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URUGUAY: As all IMF affiliates are aware, the IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean has been moved from Santiago in Chile to Montevideo, Uruguay. The office opened on Monday 31 March 2008.Do not hesitate to contact the office for any information you require. The address is:  Avenida 18 de Julio Nº 1528 Piso 12 unidad 1202. Montevideo. The phone and fax number is: +59-82-4080813. To contact the office by email, write to <a href="mailto:fitimalc@adinet.com.uy">fitimalc@adinet.com.uy</a>  or to Jorge Almeida at <a href="mailto:jalmeida-fitim@adinet.com.uy">jalmeida-fitim@adinet.com.uy</a>, or Ana María Perez at <a href="mailto:amperez-fitim@adinet.com.uy">amperez-fitim@adinet.com.uy</a>The Regional Office would like to thank Latin American and Caribbean affiliates for their cooperation in this period of change.

The IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean has moved to Montevideo and opened on Monday 31 March.

Uruguay is the new location of the IMF Regional Office

ROMANIA: Some 10,000 workers at Romanian automaker Dacia, the country's largest carmaker owned by Renault, went on strike on March 24 for a 50 per cent increase in wages and improved benefits and conditions. The strike follows a March 14 walkout, when 4,000 workers downed tools in a two hour protest.Management has attempted to intimidate workers by threatening to move production to other countries. The company has challenged the legality of the strike and a court said it would deliver a ruling on April 2.The average gross monthly salary at Dacia-Renault is about 1,064 lei (US$446), however some 2,500 workers with no seniority rights are paid much less, at a monthly rate of 780 lei (US$327). Workers are demanding raises of 550 lei (US$231) per month for all employees.Other worker demands include participation in profit sharing, improved Easter and Christmas bonuses, equal rights for workers, a reduction and limit on use of fixed-term contracts, and a vehicle discount for purchases of Logan Dacia, Renault and Nissan cars.Dacia-Renault reported record sales in 2007 of 230,000 vehicles sold in Romania and abroad, up 17.4 per cent from the previous year.

Workers at Renault-owned Dacia are striking for improved wages and benefits.

Statement from the Renault Group Works Council

Romanian autoworkers on strike

India:  Shipbreaking workers employed by Kiran Shipbreaking Pvt. Ltd at the no. 82 plot of the Alang Shipbreaking yard staged a successful one-day strike on March 14 demanding their employer restore wage rates to their former level.Some 250 workers held demonstrations and chanted slogans at the site under the banner of the "Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers Association", the trade union representing the Alang shipbreaking workers. The union is affiliated to the Steel, Metal &amp; Engineering Workers' Federation of India (SMEWFI), an affiliate of the International Metalworkers' Federation.Workers organized the strike after learning that their employer had arbitrarily cut wage rates. The 24-hour strike proved successful. The employer met with union officials and conceded to pay wages at the former rate. For the shipbreaking workers in Alang, the victory is a significant step towards building a strong union and defending the rights of shipbreaking workers. Alang is considered one of the most dangerous shipyards in the world, where workers toil under deadly conditions without safety equipment, protection or training. Many workers do not have even the most basic protection, such as gloves or shoes. The shipbreaking industry is largely unregulated, leaving workers vulnerable to employers who repeatedly put profits before workers' health and dignity."The workers have now gained courage and confidence and are having awareness of their rights," said V.V.Rane, general secretary of Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers Association, "This event will be instrumental for strengthening the collective voice of the workers and to secure justice for them in the coming days." For the past five years, the IMF jointly with FNV Modiaal and SMEFI have carried out a number of organizing activities as part of a long-term project to organize metalworkers in the ship breaking industry. The strike's success is a testament to the ongoing work there.      A short film documenting the conditions of shipbreaking work in Bangladesh and India is available on the IMF website. Go to: <a href="../shipbreaking">www.imfmetal.org/shipbreaking</a>

250 workers reverse employers' attempt to reduce wages at Alang Shipbreaking yard.

IMF releases report on India's shipbreakers

Shipbreaking workers call on IMO to save lives

Indian shipbreaking workers&#039; strike successful

COLOMBIA:  Workers at Cerro Matoso and the Montelíbano community organised another march on Sunday March 16 in support of their strike for improved working conditions.The strike at the nickel mine began on February 27 after the company refused the proposals put forward by the union.The union, SINTRACERROMATOSO, issued a press release saying that the march's objective is to put pressure on the Cerro Matoso company, owned by the multinational BHP Billiton, to negotiate in good faith on important issues such as which workers are covered (Campo de Aplicación) by the collective agreement, policy on health services and education, pay and contracts.The union said, &quot;some contractors are only paying the minimum legal wage to workers so we have asked the company to ensure all temporary workers are paid the proper rate for the job.""Let us remember", it continued "that working conditions are hazardous, with high levels of dust, noise, metal fumes, silica and radiation.&quot;Trade unions with members at companies owned by the multinational in various countries have indicated they are ready to mobilise in solidarity with the workers at Cerro Matoso.The IMF has sent messages of solidarity, offering help in finding a solution to the dispute and supporting the union's and the workers' efforts to achieve decent working conditions. The union is affiliated to UTRAMMICOL.

Colombian workers at the nickel mine continue their strike in support of a pay rise and open-ended employment contracts for temporary workers.

Cerro Matoso workers mobilise

GLOBAL:  To reach broader audiences and promote trade union capacity of communicating through film, the International Metalworkers' Federation, International Trade Union Confederation and other Global Union Federations are hosting a Night of Labour Film Shorts in Geneva on 1 May 2008 at the Grutli Theatre. The same or similar programme of labour film shorts will also be shown on a virtual space online.Trade unions are increasingly using video to communicate directly with members or to broader audiences through avenues such as YouTube. To highlight the importance of this way of communicating with union members and other audiences, such as youth, the programme will focus on films that are excellent examples of communicating labour stories. A full-length feature documentary or film will also be shown.IMF affiliates are invited to send copies of their films on DVD by 31 March 2008 with a short paragraph describing the film. The IMF will accept films in all languages for internet selection, however only English, French or Spanish language or subtitled films will be included in the Geneva showing. If you would like to know more, please contact Kristyne Peter (<a href="mailto:kpeter@imfmetal.org">kpeter@imfmetal.org</a>).

IMF hosts May Day labour film fest in Geneva.

Night of Labour Film Shorts

The global economy is in the throes of a unique crisis. The ideology that unbridled greed for profits is the driving force behind human progress has been discredited. What we need is a new approach where politics and economics serve the development of society and quality employment. The current crisis is not only the result of misjudgements and misguided developments in the market, or the result of overheating financial markets. It is entirely the result of the ideology of an unrestrained market and economic and political policies directed at maximising  short term profits.  On a positive note however, while undoubtedly the next four years of the International Metalworkers´Federation work will be tough and difficult, the current economic situation also provides us with a real opportunity to create a new international development model that rivals that of neoliberalism and is based on regulation, fairness, equality, sustainability and decent trade union and labour rights.Therefore, the fundamental mission of the trade union movement is more than ever to improve workers' wages, working and living conditions, and to ensure that workers and workers' rights are respected. The mission of the IMF is to work towards the achievement of these goals in metal­working and related industries by working with its  affiliates and on the global level.Today, corporate-led globalisation is still massively infringing on the rights of workers. The policies promoted by employers, most governments and the international institutions they dominate have resulted in increased economic inequality, precarious employment and a reduction in the bargaining power of working people around the world. Recognizing that union building/organising and collective bargaining are at the heart of our work, metalworker unions must organise and mobilise union members to challenge the neo-liberal agenda of corporations and most governments, and ensure working people have a fair share in the wealth generated through economic growth. The goal of the IMF is to support, coordinate and strengthen the activities of its affiliates to:<ul><li>Improve workers' wages, working and living conditions;</li><li>Organise new members into democratic workers' unions throughout the world;</li><li>Build and strengthen national metalworking unions;</li><li>Ensure that internationally recognized Core Labour Standards are applied in every country and that national laws are changed to reflect these standards; </li><li>Defend and protect workers' rights; </li><li>Fight for safe and healthy working conditions;</li><li>Make women's rights, interests, and representation one of the highest priorities;</li><li>Struggle for sustainable economic growth that protects the environment and improves social conditions; </li><li>Strengthen the power and unity of trade unions to build a counterweight to the power of transnational corporations (TNCs), including their power over the allocation of employment and investment; </li><li>Struggle for fair trade, social justice and the elimination of poverty; and</li><li>Support and build solidarity with countries and governments who promote progressive policies aimed at delivering fairness, equality and social sustainability.</li></ul>It is clear that trade unions cannot achieve these goals only at the national level.  National initiatives must be complemented with international action in order to be successful For this reason the role of the IMF is to:<ul><li>Unite national metalworking trade unions in a global union structure capable of mobilising its membership in solidarity at all levels wherever and whenever required;</li><li>Bring unions together to share information, overcome conflicts of interest and build common strategies;</li><li>Coordinate solidarity and support for affiliates during major disputes or when fundamental workers' rights are infringed;</li><li>Provide information on developments that affect the activities of metalworker unions; </li><li>Actively voice the concerns and interests of metalworkers in effective and innovative ways that involve and mobilise trade union members and bring the IMF into the daily activities of affiliate unions; </li><li>Direct resources and solidarity support towards building strong national unions in countries where unions are weak or non-existent;</li><li>Support trade union education that tackles core trade union activities such as organising, collective bargaining, defending workers' rights and international solidarity;</li><li>Coordinate an international strategy for building unionism in TNCs and their suppliers at the sectoral and enterprise levels.  Challenge the power of TNCs by developing the capacity to bargain collectively at the international level - based on a case by case mandate from the affiliates and by such means as sharing information and experiences among affiliates  and building on the work of negotiating, implementing and monitoring International Framework Agreements (IFAs);</li><li>Expose and challenge governments that violate fundamental trade union rights or interfere in the functioning of independent trade union bodies;</li><li>Represent the interests of metalworkers in international bodies which take decisions affecting jobs and employment conditions, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the World Trade Organization (WTO);</li><li>Work with other Global Union Federations (GUFs), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD to pursue closer cooperation and action in the interests of affiliates; and</li><li>Build, whenever possible, dialogue, alliances and joint actions with appropriate political and social organisations. </li><li>Affiliates of the IMF will make significant contributions to the attainment of our goals by:</li><li>Strengthening their political influence, capacities, and resources through organising and collective bargaining at the national level;</li><li>Sharing information and actively communicating with the IMF and other affiliates at the national, regional, and international level;</li><li>Engaging in the regional and global structures of the IMF;</li><li>Supporting each other during disputes or when fundamental workers' rights are violated;</li><li>Participating in international actions and international networks organised through the IMF; and</li><li>Giving visibility to international trade union action by incorporating IMF co-ordinated activities in day-to-day trade union work. </li></ul>Ultimately, to achieve our goals, the IMF must go beyond simple coordination and become a truly global trade union organization that is able to counteract social and economic challenges and is based on the principles of independence and democracy following the mandates given by the decision-making bodies.

Preface

3. GLOBAL SOLIDARITY IN ACTION

3.3 Defend and protect workers rights

1. OUR MISSION

2. THE WORLD TODAY

2.1 Profits over people

2.2 Unemployment and job insecurity

2.3 Unions under attack

2.4 Fundamental workers´ rights denied

2.5 Spreading influence of Transnational Corporations

2.6 World trade system in disarray

2.7 An unsustainable future

2.8 Alliances, resistance and opportunities

3.1 Build strong national trade unions

3.1.1 Organise the unorganised

3.1.2 Strive for trade union unity at the national level

3.1.3 Build unions through education, training and effective exchange of information

3.2 Strengthening collective bargaining

3.3.1 Fight for trade union rights

3.3.2 Fight for Equal Rights

3.3.3 Fight for safe workplaces

3.4 Build a counterweight to the power of transnational corporations

3.4.1 Strengthening union solidarity and cooperation across sectors and TNCs

3.4.2 Advance fundamental rights through International Framework Agreements

In the process of developing a new Action Programme we see the strengths of the International Metalworkers' Federation. We find that the things that unite us are much greater than the things that divide us.  In the borderless world of today, we share common experiences, challenges and an analysis of the situation facing workers globally. This common ground helps the IMF family to decide upon the direction we will take in order to tackle the problems metalworkers confront every day. The fact that this Action Programme was adopted in the midst of a global economic crisis is not insignificant. But we didn't need the global crisis to understand that the neoliberal model that used to dominate the world was destructive to workers' rights and social development. This IMF Action Programme adopted at the 32nd World Congress puts increased emphasis on concrete action and what IMF affiliates can accomplish together through global solidarity. In order to maximise our influence we need to mobilise the forces of the whole IMF family.We have to invest more resources in organising everywhere.  We will systematically target transnational companies that are reluctant to allow workers to exercise their fundamental rights.The campaign against precarious employment becomes solidified in this document.  The Programme recognises that we need to say and do more on the question of sustainable development and combating global warming. Building trade union networks in transnational companies offers a possibility for exchange of information and joint action to make sure that enterprises behave well wherever they operate.  Union building programmes help us strengthen trade unions where they are weak.This Action Programme contains exciting and challenging new commitments for IMF affiliates to respond with real and effective action to build stronger unions and when workers' rights are violated.  If we work together to implement this Action Programme, we can achieve our mission. In solidarity,Jyrki Raina, IMF General SecretaryJune 2009

PREFACE

GENEVA: Union Roadshow: Organisning EPZ workers in Indonesia hit the big screen this year at the third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival. The film, produced by the International Metalworkers' Federation, was one of fourteen films selected to be shown.&quot;It has always been extremely difficult for unions to organise EPZ workers, with employers and even governments crushing unionisation attempts,&quot; said Jenny Holdcroft, IMF's Director of Equal Rights and EPZs and one of the film's producers. &quot;But in Indonesia, unions are helping workers to move from temporary contracts to permanent employment. Wages are increasing and so is union membership.&quot;The video showcases the successful organising strategies that Indonesian unions are using to organise EPZ workers. The IMF is hoping that the lessons learned in Indonesia may inspire unions in other parts of the world to intensify their efforts to organise EPZ workers.Other films screened at the festival include a Bollywood meets 1970s horror flick health and safety training video for Indian mine workers; a satire on U.S. immigration policy; the story of Palestinian migrant workers living in an abandoned mall outside of Tel Aviv; and the festival's winner for Best Labour Film Short, Abandoned, not forgotten: the plight of Burma's migrant fishers which exposes the brutal treatment of migrants working in Thailand's billion dollar export fishing industry. The event took place on June 16 and was hosted by all global union federations, the ITUC and TUAC. For more information visit the festival website at: <a href="http://www.labourfilmshorts.org/">http://www.labourfilmshorts.org/</a>.Union Roadshow can be viewed online here.<object></object>

The third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival debuted fourteen films made by, for and about unions.

IMF&#039;s Union Roadshow screened at film festival

<img src="" alt="" title="Berthold Huber" width="120" height="134" align="right" />Berthold Huber was elected President of the International Metalworkers' Federation in May 2009, at the 32nd World Congress in Gothenburg.Born in February 15, 1950, in Ulm/Donau Germany, Berthold Huber has been a member of IG Metall since 1971. He completed his apprenticeship as a toolmaker and was employed at Kässbohrer (now Evo-Bus) in Ulm. In 1978 he became head of the Kässbohrer works council and general works council. In 1990 he became a full-time officer for IG Metall in East Germany and in 1991 the Director of President's Office. In 1998 Mr. Huber became Regional Director for Baden-Wuerttemberg before becoming Vice President of IG Metall in 2003. He has been President of IG Metall since 2007.

Berthold Huber, IMF President

Achieving and strengthening collective bargaining is the core activity of trade unions and remains the best instrument for improving wages and conditions, regulating the relationship between employers and workers and solving problems at the workplace. Its impact goes beyond the workplace and affects the living conditions and development prospects of communities. Collective bargaining should be increasingly used as a tool for trade unions to engage with communities and promote the broader interests of workers as citizens and consumers.Over the past decade the trade union movement has been attacked by employers, governments and their allies who are determined to weaken collective bargaining, thereby weakening the union movement. In particular, employers are eager to eradicate national, sectoral, and sometimes even enterprise-wide collective bargaining. Using the threat of outsourcing production and services, they push for more flexibility and other concessions. New forms of employment and work practices are imposed on employees, increasing stress and insecurity. In developing countries, foreign investors in particular demand deregulation of labour law and other regulatory changes, which have negative impacts on the development opportunities for these countries.  The IMF will work with affiliates to ensure that collective agreements continue to provide a framework for intervening on all work issues including decent wages and working conditions, including working time, work organisation, pace of work and health and safety. In the long-term, and as companies increasingly operate globally, collective bargaining at the international level, while respecting the rights of national unions, must be the goal of the IMF.  As a first step, an information and coordination system should be established. To develop and strengthen global and national collective bargaining efforts, the IMF will:<ul><li>Develop ways to exchange information on collective bargaining that build on the experiences gained at the regional level in Europe and elsewhere;</li><li>Build commonality for bargaining among affiliates at the global level, e.g. by developing global union positions on issues such as precarious employment and training;</li><li>Conduct cross-border negotiations with TNC with the involvement of functioning global union networks and an IMF coordinator, based on clear case by case mandates from affiliates.  In order to have a framework of action for these cross-border negotiations, the IMF Executive Committee will develop IMF guidelines with the support of the Secretariat, which will also describe the roles of the IMF coordinators.  Not only may IFAs be negotiated, but also topics such as health and safety and training;  access to information and other issues of common interest; and</li><li>Assist affiliates in building collective bargaining capacity at the national level. </li></ul> IMF affiliates shall:<ul><li>Provide information on collective bargaining experiences to others; and</li><li>Strive to remove legal obstacles to collective bargaining at the national and sectoral level.</li></ul>

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