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Some 65,000 miners at Europe&rsquo;s largest coal company, Poland&rsquo;s Kompania Weglowa, will not take a 24-hour strike action tomorrow, 7 April, following an agreement on wages last week, 2 April. State-owned Kompania Weglowa and most of the 12 unions representing miners, led by ICEM affiliates NSZZ Solidarność and Kadra, as well as the Polish Miners&rsquo; Trade Union, reached accord for significant 2009 wage increases. 
The settlement came just before Poland&rsquo;s Minister of Economy froze the salaries of board members of all state-owned and operated coal concerns, as well as cutting the salaries of top executives at Kompania Weglowa. Reportedly, the decision freed up money to increase miners&rsquo; salaries. 
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Miners at Kompania Weglowa voted by a 92% margin to launch a day-long strike during the week of 23 March, after government ministry mediators failed to bring the two sides together. On 12 March, workers at Kompania Weglowa&rsquo;s 16 mines staged a two-hour protest strike over their wage demands. 
But last week, just prior to the Economy Ministry&rsquo;s 3 April decision, the company&rsquo;s supervisory board agreed to increase salaries by PLN 900 per month (&euro;200), or about 5%. Kompania Weglowa mining unions had been seeking an 8% increase, but had lowered demands to 6% in mid-March mediation efforts. 
Meanwhile, a total of 40,000 other coal miners at two other state-operated coal production and servicing concerns, Jastrzebska Spolka Weglowa (JSW) and Katowicki Holding Weglowy (KHW), are still seeking fair wage settlements. Both companies say they will stick to a wage freeze for 2009, while Polish miners at JSW and KHW seek parity with Kompania Weglowa miners. Both JSW and KHW have planned extraction investments in coal mining that will come on line in the next several months. 
 
At the country&rsquo;s multinational copper company, KGHM, a breakthrough appears imminent following management&rsquo;s initial proposal for a 2009 wage freeze. Trade unions Solidarność and the Association of Copper Industry Employees (ZZPPM) expect 2009 wage increases to be on the bargaining table later in April. Publicly-listed KGHM is 41.8% held by the Polish state.

Polish Miners at Kompania Weglowa Agree to Wage Terms

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ICEM affiliate the United Steelworkers (USW) hosted the North American ICEM meeting in Burnaby, British Colombia, last month. Among central topics discussed were the conflict with LaFarge, concrete efforts around the energy issue in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, responses to the financial crisis, climate change, and solidarity with Mexico&rsquo;s National Miners&rsquo; and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union (SNTMMSRM). 
 
Ken Neumann of USW-Canada and Dave Coles of the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada serve as ICEM Vice Presidents for North America. 
<img height="135" alt="" src="" width="120" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="120" alt="" src="" width="179" />
Ken Neumann &amp; Dave Coles
Napoleon Gomez, the exiled leader of SNTMMSRM, attended the meeting and provided new insights into the trade union situation in Mexico. ICEM North America affiliates unanimously voted to recommend to the ICEM Executive Committee acceptance&nbsp;of the union, also called Los Mineros, as an ICEM affiliate. The union has 250,000 members. 
 
Following this regional meeting, the third Tri-National Meeting of Energy Workers of North America was held from 16-18 March in Mexico City. Several unions, along with networks and social movement organizations, sought solutions to the major challenges facing the sector throughout the region. Workers in the energy sector in the three countries have been hard hit by the global financial crisis, with the loss of jobs en masse and the disappearance of social support. 
 
ICEM affiliates CEP of Canada, the USW, and the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) all attended, showing clear intent to reach out to Mexican energy workers. The ICEM coordinated a meeting between Los Mineros and Fellesforbundet of Norway as well. This meeting saw the message passed to the highest level of government in Mexico that repression of labour rights has a negative impact on potential trade. Important elements of the delegation were the Prince of Norway, Fellesforbundet, and representatives from StatoilHydro of Norway. 
 
Los Mineros General Secretary Napoleon Gomez is forced to conduct his union&rsquo;s negotiations from Canada.&nbsp; His success in achieving better wages and working conditions for Los Mineros members makes him a targeted figure by the mining concern Grupo Mex&iacute;co and the Mexican government. 
 
The ICEM thanks Atle H&oslash;ie, International Secretary of Fellesforbundet, for his work in facilitating the meetings with Los Mineros and the Mexican government. 
 
The ICEM calls on its North American affiliates in particular to publicise the repression of trade union rights in Mexico and the efforts made to destroy Los Mineros. 
 
An example last week of the anti-union alliance between Grupo Mex&iacute;co and the Mexican government was the announced closure of the Cananea copper mine, one of the largest copper mines in the world. The company sought government approval to fire the miners who have been on strike since July 2007 over contracts and safety issues at the mine. 
 
&quot;The cause is force majeure (due to) the damage caused to the mine ... Federal labor legislation includes the possibility that the company can terminate labour relations when this occurs,&quot; claimed Grupo Mex&iacute;co spokesman Juan Rebolledo. The case against the workers was bolstered last month when the government published a report stating that the mine was inoperable, due to the damage caused by the striking workers.

North American ICEM Meeting Leads to Solidarity for Mexican Miners

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From the American Solidarity Center Website 
 
The 12 Iraqi union women arrived in Istanbul on 7 March for a four-day visit. They hailed from Erbil, Baghdad, Dohuk, and Basra, and represented oil, chemical, electrical, and petrochemical unions from all of the Iraqi labour federations. The visit was supported by the Solidarity Center and hosted by ICEM&rsquo;s 13 Turkish union affiliates, led by Petrol-İş, whose headquarters are in Istanbul. 

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On their first day, the Iraqi women attended a special union cultural festival featuring music, songs, and dance. A special theatrical presentation depicted workplace violations and demonstrated how unions can be the best worker rights monitors. On their second day, the delegation marched in a glorious 10,000-person-strong parade to mark International Women&rsquo;s Day 2009. The women held banners lettered with greetings from Iraqi working women and their unions. 
 
During the remaining two days, Turkish and Iraqi union women participated in a workshop focusing on working women&rsquo;s situations in Turkey and Iraq, gender concepts and health concerns, introduction to collective bargaining, and the Turkish experience from the case study of Novamed &ndash; a good example of successful women&rsquo;s organising. 

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&ldquo;This was a truly historic meeting,&rdquo; said Solidarity Center Middle East and North Africa Director Heba El-Shazli. &ldquo;It was the first time Iraqi women unionists visited Turkey to exchange views and share experiences with their Turkish sisters.&rdquo; 
 
The Solidarity Center was honoured to support this programme, which could not have happened without the strong support and efforts led by ICEM officers and senior staff: Women&rsquo;s Officer Carol Bruce; Rubber Industry Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan; Director and Regional Contact Person, Middle East and North Africa, and Energy Officer, Jim Catterson; and General Secretary Manfred Warda.

Iraqi Women Join Their Turkish Sisters for Historic International Women’s Day

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The ICEM has intervened in a retaliatory dispute by French-based Michelin at a large tyre factory called Laem Chabang in Chonburi Province, Thailand. The Global Union Federation, together with French trade union affiliate CFDT, brought the matter before Michelin&rsquo;s European Works Council (EWC) and Michelin Group Manager Jean-Dominique Senard at a EWC meeting in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, on 31 March. 
 
The situation in Thailand is serious. On 25 March, local management locked 383 workers off their jobs after they refused to withdraw their names from a petition submitted two weeks earlier. The petition called on management not to unilaterally impose 13% wage cuts, and to engage in consultation with workers&rsquo; representatives over effects of a downturn in the tyre market. 
 
The petition also called on the company to jointly identify solutions with workers, not to unilaterally dictate terms and conditions. It also asked Michelin&rsquo;s Laem Chabang managers to stop forcing workers to sign acceptance forms on the wage cuts, and to quit victimising workers who did not sign the forms. 
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Thai Michelin Unions in Protest 
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Michelin managers responded by suspending eight worker representatives, and imposing a 35% pay cut on workers who refused to disavow the petition. They also reduced their yearly allotment of holidays to six. They then &ndash; on 25 March &ndash; locked out 383 of 458 workers who signed the petition. 
 
&ldquo;This is extreme and harsh behaviour against loyal workers from a company that expects to recover from the global economic crisis,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;We have no choice but to demand that the EWC take action. We also call on rubber workers worldwide to take notice, and demand that Michelin rescind this retaliatory punishment.&rdquo; 
 
The tyre workers have been trying to organise with ICEM affiliate Petroleum and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Federation (PCFT) since February, the second time in ten years that staff at Laem Chabang have attempted to unionise. 
 
The plant employs 1,500 staff and produces auto and light truck tyres. Michelin has two other tyre manufacturing plants in Thailand, the Nong Khae plant in Saraburi, employing 1,300 workers, and the Phra Padaeng factory in Samut Prakarn, where 1,500 Thai workers are employed. The latter is unionised by PCFT, with strong union membership. The three plants are 90% owned by Michelin, with the Siam Cement Group holding the remaining 10% stake.

Lockout: Thai Michelin Workers Victimised for Unionising

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The Joint Offshore Task Force of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), in cooperation with the ICEM, met in London on 25-26 March and deliberated on many issues related to the oil and gas industry, including the recent spate of helicopter crashes in the offshore sector. 
 
Representatives from the UK, Norway, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Russia, and Australia attended, and the work saw a plenary session break into work groups for detailed discussions on drilling, diving, maritime issues, well services, and catering. The central focus in all groups was safety, with ICEM Energy Chairman Lars Myhre of Norway&rsquo;s Industri-Energi (IE) emphatically stating the situation regarding offshore transport is nearing a crisis. 
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Myhre said a recent decision by servicing companies to reduce the number of pilots by 30% can only worsen the critical situation in offshore work, increasing both the hours and fatigue of remaining pilots. The ICEM/ITF meetings came following two major helicopter crashes, one killing 17 Canadian oil workers on 12 March, and a helicopter ditch on 18 February in the North Sea, in which 18 workers were miraculously rescued. 
 
(On 1 April, 16 North Sea workers died when a Super Puma L2 helicopter operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters of Aberdeen, Scotland, went down in the North Sea. That has caused other North Sea oil workers, as well as members of ICEM affiliated Brazilian Oil Workers&rsquo; Federation, FUP, at Petrobras to boycott the carriers made by the manufacturer Eurocopter.) 
 
The ICEM/ITF Task Force meeting sent condolences to the Canadian union, Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP), while Myhre&rsquo;s details on flight safety resulted in a unanimous resolution adopted by attendees. 
 
Other business included a report by Australian trade unionist Mick Dolman on organizing cooperation between the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and the Australian Workers&rsquo; Union (AWU) in offshore work in Asia-Pacific areas; the background and work of both the ICEM and ITF in Iraq; and discussions related to an upcoming ILO meeting. 
 
The ITF&rsquo;s Offshore Task Force Chairman, Norrie McVicar, called the two-day event &ldquo;a groundbreaking meeting, which identified the need to examine and work on all aspects, good and bad, of workers&rsquo; experiences in the offshore field, from health and safety to wages and conditions.&rdquo;

ICEM/ITF Oil Workers’ Task Force Takes Up Safety Issues at London Meeting

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Three and a half thousand workers took to the streets on 23 April, in Hanover,&nbsp;Germany, to demonstrate for site preservation. Continental AG&nbsp;workers from across Germany, France, and Mexico turned out in solidarity for their IGBCE, IG Metall, and Verdi colleagues. The 3,500 demonstrated in front of the Conti-Shareholders' Annual General Meeting, for the preservation of the nearly 2000 jobs threatened. 
Several delegations of the European Forum of Continental AG (European Works Council), from Regensburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin, demonstrated alongside trade unionists. 
Werner Bischoff, a senior leader of the ICEM affiliate IGBCE, announced that the Corporate Executive Board can not make decisions alone, on matters of site closure. 
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Werner Bischoff 
As reported in InBrief No. 128, both factories recorded excellent financial figures for the year 2008. The ICEM supports the common declaration of the 2-3 April meeting of Continental AG workers&rsquo; representatives, in describing the proposed job cuts as &ldquo;morally despicable.&rdquo; 
 
One German trade unionist at the protest stated, &ldquo;It's the first time that French union members and German members of the BCE union have come together against the shareholders, who, as we have already said, are talking just about money, whereas we are talking about our families and our hearts&rdquo; 

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German labour representatives read a statement to shareholders that said &quot;we do not accept that the life of thousands of families, when suppliers are included, are sacrificed to your boundless appetite.&quot; 
Continental management has said that no definitive decision has yet been taken on the closure of the Clairoix plant. French workers have staged repeated protests over previous weeks, including the ransacking of administrative offices at the plant. The company had previously pledged to keep the French factory open until 2012 at least. 
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Workers are unanimous that if closure does occur, Continental will have to guarantee solid compensation packages for its employees. 
 
Continental slashed around 8,000 jobs worldwide last year, and 6,000 more in the first three months of 2009.

Hanover Demonstration to Preserve Continental Jobs

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On 1 April, five activists of the Federation of Trade Unions of Burma (FTUB) were arrested in their homes in Rangoon, Burma, after attending the first National Congress of the FTUB as delegates. Without explanation and without being formally charged, the five were then released on 11 April following strong protests from the International Trade Union Federation (ITUC) and several other unions. 
 
In a statement, the ITUC said it understands that the ILO was involved in the release. 
 
The five included: Zaw Myint Aung, a teacher from South Okkalapa, Rangoon; Soe Oo, a textile factory worker from Shwe Pyi Thar, Rangoon; Maung Tun Nyein, another textile factory worker from Hlaing Thayar, Rangoon; Khine Lin Myat, a female worker at the UMH Textile factory; and Shwe Yi Nyunt, a nurse&rsquo;s aide and law student, who is a member of FTUB&rsquo;s Women&rsquo;s Committee. 

<img height="126" alt="" src="" width="98" />
FTUB General Secretary Maung Maung
The ITUC&rsquo;s appeal to global labour expressed the concern that the five may have been tortured while being detained. In its letter to Burmese military junta leader, General Than Shwe, the ITUC called FTUB a legitimate labour organization and said, &ldquo;This latest act demonstrates once again the determination of the junta to block any form of democratic activity and to clamp down on any form type of dissent from its iron rule.&rdquo; 
 
FTUB General Secretary Maung Maung said: &ldquo;The fact that our members were arrested just after returning from participating in the 1st National Congress of the FTUB&rdquo; speaks for itself. The historic three-day FTUB Congress was held in a border area inside Burma, and the fact that courageous Burmese trade unionists conducted democratic proceedings inside highly repressive Burma is exemplary, the ICEM believes.

Burmese FTUB Delegates Freed after six days concern over conditions of detainment

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A mid-June conference in Berlin between two of German&rsquo;s most important trade unions, ICEM affiliate IGBCE and IG Metall, put forward an innovative plan for the future of the country&rsquo;s automotive supply industry. 
 
Entitled &ldquo;Future Prospects for the Automotive Support Industry, Innovation, Growth, and Jobs,&rdquo; the blueprint calls on all social partners &ndash; political parties and governmental officials, auto manufacturers and suppliers, banks, all levels of management, as well as works councils and the trade unions &ndash; to overcome the barriers to German-made auto parts, and to develop initiatives that strengthen research, and education and training of staff. 
<img height="83" alt="" src="" width="66" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="75" alt="" src="" width="75" />
The plan lists obstacles such as high energy costs, global competition, run-away capital, restrictive credit policies of banks, and an overall lack of commitment for domestic financing that limits innovation in the automotive industry. 
 
The two unions cite a number of changes that must occur, including: more available financing for research and development; a focus on quality and technology-driven innovations that takes precedence over any cost factors; a systematic modernisation of German factories; and an emphasis on creating qualified and highly motivated staff, which will drive the innovative process. 
<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="200" />
And, just as important, IGBCE and IG Metall claim Germany needs a sound financial policy on investors, such as private equity funds and other risk capital ventures, which will stop the closures and plundering of stable domestic auto-supply enterprises. 
 
Germany&rsquo;s auto manufacturing and auto-supply industries provide a total of 5.3 million jobs, the majority of which find workers represented by either IG Metall or IGBCE. The Berlin conference represents an important cooperative milestone for the country&rsquo;s two largest manufacturing unions. 
 
The conference was co-chaired by Michael Vassiliadis, a member of the IGBCE governing board, and Berthold Huber, IG Metall&rsquo;s vice chairman.

Joint German Forum between IGBCE and IG Metall Shapes Future of Auto Supply Industry

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A month-long strike by 660 chromium miners in Albania escalated eight days ago as 30 of the striking miners began a hunger strike. Last Thursday, 26 June, five of them were hospitalised due to dehydration. Another four were brought to hospital yesterday, Sunday July 1st, with doctors describing their condition as critical. 
 
The strike at the Italian-based Darfo SRL's&nbsp;mine and one of two ferrochrome smelters at Bulqiza, in north-eastern Albania, where a massive protest was also organised yesterday, is backed by ICEM affiliate Trade Union Federation of Industrial Workers of Albania, as well as by the region's citizens and civil society, in particular the NGO Mjaft. 
<img height="67" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Also yesterday, the leader of the strikers&rsquo; committee, Mr. Dilaver Perkoxha, was arrested. According to the latest information, he remains in the Police Commissariat. A meeting on Saturday between the Minister of Economy, Mr. Genc Ruli, and representatives of the miners failed. 
 
The strike is over safety -- two miners were killed deep in a mine shaft on 11 June -- pay, life insurance, and a bettering of general working conditions. The miners and KSSH placed the demands before&nbsp;Darfo a full six years ago, but neither the mine and smelter management nor the Albanian government officials acted on the pay request or on the abhorrent safety conditions. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
&quot;We are seeking more information on this dispute,&quot; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, &quot;but what we have learned is that in tripartite negotiations, both the government and Bulqiza mine management have been indifferent. 
 
The striking miners and the Federation of Industrial Workers deserve and will get our full support and solidarity.&quot; 
 
The ongoing health and safety deficiencies were manifested when two mineworkers, Hysni Lezni and Avni Duri&ccedil;i were killed 1,000 metres underground in Darfo's chromium mine. The pay dispute is over the fact that mine and smelting workers receive sub-standard monthly salaries compared to other industrial workers in the central European country.

Albanian Chrome Miners Strike over Safety, Pay, and Work Conditions

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ICEM Workshop on HIV/AIDS and women workers in Latin America and the Caribbean
A workshop to plan activities on HIV/AIDS with special focus on gender issues was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 30-31 May 2007. The meeting opened by identifying the prejudices in connection with HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS has to be taken out of the private sphere. It is easier to tackle if it is discussed in public and in the unions. Women have to stop being victims. 
 
In the Caribbean, the region which is currently most affected by HIV after Africa, the Oil Workers Trade Union (OWTU) of Trinidad and Tobago has been working with the ILO. There is still a stigma about HIV and fear of disclosure and discrimination. The OWTU is currently negotiating a policy with the state-owned oil company Petrotrin. It is more difficult to negotiate with small employers 
 
Two important observations are that deaths have gone down since anti-retroviral drugs have become more affordable and that, still, more women are getting sick than men. 
 
A presentation was made on the correct use of condoms, with special emphasis on the female condom. The suggestion was made that ICEM should campaign with governments and international organisations for female condoms to be made available at more reasonable cost. In addition, Maria Luisa from FEQUIMFAR, Brazil talked about her experiences of being HIV positive in a very moving speech. 
 
The conclusions for unions to take the work forward varied greatly. In Costa Rica, for example, where work has not started, the union proposed creating awareness and called for a conference to be scheduled in October, where men and women should be invited. World AIDS Day, 1 December, should be a good day for union-company campaigns. Similar suggestions came from Uruguay and Colombia. 
 
CNQ-CUT, Brazil, proposed developing new clauses in collective bargaining agreements to eliminate discrimination and victimisation and guarantee medicines for those at work. 
 
HIV/AIDS should be included in health courses and the FORMAQUIMULHER women&rsquo;s training courses. The gender and health committees should work in partnership and &lsquo;train the trainers&rsquo; programs should include collective bargaining on HIV/AIDS. 
 
The SNQ-FS union, Brazil, suggested continuing the Summer Without AIDS program all year. This programme has been successful since 1995. The programme seeks to check where testing is done and includes HIV tests in preventive treatment. The use of the female condom is also encouraged. 
 
In Chile, women want to check all clauses in collective agreements to see if HIV/AIDS is adequate covered. They want to consult the company&rsquo;s medical services to find out what the company has been doing. And the women unionists would also analyse the company&rsquo;s position and propose common platforms on HIV/AIDS. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Women&rsquo;s Rights Key to Africa&rsquo;s AIDS Crisis
Improving women&rsquo;s rights could boost the battle against HIV/AIDS in southern African countries, where women are often forced into risky sexual behaviour by male partners or economic desperation. 
 
Physicians for Human Rights said its study of 2,000 women in Botswana and Swaziland showed that inequality and gender discrimination were major factors behind the pandemic in these countries. 
 
The impact of women&rsquo;s lack of power cannot be underestimated. In Africa, women make up almost 60 percent of HIV-positive people; in the age group 15-25 years, this soars to 75 percent. 
 
Economic dependency on men meant that women often lose control of their sexual choices, including whether or not to use a condom. Social inequality meant that men and women are held to different standards of behaviour when it comes to multiple sexual partners. The report can be accessed at 
<a href="http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf">http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/documents/ 
reports/botswana-swaziland-report.pdf</a>
(Source: Reuters World Report, 25 May) 
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China: Infection Rate among Women Increases by 43%
In China, more and more women are infected with the HIV virus. Between 2000 and 2006, their proportion increased from 19.4 percent to 27.8 percent of all infected, an increase of 43 percent. 
 
(Source: NZZ, Switzerland, 6 June &ndash; from Xinhua News Agency) 
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G8 Summit: Unions Condemn Backsliding on AIDS
Trade unions joined HIV/AIDS activists in condemning the Summit in Germany for backsliding on its promise for universal access to prevention, treatment and care by 2010. In the final communiqu&eacute;, the G8 had almost halved its goal by targeting only 5 million in Africa with life-saving antiretroviral drugs. 
 
On the other hand, progress was made towards better G8 monitoring. This year, a first-ever monitoring exercise was undertaken. The Global Union AIDS Programme has lobbied for this provision over the last two years. It must now become an enduring and effective working tool for the G8. 
 
The G8 Summit in Gleneagles in 2005 committed to reaching universal access, which is defined by UNAIDS as 80% coverage. Between 10 and 12 million people will need treatment by 2010, yet the same leaders now have only set a target of 5 million in the &ldquo;next few years&rdquo;. 
 
The G8 has vaguely promised to spend USD 60 billion on AIDS, TB, malaria (for all three diseases, not just for AIDS) as well as to strengthen health systems, without clarifying aims or timelines, specifying only that it will be spent &ldquo;over the coming years&rdquo;. UNAIDS estimates show that, by 2010, USD 23 billion will be needed for AIDS alone, each year. The G8 fair share of this figure would be almost USD 16 billion. 
 
&ldquo;Africa will suffer greatly if the commitment is scaled back&rdquo;, said Elizabeth Mataka, the UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa who is also the Executive Director of the Zambia National AIDS Network and the representative for non-governmental organisations from developing countries on the Board of the Global Fund, where she currently serves as Vice-Chair. 
 
(Source: Global Union AIDS Programme Press Release, 8 June; TUAC Press Release, 8 June; World AIDS Campaign Press Release, 7 June and PR Newswire, Lusaka, 5 June)
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Global Fund Releases Report on Participation of Civil Society
Civil society (CS) has played a key role in the design and development of the Global Fund, and in the response to AIDS, TB and malaria, but some challenges remain if the contribution of CS is to be maximised. This is the main message of a new report released by the Global Fund, &ldquo;An Evolving Partnership: The Global Fund and Civil Society in the Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.&rdquo; 
 
The 49-page report describes the participation of CS in four main areas: advocacy and resource mobilisation; the Board and governance of the Fund; CCMs; and the implementation of Global Fund grants. The report also describes how the Global Fund Secretariat works with CS. The report summarizes the history of CS involvement in the response to pandemics, and describes the comparative advantages of CS. 
 
The report says that, throughout the development and evolution of the Global Fund, CS has encouraged governments to commit more resources; that CS representatives have played a valuable role on the Fund&rsquo;s Board, on CCMs and in programme implementation; and that CS has proven effective in targeting and delivering services to hard-to-reach communities. 
 
Supporting this view on CS involvement, a recent statistical analysis published in The Lancet found that Global Fund grants where the Principal Recipient (PR) is not a government entity are somewhat more likely to perform well. Grants in which the PR is from civil society, private sector, or a UN agency were 17% more likely to receive an &quot;A&quot; performance rating than grants for which the PR is from government. 
 
The authors note that this is probably because government agencies often have problems with bureaucracy and capacity. This, in turn, helps validate the GF Board's recent decision that countries should be encouraged to assign non-government PRs to operate alongside government ones. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 76, 15 June 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>).
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
The World Bank&rsquo;s Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa
In a report on the activities of the Multi-country HIV/AIDS Programme in Africa (MAP) from 2000 to 2006, released on 14 June, the World Bank notes that &ldquo;mobilisation of empowered grassroots communities, along with delivering condoms and life-saving treatments, are beginning to slow the pace of the continent&rsquo;s epidemic.&rdquo; 
 
At its inception, MAP was the most important source of funds for HIV/AIDS work in Africa, but funding from other sources, notably the Global Fund, has since increased considerably. Almost USD 1.3 billion was invested over six years. 
 
MAP funds were disbursed to around 41,000 different organisations. MAP has also helped to establish 1,512 new Voluntary Counselling and Testing sites in 17 countries. 
 
The full report is available on the World Bank&rsquo;s website <a href="http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:21370918~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html">here</a>. 
 
(Source: allAfrica.com News, 18 June) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="" width="25" />
Zimbabwe: HIV/AIDS Policy for the Mining Sector 
The recent launch of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector in Zimbabwe is an important step in the fight against the pandemic, which is wrecking havoc in one of the country&rsquo;s major economic sectors. 
 
The policy, which was formulated after extensive consultations between tripartite partners, aims to guide and direct the process of dealing with HIV and AIDS in the workplace at all levels of the mining sector. 
 
Government departments, the Chamber of Mines and the Associated Mine Workers&rsquo; Union of Zimbabwe, an ICEM affiliate, worked together with the ILO to produce the mining policy. 
 
Key principles of the policy include the recognition that HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue, non-discrimination, non-victimisation and confidentiality. 
 
Implementation strategies require enterprises to put in place their own programmes and allocate time, human and financial resources. Workers must be involved in programme formulation, implantation, monitoring and evaluation. 
 
(Source: The Herald, Harare, 7June 2007) 
 
(Note by the editor of the e-bulletin: The Herald is a newspaper controlled by the Mugabe regime. While the conclusion of an HIV/AIDS policy for the mining sector is very good news, it is difficult to understand how in a country with some 80% unemployment, the collapse of the health system, an ever-increasing inflation rate that has reached more than 4,000% recently and the complete depletion of foreign exchange reserves, effective follow-up measures in prevention, treatment and care can be taken.) 
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News from ILOAIDS 
 
At a meeting in Geneva during the International Labour Conference, Labour ministers from the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) resolved to establish a SAARC Forum on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
The National Union of Namibian Workers (NUNW) launched its HIV/AIDS Workplace Programme in collaboration with the Namibia Development Foundation. This programme will encourage and support integrated HIV/AIDS interventions including behaviour change, measures for care, support and treatment and the elimination of stigma and discrimination. 
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News from the Global Union Programme and Global Union Federations
The Global Unions AIDS Programme organised a sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop for Burkina Faso and C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire in Abidjan, 6-8 June. 27 unionists participated in this workshop; the ICEM was represented by the national HIV/AIDS Coordinator in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (no. 22 and 23 of 1 and 15 June) the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF - <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>) reports, among other things, on its workshop on HIV/AIDS in the Arab world; on the HIV/AIDS situation in the Caribbean; on the Jamaican Senate passing a motion to prohibit HIV screening of prospective workers and on the ITF Regional Workshop for the Caribbean in Georgetown, Guyana. 
 
In its most recent newsletter on EFA and HIV/AIDS Prevention at Schools, the Education International (EI) has published, among other, articles on a new television programme in Botswana aired in schools across the country and on the meeting of the Inter Agency Task Team on Education and HIV/AIDS - <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 21

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