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UPM Kymmene and other Nordic paper companies are retaliating against affiliate Paperiliitto and paperworkers in Finland over industrial action banning overtime. At a UPM Kymmene mill in Kajaani, the company refused to pay workers already on the job when a paper machine was forced to stop because of the overtime ban. Other paper companies are applying the same tactic, unusual in such circumstances. 
Workers demonstrated late last week at Stora Enso mills in Kaukop&auml;&auml; and Tainionkoski over lack of progress in paper industry bargaining, and demonstrations also occurred earlier at Mets&auml;-Botnia mills in Joutseno and Rauma. Paperiliitto called the overtime ban because the Forest Industries Federation of Finland, after dropping from the national incomes policy agreement, is stalling in reaching agreement for 29,000 paperworkers.

Finnish Paper Companies Taking Hard Approach Against Union

America&rsquo;s second and fourth largest industrial unions merged 12 April, creating North America&rsquo;s largest industrial union. ICEM affiliates United Steelworkers and PACE are officially one following a resounding voice vote of approval from delegates representing PACE local unions at a special convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Steelworkers&rsquo; Executive Board had already approved the merger in January. The merged union now has 850,000 members and is called the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied-Industrial and Service Workers International Union, or simply USW.

PACE and USWA in US Officially Merge

Nigerian unions led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) called off a 16 November mass general strike after the government rolled back fuel prices 8% &ldquo;in the name of domestic peace.&rdquo; In September, the government again reduced fuel subsidies and imposed another round of higher fuel prices prompting a four-day general strike. The NLC says it will now rejoin a panel of government officials, parliamentarians and representatives from civil society to find a solution to Nigeria&rsquo;s refined fuel oil crisis.

Nigerian Government Backs Down; General Strike Called Off

ICEM French affiliate FCE-CFDT has voiced its opposition to a report issued last week by the Roulet Commission over recapitalization and partial privatization of Electricit&eacute; de France (EDF). The commission, headed by former Thomson SA and France Telecom chairman Marcel Roulet, recommends massive cost cutting inside the utility to prepare the way for an IPO to private investors. FCE-CFDT says France should exhibit responsible behaviour to EDF workers and French citizens firstly, and should not reduce the utility&rsquo;s level of activities to a single field&mdash;namely France and Germany. The chemical and energy union has vowed to stand tight with EDF workers to protect their interests.

French Roulet Commission Reports Brings Privatisation Doubts

The ICEM registered a strong letter of protest last week with the government of Serbia-Montenegro over the police beating of Electric Power of Serbia (EPS) Trade Union member Dragan Teofilovic. The trade unionist for the Electric Power Distribution Company of Belgrade was summoned 8 November to a police station where he was questioned over his participation in a strike last summer. Teofilovic then suffered head and arm injuries at the hands of a police inspector. EPS Trade Union said the incident is further proof that the government systematically violates human and trade union rights.

ICEM Protests Serbian Police Brutality over Electric Industry Strike

South African chemical producer Sasol had another serious workplace safety incident on 30 October when one worker was critically injured during a fire at a refinery in Sasolburg, Free State. The cause was a fuel spill that occurred during a loading process. Two other workers received minor burns. Meanwhile, a commission of inquiry into the 1 September explosion at Sasol&rsquo;s ethylene plant in Secunda, Mpumalanga, that killed ten and injured 100 has recessed until March 2005. The commission did conclude prior to adjourning that the accident happened when a contract worker opened a pipe containing flammable gas.

More Health, Safety Woes for South Africa’s Sasol

Nigerian unions, including ICEM affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN, will proceed with wide support from civil society organizations on an indefinite general strike beginning 16 November. The government has refused to rescind a 25% fuel price hike imposed in September. Mass dissent by the Nigerian populace has also shifted to Shell Petroleum Development Corp. due to the company&rsquo;s support of the government and its decision to take oil workers to the Federal High Court in Lagos in an effort to stop them from joining the strike. The court on 1 November delayed ruling on the matter until two days after the start of the general strike.

Nigerian Unions Brace for General Strike Starting 16 November

Strikes, marches and mass demonstrations in The Netherlands may be over as ministers for the center-right government have backed away from cuts to the Dutch social welfare system. Dutch unions, employers and the government reached an accord 6 November that will save social programmes from the budget axe, including early retirement rights, the current work-week and holiday entitlement, and industry-wide wage agreements. In return, the unions have pledged restraint in wage talks next year.

NL Center-Right Government Backs Off Social Welfare Cuts

French unions have called for protest action at Michelin tyre plants throughout France tomorrow, 21 September. 
 
At issue are the company's plans to restructure and to cut thousands of jobs. 
 
On 8 Sept, Michelin announced a 20 percent growth in net income during the first half of this year. In the same breath, the French-based tyre giant said it was going to fire 7,500 of the workers who produced this outstanding result. 
<img height="393" alt="Cartoon: Thierry Lenoir/ICEM" src="" width="252" />
Cartoon: Thierry Lenoir/ICEM
&quot;This decision is unacceptable both in its form and in its substance,&quot; says French chemical and energy workers' federation FCE-CFDT, which organises Michelin workers. It notes that neither the unions nor Michelin's workers were told about the plan before it was publicly announced. The FCE-CFDT accuses Michelin of &quot;visceral contempt&quot; for &quot;both the unions and the workers, who are never considered either as partners or as people.&quot; 
 
The union recalls that Michelin brought in no less than eight &quot;social plans&quot; in France alone between 1982 and 1998. Altogether, these cut the workforce from 52,000 to 27,000. 
 
Michelin is also showing its disdain for small shareholders, the FCE-CFDT says, because they will not benefit from the surge in the company's share price. The profits are being taken by speculators. 
 
Not least, Michelin's announcement demonstrates &quot;provocation and contempt vis-a-vis the [French] government and the parliamentarians who decided that the working week should be cut from 39 hours to 35 on 1 January 2000, in order to create jobs and reduce unemployment.&quot; As the union points out, Michelin has been particularly vocal in its opposition to the government's plan for work time cuts. 
 
Stressing that the company &quot;is 'managing' its employment at the European level,&quot; the FCE-CFDT calls for the establishment of a European Works Council within Michelin, and says this &quot;should happen within the next few days.&quot; 
 
For comments by French union F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGTFO, which also organises Michelin workers, see ICEM UPDATE 53/1999. 
 
At the global level, the FCE-CFDT and F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGTFO are affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
&quot;The ICEM and its unions worldwide pledge full support to the campaign by our French brothers and sisters,&quot; commented ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe. &quot;Michelin has long been known as a patriarchal, arrogant employer. If this company is to drag itself into the twentieth century, it does not have much time left.&quot;

French Unions Call Michelin Action

Electricity workers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have now ended their strike, following an agreement reached with the government. 
 
The strikers had been protesting at non-consultation over government plans to corporatise the Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Board into separate generation, transmission and distribution businesses. The restructuring, which is backed by the World Bank, is seen as a prelude to privatisation. 
 
The main points of the settlement emerge from an agreed &quot;detailed report and consent on points of discussion&quot; received today by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). The report summarises negotiations between strike leaders and the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Committee of Administration on 25 January. [All direct quotes in the following are unofficial translations]. 
 
The strike leaders reported that &quot;the general feeling of employees&quot; is &quot;against the dissolution of the Board&quot;. The strike committee &quot;feels it has attracted the attention of the Administration, and the whole nation, to this subject&quot; and it &quot;hopes that the Administration will honour the feelings of its employees&quot;. After that, &quot;discussion was held on employee-related issues&quot; and the Cabinet Committee &quot;gave its consent&quot; to a 15-point programme of demands which includes the following: 
 
- All court cases against the strikers are withdrawn. &quot;All imprisoned workers shall be released immediately&quot; and &quot;all the termination, suspension or other such orders&quot; issued against employees in connection with the strike &quot;shall be ineffective from the date of their issuance.&quot; Strikers will be considered to have been on leave during the dispute, thus guaranteeing full wage payments and continuity of service during that period. 
 
- There will &quot;under no circumstances&quot; be retrenchment of &quot;any employees&quot;. This specificaly includes the various categories of casual and contract labour. Conditions of service will be at least equal to the present provisions. 
 
- The present &quot;bipartite negotiation system&quot; on pay will continue. In other words, collective bargaining will be maintained. 
 
- Agreements reached with unions before the dissolution of the Electricity Board will also be complied with after restructuring. A current revision of pay anomalies will be completed and implemented. 
 
- Payment of pensions, gratuities and other cash entitlements is guaranteed to all those were employed by the Board or who will be so employed whenever interim restructuring is notified. The state government will set up a trust fund to ensure the financing of the payments. 
 
It is understood that the break-up of the Board may be deferred for some time. Most power workers in Uttar Pradesh are now back at work, but strike leaders complained over delays in the release of some strikers from jail.

Indian Power Dispute Settled

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