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Global Unions, le conseil syndical mondial, compos&eacute; de 13 f&eacute;d&eacute;rations syndicales mondiales, de la Conf&eacute;d&eacute;ration Syndicale Internationale (CSI), du TUAC, la Commission syndicale consultative aupr&egrave;s de l&rsquo;OCDE, est conscient de l&rsquo;importance que rev&ecirc;t en Am&eacute;rique l&rsquo;adoption de ce projet de loi sur le libre choix des salari&eacute;s. Nous savons qu&rsquo;une &eacute;conomie forte d&eacute;pend de travailleurs ayant la possibilit&eacute; d&rsquo;adh&eacute;rer &agrave; une organisation syndicale et de n&eacute;gocier de mani&egrave;re collective de sorte que des salaires justes soient pay&eacute;s et que les avantages sociaux soient am&eacute;lior&eacute;s pour tous ce qui font partie de la soci&eacute;t&eacute;. 
 
Pour nous, ceci est le fondement m&ecirc;me de cette loi sur le libre choix des salari&eacute;s. Notre organisation appuie r&eacute;solument les organisations syndicales am&eacute;ricaines qui se battent en faveur de l&rsquo;adoption de cette loi b&eacute;n&eacute;ficiant de l&rsquo;appui du Pr&eacute;sident Barack Obama. Faites savoir &agrave; vos militants et &agrave; vos responsables &eacute;lus que notre organisation soutient sans r&eacute;serve cette loi sur le libre choix des salari&eacute;s. Pour nous, elle constitue un &eacute;l&eacute;ment essentiel permettant aux travailleurs dans une soci&eacute;t&eacute; libre de se syndiquer sans rencontrer d&rsquo;obstacles. 
 
(Sign&eacute;&hellip;.. Nom du responsable syndical) 
(D&eacute;nomination de l&rsquo;organisation syndicale) 
(Pays)

demande urgente: EFCA Lettre Français

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A two-month dispute between Michelin in Thailand and rubber workers backed by ICEM affiliate Petroleum and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Federation (PCFT) at a factory in Laem Chabang, Chonburi Province, ended favourably last week. The resolve came via tripartite dialogue and after strong intervention by the ICEM, FCE-CFDT of France, and Michelin&rsquo;s European Works Council. 
 
The dispute ended in the early morning hours of 28 April when state mediators, PCFT representatives, and Michelin&rsquo;s Laem Chabang managers reached a six-point accord that hopefully ends retaliatory punishment of 383 of the plant&rsquo;s 1,500 workers and ends a lockout that began on 25 March. 
 
Workers agreed to end mass protests at Michelin&rsquo;s plant gates effective on 28 April, and the company agreed to reinstate all workers who had been victimised by local management for refusing to withdraw their names from a petition circulated in early March. That petition called on management to engage in consultation with workers and PCFT representatives before implementing a 13% wage cut. 

<img height="129" alt="" src="" width="270" />
Michelin Laem Chabang PCFT union leaders, from left, Thanakorn Somsin, Rangsan Monchaisong, and Samai Koonswat 
Instead, management imposed a 35% wage cut on workers who refused to retract the petition and some nine days later imposed a lockout on them. 
 
Provincial mediators from Chonburi&rsquo;s Labour Protection and Welfare Office got both sides together, but on 20 April, local managers would not budge from the harsh, retaliatory 35% cut. The union at that mediation session proposed acceptance of the 13% cut for all until October 2009, but called on Michelin to pay a 2008 two-month bonus that the company had already announced. 
 
The ICEM again intervened on 21 April, calling the attitude of local managers &ldquo;arrogant and punitive, (warranting) immediate intervention from Michelin corporate headquarters in France.&rdquo; 

<img height="150" alt="" src="" width="251" />
Photo from Bangkok Post
Last week&rsquo;s negotiated settlement will see Michelin pay the two-month bonus, with all workers seeing a 13% cut. For those workers not choosing to return to work, they will receive assistance money as set forth under severance provisions of the Labour Protection Act. Michelin also agreed to drop legal and criminal complaints against workers who protested at plant gates. 
 
However, on the eve of the settlement, police arrested 18 of the locked-out workers, plus another worker from a nearby factory for a 20 April protest at the factory. As of today, it is not clear if those charges have been dropped. 
 
Laem Chabang rubber workers received strong support from staff employed at Bridgestone and Goodyear factories in Thailand, as well as from workers at other Michelin plants in the country. 
 
&ldquo;This is a hopeful sign, that workers, managers, together with government mediators can resolve differences through proper social dialogue,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;The ICEM views this dispute as a result of the paralysing global financial crisis and our wish now is that this tyre plant recovers so that renewed orders and sales will benefit workers.&rdquo;

ICEM, French Trade Union Pressure Brings End to Michelin Dispute in Thailand

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The Labour Ministry of Liberia threw out ArcelorMittal&rsquo;s claims that an 11 April representation election for potentially 2,000 miners and other workers should be declared invalid. ICEM affiliate Forestry, Logging, and Industrial Workers&rsquo; Union of Liberia (FLIWUL) won the election by a 10-to-one margin over a rival union in a Labour Ministry-supervised vote that was flawed by management and a Liberian parliamentarian who attempted to halt balloting after it began. (See a prior ICEM report <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/?date=2009-04-20#3153">here</a>.) 
 
In the company&rsquo;s protest, it claims that the Labour Ministry failed to define the correct bargaining unit and that it failed to follow procedural matters leading up to the vote. 

<img height="92" alt="" src="" width="200" />
In a 21 April letter, Acting Labour Minister John Josiah determined that several meetings were held prior with representatives of both unions that set forth the election timetable, ballots, and other matters. In the letter certifying FLIWUL, Josiah also said that despite a series of consultations with ArcelorMittal&rsquo;s Liberian management, &ldquo;you seem to be bent on ignoring fundamental principles both in keeping with (Liberia&rsquo;s) Labour Practices Law and Relevant ILO Conventions.&rdquo; 
 
The government then reprimanded the company for its &ldquo;desire to delay the elections&rdquo; by sending a list of its employees only two days ahead of the vote, instead of the mandated seven as prescribed by the Labour Code. &ldquo;We &hellip; understood that this was only a scheme to postpone the elections but to no avail.&rdquo; 
 
The certification letter also pointed out that after balloting began in one of the two locations, managers discouraged workers from voting by stating the vote had been cancelled when, in fact, it had not. One of ArcelorMittal&rsquo;s election observers left the Buchanan polling area shorting after voting began on 11 April, but returned later in the day with a Liberian parliamentarian to declare the vote cancelled. 

<img height="112" alt="" src="" width="149" />
FLIWUL activists in Harbel
Related to this, Acting Minister Josiah&rsquo;s letter stated: &ldquo;The Ministry of Labour would like to note that it will continue to abhor in the strongest term any or all acts of arbitrariness by one party over the other during Union/Management Representation Elections. The fact that remedies are available to every process should have given you every basis to allow the process and later seek redress rather than obstruct the exercise for hours. This we are still studying to determine the appropriate course of action. 
 
&ldquo;Meanwhile, we are pleased to state that the recent Union/Management Representation Election held was in line with normal procedure at the Ministry, and as such the results are authentic.&rdquo; 
 
ArcelorMittal stated in its objections to the election that even if the vote was certified, it would file an appeal on that decision. But on 28 April, FLIWUL leadership was contacted by management and a 22 May meeting has been set up between the two sides to discuss the next step. 
 
ArcelorMittal is currently engaged in a US$1.5 billion iron ore re-development project in Nimba County, near the Liberian-Guinea-C&oacute;te d&rsquo;Ivorie border. The project also encompasses a 250-kilometre rail link to the Atlantic Ocean port of Buchanan. Some 2,000 Liberian workers are expected to be employed.

Liberia Government Certifies FLIWUL to Represent ArcelorMittal Workers

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Meeting in Bogot&aacute;, Colombia, on 27 April, the ICEM Latin America/Caribbean Regional Committee gave strong support to non-ICEM affiliate Sintramienerg&eacute;tica in the aftermath of its safety strike against US-based Drummond Coal recently. (Details on that strike can be found <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3151-Contract-Worker-Death-Causes-Safety-Strike-at-Drummond-in-Colombia">here</a>.) 
 
The regional committee adopted a resolution calling on both Drummond and the government of Colombia to be vigilant in implementing an adequate occupational safety and health prevention programme at Drummond&rsquo;s coal operations in C&eacute;sar state. The resolution also calls on the company to immediately re-employ some 600 miners who lost their jobs due to a legal strike by rail transport workers. 

<img height="83" alt="" src="" width="180" />
It calls on Colombia and Drummond, one of the owners of the rail transport line, Fenoco, to respect ILO Conventions 87 and 98, the Freedom of Association and Right to Organise Convention, and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention. 
 
Members of a Colombian Mechanics&rsquo; and Metal Workers&rsquo; Union, Sintraime, staged a month-long strike across Fenoco&rsquo;s coal transport rail lines from 24 March to 20 April for union recognition and workplace rights. The ICEM supports the efforts of these workers to gain their collective rights. 
 
Fenoco, or the Ferrocarrilies Nacionales de Colombia, was bought by the Colombian government in 2006, but immediately commissioned and re-privatised to a handful of multinationals that mine and sell thermal coal from the rich deposits of C&eacute;sar state. Fenoco&rsquo;s biggest shareholders are Drummond and Xstatra, the latter which recently gained a 40% stake of the rail line with transfer of the Prodeco mining enterprise from its Swiss-based holding company, Glencore. 
 
Workers seeking representation with Sintraime engaged in a days-long blockade of the rail line in mid-April. A regional Supreme Court in northern Colombia ruled the strike legal, but Fenoco has now appealed that decision to the Colombia Supreme Court. 
<img height="180" alt="" src="" width="120" />
Sergio Novais
In the resolution, the ICEM regional committee, headed by Chairman Sergio Novais of Brazil, also calls on the Colombian government to provide job security and protection to Drummond&rsquo;s miners, members of Sintramienerg&eacute;tica, and the document points to a current social and economic crisis caused by speculative capital and a failed neo-liberal economic model.

ICEM’s Latin Region Supports Sintramienergética in Colombia Dispute Against Drummond

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Although not occurring at the rate of mining deaths two years ago, the number of miners killed inside South African mines continues to rise this year following tragic deaths at Harmony Gold 11 days ago. And also in late April, two miners employed by AngloGold Ashanti died at the company&rsquo;s Moab Khotsong mine, and another miner went missing deep inside the Great Noligwa mine. 
 
ICEM South African affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), now says that the official death count is over 60 so far this year. The 2007 rate exceeded 160 official deaths. 

<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
The incident at Harmony&rsquo;s Tshepong mine, located in Free State, was particularly repugnant because the company apparently was engaged in both underground blasting and drilling on the same day, a taboo according to the country&rsquo;s mine safety laws. Besides the two who were trapped and died from a rock cave-in, another miner who was rescued had his leg amputated. 
 
The Tshepong tragedy wasn&rsquo;t Harmony&rsquo;s only mine killings in April. On 14 April, a contract worker was electrocuted at the company&rsquo;s Target mine in Free State. 
 
The NUM is continuing to do day-long, stop-work actions as &ldquo;Days of Mourning&rdquo; for miners killed on the job. On 20 April, Harmony miners stopped work to mourn, and further work stoppages were done last week at the other mines. 
 
The AngloGold Ashanti deaths occurred at the Moab Khotsong mine, where a collapse of ground killed two miners. At the Great Noligwa mine near Orkney also in the Witwatersrand Basin, a miner failed to surface on 25 April following his shift. 
 
The spate of deaths and accidents comes just over two months since a safety audit was released in South Africa, showing that overall safety in mines was running at a dismal average of just 66%. The safety audit prioritised the maintenance of infrastructure as a necessity for improvement. 
<img height="128" alt="" src="" width="90" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="117" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Frans Baleni &amp; Senzeni Zokwana
&ldquo;No condition should justify why a worker should lose a life,&rdquo; said NUM President Senzeni Zokwana at the time of the audit&rsquo;s release. Added NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni, &ldquo;Safety should be a constitutional right of all workers.&rdquo;

South Africa Mine Deaths Continue to Rise

<img height="39" src="" width="100" alt="" />
An ICEM mission to Argentina has gained first-hand accounts on how the global recession has affected the South American country, as well as laying the groundwork for ICEM&rsquo;s 2011 Congress in Buenos Aires. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda met the GUF&rsquo;s Argentine affiliates on 29 April in an exchange of views on the economic collapse, and also met with non-affiliated trade unions on the crisis and their plans to affiliate. 
 
A decision on the location for the Fifth World Congress will be taken at the ICEM Executive Committee meetings, 23-24 June in Geneva. Argentina trade union affiliates are enthusiastic on hosting the Congress. 
 
Warda, along with ICEM Latin America/Caribbean Contact Person Carol Bruce, met with the Rubber Workers&rsquo; Union of Argentina, SUTNA, as well with the Energy and Oil Workers&rsquo; union, FeTERA, and the private-sector Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union, FASPyGP. The ICEM delegation also met with Uni&oacute;n Obrero Metal&uacute;rgical (UOM), which is interested in joining ICEM on behalf of nuclear workers that the union represents, as well as with trade unions affiliated with the national centre Central de Trabajores de la Argentina (CTA) on joining the ICEM. 

<img height="198" src="" width="264" alt="" />
Bruce participated in two manifestations while in Argentina. On 22 April, she marched with the CTA in which the national centre&rsquo;s secretary-general, Hugo Yasky, called for a 180-day moratorium in Argentina on job layoffs and an emergency outlay of state money to cover lost wages of workers. 
 
On 30 April, she marched with the other major labour centre, Confederaci&oacute;n General del Trabajo (CGT), in its support of the government of Cristina Kirchner in late June elections, and against neo-liberal policies that created the crisis and job losses, estimated to be some 50,000 in Argentina. 
 
The ICEM mission was supported by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation of Germany, which also provided a presentation on the impact of the economic crisis in Argentina.

ICEM Mission to Argentina Probes Crisis

Some 100 trade union leaders in the rubber sector from 22 countries will converge in Nashville, Tennessee, next week for pivotal discussions on recent developments in that sector. The event is the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) quadrennial World Conference for the Rubber Industries, which takes place on 12 and 13 May at Nashville&rsquo;s Sheraton Music City Hotel. 

&ldquo;In this time of global economic crisis, particularly in the automotive industry, it is important that key trade union leaders of the rubber sector gather to share ideas, discuss strategies, and move the issue of workers&rsquo; rights to the forefront of any recovery agenda,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. 

The conference, which will be hosted by ICEM&rsquo;s largest North American trade union affiliate, Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers of America (USW), will be presided over by USW President Leo Gerard, who is Chairman of the ICEM Rubber Industry Sector. 

The conference will feature a presentation by ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan on &ldquo;Global Industry Trends and Challenges.&rdquo; It will also feature five panel discussions: &ldquo;Effects of Global Crisis on the Industry and Trade Union Challenges,&rdquo; &ldquo;Rising Hardships and Distortion in Work Relationships,&rdquo; &ldquo;Global Agreements, Global/Regional Company and Sector Networks and Campaigns,&rdquo; &ldquo;How to Improve Health and Safety for Workers: What Kind of Industrial Policy for a Greener Environment for Securing Jobs,&rdquo; and &ldquo;How to Better Coordinate Global Union Solidarity, Support and Cooperation.&rdquo; 

Other presentations on the agenda will include: &ldquo;Collective Bargaining in the Rubber Industry,&rdquo; &ldquo;Global Trade Union Response Against Challenges,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Healthy and Safe Work, Environment and Sustainable Development.&rdquo; The conference will conclude in the afternoon of 13 May with &ldquo;Development of an Action Plan&rdquo; for trade unions of the global rubber sector. 
 
The Geneva, Switzerland-based ICEM is a Global Union Federation numbering 20 million workers, encompassed by 467 trade union affiliates in 132 countries. 

For further information, contact: Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer, +41&nbsp;79&nbsp;734&nbsp;9044, or kemal.ozkan@icem.org, or Dick Blin, ICEM Information Officer, +41&nbsp;22&nbsp;304&nbsp;1842, dick.blin@icem.org.

Global Trade Unions for the Rubber Sector Gather in Nashville, Tennessee, Next Week

Nashville, Tennessee, USA 
May 12-13, 2009
A g e n d a

&nbsp;
Monday, May 11, 2009 
 
Arrival of participants 
 
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 
 
08:00 Registration 
 
09:30 Opening of the Conference: 
Stan Johnson, International Secretary-Treasurer/Chairman of the Rubber&amp;Plastics Conference of USW 
 
10:00 General Report on ICEM Activities 
Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary 
 
10:30 Presentation: &ldquo;Global Industry Trends and Challenges&rdquo; 
Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Kemal%20presentation%201.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
11:00 Coffee-break 
 
11:30 First panel discussion: &ldquo; Effects Of Global Crisis on the Industry and Trade Union Challenges&rdquo; 
Peter Bakvis, ITUC/Global Unions <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/PETER%20BAKVIS%20PRESENTATION.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Fabio Lins, CNQ-CUT, Brasil 
Jacques Caltot, FCE-CFDT, France 
Alexander Sitnov, RCWU, Russia 
K.K. Siritharan, NUECMRP, Malaysia 
 
Discussions 
 
13:00 Lunch 
 
14:30 Presentation: &ldquo;Collective Bargaining, Wage Developments and Employment Relationship&rdquo; 
Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Kemal%20presentation%202.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
15:00 Second panel discussion: &quot;Rising Hardships and Distortion in Work Relationships&quot; 
Pedro Wasiejko, SUTNA-CTA, Argentina 
Edwin Cisco, FAWUL, Liberia 
Kevin Johnson, USW, USA <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20presentation%20johnson.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Holger Michel, IG BCE, Germany 
 
16:00 Coffee-break 
 
16:30 Discussions 
 
Summary of panels 
 
17:00 End of first day work 
 
19:00 Conference dinner 
 
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 
 
09:30 Presentation: &ldquo;Global Trade Union Response Against Challenges&rdquo; 
Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Kemal%20presentation%203.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
10:00 Third panel discussion: &ldquo;Global Agreements, Global/Regional Company &amp; Sector Networks and Campaigns&rdquo; 
Cyrille Poughon, FCE-CFDT, France <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20poughton.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Jesus Delgado, FIA-UGT, Spain <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20delgado.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Fabio Lins, CNQ-CUT, Brasil <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20futinal.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Michael Mersmann, IG BCE, Germany 
Melinda Newhouse, USW, USA <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20newouse.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
11:00 Coffee-break 
 
11:30 Presentation: &ldquo;Healthy and Safe Work and Environment; Sustainable Development&rdquo; 
Brian Kohler, ICEM Health, Safety and Sustainibilty Officer <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Health%20&amp;%20Safety%20Rubber%20Conf.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
12:00 Fourth panel discussion: &ldquo;How To Improve Health And Safety for Workers; What Kind of Industrial Policy for Greener Environment by Securing Jobs&rdquo; 
Jim Frederick, USW, USA <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20usw.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Jacques Caltot, FCE-CFDT, France <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20caltot.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
13:00 Lunch 
 
14:30 Presentation: &ldquo;Action Plan For Upcoming Period&rdquo; Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20kemal%204.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
 
15:00 Fifth panel discussion: &ldquo;How To Better Coordinate Global Union Solidarity, Support and Cooperation&rdquo; 
Jerry Fernandez, USW, USA <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/rubber%20usw%202.pdf">(click for presentation)</a> 
Phil McNulty, T&amp;G-AMICUS, UK 
Pedro Vasiejko, SUTNA, Argentina 
Austin Natee, FAWUL, Liberia 
 
16:00 Coffee-break 
 
16:30 Discussions 
 
Summary of panels and presentation of action plan 
Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary 
 
16:45 Election of Industry Chairman 
 
Closing speech of Chairman 
 
17:00 End of the conference 
 
Thursday, May 14, 2009 
 
Departure of participants

ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industry

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
ICEM'in d&ouml;rt yılda bir d&uuml;zenlenen Lastik İşkolu D&uuml;nya Konferansı 12-13 Mayıs 2009 g&uuml;nlerinde ABD'nin Tennessee Eyaleti&rsquo;nin Nashville kentinde 70'i aşkın katılımcıyla toplanıyor. ABD Birleşik &Ccedil;elik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'nın ev sahipliğini yapacağı Konferans&rsquo;ı, aynı zamanda sendikanın genel başkanı olan, ICEM Lastik İşkolu B&ouml;l&uuml;m&uuml; Başkanı Leo Gerard y&ouml;netecek. 

<img alt="" src="" width="120" height="140" />
Leo Gerard, ICEM Lastik İşkolu B&ouml;l&uuml;m&uuml; ve Birleşik &Ccedil;elik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası Başkanı 
ICEM Kimya ve Lastik İşkolları Sorumlusu Kemal &Ouml;zkan &ldquo;K&uuml;resel Sekt&ouml;rel Trendler ve Sorunlar&rdquo; konusunda bir sunum yapacak. 
 
Konferans şu beş konuda yapılacak &ccedil;alışma toplantılarından oluşacak: &ldquo;K&uuml;resel Krizin Sekt&ouml;r &Uuml;zerindeki Etkileri ve Sendikal Sorunlar&rdquo;, &ldquo;&Ccedil;alışma İlişkilerindeki Zorluklar&rdquo;, &ldquo;K&uuml;resel S&ouml;zleşmeler, K&uuml;resel/B&ouml;lgesel Ağlar ve Kampanyalar&rdquo;, &ldquo;İş&ccedil;i Sağlığı ve G&uuml;venliğinin İyileştirilmesi: &Ccedil;evre Bağlamında İstihdam Politikaları&rdquo; ve &ldquo;K&uuml;resel Sendikal Dayanışmanın, Desteğin ve İşbirliğinin Koordinasyonu&rdquo;. 
 
ICEM İş Sağlığı, G&uuml;venliği ve S&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lebilirlik B&ouml;l&uuml;m&uuml; Sorumlusu Brian Kohler sekt&ouml;rde iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği konusunda bir sunum yapacak.

ICEM&#039;in Dünya Lastik Konferansı ABD&#039;nin Nashville kentinde toplanıyor

Tom Albanese 
 
CEO 
 
Rio Tinto plc 
2 Eastbourne Terrace 
London 
W2 6LG 
United Kingdom 
 
Fax: +44 (0)20 7781 1800 
 
<a href="mailto:tom.albanese@riotinto.com">tom.albanese@riotinto.com</a> 
 

Dear Mr. Albanese: 
 
We are writing to condemn Rio Tinto for the vicious attack on members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) at your mine in Boron, California in the United States. The lockout by Rio Tinto is clearly aimed at destroying the union and the community that has sustained the mine for over 90 years. 
 
Our union still remembers the successful ICEM campaign against Rio Tinto in 2000 that stopped your company&rsquo;s effort to destroy trade unions in Australia, U.S. and elsewhere. The damage to Rio Tinto&rsquo;s reputation still lingers, and it hard for any trade union to believe your claims about practicing sustainable development when you continue to attack trade unions and communities. 
 
Rio Tinto&rsquo;s insistence on having the right to dismiss some workers for any reason; award jobs at will to outside contractors; dismiss miners in dangerous occupations for refusing to work overtime; and discriminate against union supporters and older workers are in violation of the fundamental principles of the International Labor Organization. 
Norway's Government Pension Fund divested $850 million (USD) of Rio Tinto shares in 2008 due to your company&rsquo;s unethical practices which further damaged your company&rsquo;s reputation. It is apparent that Rio Tinto cares little for its standing among the investment community or the public. 
 
We fully support the ILWU and the campaign being launched by the ICEM against your company. We demand that you end this unjust lockout immediately and return to the bargaining table. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
 
Name of Union Officer ____________ 
 
Name of Union __________________

Letter of Condemnation of Rio Tinto Lock Out

Archive

demande urgente: EFCA Lettre Français

ICEM, French Trade Union Pressure Brings End to Michelin Dispute in Thailand

Liberia Government Certifies FLIWUL to Represent ArcelorMittal Workers

ICEM’s Latin Region Supports Sintramienergética in Colombia Dispute Against Drummond

South Africa Mine Deaths Continue to Rise

ICEM Mission to Argentina Probes Crisis

Global Trade Unions for the Rubber Sector Gather in Nashville, Tennessee, Next Week

ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industry

ICEM'in Dünya Lastik Konferansı ABD'nin Nashville kentinde toplanıyor

Letter of Condemnation of Rio Tinto Lock Out

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