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A record number 364 union and management participants attended a Social Dialogue Conference in Thailand last week, 31 August, sponsored by the ICEM, the Thai Ministry of Labour, FNV Mondiaal of the Netherlands, LO-TCO of Norway, and the Employers&rsquo; Federation of Thailand (ECOT). 
 
The title of the conference was &ldquo;International Labour Standards and the Wisdom of Co-Existence,&rdquo; and central in purpose was to shape a common understanding of ILO core labour standards, as well as building responsible social governance between Thai labour unions and multinational companies. 
 
Over 150 people more than were expected turned out for the conference, held at the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok. Managing directors and human resource executives from 28 companies attended, including representatives from Esso, Linde-TIG Industrial Gases, Goodyear Tire &amp; Rubber Co., and Norske Skog paper company.
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Part of the Partipants at the Social Dialogue Conference
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda congratulated those present, and expressed hope that a true commitment to a new era of labour-management relations in Thailand was at hand. He also pledged to extend the resources of the Global Union Federation to Thailand in order that the country ratify core labour conventions, namely Conventions 87 and 98, freedom of association and right to collection bargaining, and Convention 111, the Discrimination in Employment and Occupation Convention. 
 
&ldquo;It is imperative that values of mutual faith and cooperation be built between managers of transnational companies and Thai labour unions,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;For this to effectively begin, the Thai government must lead by starting the process toward ratification of ILO core labour standards.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM organized the conference, jointly with the Thai Ministry of Labour, as a follow-up to a resolution from its 2007 Bangkok Congress. There, delegates recognized a Thai labour-management system structured on authoritarianism and hierarchal in industrial relations.
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&nbsp;Yoshio Sato of Japan, representing ICEM's Asia-Pacific Region; in rear,&nbsp;ICEM Thai Chairman Rawai Pupaga, ECOT Gen. Sec. Siriwan Romchat-thong, and the Thai Labour Ministry&rsquo;s Somchai Chumrat
&nbsp;
ECOT General Secretary Siriwan Romchat-thong confirmed in her opening remarks that the employers&rsquo; federation would support ratification of Conventions 87 and 98. A panel discussion composed of labour, management, and governmental leaders showed a consensus toward ratification in the immediate future. 
 
The Thai Permanent Secretary of the Labour Ministry, Somchai Chumrat, stressed the mutual benefit that can be gained through trust between labour and management by dialogue and understanding. &ldquo;Employers cannot live in a vacuum,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Managers and workers&rsquo; representatives must sit together to discuss the wisdom of conducting labour relations in peaceful cooperation.&rdquo; 
 
He added that although Thailand recognizes the benefit of foreign investment, senior executives of multinationals must clarify the roles of local managers in Thailand so that they act according to international labour standards and national laws. 
 
Another speaker that echoed the immediate need for a changed culture was Rawai Pupaga, chairman of the ICEM Thai Affiliates Committee and President of Government Pharmaceutical Employees&rsquo; Association (GPOTU). As a first step, he called on Thai workers and managers alike to show respect for workers&rsquo; rights by taking part in World Day for Decent Work activities on 7 October. 
 
Other resource people calling for a different labour-management culture were Tim de Meyer, senior specialist for the ILO on International Labour Standards and Labour Law, and Lae Dilokwidhayarat of Chulalongkorn University. Dilokwidhayarat stressed that the globalisation of capital and freedom of movement demands respect for the concept of decent work, meaning adequate compensation, trade union representation, and stability, security, and protection of workplace rights. 

A side meeting to the Social Dialogue Conference occurred between the ICEM, local executives of Linde and its Thai Industrial Gases subsidiary, and ICEM affiliate TIG Local Union. The Thai subsidiary of Linde has been neglectful over trade union rights at some 20 Thai workplaces, particularly in respect to work rights and full-time opportunities for short-term contract and temporary workers. The meeting did produce an understanding that TIGLU and the company&rsquo;s managing and human resource directors would meet in the near future to discuss problems and strive for a better relationship.
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&nbsp; 
Visit to the Norske Skog Mill in Singburi 

One employer that has practiced exemplary social responsibility in Thailand has been the Norwegian paper company Norske Skog. On 1 September, Warda, Rawai Pupaga, ICEM Thai Project Coordinator Aranya Pakapath, and ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific Contact Person, Phee Jungsun, visited the factory in Singburi, where workers and local managers, including Managing Director Torpong Thongcharoen, hailed a relationship that can serve as a standard within Thailand. Notably, the collective agreement at Norske Skog in Singburi has strict language regarding the use of contract and agency labour, language that both sides respect and adhere to.

ICEM Social Dialogue Conference in Thailand Exceeds Expectations

ICEM Women’s Bulletin No. 35/Boletín de noticias de las mujeres de ICEM No. 35

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Meeting in Lagos, Nigeria, on 15 September, ICEM&rsquo;s Sub-Sahara African Regional Organisation (SSARO) called for greater security measures to be taken to protect energy workers in the Niger Delta. With representatives from ICEM&rsquo;s two Nigerian affiliates, NUPENG and PENGASSAN present and hosting the meeting, the committee noted that the region has not known peace since oil reserves were first extracted 50 years ago. 
 
The committee differentiated between community and labour groups genuinely seeking career opportunities for the indigenous people of the region and a stop to environmental degradation, and gangs of thugs using kidnappings and ransoms to enrich themselves. SSARO acknowledged that Nigeria President Umaru Yar&rsquo;Adua is correct in calling on global energy companies to halt purchases of bunkered oil from unsavory types, whose only interest is trading cash for weaponry. 
 
The regional committee, chaired by Rayford Mbulu, President of the Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Zambia, also gave approval to the Nigerian government&rsquo;s offer of amnesty to militants who come forward and lay down their arms. It urged the main militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), to extend its unilateral ceasefire indefinitely.
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&nbsp;Rayford Mbulu 

The committee concluded the Niger Delta debate by identifying the main causes of civil unrest, which has caused cutbacks in production of both oil and gas. They include: a shortage of skill-building, training, and job opportunities by multinational energy companies for people of the region; rampant use of casualisation regarding labour by both local suppliers and multinationals; uneven revenue distribution; environmental degradation; and political marginalization, both at the federal level and within some states of the Niger Delta region. 
 
In other business taken up by SSARO, trade union leaders of Africa called attention to the climate change issue, saying current widespread flooding in many parts of West Africa, including Ghana, Benin, Niger, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, is a direct result of climate change. The committee said such flooding will cause serious famine in parts of West Africa, and called on the governments of Africa to be prepared to deal with the resulting human devastation. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s African regional grouping resolved to bring pressure against global mining and energy giant BHP for its use of replacement workers in a legal South African dispute between the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and BHP at the company&rsquo;s Hozatel manganese mine in Northern Cape State. SSARO also took up the strike by members of the United Steelworkers (USW) in Canada against the Brazilian mining company Vale, and passed a resolution to intervene on mining investment by the Brazilian company in Africa. More on that is <a href="/en/5-Mining-DGOJP/3394-">here</a>.

ICEM’s Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Committee Addresses Niger Delta Security

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Patience by members of ICEM-affiliated Ghana Mine Workers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) has worn thin with the African nation&rsquo;s three largest gold producers, AngloGold Ashanti, Goldfields, and Newmont Mining. The union has been in wage talks with the major producers throughout the summer, focusing mainly on narrowing the wide pay gap between expatriate workers and Ghana staff. 
 
The mining houses have become difficult in talks. Despite gold being one mineral which has maintained high pricing value during the economic crisis, AngloGold and Goldfields, in particular, are cold to the GMWU&rsquo;s proposal to lift base wages of Ghanaian miners gradually over the next three years. The wage agreement for 2009 in mining expired in July. 
 
The mining companies&rsquo; intransigence has already produced GMWU industrial actions. In early August, 4,600 miners staged a two-day strike at AngloGold&rsquo;s three mines and last week, 2,100 Goldfields miners began &ldquo;go-slow&rdquo; industrial actions at the South African-based mining house&rsquo;s two mines, including Ghana&rsquo;s largest producing gold mine &ndash; Tarkwa.
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Talks between GMWU and Goldfields on 17-18 September again went nowhere, and GMWU General Secretary Prince William Ankrah said the union&rsquo;s executive council met over the weekend to assess the situation and plan further action. 
 
&ldquo;The situation is dire,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There now is a very good possibility that we will conduct nationwide strikes against the entire industry.&rdquo; Such industrial actions would also involve smaller mining concerns. Since Goldfields has applied to the Ghana Labour Commission for intervention over last week&rsquo;s actions, GMWU will now file for arbitration with the commission. 
 
&ldquo;We are realistic that mining companies cannot equalize the pay disproportion between expatiates and local staff immediately,&rdquo; said Ankrah. &ldquo;But we have very clear direction from our National Executive Council that a wage review must now begin, with the disparity bridged over the next three years.&rdquo; 
 
The union is seeking a 24.5% increase over the three years, which would produce a minimum monthly salary of US$500 by 2011. The mining houses have offered an increment of only 3.5%. 
 
GMWU points out that pay of Ghana&rsquo;s AngloGold executives is 289 times that of the lowest-paid worker, while at Goldfields it is 201 times. Mid-level expat workers in the gold mines receive salaries that are above twice that of local staff doing the same jobs. Lower-tiered salary levels for Ghanaian staff are up to 30 times less than that of expat workers. 
 
At AngloGold, junior staff &ndash; numbering about 4,000 workers &ndash; account for 46% of the payroll, while 675 managers account for 35% and 42 expat workers count for 18% of payroll costs. 
 
In Ghana&rsquo;s mining sector, the US dollar is used as the basis for salaries. In bargaining with Goldfields, the company said the weakness of the American dollar had already lifted salaries when converted to cedis (GHC), an argument the GMWU found insulting.

Ghana Miners’ Escalate Pay Dispute with Gold Producers

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3-4 Eyl&uuml;l g&uuml;nlerinde Kolkata'da toplanan Hindistan'daki ICEM &uuml;yesi sendikaların y&ouml;neticileri ICEM Hindistan Koordinasyon Konseyi'ni kurdu. Eyl&uuml;l başlarında bir araya gelen 21 sendika temsilcisi, d&uuml;zensiz istihdam edilen iş&ccedil;ileri sendikalarda &ouml;rg&uuml;tlemek amacıyla ICEM'in Taşeron İş&ccedil;iliği Kampanyası &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde bir strateji oluşturdu. 
 
Sekt&ouml;r sendikalarının bir araya geldiği iki g&uuml;nl&uuml;k forum, ekonomik krizin istihdam &uuml;zerindeki etkileri ve sendikaların karşı karşıya olduğu sorunlar konusunda d&uuml;zenlenen bir stratejik planlama toplantısı &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde d&uuml;zenlendi.
<img alt="" src="" width="320" height="240" />
&nbsp;ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda ve Hindistan sendika y&ouml;neticileri 

Toplantıya ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda ile ICEM Malzeme Sekt&ouml;r&uuml; Sorumlusu Phee Jungsun katıldı. 
 
Warda Hindistan'daki ICEM &uuml;yelerine taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerini &ouml;rg&uuml;tleme &ccedil;alışmalarında ve HIV/AIDS'e karşı m&uuml;cadelede yeterli kaynak sağlanacağını vurguladı. ICEM Hindistan'a tamg&uuml;n &ccedil;alışacak bir proje koordinat&ouml;r&uuml; atamaya hazırlanıyor. 
 
Hindistan'daki ICEM &uuml;yesi sendikalar yılda iki kez toplanacak Koordinasyon Konseyi'ne ikişer temsilci g&ouml;ndermeyi kararlaştırdılar. Konseyin g&uuml;ndemindeki konulardan biri, g&uuml;&ccedil;s&uuml;z işkolu sendikalarının mali yapılarının iyileştirilmesi olarak belirlendi. Her ICEM &uuml;yesi sendika mali durumu konusunda Aralık 2009'a kadar birer rapor hazırlayacak. 
 
Toplantıya katılan temsilciler, ayrıca, taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerinin y&uuml;zde 10 kadarını kendi sendikalarında &ouml;rg&uuml;tlemeyi ve &ouml;nceliği taşeron iş&ccedil;ilerine verecek ortak bir sendikal g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirme projesi geliştirmeyi taahh&uuml;t ettiler.
&nbsp;

ICEM Hindistan Koordinasyon Konseyi Taşeron İşçilerini Örgütlemeye Hazırlanıyor

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we call on ICEM affiliates to get involved in activities on World AIDS Day (1 December) and report, among others, on the International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific and the road towards an ILO instrument on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 

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World AIDS Day 2009 &ndash; Call on ICEM Affiliates to be Active 
 
As every year, World AIDS Day will be held on 1 December. ICEM affiliates must plan their participation in national activities now. 
 
The theme of this year&rsquo;s World AIDS Day is Universal Access and Human Rights. Campaign material is designed with the &ldquo;I AM&rdquo; theme, adopting the key slogans: I am accepted; I am safe; I am getting treatment; I am well and I am living my rights. 
 
Supporting material &ndash; four posters and two postcards &ndash; has been made available by the World AIDS Campaign. These can be downloaded from their website <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>. Hardcopies, which are available in English, Spanish, French, and Russian, can also be ordered from the ICEM. Please send an email to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a> indicating language and number of copies (deadline 23 October). 
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HIV/AIDS and the World of Work &ndash; ILO Consultations 
 
The ILO has recently transmitted to Governments the text of the proposed new Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. The text is contained in the Third Report and it has been prepared by the ILO on the basis of the first discussion at the 98th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in June 2009. The Governments are now requested to inform the ILO about amendments to suggest, or comments to make, and to inform the ILO whether they consider that the proposed text provides a satisfactory basis for the second discussion by the Conference at its 99th Session in June 2010. The deadline for reply is 19 November 2009. 
 
A Government is supposed to contact and consult national trade union centres before finalizing its reply (pursuant to Article 39, paragraph 6, of the Standing Orders). ICEM affiliates are urged to get involved in the inputs from their national centres. The ILO document, the so-called Brown Report (because of the colour of its cover), Report V (1), ILC 99th Session 2010 can be found <a href="http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_112365.pdf ">here</a>. 
 
(Source: ITUC Circular no. 55 of 25 September) 

<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) 
 
The 9th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific took place in Bali, Indonesia, in August under the theme, &ldquo;Empowering People, Strengthening Networks.&rdquo; It brought together more than 3,000 participants, including representatives from the Global Unions and local unionists. 
 
In the workplace, stigma and discrimination are the major barriers for workers infected with HIV. They are often blamed for their condition, discriminated in employment and fired because they are living with HIV/AIDS. During a satellite session on workplace intervention, Dr Syed Asif Altar, Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), spoke on the role of trade unions in reducing risky behaviour among transport workers &ndash; transportation having been identified, together with mining and the fisheries industry, as the most vulnerable sectors in Asia. In the symposium on the impact of the financial crisis on labour migration and HIV, Christopher Ng, APRO Regional Secretary of UNI Global Union called on governments to utilize various types of overseas workers&rsquo; funds to assist migrant workers and their families including access to HIV services in the country of origin and country of destination. 
 
A UNAIDS report released at the Congress, claimed that an estimated 50 million women in Asia are at risk of contracting HIV from male partners who engage in risky sexual behaviour. The report, &ldquo;HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia,&rdquo; states that of the 1.7 million women now living with HIV in Asia, more than 90% have acquired the virus from their husbands or long-term boyfriends. 
 
(Source: Information from participants, the ILO website and Jakarta Post of 15 August) 

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Global Fund Meeting on Public/Private Partnerships and Co-Investments 
 
In an effort to re-establish a dialogue between the Global Fund and organisations involved in public/private partnership co-investment projects, the Global Fund organised an inter-agency meeting on 14 September. 
 
Such projects benefit from input of the private sector such as clinics, medical staff and management expertise. The private sector in turn can expand HIV/AIDS interventions and services with GF grants channelled through the public sector or as direct recipient of such grants. In remote areas, which is especially the case for mining, with an insufficient public health service, companies can close the gap by extending HIV/AIDS and other health services to the wider community in which they operate in. 
 
The ICEM welcomes this re-engagement. One of the objectives of the meeting was to discuss ways in which employer and employee organisations can access Global Fund grants. The fact that employee organisations are included is a step forward. The ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant, who was the only unionist participating in the meeting, insisted that in future considerations of co-investment projects, unions be given their rightful role. He stressed that for the ICEM, as a Global Union Federation, the private sector is business and organised labour comprises trade unions. HIV/AIDS interventions that are only management driven are not likely to succeed. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Treatment Time Bomb 
 
The goal of achieving universal access to treatment by 2010 has preoccupied the global AIDS community in recent years, but a new report warns that not preparing for the changing treatment needs of people living with HIV will doom the sustainability of treatment programmes in developing countries. Over the next decade an increasing number of patients on inexpensive first-line antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in low-income countries will need second-line ARVs, which currently cost at least seven times more. 
 
&quot;The Treatment Timebomb,&quot; released this month by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on AIDS, a group of UK MPs, argues that action is needed now to bring down the price of second-line and less toxic first-line ARVs if a crisis later is to be averted. 
 
Low-income countries can afford to buy older-generation ARVs largely because multiple manufacturers are producing generic versions of them at a fraction of the original cost, but most of the newer drugs are being produced under patents that prevent generic manufacture. The AAPG report points out that safeguards in the World Trade Organization's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) allow countries to override patents - for public health purposes - by issuing &quot;compulsory licenses&quot; that enable the generic manufacture of drugs still under patent. However, few developing countries have exercised this right. 
 
The Clinton Foundation announced that it had reached agreements with two major drug companies to bring the cost of second-line ARVs to under US$500 per person annually. As an example, at present, second-line ARVs in Kenya cost around US$1,000 per person per year, while first-line ARVs cost under US$100. 
 
(Source: IRIN PlusNews, 28 July and 7 August) 

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Canadian Labour Congress Signs Agreement with ITUC Africa 
 
The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) signed an HIV and AIDS advocacy agreement with the African regional organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC Africa). The agreement, for an initial period of two years, creates a partnership approach to addressing HIV and AIDS and promotes universal access to prevention, treatment, and care of infected workers and their families. 
 
The accord is not limited to training and education but includes joint political lobbying on HIV/AIDS at international bodies, such as the G8, which will be hosted by Canada in the summer of 2010. It covers strengthening of workplace initiatives and reaching agreements with employers. As these are within the domain of industrial and sectoral unions affiliated to national centres, the partnership contains a provision for other sectors to join the exercise. 
 
(Source: CLC Press Statement, 1 September) 

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Global Fund Five-Year Evaluation Completed 
 
Launched in November 2006, when the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria was approaching its fifth anniversary, the Five-Year Evaluation has been completed after more than two years of work. It would go beyond the scope of this e-bulletin to go into the findings of all three study areas of the evaluation, of which the third one &ndash; Health Impact &ndash; alone cost US$11.7 million. 
 
Not surprisingly, the main finding is that the rapid increase in funding from all partners for the three diseases has resulted in a major expansion in access to services in these countries and has improved coverage of interventions, which will likely impact disease burden. 
 
More specifically, on HIV/AIDS the evaluation found a dramatic increase in the coverage of antiretroviral treatment. That was to be expected as the major thrust of Global Fund grants in the first years was treatment. Other findings include major gaps in basic requirements, such as trained personnel, guidelines, medicines, and equipment, which negatively impact on the quality of services. The evaluation also found that there was little evidence of behaviour change among the most at risk. 
 
It has to be noted that the impact study extended to only 18 countries of the 136 which had received grants at the time of the evaluation. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 106, 19 August. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="mailto:www.aidspan.org">mailto:www.aidspan.org</a>). To receive GFO, send an email to receive-gfo-<a href="mailto:newsletter@aidspan.org">newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. 

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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 49 October 2009

<img alt="" src="" width="79" height="75" /><img alt="" src="" width="87" height="75" /><img alt="" src="" width="75" height="75" /><img alt="" src="" width="77" height="75" />
Four days before the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund officials meet with the Turkish Government, Global Unions met with Turkey&rsquo;s Minster for Labour, and lent their support to President Abdullah G&uuml;l&rsquo;s veto of a bill giving &ldquo;Private Labour Offices&rdquo; broad rights to place temporary workers in enterprises and warned of the dangers that precarious employment poses for society. 
 
Representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM), the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF), and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) reported to the Labour Minister that contract and agency labour and precarious forms of employment have been exploding around the world, bringing with it two categories of workers: one with good secure jobs and another category of workers faced with short term jobs, low wages, no social protection and a loss of rights. 
 
At a press conference in Istanbul today, Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary, said, &ldquo;Globally, the massive shift away from regular employment into temporary work or jobs through agencies and labour brokers is having a deep impact on all workers, their families, and on society. Erosion of the employee-employer relationship, often the basis of labour law, is leading directly to a growing number of violations of workers&rsquo; rights.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;There is a connection between international &lsquo;policy changes&rsquo;, those inspired by the international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which have encouraged work flexibility and brought with it a lowering of work conditions at national levels,&rdquo; added Warda. &ldquo;Such changes reflect clear employer strategies to weaken collective bargaining through part-time and agency work, and the ICEM will resist this in every way possible.&rdquo; 
 
Guy Ryder, ITUC General Secretary, reiterated today a message delivered by the global unions to the G-20 Summit last week, stating &ldquo;The expansion of precarious forms of work and deregulation of the labour market are not the answer to the employment crisis &ndash; in fact, the insecurity of working people over recent decades was a significant contributor to the recession. It is no coincidence that precarious work and fragile financial markets have both been developing in recent decades.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The way forward must be based on sustainable, not precarious development - a sustainable economy where the financial sector is at the service of the real economy. We need social justice and environmental sustainability to reverse the damage done to our planet in a way that provides good, steady and secure jobs,&rdquo; added Ryder. 
 
Neil Kearney, ITGLWF General Secreatry said, &quot;Agency hires and temporary contracts destroy job security and undermine all other rights and promote gross exploitation of both the temporary worker and the permanent employee working alongside them.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;In Turkey, ITGLWF affiliate Teksif is locked in battle with Ederne Giyim where workers employed on an agency type arrangement with inferior wages and conditions are being used to reduce and eventually eliminate a permanent workforce of long standing. Union resistance to the worsening conditions has resulted in mass firings of union members,&rdquo; Kearney added. 
 
&ldquo;Elsewhere in Turkey, ITGLWF affiliates are in daily conflict with textile, clothing and leather industry employers using every means, including sub-contracting, undeclared labour and short-term contracts to prevent unionisation and the protection of workers' rights. Government action is urgently needed to restore worker protection against this onslaught,&quot; demanded Kearney. 
 
Jyrki Raina, IMF General Secretary, said &ldquo;Permanent jobs are being eroded by an increasing reliance by employers on labour hire via employment agencies. In some plants we are now finding that more than fifty per cent of the workforce are agency workers.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The financial crisis has delivered a further blow to precarious workers. Hundreds of thousands of them have been the first to lose their jobs, because dismissing workers with no rights to severance pay or notice periods is a cheap and easy way for employers to reduce their workforces. The crisis has had significant and far reaching impacts on employment,&rdquo; he added. 
 
&ldquo;Here in Turkey, IMF affiliate Birlesik Metal Is has been supporting 350 workers who were dismissed last year by Sinter Metal for exercising their right to join a trade union. The company alleges that the dismissals were a necessary response to the financial crisis, but the evidence shows that this is no more than a weak excuse to dismiss union members and prevent workers from protecting their jobs,&rdquo; he said. 
 
Over the next week, metal worker unions around the world will be mobilizing against precarious work and will be joining with other national and sector unions around the globe in a World Day for Decent Work on Wednesday 7 October. 
 
The ICEM will focus World Day for Decent Work activities on its Contract and Agency Labour campaign in Thailand and Turkey. 
 
&ldquo;A sustainable recovery will not be built on precarious and substandard jobs. That&rsquo;s why around the world today, unions and their members are united in their demand for secure jobs and equal rights for all workers, &ldquo; said Jyrki Raina. 
 
The ITUC represents 170 million workers in 157 countries and territories and has 312 national affiliates; the ICEM represents 467 trade unions in 132 countries; and the IMF covers over 200 trade unions in 100 countries. 
 
Notes to editors: 
1. More information about the World Day for Decent Work can be found <a href="http://www.wddw.org/">here</a>. 
 
2. More information on the IMF campaign against precarious work can be found <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?n=696&amp;l=2">here</a>. 
 
3. More information on the ICEM contract and agency labour campaign can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org">here</a>. 
 
4. More information on the dispute at Sinter Metal can be found <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/index.cfm?n=692&amp;l=2">here</a>. 
 
________________________________ 
For further information, please contact: 
Mathieu Debroux, ITUC, +32 2 224 0210 
Dick Blin, ICEM, +41 22 304 1842 
Neil Kearney, ITGLWF, +32 2 512 2606 
Anita Gardner, IMF, +41 22 308 5032

Global Unions Warn of Dangers in Contract, Agency Work

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The ICEM-affiliated General Union of Electricity Workers and Technicians in Basra, Iraq, has been faced with a hostile new general manager of the electricity network in Southern Iraq. The union, led by President Hashmeyia Muhsin Saadawi, is attempting to gain wage arrears for power station security guards, who have been illegally refused back wages. 
 
The salary arrears are for overtime work and work that had previously been approved by management. The union has been attempting to negotiate the issue with the manager throughout September, but Hashmeyia Muhsin recently told the ICEM that she has grown frustrated with his intransigence. Of late, the new general manager admitted that &ldquo;the security guards are entitled to the allocation of extra hours, but I am not paying them, so let them complain to the Inspector-General or any other authority.&rdquo; 

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President Hashmeyia Muhsin Saadawi
The claim of the Basra Electricity Workers and Technicians is clear; security guards at the company are contractually allocated 154 working hours per month, distributed over morning, evening, and night shifts. However, those workers work an average of 192 hours per month, and rightfully expect overtime pay. 
 
On 21 September, a large number of the affected security guards, joined by other members of the union, assembled in front of the headquarters of the authority for Power Transmission in Southern Iraq. That action, which illustrated the level of solidarity for the security workers by all segments of workers in the union, did succeed in attracting the attention of the Department of the Inspector General, as well as the Electricity Commission of local government. 
 
But a settlement to the issue still has not been reached. The ICEM will continue to follow and report on this story as, hopefully, positive developments occur.

Iraqi Electricity Trade Union Faces Intransigent Manager in Southern Iraq

Tom Albanese 
Chief Executive 
Rio Tinto plc 
2 Eastbourne Terrace 
London 
W2 6LG 
United Kingdom 
 
Fax +44 20 7781 1800 
 
Geneva, 17 September 2009 
 
Dear Mr. Albanese, 
 
We have recently learned of the contract demands that Rio Tinto has made of 600 miners represented by Local 30 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), AFL-CIO, in Boron, California. 
 
We are deeply concerned that Rio Tinto is creating an unnecessary conflict at this mine. The company proposes to dramatically reduce worker rights provided under the current agreement; terminate the current pension plan; drastically increase costs for dental and medical benefits: eliminate leave for sick workers; take away bidding rights of older workers; and offer no wage increases over 8 years while cutting wages if productivity falls. Clearly, your management is also seeking to weaken the trade union. 
 
The demands made by your management are unjustified and draconian. Moreover, these demands contradict your own policies concerning sustainable development since you seek to punish the workers and their community which have been responsible for your success. 
 
We will be supporting the ILWU in whatever way we can. 
 
Sincerely,

Rio Tinto, Model Letter

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Some 1,200 miners at Shougang Hierro Peru begin their second week of an indefinite strike today, with no end in sight, as the company continues to refuse to enter dialogue with the union. Shougang Hierro&rsquo;s Marcona mine in Southern Peru is the country&rsquo;s only iron ore mine, producing 7.5 million tonnes of iron ore last year, and is part of China&rsquo;s state-owned Shougang Group. 
 
Management has failed to follow through on a collective agreement reached in July this year, which was supposed to raise daily wages by US$1.91 a day. The July agreement was reached through arbitration with Peru&rsquo;s Labour Ministry, and followed a 10-day strike at the mine. 
 
Shougang Hierro is notorious for paying the lowest salaries in Peru&rsquo;s entire mining sector. 

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Shougang Miners
The Labour Ministry resolution last summer called on the company to raise miners&rsquo; wages, or be faced with a large fine. Mine management preferred to pay the fine rather than hike miners&rsquo; wages. The ICEM calls on the government of Peru to take more definitive action against the Chinese mining concern. 
 
Peru&rsquo;s national miners&rsquo; and metalworkers&rsquo; union, ICEM affiliate FNTMMSP, last week called on its members to carry out a nationwide sector strike 19-20 October in support of Shougang miners. 
 
The striking miners are further demanding improved health benefits, and better safety and hygiene. 
 
A union spokesman, Julian Julca, stated, &ldquo;The strike is total. We are approximately 1,200 workers on strike.&rdquo; In response to the action by 100% of Shougang Hierro miners, management made a request to the Labour Ministry to declare the strike illegal. 

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A US$1 billion expansion of the mine is currently underway to increase annual output by 10 million tones. Despite the global recession, Shougang Hierro Peru reported profits last year of US$145 million, a 50% increase over the previous year, and a figure almost three times the yearly profit of 2004. 
 
The national mining strike scheduled for 19-20 October is aimed at demanding compliance with the Labour Ministry resolution to raise the wages of Shougang Hierro miners, and will also demand the signing of a mining retirement bill by the government. In addition, FNTMMSP is seeking passage and enactment of mining profits legislation in Congress, which will assist all miners financially. 
 
The federated union also demands release of union leaders who were incarcerated for their involvement in a strike action at Minera Casapalca, and demands respect for the collective negotiation processes for both direct and outsourced workers. 
 
Peru is one of the world&rsquo;s top mining and metallurgical producers. The mining sector accounts for 60% of the country&rsquo;s total exports. The Marcona mine, 220 miles south of Lima, was bought by the Chinese national steel company in 1993.

Strike by Peru’s Miners Against China’s Shougang Group Hardens

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