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Another North American mining contract involving the USW was settled peacefully. Some 900 miners in the state of Montana ratified a three-year contract last week with Stillwater Mining, the US&rsquo;s only producer of palladium and platinum. The workers at a mine and metal recovery facility won pay and benefit increases. Stillwater is majority owned by Russia&rsquo;s Norilsk Nickel, the world&rsquo;s leading nickel and platinum metals miner.

USW Comes to Terms with US&#039;s Only Pladdium/Platinum Miner

Copper miners in the US states of Arizona and Texas, represented by ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) are on strike against Asarco, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Grupo Mexico. Some 1,200 miners struck a pair of Asarco&rsquo;s Arizona worksites 2 July, just after their collective agreement expired, and another 350 struck at mine and processing sites in Arizona and Texas last week in sympathy. Their contract had expired 30 June 2004. Grupo Mexico is demanding a wage freeze and pension and health care benefit reductions at a time when copper prices are at a 16- year high. 
The company has told markets that 100,000 to 125,000 tonnes of processed and contained copper will be reduced from world supplies due to the strikes. The company has turned down requests by the union for bargaining to resolve the young strikes, and the USW has filed numerous unfair labour practice charges with the US labour board over the company&rsquo;s lack of bargaining and harsh reprisals in the workplace against trade unionists during bargaining.

Steelworkers in Southwestern US Strike Copper Holdings

In accepting the mediated proposal, Paperiliitto directed especially strong language at one global, Finnish-based paper company, UPM Kymmene: settle the seven-month Canadian paper strike in Miramichi, New Brunswick, with Local 689 of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union. 
Calling it a &ldquo;distinguished spot of shame for the Finnish forest industry,&rdquo; Paperiliitto&rsquo;s Delegate Council demanded that UPM Kymmene &ldquo;implement negotiations on an equal basis for a fair and quick solution&rdquo; in Miramichi. &ldquo;It is necessary to take into account the local bargaining praxis, the needs of the small local society and the feelings of workers,&rdquo; the Finnish union&rsquo;s settlement statement said on the strike in Canada. In New Brunswick, bargaining with a provincial mediator broke off 28 June without any progress, but resumed again last week. The 800 members of CEP Local 689 are striking for the pattern paper-mill agreement in eastern Canada, and they seek also to preserve a host of local mill terms and conditions.

Finnish Paper Union Exhibits Solidarity to CEP in Canada

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The devastating seven-week lockout of the Finnish paper sector by Finland&rsquo;s paper companies is over. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen mediated talks on 27-29 June and ICEM affiliate Paperiliitto&rsquo;s Delegate Council approved the three-year compromise contract on 1 July. 
Finland&rsquo;s 25,000 paperworkers gained wage increases similar to the national incomes settlement. They will receive 2.5% this year, 1.9% next year (taking into effect the country&rsquo;s gender equality allowance), and union and management will negotiate in 2007 for the third year increase. Paperiliitto successfully resisted the worst of the industry&rsquo;s concessionary proposals, including unpaid sick leave, splitting of holidays, and 12-hour workdays without overtime pay compensation. Christmas and mid-summer shutdown days will be eliminated, but workers will be compensated by reduced working time throughout the year. 
On the all-important issue of contract labour, trade union acceptance must occur on all outsourcing. The two sides agreed to let individual plant negotiating teams reach agreement on the issue locally, but if that fails the issue will be submitted to an arbitration panel composed of the national union, the employers&rsquo; federation and an impartial chairman. Introduction of contract labour can then only occur with a unanimous decision. Paperiliitto and the employers will again look at the contract labour issue in mid-term of the contract to review its effectiveness. The lockout by papermaking employers, begun 18 May, was costing &euro;40million per day across all sectors.

Finland&#039;s Paper Dispute and Lockout Resolved

A satisfactory result came from recent negotiations in Brazil by ICEM rubber affiliate inside Frente Unica da Borracha (FUB). Employers in tyre manufacturing agreed to meet Brazils&rsquo;s inflation rate of 6.93% and workers in those business enterprises won 7%. Profit-sharing increased from R$2,750 to R$3,250. In the rubber materials sector, an 8% pay increase was attained and several improvements were made in that collective agreement as well.

Rubber Accord Reached in Brazil

Police in the Philippines a week ago punched through strike lines of the unaffiliated Lepanto Employees Union at Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corp., the country&rsquo;s largest copper and gold producer. The union struck 4 June over a pay dispute that has been unresolved since November 2004. On 8 June, the government issued a return to work order, but the vast majority of over 1,700 workers continued the union&rsquo;s strike. The Department of Labour and Employment then issued dismissal letters to miners refusing to obey the strike&rsquo;s termination edict. In 2003, a strike at the Mankayan, Benquet province, mine and smelting operations was also broken up by riot police. Two miners died in the process.

Police, Government Break Mine Strike in Philippines

A flooded shaft at an illegal coal mine in eastern Jianxi province, China, killed seven miners on 18 June. The incident occurred near the city of Leping and the bodies of the miners were only recovered 23 June. Two other workers were in the illegal mine, but were rescued late on 18 June. China&rsquo;s State Administration of Production Safety reports 2,187 miners have perished in the first five months of 2005, a 9.7 increase over the same period in 2004. A total of 23 major accidents&mdash;defined as claiming ten or more lives&mdash;have occurred so far in 2005, a 274% increase over the same period last year.

Deaths in China&#039;s Mines a Recurring Nightmare

ICEM affiliates in South Africa today have taken their members out on strike, joining labour centre COSATU&rsquo;s call for protest against soaring job loss and unemployment levels now reaching 40%. Over 200,000 workers are expected to strike. ICEM affiliates National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) are also using the day-long strike to call attention to the lack of progress in wage talks. NUM is negotiating with the Chamber of Mines in gold sectors talks, and is also bargaining for workers in the precious mineral. NUMSA has been stalemated in pay talks in the metal, automotive and engineering sectors.

South African ICEM Affiliates Lead Mass Strike

IGBCE, ICEM&rsquo;s Germany affiliate, achieved mutually-accepted labour terms for the chemicals sector 16 June for workers in western Germany. The agreement with chemical employers&rsquo; association BAVC meets IGBCE&rsquo;s pay goals as a result of recent productivity increases and exceeds German inflation of 1.6%. A general wage increase of 2.7% was won, plus a single payout of 1.2% of a month&rsquo;s salary multiplied by 19. IGBCE bargains for 550,000 workers in chemicals.
IGBCE achieved an increase in the number of trainee or apprenticeship positions in both 2006 and 2007, and the fixed weekly work-time regulation was held at 37.5 hours. Ongoing discussions will occur on making special improvements for trade union members, and talks covering eastern German chemical workers also are in progress.

IGBCE, Chemical Employers Agree to Terms in Germany

ICEM&rsquo;s Global Framework Agreement with Statoil was renewed last week for a further two years. The agreement was reviewed by representatives from ICEM, Norwegian oil and gas union NOPEF, and management of Statoil in Stavanger, Norway. 
The agreement now includes a specific commitment by Statoil to provide a clear and supportive policy on HIV/AIDS, and also includes an enhanced commitment on equality of opportunity and treatment of workers. Lars Myhre, chairman of ICEM&rsquo;s Energy Sector, hailed the renewed agreement as a further positive step in labour relations between ICEM, NOPEF, and Statoil.

ICEM&#039;s Global Agreement with Statoil Renewed

Archive

USW Comes to Terms with US's Only Pladdium/Platinum Miner

Steelworkers in Southwestern US Strike Copper Holdings

Finnish Paper Union Exhibits Solidarity to CEP in Canada

Finland's Paper Dispute and Lockout Resolved

Rubber Accord Reached in Brazil

Police, Government Break Mine Strike in Philippines

Deaths in China's Mines a Recurring Nightmare

South African ICEM Affiliates Lead Mass Strike

IGBCE, Chemical Employers Agree to Terms in Germany

ICEM's Global Agreement with Statoil Renewed

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