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Belgian ICEM affiliate La Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale / de Algemene Centrale, together with its national centre FGTB/ABVV organised a series of actions on 13 September in Belgium at the occasion of its second &ldquo;Day on the Rights of Temporary Agency Workers.&rdquo; 
 
About 300.000 copies of the &lsquo;Interim Times,&rsquo; a special free &ldquo;newspaper&rdquo; dedicated to the issue of agency labour, were distributed at train stations throughout the country. The Francophone version of newspaper is available online on the union&rsquo;s site <a href="http://www.accg.be/sec/be-fr/ser/inte/news/20060913%20Interim%20Times%20FR.pdf ">here</a>. For the Flemish (Dutch language) version, click <a href="http://www.accg.be/sec/be-du/ser/inte/news/20060913%20Interim%20Times%20NL.pdf ">here</a>. 
<img height="90" alt="" src="" width="80" align="middle" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="44" alt="" src="" width="130" align="middle" />
Among other things, the paper contains a series of personal stories, revealing a large number of problems related to agency labour. These include obvious insecure job situations and the often all too vague promises for permanent work &ldquo;later on.&rdquo; Possibly less obvious, but equally omnipresent, are several other problems, such as the difficulty to fight for one&rsquo;s rights, which opens the door for abuse, or simply not being able to get a loan from a bank. 
 
The &ldquo;Interim Times&rdquo; paper was also available on many shop floors, where meetings were held by health and safety committees or company councils to discuss the issue of agency labour. The FGTB wanted all relevant bodies to talk to their managements about the problems connected to agency labour. 
<img height="65" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The FGTB warns that temporary agency work tends to replace more and more permanent jobs. The union also observes many legal violations in the sector. Under Belgian law, temporary agency labour can only be used in three circumstances: when a worker with a permanent contract needs to be replaced temporarily; in case of a temporary increase of the work volume at a company; or when extraordinary work needs to be performed. 
 
However, there is an ongoing discussion on the subject of a &ldquo;fourth category,&rdquo; which would allow employers to also use temporary agency workers as an &ldquo;in-flow&rdquo; method. The FGTB&rsquo;s position is clear in this: there is to be no agreement as long as there are no guarantees towards permanent employment and towards solid trade union verification. The FGTB also rejects the idea of temporary agency work in the public sector. 
 
On the occasion of the day of action, the FGTB encouraged all its members to consider a few key questions: does the company inform the workers&rsquo; representatives and/or company councils adequately on its use of agency labour? Does management stick to the rules in those cases where it needs to have an agreement from the workers representatives on agency labour? Is agency labour only used for temporary work, as required by law?

Agency Labour Day in Belgium

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1 December is World AIDS Day 
 
Since 1988, World AIDS Day has been commemorated around the world to raise awareness of the global AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. 
 
The global theme this year is accountability with the slogan: 
 
Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise
Workers and their organisations play an important role in making World AIDS Day a success, yet they are often not recognised for their efforts. Global leaders have promised to deliver Universal Access to HIV/AIDS services for prevention, care and support and treatment by 2010. For unions and workers, this promise needs to become a reality in every workplace. 
 
ICEM affiliates are encouraged to join the campaign against stigma, discrimination and victimisation, and for prevention, care and support and treatment. Go to our website at <a href="/72-HIV-AIDS">/72-HIV-AIDS</a> to find materials on HIV/AIDS. 
 
The World AIDS Campaign has been working with the international trade union movement to develop a poster with the slogan Universal Access to HIV and AIDS services in the workplace. See <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a> for more information. 
 
Please, report back to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a> on any actions you have taken. 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Trade Unionists Focus on Fight against HIV/AIDS 
 
A special meeting of the Global Union Programme on HIV/AIDS was held in Nairobi on 19 and 20 October. The meeting reviewed the lobbying activities of the international trade union movement at major conferences in 2006, such as UNGASS, the G8 Campaign and the International AIDS Conference &ndash; all aimed at emphasising the crucial role of trade unions in the fight against the pandemic. 
 
The useful exchange of information and experience will enable unionists to develop effective strategies to prevent the spread of the disease, care for those living with it and combat stigma and discrimination associated with it. The meeting also considered new partnerships. The argument was made for a union involvement in the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and for union representation on Country Coordinating Mechanisms. 
 
The ICEM was represented by John Brimpong, Ghana Mineworkers&rsquo; Union, and Agnes Manowe, Botswana Mining Workers&rsquo; Union. 
 
(Source: TUC e-bulletin International Development Matters, Issue 52 &ndash; October 2006) 
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Global Fund Fails to Choose New Executive Director &ndash; Approves Some Round 6 Grants 
 
At its Board Meeting in Guatemala City, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria had to abandon its efforts to choose a new Executive Director from among the short-list of five candidates. 
 
All important Board decisions require a double two-thirds majority, with votes in favour needed from at least seven of the ten board members from the donor group, and the same number from the recipient group. None of the candidates achieved that support. The Board decided to launch a new search and will try to make an appointment at a specially-convened Board Meeting by mid-February 2007. 
In the meantime Richard Feachem, who announced that he will be leaving already eight months ago, will continue to serve as Executive Director. 
 
The Board approved 85 Round 6 grants that will cost USD 846 million over the first two years and USD 2,519 million over the full five-year grant period. As a result of recent new pledges, the Global Fund now has sufficient money to pay for all grants that were recommended by the Technical Review Panel. In total 196 proposals were submitted, giving an approval rate of 43%. In all six rounds 1,184 proposals were submitted, of which 444, or 37.5%, were approved. 
 
The Board also decided that a Call for Proposals for Round 7 will be made by 1 March 2007, with proposals to be submitted by early July 2007. Round 8 will follow the same pattern one year later. The early announcement is intended to encourage applicants to start the planning and development of proposals much earlier. 
The board further approved the establishment of a &ldquo;rolling continuation channel&rdquo; that will, under certain circumstances, permit a Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) to apply for up to six years of further funding when a grant is coming to its end. However, only between a quarter and one-third of grants are expected to meet the eligibility criteria. The Fund&rsquo;s &ldquo;continuity of service&rdquo; policy only provides for two years&rsquo; worth of funding for treatment-based services for people who have already been placed on treatment. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 66, 2 November, Issue 67, 4 November and Issue 68, 6 November &ndash; GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
UNITAID Becomes Operational 
 
The UNITAID International Drug Purchase Facility was officially established during the UN General Assembly in September. Its Board of Governors met for the first time on 9 October in Geneva. WHO will host the secretariat and administer the UNITAID fiduciary fund. 
 
UNITAID generates money through an airline ticket levy first introduced by France on 1 July 2006. Founding members of the initiative are Brazil, Chile, France, Great Britain and Norway, with the Clinton Foundation facilitating bulk purchase of drugs at lowest prices. UNITAID contributed USD 69.5 million to the Global Fund, the bulk of which will go towards the cost of those Round 6 grants that will increase the number of patients on antiretroviral treatment. 
 
(Source: Website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs &ndash; <a href="http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr">www.diplomatie.gouv.fr</a>) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
NUMSA Gives Credit to Carmaker on HIV/AIDS Programme 
 
Automotive giants in the Eastern Cape have received the thumbs-up from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) for their effective HIV/AIDS wellness programmes. A workshop hosted by the South African Business Coalition against HIV/AIDS gave companies an opportunity to exchange ideas on how to improve their health and wellness programmes. 
 
Daimler Chrysler SA stated that 96% of its employees had at least one HIV test in the last five years. Close to 10% of tested employees are living with the virus. The company&rsquo;s health services manager said that retrenched workers are entitled to stay on the HIV/AIDS treatment programme. 
 
The workshop also revealed, however, that especially small and medium size companies did not have any HIV/AIDS programmes because they did not understand the long-term negative impact of ignoring the disease. 
 
(Source: The Herald, 23 October) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
South Africa: New Directions for the Fight against HIV/AIDS? 
 
In a statement, COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi welcomed the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the government&rsquo;s comprehensive plan against HIV/AIDS and the revitalisation the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC). SANAC will be chaired by the Deputy President, with the Deputy Chair coming from civil society. 
 
In a remarkable turn-around from earlier statements by the Minister of Health, the Deputy Minister of Health also clarified the government&rsquo;s position on the role of nutrition and stated: &ldquo;We need to do everything we can to remove all confusion. We cannot afford a single death more and it is very important that we get that message across to people who have been misinformed that eating specific kinds of food is a replacement for antiretroviral drugs.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: Star and Business Day, 1 November 2006) 
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Case Studies of Union Action 
 
&ldquo;Global Reach: How Trade Unions are Responding to AIDS&rdquo; has now been published in the UNAIDS best practice collection jointly with the ILO and the Global Union Programme on HIV/AIDS. 
 
The report shows how the power of working people and their organisations can be harnessed in responding to HIV/AIDS. Eleven case studies from different settings show how trade unions are mounting new responses to HIV in the workplace: challenging stigma and discrimination, addressing the factors that increase vulnerability and risk, educating their members on prevention, providing care and treatment and building worldwide coalitions that campaign for more to be done to tackle the disease. 
 
The publication can be accessed at <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>.&nbsp;

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 14

ICEM InBrief 2006年８月７日　６２号

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The F&eacute;d&eacute;ration des travailleurs de l&rsquo;Energie, des Mines et Eau et Assimili&eacute;s (FESYNEME) held its first Congress in Benin, West Africa, on 2 September 2006. 
 
Delegates from each of its five member-unions, all from the energy sector, were present at this first Congress, including from Syntra-Sonacop (Syndicat des travailleurs de la soci&eacute;t&eacute; nationale de commercialisation des produits p&eacute;troliers), the ICEM&rsquo;s affiliate in Benin. FESYNEME is, in turn, an affiliate of Benin&rsquo;s national centre CSA. 
 
The Congress chose Syntra-Sonacop&rsquo;s General Secretary Dieudonn&eacute; Lokossou as General Secretary for FESYNEME for the next four years.

First Congress for Energy Union Federation in Benin

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Seven trade unions representing Continental AG rubber workers in six countries gathered 18-19 October in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, to discuss the German manufacturer&rsquo;s labour practices. The meeting was hosted by the independent SNTGTM in Mexico. 
 
A declaration resulted from the conference on undertaking future work, including a Day of Action at Continental&rsquo;s global worksites on 13 December 2006. The declaration includes a call to IGBCE of Germany, as the major trade union of Conti workers there, to conduct a meeting of Continental trade unions in order to work toward creation of a global union network. 
<img height="225" alt="" src="" width="300" />
Continental Tyre unionists 
in front of the San Luis Potosi plant
Trade unionists from Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Mexico and the US attended the meeting in San Luis Potosi. The host union described how management at this plant sacked some union leaders, with SNTGTM taking the matter to court in order to get reinstatements. With that successful, the union has still found it difficult to bargain with the company each year. 
 
Mark Cieslikowski, a local union leader from US affiliate United Steelworkers (USW), told delegates of the harsh manner in which Continental closed a tyre factory in Charlotte, state of North Carolina, this year. Brazilian trade unionists told how, despite a collective agreement in place, managers at a facility in Cana&ccedil;ari block union representatives from entering the plant to speak with or organise workers. 
 
J&ouml;rg Schustereit, IGBCE member and member of the works council of ContiTech, called &ldquo;Euroforum,&rdquo; spoke about the process and workings of that council, while ICEM&rsquo;s Rubber Sector Officer, Michael Wolters, reported on Conti&rsquo;s economic situation, as well as the company&rsquo;s current business strategy. 
 
The ICEM will update Rubber Sector trade unions about developments at Continental, as well as alert unions at Continental worksites about the Day of Action, 13 December 2006.

Rubber Unions Gather to Discuss Continental; Issue Declaration

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Neo-conservative Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, issued sharp criticism at China last week for the way in which the country runs its investment projects in developing countries. According to Wolfowitz, Chinese banks should stop their current practice of ignoring workers and human rights when investing abroad. 
 
A key point in Wolfowitz&rsquo;s assertion was the fact that Chinese banks fail to adhere to the international Equator Principles. 
 
Earlier this year, dozens of commercial banks and lenders signed up to a revised version of the Equator Principles. These principles are a voluntary benchmark for the financial industry, consisting, among other things, of a set of environmental and social standards that should be met by banks when they fund global projects. To date, some 80% of all commercial banks have adopted the guidelines. 
 
Trade unionists everywhere might take an interest in this, since the Equator Principles are partially based on the social and environmental loan conditions of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank&rsquo;s lending arm for the private sector. Cause for some optimism is that the IFC, earlier this year, also adopted a new of social standards. These new IFC standards now include a commitment to respect all ILO's core labour standards, including the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. 
 
When all is tallied, this means that a majority of the world&rsquo;s operating banks, of whom many are involved in mining, oil, gas or other extraction projects in developing countries, have now declared, albeit voluntarily, to demand the respect for the core ILO standards in their projects. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="100" /> 
 
Reg Green,&nbsp;ICEM&rsquo;s Health, 
Safety and Environment Officer
In reacting to a Financial Times article on this subject, Reg Green, ICEM&rsquo;s Health, Safety and Environment Officer, wrote in a letter-to-the-editor that the World Bank&rsquo;s quest for further endorsements of the Equator Principles a sound idea. However, in addition to endorsing the principles, he said that countries could, and should, go a step further. 
 
Green wrote, &ldquo;The single most important asset that African countries currently possess is their mineral wealth. It is also well known that where mineral wealth is concerned there are major temptations to corruption.&rdquo; 
 
Green said more African countries would do well to commit themselves to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) principles, an international effort to &ldquo;improve governance in resource-rich countries through the full publication and verification of company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining.&rdquo; ICEM has been supportive of the EITI initiative. In his Financial Times letter, Green describes the EITI as a promising development, even though it is still very young. 
 
Finally, and ironically, the World Bank, which criticises Chinese banks for not abiding by the Equator Principles and the ILO standards, recently issued a highly-circulated publication entitled &ldquo;Doing Business,&rdquo; which encourages violation of a number of ILO Conventions by countries in order to make their economies more &quot;investment friendly.&quot; 
 
For more information: 
EITI : <a href="http://www.eitransparency.org">http://www.eitransparency.org</a> 
Equator Principles: <a href="http://www.equator-principles.com">http://www.equator-principles.com</a> 
IFC adopting ILO standards: 
<a href="http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223448&amp;Language=EN">http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223448&amp;Language=EN</a>&nbsp;

On International Social and Environmental Principles

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The two Spanish ICEM affiliates in the oil and gas sector, FIA-UGT and FITEQA-CC.OO., jointly issued a call for a two-day general strike of all gas and petrol station workers, set for 7-8 November. In total, the strike would affect 41,500 workers, spread over some 8,700 petrol stations across Spain. 
 
The unions are protesting against a series of bad working conditions. Workers often work extra hours just in order to cope financially; they earn only &euro;800-900 euros a month, before taxes. They also face &ldquo;excessive rotation and temporary work,&rdquo; including shift and weekend work. Other issues include dangerous working conditions, specifically regarding frequent robberies, and the fact that workers are expected to perform extra shop duties without extra pay. 
<img height="80" alt="" src="" width="80" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="81" alt="" src="" width="100" />
UGT and CC.OO. want a new three-year collective agreement to include a substantial salary increase and a reduction in average working hours. The unions say their demands are very reasonable, certainly given the current profits by the multinationals that control the distribution sector. 
 
And they remain open to negotiations with the employers. A meeting last week, however, failed to bring parties closer to an agreement. The unions and employers are meeting again tomorrow, in a last attempt to avoid a strike. Hopes are not that high though, since negotiations for this sector have been stalled since March.

Spanish Petrol Station Workers Threaten Two-Day Strike

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The Seventh National Convention of ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada was held 15-19 October in Vancouver, British Colombia province, and Dave Coles was selected by acclamation as president of the union. 
 
He succeeds Brian Payne, ICEM Vice President, who has served in that capacity since 2000. After 28 years service to the CEP, and before that, ten years as a shop-floor activist in a British Colombia paper mill, Payne retired effective at the close of the convention. 
<img height="208" alt="" src="" width="300" />
New CEP President Dave Coles (at right), with Finnish Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen, ICEM's Paper Sector Chairman
Over 1,000 delegates and alternates moved fervently to adopt a resolution that will significantly boost the union&rsquo;s organising fund. They also debated fiercely the Canadian military&rsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan, a situation which has left over 70 Canadian soldiers and diplomats dead. 
In a softer but equally passionate testimony, delegates expressed their emotions and thanks to Payne for his leadership at CEP, particularly by forging unity and consensus among the union&rsquo;s 150,000 members in forest products, oil and gas, media, and telecommunications sectors. Payne&rsquo;s resolve to protect the interests of CEP members, from defence resources to pattern-bargaining, was lauded. His effort to bring a successful 14-year pay equity battle to closure at Bell Canada telephone was also recognised. 
<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="300" />
Retiring CEP President Brian Payne and his wife Verna
Coles has been CEP&rsquo;s Western Region Vice President. He began his union career in the early 1970s at a pulp mill in British Columbia and has over 30 years of labour and community activism, including work as a CEP organiser in both Alberta and British Colombia provinces.
&ldquo;Thanks to the debate and direction provided at this convention,&rdquo; Coles said at the close of it, &ldquo;we head into the next two years resolved to build an effective, dynamic union. We will make progress through collective bargaining and rise to new levels of social unionism.&rdquo; 
 
Ga&eacute;tan M&eacute;nard, a National Representative who began his union career in 1984 at Local 11, Masson, Quebec, was elected CEP Secretary-Treasurer.

Dave Coles Succeeds Retiring Brain Payne as President of Canada’s CEP

<img height="40" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM affiliate, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), again called for an absolute zero level of tolerance on health and safety incidences inside South Africa&rsquo;s mining industry. 
 
That message again had to be delivered following a pair of seismic events, which caused death on 23 October at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s TauTona gold mine near Carletonville, South Africa. The tremors brought cave-ins and resulted in the deaths of five miners, who were working some 2,700 metres underground in one of the world&rsquo;s deepest mines. 
The NUM questions why miners are even working in an environment so hazardous. AngloGold&rsquo;s TauTona mine had already seen the deaths of another five miners, with ten others severely injured, earlier this year in similar rock falls. Tremors struck the mine southwest of Johannesburg in separate occurrences in January and February. In July 2005, two more miners were killed at TauTona when a tremor caused a rock slide. 
<img height="103" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The two 23 October tremors, which struck near a production seam nearly three kilometres inside the earth, occurred 25 minutes apart, and registered magnitudes of 1.9 and 2.3 on the Richter scale. The resulting rock slides also injured two other miners, one seriously. 
 
South African Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjea questioned the logic of miners working so deep in such environments. &ldquo;In view of an industry-accepted target of zero fatalities, gold mines are the worst performers,&rdquo; she said, in a statement on the most recent TauTona tragedy. 
 
AngloGold produced 120,000 ounces of gold from TauTona in fiscal quarter ending in June 2006. That figure represents 8.5% of the company&rsquo;s total global gold production.

Earth Tremors Bring Death in AngloGold’s South African TauTona Mine

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 16

Archive

Agency Labour Day in Belgium

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 14

ICEM InBrief 2006年８月７日　６２号

First Congress for Energy Union Federation in Benin

Rubber Unions Gather to Discuss Continental; Issue Declaration

On International Social and Environmental Principles

Spanish Petrol Station Workers Threaten Two-Day Strike

Dave Coles Succeeds Retiring Brain Payne as President of Canada’s CEP

Earth Tremors Bring Death in AngloGold’s South African TauTona Mine

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 16

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Agency Labour Day in Belgium

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 14

ICEM InBrief 2006年８月７日 ６２号

First Congress for Energy Union Federation in Benin

Rubber Unions Gather to Discuss Continental; Issue Declaration

On International Social and Environmental Principles

Spanish Petrol Station Workers Threaten Two-Day Strike

Dave Coles Succeeds Retiring Brain Payne as President of Canada’s CEP

Earth Tremors Bring Death in AngloGold’s South African TauTona Mine

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 16

ICEM InBrief 2006年８月７日　６２号