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The ICEM-affiliated General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians in Basra, Iraq, has been faced with a hostile new general manager of the electricity network in Southern Iraq. The union, led by President Hashmeyia Muhsin Saadawi, is attempting to gain wage arrears for power station security guards, who have been illegally refused back wages. 
 
The salary arrears are for overtime work and work that had previously been approved by management. The union has been attempting to negotiate the issue with the manager throughout September, but Hashmeyia Muhsin recently told the ICEM that she has grown frustrated with his intransigence. Of late, the new general manager admitted that &ldquo;the security guards are entitled to the allocation of extra hours, but I am not paying them, so let them complain to the Inspector-General or any other authority.&rdquo; 

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President Hashmeyia Muhsin Saadawi
The claim of the Basra Electricity Workers and Technicians is clear; security guards at the company are contractually allocated 154 working hours per month, distributed over morning, evening, and night shifts. However, those workers work an average of 192 hours per month, and rightfully expect overtime pay. 
 
On 21 September, a large number of the affected security guards, joined by other members of the union, assembled in front of the headquarters of the authority for Power Transmission in Southern Iraq. That action, which illustrated the level of solidarity for the security workers by all segments of workers in the union, did succeed in attracting the attention of the Department of the Inspector General, as well as the Electricity Commission of local government. 
 
But a settlement to the issue still has not been reached. The ICEM will continue to follow and report on this story as, hopefully, positive developments occur.

Iraqi Electricity Trade Union Faces Intransigent Manager in Southern Iraq

Tom Albanese 
Chief Executive 
Rio Tinto plc 
2 Eastbourne Terrace 
London 
W2 6LG 
United Kingdom 
 
Fax +44 20 7781 1800 
 
Geneva, 17 September 2009 
 
Dear Mr. Albanese, 
 
We have recently learned of the contract demands that Rio Tinto has made of 600 miners represented by Local 30 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), AFL-CIO, in Boron, California. 
 
We are deeply concerned that Rio Tinto is creating an unnecessary conflict at this mine. The company proposes to dramatically reduce worker rights provided under the current agreement; terminate the current pension plan; drastically increase costs for dental and medical benefits: eliminate leave for sick workers; take away bidding rights of older workers; and offer no wage increases over 8 years while cutting wages if productivity falls. Clearly, your management is also seeking to weaken the trade union. 
 
The demands made by your management are unjustified and draconian. Moreover, these demands contradict your own policies concerning sustainable development since you seek to punish the workers and their community which have been responsible for your success. 
 
We will be supporting the ILWU in whatever way we can. 
 
Sincerely,

Rio Tinto, Model Letter

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we call again on ICEM affiliates to get involved in activities on World AIDS Day, 1 December. We report on, among other items, on the Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Workshop in Johannesburg, and we take up the debate on whether AIDS is still exceptional. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
This is the 50th issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin. There is no reason to celebrate. Much has been done by ICEM affiliates. Readers will have noticed that for more than two years now, news from ICEM affiliates on their HIV/AIDS activities and from the ICEM itself has covered the first pages of this e-bulletin. 
 
Much more needs to be done. We have put the workplace, where our affiliates can make a difference, in the forefront of awareness and prevention efforts. We will continue the fight with our limited means and we hope that more partners will join us. 

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African Regional HIV/AIDS Workshop Reviews Activities, Charts Way Forward 
 
How do traditional healers fit into the prevention, treatment, and support of infected and affected people? What are the latest developments in treatment therapies? How do peer educators respond to still widespread myths on HIV and AIDS? These were among the issues debated by 23 participants, of whom 11 were women, from 14 Sub-Saharan African countries at the Regional HIV/AIDS Workshop, which took place in Johannesburg from 9-11 November. 
 
At the outset of the workshop, participants, all national HIV/AIDS coordinators in their respective countries, reported on their work. New ideas and innovative interventions stirred much debate among participants and contributed to the learning process among them. Successful campaigns were presented by national coordinators Charlotte Nguessan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and Afolabi Olawala, Nigeria, and inspired participants were encouraged to follow these examples. 

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Campaigning will be a focus for the ICEM HIV/AIDS project in 2010, especially Know-Your-Status campaigns as the low uptake of voluntary counselling and testing still poses one of the biggest barriers on prevention and treatment. 
 
A number of countries also made good use of a special small grant for material production. Unions now have their own basic leaflets to enforce their awareness and prevention efforts. 
 
Working groups on training for awareness and prevention, work organisation, job security and job accommodation, voluntary counselling and testing and confidentiality came up with suggestions and conclusions for union action and collective bargaining. Similarly, the implications of new treatments on negotiations were discussed in working groups. 
 
With half of the participants being women, gender played a prominent role in the workshop. Their roles inside their careers was emphasised. The impact of their multiple roles on job performance and continued employment may discriminate against women. Experience from different countries also shows that women are more interested to know their status and are more active in support networks. 
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World AIDS Day 2009: A Call for ICEM Affiliates to Join the Campaign 
 
As with every year at this time, World AIDS Day will be held on 1 December. In the last issue of this newsletter we urged ICEM affiliates to get involved in the campaigns carried out during World AIDS Day. This is the last call on ICEM affiliates to plan their participation in national activities. 
 
The theme of this year&rsquo;s World AIDS Day is &ldquo;Universal Access and Human Rights.&rdquo; Campaign material is designed with the &ldquo;I AM&rdquo; theme, adopting the key slogans: I am accepted; I am safe; I am getting treatment; I am well and I am living my rights. 
 
Supporting material &ndash; four posters and two postcards &ndash; has been made available by the World AIDS Campaign. These can be downloaded from their website <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>. 

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Is AIDS Exceptional? 
 
The idea that AIDS is exceptional is no longer going unchallenged. Critics calling for an end to &ldquo;exceptionalism&rdquo; have argued that lowered estimates of HIV infections signal a time to return to a &ldquo;normalised&rdquo; response to the epidemic rather than a response to a global emergency. This would, of course, have far reaching consequences on funding. 
 
The Second Independent Evaluation of UNAIDS underscores that AIDS exceptionalism remains a valid concept. It argues, among others, that the epidemic is exceptional in the magnitude of its impact on development in many countries, especially because of its impact on working adults. It is exceptional in its association with politically sensitive topics, such as sex and drugs, and with stigmatised groups such as sex workers and injecting drug users. In highlighting the continued importance of UNAIDS, the report stresses that addressing HIV and AIDS is not confined to the health sector. 
 
(Source: information provided by Robert E. Lovelace, HIV/AIDS Consultant based in Washington and Advisor to the Global Union AIDS Programme) 

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HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Russia out of Control 
 
Speaking ahead of an international conference on AIDS in Moscow, the head of the International AIDS Society, Robin Gorna, urged Russia to do more to prevent the spread of HIV among an estimated two million drug users. It is estimated that there are now at least one million people infected with HIV in Russia. This represents a dramatic increase over the past decade. 
 
The vast majority are people under the age of 30. Most were infected because they share needles for injecting heroin. To give drug addicts substances such as methadone as an alternative is illegal in Russia, which also does not finance any needle exchange programmes. 
 
(Source: BBC News, 28 October) 

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Patent Pool Could Ease HIV Drug Prices 
 
M&eacute;decins sans Fronti&egrave;res (Doctors without Borders) has launched an email campaign to pressure major pharmaceutical companies to share their patent rights of certain antiretroviral drugs. The organisation is urging the companies to release their patents into a collective pool that will increase access and affordability to treatment in developing countries. This is because companies using the patents can then develop generic versions. 
 
At least five million people living with HIV, and who need life-saving treatment, still do not have access to it. UNITAD, the international drug purchasing agency, will be in the forefront of the project, as it will be in establishing the patent pool for these HIV drugs. 
 
(Source: Inter Press Service, 1 0ctober) 

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Important Changes in Indian CCM 
 
Earlier this year, the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) in India made important changes to its composition. When the terms of office of the old CCM expired, a decision was taken to expand the size of the CCM from 33 to 40 members. 
 
While keeping the number of central and state government seats unchanged, this made it possible to increase the number of seats for civil society from five to eight and for the private sector from two to five. Of these five seats, three are to be taken by corporations. The selection process is to be conducted by the three Indian business coalitions. 
 
Comment: While the editor of this e-bulletin welcomes the inclusion of corporations in the CCM, it is to be regrettable that the opportunity was not used to also include representatives of workers&rsquo; organisations in the CCM. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 108, 27 October. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>). To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. 

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Obama Lifts Ban on US Entry for HIV-positive People 
 
President Barack Obama lifted a 22-year old ban on allowing people infected with the AIDS virus into the US on 2 November. He made the announcement in signing an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Act, which provides for education, prevention, and treatment programmes for US HIV patients. 
 
&ldquo;We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the AIDS pandemic &ndash; yet we are one of only a dozen countries that bar people with HIV from entering our country,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it,&rdquo; he added. 
 
(Source: Reuters, 30 October) 
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Labour Advocacy Toolkit 
 
The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) secured funding from UNAIDS to produce mobilisation kits for four constituencies including youth, people living with HIV, and faith-based organisations. The fourth kit reaches out to labour. The kit presented the Global Union AIDS Programme with the opportunity to create a publication that serves a number of purposes, including drawing attention to the 2010 goal of achieving universal access. 
 
The kit, with the subtitle, &ldquo;Organising to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support,&rdquo; is a tool for the country-based affiliates of the Global Unions to assess national HIV and AIDS responses with the aim of identifying gaps that labour is uniquely positioned to fill. It puts forward a structured process to plan campaigns to increase the role of labour in national responses and gain access to the required resources to do the work. 
 
The Labour Advocacy Toolkit was written by Robert E Lovelace who is an advisor to the Global Union AIDS Programme. The ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin will advise readers when and where to obtain the toolkit when it becomes available. 
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News from Global Union Federations 
 
In its October Newsletter on Education for All and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Schools (EFAIDS &ndash; <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>), the Education International (EI) reported, among other items, of the extension of the EFAIDS programme to Papua New Guinea and the implementation of the programme in post-conflict West Africa. 
 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a> reports in its HIV/AIDS Update 74 of 15 October on the prominent role HIV/AIDS played at the Road Transport Section Conference in Uganda, the first international road transport conference held in Africa. The first pilot project on HIV and AIDS was started in Uganda ten years ago. 
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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line.

ICEM Seeks Involvement on World AIDS Day, 1 December

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 50 November 2009

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

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
ICEM-affiliated Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine has successfully launched a <a href="http://npgu.com.ua/">new website</a>.&nbsp; 
 
The mineworkers of Ukraine have been especially important this year, as the union forged ahead with the campaign for ratification of ILO Convention 176, setting the standard for others to follow. The Ukrainian victory was celebrated in February this year, when the union worked together with PRUPU to play a crucial role in the ratification of the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. 
 
The Convention spells out responsibilities for government, employers, and workers and their trade unions, and specifically gives miners the right to report hazards, dangerous conditions and accidents, as well as the right to refuse unsafe work. 
 
Ukraine is the first major mining country to ratify Convention 176 since Peru ratified it in June 2007.

Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine Launch Website

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Restructuring at three Colombian plants of the US-based glass packaging manufacturer Owens Illinois has led to a situation for members of ICEM-affiliated Sintravidricol being dangerously over-stretched to sustain the work load. 
 
There are almost no personnel replacements at the plants in Envigado, Cogua and Soacha, resulting in increased overtime, employees working without rest, and overexertion. Sintravidricol presented a study into the problem to management in September-November 2010, but the unsustainable situation has not been rectified. 
<img alt="" src="" width="95" height="85" />
Instead of working towards a solution together with Sintravidricol, Owens Illinois local management has moved to fill holes with outsourced contract labour, making repeated unilateral decisions to outsource sections of the manufacturing process. These processes of outsourcing have forced workers at various stages of the production line to be relocated. Moving the work away from the directly employed workers, in areas such as machine repair and moulding, is in breach of the collective bargaining agreement. 
 
While Owens Illinois have continuously avoided the union&rsquo;s pleas for dialogue, Sintravidricol has been forced into lodging a complaint at the Colombian Ministry of Labour. 
 
In further breach of the collective agreement, the company has ended the fixed-term contractual status of workers in the cold area, again causing health and safety concerns for remaining staff who have to cover the gaps, causing severe disruption of the operational process. 
 
Sintravidricol are calling on the international management of Owens Illinois to meet with them on a biannual basis, and are seeking avenues with the Colombian government. Social bargaining and mature systems of industrial relations must be employed by Colombian management at Owens Illinois, to work with Sintravidricol towards solving these dangerous issues for workers.

SINTRAVIDRICOL Faces Problems of Dangerous Overwork, Outsourcing at Owens Illinois, Colombia

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
From the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation 
 
Dramatic developments take place in Korea at Hanjin Heavy Industries shipyard and Yuseong Piston Ring. Private security forces and riot police forced out protesters from the shipyard and the police issued arrest warrants for Yuseong Piston Ring union leaders who in sign of protest have started a hunger strike in the Buddhist Jogye Temple in Seoul. 
 
Following IMF's recently reported visit on June 24 to the Korean National Assembly where a strong demand was forwarded to the Korean government to stop labour repression and solve the conflict at Yuseong Piston Ring (YPR) and Hanjin Heavy Industries shipyard new dramatic developments have occurred at both places. 
 
According to the reports of the IMF affiliate Korean Metal Workers&rsquo; Union (KMWU) Hanjin workers were flushed out of the shipyard with the exception of some protesters who tied themselves to Crane 85. Private contractors hired by the Hanjin management cut off electricity and tried to limit KIM Jinsuk's possibilities to communicate with the outer world. Ms. KIM Jinsuk is carrying out an aerial sit-in protest on a company crane. The protest has gone on for 175 days now. 
<img alt="" src="" width="239" height="161" />
The KMWU also informed IMF that the police issued arrest warrants for the YPR union leaders who staged an unlimited hunger strike in the Buddhist Jogye Temple in Seoul to bring their unjust situation to the attention of the general public. 
 
On June 29 mass rallies took place in Seoul and Busan to protest against attacks on workers whose only crime is their wish to work under secure conditions and to have their collective bargaining rights respected. 
 
The IMF urgently calls on all its affiliates to send letters of protest to the President of Korea, Mr. Lee Myung-bak (e-mail <a href="mailto:president@president.go.kr">president@president.go.kr</a>) and to demand: 
&bull; To pull back riot police and private security forces occupying the workplaces at Hanjin Heavy Industries shipyard and Yuseong Piston Ring YPR factories. 
&bull; To start collective bargaining in good faith in order to withdraw unilateral mass dismissals at Hanjin. 
&bull; To lift the illegal lockout of Yuseong Piston Ring workers and to reinstate union members to their original positions in their original plants (Asan and Yeongdong YPR plants). 
&bull; To stop the persecution of Yuseong Piston Ring and Hanjin Heavy Industries union officials, union members and their sympathizers. 
 
Render solidarity support to the striking workers by sending messages of support to the KMWU international department at: <a href="mailto:inter@metal.nodong.org">inter@metal.nodong.org</a>, with copies to IMF at <a href="mailto:info@imfmetal.org">info@imfmetal.org</a>.

KMWU Calls for Urgent Solidarity Support

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
With collective bargaining set to resume in two weeks time, Honeywell Inc. continues to place the residents of Metropolis, Illinois, in the US at risk by operating a uranium conversion plant with inexperienced scab workers. On 28 June 2010, Honeywell Inc. ruthlessly locked 228 American steelworkers off their jobs and nine days ago, on 25 June, those union members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-669, together with 800 supporters, held a one-year anniversary rally in the Metropolis town square. 
 
The mood at the 25 June rally was somber and angry due to Honeywell&rsquo;s economic stranglehold on workers&rsquo; lives. It was also defiant because the company has dared to risk the safety and well-being of 6,400 residents of this Ohio River city. 
 
When the lockout began, Honeywell assured the union that it would not operate the plant. The company reversed itself a month into the lockout, and now has exhibited the same disrespect in collective negotiations by rescinding contract provisions immediately after agreeing to them. 
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In Metropolis, Honeywell mills yellow-cake uranium into uranium hexafluoride (UF6) that is frozen and then sold to companies for nuclear power applications. For the past nine months, Honeywell has been using scabs provided by a contractor to do this dangerous work. The results show in Honeywell&rsquo;s environmental and health and safety record. 
 
At the 25 June mobilisation, workers and community members took notice once again to the dangers an outside workforce brings to their city: on 22 June, the US Labor Department&rsquo;s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) levied 17 serious workplace safety violations against the company and its scab workers. 
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have also cited Honeywell with major violations since the lockout began in June 2010. Three months ago, Honeywell pleaded guilty and was sentenced by the US government to a fine of US$11.8 million for knowingly storing hazardous waste without a permit. 
 
&ldquo;You begin to wonder about Honeywell&rsquo;s credibility when you consider the nearly US$12 million in federal fines Honeywell was forced to pay this past March for violations cited by the EPA,&rdquo; said Local 7-669 President Darrell Lillie. 
 
The OSHA violations issued in late June stem from a 22 December 2010 release of hydrogen fluoride (HF) vapors. (See <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/USW%20reacts%20to%20latest%20federal%20safety%20citations%20at%20Honeywell.pdf">USW Local 7-669 release</a>.) Honeywell refused OSHA's right to conduct its inspection with an employee representative despite the OSHA inspectors holding a federal warrant to do so.&nbsp; 
 
Honeywell put the city of Metropolis and Massac County, Illinois, at risk just weeks into the lockout when it decided to operate the workplace. On 5 September 2010, two days after the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission unbelievably gave approval for Honeywell to re-start the final two steps of a four-step uranium hexafluoride converting process, Metropolis was shook by a loud boom. 
 
Inside the plant, accumulated hydrogen reacted with fluorine gas during a venting process, causing the boom. Fortunately, the accident occurred in a non-regulated area of operation, meaning away from the handling of yellow cake uranium. 
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For workers and community supporters who gathered on 25 June, these incidents have become a daily reminder of the threats posed by a hugely profitable company as it unnecessarily attempts to spiral downward work terms on a skilled and dedicated workforce. 
 
To be sure, USW Local 7-669 and Honeywell would already have a new labour contract and experienced workers would be back on the job if it had not been for the company reneging on a deal. In bargaining on 6 June, the two sides reached a compromise and a tentative agreement was imminent. Honeywell&rsquo;s negotiators said it would draft the agreed-upon language and formally present it the next day in talks. 
 
But on 7 June, the company withdrew the proposed agreement from the day before that would maintain overtime pay after eight and 12 hours worked, and returned to its original and regressive proposal of time-and-a-half pay only after 40 hours had been worked. Local 7-669&rsquo;s bargaining team already had made compromises to end the lockout. But the bad-faith reversal meant Honeywell was not ready for the lockout to end. 
 
The effect was another insult aimed at the community and at steelworkers of Local 7-669, who most assuredly will return &ndash; perhaps soon &ndash; to their jobs but with a bitter taste in their mouths about all things Honeywell. 
 
On Friday, 1 July, the two sides agreed to resume bargaining on 19-20 July. 
 
The overtime issue is now paramount. Other issues to be resolved, but not considered deal threatening, are company insistence that workers who take Family and Medical Leave under the US federal statute, must concurrently take vacation leave; a different pension pan for future new hires; and company-paid meal allowance for staff who work overtime hours. 
 
At the Saturday, 25 June rally, USW District 7 Director Jim Robinson headlined the event. He and steelworkers and retirees from Chicago and northern Indiana travelled seven hours on buses to support Local 7-669. The ICEM calls on Honeywell to stop its hazardous conduct in America&rsquo;s heartland, and to reach satisfactory terms with USW Local 7-669.

Honeywell Threatens Safety by Extending Lockout of USW Members

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General Electric (GE) workers in America ratified a four-year labour agreement in late June that now sets a pattern for 15,200 unionised GE workers in the US. Members of both ICEM-affiliated United Electrical, Radio, Machine Workers&rsquo; of America (UE) and the International Union of Electrical Workers / Communication Workers of America (IUE/CWA), representing 11,500 of those workers, gave approval to the deal in local-by-local voting at some 40 union branches in late June. 
 
The new collective agreement came together on the final expiry day of the past contract, 19 June. (See <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4501-Tentative-Pact-Reached-in-US-for-15-000-General-Electric-Workers">ICEM news article</a> of 20 June here.) The contract calls for adequate wage, bonus, and retirement provisions over the next four years, but it also contains concessions on health care coverage.&nbsp; 
 
The UE said the new contract &ldquo;contains some improvements as well as some major deficiencies,&rdquo; and blamed the deficiencies on a difficult bargaining climate and GE&rsquo;s anti-union tendencies in the US. Nevertheless, the UE-GE Conference Board of America&rsquo;s independent union recommended acceptance of the four-year proposal on 23 June. 
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The IUE/CWA also recommended the agreement. &ldquo;These were difficult negotiations in a difficult economic climate,&rdquo; stated said IUE-CWA GE and Aerospace Conference Board Chairman Bob Santamoor. &ldquo;Members evaluated the package as whole and found it acceptable.&rdquo; Thirty-four IUE/CWA local branches, representing 7,800 GE workers, voted accumulatively by 70% in separate branch referendums for overall acceptance. The UE did not announce its vote tally. 
 
The agreement calls for a first-year bonus due this month of US$5,000, with benefit increases in proportion to that award. In June 2012, workers will get a 2.25% increase, while in 2013 and 2014, wage hikes of 2.5% and 3% will go into effect. GE will outlay US$76 million for the first-year bonuses. 
 
Union members will receive modest pension benefits over the life of the agreement, and will see an improved cost-of-living formula each year. That benefit represents a 12% improvement over the past formula in inflation protection. The unions also won an additional sick day per year and added vacation days. 
 
Modifications were made regarding the Special Early Retirement Option (SERO), with a window reopener in 2011 for 400 applicants ages 55 to 59 with 30 years of service. A Voluntary Retirement Incentive Payment (VRIP) window was also negotiated for workers 60 years or older. 
 
The health care concession is higher yearly deductibles on medical care and benefit reductions to a co-payment system for health care visits and prescription drugs. These regressive contract changes regarding health care costs bring unionized workers down to levels unilaterally imposed by GE for non-union salaried workers. 
 
Of the majority of 11,500 GE workers represented by the IUE/CWA and UE, the IUE/CWA covers workers at GE Appliance and Lighting Division factories in Louisville, Kentucky, Aviation Division plants in Lynn, Massachusetts, and an Energy Division plant in Schenectady, New York. The UE represents GE Transportation Division workers in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Energy Division workers in Fort Edward, New York. The unions also represent scores of workers at smaller GE worksites that supply products to these bigger factories. 
 
The contract also serves as the template for collective agreements for eight other US unions that represent GE workers.

Four-year GE Pact Takes Effect in USA

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The ICEM-affiliated Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, celebrated its 29th Constitutional Convention on 22-25 June, in Las Vegas, USA. The Convention was conducted under the motto &ldquo;Shaping Our Future, Building Our Industries&rdquo; 
 
The UWUA were able to celebrate a successful four-year period since the previous Convention, in which time the union has organised increased strength and industry density, successfully influenced national elections in 2008 and 2010, and was elected to the AFL-CIO&rsquo;s Executive Council for the first time. During the period the UWUA also achieved a number of significant collective bargaining successes, in a time of increased corporate aggression. A key victory was at Covanta Energy in April 2010, where a first union contract was won for workers at the plant in south-eastern Massachusetts. (See the <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3741-Utility-Workers-of-America-Gets-Excellent-First-Labour-Pact-with-Covanta">ICEM report</a> on Covanta here)&nbsp;
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ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, addressing the Convention, wholeheartedly congratulated the UWUA for the success in the two-year struggle at Covanta, &ldquo;It has been inspiring to many of our affiliated unions in their struggle against greedy companies and unfair labour practices &hellip; We are proud to have contributed to that campaign, with PSI, by mobilising unions in Canada, Ireland, the UK, and Netherlands to block Covanta expanding in their countries until it accepted the rights of workers in the US.&rdquo; 
 
Guest speakers at the Convention included Dr. Steven Chu, US Secretary of Energy; and David Foster, Executive Director of BlueGreen Alliance. 
 
Among the numerous important Convention resolutions on occupational health and safety, union rights, and sustainable jobs, the Convention adopted a resolution on International Labour Solidarity in which the UWUA resolved to continue to support international solidarity struggles throughout the world, and to continue active participation in the ICEM and PSI. The resolution also resolved to push the US Congress to ratify Core ILO Conventions 87 and 98. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the UWUA elected Officers, who were all re-elected at the Convention.

UWUA 29th Constitutional Convention

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KMWU Calls for Urgent Solidarity Support

Honeywell Threatens Safety by Extending Lockout of USW Members

Four-year GE Pact Takes Effect in USA

UWUA 29th Constitutional Convention

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