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UK affiliate Unite has called for more vigilance on machine guards in factories following the tragic death of a Kimberly Clark (KC) employee at Barrow-in-Furness on 8 November. That accident, in which 28-year-old Christopher Massey was dismembered by a Perini 900 series winder machine inside the tissue mill, has caused Unite to seek a statement from KC.
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&nbsp; 
The company has responded by stating that the investigation is still ongoing by both the Health and Safety Executive and the company. Unite is seeking expedited information so as to encourage preventative measures in other workplaces. 
 
The union&rsquo;s review of the accident states that the machine had been modified by the manufacturer to handle two-ply sheets of tissue rolls. Christopher Massey was trapped by a cross bar connecting two guards &ndash; fitted as part of the modification &ndash; when the carriage moved into position as part of a reel change. 
 
Unite states that it must be standard industry practice to review risk assessments on winder operations in the wake of this tragedy. Specifically, the union demands that all parts of machinery be properly guarded; that Safe Systems of Work are in place; that any manual intervention is governed strictly by Standard Operating Procedures; and that all personnel are competent. 

The ICEM offered its condolences to United and to the family of Christopher Massey. That can be found <a href="/en/?id=19&amp;doc=2508&amp;la=EN">here.</a> 
Unite is offering legal support to his family.

Unite Demands Safety Answers from Kimberly Clark on Barrow Death in the UK

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ICEM Reconfirms Commitment to Fight HIV/AIDS Pandemic 
On the eve of World AIDS Day, 1 December, the ICEM leadership recommitted to fight the battle to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS through awareness, education, and poverty eradication campaigns. The ICEM&rsquo;s 4th World Congress, held 22-24 November in Bangkok, Thailand, affirmed that commitment. 
 
&ldquo;As the newly-elected leaders, we reaffirm ICEM&rsquo;s commitment to fight HIV/AIDS,&rdquo; said ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;Hundreds of union leaders representing 180 affiliates in 75 countries signed the pledge for World AIDS Day at our Congress.&rdquo; 
 
That pledge, signed by not only the 840 trade unions leaders attending the Bangkok Congress, but taken back to national unions for thousands more signatures, commits the trade unionists to take the fight inside the workplace. 
 
It commits to outright rejection of all forms of discrimination and victimisation of people living with HIV/AIDS; it recognises that the gender dimension of HIV/AIDS, and promises to fight for equal gender relations and the empowerment of women; and, in maintaining ICEM&rsquo;s continued work in this area, it encourages voluntary counselling and testing of workers and family members, as well as providing support for those who disclose their HIV-positive status. 
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The pledge also makes demands of employers and governments. It demands that companies negotiate policies with trade union that are in sync with the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work; it calls on employers to implement awareness-raising and prevention programmes jointly with trade unions; it call on firms operating in remote geographic areas with little or no health services to take responsibility for providing care and treatment; and it promises to undertake efforts to obtain affordable drugs from pharmaceutical companies and production of high-quality generics for those afflicted with the virus. 
 
Regarding governments, the pledge advocates access for all to public health, including free or affordable antiretroviral treatments; it promises to promote legislation on discrimination and social protection; and it promises to lobby donor countries for accelerated financial resources for the global fight against HIV/AIDS. 
 
&ldquo;The ICEM and its affiliates are strategically positioned in our sectors, and in our thousands of workplaces, to play a direct role in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS,&rdquo; said Zokwana and Warda. &ldquo;On World AIDS Day 2007, we call on all social partners to intensify campaigns in order to reverse the HIV/AIDS pandemic.&rdquo; 
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Global Fund Approves Round 7 Grants 
The board meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria held in Kunming, China, approved 73 Round 7 grants that will cost US$1,119 million over the first two years and US$2,762 million over five years. As a result of recent new pledges, the Fund has sufficient money to pay for all grants that were recommended by the Technical Review Panel. 
 
Round 7 applicants to the Global Fund submitted fewer, but bigger and better, proposals than applicants in all previous rounds. 
 
The two-year cost of approved Round 7 grants &ndash; US$1,119 million over two years &ndash; is a record amount. In the six previous rounds, the two-year cost of approved grants ranged from US$571 to 968 million. 
 
The percentage of proposals recommended for approval was also a record &ndash; 49%, up from an average of 38% over the previous six rounds. On the other hand, this still means that just over half of all proposals submitted were not approved, despite the fact that there is an enormous need for scaled-up programmes to tackle the three diseases and that there is an increased availability of funding. 
 
The average two-year cost of the proposals recommended for approval in Round 7 was US$15 million &ndash; again a record, up from an average of US$10 million over the previous rounds. On the other hand, the number of eligible proposals submitted in Round 7, at 150, was the lowest ever. 
 
The Board's decisions as to which proposals got approval was, as always, entirely based on the advice it received from the Technical Review Panel (TRP), an independent and non-political body of 34 experts from around the world who serve in their personal capacities. No board members or Secretariat employees are members of the TRP. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release, 12 November 2007 and Global Fund Observer Issue 79, 12 November 2007. GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>. To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>) 
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News from Affiliates 
The United Mineworkers&rsquo; Union in Sierra Leone continues its excellent work in peer education. Two more training workshops were held in Hangha and Jembeh in November. A total of 76 participants attended these two workshops. 
 
The training was conducted in partnership with mining companies, artisanal miners, and the communities. Funding was provided by the ICEM HIV/AIDS project. 
 
The union&rsquo;s General Secretary, Ezekiel Dyke, attended the Workshop on the Role of the Private Sector in the Fight against HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in Bamako, capital of Mali, organised by the World Bank. 
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Swedish Project Targets Workplaces 
The Swedish Industrial and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union, IF Metall, and the International Council of Swedish Industry are jointly involved in workplace-based HIV/AIDS programmes throughout sub-Saharan Africa. 
 
The project, which is co-funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), presently operates in 25 workplaces of large Swedish multinational companies, involving over 10,000 workers with more than 45,000 family members. 
 
The project aims to strengthen workers and management leadership through joint workplace committees. Through these committees voluntary counselling and testing, peer education, management awareness, condom distribution, couple counselling, and treatment are made possible.
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UNAIDS 2007 Epidemic Update 
The 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that global HIV prevalence - the percentage of people living with HIV - has levelled off and that the number of new infections has fallen, in part as a result of the impact of HIV programmes. 
 
However, in 2007, 33.2 million people were estimated to be living with HIV, 2.5 million people became newly infected, two-thirds of them in sub-Saharan Africa, and 2.1 million people died of AIDS. 
 
The significant reduction from almost 40 million people infected at the end of 2006 is only, to a small extent, due to the impact of HIV programmes. The new report reflects improved and expanded epidemiological data and analyses that present a better understanding of the global epidemic. These new data and advances in methodology have resulted in substantial revisions from previous estimates. 
 
While the global prevalence of HIV infection&mdash;the percentage of people infected with HIV&mdash;has levelled off, the total number of people living with HIV is increasing because of ongoing acquisition of HIV infection, combined with longer survival times, in a continuously growing general population. 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, 20 November. The report can be accessed at <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>) 
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News from the Global Union Programme and Global Unions 
 
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (nos. 32 and 33 of 1 and 28 November) the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a> reports on the signing of a joint commitment of the central unions in India, and the launching by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees of an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign among high-risk groups in Nepal. 
 
On the eve of World AIDS Day, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) launched a global action plan against HIV/AIDS. It will focus on three main aims: enhance HIV/AIDS work by ITUC affiliates; strengthen global advocacy on HIV/AIDS; and coordination and cooperation between national union centres and the Global Union Federations. (Source: ITUC Press Release, 30 November).

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin

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Annual two-day pay negotiations for 12,000 paperworkers in the UK converting sector produced gains of 3.65% for 2008. The talks, between ICEM affiliates Unite and GMB and the paper employers&rsquo; grouping, Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI), were conducted in late November, and balloting will now begin and conclude in mid-January. 
 
&ldquo;This year&rsquo;s talks were against a back-cloth of mixed fortunes among papermakers,&rdquo; said Unite National Officer Peter Ellis, &ldquo;with some companies making fairly modest profits and one or two causing us some concern. 
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&ldquo;However, our members faced above inflation pressures in 2006-07, across a whole basket of consumables that make up the day-to-day demands on income. We believe 3.65% represents an affordable outcome for the industry, and I will be very disappointed to be dealing with any &lsquo;inability to pay&rsquo; claims.&rdquo; 
 
In October, Unite and the CPI formally put in place a partnership agreement that had been negotiated late last year and early in 2007. The launch occurred inside UK&rsquo;s House of Commons. It is intended to bring a modern approach to employment practices in the paper industry, including full equalities on the job, employee development, skills training, health screening, and regulation of temporary or agency workers.

Pay Deal Put to Ballot for Paperworkers in the UK

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A campaign for equal treatment for agency workers was launched by the Irish trade union federation SIPTU on 19 November at Liberty Hall in Dublin. The campaign is aimed at securing enabling legislation in Ireland to forbid employment agencies from circumventing existing equality provisions in labour legislation. 
 
The 200,000-member Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU) held a press briefing in the afternoon on 19 November, and then conducted a full public hearing that evening with workplace testimony from victimised contract workers. 
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Under the heading &ldquo;An Injury to One Is a Concern to All,&rdquo; SIPTU launched a campaign that includes a petition drive to build support for legislation, as well as materials to secure equal treatment for contract workers in collective agreements. That campaign can be found here <a href="http://www.siptu.ie/agency">www.siptu.ie/agency</a>. 
&ldquo;The abuse of agency workers is the most serious issue of substance in the workplace,&rdquo; stated SIPTU General President Jack O&rsquo;Connor at the launch of the campaign. &ldquo;The absence of legislation to prevent abuse is not only detrimental to those directly affected, but also harms all other workers because it facilitates the undermining of standards,&rdquo; he added. 
SIPTU indicated on the day of the launch that Ireland is one of three EU countries in which temporary workers recruited through agencies can be employed at lesser terms and conditions than those in direct employment. O&rsquo;Connor also hit out at the Irish government for being one of the few countries that is blocking an EU Directive on full rights for contract and agency workers. 
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&ldquo;We cannot continue with the paradox of social partnership on the one hand, while we are virtually unique in Europe in our treatment of agency workers,&rdquo; he said. 
SIPTU estimates there are over 520 employment agencies operating in Ireland. The union is campaigning for agency work to be confined to a period no longer than one month, after which an agency employee must become directly employed by the primary employer.

SIPTU Kicks Off ‘Justice for Agency Workers Campaign’ in Ireland

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Workers, retirees, and students marched in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 17 November, in a mass protest against employers, who are stalling needed salary increases. Some 70,000 protestors, most clad in red bibs, marched in a peaceful assembly to one of Ljubljana&rsquo;s main squares, marking unification of six trade union federations. 
The six union federations jointly called the manifestation to protest employers&rsquo; reluctance to pay fair salaries in this round of wage talks in the EU country. The six include Zveza Svoodnih Sindikatov Slovenije (ZSSS), Neodvisnost (KNSS), KSS-Pergam, Konfederacija &rsquo;90 of Slovenia, Zveza Sindikatov Alternativa, and Zveza Delacev Solidarnost. 
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Slovenia, which adopted the Euro at the beginning of 2007, is beset by rising prices and an inflation rate that reached 5.1% in 2007. The trade unions seek autumn salary increases of 3.5%, and they want a February 2008 increase tied to inflation, instead of the normal, untimely August inflationary hike. The union federations are jointly calling for a system of productivity bonuses, as well. Slovenia, which became a member-nation of the EU in 2005, has seen a growth rate this year of 6.5%. 
 
In respect to the workers&rsquo; 17 November manifestation, President-elect Danilo Turek and Labour Minister Marjeta Cotman attended the mass public event. Earlier, Prime Minister Janez Jansa said protests were the wrong forum to address rising prices and stagnant salaries. The average net salary in Slovenia currently is &euro;820-per-month. 
 
All six leaders of the labour federations addressed the manifestation, and all stated that a general strike was possible if employers did not move from their entrenched wage offer, and were willing to move away from their reluctance to award productivity bonuses to the people generating Slovenia&rsquo;s growth.

Slovenian Union Federations Unite, 70,000 March in Ljubljana on 17 November

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The ICEM&rsquo;s 4th World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, elected Senzeni Zokwana, president of the National Union of Mineworkers, as President of the Global Union Federation, and Manfred Warda, former head of the International Department of German union IGBCE, and Acting ICEM General Secretary, as General Secretary. 
 
The 22-24 November Congress also saw the full integration of the former World Federation of Industry Workers (WFIW) into the ICEM, as well as the selection of two WFIW representatives to ICEM&rsquo;s Presidium, and two to the Executive Committee. 
<img height="253" alt="" src="" width="380" />
Italo Rodomonti and Manfred Warda signing the agreement
Representing the former WFIW on ICEM's Presidium are Italo Rodomonti, Belgium, and Achille Dutu, Romania. Former WFIW unionists on the Executive Committee include Wilson Viera, Brazil, and Alphonse Tshimbu, Democratic Republic of Congo, with Justin Daerden and Alphonse De Potter, both from Belgium, servings as Executive Committee substitutes. 
 
Also at the Bangkok Congress, elected to the ICEM Presidium from Western Europe were: Augusto Pascussi, Italy; Hubertus Schmoldt, Germany; Phil McNulty, UK; and Ben Roodhuizen (Netherlands) and Paul Lootens (Belgium) to the rotating seat. 
 
Elected to the Presidium from the Nordic Region: Anders Ferbe, Sweden; and Liv Undheim, Norway. Elected to the Presidium from the Central Europe Region: Juraj Blahak, Slovak Republic. Elected to the Presidium from the Eastern Europe/Central Asia Region was: Ivan Mokhnachuk, Russia. 
<img height="285" alt="" src="" width="380" />
The newly elected ICEM Presidium
Elected to the Presidium from the North American Region: Ken Neumann, Canada; and Dave Coles, Canada. Elected to the Presidium from the Asia-Pacific Region: Kiyoshi Ochiai, Japan; and Chueh-an Chuang, Taiwan. 
 
Elected to the Presidium from the Middle East/North Africa Region was Mohamed El Sayed Morsi Aly of Egypt. Elected from the Sub-Saharan Africa Region to the Presidium was Rayford Mbulu, Zambia. 
 
And elected from the Latin America/Caribbean Region was Sergio Novais, Brazil. 
 
The two Women&rsquo;s seats to the ICEM Presidium were selected by the Women&rsquo;s Committee, with Evgenia Esenina, Russia, chair of that committee, and Angeline Chitambo, Zimbabwe, the designees.

ICEM Congress Elects Statutory Officers, Welcomes WFIW

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A dispute between Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. (NLNG), seven of its contractors at the Nigerian Bonny Island Terminal and ICEM blue-collar oil workers&rsquo; union NUPENG, turned violent on 18 November, causing the union to call a nation-wide strike this week if two demands are not met. 
 
The incident that sparked the strike call was a brutal attack by Nigeria&rsquo;s Joint Military Task Force (JTF) on contract workers &ndash; many of them NUPENG members &ndash; on NLNG property, which blinded one worker in his right eye, and injured 28 other NLNG subcontractors. The JTF fired tear gas directly at the contract workers, attacking with batons. 
<img height="103" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The contract worker who was blinded is NUPENG member Ibifuro Pepple. NUPENG arranged for the victim to be fitted with an artificial eye, with surgery set for 11 December by M&eacute;decins Sans Fronti&egrave;res (MSF) at a hospital in Lagos. 
 
The contract workers protested because NLNG reneged on the signing of an agreement granting them union recognition through NUPENG. The agreement was in place after the Nigerian Ministry of Labour and Productivity certified recognition, but NLNG twice backed away from signing the accord, the second time on 18 November. Contract workers at the Bonny Island transfer terminal in Finima then began their protest. NLNG responded by calling in the JTF. 
 
NLNG is owned jointly by the Nigerian government (49%), Shell (26.5%), Total (15%), and Eni&rsquo;s Agip (10.4%). 
 
NUPENG&rsquo;s Central Working Committee, at a meeting on 27 November, issued a seven-day national strike notice, demanding prosecution of the JTF officers responsible for the violence and full recognition of NUPENG as representative for the contract workers of the NLNG&rsquo;s suppliers. The ICEM supports those demands, and calls on the Nigerian government, as well as the multinationals involved, to give full priority to resolving this unionisation issue, and the other outstanding grievances brought by the workers and NUPENG. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
NUPENG leaders and government officials will meet today, 3 December, to discuss the critical situation. 
 
On November 26, NUPENG&rsquo;s Eastern Zonal members at NLNG began the first sympathy strike against the energy company for its indiscriminate, 18 November, actions. Other strikes at NLNG&rsquo;s five major worksites could occur as early as tomorrow, and other sympathy strikes could spread throughout Nigeria&rsquo;s energy sector. 
 
Following the 27 November NUPENG Central Committee meeting, leaders of PENGASSAN &ndash; ICEM&rsquo;s white-collar affiliate in Nigeria &ndash; stood with their comrades in supporting the declared strike. Senior staff workers at NLNG, represented by PENGASSAN, are firm in their belief that contract workers deserve the right to union recognition with NUPENG.

Nigeria: Police Use Violence to Break Up Unionising Subcontractors, 1 Worker Blinded

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.
<img height="129" alt="" src="" width="280" />
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. 
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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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CEP Proposes to Re-open Eastern Canada's Paper Talks to Halt Rampant Mill Shutdowns

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