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The F&eacute;d&eacute;ration des travailleurs de l&rsquo;Energie, des Mines et Eau et Assimili&eacute;s (FESYNEME) held its first Congress in Benin, West Africa, on 2 September 2006. 
 
Delegates from each of its five member-unions, all from the energy sector, were present at this first Congress, including from Syntra-Sonacop (Syndicat des travailleurs de la soci&eacute;t&eacute; nationale de commercialisation des produits p&eacute;troliers), the ICEM&rsquo;s affiliate in Benin. FESYNEME is, in turn, an affiliate of Benin&rsquo;s national centre CSA. 
 
The Congress chose Syntra-Sonacop&rsquo;s General Secretary Dieudonn&eacute; Lokossou as General Secretary for FESYNEME for the next four years.

First Congress for Energy Union Federation in Benin

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Seven trade unions representing Continental AG rubber workers in six countries gathered 18-19 October in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to discuss the German manufacturer&rsquo;s labour practices. The meeting was hosted by the independent SNTGTM in Mexico. 
 
A declaration resulted from the conference on undertaking future work, including a Day of Action at Continental&rsquo;s global worksites on 13 December 2006. The declaration includes a call to IGBCE of Germany, as the major trade union of Conti workers there, to conduct a meeting of Continental trade unions in order to work toward creation of a global union network. 
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Continental Tyre unionists 
in front of the San Luis Potosi plant
Trade unionists from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico and the US attended the meeting in San Luis Potosi. The host union described how management at this plant sacked some union leaders, with SNTGTM taking the matter to court in order to get reinstatements. With that successful, the union has still found it difficult to bargain with the company each year. 
 
Mark Cieslikowski, a local union leader from US affiliate United Steelworkers (USW), told delegates of the harsh manner in which Continental closed a tyre factory in Charlotte, state of North Carolina, this year. Brazilian trade unionists told how, despite a collective agreement in place, managers at a facility in Cana&ccedil;ari block union representatives from entering the plant to speak with or organise workers. 
 
J&ouml;rg Schustereit, IGBCE member and member of the works council of ContiTech, called &ldquo;Euroforum,&rdquo; spoke about the process and workings of that council, while ICEM&rsquo;s Rubber Sector Officer, Michael Wolters, reported on Conti&rsquo;s economic situation, as well as the company&rsquo;s current business strategy. 
 
The ICEM will update Rubber Sector trade unions about developments at Continental, as well as alert unions at Continental worksites about the Day of Action, 13 December 2006.

Rubber Unions Gather to Discuss Continental; Issue Declaration

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Neo-conservative Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, issued sharp criticism at China last week for the way in which the country runs its investment projects in developing countries. According to Wolfowitz, Chinese banks should stop their current practice of ignoring workers and human rights when investing abroad. 
 
A key point in Wolfowitz&rsquo;s assertion was the fact that Chinese banks fail to adhere to the international Equator Principles. 
 
Earlier this year, dozens of commercial banks and lenders signed up to a revised version of the Equator Principles. These principles are a voluntary benchmark for the financial industry, consisting, among other things, of a set of environmental and social standards that should be met by banks when they fund global projects. To date, some 80% of all commercial banks have adopted the guidelines. 
 
Trade unionists everywhere might take an interest in this, since the Equator Principles are partially based on the social and environmental loan conditions of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank&rsquo;s lending arm for the private sector. Cause for some optimism is that the IFC, earlier this year, also adopted a new of social standards. These new IFC standards now include a commitment to respect all ILO's core labour standards, including the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. 
 
When all is tallied, this means that a majority of the world&rsquo;s operating banks, of whom many are involved in mining, oil, gas or other extraction projects in developing countries, have now declared, albeit voluntarily, to demand the respect for the core ILO standards in their projects. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="100" /> 
 
Reg Green,&nbsp;ICEM&rsquo;s Health, 
Safety and Environment Officer
In reacting to a Financial Times article on this subject, Reg Green, ICEM&rsquo;s Health, Safety and Environment Officer, wrote in a letter-to-the-editor that the World Bank&rsquo;s quest for further endorsements of the Equator Principles a sound idea. However, in addition to endorsing the principles, he said that countries could, and should, go a step further. 
 
Green wrote, &ldquo;The single most important asset that African countries currently possess is their mineral wealth. It is also well known that where mineral wealth is concerned there are major temptations to corruption.&rdquo; 
 
Green said more African countries would do well to commit themselves to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) principles, an international effort to &ldquo;improve governance in resource-rich countries through the full publication and verification of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining.&rdquo; ICEM has been supportive of the EITI initiative. In his Financial Times letter, Green describes the EITI as a promising development, even though it is still very young. 
 
Finally, and ironically, the World Bank, which criticises Chinese banks for not abiding by the Equator Principles and the ILO standards, recently issued a highly-circulated publication entitled &ldquo;Doing Business,&rdquo; which encourages violation of a number of ILO Conventions by countries in order to make their economies more &quot;investment friendly.&quot; 
 
For more information: 
EITI : <a href="http://www.eitransparency.org">http://www.eitransparency.org</a> 
Equator Principles: <a href="http://www.equator-principles.com">http://www.equator-principles.com</a> 
IFC adopting ILO standards: 
<a href="http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223448&amp;Language=EN">http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223448&amp;Language=EN</a>&nbsp;

On International Social and Environmental Principles

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The two Spanish ICEM affiliates in the oil and gas sector, FIA-UGT and FITEQA-CC.OO., jointly issued a call for a two-day general strike of all gas and petrol station workers, set for 7-8 November. In total, the strike would affect 41,500 workers, spread over some 8,700 petrol stations across Spain. 
 
The unions are protesting against a series of bad working conditions. Workers often work extra hours just in order to cope financially; they earn only &euro;800-900 euros a month, before taxes. They also face &ldquo;excessive rotation and temporary work,&rdquo; including shift and weekend work. Other issues include dangerous working conditions, specifically regarding frequent robberies, and the fact that workers are expected to perform extra shop duties without extra pay. 
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UGT and CC.OO. want a new three-year collective agreement to include a substantial salary increase and a reduction in average working hours. The unions say their demands are very reasonable, certainly given the current profits by the multinationals that control the distribution sector. 
 
And they remain open to negotiations with the employers. A meeting last week, however, failed to bring parties closer to an agreement. The unions and employers are meeting again tomorrow, in a last attempt to avoid a strike. Hopes are not that high though, since negotiations for this sector have been stalled since March.

Spanish Petrol Station Workers Threaten Two-Day Strike

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The Seventh National Convention of ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada was held 15-19 October in Vancouver, British Colombia province, and Dave Coles was selected by acclamation as president of the union. 
 
He succeeds Brian Payne, ICEM Vice President, who has served in that capacity since 2000. After 28 years service to the CEP, and before that, ten years as a shop-floor activist in a British Colombia paper mill, Payne retired effective at the close of the convention. 
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New CEP President Dave Coles (at right), with Finnish Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen, ICEM's Paper Sector Chairman
Over 1,000 delegates and alternates moved fervently to adopt a resolution that will significantly boost the union&rsquo;s organising fund. They also debated fiercely the Canadian military&rsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan, a situation which has left over 70 Canadian soldiers and diplomats dead. 
In a softer but equally passionate testimony, delegates expressed their emotions and thanks to Payne for his leadership at CEP, particularly by forging unity and consensus among the union&rsquo;s 150,000 members in forest products, oil and gas, media, and telecommunications sectors. Payne&rsquo;s resolve to protect the interests of CEP members, from defence resources to pattern-bargaining, was lauded. His effort to bring a successful 14-year pay equity battle to closure at Bell Canada telephone was also recognised. 
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Retiring CEP President Brian Payne and his wife Verna
Coles has been CEP&rsquo;s Western Region Vice President. He began his union career in the early 1970s at a pulp mill in British Columbia and has over 30 years of labour and community activism, including work as a CEP organiser in both Alberta and British Colombia provinces.
&ldquo;Thanks to the debate and direction provided at this convention,&rdquo; Coles said at the close of it, &ldquo;we head into the next two years resolved to build an effective, dynamic union. We will make progress through collective bargaining and rise to new levels of social unionism.&rdquo; 
 
Ga&eacute;tan M&eacute;nard, a National Representative who began his union career in 1984 at Local 11, Masson, Quebec, was elected CEP Secretary-Treasurer.

Dave Coles Succeeds Retiring Brain Payne as President of Canada’s CEP

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ICEM affiliate, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), again called for an absolute zero level of tolerance on health and safety incidences inside South Africa&rsquo;s mining industry. 
 
That message again had to be delivered following a pair of seismic events, which caused death on 23 October at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s TauTona gold mine near Carletonville, South Africa. The tremors brought cave-ins and resulted in the deaths of five miners, who were working some 2,700 metres underground in one of the world&rsquo;s deepest mines. 
The NUM questions why miners are even working in an environment so hazardous. AngloGold&rsquo;s TauTona mine had already seen the deaths of another five miners, with ten others severely injured, earlier this year in similar rock falls. Tremors struck the mine southwest of Johannesburg in separate occurrences in January and February. In July 2005, two more miners were killed at TauTona when a tremor caused a rock slide. 
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The two 23 October tremors, which struck near a production seam nearly three kilometres inside the earth, occurred 25 minutes apart, and registered magnitudes of 1.9 and 2.3 on the Richter scale. The resulting rock slides also injured two other miners, one seriously. 
 
South African Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjea questioned the logic of miners working so deep in such environments. &ldquo;In view of an industry-accepted target of zero fatalities, gold mines are the worst performers,&rdquo; she said, in a statement on the most recent TauTona tragedy. 
 
AngloGold produced 120,000 ounces of gold from TauTona in fiscal quarter ending in June 2006. That figure represents 8.5% of the company&rsquo;s total global gold production.

Earth Tremors Bring Death in AngloGold’s South African TauTona Mine

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 16

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A study by the Belgian ethical research organisation, Ethibel, of nine North American chemical companies found that DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Monsanto fell far short of a threshold for final analysis because, among other reasons, of the companies labour practices. Ethibel researched various environmental and sustainability criteria in making the study, including the genetic manufacture of agriculture seeds. 
 
DuPont received contrasting commentary on its environmental and sustainable practices. On the one hand, the company received high marks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and for producing energy-efficient, next-generation products and technology. But DuPont also scored highest among 2006 air polluters, according to the US-based Political Economy Research Institute&rsquo;s (PERI) Toxis 100 list. 
The study also showed DuPont as having a &ldquo;major involvement in hazardous chemicals, as well as minor involvement in animal testing and armament.&rdquo; The study also cited DuPont&rsquo;s &ldquo;stout anti-union reputation.&rdquo; 
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Dow Chemical, Ethibel claims in its research, &ldquo;is involved in several disputable practices, union-busting, suing critics, and various environmental air and water pollution cases. In 2006, Dow ranked 11th on PERI&rsquo;s Toxis 100 air pollution list. Monsanto ranked 69. 
 
The labour and environmental shortcomings meant the three companies fell short of eligibility for Ethibel&rsquo;s Excellence Register, or Ethibel&rsquo;s Pioneer Register. 
 
The companies examined by Ethibel, besides DuPont, Dow, and Monsanto, included Air Products and Chemicals, Praxair, Rohm and Haas, PPG Industries, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, and Ecolab. Only Air Products and Chemicals, Praxair, Rohm and Haas, and Potash Corporation were found to be eligible for the Ethibel Excellence Register.

DuPont, Dow, Monsanto Fare Poorly in Study of North American Chemical Producers

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Although the ICEM is encouraged by last week&rsquo;s agreement between partisan Palestinian political parties to lay aside their differences and form a working coalition government, a fundamental reason why violence has erupted in Palestine was spelled out by the leader of ICEM&rsquo;s Palestinian affiliate, the General Union of Petroleum, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; in Palestine (GUPMCWP). 
 
Mohammed Jadallah said the withholding of legitimate Palestinian funds by Israel worsens the plight of workers. Jadallah said the continuing occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel and the economic siege have sown seeds of discontent for Palestinians. &ldquo;It is very difficult for people on the outside to understand how difficult daily life is for Palestinian workers,&rdquo; said the president of the GUPMCWP. 
<img height="155" src="" width="120" alt="" />
Mohammed Jadallah
He added that a recent two-day seminar by the union in the West Bank city of Ramallah, attended by 60, revealed that the Palestinians hurt most by Israel&rsquo;s blockade of revenues to his government have been women, children, and the elderly. 
 
Jadallah was speaking after sectarian violence destroyed the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) building on 2 February, an act targeting not only the national centre but also the Voice of Workers&rsquo; radio station situated inside the building. GUPMCWP is an affiliate of the PGFTU. 
 
Jadallah concluded by saying that an end to violence inside Palestine will only occur when Israel and Palestine find a lasting peace in which the security of all people is guaranteed.

Israel’s Withholding of Palestinian Funds Has Incited Violence, GUPMCWP Leader Says

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An advisor to the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW), Dr. Adnan Al-Abed, was found murdered on 31 January, three days after he and two colleagues were abducted in front of the Al-Nahrain University, where he was a law professor. The murders reflect the horrid circumstances that trade unionists and their allies are subjected to every day in attempting to build democratic unions in Iraq. 
 
Dr. Al-Abed was a known supporter of Iraqi unions, who used his expertise to write and publish frequently on labour issues, including revision of an ILO-sponsored draft labour law for Iraq. He was a frequent lecturer at the GFIW-affiliated Institute for Trade Union Education.
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Also on 31 January, a car bomb severely wounded Khalil Ibrahim Al-Mashhadani, vice president of the GFIW. It is believed he was the target of the bomb. Al-Mashhadani also serves as general secretary for the Arab Federation of Building and Woodworkers. Prior to the three-way merger of the GFTU, the IFTU, and the GFITU to form the GFIW, Al-Mashhadani served as president of the GFITU. 
 
Violent acts against Iraqi trade unionists didn&rsquo;t stop with these attacks on 31 January. A car bomb exploded the same day at the GFIW&rsquo;s branch office for the northern province of Nineveh, resulting in injuries to workers and trade union leaders. The car bomb went off in Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province. 
 
GFIW issued the following statement after that morning bomb attack: &ldquo;The terrorist acts, the annihilation of trade unionists, the destruction and occupation of trade union offices, the freezing of the trade union movement&rsquo;s assets, and the placement of obstacles in our way will only increase our resolve to build an independent, democratic trade union movement that is free of government and party hegemony.&rdquo;

Violence in Iraq Aimed at GFIW Trade Unionists Continue

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