English

Español

Français

Русский

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Action Plan 2021-2025

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

Women

Youth

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

The ICEM welcomes the news that Thaneth Jhanluechai, a paperworker at New Zealand-owned SIG Combibloc in the Rayong industrial area of Thailand, was reinstated to his job. Global trade union actions forced the reinstatement, particularly in New Zealand, where Rank Group, an equity house with a portfolio of forest product assets, bought the 420-worker SIG Combibloc paper packaging factory from a Swiss company last spring.
Thaneth Jhanluechai will return to work this week with full backpay and benefits dating to when he was unjustly sacked, 4 May&nbsp;2007. 
 
Jhanluechai is a leader of the SIG branch union of ICEM affiliate Paper and Printing Federation of Thailand (PPFT). He was sacked by SIG Combibloc for encouraging workers to honour the Songkran holiday. He did this while serving as vice president of the PPFT branch union and as a member of the factory&rsquo;s Employment Committee.
<img height="92" alt="" src="" width="200" />
The discharge came as SIG Combibloc was readying the plant for Rank Group&rsquo;s purchase. To do this, it eliminated the 8-hour work day for 12-hour shifts, a change that would reduce workers fixed pay and would cut their shift differential pay. Thaneth&rsquo;s call for workers to stay home on a legal Thai holiday was reason for discharge, said managers, because it damaged the business. 
 
Following Rank Group&rsquo;s purchase of the Rayong paper converting facility in June, ICEM took up Thaneth&rsquo;s case. In a letter to Rank&rsquo;s CEO, Graeme Hart, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda said this &ldquo;matter concerns the employment status of Thaneth Jhanluechai, a conscientious lab technician who was unjustly fired by managers of the Swiss-based company, shortly before the purchase by your company of SIG Combibloc. He is a 10-year employee who has always gone above and beyond the call of duty at this enterprise.&rdquo; 
 
New Zealand labour unions, the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) and the National Distribution Union (NDU), both ICEM affiliates, played key roles in this just reversal, as did Union Network International (UNI). 
 
The pressure, including a manifestation at the New Zealand embassy in Bangkok during the recent ICEM Congress, forced Rank Group to send a senior manager to Rayong. A meeting between the branch union committee, PPFT, and Rank Group representatives occurred on 27 November. Managers listened to six major grievances, and heard first-hand how workplace leaders felt over the unfair treatment of Thaneth. 
 
Two separate meetings occurred next, both on 6 December, one to address the sacking, the other to address the issues. The firing was reversed and the issues, including obstruction of union activity, contract labour matters, unfair work rules, discrimination and favouritism, now get full hearing. The ICEM congratulates everyone involved with the result of this 9-month struggle for justice.

Justice Restored with Reinstatement of Thai Paperworker, Thaneth Jhanluechai

Delegates to the 4th World Congress of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Union (ICEM) elected Senzeni Zokwana, President, and Manfred Warda, General Secretary, for four-year terms. 
Some 840 trade union leaders from 75 countries are attending the Bangkok, Thailand, Congress, which concludes tomorrow with a crucial motion on the occupation of Iraq, the country&rsquo;s the oil industry, and support for emerging trade unions. Other business tomorrow includes action on Burma, Thailand and closer co-operation with other Global Union Federations. 
 
Zokwana serves as President of the 300,000-member National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa, and was first elected by the ICEM&rsquo;s Presidium in a special election in October 2005. He is a 24-year members of the NUM and got his start in the labour movement as a shop steward in a gold mine in South Africa&rsquo;s Free State.
<img height="253" alt="" src="" width="380" />
Manfred Warda and Senzeni Zokwana
Zokwana, NUM President since 2000, is a forceful advocate of bringing modern safety techniques to the developing world&rsquo;s mining industry. He is also an outspoken campaigner for ending the marginalisation of Africa by using the continent&rsquo;s resources to end poverty and to create opportunities for African people. 
Warda has been Acting General Secretary of the 20-million-member Global Union Federation since January 1 of this year. He is a 44-year member of Germany&rsquo;s Industrial of Mine, Chemical, and Energy Workers (IGBCE) and its predecessor, the Industrial Mining and Energy Union (IGBE). 
He began his trade union career with IGBE in 1971, and after serving as an assistant and then Head of the President's Office, he became Head of IGBE's International Department from 1990 to 1997. Following the 1997 merger that created IGBCE, he continued as Head of the IGBCE&rsquo;s International Department. He began working in the industrial sector in 1963 in his home city of Bochum, North Rhine Westphalia. 
 
Today&rsquo;s ICEM Congress also elected its first Vice President from the Middle East/North Africa Region. Elected was Mohamed el-Sayed Morsi of Egypt&rsquo;s Public Syndicate of Public Utilities. ICEM delegates also changed the federation&rsquo;s statutes to permit a head office move from Brussels, Belgium, to Geneva, Switzerland. That move is to occur in the first half of 2008. 
 
Tomorrow&rsquo;s motion on Iraq calls for the &ldquo;swiftest possible withdrawal of coalition troops,&rdquo; and states that &ldquo;the oil and gas resources of the country remain the property of all the people of Iraq.&rdquo; The motion commits ICEM to intensify its work with the trade unions of Iraq.

ICEM elects Senzeni Zokwana, Manfred Warda to lead 20-Million-Member Global Union Federation

4th ICEM World Congress - Speech by ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda

4th ICEM World Congress - Opening Speech by ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM affiliate Engineering, Printing, and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) in New Zealand has voiced its sentiments concerning mine safety on two fronts: at home and in China. The country&rsquo;s largest labour union, which represents nearly all of New Zealand&rsquo;s coal miners, issued a statement calling on mandatory mine check inspectors to be included in any new mining regulations. 
 
The EPMU&rsquo;s call follows news in New Zealand that the surviving spouse of a miner killed inside a shaft in 2006 plans to campaign for changes to New Zealand&rsquo;s mining regulations. 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little said dedicated mine check inspectors would be a major improvement in mine safety. &ldquo;Having someone on-site whose express purpose is to check worksite safety, equipment standards, and make sure that the right procedures are followed, and who has the confidence of miners, would make mining that much safer,&rdquo; said Little. 
 
&ldquo;Mining remains one of the most dangerous jobs, and it is about teamwork and trust,&rdquo; he added. 
<img height="200" src="" width="132" alt="" />
EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little 
The EPMU also struck out at New Zealand&rsquo;s National Party for its cynical attack on Kiwi efforts to bring better safety techniques to China&rsquo;s mines. Leaders of the political party were sharply critical of a government-funded initiative to assist the Chinese. The initiative had the involvement of the EPMU, New Zealand&rsquo;s Council of Trade Unions, and state-run Solid Energy. 
 
&ldquo;The EPMU helps Chinese miners because we value human life,&rdquo; said Little in a statement. &ldquo;National&rsquo;s criticism of this (programme) is astonishingly short-sighted and petty, and makes clear where their party stands on decent labour standards &ndash; they don&rsquo;t care.&rdquo;

EPMU Strikes Hard on Mine Safety at Home, and in China

The ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee concluded its two-day conference yesterday, 18 November, in Bangkok, Thailand, shaping a seven-point work plan for future activities. The 180 women present also elected a new vice president to the ICEM&rsquo;s Presidium. 
 
Angeline Chitambo, a leader in Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Energy and Electricity Workers&rsquo; Union (ZEEWU), was elected to one of two statutory positions for women on ICEM&rsquo;s Presidium. She replaces Binda Pandy of Nepal, who did not seek re-election due to her increased role in the national labour centre GEFONT in her home country. Evgenia Esenina, chair of the Women&rsquo;s Committee from the Russian Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union (ROGWU), was unanimously endorsed to continue serving in the other Women&rsquo;s seat. 
<img height="285" alt="" src="" width="380" />
Chair Evgenia Esenina and Vice-chair Angeline Chitambo
The forward work plan includes: Engaging in more research on best practices regarding maternity protection; active exchange of information through ICEM&rsquo;s Women&rsquo;s newsletter on country by country activities concerning women and work; a continuation of work on the work-life balance, specifically maternity and paternity leave; and the strengthening of work toward and training of workers in informal sectors, including casual workers, migrant workers, and women workers in agency labour or on short-term labour contracts. 
 
The other three points include: Building alliances with NGOs and other civil society organisations, and changing men&rsquo;s mentality to expand gender equality; continuation of women&rsquo;s leadership training and expanding women&rsquo;s representation; and continuing work specifically in Burma, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Zimbabwe, and other countries in which the fight for trade union and human rights must be engaged. 
<img height="241" alt="" src="" width="380" />
On the left, GUEWT President Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein
A special feature of the Women&rsquo;s Committee meeting, which leads into this week&rsquo;s 4th ICEM World Congress, was a presentation by Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein, president of the General Union of Iraq Electricity Workers and Technicians (GUEWT). The union became ICEM&rsquo;s first affiliate earlier this year from war-torn Iraq. She told the assembled about the difficulties fledging trade unions face in Iraq, as well as the struggle to shape a secular society in which women play major roles. 
 
Other reports came from pro-democracy groups in Burma, the continuing fight to form a just society in Nepal, and work being done by women in Thailand to bring full rights and permanent jobs to contract workers. The conference also included two break-out sessions; one on work-life balance and maternity protection, the other on resolutions submitted to this week&rsquo;s ICEM Congress, which runs 22-24 November at the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre in Bangkok.

ICEM Women Elect New Vice President, Adopt 7-Point Programme

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ICEM mourns the passing of Heribert Maier. He died suddenly in Graz, Austria, on 6 November, from a cerebral haemorrhage. He was 75. 
 
Heribert Maier was one of the champions in the achievement of workers&rsquo; rights on the global level in the 1970s and 1980s, and beyond. &ldquo;We have much to be thankful for because of his work on the ILO&rsquo;s Freedom of Association Committee,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;The recognition of basic ILO Conventions is a tribute to Heribert Maier.&rdquo; 
 
Warda also lauded Maier for giving strong support to the Mineworkers&rsquo; International Federation (MIF) in getting the Health and Safety in Mines Convention 176 through the ILO. 
<img height="235" alt="" src="" width="150" />
He joined OGB, the Austrian national labour centre, in 1955, and rose from there to prominent careers at the ICFTU and the ILO. He also served as General Secretary of FIET, which merged with two other global unions to become UNI in 2000, from 1973-1979. He was a pioneer then, among global trade union leaders, to work extensively and successfully in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. 
 
He held several distinguished positions at the ILO, including Governing Body member, Vice President of Conference, ACTRAV spokesman in the Freedom of Association Committee, and a co-drafter of the 1977 ILO Tripartite Declaration on Multinationals. 
 
The ICEM extends its deepest condolences to Heribert Maier&rsquo;s immediate family, his wife Ren&eacute;e, daughter Christina, and to affiliated unions of UNI on the sad occurrence of his death.

ICEM Mourns Death of Heribert Maier, Ex-FIET General Secretary

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Three retired workers from Continental AG in the US visited Germany with their union, the United Steelworkers (USW), in early November to protest the company&rsquo;s cut-off of medical benefits when it closed two tyre plants. Hosted by ICEM German affiliate IGBCE, the trade unionists, B.A. Hodges, Larry Little, and Jerry McChellan had several meetings with IGBCE shop stewards of the Hanover-based company and handbilled a tyre plant in Aachen. 
<img height="82" alt="" src="" width="150" align="absMiddle" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="83" alt="" src="" width="66" align="absMiddle" />
The IGBCE arranged a regional press briefing for the Americans, and they also met with Werner Bischoff, board member of IGBCE and vice chairman of Continental AG&rsquo;s Supervisory Board. The USW members met with IGBCE shop stewards at Continental&rsquo;s technical centre in Northeim, and also explained the US situation of the company to shop stewards and others at IGBCE&rsquo;s training centre outside of Hanover. 
 
The three USW retirees come from closed Continental North America tyre plants in Mayfield, state of Kentucky, and Charlotte, North Carolina. They were accompanied by USW staff member Shawn Gilchrist. 
<img height="285" alt="" src="" width="380" />
Retired USW members B.A. Hodges, Larry Little, and Jerry McChellan 
Continental closed three US operations in 2006, including the Mayfield and Charlotte plants, as well as one in Byron, Ohio. Some 2,000 retirees were left without company-paid medical benefits, and, strongly supported from the USW, filed a class action lawsuit against the company. 
 
In late July 2007, a US federal court judge ruled in a summary judgment that the company had improperly reduced the benefit levels for retirees and their spouses. The judge&rsquo;s decision stated that since the company was unable to force its terms with the USW during contract talks, it unilaterally and illegally began implementing the cuts. Continental has said it will appeal the judge&rsquo;s ruling.

Retired US Continental Tyre Workers Take Protest to Germany

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
After months of negotiations with employers, ICEM affiliate Chemical Industries Employees&rsquo; Union (CIEU) of Singapore has signed a fair employment practices contract with 20 chemical companies operating in the nation-city. The pact covers 1,700 workers, and came under the auspices of Singapore&rsquo;s Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices, formed in 2006. 
 
The agreement guarantees equal opportunities for workers regarding recruitment, job allocation, and career advancement. Perhaps the single most achievement of the pact is that it guarantees employment enhancement for older workers, age 50 and above, an age range in which 20% of the 1,700 workers fall. 
<img height="115" src="" width="250" alt="" />
&ldquo;CIEU is confident that the 20 companies will translate their commitments to fair employment practices into action when it comes to fair hiring and in-employment practices,&rdquo; stated Sister Cham Hui Fong, CIEU&rsquo;s Executive Secretary. &ldquo;We believe this is both a pro-worker and pro-business initiative.&rdquo; 
 
The union highlights the fact that a worker who is treated fairly is better motivated to contribute to the success of the company. 
 
Representatives of the companies and CIEU held a ceremony over the agreement at Singapore&rsquo;s National Trade Union Congress on 24 October. Some of the 20 chemical companies signatory to the pact include: Aventis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, Eastman Chemicals of Singapore, FujiFilm/Hunt Chemicals, Glaxo Wellcome, and Total Pharmaceuticals.

Chemical Workers’ Union of Singapore Signs Pact with 20 Firms

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The ICEM affiliate, Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union of Azerbaijan (AzOGWU), came to terms over a historic social development contract, covering 65,000 workers of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). 
 
Announcement of the pact came at AzOGWU&rsquo;s Third Ordinary Congress in Baku on 2 November, by the union&rsquo;s president, Jahangir Aiyev, and Socar President, R&ouml;vneq Abdullayev. The agreement amounts to a detailed social plan for all departments, sections, and workplaces of SOCAR. It also comes immediately after sizeable wage gains and working conditions were negotiated. 
<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Foremost to the social plan is a SOCAR commitment to provide free of charge housing to 6,000 employees between now and 2010. Assurances of health and safety upgrades is part of the social development plan. Employees in all departments will also realise better transportation allowances, and safer and more modern sea transportation to offshore worksites. The social plan also spells out better catering, creation of sports and cultural centres, and other amenities for workers. 
 
AzOGWU&rsquo;s Congress, attended by 250 delegates, re-elected Jahangir Aiyev as President, and Fetullah Mustafayev as Vice President. Special guests at the Congress included Lev Mironov, ICEM Vice President and President of the Russian Oil and Gas Workers Union (ROGWU); Ivan Mochnachuk, also an ICEM Vice President and President of the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union; Mustafa &Ouml;ztaskin, President of Turkey&rsquo;s Petrol-Iş; and Kemal &Ouml;zkan, ICEM&rsquo;s Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer.

Azeri Oil and Gas Workers’ Union Achieves Historic Pact with SOCAR

Archive