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China&rsquo;s deadliest coal mine disaster in two years occurred in the early morning hours of 21 November when 108 miners died deep in shafts at the state-run Xinxing mine in Hegang City, located in northeastern Heilongjiang. 
 
Considered one of China&rsquo;s most up-to-date and safety advanced collieries, the miners perished after alarms went off indicating high methane gas levels. Some 80 minutes later, an explosion occurred. China&rsquo;s State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) initially blamed lack of timely evacuation, poor ventilation in several mine shafts, and over-crowding as cause. 
 
A total of 528 miners were working the 1.45 million metric-tonne-per-year mine at the time of the blast. A maze of shafts extend some three to four kilometers underground and several kilometers horizontally and is thought to be too vast and extensive to support the existing and modern ventilation system. 

<img alt="" src="" width="180" height="132" />
The gas density levels inside Xinxing when the explosion happened at 02h30 on 21 November registered five times the levels in which miners are expected to be evacuated. 
 
The state-owned Heilongjiang Longmei Mining Holding Company began paying compensation of 342,000 yuan (US$50,000) in immediate and long-term compensation to the victims&rsquo; families. In addition, the All Chine Federation of Labour (ACFTU) allocated one million yuan (US$148,000) in emergency relief for injured workers and families of victims, while local branches of the ACFTU have also pledged smaller amounts. 
 
At a meeting with the ICEM a day before the Xinxing explosion in Geneva, ACFTU International Department Deputy Director Xu Hu said the high number of coal-mining accidents in China is an issue that &ldquo;troubles us the most.&rdquo; He said the labour confederation, together with SAWS and other agencies have put pilot safety projects in place province by province at smaller mines, and China has taken some private enterprise mines into state hands. 
 
By Chinese standards, Xinxing is one of the biggest mines. It has over 100 tunnels and 30 mining platforms and on a normal work day, employs some 3,000 miners underground.

108 Coal Miners Dead in China’s Northern Heilongjiang Province

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A new three-year labour contract was achieved for 470 Kimberly-Clark paperworkers at the Millicent, Australia, paper mill and Tantanoola pulp mill on 20 November. Union members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU), Pulp and Paper Division, ratified the accord with 82% approval, granting proof that a positive labour-management relationship can benefit workers in tough economic times. 
 
The renewal agreement provides wage gains of 2.5%, 2.5%, and 4.5%, with the first year&rsquo;s increase paid in back wages to 1 July 2009. 
 
CFMEU&rsquo;s Millicent Sub-Branch leaders used an excellent internal communications network to keep shop-floor workers informed on all details stemming from ten bargaining sessions dating back to mid-year, the date when draconian Australian individual work agreements (AWAs) expired and enterprise or collective agreements again became the official policy of the government of Australia.. 

<img alt="" src="" width="240" height="180" />
At left, CFMEU Sub-Branch Secretary Kevin Millie, Mill Manager Scott Whicker, and CFMEU Pulp/Paper Federal Secretary Alex Millar 
Branch Secretary Kevin Millie said the AWAs were never a concern in the lead-up to this year&rsquo;s bargain, since Kimberly-Clark local management never had attempted to impose individual work agreements during the latter period of Conservative John Howard&rsquo;s government. &ldquo;We kept our members in the loop and that helped us get the agreement we got,&rdquo; said Millie. 
 
He added that sub-branch leaders issued communiqu&eacute;s after each session and that when management proposed a two-year agreement at 2.5% for each of the years, the committee to workers&rsquo; networking produced a massive turnout at a union meeting, thus squelching that proposal and sending the message that workers expect more. 
 
&ldquo;This is a win,&rdquo; said Millicent Sub-Branch President Trevor Sinclair. &ldquo;We maintained our terms and conditions and built on them in some areas.&rdquo; 
 
The CFMEU gained flexibility on long-service leave, allowing workers to take such time off in smaller blocks instead of the prior and required month at a time period. They also achieved wage guarantees on career-path transfers so workers will never receive less, and got written language that Kimberly-Clark will give formal reports on all temporary work performed inside the mills. 

<img alt="" src="" width="276" height="183" />
CFMEU members at Millicent during 20 November ratification meeting 
In compromises to the company, the union agreed to a total on-site ban on smoking, ahead of South Australia state law due to take effect, and agreed to the mandatory wearing of Kimberly-Clark work uniforms. 
 
CFMEU has had a good labour-management relationship at Millicent and Tantanoola, and with general manager Scott Whicker. Workers and managers have worked jointly and hard to deal with high energy costs. They have also dealt together on market pressures on paper towel and tissue manufacturing, including imports and tight domestic profit margins due to only two major Australian major chains that control retailing. 
 
That jointness began in 2002 when the CFMEU Sub-Branch and Millicent management signed a memorandum of agreement, giving the go-ahead for the board of directors of the American-based company to make an A$300 investment at Millicent. That capitalization gave the mill Paper Machine No. 5. In return, the union agreed to transform to skills-based career paths and operator/maintenance duties on paper production equipment. 
 
&ldquo;The magnitude of that investment has become apparent in the years since,&rdquo; said Sinclair. &ldquo;Workers here are confident that Kimberly-Clark is committed to a future at Millicent and that has only enhanced our positive relationship.&rdquo; (Millicent now operates with four paper machines and eight converting lines.) 
 
In other CFMEU bargaining news related to the paper sector, at SCA&rsquo;s Sancella feminine hygiene plant in Springvale, Victoria, near Melbourne, union members will vote on a new three-year labour contract later this week The tentative accord, also backdated to the summer, contains a wage package with 3.5%, 3.5%, and 3.5% wage increases. At SCA&rsquo;s Box Hill towel and tissue mill, where 250 CFMEU members have been covered by an enterprise agreement, that contract comes due in March 2010.

Australia’s CFMEU Pulp, Paper Division Makes Gains with Kimberly-Clark

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The US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on 20 November informed the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) that it would seek a rare federal court injunction against Covanta Energy over the waste-to-energy company&rsquo;s unfair labour practices against workers attempting to organize and collectively negotiate a labour agreement. 
 
In issuing the Section 10(j) injunction against Covanta under US labour code, the NLRB has determined that Covanta has committed serious labour law violations that cause real and immediate harm to workers. The NLRB invokes the rare procedural application of Section 10(j) only in cases considered egregious enough to warrant federal court intervention. 

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In May 2008, 140 workers at a Covanta solid waste plant in Rochester, Massachusetts, voted in an NLRB-conducted election to join ICEM-affiliated UWUA. Since, the UWUA and its Local 369 bargaining committee at Covanta have negotiated in good faith in hopes of achieving a first labour contract, but the company has frustrated that process. 
 
Earlier in 2009, the NLRB did issue unfair labour practice complaints against the company, including one charging Covanta with withholding scheduled salary and bonus payments to workers because they formed a union. 
 
An NLRB trial before an administrative labour law judge resumes today in the state of Massachusetts over that and other illegal workplace practices committed by the company. 
 
Publicly-listed Covanta generates electric energy from the burning of solid waste at some 40 US locations. As the company has attempted to expand its waste-to-energy businesses in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, and Canada, the ICEM has assisted the UWUA in illuminating Covanta&rsquo;s work rights violations, safety and health infractions, and certain environmental practices before communities and trade unions in those countries. 
 
For more information on the UWUA&rsquo;s Campaign for Justice at Covanta, visit <a href="http://www.cjcw.org">here</a>.

US Labour Board Issues Stern Injunctive Relief against Covanta

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The daily dangers continually faced by trade union officials and activists in Iraq were graphically demonstrated by the brutal murder 26 November 2009 of Majiid Karim, an executive member of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers. Brother Karim died when his car exploded. An improvised explosive device, believed to have been timed, had been attached to his car by as yet unknown individuals. 
 
The GFIW is the largest national trade union centre in Iraq, two of its affiliates covering workers in the Oil and Gas and Electric Power Industries are affiliated to ICEM. 

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Majiid Karim had been a key union official ignoring the anti-trade union legislation from the Saddam era and actively organizing workers in the public sector despite continued government attempts to use legislation 150 of 1987 to ban public sector workers from trade union membership. He was also a key figure in building unity among Iraqi workers and in the trade union movement. 
 
ICEM joins the GFIW in mourning their loss, as well as joining their demand that the Iraqi government and its security authorities conduct an urgent and thorough investigation to uncover the full circumstances of this appalling criminal act, and ensure that the guilty are brought to justice. 
 
We will keep you informed of the case as more information becomes available.

Iraqi Trade Unionist Murdered

Urgent Solidarity: Messages to Paperworkers in United Kingdom 
 
At the Iggesund Paper Mill in Cumbria, UK, a mill owned by the Swedish company Holmen, members of Unite the Union will be taking a ballot for industrial action over the next 10 days. 
 
The situation is urgent and Pulp and Paper Unions everywhere need immediately to respond. Iggesund is cutting 99 out of 480 jobs at this mill, which is not so unusual in today&rsquo;s global climate, but what is unusual is that local mill management is deliberately ignoring UK labour law related to mandatory consultation with the union. 
 
A human resource manager simply says that she finds no use in the mandatory process. What&rsquo;s more, this neglect is a rebuff to the UK employers association, the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), which advises its member-companies to consult with Unite the Union before making such cuts. 
 
Further, when a shop-floor committeeman posted on a bulletin board the manager&rsquo;s letter that she finds it senseless to consult over the redundancies, he was suspended from work. 
 
The ICEM calls for immediate messages of solidarity to Unite the Union, which can be sent to <a href="mailto:peter.ellis@unitetheunion.com">peter.ellis@unitetheunion.com</a>, who will make sure workers receive the messages. A model letter is below. Please cut and paste it, or write your own e-mail message to Peter Ellis, with a copy to <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>. The Iggesund operation is a softwood pulp mill, with two paper machines that produce paperboard for boxes and cartons. 
 
Model Letter: 
 
Dear Peter Ellis, 
 
We have heard through the ICEM of the horrible attitude by managers of Iggesund in Workington, UK, in their failure to properly consult with your union over job redundancies. We also know of the repercussions given to one union committee in particular for attempting to carry out his legitimate union activities. 
 
We find this conduct deplorable. The ICEM tells us Unite the Union is about to carry out a ballot for industrial action at this mill because of the company&rsquo;s failure to comply with British labour code. Please convey our union&rsquo;s solidarity to the workers inside the Iggesund mill of Holmen AB, and tell them they not only have our whole support, but that our union will be watching this situation in the UK very closely in the coming weeks. 
 
In Solidarity, 
 
(your name and union)
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
Urgent &ndash; Solidarit&eacute; : Message aux travailleurs du papier du Royaume-Uni
Les adh&eacute;rents du syndicat Unite de l'usine de papier Iggesund du comt&eacute; de Cumbria, au Royaume-Uni, propri&eacute;t&eacute; du groupe su&eacute;dois Holmen, vont voter sur l'opportunit&eacute; d'entamer une action collective dans les 10 prochains jours. 
 
La situation est critique et les syndicats du secteur de la p&acirc;te et du papier du monde entier doivent r&eacute;agir sur-le-champ. Iggesund supprime 99 postes sur les 480 de l'usine, ce qui n'a rien d'inhabituel &agrave; l'&eacute;poque que nous traversons; en revanche, ce qui est moins habituel est que la direction ne tient aucun compte de la l&eacute;gislation britannique en mati&egrave;re de consultation obligatoire des syndicats. 
 
Une directrice des ressources humaines a simplement d&eacute;clar&eacute; qu'elle ne voyait aucune utilit&eacute; &agrave; cette proc&eacute;dure obligatoire. De plus, cette attitude constitue un camouflet pour l'association des employeurs britanniques, la Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), qui conseille &agrave; ses membres de consulter le syndicat Unite avant de proc&eacute;der &agrave; de telles compressions d'effectifs. 
 
De plus, lorsqu'un d&eacute;l&eacute;gu&eacute; d'atelier a appos&eacute; &agrave; un tableau d'affichage la lettre de la DRH disant qu'elle juge insens&eacute; de consulter sur les licenciements, il a &eacute;t&eacute; suspendu. 
 
L'ICEM demande que des messages de solidarit&eacute; soient envoy&eacute;s imm&eacute;diatement au syndicat Unite, &agrave; <a href="mailto:peter.ellis@unitetheunion.com">peter.ellis@unitetheunion.com</a> qui les transmettra aux travailleurs. Vous trouverez ci-dessous une lettre-type. Veuillez la copier-coller ou adresser votre propre message &eacute;lectronique &agrave; Peter Ellis ainsi qu'une copie &agrave; <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>. L'usine d'Iggesund est une usine de p&acirc;te de bois r&eacute;sineux &eacute;quip&eacute;e de deux machines &agrave; papier produisant du carton d'emballage. 
 
Lettre-type : 
 
Cher Peter Ellis, 
 
Nous avons &eacute;t&eacute; mis au courant par l'ICEM de l'attitude ex&eacute;crable de la direction d'Iggesund &agrave; Workington (Royaume-Uni) qui n'a pas consult&eacute; ton syndicat comme elle devait le faire &agrave; propos des licenciements collectifs. Nous avons aussi appris les cons&eacute;quences subies par le comit&eacute; syndical en particulier pour avoir voulu s'acquitter de ses activit&eacute;s syndicales l&eacute;gitimes. 
 
Nous jugeons ce comportement d&eacute;plorable. L'ICEM nous a aussi appris que Unite va organiser un scrutin de gr&egrave;ve dans l'usine pour r&eacute;agir au refus de la direction de respecter le code du travail britannique. Nous te prions d'exprimer notre solidarit&eacute; aux travailleurs de l'usine Iggesund de Holmen AB et de leur faire savoir qu'ils peuvent non seulement compter sur notre soutien inconditionnel mais aussi que notre syndicat va suivre de tr&egrave;s pr&egrave;s l'&eacute;volution de la situation au cours des prochaines semaines. 
 
Salutations solidaires. 
 
(ton nom et celui de ton syndicat)
&nbsp;
<hr />
&nbsp;
&nbsp; 
Mensaje urgente de solidaridad para los trabajadores papeleros del Reino Unido
Los trabajadores de Unite the Union que laboran en la planta papelera de Iggesund, situada en Cumbria, en el Reino Unido, en los pr&oacute;ximos 10 d&iacute;as decidir&aacute;n por votaci&oacute;n la huelga. Esta planta pertenece a la empresa sueca Holmen. 
 
La situaci&oacute;n es urgente, y los sindicatos de pulpa y papel de todo el mundo deben responder inmediatamente. Iggesund quiere eliminar 99 de un total de 480 puestos de trabajo en la planta, lo cual no es tan ins&oacute;lito en el contexto mundial actual, pero lo que s&iacute; es descomunal es que la administraci&oacute;n local de la planta no haga caso de la legislaci&oacute;n laboral brit&aacute;nica que exige consultaci&oacute;n obligatoria con el sindicato. 
 
Una directora de recursos humanos ha se&ntilde;alado simplemente que considera que no sirve el proceso obligatorio. Lo que es m&aacute;s, esta negligencia es un desaire para la asociaci&oacute;n empresarial de Reino Unido, la Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), que recomienda a sus empresas asociadas consultar con Unite the Union antes de introducir cortes de esta naturaleza. 
 
Adem&aacute;s, cuando un miembro del comit&eacute; de los trabajadores de la planta coloc&oacute; en un tablero la carta de la administradora en la cual se se&ntilde;alaba que consideraba sin sentido la consulta sobre los despidos, el trabajador se&ntilde;alado fue suspendido. 
 
La ICEM solicita se dirijan inmediatamente mensajes de solidaridad a Unite the Union, que se pueden enviar a <a href="mailto:peter.ellis@unitetheunion.com">peter.ellis@unitetheunion.com</a>, quien procurar&aacute; que los mensajes lleguen a los trabajadores. A continuaci&oacute;n se halla una carta modelo. Rogamos copiarla, o redactar su propio mensaje por e-mail, dirigido a Peter Ellis, con copia a <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>. La planta de Iggesund produce pulpa de madera blanda, con dos m&aacute;quinas de papel que producen cart&oacute;n para cajas y envases. 
 
Carta modelo: 
 
Estimado Peter Ellis: 
 
Por v&iacute;a de la ICEM, nos hemos enterado de la horrorosa actitud de los administradores de Iggesund, en Workington, Reino Unido, al no consultar apropiadamente con su sindicato acerca de una serie de despidos. Tambi&eacute;n hemos sabido de las represalias que se han tomado espec&iacute;ficamente contra un miembro del comit&eacute; sindical por haber intentado realizar sus actividades sindicales leg&iacute;timas. 
 
Consideramos censurable esta conducta. La ICEM nos ha informado que Unite the Union est&aacute; a punto de realizar una votaci&oacute;n para decidir una huelga de protesta en la planta debido a que la empresa ha violado el c&oacute;digo laboral brit&aacute;nico. Rogamos comunicar la solidaridad de nuestro sindicato a los trabajadores de la planta Iggesund de Holmen AB, dici&eacute;ndoles que no s&oacute;lo cuentan con nuestro pleno apoyo, sino que tambi&eacute;n en las pr&oacute;ximas semanas nuestro sindicato estar&aacute; muy atento a esta situaci&oacute;n en el Reino Unido. 
 
En solidaridad, 
 
(su nombre y nombre de su sindicato)

Urgent Support Needed/Appel à l&#039;aide d&#039;urgence/Solicitud de solidaridad urgente

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The Global Labour University (GLU), together with the ILO, recently founded the International Centre for Development and Decent Work (ICDD). The centre announced last week that it is offering 20 PhD scholarships for students from developing and transition countries. 
 
The ICDD is an interdisciplinary and international scientific network, with headquarters at the University of Kassel, Germany, which works with partner universities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. 

<img src="" width="98" height="91" alt="" />
The PhD school will offer three areas of research: Sustainable Value Creation for Decent Work; Instruments for Promoting Decent Work; and Strategies of Empowerment for Decent Work. 
 
Applicants for the scholarships are encouraged to apply soon, with a deadline scheduled for 15 November 2009. The start date for the programme is 1 March 2010. 
 
Visit GLU&rsquo;s website <a href="http://www.global-labour-univeristy.org">here</a>.&nbsp; 
 
Find more details, and the application form, visit the link <a href="http://www.global-labour-university.org/fileadmin/download/ICDD_Graduate_School_Call_for_Applications.pdf ">here</a>.

GLU’s Centre to Offer Decent Work PhD Scholarships

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
The ICEM Paperworkers&rsquo; Union affiliate in Indonesia, Federasi Serikat Pekerja Pulp dan Kertas (FSP2KI), 
conducted its Third National Meeting in Jakarta from 15-18 October, with generous support from Svenska Pappers, the Swedish Paperworkers Union. 
 
The six-year-old union, a federation of nine mill-level branch unions, identified future goals and objectives, and heard the parameters and expectations involved in a proposed three-year project sponsored by Pappers. Eleven executive-board members of FSP2KI attended, while four other delegates expected to attend from the Japanese-owned Marubeni pulp mill of Musi at PT Tanjunggenim Lestari in South Sumatra were detained by management and ordered to undertake military training near the mill. 
 
Besides a representative from Pappers, Mikke Sterbeck, other union guests included Bala Somahsundram from the Paper and Paper Products Manufacturing Employees&rsquo; Union of Malaysia (PPMEU), Alex Millar and Tim Woods of the Pulp and Paperworkers Branch of Australia&rsquo;s Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU), Dave Schaub of the Communications, Paperworkers, and Energy (CEP) Union of Canada, and representation from the ICEM. 

<img src="" width="276" height="207" alt="" />
A featured speaker at the meetings was D. Patombong Saiful, President of the ICEM-affiliated Chemical, Energy, Mine, Gas Workers&rsquo; Union (FSP-KEP) of Indonesia. Brother Saiful gave an in-depth review of the Indonesian labour situation, specifically the difficulty to implement labour laws already in place and the problems brought on by flexible labour markets. 
 
Saiful said of 34 million workers in Indonesia, only five million are union members, with the number of labour federations &ndash; 93 &ndash; &ldquo;too many,&rdquo; and a definite need to consolidate. He said the world financial institutions have pushed for flexible labour markets, with the result being a rise in fixed-term contracts, subcontracting, and labour suppliers or agencies. 
 
The ICEM asked leaders of FSP2KI to join either one of two of the three labour confederations in Indonesia, and all pulp and paper guests at the meetings encouraged FSP2KI to further develop its internal structures and forge ties with other pulp and paper unions of Indonesia. The proposed Pappers project for 2010 to 2012 has established a goal of increasing the number of branch unions to 19, and growing the current 14,600 membership to 19,600. 
 
FSP2KI&rsquo;s largest membership currently comes in Asia Pulp and Paper&rsquo;s (APP) PT Pinto Deli mills in Karawang, APP&rsquo;s PT Indah Kiat tissue mill in Tangerang, West Java, Asia Pacific Resources International&rsquo;s (APRIL) PT Riau mills, the PT Lontar tissue mill in Jambi, Sumatra, and Marubeni&rsquo;s mill in Kab. Muara Enim, South Sumatra.

FSP2KI Pulp/Paper Union in Indonesia Holds National Meeting

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
On 27 October in Oslo, Norway, the ICEM, together with affiliate Fellesforbundet, conducted a review of the Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with Norske Skog, the global publication and coated papers producer. Signed initially in June 2002, the agreement is considered one of the better ones that the ICEM is signatory to. 
 
No changes were made regarding the language of the GFA last week, but the three partners did discuss several industry specific items, including company efforts to reduce operating costs of mills. Over the past 14 months, Norske Skog idled a number of paper machines and sold off entire mills, including four in China and Korea. 

<img src="" width="260" height="207" alt="" />
Christian Rynning-T&oslash;nnesen and Manfred Warda at the signing
Due to decreased demand of newsprint and directory papers, the company since 2007 has reduced its employment rolls from 10,000 to 6,000 workers, with five fewer pulp and paper mills than the 18 it had then. The company did say that at one such shutdown, the &Scaron;teti mill in the Czech Republic, it succeeded in placing 70% of the 225 furloughed workers in similar paying jobs. 
 
ICEM, Fellesforbundet, and senior Norske Skog leadership, including President and CEO Christian Rynning-T&oslash;nnesen, did discuss new bio-fuels business opportunities that the company is working toward, as well as the upcoming, March 2010, Global Employee Forum at the firm&rsquo;s headquarters in Lysaker, Norway, near Oslo. 

<img src="" width="260" height="132" alt="" />
From left: Norske Skog Chief Steward K&aring;re Leira, Fellesforbundet; Axel Thuve and Kristin Klitzing, Norske Skog Vice Presidents; President and CEO Christian Rynning-T&oslash;nnesen; the ICEM&rsquo;s Warda; and Hans-Christian Gabrielsen, Second Vice President, Fellesforbundet 
The agreement contains specific language respecting freedom of association and collective bargaining, health and safety, as well as language regarding placing a priority on permanent employment, with temporary and part-time employment based on &ldquo;the same relative terms and conditions as fulltime permanent employees.&rdquo; 
 
The only change reflected the ICEM&rsquo;s change of office headquarters from Brussels to Geneva. The full agreement, in English, can be viewed <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Norske%20Skog%20agreement%2009.pdf">here</a>.

ICEM Re-Signs Global Agreement with Paper Company Norske Skog

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The ICEM held a regional conference in S&atilde;o Paulo from 27-29 October to consolidate activities in the region. The conference was called &ldquo;ICEM &ndash; A Modern, Dynamic and Efficient Organisation,&rdquo; and was attended by 25 trade union leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic. 
 
One of the aims of the conference was to integrate the unions of the former World Federation of Industrial Workers (WFIW), who had joined ICEM at the 2007 Congress. The other aim was to develop programmes for young workers and women. 

<img src="" width="220" height="125" alt="" />
Italo Rodomonti, centre
Italo Rodomonti, ICEM Vice-President, gave a presentation on trade union democracy and representation, which explained why strengthened trade union structures are a question of democracy. It cannot be that those who are dissatisfied with one union find another, he said. Democracy is not advanced by a proliferation of trade unions, but by the idea to have fewer and better and stronger trade unions. Trade union leaders must never forget those whom they represent, said Rodomonti. 
 
Working groups met on the topic of trade union democracy and came up with the following conclusions: 
&bull; Women and young people must be incorporated in greater numbers in ICEM and its affiliated unions; 
&bull; Training and education continue to be important, and train the trainer programs must be given priority. Every union must have its own education programme; 
&bull; Neoliberalism and multinationals continue to dominate the agenda. Neoliberalism had nefarious effects on young people because they are more individualistic and have no relation to trade unions. Overcoming these trends is part of the challenge that has to be met in attracting young people to join unions; 
&bull; Trade unions continue to be weak. Emphasis still has to be put on recruitment. Trade unions still suffer from financial weaknesses and non-payment of dues. These challenges must be overcome; 
&bull; Migrant and workers employed in the informal sector are more and more present, and ICEM must develop policies to address issues faced by workers in these groups; 
&bull; Communication has to be improved; meetings and communication with the assistance of SKYPE are being investigated for the regional committee. 

<img src="" width="120" height="180" alt="" />
Sergio Novais
ICEM Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Sergio Novais, made a presentation on ICEM programmes and structures. One of the main priorities in the region is on workers&rsquo; networks. The networks are one way of controlling multinationals which have become more powerful than some governments in the region. 
 
ICEM must attempt to tackle the areas where it does hold power to change things, leaving the general work with governments up to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). As always, sub-contracting and outsourcing were major themes of discussion. 
 
A new project is soon to be launched with the help of the Spanish ISCOD to train 60 women across the region in negotiating skills. The pulp and paper project sponsored by Finnish SASK for the Mercosur countries of Latin America also was discussed. 
 
It is worth remembering that the process of trade union consolidation is ongoing &ndash; the process begun with the merger between the ICFTU and the WCL is continuing. The ICEM is leading the work to consolidate the international trade union federations with work on cooperation with the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF). The WFIW&rsquo;s regional organisation, FLATIC, will be joining the ICEM regional committee with six additional members, two of whom will be women. 

<img src="" width="80" height="104" alt="" />
The meeting expressed its concern over the disregard on behalf of the provincial government in Chubut, Argentina, on the collective agreement with the utility union, Luz y Fuerza. The provincial government is defying all national and international standards and agreements governing freedom of association and the right to collective bargain. 
 
The meeting also adopted the following resolution on Honduras. It reads, in part: 
 
&ldquo;ICEM regional committee, meeting in S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil, aware of the political situation prevailing in the sister republic of Honduras in the wake of the reactionary military coup which overthrew the democratically elected government of Honduras, denounces the following: 
 
&ldquo;The majority will of the people has been attacked in the service of obscure economic interests that are hostile to the country. Workers and their trade unions and popular organizations have been repressed. 
 
&ldquo;Therefore the regional committee, representing delegates from eight countries, agrees the following: 
 
&ldquo;To call upon all democratic countries in the international community to not recognize the de facto government nor the elections called by it; to pass on our militant solidarity to the men and women workers and their trade unions; to promote a campaign of concrete solidarity with the people of Honduras and to denounce this situation at the ILO and before other workers&rsquo; organizations, ensuring that a copy of these declarations are sent to the trade unions in Honduras.&rdquo; 
 
Finally, on 29 October, a meeting was held to discuss the new energy project which will soon start with the support of the Spanish foundation Paz y Solidaridad. The meetings in S&atilde;o Paulo were held in a spirit of camaraderie and solidarity. Many thanks to the Dutch FNV, as well as to Belgian affiliate CSC Energie Chimie for their support of the meetings.

ICEM’s Latin America/Caribbean Regional Delegates Meet in São Paulo Last Week

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The ICEM&rsquo;s Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Organisation (SSARO), with the support of Germany&rsquo;s Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), conducted a very successful workshop on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Lusaka, Zambia, on 19-20 October. Participants from 12 countries, representing unions organising in the extractive industries, shared information on the impact of FDI in the mining and energy sectors. 
 
The participants were enriched with the input of a number of presenters, mainly from Zambia who gave excellent presentations on the subject. Trade unionists agreed on the need for FDI in the region, but realised that such investment, left unchecked, can do more damage than good if trade unions do not engage both Chinese and western-based multinationals on the inherent need to respect workers&rsquo; rights, communities, the environment, and to ensure that governments &ndash; on behalf of the population &ndash; benefits from FDI. 
 
It was further realised that unions and other stakeholders must guide against FDI corrupting governments and political leaders. 

<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="115" />
The workshop undertook to examine the shortfalls stemming from a similar ICEM workshop held in 2008 in Accra, Ghana. The failures were mainly on the issues of implementation and lack of communication, thus October&rsquo;s Zambian workshop undertook to do better in those areas. This recent workshop pledged to follow through with the resolutions adopted at the Ghana workshop, and further resolved to undertake the following: 
 
Data: All participating unions and other unions must send data to the SSARO regional office in Johannesburg with the following information: companies organised, sectors involved, ownership of companies, numbers of members in that company, unorganised workers in that company, and does the union have an agreement with the company? 
 
Legislation: Is there any legislation governing multinationals in the respective African countries? Is the legislation implemented and acted upon by the companies? Are the laws being reviewed, and if yes, when and are the difficulties? Are unions involved in the review? If not, why? If yes, how often does the review take place, and how do unions influence. All affiliates of the ICEM must take part in the reviews and try to influence the direction of the review and the outcome. 
 
Pan-African Standards: There must be Pan African Standards set that will be enforced by all countries in the region. There must be a model that will be applicable to regulate the operations of FDI, specifically Chinese investments. Efforts must be made by ICEM affiliates to ensure uniformity in terms of working conditions and economic emancipation. There is also a need for ICEM affiliates to promote effective networks in terms of information sharing, joint campaigns, and solidarity. There should be social dialogue between civil society, government, communities, and other stakeholders by assuring that there is adherence to all the laws governing FDI. 
 
Organising and Building Power: Strengthening our collaboration with NGOs to forge links and cooperation to confront the challenges posed by FDI /Chinese investments. Strengthening solidarity campaigns in terms of confronting the challenges. A need to strengthen the coordination mechanism of the ICEM in the region to effectively coordinate campaigns and solidarity, and to lobby our governments to support the position of labour and communities on these campaigns. 
 
Promote Corporate Social Responsibility and Awareness: To establish buy-in by the community and promote networking among trade unions. 
 
Campaigns: Determining which campaigns to take up and when, and when doing so, to lobby governments for direct involvement of trade unions in negotiation of agreements aimed at acquisition of raw materials and mineral rights; to lobby for transparency in these agreements; to lobby and demand labour rights, human rights, community and environmental standards in these agreements. 
 
In doing such, it is important to monitor International Finance Corporation/World Bank Performance standards, the ILO core labour standards, and standards set by the employer-based International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM). As well, there must be a commitment to follow through with the resolutions adopted by SSARO, such as letter to CEOs and the lobbying of governments. 
 
As an example of such campaigns, a day of mobilisation at Chinese embassies in Africa was suggested. This would include coordinated press conferences and protests on specific practices of Chinese employers and it would encompass support to ICEM affiliates which undertake actions against mining employers. (As an example, support to the Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Zambia in its efforts to organise a Chinese mine. As well, the ICEM will develop a model labour standard to be incorporated into agreements to acquire raw materials.

Sub-Saharan Africa Region of ICEM Holds Workshop on Foreign Direct Investment

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ICEM’s Latin America/Caribbean Regional Delegates Meet in São Paulo Last Week

Sub-Saharan Africa Region of ICEM Holds Workshop on Foreign Direct Investment

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