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ICEM Women&rsquo;s World Conference Decides on 7-Point Programme 
 
The ICEM Women&rsquo;s World Conference was held on 17 and 18 November 2007 in Bangkok. Some 150 women from all continents listened to presentations and worked on their priorities in working groups. Women from Burma, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe presented their work in crisis situations and the fight for peace. All presentations are available in the original languages from ICEM. 
 
One special highlight was the presence of Hashemiyya Muhsin Hussein, President of the Electricity Workers&rsquo; Union for the Basra region, Iraq. In an interview conducted by ITUC she said among other things that, &ldquo;There is a great deal of women working in this sector. During the war between Iran and Iraq, the men left for the front and so women replaced them on a wide scale, which is why there are so many of them now&hellip; 
 
People write slogans on the walls of the markets and other public places against women, against women who work and against women who do not wear the veil. The simple fact of working is dangerous for a woman. But many women have no alternative, because of their financial difficulties. Yes, the fact that I am a woman has made things very difficult as well, but I didn&rsquo;t want to give up and so I fought for this position, even though I received death threats against myself and even against my son.&rdquo; Hashemiyya was elected to the ICEM Executive and women&rsquo;s committee. 
 
One other focus for the conference was work-life balance. The topic was introduced by women representing ICEM affiliates in Japan. Maternity protection was one of the priorities decided on for continuing work. 
 
One example of work in connection with hazardous substances and the dangers they represent for maternity as well as babyproofing the workplace was presented by Margreet Pasman from the Netherlands. FNV Bondgenoten has made folders available on these themes, and they can be accessed from ICEM or Margreet. Gender perspectives on women&rsquo;s health were presented by Edeltraud Gl&auml;nzer from Germany, and work on bullying, violence, HIV/AIDS and abortion was explained by sisters from Brazil. 
 
A publication on maternity protection with different case studies from all continents is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish from ICEM. 
 
A session was held and facilitated by Ramona Parra from FITEQA-CCOO, Spain, to have an exchange with women from Europe. The conclusion was that more work has to be done in cooperation between EMCEF and ICEM. 
 
The conclusions from the conference work fed into the 7 points that were decided for ICEM&rsquo;s future work. The points are as follows: 
 
1. Do research and exchange information on best practices of maternity protection. Information on paternity leave is particularly interesting. 
2. Provide information and guides on how to bargain for paternity leave and work-life balance. 
3. General work must continue on maternity protection and work-life balance. 
4. Strengthen ICEM&rsquo;s work on informal workers, migrant workers and contract and agency workers, especially since a majority of these tend to be women. 
5. Build alliances with NGO&rsquo;s and civil society in order to change mentalities and expand gender equality. 
6. Expand women&rsquo;s leadership training and broaden women&rsquo;s leadership. 
7. Work will continue on Burma, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Zimbabwe and all others where fights are on-going for human and trade union rights. 
 
The women&rsquo;s conference confirmed Evgenia Esenina as chair of the women&rsquo;s committee and vice-president of ICEM and elected Angeline Chitambo from ZEEWU, Zimbabwe, as vice-chair and ICEM vice-president. 
 
ICEM Congress was held from 22 to 24 November. A record number of women attended the Congress, although some delegations from developed countries were notable in their absence of women delegates. Some examples were very encouraging, however, such as Spain, Sweden, South Africa and Brazil among others. Japan must be lauded for including more women in their Congress delegation each time. Congress passed a motion on women&rsquo;s participation. The ICEM women&rsquo;s committee will be monitoring its implementation. 
 
On the last day of Congress Elena Guti&eacute;rrez, Sitrapequia Costa Rica, called for a minute of silence in memory of the many thousands of women worldwide who have died as a result of violence. This commemoration took place on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, explained below.
PLEASE FORWARD TO ICEM ANY INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF WOMEN&rsquo;S INVOLVEMENT THAT YOU FEEL SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED BY ICEM ON THE OCCASION OF 8 MACH 2008, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN&rsquo;S DAY. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
ICEM Colombia Committee Organises Gender Workshop 
 
On 18 July the ICEM Colombia Committee organised a workshop on gender in Bogot&aacute; with 70 men and women participants. The group worked on the construction of patriarchy and the different attributions associated with women and men as well as maternity and paternity. The participants analysed the theory of gender and discussed socialization, abortion and quotas in government in groups. 
 
There were some prejudices such as the idea that gender only refers to women or that gender divides trade unions or that gender is a distraction from the class struggle. There are differences in concepts between gender, feminism and women&rsquo;s movements, and it is important to understand these differences. 
 
Some of the men participants felt threatened in their power position. Since the seminar was mixed, men and women together, the women participated less than the men. ICEM Colombia considers this work to be fundamental and women and men must be involved at all levels of debate. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
ITUC Seminar on Diversity, Racism and Xenophobia 
 
The ITUC held a seminar on diversity, racism and xenophobia from 4 to 7 December in Geneva. This is a topic that has very strong gender perspectives. Migrant women are generally over-represented in low-skilled employment. 
 
The World Bank reports that women make up about 50% of the migrant population worldwide. The UN calculated in 2006 that about 190 million people live outside their country of origin. 
 
The meeting deplored the fact that racism seems to be on the rise worldwide and that racist policies can be used for electoral gain. ITUC will be developing activities to lead up to the conference in 2009 to follow up the 2001 Conference on racism held in Durban, South Africa.
<img height="31" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Resources 
 
<a href="http://www.ccoo.es/webCCOO/temp/recursos/1/44630.pdf">Good Practice Guide for Non-Sexist Language in Collective Bargaining</a> (in Spanish)&nbsp; 
 
<a href="http://www.uso.es">For an explanation of equality plans in Spain&nbsp; 
</a> 
<a href="http://www.un.org/womenwatch">United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getPage.asp?page=latestPeriods">For a look at the urban informal economy in UN Habitat</a>
<a href="http://www.homeworkersww.org.uk ">HomeWorkers Worldwide</a>
<a href="http://www.lo.no/lobasen/Content/122971/14-06-LO-magasin-eneglsk-skjerm.pdf">For a publication on Women in the South</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.all-together.org">Men and equality and work-life balance</a>

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 27

The ICEM today said Stora Enso must do more to meet its social responsibilities regarding layoffs at two pulp and paper mills in Finland, as well for white-collar workers in the Nordic nation that are also getting the sack. The ICEM supports this week&rsquo;s strike by workers at Stora Enso in Finland. 
 
The Global Union Federation, representing 20 million workers in several industrial sectors, predicted in November that further strikes in the Finnish pulp and paper sector would occur if Stora Enso did not present alternatives to its latest restructuring plan. (That release can be found <a href="/en/?id=19&amp;doc=2442&amp;la=EN">here</a>.)
<img height="143" alt="" src="" width="140" />
On 25 October, the Finnish-Swedish company announced that 1,400 jobs would be cut in Finland, Sweden, and other European nations.&nbsp;Some 1,100 of those jobs were to be lost in Finland. Yesterday&rsquo;s announcement by Stora Enso that mill closures and job cuts totalling 985 is unacceptable, and the ICEM joins with Finnish trade union affiliate Paperiliitto by calling on the company to develop new technologies and new products that will retain workers. 
 
&ldquo;The strikes in Finland are a clear indication that workers themselves are not satisfied with the company&rsquo;s approach,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;As a sizeable minority shareholder in Stora Enso, the Finnish government has an obligation to do more to preserve these jobs.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM reiterates its solidarity to the workers at the Kemij&auml;rvi and Summa Mills in Finland, as well as the Norrsundet paperworkers in Sweden, and white-collar workers in the two countries and in other administrative offices in Europe. &ldquo;They have displayed great strength through their respective trade unions, and the ICEM will ensure that this strength becomes a chain of strength for paperworkers throughout the world,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;We call on Stora Enso to implement strategies that grow jobs, not destroy them.&rdquo;

Stora Enso Must Do More to Fulfill Social Responsibilities

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The on-and-off recognition by US-based Ross International of joint representation by ICEM affiliate Sintravidricol at three of its Colombian metal moulding plants is on again after a 23-day strike by union members. With intervention from Colombia&rsquo;s Ministry of Social Protection, Ross agreed to recognise the union at three of five plants at a common bargaining table. 
 
The company agreed to that once before, in October 2007, but changed course the very next month by walking away from talks. Local management cited US owner Larry Ross&rsquo;s unwillingness to sign any union agreement. That caused the strike, which began late in November at the three worksites, Moldes Medellin Ltda., Andes International Tooling, and Andes Cast Foundry Metals.
<img height="92" alt="" src="" width="200" />
Ross opened the latter two plants in 2004, along with two other enterprises, and staffed the operations with contract workers. That was the direct result of staff at Moldes Medillin organising with Sintravidricol, the leading glass workers&rsquo; union of Colombia. With support and assistance from the ICEM and the United Steelworkers and its Flint/Glass Division in the US, Sintravidricol successfully brought the union message to the contract workers in the new plants. 
 
Following last month&rsquo;s company acquiescence to a four-year labour agreement at the three plants, all workers previously on fixed-term contracts became full-time staff. And that included a majority of the 240 workers at the three plants. Additionally, equal rights and conditions will exist between all workers. Union rights were won, with strict provisions outlining union representation and union activities. 
<img height="188" alt="" src="" width="250" />
Talks froze at Ross in November 2007
The company also agreed to withdraw all court actions against the union and workers. Sintravidricol called the December 2007 agreement an achievement of the basic objectives that launched the international campaign some three years ago. &ldquo;This is due not only to the unity and capacity for struggle of the union, but also the enormous international support, which resulted in this conflict becoming a problem for the central government, with international repercussions,&rdquo; said Sintravidricol in a statement. 
 
The ICEM heralds the persistence of our Colombian affiliate, as well as workers and leaders in Sintravidricol&rsquo;s Sabaneta and LaEstrella regional structures. The on-again, off-again bargaining table developments at Ross in Colombia in late 2007 can be found <a href="/en/?id=78&amp;doc=2450&amp;la=EN">here</a> and <a href="/en/?id=78&amp;doc=2496&amp;la=EN">here</a>.

Persistence Pays Off for Ross Glass Workers’ in Colombia

31 Ocak &ndash; 1 Şubat 2008 
İstanbul, T&uuml;rkiye 
P r o g r a m 
<img height="71" alt="" src="" width="50" />
Birinci G&uuml;n : 
 
09:30 - 10:30 A&ccedil;ılış Konuşmaları : 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div align="justify">Mustafa Kumlu, Tes-İş Sendikası Genel Başkanı ve ICEM Y&ouml;netim Kurulu &Uuml;yesi </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div align="justify">Manfred Warda, ICEM Genel Sekreteri </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div align="justify">Bettina Luise R&uuml;rup, Friedrich Ebert Vakfı T&uuml;rkiye Temsilcisi </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div align="justify">Faruk &Ccedil;elik, &Ccedil;alışma ve Sosyal G&uuml;venlik Bakanı (teşrifleri halinde) </div>
 </li>
</ul>
<img height="71" alt="" src="" width="50" />
Birinci Oturum : 
&ldquo; D&uuml;nya ve Avrupa &Ouml;l&ccedil;eğinde Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam &rdquo; 
Oturum Başkanı : Manfred Warda, ICEM Genel Sekreteri 
10:30 &ndash; 11:00 ICEM &ldquo;Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam&rdquo; K&uuml;resel Projesi - Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Kimya ve Lastik İşkolları Sorumlusu 
 
11:00 - 11 :30 Kahve Arası 
 
11:30 - 12:00 &ldquo;Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam&rdquo;a İlişkin 
Uluslararası &Ccedil;alışma Standartları ve Ara&ccedil;ları 
Slava Egorov, Uluslararası &Ccedil;alışma &Ouml;rg&uuml;t&uuml; (ILO) 
 
12:00 &ndash; 12.30 Avrupa&rsquo;daki Genel Durum ve AB &Ccedil;er&ccedil;evesindeki D&uuml;zenlemeler - Reinhard Reibsch, EMCEF Genel Sekreteri 
 
12:30 &ndash; 13.00 Tartışma 
 
13:00 &ndash; 14:30 &Ouml;ğle Yemeği 
<img height="71" alt="" src="" width="50" />
İkinci Oturum : 
&ldquo; Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam&rsquo;a İlişkin Farklı &Uuml;lkelerdeki Sendika Politikaları, Deneyimleri ve &Ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme Stratejileri &rdquo; 
Oturum Başkanı : Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Kimya ve Lastik İşkolları Sorumlusu 
14:30 &ndash; 15:15 İlk &Uuml;lke &Ouml;rneği : Almanya 
Michael Wolters, IG BCE Sendikası 
 
15:15 &ndash; 16:00 İkinci &Uuml;lke &Ouml;rneği : Hollanda 
Celil &Ccedil;oban ve Osman Elmacı, FNV Bondgenoten Sendikası 
 
16:00 - 16:30 Kahve Arası 
 
16:30 &ndash; 17.15 &Uuml;&ccedil;&uuml;nc&uuml; &Uuml;lke &Ouml;rneği : İsve&ccedil; 
Hans Palmqvist, IFMetall Sendikası 
 
17:15 &ndash; 18.00 Tartışma 
 
19:00 &ndash; 22:00 Akşam Yemeği 
<img height="71" alt="" src="" width="50" />
İkinci G&uuml;n: 
&Uuml;&ccedil;&uuml;nc&uuml; Oturum : 
&ldquo; T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;de Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam &rdquo; 
09:30 &ndash; 10:00 T&uuml;rkiye'deki &ldquo;Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam&rdquo; Uygulamalarının Ekonomik ve Hukuki Altyapısının Analizi - Av. Murat &Ouml;zveri, End&uuml;stri İlişkileri ve İş Hukuku Uzmanı 
 
10:00 - 11:00 Panel Tartışma (1) : Kamu Sekt&ouml;r&uuml;nde &Ouml;zelleştirmenin Etkileri ve Altişveren Uygulamaları 
Oturum Başkanı : Bircan Akyıldız, T&uuml;rk Enerji-Sen Genel Başkanı 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>Murat Aytemiz, Tes-İş Sendikası Genel Başkan Yardımcısı </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Dr. Fikret Sazak, T&uuml;rkiye Maden-İş Sendikası Eğitim Dairesi M&uuml;d&uuml;r&uuml; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Av. Serap &Ouml;zdemir, Petrol-İş Sendikası Hukuk M&uuml;şaviri </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Av. Mutlu &Ccedil;akan, Belediye-İş Sendikası Hukuk M&uuml;şaviri </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>&Ccedil;alışma ve Sosyal G&uuml;venlik Bakanlığı Temsilcisi (teyit bekleniyor) </div>
 </li>
</ul>
11:00 - 11:30 Kahve Arası 
 
11:30 &ndash; 12:30 Panel Tartışma (2) : &Ccedil;okuluslu Şirketlerde ve &Ouml;zel Sekt&ouml;rde&nbsp;&rdquo;Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam&rdquo; Uygulamaları 
Oturum Başkanı : Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkın, Petrol-İş Sendikası Genel Başkanı 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>Metin Bozkurt, T&uuml;rkiyer &Ccedil;imse-İş Sendikası Genel Eğitim ve Teşkilatandırma Sekreteri </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Merih Toprak, Petrol-İş Sendikası TİS Dairesi Uzmanı </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Can Şafak, Kristal-İş Sendikası TİS Dairesi M&uuml;d&uuml;r&uuml; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Tevfik G&uuml;neş, Dev Maden-Sen Eğitim Dairesi M&uuml;d&uuml;r&uuml;</div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>İşveren Sendikası Temsilcisi (teyit bekleniyor) </div>
 </li>
</ul>
12:30 &ndash; 13:00 Tartışma 
 
13:00 &ndash; 14.30 &Ouml;ğle Yemeği 
<img height="71" alt="" src="" width="50" />
D&ouml;rd&uuml;nc&uuml; Oturum : 
&ldquo; T&uuml;rkiye &Ouml;zelinde Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam&rsquo;a - Y&ouml;nelik &Ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme Kampanya ve Stratejileri &ldquo; 
Moderat&ouml;r : İsmail Hakkı Kurt, Sendikal Eğitim Uzmanı 
14:30 - 16:00 T&uuml;m Katılımcıların Oturumlarla İlgili Yorum, Değerlendirme ve Soruları ile Birlikte Genel Tartışma 
 
16:00 - 16:30 Kahve Arası 
 
16:30 &ndash; 17.00 Konferansın &Ouml;zetlenmesi ve Geleceğe Y&ouml;nelik ICEM &Ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde Ortak &Ccedil;alışma Programı - Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Kimya ve Lastik İşkolları Sorumlusu 
 
17:00 Konferansın Sonu

“ Altişveren ve Düzensiz İstihdam Türkiye Ulusal Konferansı ”

ICEM, T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;deki faaliyetler dizisine bir yenisini daha katıyor. Halen k&uuml;resel &ouml;l&ccedil;ekte devam eden, ICEM Altişveren ve D&uuml;zensiz İstihdam Projesi &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde T&uuml;rkiye Ulusal Konferansı, 31 Ocak &ndash; 1 Şubat 2008 tarihlerinde İstanbul&rsquo;da ger&ccedil;ekleştirilecek. 
 
Friedrich Ebert Vakfı&rsquo;nın katkılarıyla, ICEM &uuml;yesi 13 sendikadan 70&rsquo;i aşkın sendika y&ouml;neticisinin katılacağı konferansta, a&ccedil;ılış konuşması T&uuml;rk-İş ve Tes-İş Genel Başkanı ve aynı zamanda ICEM Y&ouml;netim Kurulu &Uuml;yesi olan Mustafa Kumlu tarafından yapılacak. 
<img height="270" alt="" src="" width="360" />
ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda&rsquo;nın da yer alacağı toplantıda, Uluslararası &Ccedil;alışma &Ouml;rg&uuml;t&uuml; (ILO), Avrupa Kimya, Maden ve Enerji İş&ccedil;ileri Federasyonu (EMCEF), Almanya Kimya, Enerji ve Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (IG BCE), Hollanda Sanayi İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (FNV Bondgenoten) ve İsve&ccedil; Metal, Kimya ve Tekstil İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (IFMetall) temsilcileri, konuşmacı olarak takdim yapacaklardır. 
 
Toplantı, 31 Ocak 2008 Perşembe g&uuml;n&uuml; saat 09.30&rsquo;da Ali Nihat Tarlan Caddesi, Ertaş Sokak, No:16 İ&ccedil;erenk&ouml;y İstanbul adresinde bulunan The Green Park Bostancı Oteli&rsquo;nde başlayacaktır. 
 
Toplantının g&uuml;ndemi i&ccedil;in <a href="/index.php?id=73&amp;doc=2572&amp;la=TR">tıklayınız</a>.

ICEM ALTİŞVEREN VE DÜZENSİZ İSTİHDAM TÜRKİYE ULUSAL KONFERANSI İSTANBUL’DA TOPLANIYOR

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The 4th Congress of ICEM French affiliate Chemical and Energy Workers Union, FCE-CFDT, was held in Clermont-Ferrand last week, with participation by over 600 delegates. The theme was, &ldquo;Local to International: Anticipate and Act Everywhere.&rdquo; 
 
The venue of the Congress had another feature, as well. İt is &ldquo;the capital&rdquo; of tyre industry giant Michelin, the world&rsquo;s second biggest poducer.
The Congress stressed the international dimension to trade unionism, through transnational sectoral/intersectoral dialogue. According to the FCE, &ldquo;The congress is complementary to those of our international and European organizations. We have just experienced ICEM&rsquo;s Congress in Bangkok, which has entered into strengthened cooperation with the Global Union Federations.&rdquo; 
<img height="224" alt="" src="" width="250" />
The FCE noted in its report to Congress, &ldquo;Globalization facilitates development in new technologies, trade, commerce &hellip; but, in parallel to this, there is always a fact that developing countries are still being exploited &hellip; and trade unionists being imprisoned or killed.&rdquo;

FCE praised ICEM&rsquo;s activity on Contract and Agency Labour, and highlighted efforts by itself to start discussions and actions with other unions inside the CFDT on the issue of subcontracting. The FCE also intends to take an active role on sustainable development. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda addressed the Congress in an introductory speech. &ldquo;Support, assistance, and solidarity by the FCE-CFDT to the ICEM and its affiliates throughout the world is well known,&rdquo; Warda said. &ldquo;Your organisation takes its international responsibilities seriously, and I would like to thank you for that.&rdquo; 
<img height="233" alt="" src="" width="350" />
French Michelin Trade Union Leaders
Warda also credited the French chemicals and energy union for its efforts on union networking, global framework agreements, and globally around French-based companies such as Rhodia, Saint-Gobain, Lafarge, and Electricit&eacute; de France (EDF). 
 
The ICEM also used the Congress to discuss in depth with delegates from Michelin on the creation of a Global Union Network for trade unions at the tyre-maker. In concert with prior discussions with FCE and other unions organising Michelin workers, the need to establish solidarity between Michelin workers the world over through the ICEM would match networks for the other big rubber networks, namely Bridgestone and Goodyear. 
 
Patrick Pierron was re-elected as general secretary for a new four-year term, and with a 70% vote, delegates approved a general framework resolution which included the Congress report.

FCE-CFDT Holds 4th Congress, Accenting Strong Global Trade Union Stands

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Social partners in Slovenia averted a series of strikes scheduled for this week and next week by reaching agreement on a private-sector wage increase in Ljubljana. The accord was reached on Friday, 25 January. 
 
Pushed by a centre-right government headed by Prime Minister Janez Jansa, trade union federations and business groups agreed on a February pay increase of 5.6%. That offsets current inflation, as well as sparing Slovenia vast production losses at the exact time it presides over the EU. 
 
Slovenia&rsquo;s December consumer price index was 5.7% higher than in December 2006. Last Friday&rsquo;s negotiated increase came two months after a manifestation by 70,000 Slovenian workers. One of their demands was to move a traditional August pay raise to February in order to offset climbing inflation. 
<img height="120" src="" width="118" alt="" />
On 11 January, the country&rsquo;s largest labour federation, 300,000-member Zveza Svoodnih Sindikatov Slovenije (ZSSS), announced a general strike for 6 February. Several other labour federations were expected to follow. Other Slovenia workers, including civil servants, also announced intent to strike plans in the days leading up to 6 February. 
 
The government headed off the public sector strike by granting wage increases to civil servants. That brought forth the private sector settlement. 
 
On 17 November 2007, union members and civil society marched 70,000-strong in the largest manifestation in Slovenia&rsquo;s 16-year history. They demanded that salaries keep pace with spiraling inflation. The manifestation also marked the historical unification of Slovenia&rsquo;s six trade union centres coming behind a joint initiative. 
 
Slovenia, which became a member of the EU in 2005 and adopted the Euro as currency in January 2007, has been beset by rising commodity prices.

Private-Sector Wage Increases Halt General Strikes Set for Slovenia

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On 15-16 January, some 40 global trade union leaders met in Brussels for the 2nd meeting of the Council of Global Unions (CGU), the structure established last year by the Global Unions Federations (GUFs), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD. 
On the agenda of the meeting, which was held at ICEM headquarters, was a series of wide-ranging national and international labour issues, ranging from the need to increase global support for organising and bargaining, scrutiny over non-transparent private and public investment funds, and attention to precarious employment practices. 
 
Focal points at the start were the lessons from the creative and successful &ldquo;Organising and Recognition Conference,&rdquo; organised by the CGU in Washington, D.C., in December 2007, and how to continue that work. 
The Washington Conference, which primarily dealt with how international work can assist national unions in their union organising efforts, generated a fair amount of enthusiasm and optimism. At the same time, however, it also highlighted a number of difficulties or barriers. The example of Australia, where a massive trade union campaign lead to a change in government, was particularly inspiring for many.
<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="300" />
ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda signing the CGU's founding document last year
One obvious conclusion from this earlier Conference is the strong link between collective bargaining coverage, on the one hand, and the fairness of income distribution, on the other. The situation in the U.S. is a clear &ndash; and negative &ndash; example of this. 
 
Building on the work done in Washington, the Brussels meeting looked for a number of concrete items that the international union movement could work on jointly. One such priority is the need to take action at the international level to support workers and their unions in the U.S., and to improve the U.S. labour situation in general. 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda explicitly supported this notion. He said that &ldquo;in countries such as China, the U.S. labour model is the one that is being looked at for copying.&rdquo; It was agreed that discussions would take place with U.S. unions in order to examine how the global trade union movement can be most helpful in supporting their efforts to change U.S. labour law so that freedom of association is respected. 
 
Other priorities taken under consideration include an international strategy to support unions in selected countries, in which international union pressure might improve the national labour situation; the continued sharing of much needed global economic data that support trade union claims; to undertake action on the 60th anniversary of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, on freedom of association and collective bargaining; and Global Unions&rsquo; work on Export Processing Zones.
Joint CGU action is also planned in the area of communication, where more - and possibly other and different - work needs to be done. This was also a conclusion from the Washington conference, citing the fact that the international union message is not always reaching workers at national level. 
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Different options were looked at to improve communications, including making increased use of IT tools. At the same time, it was acknowledged that this can only be helpful for certain parts of the world. In Africa, for example, emphasis needs to go to other means of communication, such as radio or mobile phones. Yet other methods are needed to reach out to, for instance, migrant communities. 
 
The international unions also decided to continue to expand their joint work on precarious work, which includes the ICEM priority of Contract and Agency Labour. ICEM will continue to take the lead on this, including through a multi-GUF working group on the subject. Temporary agencies, an area where UNI is already doing considerable work, might become a focus on work relationships, and may offer opportunities for productive co-operation among the GUFs. 
 
Equally highlighted at the 15-16 January meetings was the work &ndash; and successes &ndash; by several GUFs, the ITUC and TUAC, on private equity. Linked to that is the effort by the international union movement&rsquo;s Committee on Workers&rsquo; Capital, which works on such areas as pension trustee education, corporate and financial market governance, shareholder activism and economically targeted investments. 
 
Other items discussed in Brussels were the call for a strong public sector; the upcoming World Day of Action on Decent Work (7 October 2008); the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; and ongoing action towards the World Bank and its private investment arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Also discussed were labour-related issues inside a number of countries, such as Burma, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary, reported on the organisation&rsquo;s intense debate on China at its last General Council meeting in December, also in Washington. 
 
The international trade union leaders decided to continue their strong support for a number of joint offices, including, for example, the highly acclaimed ITUC/Global Unions Washington office. They also agreed on a budget for the work of the CGU. Fred van Leeuwen, General Secretary of Education International (EI), remains the CGU&rsquo;s chair for another year. Anita Normark, General Secretary of the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), continues as the Vice-Chair, and Guy Ryder as the CGU&rsquo;s Secretary. 
 
In addition to Manfred Warda, the ICEM was represented at the meeting by its President, Senzeni Zokwana, and by its Vice-President, Liv Undheim.

Council of Global Unions Meets at ICEM in Brussels

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Leaders of Japanese labour and business opened the first round of spring wage negotiations, called shunto, on 23 January at Keidanren Kaikan Hall in Otemachi, Tokyo. The talks, led by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, Rengo, commence in the automotive and appliance industries, with other Japanese sectors scheduled to follow. Shunto talks usually run until the end of March. 
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Expectations are high, and for the first time in the recent past, unions in several industries have announced fixed wage goals for this year&rsquo;s talks. For example, the Japanese Automobile Workers&rsquo; Union is demanding at least &yen;1,000-a-month as a salary adjustment, while other unions are demanding even more.
This spring&rsquo;s wage offensive also includes achievable goals to raise salaries and levels of benefits for part-time and agency workers. Rengo is demanding that companies sign a minimum wage agreement for contract workers, ensuring them of a salary that is higher than the official minimum wage. It will also push for revision of Japan's Worker Dispatch Law. That proposed change will guarantee more rights for contract workers and temporary workers. 
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Both Japanese trade union confederations, Rengo and UI Zensen, are championing the cause of temporary and agency workers. Japanese unions made substantial gains last year in recruiting part-time and non-regular workers into the union ranks, judging by a 12% increase in 2007. Japanese unions have prioritised gains for part-time and non-regular workers, knowing how dangerous a wide wage disparity between full-time and part-time workers can be.

Japanese Wage Talks Start with Set Expectations, Gains for Non-regular Workers

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A French court on 22 January ruled that before an amended merger plan between Gaz de France and Suez can go to shareholders, trade unions and the Works Council must be given more information in order to shape their views on the merger. 
 
The decision by the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris comes in a case filed by Gaz de France in December on the Works Council for its inability to come to a definitive opinion, prior to Works Council members&rsquo; terms ending on 31 December. 
 
The company was seeking a court order mandating an opinion from the workers&rsquo; body, but what was delivered was another costly delay to an ill-advised merger. 
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Under French law, the Works Council had to submit a non-binding opinion on an amended merger plan that was submitted in September 2007. But workers&rsquo; representatives did not have needed information on a plan to spin-off the water and environmental businesses of Suez. 
 
The merger of the state-run French utility with Franco-Belgian Suez Group was initially proposed early in 2006. It has been held up in the courts at several points. 
 
French unions and workers&rsquo; representatives have resisted the merger because it essentially privatises Gaz de France. The company is 80% state held, and a merger would reduce France&rsquo;s stake in the combined company, to be called GDF Suez, to 35%. French trade unions CGT, CFDT, FO, CGF-CGC, and CFTC have united to resist further consolidation of Europe&rsquo;s energy markets. 
 
A new consultation committee of the Works Council is expected to be in place by mid-February to examine further information by the companies regarding the merger.

Unions Win French Ruling Citing More Information Needed on Gaz de France, Suez Merger

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