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A strike deadline in Nigeria has been extended through this week in order that talks can continue between ICEM&rsquo;s two oil and gas union affiliates &ndash; NUPENG and PENGASSAN &ndash; and the Ministers of Labour and Petroleum on the urgent need to guarantee security and safety for workers and their families in the Niger Delta. 
 
A deadline by the unions to pull their workers out of Niger Delta oil and gas installations was due to expire today. But on Friday, 6 February, after a meeting with Rivers States Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the unions agreed to more talks this week. Leaders of the two unions will meet in Abuja beginning today with Minister of Work and Productivity Adetokunbo Olyukayode and Minister of Petroleum H. Odein Ajumogobia on viable solutions to the security situation. 
 
Port Harcourt, other parts of Rivers State, as well as neighbouring Niger Delta states have been hit by a rash of kidnappings against family members of PENGASSAN and NUPENG members in the past few weeks. Armed groups are calling for ransoms of up to US$100,000 after grabbing at gunpoint innocent family members of oil and gas workers. 
 
Another incident occurred Friday, 6 February. An ambush at a Shell Petroleum Development Corp. (SPDC) gas plant in Utorogun, Delta State, resulted in three militants being killed. First reports cite that no workers were harmed, although that has not always been the case in such attacks. 
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Earlier in the week, a Nigerian worker of Agip, a subsidiary of Italian ENI, was kidnapped. He was released without the company acknowledging whether or not a ransom was paid. On 29 January, the 11-year-old daughter of a PENGASSAN member, SPDC employee Samuel Awolesun, was murdered when she and her nine-year-old brother were kidnapped on their way to school. The young girl was shot while resisting the kidnap. 
 
In a PENGASSAN communiqu&eacute; of 6 February, the union announced the boy had been released last week. 
 
PENGASSAN and NUPENG count 12 kidnappings of oil and gas staff, their spouses, or family members since 24 January in Port Harcourt alone. Reports say that there have been at least ten attacks on vessels in waters off the Niger Delta since the first of the year. 
 
&ldquo;The insecurity in the delta has taken a new dimension,&rdquo; NUPENG National President Peter Akpatason told the ICEM. &ldquo;The government is not doing enough to protect staff and their families and this now has become a very serious industrial relations matter.&rdquo; 
 
PENGASSAN General Secretary Bayo Olowoshile said it is up to the government and state-run petroleum companies to prove why &ldquo;our services should not be withdrawn from all upstream facilities until security is improved in the region.&rdquo; 
 
In the joint announcement Friday to all NUPENG and PENGASSAN zonal chairmen and branches, in which a new strike deadline was set for 13 February, the unions said, &ldquo;We wish to inform (all workers) to await further directives as we engage the Federal and Rivers State Governments at this trying moment.&rdquo; 
 
Separately, the unions are also pressing the government and oil companies to address gaps in pay, working conditions, and social welfare benefits for casual workers and workers on fixed-term contracts. They are also building a case for better empowerment and employment opportunities for Nigerian nationals in the oil and gas industry, as well as support for liberalisation in the downstream sector if the existing private-sector employers commit to investments.

PENGASSAN, NUPENG Give Government Week to Rectify Recent Rash of Niger Delta Kidnappings

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The International Metal Workers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), in collaboration with the ITUC and other Global Union Federations, last week announced the third annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival, to take place 16 June 2009. The event will &ldquo;explore ways of reaching broader audiences and promote and support the capacity of trade unions to communicate through film.&rdquo; 
 
Started in 2007 as part of the IMF Communicators&rsquo; Forum, the Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival has grown over the last two years and has positioned itself as one of the only international film festivals to showcase primarily film and videos made by unions about unions and working people. 
 
The three-hour programme will focus on films that are excellent examples of communicating labour stories and messages and the selection will include a range of different films from different parts of the world. 
 
The IMF asks for copies of films, in English, on DVD with a short paragraph describing the film and why it was produced, by 13 February 2008. Please contact Kristyne Peter (<a href="mailto:kpeter@imfmetal.org">kpeter@imfmetal.org</a>) or Alex Ivanou (<a href="mailto:aivanou@imfmetal.org">aivanou@imfmetal.org</a>).

Third Annual Geneva Labour Film Shorts Festival Announced

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Pulp and Paper trade union leaders of the ICEM concluded their World Conference on 10 December in Piri&aacute;polis, Uruguay, with delegates forging a clear and concise solidarity action plan. With that, ICEM&rsquo;s Pulp/Paper Work Group activities will be extended and expanded to other leading affiliates. 

The conference featured a work plan, built around collective bargaining and other important work, and it took on issues of debt collapse, global growth slowdowns in the south, and pricing and labour costs from region to region.
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The conference heard a thorough and first-of-its-kind mapping of Mercosur unions in the pulp and paper sector and the companies that these unions are present at. The mapping came way of Brazil&rsquo;s Instituto Observat&oacute;rio Social, through funding from Finland&rsquo;s SASK, the global solidarity arm of the country&rsquo;s national labour centre. 
Delegates heard comments from Argentine trade union leader Blas Juan Alari, President of FOEIPCyQ, that a cold-war dispute between Argentina and Uruguay over a pulp mill did not take into account the sentiments of Argentine workers. The conference also heard moving presentations about workers&rsquo; rights in Uruguay from leaders of the national labour centre, PIT/CNT. 
They also heard from Ilkka H&auml;m&auml;l&auml;, President and CEO of Metsa-Botni&auml; Oy, whose pulp mill in Fray Bentos has brought controversy between Argentine and Uruguyan governments, and from Jeronimo Ruiz, Director of S&atilde;o Paulo State&rsquo;s BRACELPA employers&rsquo; grouping, who also heads collective bargaining for Brazil&rsquo;s pulp and paper employers. 
Workers&rsquo; representatives queried the industry leaders on several things, including wood supply issues; pulping, delivery, and labour costs, and questions on social responsibility records, a sharp challenge that was put forward by ICEM Pulp and Paper Charman Jouko Ahonen, President of Paperiliitto of Finland. He said the precedence of profits to investors over society&rsquo;s interests is the foremost affront to a company&rsquo;s social responsibility record.
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Trade Union leaders on panel, from left, Jan-Henrik Sandberg, Sweden; Blas Juan Alari, Argentina; and Fred Wilson, Canada 

The conference also heard from Uruguay Industry and Energy Minister Daniel Martinez and Labour and Social Security Minister Eduardo Bonomi. Martinez, a former trade union leader in Uruguay, gave an impassionate speech on the need to uphold high labour and social standards in all industrial development. Bonomi gave a vivid account of a crumbling civilian government giving way to military in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as proclaiming that Uruguay&rsquo;s cuurent plans for industrial growth will better integrate the Mercosur countries. 

President of the host union, CUOPyC&rsquo;s Walter Silva, reminded trade union guests that any financial crisis inevitably harms workers first and the hardest, and said the most recent economic collapse must be the call for deepening democratic trade unions, opening of workers&rsquo; channels to investment decisions, and an absolute end to &ldquo;any type of social dumping.&rdquo; 

Silva also called the Argentine-Uruguay dispute &ndash; now in the World Court &ndash; regrettable, stating &ldquo;our opinion wasn&rsquo;t taken into account, although we had the ability to offer experience and knowledge&rdquo; to calm the political difficulties of the Fray Bentos mill. The mill has now been operating for one year and produces 100,000 metric tonnes of pulp annually, 70% of which is bought by Metsa-Botni&aacute;&rsquo;s three paper-making owners. 

ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda told delegates the neo-liberal model of economic structures has failed. &ldquo;It is not a time to heal a system that has failed, but rather a time to forge a sustainable future built on justice and equality.&rdquo; 

He said Uruguay was the right place to hold this conference, considering the dark days of repression in the 1970s and 1980s, with the ICEM purposely scheduling the conference on the 60th Anniversary of signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

The three-day ICEM forum was preceded by a two-day conference, 6-7 December, on forest certification programmes sponsored by the global union federation, Building and Woodworkers&rsquo; International (BWI). That forum proved highly successful and afforded.ICEM affiliates the opportunity to learn about forest certification programmes.

ICEM Pulp/Paper Conference Held in Uruguay

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A six-day occupation of a factory in the US by ICEM affiliate United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers Union of America (UE) in Chicago served notice that American workers will take militant action to protect their interests, specifically against the US banking industry, which ultimately was responsible for the Chicago dispute. 
 
The occupation at Republic Windows and Doors ended on 11 December when a negotiated settlement came together between UE and a consortium of capital entities. The plant takeover started on 5 December when 200 workers occupied the Chicago factory after being given only three days notice of Republic closing the plant.
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American law requires 60 days pay for workers victimized by plant closures that are the size of Republic. UE Local 1110 members were denied this in the liquidation of their factory, and they were denied accrued and unused vacation time as well. The employer, Republic, pleaded it could not pay because Bank of America had cut off the company&rsquo;s line of credit, while the credit-troubled bank claimed it was the company&rsquo;s responsibility to pay workers. 
 
After six days of living and sleeping inside the plant, UE members and workers won a backpay settlement that included accrued vacation time and job benefits, and they won much more. Bank of America agreed to guarantee pay to cover the lawful plant-closing requirement, JPMorgan Chase &ndash; 40% owner of Republic Windows and Doors &ndash; agreed to contribute US$400,000, and Republic itself agreed to come up with US$114,000 to meet its payroll obligations for the week leading up to the plant takeover. 
 
Also in the negotiated settlement, workers will receive extended health insurance coverage. The victory inspired the UE to open a &ldquo;Window of Opportunity&rdquo; fund in order to find a way to keep the factory operating. 
 
The plant occupation sends a stark reminder regarding civil priorities in this period of bank bailouts, and the circumstances surrounding plant closures in the first place. It caught the attention of US President-elect Barack Obama, who said, workers were &ldquo;right&rdquo; to occupy the plant, because they &ldquo;understand that what&rsquo;s happening to them is reflective of what&rsquo;s happening across the economy.&rdquo; 
 
The UE sent a potent message on how to protect workers&rsquo; benefits during the bailout bonanza. The ICEM commends its US trade union affiliate for taking &ndash; and winning &ndash; this timely workplace action.

Chicago Plant Takeover Vivid Reminder Amidst American Banking Bailout

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Some 125 trade union leaders from the pulp and paper sector of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) conclude deliberations today in Uruguay toward shaping strategies for the sector. In the final session of day two of the 8-10 December conference in Piri&aacute;polis yesterday, delegates from 35 countries embarked on a four-point work plan focusing on national collective bargaining schedules in 2009. 
 
Delegates received a thorough mapping of the different trade unions representing pulp and paper workers in the sprawling Brazilian pulp and paper sector, as well as those in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Day two also featured a trade union panel that probed the consequences on workers of the current global recession. 
 
The theme of the conference is &ldquo;North Meets South: Global Unity, Global Strength,&rdquo; and ICEM Pulp and Paper Chairman Jouko Ahonen said networking between trade unions of the North and the burgeoning South &ndash; even with project curtailments brought on by the sudden economic collapse &ndash; is essential. &ldquo;This strategic plan is ambitious and we did get commitment that unions in South America, Asia, and the traditional pulp and paper-producing of the North will come together to forge common a programme,&rdquo; said Ahonen, who serves the ICEM sector as President of Paperiliitto Union of Finland. 

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The work plan, which can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/EN%20PulpPaper2009WkPl.pdf">here</a>, centers on establishment of a global communications and support network for the many national unions that have bargains in 2009. Sector-wide negotiations will occur in the Nordic countries, as well as eastern Canada and several European countries. Major agreements also come due at mills in Australia, the US, and Argentina and union leaders pledged to monitor talks and take global action when requested. 
 
The work plan also addresses strategies aimed at renewal talks of Global Framework Agreements with Norske Skog of Norway and SCA of Sweden, which occur in 2009. And in line with the conference&rsquo;s theme, the plan includes intensive work toward greater harmony and association between trade unions inside Brazil, together with unions in the other Mercosur countries of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. That effort will occur through a proposed project undertaken by Finnish trade unions of the sector and the global solidarity arm SASK, part of Finland&rsquo;s national labour centre. 
 
On Monday, 8 December, delegates heard presentations from Ilkka H&auml;m&auml;l&auml;, President and CEO of Metsa-Botni&auml; Oy, and Jeronimo Ruiz, Director of Pulp and Paper for BRACELPA in S&atilde;o Paulo State and also the head of Collective Bargaining for Brazil&rsquo;s employers&rsquo; association. Workers&rsquo; representatives queried the industry leaders on the delivered cost of pulp from the South to the North, and on wood supply issues. 
The conference also heard on day one from Uruguay Industry and Energy Minister Daniel Martinez and Labour and Social Security Minister Eduardo Bonomi. Both spoke on issues related to the country&rsquo;s developing pulp and forestry sectors, and efforts by the left-leaning government to balance environmental and social standards of common Uruguayans with that agenda. 
 
The three-day ICEM forum was preceded by a two-day conference, 6-7 December, on forest certification programmes sponsored by the global union federation, Building and Woodworkers&rsquo; International (BWI). 
 
Delegates to the ICEM conference also stepped out of their sector and passed a resolution supporting American trade unionists of affiliated union United Electrical, Radio, Machine Workers (UE) for its occupation of the shuttered Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago. The resolution specifically commended US President-Elect Barack Obama for his published support of the action. The resolution can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Emergency%20Resolution.pdf">here</a>. 
 
The 20-million-member ICEM, the dominant global union federation representing workers in the pulp, paper, and paper converting sector, represents 467 affiliated trade unions in 132 countries on the global level. 
 
For further information, contact Dick Blin, ICEM Information and Pulp and Paper Officer, +41 79 734 8994, or +41 79 734 9052.

ICEM Pulp/Paper Conference in Uruguay Focuses on 2009 Collective Negotiations

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Calling for an immediate &ldquo;return to social and economic reason,&rdquo; the deputy chairman of Continental AG&rsquo;s supervisory board has called on the bitter stakeholder dispute between the tyre and auto-components company and Schaeffler KG &ndash; its new controlling shareholder &ndash; to cease. 
 
Werner Bischoff, also a senior leader of ICEM German affiliate IGBCE, said the bickering has severely impacted the reputations of both companies, with erosion of staff confidence the result. Bischoff said the persisting public conflict was harming future perspectives for 100,000 Conti workers. 

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IGBCE's Werner Bischoff
The dispute turned ugly recently when privately-held Schaeffler boldly asserted that Continental&rsquo;s Chairman Hubertus van Gr&uuml;nberg had &ldquo;systematically sabotaged all mutual solutions&rdquo; since agreement was reached with the bearings maker to acquire 49% of Conti stock last summer. That agreement called on Schaeffler, as controlling partner, not to exert undue influence over Conti, or to disrupt Continental&rsquo;s worker participation platforms. 
 
But in Schaeffler&rsquo;s public anger last week, the company threatened to dissolve the 10-member supervisory board of Continental and to vacate the negotiated settlement that ended the hostile takeover battle last summer. 
 
Bischoff and the IGBCE contend that the investment agreement reached in August 2008 serves as sound footing for the company, and that Schaeffler should take up its designated role on the supervisory committee. &ldquo;The overall economic situation demands reasonable and trusting cooperation,&rdquo; stated the IGBCE, citing risk of failure to the company if the volatile public dispute persists. 
 
The IGBCE was a major pillar inside last summer&rsquo;s &euro;75-a-share, &euro;12.1 billion investment deal, winning pledges of no asset sales, no job losses, and no structural changes in Conti&rsquo;s operations by Schaeffler acquiring a 49% interest.

German Union, IGBCE, Calls for End to Corporate Bickering Between Continental, Schaeffler

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The Irish-British luxury china and ceramics company Waterford Wedgewood caused doubt and uncertainly among workers in both Ireland and the UK when it fell into receivership early in January. And now the Irish regional secretary of Unite the Union is calling on the government of Ireland to assume the pension liability of the company, even as the union and receivership administrator negotiate with an American private equity firm to continue production and retain jobs. 
 
Jobs were immediately put in doubt throughout the company and its subsidiaries, including an Irish factory at Killbarry, County Waterford, which has seen a workforce of 900 shrink to 125 over the past year, and at a factory in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, UK, which employs 1,100 people. 
 
Following the collapse of the group, Unite Irish Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly &ndash; himself once employed by Waterford Crystal in Killbarry &ndash; urged Irish Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin to underwrite the pension liability. She declined, stating the pension was a private investment fund so the government is not responsible. 
 
Ireland&rsquo;s government, however, has failed to implement an EU directive requiring member-states to protect the interests of workers&rsquo; pension entitlements if an employer fails. In the UK, a pension protection scheme was introduced following a European Court of Justice ruled in 2007 that prior British legislation did not constitute proper implementation of the directive. 
 
Since being placed into receivership on 5 January, Waterford Wedgewood&rsquo;s administrator, Deloitte of Ireland, has stopped payments into the pension scheme, although workers still contribute. Last week, the remaining Irish workers at Killbarry, were placed on a three-day work-week. 
 
A potential buyer of Waterford Wedgewood is New York-based KPS Capital Partners, but the equity fund has expressed interest in only some of the company&rsquo;s worldwide assets, and has dismissed the idea of picking up pension liabilities. KPS has expressed only a one-year option on three factories. 
 
Unite the Union claims that since Ireland has failed under the EU directive to put in place appropriate minimum guarantees that protect workers&rsquo; pensions, it is in breach of EU law. Besides the Waterford Crystal brand, the 250-year-old company manufactures Wedgewood pottery and Royal Doulton china. The firm also operates Rosenthal ceramics in Germany, a business unit it has been trying to sell, and operations in Australia.

Waterford Wedgewood Failure Creates Question Mark on Workers’ Pensions

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Last month, an inspiring group of US trade unionists staged a six-day occupation of a manufacturing plant in Chicago, Illinois, a success story that continues to resonate. The sit-in, done by ICEM affiliate United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers&rsquo; Union of America (UE), sent a potent worldwide message on how to defend jobs when a company is foreclosed by banks. (Read more <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/2929-Chicago-Plant-Takeover-Vivid-Reminder-Amidst-American-Banking-Bailout">here</a>.) 
 
Seven weeks after that plant occupation, another, and bigger reward awaits the 300 UE members: they may get their jobs back. A small eco-friendly building materials company that likes the plant, the equipment, but more importantly, likes the grit of the workers, is in serious negotiations to buy the plant, reopen it under a UE collective agreement, and produce energy-efficient building materials. 
 
Serious Materials, a maker of triple-pane windows and soundproof drywall, is attempting to buy the plant&rsquo;s assets from bankruptcy from the creditor, Bank of America. The California-based company, with only three other factories &ndash; all operated non-union &ndash; sees an opportunity with the UE workforce to expand a manufacturing base that likely will flourish in post-Bush America. &ldquo;We saw a great opportunity with a great facility and great workers,&rdquo; said the company&rsquo;s CEO in a published report, who admitted he was inspired by the 5-11 December plant occupation. 

<img height="87" alt="" src="" width="149" />
The good news comes as UE workers from the closed Republic factory travel the US on a &ldquo;Recovery and Resistance&rdquo; tour. They are telling their story and developing a campaign that puts a priority on jobs as the jumpstart to economic recovery. The workers, in hand with their union, are touring some 15 American cities under the broad-based banner of the labour-community coalition group, Jobs with Justice. 
 
An important aspect to the UE&rsquo;s campaigning is its &ldquo;Window of Opportunity Fund&rdquo; for Republic workers, a financial mechanism for the UE that will assure the union a seat at the table to determine the future of the plant. The occupation&rsquo;s success in December rested with the UE winning that seat, forcing a just settlement for Republic workers, who had seen their jobs taken from them with three days notice. 
 
The ICEM commends the UE and Republic workers for their success. The ICEM also recognises the need to grow the &ldquo;Window of Opportunity&rdquo; Fund, and encourages trade unions to take part. 
 
On the UE website, the &ldquo;Recovery and Resistance Tour&rdquo; can be found <a href="http://www.ueunion.org/ue_republicworkerstour.html">here</a>. 
The site has a method for making donations to ensure that as many Americans as possible hear the courageous story on how UE members in Chicago are going about saving their factory. The ICEM encourages unions to make a donation to this deserving effort.

Hope Turns Green: Republic Windows &amp; Doors Factory Might Reopen in Chicago

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the changes in the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009, on the sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop in Abidjan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and on the latest report from PEPFAR.
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009 
 
While the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project will continue in 2009, the management of the project will undergo some changes. The assignment of the Global Coordinator ended on 31 December 2008. During the transition year 2009, he will work as a part-time consultant. The management of regional and national activities in Africa has been fully transferred to the project office in Johannesburg. 
 
The project team and national coordinators have worked hard to achieve concrete results in HIV/AIDS interventions at the workplace over the past four years. We have seen successes and we have had some disappointments. We must build on our achievements. Some countries and ICEM affiliates have emerged as champions and must lead those who have yet to live up to their commitments. 
 
In some countries, steps forward have been made towards sustainability because the leadership sees HIV/AIDS as a union issue and because working relations have been established with organisations which can give technical and material assistance. 
While it is important to achieve universal access, the fight against the pandemic cannot be won by putting more people on treatment alone. When there are five new HIV infections for every two people put on treatment, the importance of prevention is obvious. We have used the workplace as an entry point for prevention measures, and for our advocacy for voluntary counselling and testing. The ICEM has focused its efforts on the workers, their families, and the larger community. 
 
We will continue to do so in 2009 with national programmes in sub-Saharan African countries and sub-regional workshops in Africa, with funding from the LO/TCO and FNV Mondiaal, and new or expanded projects in India with sponsorship from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. In Tanzania, with the help of the German affiliate IGBCE, in Trinidad and Tobago, with assistance from the Humanity Fund of ICEM&rsquo;s Canadian affiliate CEP, and in Mongolia with the support from Japanese UI Zensen and TPWU of Taiwan, our project work will be expanded. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
ICEM Sub-regional HIV/AIDS Review Workshop in Abidjan
Unionists from C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mali came together in Abidjan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, from 15-17 December 2008 for a sub-regional workshop to review progress in their HIV/AIDS work. Working groups dealt with constraints in their HIV/AIDS work and possible solutions; considered new proposals; discussed the role of women and young workers and argued in favour of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in all union activities; and explored the idea of making HIV/AIDS an organising tool for unions. 
 
Above all, participants discussed future sustainability in view of the expiry of the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project. While funding from employers and national and international organisations, and cooperation with NGOs and faith-based organisations are all important, commitment by union leadership is crucial in the fight against the pandemic. This was demonstrated by the active participation of the General Secretaries of the three ICEM affiliates in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire in the workshop. Unions should also develop technical competence in proposal writing and project management. 
 
Presentations on HIV/AIDS workplace policies, the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, workers&rsquo; rights and the companies&rsquo; response were made by representatives of government agencies, NGOs and CECI, the business coalition in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire to fight HIV/AIDS. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
Assessment Missions Completed
As reported in previous e-bulletins, a series of assessment missions was undertaken in all sub-Saharan project countries. These were successfully completed in November and December with missions to Tanzania by the Project Management Assistant, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the Coordinator in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and to C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire by the Global Coordinator. 
 
These assessment missions have become an important tool in the ICEM&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS work. The conclusions of all mission reports reveal the strength and weaknesses in the different countries and allow for more focussed interventions in the 2009 programme. This has also been facilitated by the three sub-regional review workshops. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
ICEM Affiliates and World AIDS Day
More reports have come in from affiliates on their activities on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2008. SITRAPEQUIA, the union organising petroleum and chemical workers in Costa Rica, organised a day of action with its own flyer and information material from UNAIDS. 
 
In India, World AIDS Day activities were lead by master trainers and peer educators trained under the workplace project of the Indian affiliates and the ICEM, with support from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Large rallies were organised in Dhanbad, Korba, and Indore on this occasion in India. Exhibitions on HIV/AIDS with photographs, banners and campaign material were also put up. 

<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
Namibia: Assessment of Chamber of Mines Programme 
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project funded an assessment of the Occupational Health Education and Awareness Programme (OHEAP) of the Chamber of Mines in Namibia. OHEAP includes a strong HIV/AIDS component. The report, prepared by the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), was finalised in December 2008. 
 
One of the objectives of this assessment was also to foster more cooperation on HIV/AIDS activities between the Chamber of Mines and ICEM-affiliated Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Namibia (MUN), which also contributed funding towards the assessment. The report shows, among other items, that despite good intentions, HIV/AIDS interventions were often not as effective as it could have been with better communication and more involvement of shop stewards and the union in general. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
African AIDS Conference 
The 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 3-7 December 2008. The ILO organised sessions with a range of UN, donor, and NGO partners and presented good practices from public and private sector workplaces. 
 
The leader of the ILO delegation, Executive Director of the Social Protection Sector, Assane Diop, emphasised that prevention remains the real tool to respond to the HIV epidemic. &ldquo;There needs to be more access to prevention and treatment,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;We have many examples of how the world of work provides information and delivers a range of services.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM was represented at ICASA by the Coordinator for C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
(Source: ILO/AIDS website) 

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Latest PEPFAR Results
In 2003, former US President Bush launched the President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The latest report to the US Congress states that US$18.8 billion were provided in HIV/AIDS funding. The report states that more than two million people were put on treatment in the 15 focus countries; that care was supported for more than 10 million people worldwide; and that community outreach programmes, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and condom distribution has prevented millions of new infections. 
 
The US Congress has authorised up to US$48 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria over the next five years. While the PEPFAR Coordinator has been asked to stay on temporarily, it is hoped that the Obama administration will break with the emphasis on abstinence and favour a broader spectrum of HIV prevention strategies. 
 
PEPFAR was conceived as a public/private partnership with buy-ins from the private sector. From the beginning, programmes have tilted towards business, not least because trade unions have yet to assert their role as workplace partners with credible programmes. The report specifically states that &ldquo;PEPFAR also remains dedicated to expanding workplace programs that provide HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.&rdquo; 
With a more favourable political environment in Washington, the ball is now in the unions&rsquo; court. 
 
(Source: Information from Robert E. Lovelace, Consultant to the Global Union AIDS Programme and website <a href="http://www.pepfar.gov">www.pepfar.gov</a> where the report and a fact sheet can be found) 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
TUC Launches Projects to Combat HIV/AIDS
To coincide with World AIDS Day, the UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) launched two new projects in Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the stigma and discrimination associated with it. TUC Aid &ndash; the development arm of the UK trade unions &ndash; will be assisting the Timber Workers&rsquo; Union in Ghana and the national centre, National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTC), in Uganda. 
 
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, &ldquo;We will help unions in Ghana and Uganda help their members by making the workplace the frontline in the battle against the AIDS pandemic. Workplaces have the infrastructure for training and education campaigns on HIV/AIDS and &ndash; where unions are recognised &ndash; can help to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: TUC Press Release, 28 November 2008) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
Colombia: Most Vulnerable Fall Through Health System Gaps
Although the Colombian government mandates that private health companies provide essential services, including those related to HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention, many have refused to comply. The UNAIDS Country Coordinator said that companies receive federal funding, but are not using it to do interventions. There is no national HIV prevention strategy or budget to target high-risk groups &ndash; such as men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, and displaced people. 
 
According to UNAIDS estimates, about 170,000 people in Colombia are living with HIV/AIDS. The testing rate is very low. Of the 25,000 people who have tested and found in need of treatment, around 18,000 are currently accessing treatment. 
 
(Source: IRIN, 12 January 2009, as reported in Medical News Today, 15 January) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
New UNAIDS Executive Director
Michel Sidib&eacute;, previously Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, was appointed Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 
 
Accepting his appointment, Mr Sidib&eacute; said, &ldquo;I am indeed honoured to serve UNAIDS. The AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world. We have to ensure that there is strong and long term leadership and financial commitment to respond to AIDS that is grounded in evidence and human rights.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, 1 December 2008) 

<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
Global Fund Becomes Autonomous Institution&nbsp; 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced that effective 1 January 2009 it will become an administratively autonomous international financing institution, separating from the World Health Organization (WHO). 
 
When the Global Fund was established in 2002, it entered into an Administrative Services Agreement (ASA) with the WHO to provide a range of administrative and financial services to the Global Fund. This arrangement enabled the Global Fund to start operations quickly and to fund programmes delivering life-saving services less than a year after it was established in January 2002. 
 
The arrangement with WHO was intended to be temporary, and in November 2007, the Global Fund Board decided that it should be terminated on 31 December 2008. Becoming administratively autonomous allows the Global Fund greater flexibility as an institution. The Global Fund retains a status as an international institution with privileges and immunities similar to UN organisations that are headquartered in Switzerland. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release, 19 December 2008)&nbsp;
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
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Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. 
For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
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Cette traduction est faite automatiquement par un logiciel internet gratuit. L&rsquo;ICEM n&rsquo;assume aucune responsabilit&eacute; &agrave; cet &eacute;gard. Elle est approximative, mais peut n&eacute;anmoins vous donner une id&eacute;e g&eacute;n&eacute;rale du contenu de l&rsquo;article. 
 
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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 40 January 2009

20 milyon &uuml;yeli Uluslararası Kimya, Enerji, Maden ve Genel İş&ccedil;i Sendikaları Federasyonu (ICEM) Gazze'de derhal ateşkes ilan edilmesi ve Gazze halkına insani yardım sağlanabilmesi i&ccedil;in İsrail ile Filistin arasındaki sınırın ge&ccedil;işe a&ccedil;ılması talebine katılıyor. 
 
&ldquo;İsrail hava saldırılarında atılan bombaların Hamas'ın yanı sıra, &uuml;niversite, televizyon istasyonu, cami ve m&uuml;lteci kampları gibi, 1,5 milyon Filistinli'ye yurt olan bu Akdeniz kıyı b&ouml;lgesindeki salt sivil hedefleri de kapsadığını dehşetle sarsılarak g&ouml;rd&uuml;m,&rdquo; diyen ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda s&ouml;zlerini ş&ouml;yle s&uuml;rd&uuml;rd&uuml;: &ldquo;Masum Filistinlilerin hayatlarını kaybetmesi acı veriyor. Hem İsrail'in hem de Hamas'ın derhal harfiyen uyulacak bir ateşkes ilan etmesi tek &ccedil;ıkar yoldur.&rdquo; 
<img height="102" alt="" src="" width="170" />
Birleşmiş Milletler kaynaklarına ve Filistin makamlarına g&ouml;re, 27 Aralık Pazar g&uuml;n&uuml;nden bu yana hava saldırılarında 370'ten fazla Filistinli &ouml;ld&uuml;, &ouml;ld&uuml;r&uuml;lenlerin yaklaşık &uuml;&ccedil;te biri sivil, 60'tan fazlası ise kadın ve &ccedil;ocuk. Bir&ccedil;oğu ağır olmak &uuml;zere 1.000'den fazla Filistinli yaralı ve doktorlar temel tıbbi malzeme ve kan yokluğuyla boğuşarak yaralıları tedavi etmeye &ccedil;alışıyorlar. 
Hava saldırıları, bu ayın başında sona eren altı aylık ateşkesi Hamas'ın yenilememe kararından sonra Gazze'den İsrail'e yapılan ve d&ouml;rt İsrailli'nin &ouml;l&uuml;m&uuml;ne yol a&ccedil;an f&uuml;ze saldırılarına karşılık olarak yapılmıştı. Hamas'ın kaygı uyandırıcı eylemini Filistin y&ouml;netimi başkanı Mahmud Abbas şiddetle eleştirdi. Hamas İslamcı hareketi Filistin'de &uuml;&ccedil; yıl &ouml;nce yapılan se&ccedil;imleri kazanmış ve sonra ge&ccedil;en yıl Gazze'de kontrol&uuml; şiddet kullanarak ele ge&ccedil;irmişti. 
Birleşmiş Milletler'in insan haklarından sorumlu y&uuml;ksek komiseri Navi Pillay, İsrail'in kuvvet kullanımının &ldquo;&ouml;l&ccedil;&uuml;s&uuml;z&rdquo; olduğunu vurgularken, Birleşmiş Milletler'in Filistin topraklarındaki insan hakları &ouml;zel raport&ouml;r&uuml; Richard Falk BBC'yle yaptığı bir s&ouml;yleşide ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;İsrail savunmasız bir halka karşı modern silahlar kullanarak t&uuml;yler &uuml;rpertici bir vahşet uyguluyor, aylardır ağır bir abluka altında tutulan bir halka saldırıyor.&rdquo; 
İsrail ordusu 2.500 ihtiyat askerini daha g&ouml;reve &ccedil;ağırdı ve Gazze sınırında kara harek&acirc;tı i&ccedil;in hazırlıklar s&uuml;r&uuml;yor. İsrail sınır b&ouml;lgesini &ldquo;kapalı askeri b&ouml;lge&rdquo; ilan ederek gazetecilerin ve başkalarının buraya girişini yasakladı. B&ouml;lgeye denizden giriş de m&uuml;mk&uuml;n değil. 
ICEM ve G&uuml;ney Afrika Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası Başkanı Senzeni Zokwana, b&uuml;t&uuml;n tarafları, Gazze'deki hayati insani ihtiya&ccedil;ları karşılamaya &ccedil;ağırdı ve ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;Gazze halkına yiyecek, su, yakacak ve tıbbi yardım sağlanması i&ccedil;in sınırın ge&ccedil;işe derhal a&ccedil;ılması gerekiyor. Gazze'deki İsrail ablukasının derhal kaldırılması ve tıbbi yardım ekiplerinin engellenmeden acil yardım ulaştırması gerekiyor.&rdquo; 
Filistin Sendikalar Federasyonu Genel Sekreteri Shaher Saed'den ICEM'e g&ouml;nderilen bir mesajda, Filistinliler'in &ccedil;ektikleri ayrıntılarıyla anlatılıyor ve Filistin halkının işgal ve silah tehdidi olmaksızın normal yaşamlarını s&uuml;rd&uuml;rme umudu vurgulanıyor. 
 
Saed'in deyişiyle: &ldquo;İsrail y&ouml;netiminin Filistin halkına saldırılarını durdurmasını sağlamak i&ccedil;in her t&uuml;r &ccedil;abanın harcanması uluslararası topluluğun insani g&ouml;revidir. Filistin halkı sadece f&uuml;zelerden gelen &ouml;l&uuml;mle karşı karşıya değil; ekmek, ila&ccedil;, elektrik ve i&ccedil;me suyu bulunmadığı i&ccedil;in a&ccedil;lık ve &ouml;l&uuml;mle de karşı karşıya.&rdquo; 
 
ICEM, Gazze'deki sorunun ya da Ortadoğu'da genel barış arayışının askeri y&ouml;ntemlerle &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;lemeyeceğine inanıyor. Hem İsrail'in hem de Filistin'in toprağa, haklara ve barış i&ccedil;inde yaşama g&uuml;vencesine sahip olmasını sağlayacak uluslararası &ccedil;abaların ciddi bir şekilde artırılması gerekiyor. 
ICEM Uluslararası Sendikalar Konfederasyonu'nun (ITUC) ve &ouml;zellikle konfederasyon Genel Sekreteri Guy Ryder'ın şu a&ccedil;ıklamasını t&uuml;m&uuml;yle destekliyor: &ldquo;&Ccedil;atışmaya kesin bir son vermek ve İsrail ile Filistin'in iki demokratik devlet olarak barış i&ccedil;inde birlikte yaşamasının temelini atmak i&ccedil;in, saldırı ve tepki zincirinin yerini diyalogun alması gerekiyor.&rdquo; 
 
Ryder'ın s&ouml;zleriyle: Uluslararası topluluğun İsrail ve Filistin'in şiddet &ccedil;evriminden &ccedil;ıkmasını ve diyalog yoluna girmesini sağlayacak baskıyı kurması gerekiyor. Birleşmiş Milletler'in, onun G&uuml;venlik Konseyi &uuml;yelerinin ve bu konuda etkili olabilecek b&uuml;t&uuml;n diğer &uuml;lkelerin son derece acil bir şekilde bunu sağlaması gerekiyor.&quot; 
ICEM, G&uuml;ney Afrika Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'nın eski genel sekreteri ve G&uuml;ney Afrika Başkanı Kgalema Motlanthe'nin İsraillilerin ve Filistinlilerin şiddete son vermesi ve uluslararası topluluğun Ortadoğu'da barışa &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m bulması &ccedil;ağrısını takdirle karşıladı. 
&quot;Ortadoğu'da şiddete son verecek bir &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;me varmak i&ccedil;in her iki taraf da elinden geleni yapmalıdır,&rdquo; diyen Motlanthe ş&ouml;yle devam etti: &quot;Şiddete şiddetle karşılık verilmesi ne İsraillilerin ne de Filistinlilerin davasına katkıda bulunacaktır. Filistin ve İsrail tarafları sorunlarına dostane bir &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m bulmak i&ccedil;in &ccedil;aba harcamaktan ka&ccedil;ınmamalıdır.&quot; 
Motlanthe, g&uuml;venli sınırlar i&ccedil;inde bağımsız bir Filistin devletinin bir İsrail devletiyle birlikte yaşamasını &ouml;ng&ouml;ren iki devletli kalıcı bir &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m &ccedil;ağrısı yaptı. 
ICEM Motlanthe'nin bu a&ccedil;ıklamasına t&uuml;m&uuml;yle katılıyor ve Ortadoğu'da barış i&ccedil;in &ccedil;alışmaya devam edecek. 
 
Merkezi Cenevre'de bulunan ICEM 141 &uuml;lkedeki 467 sendikayı temsil eden k&uuml;resel bir federasyondur.

ICEM Gazze&#039;de Derhal Ateşkese Gidilmesini Talep Ediyor

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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 40 January 2009

ICEM Gazze'de Derhal Ateşkese Gidilmesini Talep Ediyor

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