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The 8th General Assembly of the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMCEF) was held on 30 June-1 July in Paris, France, hosted by the organisation&rsquo;s French affiliates within CFDT, CGT, FO and CFTC, with around 130 participants from various European countries. 
 
According to the statutes of EMCEF, during the period between Congress&rsquo;s, the General Assembly is convened as a forum to discuss important political issues with an authority to implement decisions taken by the Congress and to review EMCEF&rsquo;s policies, without the right to change the statutes. 
 
The General Assembly was attended by two guests, namely Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer of ICEM and Peter Scherer, General Secretary of the European Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (EMF). Patrick Itschert, General Secretary of ITGLWF and ETUC:TCL could not be present in the meeting because of other obligations and sent his apologies. 
<img alt="" src="" width="200" height="150" />
EMCEF President Hubertus Schmoldt
In his opening speech, EMCEF President Hubertus Schmoldt pointed to the financial crisis, its effects on social issues and unemployment as well as joint European policies in the crisis environment. He particularly underlined mass youth unemployment in Europe, which is more than 20% on average, even around 40% in some European countries. Referring to the Presidium meeting which took place just before the General Assembly, Schmoldt explained the importance of the creation of a new European Industrial federation in the metal, chemical, energy, mine and textile sectors. 
 
EMCEF General Secretary Reinhard Reibsch submitted his Secretariat report to the General Assembly on the following issues: 
 
a. European Integration 
i. Lisbon Treaty, new EU Council President, new EU Commission, EU integration process (Iceland, Croatia, Turkey) 
ii. Belgium Presidency with an agenda of EU2020 Strategy, Financial Supervision, Social Issues, Energy and Climate Change, Strengthening EU&rsquo;s external action 
iii. Recent Elections in some EU countries, particularly in the UK and Hungary 
iv. Important Changes by the Reform Treaty 
v. Financial Policy 
 
b. Activities of EMCEF Committees: 
i. Industrial policy, health, safety and environment committee &ndash; implementation of REACH and ECHA, nanotechnology, climate change, impact of crisis 
ii. Social dialogue committee &ndash; sectoral social dialogues in chemical, electricity, gas, extractive industries and pulp/paper sectors. 
iii. European Works&rsquo; Councils committee &ndash; formation of new EWCs, renewal of list of country coordinators, joint work with EMF and ETUC:TCL 
 
EMCEF Political Secretary Jorma Rusanen gave a report on the activities of the Collective Bargaining Committee. He highlighted the collective bargaining database developed through the Eurocob@n project, Europe-wide collective negotiations at sectoral and company levels and mandate procedures, discussions on EU&rsquo;s Working Time Directive (WTD) and Posting Directive (PWD). 
 
Delegates from Spain, the UK, France, Poland, Italy and Germany took the floor and raised their concerns on modification of two EU directives which could result in precariousness in employment, climate change, future of Europe&rsquo;s energy sector through valorisation of national raw materials and reinforcing manufacturing jobs through innovation in the industries. The report of the Secretariat was unanimously adopted. 
 
One major agenda item of the General Assembly was the creation of a new European Industrial Trade Union Federation by EMCEF, EMF and ETUF:TCL. President Hubertus Schmoldt explained the situation, by making reference to the resolution of the previous General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey in 2006 on closer cooperation with other European Industry Federations and the decision of the EMCEF Congress in Prague, Czech Republic in 2008 towards creation of a new European Federation as well as a number of decisions of the Presidium and Executive Committee. 
 
EMF General Secretary Peter Scherer reported that creation of a new organisation is a political project rather than a technical one at a time when all the partners are in good situations in terms of finances and organisational structures which give great opportunity to focus on political aspects commonly affecting the whole manufacturing chain. The EMF was reported to be prepared to continue to work under&nbsp;one united&nbsp;umbrella organisation in Europe in the future which would make industrial unions much more powerful vis-&agrave;-vis employers and politics. 
<img alt="" src="" width="200" height="150" />
A&nbsp;new European Industrial Federation, will provide an opportunity for each European trade union federation to share its strengths, in order to become a common force. In this period of massive crisis for industry, the new federation will aim first to meet the needs of local trade union and company representatives at European level. It is also mentioned that the identity of the 3 founding federations should therefore be reflected in the composition of the leadership of the new federation. The aim is also foreseen to: 
a. create a new industrial federation, and therefore no fusion/absorption; 
b. build around an ambitious, common platform; 
c. optimising strengths and complementarities, through the right balance between &ldquo;pooling certain elements/synergies&rdquo; 
d. while maintaining a strong sectoral identity, especially in view of the fact that EMCEF has the widest sectoral coverage of all 3 federations. 
 
It was also noted that the Presidents and General Secretaries of the three federations, at their meeting on 25 March 2010, came out in favour of setting up a joint working group. This working group will in its composition reflect the regional diversity of the three organisations and be composed of representatives from the affiliates who carry a political responsibility. The three general secretaries will function as the secretariat for this working group. In this way the need for conducting deliberations in a transparent and democratic manner will be ensured. The respective statutory bodies, as well as all affiliated organisations, will be informed and consulted systematically for each step of the works.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
The Presidium&rsquo;s motion on the future European federation was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly. 
 
The General Assembly also adopted the following resolutions: 
a. Mandate Procedures proposed by Presidium and Executive Committee 
b. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/GA2010-DemographicPolicy-EN.doc">Pensions, retirement and lifelong work</a> &ndash; an EMCEF policy on demography proposed by Collective Bargaining Committee 
c. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/GA2010-EWCPolicy-EN.doc">Multinational Company Policy</a> proposed by European Works Councils Committee 
d. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/GA2010-ClimateChangeMotion-EN.doc">Climate Change Policies</a> proposed by Industrial Policy Committee 
e. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/GA2010SDMotion-EN.doc">Instrumentalisation of Social Dialogue on European and national level</a> proposed by Social Dialogue Committee 
f. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/FITEQA-CCOO-FIA-UGT-EmploymentRights-en.doc">Protection and development of the European social model depends on the protection and extension of employment rights worldwide</a> proposed by FITEQA-CC.OO. &amp; FIA-UGT (with some changes by the Motions Committee) 
g. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/Petrolis-motion-en.doc">Dialogue with the Regional Energy Trade Unions Network of South Eastern Europe (RETUNSEE)</a> proposed by Turkish union Petrol-Is (with some modification by Motions Committee) 
h. <a href="http://www.emcef.org/Bodies/GA/2010/Motions/Petrol-Is-EmergencyMotionGaza.doc">Gaza blockade, separation wall and solidarity with Palestinian workers and their unions</a> proposed by Turkish union Petrol-Is (a new text prepared by the Motions Committee was adopted) The General Assembly condemned the &quot;brutal and unacceptable attack by Israeli forces on the peaceful humanitarian flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.&quot; 
i. <a href="http://www.etuc.org/IMG/pdf_04-EN-Supplement-Resolution-Crisis.pdf">The Worsening Crisis &ndash; Europe at Risk</a> &ndash; an ETUC resolution was passed 
 
The General Assembly ended with the closing speech of EMCEF President Hubertus Schmoldt. Defining the General Assembly as an historic one, he announced that on the basis of the mandate given by the General Assembly, the Working Group for the creation of a new European Industrial Federation will be organised on 8 July. EMCEF will be represented by a group to be composed of its President, General Secretary and five other members representing different regions. It was also announced that on 29 September there will be a demonstration organised by ETUC in Brussels where EMCEF affiliates should also be present.

8th General Assembly of EMCEF, 30 June - 1 July, 2010, Paris, France

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Participants of the recent Joint ICEM-IMF World Conference on Sustainability, June 18-19, Toronto, Canada, adopted unanimously a statement regarding the British Petroleum (BP) oil well blow-out in the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
The statement demands an independent and open inquiry into the causes of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a process to which trade unions should be granted full insight. 
 
In the years prior to the 20 April oil rig explosion that caused the current disaster, BP had repeatedly made assurances that &ldquo;best available technology&rdquo; is in use in all its operations. It has since become clear that this was not true at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig operation. The Statement demands that &ldquo;blow out prevention (BOP) systems should have remote control capabilities, for instance acoustic signal actuators, in addition to traditional BOP controls&rdquo;.
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="86" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="90" height="88" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="85" height="85" />
The participants at the Toronto Conference included 270 trade union leaders from the industrial and manufacturing sectors of some 50 countries, affiliated to the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM), and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF). In total, the number of workers represented by these organisations and their affiliates exceeds 55 million people and includes the most important unions in the petroleum sector, worldwide. 
 
Local sponsors of the event in Canada included the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP), the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), the Power Workers Union (PWU), the United Steelworkers (USW), and the International Association of Machinists (IAM). 
 
See the full statement <a href="/en/97-Sustainable-Development-Health-and-Safety/3897-Global-Governance-Includes-Better-Governance-of-Oil-Companies">here</a>.

ICEM, IMF, ITGLWF Affiliates Demand Better Governance of Oil Industry

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The ICEM Latin American and Caribbean Regional Committee met on 28 June in Recife in Northeastern Brazil. The meeting was preceded by a one-day meeting on contract and agency labour (CAL). It was likewise followed by the 6th Statutory Congress of CNQ/CUT, the CUT chemical union. 
 
The workshop was attended by ICEM affiliates from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay. They spoke about how CAL is being used to undermine trade unions, for example in Sintracarb&oacute;n in Colombia where trade union activists are being transferred from permanent positions into what are known as &lsquo;rubbish contracts&rsquo;. Affiliates also spoke about the problems of triangular employment relationships, with CAL workers not being clear on who is ultimately responsible for their working conditions. 
 
Participants exchanged information on the increasing efforts being made to halt the outsourcing of employment and abusive use of short-term contracts. The ICEM is working to create networks to facilitate ongoing exchange of experience and information between affiliates. Affiliates shared how their unions are integrating CAL issues in their policy development, and how they are exploring new ways of organising CAL workers. The Brazilian Petrobras union reported how two-thirds of the company&rsquo;s workforce is employed on short-term contracts or through employment agencies, but how the union had succeeded in getting the company to establish a fund to protect these workers against unemployment. 
<img alt="" src="" width="266" height="180" />
Manfred Warda and the project coordinators from left to right: Sergio Novais, ICEM Regional Vice-President, Ashling Seely, Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary, Marilane Oliveira Teixeira, Patricio Sambonino, Rosane Sasse, Elias Soares 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda closed the meeting, saying that Governments must be made aware that ILO Conventions apply equally to contract and agency workers, and that where there are obstacles to full rights for CAL workers these should be tackled with legal actions. Warda also spoke about the need to work against the practices of the World Bank and the IFC, organisations which are still advising governments that they need to create what they call more &lsquo;flexible&rsquo; labour markets. Warda concluded by calling on participants to inform the ICEM when there are CAL-related problems with companies. 
 
The regional committee meeting evaluated the activities carried out in the region since 2008 on the basis of the strategic plan drawn up in Uruguay. Three new unions were also ratified as new affiliates. The ICEM General Secretary spoke to the meeting about the ongoing effects of the global financial crisis, especially in Europe. He also updated the group on the talks with other GUF&rsquo;s on cooperation and building new international structures.

ICEM Regional Committee, CAL Workshop Meet in Recife, Brazil

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The ICEM Colombian affiliate, USO (Uni&oacute;n Sindical Obrera) has again been targeted with an assassination of one of their activists. Nelson Camacho Gonz&aacute;lez was shot repeatedly by hired killers on motorbikes, 16 June, as he waited at a bus stop for his bus to work. 
 
This murder is the latest in the ongoing violent persecution of the oil workers union, as USO activists are involved in collective struggles with the multinational British Petroleum in Casanare, with Ecopetrol and with TGI (Transportadora de Gas del Interior). 
 
The murder occurred three days after another trade union activist was assassinated, Ibio Efr&eacute;n Caicedo, on 19 June. The trade unionist from the Antioquia Teachers&rsquo; Association (ADIDA) was the seventh unionised teacher to be murdered in 2010 in the Antioquia region, northern Colombia. He was killed the day before the presidential elections in the country. 
<img alt="" src="" width="250" height="115" />
The total number of trade unionists assassinated in Colombia in 2010 is 32. As was recently reported by ICEM, in 2009 there were 101 trade unionists murdered around the world, 48 of them in Colombia. Nearly 3,000 trade unionists have been murdered in Colombia in the last 24 years. When Uribe hands power to President-elect Juan Maunel Santos, his legacy will be 529 union leaders killed while conducting collective bargaining, with the hired killers from paramilitary groups acting with impunity. 
 
The ICEM joins USO in calling for a full investigation into this latest crime, to be lead by Colombia&rsquo;s Attorney General. 
 
These killings occurred four weeks after the ILO&rsquo;s Committee on the Application of Standards removed Colombia from the list of 25 countries sanctioned for trade union rights abuses. The surprising decision to remove the most dangerous country for trade unionists from the list was passed on the condition that a high level tripartite ILO delegation to Colombia would take place. The mission was in Bogot&aacute; 6-9 July, conducting a series of meetings with government, employers, and workers. 
 
The delegation took part in numerous meetings with workers rallying outside. Last Wednesday, 7 July, as the delegation met with the Colombian Ministry of Social Protection, hundreds of workers outside chanted slogans such as &ldquo;down with the repressive policies of the Uribe government and the Ministry of Social Protection!&rdquo;. The rally was, as is the norm, under constant intimidation by the notorious ESMAD riot police. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda expressed anger and grief, on behalf of all ICEM affiliates, in a letter to USO President Germ&aacute;n Osman this week.

USO Activist Murdered, ILO Delegation Arrives in Colombia

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Labour, management, and the Liberian government celebrated the signing on 28 June of the second collective agreement between ICEM-affiliated Firestone Agricultural Workers&rsquo; Union (FAWUL) and Firestone Rubber Plantation. Some 4,500 workers and their families will again benefit when the two-year contract takes effect in December 2010. 
 
The ever-evolving labour-management relationship between FAWUL and Firestone is fast becoming a showcase in modern industrial relations for the administration of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. 
<img alt="" src="" width="350" height="262" />
Labour Minister Taiworn Gongloe stated at the celebration that the social relationship &ldquo;has broken from the past,&rdquo; and thanks to enlightened leadership coming from the President, the rights of workers and the interests of the company both are now guaranteed. Added Firestone Managing Director Charles Stuart, &ldquo;What we're celebrating here is the result of management and employees working in a peaceful and respectful manner. Without you we are nothing and together, anything can happen.&rdquo; 
 
It was only a short three years ago that FAWUL was fighting the last vestiges of an illegitimate yellow union that had been propped up by Firestone management for decades. Following free and open elections, and an ambitious years-long union-building project by the US-based United Steelworkers (USW), FAWUL won union certification in 2007. (See ICEM reports <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/2511-ICEM-Calls-on-Liberia-to-Recognise-Correct-Trade-Union-at-Firestone-Rubber-Plantation ">here</a> and <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/2526-ICEM-Welcomes-Liberia's-Certification-of-Legitimate-Firestone-Union ">here</a>.) 
 
A year later, on 27 July, FAWUL won its first collective agreement, giving workers a 24% pay increase backdated 19 months, reducing a quota system on tapping natural rubber from trees, and granting new schools and free tuition for the sons and daughters of workers. 
<img alt="" src="" width="320" height="231" />
This second contract goes further: a 3.5% wage increase, the construction of more schools and school transportation, and perhaps the most important gain, a mechanized transport system to haul the rubber latex to weigh stations. For decades, workers had to haul 150-pound buckets of rubber sometimes miles on their shoulders to the stations. 
 
FAWUL Secretary-General Edwin Cisco said the months long bargaining was hard and arduous, but that a &ldquo;new day of social dialogue between management and workers has begun and the days of confrontation and agitation are over.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;This is a major success story in so many ways,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, &ldquo;and we should never lose sight of the fact that the Steelworkers Union of America did the hard and difficult work up front to make it happen. We commend the workers, FAWUL leadership, and Firestone Rubber management, and see a long, productive, and precedent-setting relationship unfolding inside Liberia.&rdquo;

FAWUL, Firestone Rubber Plantation in Liberia Sign Second Two-Year Pact

International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM)
&nbsp;International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF)
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF) 
Stronger Together - Fighting for a Sustainable Future 

We, the global industrial trade union federations representing workers in the metal, chemical, energy, mining, paper, rubber, textiles, materials, and related sectors, believe we have a golden opportunity to demand that the global economy be transformed from an unsustainable &ldquo;casino&rdquo; model into something that supports a sustainable environment and a sustainable society. 
 
The financial crisis that very nearly destroyed the world&rsquo;s economy is only the most obvious recent result of the same short-sighted thinking that has jeopardized the global environment, threatened human health, and destabilized society. In particular, the runaway gambling by banks, hedge funds and other finance institutions has had catastrophic implications for millions of working people. 
 
Working women and men, their families, and the communities that depend on them have paid heavily for the crash of the casino economy through massive job losses, decreased wages, and reduced benefits. The global trade union movement strongly opposes any attempt to make working people assume the major burden of the financial crisis through regressive tax reforms. We believe it is time for the people who caused this mess to pay to clean it up. 
 
The failure of world leaders in December 2009 in Copenhagen to reach an ambitious, fair and binding agreement on greenhouse gases is another example of short-term greed trumping long-term need. The price of inaction will be paid by future generations. From broad concerns like global warming to more specific examples like the Deepwater Horizon disaster, nothing about a de-regulated market ensures the protection the environment. 
 
The inability of the deregulated financial market to value the long-term health of the economy, the environment, or society must now be clear to any thinking person. The ICEM, IMF and ITGLWF are showing the way to a sustainable future by calling for re-regulation of the global financial market, including among other instruments the introduction of a financial transaction tax that would raise billions to tackle poverty and climate change. We believe this will generate substantial revenues to pay for the costs of the crisis, climate change measures, and official development assistance while reducing the pressures that could cause a renewed financial crisis. Coupled with fair and binding environmental regulations, and strong social programs, we can shape a prosperous and sustainable future. 
 
Industrial workers have a central role to play in building a future that lifts people out of poverty while protecting the environment. Through industrial and political action, our three global federations demand that the world&rsquo;s leaders take decisive actions to solve the economic, social and environmental crises. 
 
The economic crisis has not just been about how things are made, bought and sold, but also about people. Evidence shows that many companies that have begun hiring again are doing so with fixed-term or temporary workers. Such precarious work is bad for all workers. It creates cut-price labor that drives down wages. It increases the gap between rich and poor and amplifies the unfair practices that already disadvantage women, young and migrant workers. 
 
We believe the upcoming G8 and G20 summit meetings in Canada provide an opportunity for world leaders to address the legitimate concerns of industrial workers for social justice and long-term employment policies. The solution lies in global governance. Financial markets must be re-regulated, and the environment must be better protected. Jobs, workers&rsquo; rights, social protection, quality public services, and sustainability are at the heart of our proposal for a new system for global governance. 
 
We therefore call on world leaders to: 
&bull; Ensure that global financial markets are regulated, including as an initial step better disclosure of transactions, strengthened monitoring schemes and regulation of leveraging; 
&bull; Ban the creation or use of financial instruments with no verifiable real-world value, such as certain derivatives and swaps; 
&bull; Introduce an international financial transaction tax system to be levied on transactions between financial institutions. A tiny tax on financial transactions would make a massive difference in the way we face up to the challenges of today. Even at just 0.05 percent experts have estimated that an international transaction tax system could eventually raise as much as $400 billion every year - money that could be used to save our planet and build a future fairer for all. 
&bull; Make sustainable development a criteria of trade and investment deals; with balanced and fair access to markets, and transparent monitoring mechanisms of all trade and investment deals past and future; 
&bull; Assess the social, economic and environmental sustainability impact of potential trade agreements prior to the conclusion of negotiations; 
&bull; Consider the employment repercussions of trade liberalization in the negotiation of multilateral and bilateral trade agreements &ndash; to be assessed with full involvement of trade unions; 
&bull; Respect fundamental workers' and trade union rights as set out in the ILO Core Labour Standards; to be included in all bilateral and multilateral agreements on trade and investments along with effective enforcement mechanisms; 
&bull; Create jobs that meet the ILO definition of &ldquo;decent work&rdquo;. We recognize that industrial change is happening, but challenge the legal and political rules that allow precarious work to flourish; 
&bull; Reach an ambitious, fair, and binding, agreement on greenhouse gases at COP16 in Mexico; and 
&bull; Ensure that funds in the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund earmarked as part of the Copenhagen Accord are available to trade unions for vocational and educational purposes as part of the broader principle of Just Transition. 
 
In short we believe that world leaders can no longer ignore the big problems facing the world today. We are calling for an innovative, international regulatory response that will boldly deal with global issues.

ICEM-IMF-ITGLWF Declaration: Toronto, Canada, 19 June 2010

IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 17 June 2010 &ndash; Two Global Union Federations (GUFs) representing a combined 45 million workers will conduct a two-day conference on economic, environment, and social dimensions of sustainability in Toronto beginning tomorrow, aimed at forging a worldwide workers&rsquo; and communities&rsquo; declaration for the upcoming G8 and G20 summits. 
 
The &ldquo;Triple Crisis of Sustainability&rdquo; Conference is sponsored by Geneva, Switzerland-based International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Union (ICEM) and International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), and will include voices from 270 trade union and other leaders from over 50 countries. 
 
The conference runs from 9h00 to 17h30 on both 18 and 19 June in the Dominion Ballroom of the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, 123 Queen Street West. 
 
&ldquo;The financial crisis that brought the world&rsquo;s economy to its knees needs correcting and it needs the resonating voices of those most affected by runaway greed and banking calamities,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;Environmental catastrophes, monetary disparities, and destabilized societies all have related origins, and this is the pivotal time for the world&rsquo;s economic and political leaders to correct the imbalances.&rdquo; 
 
Added Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of the IMF: &ldquo;The uncertainties that workers and their families face is now unprecedented. We want guarantees that the G8 and G20 summits address the legitimate concerns of workers for social justice and long-term, sustainable employment, and include the introduction of a global tax on financial institutions.&rdquo; 
 
The two GUFs believe that the crises of failing economies, environmental inaction, and social disorder are interconnected. ICEM and IMF also believe these crises have been produced by absence of global financial and environmental regulations, as well as inept financial governance of markets. The conference will ensure that the voices of global workers are heard on these issues before the G8 and G20 summits convene. 
 
Jobs, workers&rsquo; rights, social protections, quality public services, and sustainability &ndash; both on environmental stewardship and in providing decent work &ndash; will serve as the heart of a common declaration from the conference to the G8 and G20. 
 
A keynote speech on 18 June will be delivered by United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard, whose union has been victimized by the merciless globalization and one of the world&rsquo;s largest and most profitable mining companies in Ontario. A panel on the opening day will address the economic crisis. 
 
Other panels will be on topics of sustainable development and climate change, and on corporate governance. On the concluding day, 19 June, David Donnelly, a leading environmental attorney connected with Canada&rsquo;s Blue-Green Alliance, will speak, as will John Evans, the General-Secretary of the Paris-based Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 
 
The conference&rsquo;s programme has been built to allow for maximum comments from the 250 participants in order to gain a wide-ranging discourse over the effects of the social, environmental, and economic crises. 
 
The ICEM counts 467 trade union affiliates in 132 countries, and represents 20 million workers. The IMF represents the collective interests of 25 million metalworkers from more than 200 unions in 100 countries.
Note to Media Outlets: A Press Briefing will occur at the venue at 12h30, 18 June.)
For more, contact: Dick Blin, ICEM Information Officer on-site at <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>, +41 79 734 8994 (mobile); or Alexander Ivanou, IMF Communications, <a href="mailto:aivanou@imfmetal.org">aivanou@imfmetal.org</a>, +41 22 308 5033 (land line).

Global Trade Unions Meet in Toronto for Sustainability Conference

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the South African state-run utility Eskom inched closer to a new labour accord for 28,000 workers last week in bargaining coordinated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA). Even though the CCMA issued a certificate of non-resolution following talks late on 24 June, the two sides were not far apart on wages and differences over the elusive year-long issue of housing allocation for workers also narrowed. 
 
The NUM did set a deadline for tomorrow, 29 June, for the company to make further movement, but the threat of a disruptive strike was diminished by movement made in CCMA talks. Two other unions are also involved in the negotiations, including the ICEM-affiliated National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), but ICEM&rsquo;s second largest global affiliate &ndash; the NUM &ndash; represents the greatest number of workers at Eskom, 16,000. 

<img src="" width="160" height="96" alt="" />
Management at Eskom has maintained that a strike would be illegal because a court decision on 25 May ruled the utility an essential national service. But workers have kept the strike option open, and the NUM said it would back rank-and-file staff if they decided to walk off jobs at electric generating facilities, power plants, and administrative servicing centres. 
 
At a press briefing on 25 June, the NUM rejected compulsory arbitration and suggested that the narrow differences between the two sides can be resolved in mediated talks early this week. 
 
The company has increased its wage offer from 4% to 8% in June talks, while the unions have brought their original wage demands down to 9%. The unions are seeking a housing allowance of R4,000 per month, while Eskom is proposing a 5.6% increase in certain benefit allowances, as well as a one-off R12,000 payment, to be made in two equal pay-outs in July 2010 and July 2011.

NUM, Eskom Come Closer to New Pay, Housing Allowance Deal

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
ICEM&rsquo;s Bridgestone Global Union Network continued its regular work with the 10th Meeting of its Steering Committee which met in Madrid, Spain on 25-26 June 2010, upon invitation of ICEM&rsquo;s Spanish affiliate the Federation of Related Industries FIA-UGT, represented by Jesus Delgado, Secretary of the European Works Council of the company and as member of the Steering Committee on behalf of Europe. Delgado originally comes from the Bridgestone plant in Burgos. 
 
The Meeting, chaired by Toshiaki Hojo, President ICEM&rsquo;s Japanese affiliate GOMU RENGO, the Confederation of Rubber Workers&rsquo; Unions was attended by members from Japan, namely Akihiro Nagasawa, President, Gen Tashiro, Vice President and Kazutaka Nishihira, Central Executive Member of the Bridgestone Union (BSU); Terezinho Da Martins, President, Daniel Demetrio, Regional Vice-President and Joao Batista Goncalves, Assistant to the President of Sao Paulo Rubber Workers&rsquo; Federation Brazil; Eduardo Alonso, shop steward at Burgos from FIA-UGT of Spain, Yoshio Sato, General Secretary of ICEM&rsquo;s Japanese Affiliates Federation (ICEM-JAF) and Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM&rsquo;s Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer. The meeting also welcomed, as observer, Tamas Szekely, President of ICEM&rsquo;s Hungarian affiliate VDSz, Chemical and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation. 

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&ldquo;The Bridgestone Global Union Network can be a good model for networking activities in the rubber industry&rdquo; said Toshiaki Hojo at the opening of the meeting. &ldquo;In some countries unions are faced with very hostile relations and the denial of human rights. Networks should also confirm their role in extending solidarity&rdquo; he added. 
 
The meeting received an extensive report from ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan on the economic situation, corporate mergers and acquisitions, future trends of the global tire and rubber industry and their effects on employees. According to &Ouml;zkan, the global tire and rubber industry was in depression and severely suffered from the crisis in 2008. He however noted that the situation was improved in 2009, demand in the industry had not recovered to the peak level in the previous year. For 2010, he reported, the industry seems to continue to recover in a relatively stabilized situation which will give opportunity to the unions in the sector to be in a better position vis-a-vis employers. 

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Left: Gen Tashiro, Coordinator ICEM Bridgestone Global Union Network and Vice-President of Bridgestone Union Right: Toshiaki Hojo, Chairman of ICEM Bridgestone Global Union Network and President of GOMU RENGO
Following the particular report on Bridgestone given by the BSU, participants reported on economic and employment situations of the tire industry and Bridgestone in their respective regions and countries. The company&rsquo;s activities on CSR (corporate social responsibility) were discussed by the participants. 
The second part of the meeting dealt with the participants&rsquo; reports on occupational health, safety and environment, particularly on the number of accidents in 2009, involving the workers entangled or stuck in machines, by giving examples as well as unions&rsquo; activities on preventing accidents. The meeting then moved to the reports on health and safety measures being taken by unions and/or the company with a view to preventing similar industrial accidents; promoting education on industrial safety and capacity building, and on the handling of chemical substances and health. 

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Tamas Szekely of Hungary gave a written report to the meeting on the union situation at the plant located in Tatabanya, Hungary where his organisation has been trying to establish a trade union for three years without success. He asked for the support of the Global Union Network in the process of developing industrial relations with the local management of the company there. Having invited participants to Hungary in the near future, Szekely particularly thanked representatives of GOMU RENGO and BSU of Japan for their interest. 
 
The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled to take place on 24-25 June 2011 in Japan.

ICEM’s Bridgestone Global Union Network Continues to Work

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International pressure and attention has been building around the 19-year strike of 340 Fiji Mineworkers Union (FMU) members at the Emperor Gold Mine in Vatukoula, Fiji, as a resolution becomes possible following Government intervention. 
 
Executive member of ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific Regional Committee, Robert Reid, also the General Secretary of the National Distribution Union of neighbouring New Zealand, has been particularly vocal, &ldquo;This is perhaps the longest running strike in the world and it is time it was resolved,&rdquo; Reid stated. 
 
The Executive of the FMU met with Permanent Secretaries of the Fiji Government Wednesday, 16 June, the miners presented a compensation claim of US$8,000 per miner for every year of striking. The Government delegation consisted of Permanent Secretaries for Lands and Mineral Resources, Labour, Defence, and the Attorney General's office, as well as for Prime Minister Bainimarama. 

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Permanent secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, Pio Tikoduadua, said a response on the government's position would be made within the next 10 days. 
 
The strike stems from the Emperor Gold Mine Company choosing to close down the mine, instead of negotiating a settlement over worker grievances of poor labour conditions, substandard housing and environmental damage at the mine. 
 
The FMU moved the ILO&rsquo;s Committee of Experts to analyse and resolve the dispute, this process was begun in December 2009. However, with those deliberations on-going, the miners&rsquo; picket has been removed and workers are now being threatened with eviction from their homes for arrears in rent. 
 
In a letter to Fijian Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda urged Bainimarama &ldquo;on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with provisions of the International Labour Organization to reach a fair and equitable resolution of this dispute.&rdquo;

International Support for Fiji Miners’ 19-Year Strike

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