&auml;l&auml;, 
 
The ICEM, a 20-million-member Global Union Federation with affiliates in 122 countries of the world, has been informed by our Canadian affiliate, the Communications, Energy and Paper Workers&rsquo; Union (CEP) of Canada, that the North American management of your company&rsquo;s Port Hawkesbury mill in Nova Scotia locked out 600 workers with crippling effect on the whole of the local economy in that Canadian province. 
 
The lock-out came as workers predictably rejected North American management&rsquo;s contract proposal, which would have given managers unprecedented rights to outsource unionised work. Such a proposal regarding the use of contract labour is in total contradiction to the norms now in place regarding contract labour in the paper industry&rsquo;s pattern agreement for Eastern Canada. 
 
The ICEM strongly urges you to personally intervene to amicably resolve this dispute. We believe attitudes demonstrated by Stora Enso&rsquo;s North American managers are contrary to your publicly-declared international principles of sustainability. 
 
We appeal to you to apply the principled custom of Nordic fairness and to direct your North American managers to immediately reopen dialogue with the CEP to resolve this dispute. 
 
The ICEM will closely monitor this dispute and we will bring it to the attention of our global affiliates who represent Stora Enso workers across the world. We look forward to an early and just settlement of this lockout. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM letter to Stora Enso

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