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In September 2007, the ICEM and the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) jointly signed a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with Belgian-based Umicore, a chemicals, metals technology, and catalysts systems company. This GFA moved ahead with several activities of late. 
 
Following a joint mission to Shanghai, China, in March 2009, another joint mission was accomplished early this year to S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil. The ICEM and IMF were represented there by Luc Triangle from the Belgium Union ACV-CSC METEA, who took the lead in signing the GFA back in 2007. He was accompanied by Jef Peeters, Secretary of Umicore&rsquo;s European Works Council (EWC). The company was represented by Guy Ethier, Senior Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety, and Mark Dolfyn, Human Resources and Development Director. 
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From left, the Umicore Monitoring Committee, Noel Van Den Bossche, Mark Dolfyn, ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Umicore CEO Marc Grynberg, Luc Triangle, Jef Peeters, and Umicore&rsquo;s Geert Bens and Guy Ethier 
Local union leaders and company managers were also present at the meetings. 
 
Umicore&rsquo;s business in Brazil spiraled with acquisition of the Precious Metals Group from the Finnish-American group OMG in 2003. The three Brazilian Umicore operations are former OMG plants, with one located in Guarulhos that employs 450 staff. 
 
The programme of the joint visit covered consultation with trade union delegates over a detailed agenda, and it involved several participants. The delegation also received detailed information on the Guarulhos site regarding performance, production, demographics, gender/age, types of contracts, staff turnover, training and education, local staff survey results, health and safety, environmental issues, social policies, working conditions, social dialogue, relationship with trade unions, and activities with the local communities. 
 
During the different meetings with local and corporate managers, the different chapters of this reporting were used to discuss situations at Guarulhos. 
 
At the end of the visit, both parties expressed their appreciation. The European trade unionists concluded the meeting with proposals to improve functioning of the Health and Safety Committee, to increase the awareness of the GFA&rsquo;s content for all workers, inclusive of further training. 
<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="179" />
Discussions in S&atilde;o Paulo with representatives from Umicore&rsquo;s three operations in Brazil
Following this mission to Brazil, the GFA&rsquo;s Monitoring Committee met in Brussels on 23 April. The ICEM was represented by Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Rubber and Chemicals Industries Officer, while Luc Triangle of Belgium ACV-CSC METEA was present on behalf of IMF. Both Jef Peeters and Noel Van Den Bossche represented the EWC of Umicore. The company delegation was headed by CEO Marc Grynberg, Senior Vice President Guy Ethier, and Mark Dolfyn and Geert Bens. 
 
The meeting heard and discussed a presentation on the annual sustainable development report, the external verification report, an evaluation of the Guarulhos mission, a preview on new sustainable development objectives for 2011-2015, Umicore&rsquo;s new Sustainable Procurement Approach, planning and financing of future site visits, and the mandated review of the GFA. 
 
Grynberg commented openly on the formulation of the next level of sustainable development objectives, which still needs to be approved by the company&rsquo;s Board of Directors and will become part of the &ldquo;Vision 2015&rdquo; communication tool for all employees. According to the CEO, the new objectives will be clustered around three themes: Great Place to Work, which includes safety and industrial hygiene; Eco Efficiency; and Stakeholder Engagement, which includes achieving a sustainable supply chain management. 
 
As a new approach, Umicore&rsquo;s Purchase &amp; Transportation Department reviewed the work that has been done, starting in 2008, to prepare the company&rsquo;s &ldquo;Sustainable Procurement Charter.&rdquo; This approach identifies suppliers who are at risk and sets out the evaluation process. The roll-out of the new Sustainable Procurement Charter will start soon, and will be incorporated in the new sustainable development objectives. The results of the supplier evaluation will be used for further improvements in practices of the supply chain. 
 
Commented &Ouml;zkan on the visit and the Monitoring Committee meeting: &quot;This is an important way forward for Umicore, particularly in comparing the time when we first signed the GFA and in developing and sharing the sustainable development practices of the company. New sustainable development objectives and the Sustainable Procurement Charter will enrich the implementation of the agreement. We offer our full cooperation.&rdquo;

Global Agreement with Belgian Umicore Takes Bold Steps Ahead

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

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

Metalworkers in Argentina Negotiate 2010 Wage Gains of 26.5%

ICEM Contract and Agency Labour Newsletter

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Svenska Pappers, the Swedish Paperworkers Union, and the Forest Industry Employers&rsquo; Association (SFIF) reached agreement for 18,000 workers on 26 April, just minutes before a second set of industrial actions were to begin. Those strikes, if they had happened, would have shut a total of 12 pulp and paper mills in Sweden. 
 
Strike action at six mills did occur on 16 April, taking 3,000 paperworkers out in protest against an industry attempting to make workers the scapegoats for the financial crisis. It was those strikes, the unified front of all Pappers members at 61 mills, and the threatened further strikes that gave better-than-average wage gains and contract terms to Pappers and its members. 
 
The SFIF was the driving wedge in a multi-industry employers&rsquo; front that was aimed at Sweden&rsquo;s paperworkers in an effort to shift the burden of the economic crisis onto workers. Pulp, paper, and packaging trade unions across the world recognised this and posted hundreds of solidarity messages to Pappers, all of which made their way to branch unions. 

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Svenska Pappers President Jan-Henrik Sandberg
The 26-day stand-off only ended when industry chieftains realised they were at the brink of another major set-back to Swedish pulp and paper exports. The union and SFIF agreed on a 22-month contract, totaling 3.4%, with the first increase taking effect 1 May and the second increase due on 1 April 2011. As part of that total pay package, an extra 0.4% additional increase was won for the lowest paid workers in the sector. That was one goal met by Pappers in its bargaining aims. 
 
The other goals that were accomplished included continued company payments to a pension scheme for a period, an issue related to Swedish law, and tougher sanctions on employers who use and abuse workers hired through agency labour companies. In addition, the union&rsquo;s grittiness both at the bargaining table and on the shop floor won supplementary insurance benefits for workers injured at work and an added month &ndash; from four to five &ndash; of paid parental leave. 
 
&ldquo;We were overwhelmed by the support and solidarity given us from around the world by so many different trade unions,&quot; said Svenska Pappers President Jan-Henrik Sandberg. &ldquo;We passed these messages on to our branches and this support strengthened our resolve. We express our sincere gratitude for this outpouring of solidarity.&quot;

Swedish Paperworkers Carve Solid Gains After 11-day Strike

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With the ashes from the global financial crisis still about us, the ICEM has joined with the 11 other Global Union Federations (GUFs), as well as the International Trade Union Confederation and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD in issuing a joint 1 May statement. That statement follows below. 
May Day 2010 
 
Jobs, Justice and Public Services &ndash; Getting the Economy to Work
The Council of Global Unions, the voice of the global labour movement, has issued the following statement to mark May 1, 2010 
 
On today of all days, trade unionists around the world demand fresh steps to reform the global economy in favour of social justice, investment in jobs and fairness in society. This is no time for business as usual. 
 
Neo-liberal economists and reckless financial dealings have created a crisis that has put millions of people out of work and forced many more into precarious employment to survive. Social safety nets are being torn apart. Public spending that provides for cohesive communities is being savagely cut. 
 
With all of this in mind, Global Unions call on policymakers and democrats everywhere to support a new paradigm of recovery and social justice that will: 
 
&bull; Reassert in government at all levels the primacy of public interest over private gain and ensure that the protection of citizens&rsquo; rights is made a cornerstone of social and economic development; 
 
&bull; Defend the rights of workers and trade unions; 
 
&bull; Mobilise for the creation of sustainable, secure and good quality jobs for all workers, that allow workers and their families to live in dignity; 
 
&bull; Ensure that social justice is a central mission of government and take concrete measures to reduce income disparities and increase equality, in particular gender equality; 
 
&bull; Eliminate market abuse through short-term speculation and manipulation of financial markets by imposing binding and effective regulation; 
 
&bull; Promote sustainable development with job-centred policies, effective social protections and reversal of global warming and environmental degradation; 
 
&bull; Renew commitment to public service values in society and enhance the contribution of quality public services to fairer and more efficient societies, and to finance these services through progressive systems of taxation that provide sufficient resources while improving social equity; 
 
&bull; Commit to education for all and provide resources needed to achieve the enrichment of society that comes from high quality education and training; 
 
&bull; Improve the quality of people&rsquo;s lives by providing universal access to health care and other vital social welfare services, as well as such fundamental issues as clean water and adequate nutrition, and breathing new life into efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. 
 
May Day 2010 is a moment to change course, to meet the aspirations of workers and communities for a new beginning, to put to flight self-serving politics and corporate greed, and, above all, to build a new solidarity in society in support of people-centred values that will enrich the lives of all. 
 
 
The PDF of the statement can be found <a href="http://www.world-psi.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&amp;CONTENTFILEID=29028&amp;TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm">here</a>.

Global Labour’s Joint 1 May Statement

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The ICEM affiliated Kuwaiti union, the Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers&rsquo; Confederation, vehemently opposed a Privatisation Bill that passed through the Persian Gulf country&rsquo;s Parliament, especially the inclusion of the oil industry of the country. 
 
The ICEM had closely monitored the situation since the legislation received strong backing in Parliament, on Thursday 15 April. Thirty-three MPs backed it, including the entire cabinet. This backing moved processing of the Bill to the Financial and Economic Committee of Parliament, where significant opposition moved the Committee&rsquo;s secretary, MP Yusif Zalzlah, to announce on 3 May that the panel advised against the inclusion of the oil and natural gas sectors in the legislation. 
 
The ICEM will remain alert to the threat of this legislation returning in the future, as MP Zalzlah stated that the government will remain &ldquo;very flexible&rdquo; on the issue in the future. 

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The Oil and Petrochemical Industries Workers&rsquo; Confederation opposed privatisation of the oil sector, seeing it as a transfer of government assets into the hands of a small number of wealthy individuals. The confederation, which serves as the umbrella organisation for six unions representing Kuwaiti workers in the sector, pointed to the recent privatisation of petrol stations in Kuwait, which saw high levels of job losses. 
 
A total of 94% of Kuwait&rsquo;s revenues come from oil. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, in a letter to members of the Kuwaiti Parliament, stated, &ldquo;Kuwait&rsquo;s system of cradle-to-grave welfare is an example to all around the world; we believe strongly that the handing over of your oil assets would seriously jeopardise this welfare system.&rdquo; See the full letter <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/39.ICEM.Kuwait.Parliament.Oil.10May.pdf">here</a>. 
 
The Privatisation Bill was passed by Kuwait&rsquo;s Parliament on 5 May, but did exclude oil and gas production, as well as health and education. The bill angers Kuwaiti trade unionists, especially in sectors that were privatised. One trade union leader was forcibly removed from the public gallery during the parliamentary debate, for shouting slogans against the law. 
 
The new law will be effective in six months time and opens up public services to private ownership. A &ldquo;Higher Privatisation Council&rdquo; will be created, to be headed by the Prime Minister, and this council will oversee sale of public assets. 
 
There will be some regulation, with the law ensuring that when a public company is sold, 40% of its shares must first be offered for sale to Kuwaiti citizens, followed by 20% to be held by government, and 5% to Kuwaiti employees. The remaining 35% will be sold at auction to a local or foreign investor. 
 
In Kuwait&rsquo;s oil sector, striking workers at the Mina Al-Ahmadi oil refinery returned to work 14 May after a five-day strike was resolved. Workers at the utility unit, employed by the Kuwait National Petroleum Co., were protesting a cut in the workforce. Mohammad al-Hamlan, deputy president of the workers' union, reported that management had agreed to the union&rsquo;s demands, ending the strike. The utility unit workers had been joined in solidarity by the facility&rsquo;s tank farm workers since 11 May. The refinery is the country&rsquo;s largest, with production of 460,000 barrels per day.

Kuwaiti Oil Workers Succeed in Damping Sector from Privatisation

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The ICEM participated in the 36th Ordinary Congress of the Mexican National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union (SNTMMSRM), known as Los Mineros, in Mexico City, 3-4 May. Also included in the international delegation were ICEM affiliates, the United Steelworkers (USW), the Canadian Office and Professional Employees&rsquo; Union (COPE) of British Colombia, and Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF). 
 
The ICEM intervention called, on behalf of all affiliates, for Grupo M&eacute;xico and President Felipe Calder&oacute;n to find a negotiated and peaceful end to the conflict at the Cananea mine. 

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Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez Urrutia addressed the Congress through video conferencing, and was greeted with enthusiastic chants of &ldquo;Napo, Napo, Napo.&rdquo; He was endorsed by members to serve as General Secretary for another four-year term. Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez is leading the union from exile in Vancouver, Canada, while sham criminal charges against him are still pursued by Grupo M&eacute;xico and Calder&oacute;n. G&oacute;mez continues to receive death threats in Vancouver. 
 
A press conference that followed the Congress decried the efforts of Grupo M&eacute;xico and the Mexican government to form a yellow union and undermine Los Mineros. CLC President Ken Georgetti stated that Canadian workers would take action if the Mexico did not scale back its attacks on Mexican workers and unions soon, adding that the Canadian government must step up its pressure on Calder&oacute;n, and the CLC will be calling on them to do so. 

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The international delegation moved from the Congress in Mexico City to the Reclusio Norte prison on the outskirts of the city, to visit Los Mineros official Juan Linares, imprisoned since 2008, when he was arrested at an airport on his return from a labour conference in British Colombia. Mexico&rsquo;s law courts have dismissed the charges against Juan Linares, but he is forced to remain in prison while the Calder&oacute;n government files appeals. 
 
Linares has held firm in his loyalty to his sisters and brothers in Los Mineros. He told the visiting delegation that while in prison, representatives of Grupo M&eacute;xico have visited him and offered 5 million Mexican pesos (US$400,000) in return for him denouncing Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez and Los Mineros. Linares was also offered to freely leave the prison with his money, in return for this statement. He refused and remains in jail. &ldquo;I will walk out of here with my dignity,&rdquo; he stated. 
 
From Reclusio Norte, the delegation went to the Cananea copper mine where some 1,200 striking workers at Cananea in the northern Sonora state have occupied the Grupo Mexico mine for over 1,000 days. The visiting delegation was welcomed by hundreds of striking Los Mineros Section 65 workers and their families. Receiving special mention at the Cananea conflict are the &ldquo;Mujeres de Los Mineros&rdquo; of the community, women who are seen as the backbone of the solidarity and of the striking community. 

<img src="" width="161" height="215" alt="" />
The company has also lodged numerous lawsuits against the striking workers and strike leaders for alleged damage at the mine. The union has asked Grupo M&eacute;xico to withdraw those actions, and instead negotiate a revised collective agreement with Los Mineros that will raise salaries and benefits, and improve safety and hygiene, chief among reasons why miners struck in the first place. 
 
Recently there have been some major breakthroughs in the campaign, finally getting the attention of the US government. When Calder&oacute;n comes soon to the US and Canada, demonstrations and actions are planned. USW President Leo Gerard and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka have had two meetings with the Mexican Minister of Labour, and Gerard has been invited by US President Barack Obama to a state dinner &ldquo;in honor&rdquo; of Calder&oacute;n. 
 
Grupo M&eacute;xico reported profits of US$348million for the first quarter of 2010.

Los Mineros Continues Struggle Against Grupo México, Calderón

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The Associated Mine Workers&rsquo; of Zimbabwe (AMWZ) suspended its five-day strike today after receiving a show-cause order from the country&rsquo;s Labour Ministry late on Friday, 14 May. &ldquo;It is necessary for us to inform miners to return to their jobs or they could face dismissal,&rdquo; said AMWZ President Tinago Ruzive. 
 
The Labour Ministry will hold a hearing on 20 May to determine the validity of the strike, a walkout the ICEM declared justified last week because several mining houses affiliated with Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Chamber of Mines failed to deliver on wage adjustments that came in an arbitration award last year. 
 
That arbitration award should have meant a total salary increase of US$140.00 for the final three months of 2009, but most employers failed to enact the increase. For the vast majority of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s mineworkers, they have seen no increase in wages in over a year. 

<img src="" width="110" height="110" alt="" />
Upwards of 20,000 miners struck some 45 different mining companies on 12 May, shutting down a good portion of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s platinum, diamond, gold, and production. This came after the AMWZ filed the necessary 14-day intent-to-strike notice in April. The Chamber of Mines did petition the Labour Ministry for a show-cause order then, but after two meetings, the Chamber&rsquo;s offer of a US$9.50-per-month increase was insufficient. 
 
Some mining houses, including Imperial Platinum&rsquo;s Zimplats Holdings and Aquarius&rsquo; Mimosa Investments, did pay salary increases and were not part of last week&rsquo;s strikes. But others, including certain operations of Rio Tinto, Metallion Gold, Duration Gold, Redaurum&rsquo;s River Ranch mine, and Pan African Mining&rsquo;s Maligreen gold mine, saw production curtailed by the strike. 
 
The AMWZ has proposed a current wage adjustment of US$496 on top of miners&rsquo; total salaries. The union also insists that mining companies which have neglected to remit contributions to the Mining Industry Pension Fund, monies owed to the National Employment Council for the Mining Industry, and to the AMWZ for subscriptions be forced to meet these obligations. 
 
Depending on the outcome of the 20 May hearing, the AMWZ could issue another 14-day strike notice and resume strike activity in June, said Ruzive.

Zimbabwe Mine Strike Suspended by Decree of Labour Ministry

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Canadian steelworkers forced on strike by Brazilian mining house Vale last summer got another ally late last week. In West Africa, the Forestry, Logging, and Industry Workers of Liberia (FLIWUL) called on their President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, to look closely at Vale&rsquo;s social record before the Liberian government grants Vale a rail and logistics link through the country from newly gained iron ore mines in Guinea. 
 
In the 13 May letter to President Johnson-Sirleaf, FLIWUL said Vale &ldquo;infringes human rights, exploits both male and female workers, imposes precarious working conditions, destroys nature, and disrespects traditional communities&rdquo; in several countries, including Mozambique, Brazil, Canada, Peru, Chile, Germany, Italy, and New Caledonia. 
 
Early in May, Vale bought a 51% stake of BSG Resources, which holds concessions to rich iron ore deposits near Simandou in south-eastern Guinea. Vale paid US$2.5 billion, with an initial payment of US$500 million for the stake and expects to begin production there in 2012. BSG Resources is owned by Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz. 

<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="115" />
Parts of the deposits near Simandou were once owned by Rio Tinto, but the government of Guinea confiscated the blocks in a development dispute. 
 
The ICEM reacted favourably to FLIWUL&rsquo;s challenge to Vale&rsquo;s investment in Liberia, citing the fact that the world&rsquo;s largest iron ore producer has a forced a bitter strike &ndash; now in its eleventh month &ndash; on 3,500 nickel and copper miners in Canada. 
 
General Secretary Manfred Warda said the ICEM will also raise Vale&rsquo;s new investment in Guinea with trade unions there, as well as with the military government of Guinea, which has shown a willingness to halt worker abuses by multinationals. 
 
In the FLIWUL letter to President Johnson-Sirleaf (seen <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/fliwul.letter.liberia.1005.pdf">here</a>), Secretary-General David Sackoh said, &ldquo;We are aware of many serious issues surrounding Vale and its mistreatment of workers and communities where it operates around the world. 
 
&ldquo;We are disturbed at the treatment that Vale has given to its workforce in Canada. The company provoked a strike through its demands for deep concessions from its workers despite the fact that the company has made billions of dollars in profit in recent years. 

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&ldquo;Madame President, following many years of civil war and turmoil the Liberian people finally enjoy peace and have a promising future under your leadership. This behemoth Vale with its suspect actions could potentially destroy our fragile economy for the benefit of a greedy few. As key stakeholder in the infrastructural and economic development of Liberia, FLIWUL wishes to urge the government to carefully study the situation and ensure that transitional companies investing in Liberia do so responsibly.&rdquo; 
 
Vale has attempted to break the strike by 3,100 miners in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ontario, and another 400 in Goose Bay and Voiseys Bay, Labrador/Newfoundland, by using replacement workers to continue production. That practice is outlawed in two Canadian provinces, and generally discouraged in the others. In Sudbury and Port Colborne, where Untied Steelworkers Locals 6500 and 6200 share a common labour agreement, bargaining did resume for the second time since the strike began on 13 July 2009. But those mediated sessions, 5-7 May, broke off when Vale refused to retreat from its intractable demands for steep cuts to living and working conditions.

ICEM Affiliate in Liberia Balks at Vale Rail Link Through Country

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Strike actions in April and a flurry of trade union activities over the past two weeks have succeeded in bringing formal recognition to the ICEM affiliate, Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Georgia. Some 5,800 workers at the Zestafoni Ferroalloys Plant and the Georgian Manganese mines, some 40 kilometres from Zestafoni in Chiatura, now have a free and democratic trade union to call their own. 
 
That was reinforced on 13 May after the union, backed by the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), and top managers met for a second conciliation commission session and made headway towards resolving a host of demands put forward by workers. 
 
Miners and metalworkers were buoyed massively when, ten days after a three-day strike ended on 25 April that got management&rsquo;s rapt attention, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan travelled to western Georgian to meet with workers. 

<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="225" />
(LtoR) Irakli Petriashvili, President of GTUC, Manfred Warda, GTUC interpreter, Kemal &Ouml;zkan
Bringing pledges of solidarity from the ICEM and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), Warda told Georgian workers they were not alone. And speaking before regional news media and to workers directly, Warda assured all that the combined strength of the two federations was ready and willing to take this fight beyond central Asia if that was needed. 
 
The message underscored a resolve borne through several months of struggle, culminating in a series of April incidents, including grievous intimidation tricks (see prior ICEM report here) by management that served only to bring more staff into the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; fold. 
 
Initially in last week&rsquo;s second conciliation session, managers and their attorneys sought involvement of an existing but dying &ldquo;yellow&rdquo; union in the talks. But the seven union members of the joint, bilateral commission threatened to walk out and lead renewed strike actions. The union and GTUC representatives then showed managers a large number of power-of-attorney statements by workers that expressed their allegiance to the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union. 
<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="142" />
Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union Members
Recognition was achieved. The numerous petitions that workers demand to improve their working lives were then open for discussion. Foremost among them were wages. In the hours leading up to the talks, the ICEM and IMF scrambled to gather and succeeded in delivering wage rates from associated ferroalloy plants in Ukraine, owned by the metals arm of PrivatBank. 
 
Miners at the Georgian Manganese complex are paid an average monthly wage of GEL (lari) 450, or US$238, &euro;192. Metalworkers at the ferroalloy plant in Zestafoni earn a monthly average of GEL 562, or US$298, &euro;240. With both sides having already agreed to 1 May as the effective date for salary adjustments, management proposed a 15% increase for shift workers and 8% for day workers. 
 
This is unsatisfactory to the union side of the commission. But they are confident that further negotiations today and tomorrow, 17-18 May, and again on 20 May, will bring the long overdue percentage increases higher. The union did get a commitment at the 13 May set of talks that the enterprises will begin to comply with Georgia labour law regarding sick leave payments, including retroactive compensation for those workers who have been denied such pay. 

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&ldquo;It is a big step forward,&rdquo; said Gocha Aleksandria, Vice President of the GTUC, who is a member of the 14-member conciliation commission. &ldquo;The administration now accepts our union, but the hardest part is still ahead. We intend to achieve the obvious, meaningful, and tangible results for our members and that is permanent labour contracts that address all issues.&rdquo; 
 
Some of those issues include raising the number of yearly paid leave days from 30 (metal) and 32 (mining) to 35; creation of a joint contributory pension fund to supplement a miserly state pension; better safety and health conditions; and an upgrade to medical facilities. 
 
Even prior to the first commission negotiations, on 7 May, management reacted to workers&rsquo; militancy and ICEM&rsquo;s mission statement of that week by agreeing to permanent work contracts, as well as reinstatement of two union leaders who were discharged for strike activities. (At the 13 May session, management agreed to pay the two their full April salaries.) 
 
Another accomplishment in the recent bargaining is that union leaders will bring their demands directly to Georgian shareholders of the enterprises. The complex ownership of the ferroalloy plant and manganese mines has stock ownership by privately-held Stemcor Holdings of the UK. Shares are also traded publicly on the Georgian bourse with Georgia entrepreneurs and the Ukrainian oligarch Gennadiy Boholyubov and his manganese empire that is tied to PrivatBank holding vast sums. 
 
For now, 3,600 miners and 2,200 metalworkers have a free and democratic union they can call their own &ndash; the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Imereti Region. But as Aleksandria states, the journey now begins in earnest: erstwhile dialogue to gain the wage levels, benefits and work conditions that they justly deserve.

Free Trade Union Recognised for Miners, Metalworkers of Georgia

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