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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

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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. 
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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

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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. 
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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 
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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

The ICEM expresses sadness and grief on news of the death of PENGASSAN President Uche Okoro in an airline crash Saturday, 10 December, in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Comrade Okoro was one of the 108 passengers killed when a commercial airliner crashed on approach to the Port Harcourt airport. 
 
Having the distinction of serving as president of both Nigeria&rsquo;s white-collar oil and gas workers&rsquo; union, PENGASSAN, and the blue-collar union, NUPENG, Okora was a grass-roots organizer and activist who stood for free and democratic trade unions in Nigeria. His life-long dedication to democratic principles and fairness to workers, particularly during the Abacha military regime, proved invaluable in building Nigeria&rsquo;s oil unions, as well as today&rsquo;s Nigerian labour movement.
<img width="120" height="126" src="" alt="" />
He became president of PENGASSAN in 2005. He left the blue-collar ranks of NUPENG when he was promoted to senior staff of the oil company employing him. He was seen as a unifying force between PENGASSAN and NUPENG, as well as all of labour in Nigeria. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, in a letter to PENGASSAN, called Okora a &ldquo;fierce defender of workers&rsquo; interests in Nigeria and all of Africa. I am sure that both (PENGASSAN and NUPENG), and civil society as a whole in Nigeria, will miss Comrade Okora&rsquo;s presence.&rdquo;

ICEM Mourns Tragic Death of PENGASSAN Leader in Nigeria

EPS Trade Union of Serbia-Montenegro elected new officers last week. Elected president was Miroslav Veličković, and elected to serve as vice president was Žikica Đorđević.
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Veličković had been a union vice president who got his start in union matters shortly after EPS Trade Union was founded in 1992. He served as president of the Ni&scaron; branch of the union, and began working in the Electric Power Distribution Co. of Ni&scaron; in 1977. 
He has a background in electrical engineering. Veličković is a founder and acting president of a democratic and free trade union confederation of unions serving public enterprises in the Balkan country.

EPS Trade Union in Serbia Elects New Officers

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A study commissioned by the Swedish Employment Ministry states that companies with ten or more employees should be limited to hiring only full-time workers.
The study also says that part-time or temporary workers employed for three years should be given the right to demand a full-time job from their employer. At least 200,000 Swedes&mdash;75% of whom are women&mdash;are stuck in part-time jobs but seek full-time employment, according to the study.
&nbsp;

Swedish Government Study Calls for More Full-time Jobs

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The General Confederation of Labour in Greece (GSEE) has called for national strikes this week, on 14 and 15 December, over the conservative government&rsquo;s planned revisions to public sector employment.
One such revision is to phase out permanent jobs for DEKO workers employed at public utilities, and replace them with employees on private-sector contracts. The strikes have been called together with ADEDY, the public sector union of civil servants.
The proposed changes, crafted by the government of Premier Costas Kamanlis, also would affect collective bargaining. This week&rsquo;s strikes will get a prelude today when all public transport will stop between the hours of 11 AM and 4 PM.

Strikes in Greece This Week over Cuts to Permanent Jobs

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French affiliate FCE-CFDT has grown impatient with progress in wage negotiations in France&rsquo;s chemicals sector. 
The union refused last week to sign a memorandum on the chemicals sector wage policy. FCE-CFDT termed results of a joint committee meeting on 18 November as unacceptable. In 11 months of futile bargaining on the wage issue, FCE-CFDT&rsquo;s agenda and goals have not been realized.
The union expressed dissatisfaction with that in a letter to the chemical employers&rsquo; federation and to the Minister of Employment. FCE-CFDT week is meeting this week with the other French trade unions in the sector to formulate future action.

French FCE-CFDT Union Expresses Chemicals Bargaining Concerns

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British Gas engineers and technicians, members of ICEM affiliate GMB in the UK, began the first of five 24-hour strikes today at 7 AM on the company&rsquo;s insistence to close the final pension scheme to new employees.
The 6,000 union workers will strike again on 19 and 21 December, and on 6 and 9 January. GMB members will also suspend off-hour service and repair from 8 PM to 8 AM from today to 23 December, and again from 4-10 January.
The union said it would keep service workers available to the utility&rsquo;s most vulnerable customers, and is urging British Gas to supply customers that experience furnace problems with electric heaters. The union asks for British Gas to pay their electric bills as well.

GMB Members at British Gas Launch Strike Actions

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