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Over 200 jewellery and gem polishers in Bangkok, Thailand -- mostly women -- staged a spontaneous rally outside their workplace on 5 September in protest to a Belgian company's suspension of the union leader and its blatant union intimidating. The workers were angry at the sacking, 3 September, of Wisoot Chomwihok, president of ICEM-affiliated Ornament Industry Workers' Union. 
 
The company is Siam Stars Co. Ltd., which is controlled by Antwerp-based IGC Group, a world diamond cutting and gem polishing enterprise. 
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Wisoot was fired with a formal suspension order last week, less than three months after he received a series of demotions and another suspension from managers at the 600-worker factory. The suspension order means he will continue to receive a minimum and basic wage while his sacking goes to an employment court. But he is denied other benefits contained in the collective bargaining agreement, including food and transport vouchers and a bonus based on piece rate and production. 
 
The ICEM clearly considers the suspension order and sacking of Wisoot Chomwihok as an unfair labour practice, and an effort by management to intimidate union members and leaders as they prepare for collective negotiations early next year. The spontaneous 5 September rally after working hours, the ICEM feels, is full proof that Siam Stars workers know and recognise the fact the company is out to destroy their union, and they will fight to strengthen it in the months to a June 2008 collective agreement expiration. 
In June, Siam Stars Co. had demoted Wisoot from one department to another, resulting in 30% loss of wages and denial of his ability to carry out union leadership duties. Following the Ornament Workers' Union filing charges with a regional labour ministry on the demotion, Siam Stars retaliated by issuing its first suspension order on Wisoot on 11 June 2007. 
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The union took the matter up with the Thai Human Rights Commission, which caused the company to reinstate Wisoot, but at the lower wage and in the inferior job classification. The company cited &quot;no work&quot; in the higher-level department, yet on 20 June it promoted three employees to that department. 
 
The Ornament Industry Workers' Union attempted to negotiate a compromise with managers by offering to keep Wisoot in the assigned department, but at his previous wage and benefit level. The union also sought a commitment that managers would not discriminate against unionised workers. Siam Stars refused to accept. 
 
In November 2006, IGC Group closed a diamond and gem production facility near Bangkok called Thai-Belgium Industrial Co. Ltd., making 230 workers redundant and transferring 70 others to the sister Siam Stars factory in Lak Si. The ICEM will continue to monitor this unfair dismissal, and lend support to workers at Siam Stars as they continue to strengthen their union.

Belgian Gem Employer Sacks Union Leader in Thailand

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A strike by Ukraine&rsquo;s two main coal mining unions last week at a state-owned company accomplished its goal: dismissal of the acting general manager. Some 9,000 coal miners of the Coal Mining Industry Workers&rsquo; Union of Ukraine and the Miners&rsquo; Independent Trade Union of Ukraine struck four major coal mines of the Krasnoarmeiskugol Company on 4 September, over mis-managed production and salaries. 
 
The strikes started at the Centralnaya, Stakhanov, Dimitrov, and Rodinskaya mines near the eastern city of Donetsk in the Donbass coal basin. The first demand of the strike was met when the government dismissed the company&rsquo;s general manager, Volodymyr Tymchenko. 
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After negotiations with two deputies in the Coal Ministry, Vladimir Fichev and Anatoly Bolotov, who were quickly dispatched to talk with striking miners, the decision was made to sack Tymchenko. At that, the two mine unions &ndash; both ICEM affiliates &ndash; decided to suspend the strike. 
 
Tensions, however, remain high because of the salary issue. The country&rsquo;s Coal Ministry wants to transfer 50% of workers&rsquo; hourly pay into norm-based remuneration. The mining unions are opposed. The mining unions also seek better production means. The strike comes as Ukraine desperately tries to attract investors to tap new seems of coal, namely in the Dnipr basin. 
 
The strike, which could re-start by month&rsquo;s end if the salary scheme isn&rsquo;t resolved, came amidst Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko publicly stating that success in the coal sector cannot come without an increase to workers&rsquo; social status. He said wages and pensions are too low, saying that the current levels are unfair and less than what miners&rsquo; deserve. He also said technical equipment in mines is poor, and Ukraine averages a death rate of one miner for every one million tonnes of coal produced, twice the rate of that in other countries.

Coal Miners in Ukraine Strike; Tensions Still High

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ICEM-affiliated papermaking union leaders concluded a highly successful set of talks last week in Helsinki and Stockholm. The top leaders, coming from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the US, as well as Norway, Denmark, and the UK, met through invitation of the Nordic Paper Workers&rsquo; Union network, and in coordination with the ICEM. The meetings took place 4-7 September. 
 
A definitive plan to form a work group and expedite global paper union issues through the ICEM was agreed to. The work group will include representatives from the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, the US&rsquo;s United Steelworkers (USW), and the Nordic paper unions. 
 
The US and Canadian labour leaders met with senior managers of both UPM (Kymmene) and Stora Enso, and visited the two company&rsquo;s Finnish mills in Anjalankoski (Stora) and Kymi Mill in Kuusankoski (UPM). A similar visit took place at Stora&rsquo;s Kvarnsveden mill in Borl&auml;nge, Sweden. 
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From left to right: Jan-Henrik Sandberg, Pappers; Jouko Ahonen, Paperiliitto; Dave Coles, CEP; Jon Geenen, USW; and Marrku Palokangas, Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni.
The conference and series of meetings was initiated by ICEM affiliates Paperiliitto in Finland and Svenska Pappers in Sweden. Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen and Pappers President Jan-Henrik Sandberg hosted the strategic meetings. The work group will come together in the next few months to undertake an immediate plan of action together with the ICEM. 
 
From Canada, CEP President Dave Coles, Sec.-Treas. Gaetan Menard, and CEP Assistant Fred Wilson attended the meetings. From the US, the meetings included USW Director Jon Geenen, Staff Representative Michael Bolton, and local branch leader and Stora worker Mike Peplinski, who serves as USW&rsquo;s delegate to Stora Enso&rsquo;s European Works Council (EWC). 
 
From Finland, ICEM Paper Sector Chairman Ahonen led a Paperiliiito contingent consisting of Petri Vanhala, Esa M&auml;isti, Sauli Jovanen, Juhani Siira, and Aila Sepp&auml;l&auml;. Finnish delegates also included Markku Palokangas and Jukka H&auml;m&auml;l&auml;inen, from ICEM affiliate Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni, the Trade Union of Salaried Employees. 
In Finland, the Nordic and North American paper union leaders met also with senior leaders of Kemianliitto, affiliate Chemical Workers&rsquo; Trade Union, and heard thorough reports from Paperiliitto on health and safety in the paper sector, the union&rsquo;s unemployment fund, and capital investment in the industry, in which Finnish shop stewards, safety delegates, and EWC representatives from all companies participated. 
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From Sweden, Bengt Sj&ouml;holm, Christer Larsson, and Mikael Jansson of Pappers participated, while SIF&rsquo;s Lis-Marie Fondberg also took part. Other Nordic representatives at the network meetings included ones from CO-Industri in Denmark and Fellesforbundet in Norway. The Amicus Section of UK affiliate Unite was also strategically included. 
 
The success of last week&rsquo;s Nordic tour was expressed in the words of the North Americans. 
 
These meetings, said CEP&rsquo;s Dave Coles, &ldquo;exceed our expectations. We have put a work plan forward and there is absolute consensus on moving forward and fast. This is a critical time for paperworkers in many countries.&rdquo; 
 
USW Director Jon Geenen said economic reports coming from the visit confirm the global pulp and paper sector has no limits when it comes to national or geographic boundaries. &ldquo;Emerging markets in developing nations are attracting capital for obvious reasons, while short-term, Wall Street mentality punishes corporations that invest badly-needed capital in other nations,&rdquo; stated Geenen.

Nordic, North American Paper Union Leaders Come Together to Shape Strategic Vision

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At an ICEM Latin American meeting, several South American unions involved in labour-energy strategies, met in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 29-30 August. 
 
The ICEM invited two other Global Union Federations (GUFs), Public Services International (PSI), and Union Network International (UNI), as well to participate. Unions from the oil, gas, and electricity sectors attended, as did Uruguay&rsquo;s paperworkers&rsquo; union. The major theme across the two days of discussions was discerning differences between a solely Latin-focused social plan and union network, and a more far-reaching, global network of energy and manufacturing unions. 
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From left to right: Fernando Berasain, coordinadora Mercosur unions, Achim Wachendorfer, FES Mercosur Office, and Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary
The ICEM stressed the number of multinationals operating in the region, including ones from Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Russia. &ldquo;With the high number of progressive changes coming politically in many Latin countries,&rdquo; said ICEM Gen. Sec. Manfred Warda, &ldquo;we can expect multinationals to be more open about entering dialogue toward global agreements.&rdquo; The ICEM already is partner with companies in countries above in global framework agreements. 
 
Warda invited all Latin American trade unions to join the ICEM, or one or another of the GUFs, in order to support the current trend of cooperation among global trade unions and federations. &ldquo;The ICEM calls on all unions in the region to build a strong movement, not just in Latin America but in energy sectors across the world,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;The ICEM asks Latin trade unions not to formally establish a separate organisation, but give support to the existing organisations and strong influence on the global issues that matter, especially energy.&rdquo; 
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Trade unions from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela attended the meeting, including representatives from national centres from several countries. 
 
For the ICEM, the conference served to advance a recently started project in Brazil on social dialogue with several multinationals, a project similar to the ICEM project launched in Colombia in 2004. The ICEM also opened the debate on Contract and Agency Labour (CAL). Contributions on this topic came from nearly all participants, and many had positive examples that shed new light on the issue. The union delegates discussed the ICEM&rsquo;s CAL Project, and agreed that a priority must be on organising contract workers. They also pledged to write letters to respective energy ministers on the dangers of sub-contracting. 
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And also from the ICEM, Vice President Sergio Novais, Latin America/Caribbean Region chairman of the ICEM, presented a training and leadership programme, which would start with 30 trade union leaders doing a residential course. In between, the 30 would be engaged in an intense, 200-hour training in distance and e-learning, with the union leaders expected to each train 20 other union members. 
 
The formal meeting adopted two resolutions, one on the continuing threats and deaths of Colombian trade unionists. The other one extended support to workers in Peru, who experienced death and destruction from the recent earthquake in the country. The <a href="/en/26-Latin-America-Caribbean/2384-ICEM-resolution-on-Colombia-ICEM-Latin-America-energy-meeting-in-Montevideo-Uruguay ">Colombian resolution can be found here</a>. The <a href="/en/26-Latin-America-Caribbean/2383-ICEM-Resolution-on-Peruvian-earthquakes-ICEM-Latin-America-energy-meeting-in-Montevideo-Uruguay">Peruvian one is here</a>. 
 
The meeting was aided by help from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).

Latin American Energy Conference in Uruguay Gets Sound Footings

Trade unions from ten Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern and North African countries gathered in Amman, Jordan, on 2-3 September, and the result was a loud cry for global union solidarity from the unions of the politically troubled region. The event was an ICEM regional conference, and the Global Union Federation has now received 11 requests for affiliation from unions that attended. 
 
Jordanian Labour Ministry official Majeed-el Hbachena opened the conference, and said it is important that states offer constitutional and legal rights to trade unions so that they may fulfil their obligations. He also said governments must engage trade unions in developing education and training strategies for workers. 
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Key items in discussions over the two days included efforts by Iraqi unions to defeat the proposed oil law in that country, and winning respect and fair treatment for Palestinian workers from Israel and the global community. The 35 trade union leaders that attended stood united behind the position that Iraq&rsquo;s natural resources belong to all Iraqi people! 
 
Trade unions from Kuwait, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq seek affiliation with the ICEM. &ldquo;We have an important role to play in the region,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;It is oil and gas, but electrical power, mining, and chemicals are also of major importance. Faced with increased levels of privatisation and contract and agency labour, unions in MENA face the same attacks as unions everywhere,&rdquo; said Warda. 
 
The region also elected its nominees for ICEM statutory positions, posts that will be endorsed at ICEM&rsquo;s November Congress. Some positions were designated on a yearly rotation system in order to bring more Middle East and North African (MENA) unions to the global front. Selected as the ICEM Vice President and Presidium member, in a rotating role, was Mohamed el-Sayed Morsi of Egypt&rsquo;s Public Syndicate of Public Utilities. Current Executive Committee member Abdeslam Mansour of UMT, Morocco, was confirmed to retain that seat, and the substitute post will rotate between a delegate from Jordan&rsquo;s General Union of Petrol and Chemicals Workers&rsquo; Union, and the General Union of Petroleum, Mining, and Chemicals Workers in Palestine (GUPMCWP). 
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Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein, president of Iraq&rsquo;s General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians (GUEWT), a member union of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) and ICEM&rsquo;s first affiliate from the occupied country, was nominated as the future Women&rsquo;s representative on the Executive Committee. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s work in the region was strongly supported in Amman by the presence and voices of ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, the president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa, and Welile Nolingo, the general secretary of South Africa&rsquo;s Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union (CEPPWAWU), who also is an ICEM Presidium Member. 
 
The conference had the support and expertise of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). FES&rsquo;s Britta K&auml;hler, from the Jordan office, played a major role in developing and carrying out the conference. It also benefited through involvement from the US Solidarity Center.

ICEM’s Middle East-North Africa Region Surges with New Growth

The Global Union Federation ICEM today commends the Liberian Supreme Court's 21 December to certify the Firestone Agriculture Workers' Union of Liberia (FAWUL)&nbsp;as bargaining representative for workers at Firestone Rubber Plantation in Harbel. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda called the decision start to &quot;ardent reconciliation that will finally give workers the fairness and equity they deserve.&quot;
The ICEM agrees with a statement on the Supreme Court's decision issued by the US-based United Steelworkers (USW), a union that has supported plantation workers at Firestone in&nbsp;organising their democratic and responsive Labour Union. &quot;The legal decision in favor of FAWUL signals a new day in Liberia,&quot; said USW President Leo Gerard and&nbsp;International Vice President&nbsp;Fred Redmond. The ICEM also joins the USW in calling on Bridgestone/Firestone management to begin earnest engagement with FAWUL in collective negotiations.
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In early July, a sizeable majority of some 5,000 plantation workers voted for FAWUL, which is now an ICEM&nbsp;affiliate. Liberia's Labour Ministry supervised the election, and a Special Elections Committee monitored the balloting.
On 10 December, after delays in certifying FAWUL, ICEM's Warda wrote Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: &quot;In the name of Free Trade Unions worldwide, we call on you to use your influence inside the Liberian government to recognise the legitimacy of the Firestone Agriculture Workers' Union. We insist that you certify the elected leaders of FAWUL, and ensure that local management at the Firestone plantation&nbsp;engages in full and meaningful collective negotiations with this union.&quot;
The ICEM welcomes the 21 December Supreme Court decision in Liberia, and, together with the USW and&nbsp;other worldwide unions,&nbsp;will continue to stand with the USW&nbsp;in aiding and assisting the&nbsp;FAWUL.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;

ICEM Welcomes Liberia&#039;s Certification of Legitimate Firestone Union

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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. 
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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

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The ICEM North American affiliate, Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada, announced its intention to re-open sector-wide Eastern Canadian pulp and paper bargaining in efforts to stop the closure of mills and the loss of jobs. Meeting in Montreal on 5-6 December, local union leaders at Canada's largest paper company, AbitibiBowater, adopted the measure as part of an action plan to halt mill closures. 
The announcement by leaders of 35 local unions came in the wake of AbitibiBowater&rsquo;s plan to sack 1,000 paperworkers with the closure of four mills &ndash; in Dalhousie, New Brunswick, McKenzie, British Columbia, and Shawinigan and Donnacona, both in Quebec. The closures mean Canada has now lost 20,000 forest sector jobs in the past two to three years. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
The proposal to enter talks early will be put to a conference of all pulp and paper local unions from Eastern Canada early in 2008. CEP then will be entering year four of a five-year contract covering 25,000 paperworkers in the eastern half of the country. 
 
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re taking the bull by the horns,&rdquo; stated CEP President Dave Coles. &ldquo;As a union, there are ways we can help cut costs that don&rsquo;t involve concessions, and we want to put them forward.&rdquo; The CEP president stressed that the union will not re-open contracts with the intent to cut wages or benefits. 
 
In 2004, Abitibi was the lead company for the CEP in pattern bargaining in Eastern Canada. The company's latest round of announced cuts occurs shortly after the Canadian company finalised its merger with US-based Bowater. 
<img height="114" src="" width="100" alt="" />
CEP President Dave Coles
&ldquo;We want to sit down face-to-face with AbitibiBowater to explore their closure announcements in detail,&quot; said Coles, adding that talks would centre on all possible alternative plans for the mills. He said early retirements and transition plans for the affected workers would be on the table. 
 
The CEP is also calling on AbitibiBowater and all major pulp and paper companies to join the union in convening a national forest industry summit to agree on urgent matters to support the industry. The union believes the federal government, led by Premier Stephen Harper, has turned a deaf ear to the crisis in the country's forest products industry, a crisis that has severely impacted tens of thousands of Canadians residing in rural areas.

CEP Proposes to Re-open Eastern Canada&#039;s Paper Talks to Halt Rampant Mill Shutdowns

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BHP Billiton, the world's largest combined energy and mining company, will file a legal appeal to avoid hiring contract workers to full-time, permanent jobs at its Escondida copper mining operations in Chile. That was the Australian company's response to a directive from the country's Ministry of Labour on 7 December that it is to directly employ 767 subcontractors at its large copper mining operation in northern Chile, in order to comply with a Law on Subcontracting. 
 
The directive, issued in a report, follows the notice that state-run mining company Codelco, the world's largest copper mining enterprise, must bring over 5,000 workers onto its permanent rolls for the same reason. Codelco utilises the services of some 30,000 subcontractors, compared to 15,000 permanent workers. 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
Furthers reports from the Ministry are expected on Xstrata and AngloAmerican. BHP Billiton wasted no time in saying it will challenge the directive, which, it says, will raise its full-time employment at Escondida by 25%. Escondida is 57.5% owned by BHP, while Rio Tinto holds a 30% stake, and a Japanese consortium holds 10%. 
 
Chile's Law on Subcontracting was passed in 2006 and took effect in January 2007. It sets limits on the number of staff that can be used on short-term jobs. The law changed the secondary responsibility of companies utilising contractors regarding labour responsibilities, giving them primary responsibility. It also created a process in which enterprises must register and establish a fund to meet wage costs and guarantee the supply of full-time workers in case of non-compliance. 
<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The purpose of the law is to ensure compliance with existing Chilean labour law and to prevent unfair competition between companies on work conditions. In Chile, some 50% of enterprises were estimated to contract out part of their production, while 20.7% contracted out their main economic activity. Prior to the law taking effect, a full 35% of Chile's labour force was estimated not to have a direct contractual link with the primary enterprise. 
 
In Chile's copper industry, permanent staff earns three times more than contract workers, who oftentimes perform the same work. This issue caused a six-week strike in June and July 2007 by the 30,000 subcontractors of Codelco at its five Chilean divisions. 
 
The Labour Ministry's report on Xstrata and AngloAmerican, which each own 44% of Chile's third largest copper operation, Dona Ines de Collahuase, is expected to be released this week.

BHP Billiton Files Legal Challenge to Chile&#039;s Law on Subcontracting

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ICEM affiliate Chemical, Manufacturing and Connected Trades Employees&rsquo; Union (CMCTEU) has engaged in a global effort to block two pieces of government legislation coming soon to a vote in the National Assembly of the Indian Ocean island-nation. 
 
The two bills the Employments Relations Bill and the Employment Rights Bill. CMCTEU issued a statement saying the government is pressing the measures to a vote in this legislative session before extensive dialogue between the social partners can occur. They ask the ICEM to take this struggle to a global level by asking trade union affiliates to write letters to the Mauritius Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment opposing the measures. 
 
That minister is Dr. Vasant Bunwaree and letters can go to <a href="mailto:vkbunwaree@mail.gov.mu">vkbunwaree@mail.gov.mu</a>. 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
The Employment Relations Bill has many shortcomings, namely an erosion of workers&rsquo; rights, a cumbersome strike certification process, and restrictions on jobless workers over unemployment pay and ability to regain employment. The legislation also decreases sick leave time and gives no collective trade union protection to workers in small enterprises. 
 
The proposed laws also contain no penalties for employers who unjustly fire workers. 
 
The ILO&rsquo;s International Labour Office has assessed both pieces of legislation. It said that social and labour policies enacted into law must be the result of extensive consultation and social dialogue. It also concluded that the draft statutes set forth no criteria on how the two will function together, and says the legislation as written is short on administrative monitoring compliance. The ILO was also critical of language in the proposed statutes, which, in many places, is not gender-neutral.

Mauritius Affiliate Seeks Halt to hasty Labour Reform Legislation

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Mauritius Affiliate Seeks Halt to hasty Labour Reform Legislation

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