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Global worker No1 2022

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Four major mining companies are now being targeted by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which held its World Congress in Durban, South Africa, last week: 
 
 
RIO TINTO 
 
In Durban today, John Maitland promised &quot;full solidarity and support&quot; for Namibian miners facing a restructuring programme by the world's second-biggest mining company, Rio Tinto. Maitland is the newly-elected President of the ICEM. He is also National Secretary of ICEM-affiliated Australian miners' union the CFMEU, which has been embroiled in a series of conflicts with Rio Tinto, mainly over the company's attempts to deunionise its Australian operations. 
 
Workers at Rio Tinto's Rossing uranium mine in Namibia have held a series of protests recently over the company's plans to restructure the operation without properly consulting the workers and their union, the ICEM-affiliated Miners' Union of Namibia (MUN). MUN leaders were among the 800 delegates at the ICEM Congress last week. 
 
&quot;The ICEM and the CFMEU will support our Namibian comrades in every way that we can,&quot; Maitland said today. &quot;From our own experience in Australia, we know that when Rio Tinto tries to restructure behind the unions' backs, it is really out to destroy jobs and bust unions.&quot; 
 
Rio Tinto's anti-union tactics were condemned by the Australian Federal Court last Friday. The court found Rio Tinto guilty of breaching freedom of association laws by victimising union reps at its Hunter Valley No. 1 mine in Australia. The company refused to allow three miners there to carry out bona fide union business. It treated the union reps as absent without leave and threatened them with dismissal. In fact, two of them had been attending the Industrial Relations Commission and the third had been at a union meeting. The company has decided not to appeal against the verdict, and may now be fined. 
 
A continuing ICEM global campaign is aimed at persuading Rio Tinto to abandon its anti-union stance, while improving both its environmental record and its treatment of indigenous peoples. The action, conducted in alliance with a wide range of campaigning organisations, includes a special Rio Tinto cybercampaign. 
 
 
PLACER DOME 
 
Last week's Congress unanimously approved the launching of a global ICEM campaign on mining multinational Placer Dome. The Canadian-based company recently retrenched about 40 per cent of its South African workforce and has taken an anti-union stance in a number of countries where it operates. Its environmental record has also been severely criticised (see ICEM UPDATE 63/1999). 
 
Among those speaking for the campaign was Lawrence McBrearty. In Canada, Placer Dome's home country, McBrearty is National Director of the ICEM-affiliated United Steelworkers of America (USWA). His union represents Placer Dome miners in Ontario. &quot;We have a responsibility as a labour movement to support you in rectifying this injustice,&quot; McBrearty told South Africa's ICEM-affiliated National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). &quot;Rest assured that the 180,000 steelworkers in Canada and 500,000-plus members in the United States will do everything we can.&quot; 
 
 
INCO and GOLDCORP 
 
McBrearty also told the Congress of two major disputes facing Canadian miners, and asked for global trade union support. 
 
On 14 September, Inco locked out 1,040 USWA members at its nickel mine in Thompson, Manitoba. This followed the union membership's rejection of the company's final offer. The Inco offer did not include any improvements in pensions, wages or benefits. USWA members at two other Inco Canadian operations have suspended their participation in joint labour-management design projects until the lock-out in Thompson is settled. Inco also has production operations in the UK, Indonesia, Japan, Guatemala, France, China, New Caledonia and the United States. 
 
In Red Lake, Ontario, 187 USWA members have been on strike since June 1996 at a gold mine run by Toronto-based Goldcorp. This is the longest mining strike in Canadian history. It began over the company's demand that a stable collective agreement, in place for over 35 years, should be completely rewritten. The effect would have been to reduce all the gains made by the union for its members their over the past 35 years. 
 
&quot;Inco and Goldcorp are two examples of a heartless corporate culture that puts profits before people,&quot; McBrearty told the ICEM Congress. &quot;We will take our members' struggle for justice to the four corners of the globe until we achieve fair and just agreements in Thompson and Red Lake.&quot; 
 
&quot;We will mobilise our affiliates worldwide to communicate their solidarity with the USWA in these two important disputes,&quot; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, &quot;and we will use every means to urge both Inco and Goldcorp to reach a settlement with the union expeditiously.&quot;

Unions Target Mining Companies

A crowd up to 3,000 strong cheered, danced and sang today on a township football field near Johannesburg, as trade union leaders from around the world declared their support for South African gold miners unjustly sacked by mining multinational Placer Dome. 
<img height="209" src="" width="153" alt="" />
COUNTING ON THE WORLD'S WORKERS: 
A face in today's crowd. 
(Photo: Sean Woods) 
Organising the rally at Bekkersdal was South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers. The NUM is campaigning for the reinstatement of 2,895 workers recently retrenched at Placer Dome's Western Areas joint venture. These sackings represent a cut of around 40 percent in the company's South African workforce, and are a potentially explosive issue in a country which has an unemployment rate of more than 30 percent. 
 
At the global level, the NUM is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which will be holding its World Congress in Durban, South Africa, on 3-5 November. 
 
Miners' leaders at the ICEM-organised World Gold Forum in Durban last week unanimously voted to launch a global campaign against Placer Dome until the company negotiates a solution to the retrenchment crisis with the NUM. 
 
Responding to that call, the ICEM President and Vice-Presidents joined other union leaders on the platform at the rally today. Bekkersdal is just next to the Placer Dome mine. 
 
To the enthusiasm of the crowd, Romano Bellissima from Italy, Jose Gonzaga from Brazil, Fred Higgs from Britain, Paul Lootens from Belgium, John Maitland from Australia, Hubertus Schmoldt from Germany, Anders Stendalen from Sweden and Robert E. Wages from the USA were introduced. With them were ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe and Deputy General Secretary Peter Michalzik. All were there to pledge their support for the South African miners' campaign. 
 
Shouts of Amandla from the international speakers drew a loud response of Awethu from the retrenched miners, their families, their colleagues and their neighbours. Amandla Awethu (Power Is Ours) is a well-known slogan in South Africa, dating back to the years of struggle by the trade unions and others against apartheid. It has been adopted as the motto for the upcoming ICEM World Congress. 
 
&quot;The employers are on strike,&quot; NUM regional chairperson Obed Maila told the Bekkersdal rally. &quot;The workers want to work, but the employers want to stop us. We are a test case.&quot; 
 
Placer Dome has &quot;a record throughout the world of destroying jobs, destroying the environment and destroying communities,&quot; NUM General Secretary Gwede Mantashe said. &quot;That is why we have to campaign worldwide to make this company live up to its responsibilities.&quot; 
 
NUM President James Motlatsi recalled that, together with most of the mining companies and South Africa's Chamber of Mines, he had recently helped persuade many central banks, governments and others to stop selling off gold reserves. 
 
&quot;If I could go round the world to help save the gold industry,&quot; Motlatsi told the cheering miners, &quot;then Placer Dome can recall NUM members back to their jobs. We will fight this battle with Placer Dome for as long as it takes.&quot; Motlatsi is a Vice-President of the ICEM. 
 
&quot;A fully-fledged international campaign to exert maximum pressure on Placer Dome&quot; was announced by ICEM President Hans Berger. &quot;We were told in July that the retrenchments were necessary because of the low gold price,&quot; Berger pointed out. &quot;But ever since the price increased massively, we have been told that the retrenchments were necessary because the NUM was not prepared to accept full calendar operations at the mine, on the company's own terms. 
 
&quot;These are lies, utter lies,&quot; Berger insisted, to the evident approval of his audience. &quot;The truth of the matter is that Placer Dome is not concerned by the fate of one of its most important assets - its workers. It is solely concerned with maximising its profits.&quot; 
 
&quot;At our World Gold Forum, representatives of the companies' World Gold Council and of the South African Reserve Bank congratulated trade unions worldwide on their fight to save the gold industry,&quot; John Maitland said. &quot;But Placer Dome have responded by turning against workers and their families.&quot; 
 
Maitland, who is an ICEM Vice-President, pledged the support of Australian miners' union the CFMEU, of which he is National Secretary. As a first step in the campaign, the CFMEU would be picketing Placer Dome offices in Sydney, he announced. 
 
Maitland also told the rally that messages of support are coming in from ICEM-affiliated unions worldwide. 
 
These include a solidarity message from Placer Dome workers in Canada, the company's home country. &quot;It is unconscionable that in this day of ever increasing profits by global corporations, workers face redundancy of such a magnitude as that faced by our brothers and sisters in South Africa,&quot; wrote Lawrence McBrearty, Canadian National Director of the ICEM-affiliated United Steelworkers of America (USWA). &quot;We have a responsibility as a labour movement to support you in rectifying this injustice and rest assured that the 180,000 steelworkers in Canada and 500,000-plus members in the United States will do everything we can.&quot;

Placer Dome Jobs Rally Draws World Union Support

Global corporate power is already an undisputed reality. 
 
Now, mergers are concentrating that power within fewer and fewer, bigger and bigger corporations. 
 
What does all this mean for workers and their trade unions? 
 
How can they defend their vital interests in the age of the mega-corp? 
 
Union leaders from all parts of the world will be tackling these issues when they meet in Durban, South Africa, on 3-5 November for the World Congress of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
Amandla Awethu will be the Congress slogan - Power Is Ours. 
 
That motto also underlines the key role played by ICEM-affiliated South African trade unions in overcoming apartheid and building the new South Africa. 
 
But, as the background documents and resolutions for the Congress make clear, trade unions worldwide have much to do if they are to defend and build their own power. 
 
So the world union leaders meeting in Durban will be assessing the ICEM's achievements and future priorities in a number of important spheres, including: 
<ul>
 <li>global agreements between the ICEM and multinational companies in its sectors, covering such issues as union rights, equality, workplace health and safety, and the environment </li>
 <li>worldwide and regional trade union networking within companies and sectors </li>
 <li>cooperation with other campaigning groups - for instance, on human rights, development and environmental issues </li>
 <li>integrating the unions' regional structures and agendas with both their national and their global efforts </li>
 <li>realising the potential for organising women workers, and ensuring equality of access within the International </li>
 <li>targeting trade union development effectively, so as to build trade union strength on the ground worldwide. 
 </li>
</ul>
In short, the Durban Congress will be voicing the ICEM's call to workers everywhere: 
 
UNITE AND ORGANISE

World Union Congress To Set Global Strategies

In the largest ever European demonstration by energy workers, the European Union Energy Ministers came under pressure to halt job losses that have ravaged the European energy sector. In a joint statement fully supported by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMCEF) demanded that EU-wide social measures become a priority in the sector. 
<img height="269" src="" width="350" alt="" />
 
It is predicted that job losses, in a large part due to the European Commission's extensive liberalisation programme in the electricity and gas industries, will lead to one worker in five - or 200.000 - being made redundant by 2004. More than 150.000 jobs have already gone during the past five years, as utilities have cut permanent workforce and service in the preparations for a competitive market. The EU's free-market policies have also contributed to the destruction of the coal mining industry, which used to be a major provider of direct and indirect jobs in Europe. 
 
European workers and citizens face dangers of &lsquo;profit driven energy grid&rsquo; 
 
The big turnout in the demonstration reflects the level of frustration regarding EU energy policies, or the lack of them. Unless the EU institutions adopt a co-ordinated, responsible approach to energy liberalisation, it is ultimately the European citizens who will bear the brunt of market forces, through higher prices and lower standards. 
<img height="445" src="" width="300" alt="" />
 
&quot;Without proper social control and regulation both at the European and national level, there is a real danger of major job losses, social and environmental dumping, higher prices for small consumers, and deteriorating quality of service&quot;, said Lars Myhre, addressing 5000 demonstrating energy workers from different European countries. Myhre is the President of the ICEM-affiliated Norwegian Oil and Petrochemical Workers' Union (NOPEF) and the Chairman of EMCEF's and ICEM's Energy Committees. 
 
&quot;There must be protection for jobs and for public services&quot;, said Carola Fischbach-Pyttel, EPSU General Secretary. &quot;Despite an intensive lobbying campaign to highlight the haemorrhaging of jobs, the Commission seems blind to the dangers of a profit driven European energy grid. &quot; 
 
Franco Bisegna, EMCEF General Secretary, said that &quot;the Commission must show willingness to prepare a package that stimulates employment and facilitates re-training &ndash; the Energy Ministers can provide vital direction on this matter.&quot; 
 
High Quality Public Services Essential in the Energy Sector 
 
The emphasis on responsible policy was underlined by Jean Lapeyre, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). &quot;The energy sector has the chance to be a leader for responsible, citizen-based public services. The ETUC Charter for Public Services calls on all actors in essential services to be aware of the wider dimension including citizen&rsquo;s rights and environmental concerns.&quot; 
 
The European Federation of Public Services Unions is the largest federation affiliated to the ETUC and represents 10 million workers providing services to the public in health and social care, local, regional and central government, and utilities in energy, water and waste. 
 
The European Mine, Chemical &amp; Energy Workers' Federation is affiliated to the ETUC with 3 million members in 27 countries in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe. EMCEF organises workers in the energy industries including coal and lignite mines, oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.

Keep the Lights On, Energy Workers Tell the European Ministers

Rio Tinto, the world's biggest mining corporation, will face protests from a broad alliance of international campaigning organisations inside and outside its Annual General Meeting at London's Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre tomorrow 12 May. 
Prominent among the protesters is the Australian miners' union CFMEU and its supporters from the UK and other countries. The unions are targeting Rio Tinto's continued refusal to recognise basic trade union rights in its Australian operations. 
 
Leading the Australian contingent is CFMEU National Secretary John Maitland. He is also Vice-President of the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), to which the CFMEU is affiliated at the global level. Maitland commented: 
 
&quot;Rio Tinto continues to use labour laws in Australia which in March of 1998 were found by a committee of experts of the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) to violate international standards on collective bargaining rights and freedom of association. Rio Tinto is directly implicated in this because they helped the Australian government to draft this legislation. Since the ILO ruling, Rio Tinto has neither apologised nor sought to reverse its input into the Australian government's breach of international law. 
 
&quot;Rather, the company is actively seeking to deunionise its Australian operations by replacing unionised workers with non-union labour and by forcing workers onto individual employment contracts instead of trade union collective agreements.&quot; 
 
ICEM British Vice-President Fred Higgs announced today that the ICEM had discussed the Australian situation with Rio Tinto CEO Leon Davis at a recent meeting. &quot;We offered the services of the ICEM to find a resolution to the issues in Australia,&quot; Higgs said. &quot;We are extremely disappointed that Rio Tinto has not so far taken up this offer, and we will continue to campaign on behalf of our Australian affiliate.&quot; 
<ul>
 <li>A Stakeholders' Report on Rio Tinto will be distributed to shareholders and others at the AGM tomorrow. Published by the ICEM in cooperation with a wide range of organisations campaigning on rights and environmental issues, the report severely criticises Rio Tinto's performance in many parts of the world. It also raises questions about the company's non-standard reporting of profits and the sustainability of its current dividend pay-outs. </li>
 <li>A motion was tabled in Britain's House of Commons today criticising Rio Tinto's human rights performance and calling on the British government to press the company to comply with international standards. Rio Tinto is headquartered in London. The Commons motion was brought in by Labour Member of Parliament Michael Clapham and others. </li>
 <li>This week, US unions in Rio Tinto operations agreed to step up their participation in the worldwide campaign. 
 </li>
</ul>

Rio Tinto AGM Faces Protests Over Rights Abuses

Tyre and rubber unions from sixteen countries on five continents - all representing workers employed at tyre and rubber multinational Goodyear - today formed a global network of unions &quot;for our mutual defence and advancement.&quot; 
The unions establishing the network met today in Cleveland, USA. They are from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Malaysia, Morocco, Slovenia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Venezuela. At the global level, they are affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
The unions set up a formal steering committee for the network and elected Richard Davis, Vice President for Administration of the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), as its chairman. 
 
The USWA organises American tyre workers, and Davis is the union's chief negotiator with Goodyear in the United States. 
 
&quot;The creation of this network is an historic first step to build worker solidarity across borders in one multinational corporation,&quot; said Davis. 
 
&quot;When we heard reports about Goodyear operations and labour relations in the different countries, we found we had a lot in common with each other and needed to work together for a common agenda.&quot; 
 
Goodyear has operations in 29 countries. In 1998, Goodyear earned profits of 682.3 million US dollars on revenues of 12.6 billion. 
 
Globally, the company employs approximately 95,000 people. 
 
The company recently concluded a joint venture agreement with Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. which, when it becomes effective, will make Goodyear the largest tyre company in the world. 
 
The unions agreed to make worker health and safety a first priority for the network, following reports of wide discrepancies in conditions at Goodyear facilities in different parts of the world. 
 
&quot;Is a worker's life in Malaysia worth any less than a worker's life in the United States or the United Kingdom?&quot; asked USWA President George Becker, who chaired today's meeting. &quot;Of course, it is not, and we have to work together to ensure that Goodyear adheres to the highest possible standards no matter where it does business.&quot; 
 
Becker chairs the ICEM's rubber industry section. 
 
The unions agreed to create a database on Goodyear's operations and working conditions. They will assist each other during collective bargaining negotiations and disputes with Goodyear when they arise, and will support efforts to organise the company's non-union facilities.

Goodyear Unions Set Up Global Network

The ICEM has published the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualEN.pdf">ICEM HIV/AIDS Training Manual for Collective Bargaining</a> and a <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf">Guide on HIV/AIDS Resources and Funding</a>. Both publications are available in English, French and Spanish. They can be accessed from the <a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS">front page</a> of the&nbsp;HIV/AIDS section of the ICEM&nbsp;website. In the framework of the LO/FTF-sponsored HIV/AIDS project for the mining sector in Ethiopia, two policies were developed in workshops with participants from the National Industrial Federation of Energy, Chemical and Mine Trade Unions (NIFECM). These are an <a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3650">HIV/AIDS Policy for a union</a> and an <a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3649">HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy</a>.&nbsp;Affiliates are urged to use these policies as examples to formulate their own HIV/AIDS policy and to negotiate HIV/AIDS workplace policies with employers. These are generic versions in which only the names of the union, country and company have to be filled in. Also included are power point presentations on <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP_Basic%20HIV.ppt">Basic Facts about HIV/AIDS</a>, <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP_HIV_workplace.ppt">HIV/AIDS and the Workplace</a>, on <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP-Negotiating.ppt">Negotiating on HIV/AIDS</a> and on <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2010-PPP-WPPolicy.ppt">Elements of an HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy</a>. You can adapt these PPPs and use them in your educational activities. A large number of documents is available. We can only give a small selection of what we consider the most relevant. We refer you to the links of the organisation on this website. Most of their publications are not included here. The Global Union AIDS Programme initiated a survey on union action with case studies, which was published by UNAIDS in September 2006 <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>. On this website you also find HIV/AIDS statistics on your country and contact points. The ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work can be downloaded <a href="http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/publ/codelanguage.htm">here</a>, but for workshops and seminars the printed pocket version is more useful. You can get it at ILO offices in your country. <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/ILO%20HIV.AIDS%20Leaflet.pdf">This leaflet</a>, produced by the ILO Office in New Delhi, can serve as a basis for your own leaflet for mass distribution.In April 2011, the ILO Bureau for Workers&#039; Activities (ACTRAV) published toolkits for trade unions on HIV and AIDS. The six toolkits deal with 1. Core Information on HIV and AIDS, 2. Respect for Rights, 3. Workplace Action on HIV and AIDS, 4. Trade Union Education and Training on HIV and AIDS, 5. Mobilizing Resources for Trade Union Action and 6. Project Development and Proposal Writing. They are accompanied by a Guide to the Toolkit which includes learning activities, case studies and references. The seven documents can be accessed <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids/Publications/lang--en/index.htm">here</a>. The World Bank has produced a generic operations manual (GOM) on its multi-sector HIV/AIDS Program in Africa &ldquo;Turning bureaucrats into warriors&rdquo;, which devotes a chapter to the importance of civil society organisations. The World Bank sees the strength of trade unions in the size of their membership and that they usually have paid staff and some financial management capacity. According to the GOM &ldquo;They represent a greatly underused and promising channel to reach thousands of employees and their families in all sectors and levels of employment&rdquo;. The International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group has produced an <a href="http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/aids.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/HIV_AIDS_Mining_Guide/$FILE/AIDS_Mining_Guide.pdf">HIV/AIDS Guide for the Mining Sector</a>. It provides practical advice and management guidance that will help stakeholders implement intervention strategies. The full document is a 10 MB pdf file but the sections and appendixes can be downloaded separately. Section Two Management Strategies and Section Three Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme are of particular interest. <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/">The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria</a> publishes an annual report, which gives information on the approved grants and includes some country profiles. It is useful to subscribe to the Global Fund Observer, a free monitoring service at <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>.

Overview of useful HIV/AIDS materials

Contents: 
	 
	1. Brief Report of ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee, 9-10 May 2005 
	2. Brief Report of Evaluation of ICEM/FNV/SASK Equal Opportunities Project in Latin America 
	3. Equal Opportunities Agreement at Repsol 
	4. Information from Canada 
	

	1. ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee, 9-10 May 2005 
	 
	The ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee decided to prioritise the following issues for work up to the 2007 Congress: 
	 
	a. Women&rsquo;s Communication and Information. This includes a women&rsquo;s website page, the women&rsquo;s network, a women&rsquo;s section in ICEM publications, and gender issues in global agreements. The ICEM website is currently being remodelled. Once this work is finished, there will be a women&rsquo;s section on the website. The main ICEM publication, the twice-yearly GLOBALINFO, will contain a page on women&rsquo;s issues. Gender issues will be given greater priority in global agreements. AND THIS IS THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE ICEM WOMEN&rsquo;S BULLETIN. It was decided to send this bulletin out electronically on the 1st of every month. All of these initiatives will only work, however, if we receive sufficient input from YOU, because without the input from our affiliates, there will not be sufficient information to publish. We therefore call upon each and every one of you to send us information. 
	 
	Binda Pandey, Nepal, ICEM Vice-President, wrote the following suggestions for women to communicate: 
	 
	These can be the content to share among women&rsquo;s network as well as include into the Gender WebPages
<ul>
	<li>
		ICEM&rsquo;S Gender policy, 11-points programs and activities</li>
	<li>
		Women networking/structure under ICEM structure</li>
	<li>
		Gender proportion in participation 
		 
		- Decision making structure of ICEM&nbsp; 
		 
		- Workforce participation in sectoral basis (if possible)&nbsp; 
		 
		- Participation in activities organized by ICEM as sector and regional basis</li>
	<li>
		National Labor Legislation from gender point of view</li>
	<li>
		Information collected from affiliates 
		 
		- Women&rsquo;s participation as member, congress and executive committee&nbsp; 
		 
		- Gender participation in activities on annual basis.&nbsp; 
		 
		- Women&rsquo;s structure, activities and achievement&nbsp; 
		 
		- Major gender agendas at workplace and society, which is being dealt by UNION&nbsp; 
		 
		- Gender demand in CBA process and agreements&nbsp; 
		 
		- Action against HIV/AIDS and women trafficking&nbsp; 
		 
		- Ratification of ILO convention related with gender issues&nbsp; 
		 
		- Gender agenda included into Global Agreements.</li>
</ul>

	b. The ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee further decided to prioritise equal pay for work of equal value in the pharmaceuticals industry. This will include giving maximum publicity via the website, publications, press releases, a briefing note and leaflets, posters and stickers. Surveys will be done of major companies, and CEO&rsquo;s of multinational companies approached. The policy should be pursued in collective bargaining, with ICEM assistance if required. 
	 
	c. One additional priority will be the offshore oil and gas industry. The ICEM is already involved in the ICEM-ITF Oil and Gas Alliance, a working group with the ITF, the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation, and gender issues should be included in future meetings of the working group. 
	 
	d. The women&rsquo;s committee also heard reports about ICEM&rsquo;s work on contract and agency labour as well as HIV/AIDS. Women&rsquo;s involvement in these two areas of work is vital and should be boosted. 
	 
	 
	2. Brief Report of Evaluation of ICEM/FNV/SASK Equal Opportunities Project in Latin America 
	 
	The evaluation seminar was held from 24 to 26 May in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The main results of the 3-year project were as follows:
<ul>
	<li>
		Significant rise in women&rsquo;s participation in trade unions, including in leadership. For example, six women union presidents attended the seminar, five of whom were elected as a direct result of the project work.</li>
	<li>
		Progress in collective bargaining proposals, especially in Chile and Brazil. 70% of the unions involved presented new gender-related proposals in their demands. In Nicaragua the sisters realised that it was a great achievement already having women present in negotiations.</li>
</ul>

	Special highlights were the creation of a permanent parity commission in Sao Paulo to discuss equal opportunities in the pharmaceuticals industry, where a major conference was held in 2004 to discuss gender and bullying at work, attended by 120 employers. The parity commission is a direct result of this conference. A second conference will be proposed to discuss women&rsquo;s health, with particular emphasis on RSI, repetitive strain injury, which is an epidemic in Brazil. 
	 
	CNQ-CUT, the Brazilian chemical confederation, has been training 30 women a year with its own resources in the FORMAQUIM program. 
	 
	In Santa Catarina, the FETIESC federation organised a public hearing on RSI, which was attended by 600 people. 
	 
	It is important to stress the fact that the experiences in the different countries in Latin America differ greatly due to the political, social and economic contexts. In many countries, negotiations have not even taken place for some time. Of all countries in Latin America, Brazil has the most advanced process of collective bargaining, due to its size, socio-economic situation and the history of the trade union movement. 
	 
	Work will continue on the oil industry, pharmaceuticals, collective bargaining, health issues such as RSI and HIV/AIDS, contract work and violence against women. 
	 
	 
	3. Equal Opportunities Agreement at Repsol 
	 
	On 17 May 2005 the Spanish energy company Repsol YPF concluded an agreement on equal opportunities with the Spanish trade unions FIA-UGT and FITEQA-CCOO. The main objective of the agreement is to improve women&rsquo;s working position on the job and in their career in the Group&rsquo;s companies. This will be achieved by:
<ul>
	<li>
		Increasing the number of women working in each of the Group&rsquo;s companies,</li>
	<li>
		Diversifying the jobs done and functions performed by women,</li>
	<li>
		Promoting women workers&rsquo; participation in job training,</li>
	<li>
		Re-evaluating women workers&rsquo; skills and abilities to guarantee equal pay for work of equal value,</li>
	<li>
		Making work more compatible with family responsibilities, both for women and men.</li>
</ul>

	The Repsol YPF group will strengthen its role as a Group by committing and advancing equal opportunities policies as part of its strategic plan, which will contribute to its future viability by making the objectives of competitivity and employment more compatible. This will be achieved by:
<ul>
	<li>
		Managing human resources to avoid discrimination and to provide real equal opportunities, backed up by permanent social dialogue,</li>
	<li>
		Committing to the adoption of positive action programs, backed by efficient instruments and adequate funding,</li>
	<li>
		Promoting changes in attitude detrimental to the achievement of this objective,</li>
	<li>
		Projecting an image inside and outside of a company committed to equality.</li>
</ul>

	4. Information from Canada 
	 
	Carol Fraser, CEP Canada, communicated the following website <a href="http://www.gov.on.ca/lab/pec/index.html">www.gov.on.ca/lab/pec/index.html</a>, which contains information on pay equity in Canada. 
	 
	For further information on these topics, do not hesitate to contact ICEM. 
	 
	 
	To add a colleague or a friend to this distribution list, send her or his e-mail address to carol.bruce@icem.org, mentioning &quot;Add to ICEM women&#039;s news list&quot; in the subject line.

ICEM Women&#039;s bulletin No. 1 - June 2005

With a Trade Union and Human Rights Conference scheduled for Kathmandu this weekend, 10-12 September, the 20-million-member ICEM has again protested loudly to the King of Nepal over actions taken by royal police to suppress free assembly and free speech in the Himalayan kingdom. 
 
In a letter today to King Gyanendra, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs specifically referred to harsh actions by police yesterday and Sunday. Police used tear gas and brute force in the country&rsquo;s capital to break up a march of political and Trade Union leaders, who were calling for full restoration of fundamental political liberties in Nepal. Some 400 leaders of Nepal&rsquo;s seven political parties as well as leaders of Trade Unions, including ICEM affiliates, were arrested over the two days. In addition, 65 protesters on Monday were hospitalized due to unnecessary force by the royal administration on 5 September. 
 
&ldquo;It has become obvious to the ICEM that King Guyanendra of Nepal is using an anti-corruption task force to repress political liberties and restrict universally accepted principles of free speech and free assembly,&rdquo; said Higgs. &ldquo;It also is obvious that this device is being used to restrict Trade Union activity.&rdquo; 
 
In his letter, Higgs cited a statement by the king on April 30, 2005, lifting the state of emergency and authoritarian rule that Guyanendra had imposed on 1 February. &ldquo;But you left in place a powerful anti-corruption panel and continued to ban free speech, assembly&mdash;most notably Trade Union meetings&mdash;and protests. It has become apparent to the ICEM and to the world that your lifting of authoritarian rule was not genuine, but rather a ruse to the outside world while still retaining a ban on free and democratic participation, particularly by trade unions.&rdquo; 
 
Higgs pointed out that the ICEM, representing 420 chemical, energy, mining and other unions in 125 countries, will participate fully in the 10-12 September conference in Kathmandu aimed at producing an agenda toward restoration of full democracy. The conference, sponsored by national trade union centers and others in Nepal, is backed by global trade union confederations and will draw 1,500 participants. 
 
At last May&rsquo;s Annual Executive Council meeting of the ICEM, global trade union leaders condemned King Gyanendra&rsquo;s &ldquo;irrational and unacceptable acts of denial to democratic rights and liberties.&rdquo; The Global Union Federation&rsquo;s Exectutive produced a resolution calling for five specific actions in Nepal: 
 
&bull; Immediate restoration of democratic governing principals and acceptance of a representative, parliamentary system, and release of all detainees; 
 
&bull; Withdrawal of censorship on media and guarantee of freedom of association and information; 
 
&bull; For the G-7 governments, the EU, India, and the rest of the International Community, to focus on the problem of liberty and democracy in Nepal and to use political and economic influence to bring about peace and a return to full democracy; 
 
&bull; For all civil societies of the World to mobilize and engage every possible means to wage campaigns and protests against the oppression of basic human rights in Nepal; 
 
&bull; For strenuous work, together with Global Union Federations and other Trade Unions of the World to support Trade Unions in Nepal through assistance in union building and other measures until full democracy and complete compliance with international labour standards, particularly freedom of association, are rediscovered in Nepal.

ICEM Again Calls for End to Nepalese Repression

The 20-million-member ICEM, the dominate global union federation of the mining sector, is calling on Botswana President Festus Mogae to raise an olive branch to the country&rsquo;s Mine Workers&rsquo; Union (BMWU) and to 461 mineworkers at diamond-rich Debswana who were fired one year ago. 
 
The ICEM is calling on President Mogae to meet and begin concerted social dialogue with the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) and leaders of its affiliates to correct a rapidly eroding labour climate in the southern African nation. The ICEM has also called upon DeBeers, joint-venture partner with the government in Debswana, to step in to do its part to resolve the festering dispute. 
 
In a 3 October letter to DeBeers Managing Director Gary Ralfe, ICEM's Fred Higgs wrote, &ldquo;Some 461 workers have been fired, many forcibly evicted from company-owned housing, their children denied entrance to company-subsidized schools, themselves, in many cases, blackballed from other employment, and now Debswana managers appear to be on a destructive and lethal course against a free and democratic trade union,&rdquo; referring here to the company&rsquo;s refusal now to recognize ICEM-affiliated BMWU even though the government has certified the union. 
 
In August 2004, some 500 of Debswana&rsquo;s 7,000 employees struck over a severe pay disparity. In the days leading up to the strike, the government had declared any potential strike an illegal one, using powers it had gained only months before through labour reform legislation. 
 
In asking DeBeer&rsquo;s Managing Director Gary Ralfe to involve himself directly in a &ldquo;true spirit of fairness and compassion,&rdquo; Higgs commented on the inherent unfairness and damage an enterprise such as Debswana can have on the social and political landscape of Botswana: &ldquo;The shaping of law in a free and democratic society comes through judicial interpretations. Last year&rsquo;s Industrial Court decision, and then Debswana&rsquo;s harsh and retaliatory subsequently taken against leaders and trade union members of BMWU, has left a perilous situation on all industrial relations in Botswana.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM, with over 400 affiliates in 125 countries, calls on President Mogae of Botswana to respond to trade union leaders&rsquo; petitions for a different path regarding labour relations in the country, and for constructive dialogue to begin. The ICEM calls on DeBeers to assert itself over the enterprise&rsquo;s refusal to recognize BMWU, and to reinstate the 461 in an act of reconciliation and a constructive future.

ICEM Calls on Both Botswana Government and DeBeers to Halt Mining Grudge

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ICEM Women's bulletin No. 1 - June 2005

ICEM Again Calls for End to Nepalese Repression

ICEM Calls on Both Botswana Government and DeBeers to Halt Mining Grudge

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