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Negotiation partners reached an agreement in early August on the future of the mining sector in Germany. Following months of discussions, a programme was agreed that sets out a path on how to deal with Germany's 200-year-old coal industry over the coming years. The agreement, which was brokered by, among others, the cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and ICEM affiliate IGBCE, intends to have a gradual phase-out of coal subsidies. 
 
The plan will now go to the parliament&rsquo;s lower and upper houses for approval. A fully approved law is needed, so that compensation payments can be prepared for the industry&rsquo;s 34,000 workers. Besides payments to the workers, the plan also projects to deal with the overall social and environmental effects of coal mining in the country. 
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Germany's federal and state governments will, as per the agreement, subsidise the coal sector with an estimated &euro;21.6 billion until 2018. In addition, the agreement foresees the creation of a foundation for the coal company RAG, which will hold a substantive share of the company. This foundation will administer, until 2018, the funds for the eight remaining German coal mines, as well as the money that is intended to go to the mining workers. 
 
Shares in RAG, currently a consortium in which ThyssenKrupp, Arcelor, E.On and RWE are involved, will be transferred to the new foundation. Besides that, preparations have also been made to float RAG shares (for its profitable non-mining activities, such as power stations, real estate and chemicals production) on the stock exchange as of next year. This initial public offering is expected to yield &euro;5 to 8 billion, which will also be used to help cover the costs of the phasing out of the coal industry. 
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Following efforts by the IGBCE, a clause was added to the agreement, which calls for a serious re-examination of the plan in 2012, taking into account not only the possibility of an unexpected drop in energy reserves, but also that other energy sources might become prohibitively expensive 
 
IGBCE President and ICEM Vice President Hubertus Schmoldt called the decision one of &ldquo;historic consequence.&quot; The union&rsquo;s members will be given the opportunity to end their careers gradually and the miners that work in those mines that will close earlier will receive compensation when they loose their jobs.

Agreement on Future of the German Coal Industry

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Kimberly Clark has, after more than three weeks of strike action at its two South African tissue plants, finally settled its industrial dispute with the ICEM-affiliated Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union (CEPPWAWU). 
 
On August 22, when the CEPPWAWU was determined to step up support for their striking Kimberly Clark members by launching a secondary strike that would have targeted the company&rsquo;s raw material suppliers and retailers, Kimberly Clark decided to accept the terms of the Pulp and Paper Employers Association, as negotiated in the Wood and Paper Bargaining Council just before July 30. The terms include, among other things, an 8.5% wage increase and demands for permanent employment of temporary workers. 
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The CEPPWAWU victory in the Kimberly Clark industrial dispute, during which the union received international support from various parts of the world, ended the last of the national strikes which the union launched across its sectors on July 30, after negotiations at the Chemical and Wood and Paper Bargaining Councils became deadlocked. 
 
The ICEM congratulates its affiliate on this resounding success which vividly demonstrated that international solidarity support can effectively augment the strength unions derive from the unity and resolution of their members and leadership.

Kimberly Clark Settles South African Paper Dispute with CEPPWAWU

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US paperworkers employed at International Paper Co., members of ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW), voted to accept a precedent-setting master labour agreement with the firm on 23 August. 
 
The four-year accord covering workers at 14 pulp and paper mills in the US contains wage increases on top of negotiated local (or mill-by-mill) agreements, improvements in health insurance benefits, and lays the groundwork for improved health and safety standards, as well as labour-management cooperation on public policy issues. 
 
But perhaps most importantly, the framework pact contains a &quot;successorship clause,&quot; meaning if the company sells any of its unionised mills, the new owner must, as part of the sale agreement, retain all workers, recognise the USW as bargaining representative, and honour the collective bargaining agreement. 
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&quot;The overwhelming support for this agreement shows how united our members are in pursuing master agreements in the paper industry,&quot; said USW President Leo Gerard. 
 
&quot;Successorship clauses protect workers from the unconscionable behaviour of corporations that sell a mill, then disregard the union and the collective bargaining agreement and summarily fire hundreds of people who have dedicated their lives to work there,&quot; added Gerard. 
 
The wage portion of the agreement amounts to a 2% increase upon expiration of local agreements, and another 2% on the second anniversary of the contracts. In addition, workers will receive a US$1,000 lump sum payment on the first and third anniversaries of the contracts. The USW represents 8,200 International Paper employees at mills, paper converters, and packaging plants in the US.

US Steelworkers Ratify Master Framework Agreement with International Paper

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 25

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Contents
1. Indonesia &ndash; ICEM A/P Women&rsquo;s Committee Meets 
2. South Africa &ndash; African Regional Women&rsquo;s Conference Meets in Johannesburg 
3. Egypt &ndash; Egypt Bans Female Circumcision 
4. Finland &ndash; The Gender Pay Gap Has Narrowed in Industry 
5. SEWA in India Pursues Solar Alternatives 
6. Kuwait &ndash; Women Are Not Allowed to Work at Night 
7. Sierra Leone &ndash; Domestic Violence Is Outlawed 
8. Thailand &ndash; New Anti-Rape Law Passed 
9. Uganda &ndash; Law Curbs Effects of Polygamy 
10. Uruguay &ndash; National Equal Opportunities Plan Is Launched 
 
11. Resources 
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1. Indonesia &ndash; ICEM A/P Women&rsquo;s Committee Meets 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific Women&rsquo;s Committee met on 17 June in Jakarta, Indonesia, with the generous support of ICEM-JAF. ICEM welcomed three new affiliates from Indonesia, FARKES, KEP and KSBSI, and the many women that they organise. Most of the women at the meeting were from unions that organise the pharmaceuticals industries, reinforcing the trend that we have observed in the past. 
 
The Japanese delegation from UI Zensen, Karoken, Denryokusoren, Osaka Gas, and ICEM-JAF made a presentation on work-life balance. The Tokyo Electric Power Company, the company that generates 30% of electric power in Japan, set up diversity programme in 2006 in order to make the most of the diverse human resources in the company. The aim was to improve the working conditions and working environment in collaboration with management. on Gender Issues, ageing issues, handicapped issues, which should not keep people from working. This programme has meant that more women are retained. 
 
Women are entitled to six weeks before and eight weeks after childbirth at 100% pay. Childcare leave is possible, until the child turns 3. Pregnant women can have reduction of work time or workload, if they produce a doctor&rsquo;s certificate. 
 
More and more women are technicians and engineers, which involves work on top of power lines; working in radiation areas; or work underground, as well as supervising night work. With more women in these jobs, their needs are do get listened to. Currently, companies are cutting the workforce to cut costs, which often leads to longer work time for the workers who remain. Working long hours is not only a problem for work-life balance but also for heart disease and depression. Reducing working time is one major demand. 
 
In the Meiji Seika food and pharmaceuticals company, men also get full salary when they take childcare leave. Whatever is not paid by the government, is paid by the company. Men are also protected, so that both partners may have work-life balance. Not everyone is aware, however, of exactly what is provided. A lunchtime working group meets to advise those who may want to take advantage of the system. 
 
The three problem areas presented were getting agreement from the boss, getting back to work after leave, and getting agreement from colleagues. A guidebook has been published and distributed. Management organized a seminar for managers to acquaint them with the system, and then a joint committee was created. 
 
Karoken has produced case studies on maternity protection. Takeda Pharmaceuticals has four nursing rooms in four large Takeda sites. These are used for those women who are unable to take childcare leave because of their own work. 
 
Women must be included in committees involving working conditions, to help determine their own standards. There is a system for reducing work time (it can be reduced by one hour until the child starts primary school) but the salary is cut proportionately. Morning sickness leave is possible with 100% wage guarantee. 
 
Currently Takeda is recruiting more women. Flexibility in the system will likely lead to more men taking advantage of leave more often. 
 
Osaka Gas has set up a joint union-management committee on work-life balance made up of women and men. A booklet has been published to support work-life balance, especially regarding childcare. There is a support system for women returning from maternity leave. 
 
There must be contact between the worker and the employer during the leave, and women can be out on leave for three years. The father is also entitled to certain things. People on leave can have a PC loaned to them by the company with pertinent information so that they can work at home. 
 
In Japan, the Law to Support the Next Generation was passed to combat the ageing society and to encourage childbirth. The Welfare Labour Ministry provides certifications for action programmes, which cover children from the age of three until the start of primary school. The reduction of workload is also included. Working hours can be reduced until the child reaches third grade. The certification is granted to companies which reduce overtime, promote workers&rsquo; ability to take leave, and generally improve working conditions. 
 
In Japan, there is the problem in the reduction of permanent women&rsquo;s jobs. Young, male workers are also losing permanent jobs. Maternity issues &ndash; pregnancy, child delivery and childcare &ndash; are an obstacle to women working full time. If the company has a union, mothers can more easily continue to work after childbirth; small companies have a problem. Only 30% of mothers continue to work after childbirth in Japan. 
 
In conclusion, it was reaffirmed that maternity is a social function and must be seen as such. Maternity leave must be paid by social security. Women must get involved in politics and get politicians to improve laws, starting with ratifying ILO Convention 183 on Maternity Protection. 
 
Preparations continued for the Women&rsquo;s World Conference scheduled for 17-18 November 2007 in Bangkok, just prior to the ICEM Congress. The theme of the conference is Women &ndash; Work &ndash; 21st century. Burmese refugees and the Deputy Executive Director of the Thailand Government Pharmaceuticals Organisation (GPO) will speak to the conference. The first block will have peace as the theme and will contemplate Colombia, Nepal, Palestine, Iraq and Burma. Otherwise the conference will concern itself with employment issues, proposals for Congress and elections. Please Register for the Conference at your earliest convenience. 
 
The A/P women&rsquo;s committee proposed some amendments to the Congress motions on HIV/AIDS, contract and agency labour, and social dialogue. The Thai group proposed promoting a campaign on compulsory licensing. The reason is that housewives are the main focus of new HIV infections due to contamination from their husbands. But since they have less income than their husbands, they are less able to afford expensive drugs. Migrant workers, many of whom are women, also need more protection against HIV/AIDS. 
 
A Congress motion on women should indicate that ICEM strives for gender balance in all bodies. 
 
The committee elected, and the regional conference endorsed, the election of a woman from Thailand and a substitute from Japan to join the ICEM Executive Committee after the November 2007 Congress. 
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2. South Africa &ndash; African Regional Women&rsquo;s Conference Meets in Johannesburg 
 
The ICEM African Regional Women&rsquo;s Conference was held on 2 July in Johannesburg to prepare women&rsquo;s positions for the regional conference to be held the next day in Botswana, which followed by a few days. ICEM received sponsorship from a number of companies for the conference. 
 
In 2003, the women&rsquo;s conference set the main task of establishing the ICEM African women&rsquo;s committee. The goal was met. From now on, it will be a question of organizing activities to make real progress for African women in ICEM. 
 
ICEM has been running the shop steward development programme for some years now in Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. This programme has a women&rsquo;s component. The women&rsquo;s programme creates awareness of women&rsquo;s issues to make sure that leadership is developed. Since women are not always in the leadership structure, their issues are not always addressed. Women&rsquo;s health issues are one area that is often neglected. 
 
Employers tendency is to think of workers as male. Pregnant women have particular issues, but all women&rsquo;s issues are also very diverse than just maternity issues; health issues also encompass menstruation and menopause. Unions should negotiate for rest areas at work so that women can rest on the job instead of staying home. Employers expect women to adapt to the workplace instead of the other way around. 
 
Women in mining is a major topic in Africa. Some legislation denies women the right to work underground, but mining is a well-paid job. Still women need protections. Women need to learn to challenge things, not only at the workplace but at all levels. Women must be able to participate actively. They should not take positions at all costs if they are not prepared; they have to be able to deliver. Ultimately women must come into the mainstream to make the union strong. Role models are important, since those starting out should be able to look up to women who do have experience. 
 
ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) presented a resolution on the gender dynamics in HIV/AIDS. Women need to be empowered to take control in terms of condom use. Women in marriage negotiate on condoms without success. We must explore how best women can take control. 
 
The meeting decided to focus on the following topics in the coming years: HIV/AIDS and women workers; health and safety; leadership skills; expansion of projects to other countries; accountability; and reporting/information sharing. The next step will be for the women&rsquo;s committee to draft a charter for working women in Africa. This work will entail examining national legislations, constitutions, terms and conditions at work, collective agreements and ILO conventions. 
 
The conference elected Baru Gaithoboge from the Botswana Diamond Sorters and Valuators&rsquo; Union to chair the women&rsquo;s committee, and Oluchi Okorie from NUPENG, Nigeria, as vice-chair. They will be the ICEM Executive Committee member and substitute, respectively.
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3. Egypt &ndash; Egypt Bans Female Circumcision 
 
In June, a ban on female circumcision was announced to outlaw the practice, also known as genital mutilation, in Egypt, a country where some 90% of Egyptian women are subjected to the practice. The decree says no professionals will be allowed to perform this operation any more, and violators will be punished. 
 
Female circumcision is a flagrant example of physical and psychological violence against girl children. Muslim and Christian authorities have stated that the practice has no basis either in the Koran or the Koran. Circumcision is seen by conservatives as a way to protect women&rsquo;s chastity. The practice is still common in many African countries.
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4. Finland &ndash; The Gender Pay Gap Has Narrowed in Industry 
 
 
In the fourth quarter of 2006, the average wages of women in Finnish industry were 85% than those of men. In the second quarter 2002, the corresponding figure was 80%.
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&nbsp;5. SEWA in India Pursues Solar Alternatives 

The SEWA Bank and the SEWA Academy, part of the Self-Employed Women&rsquo;s Association in India, promoted an energy park for women to make the most of solar energy and biogas. Solar power and bio gas are of tremendous use to the self-employed. Women street vendors can use solar powered lamps to continue selling into the night and boost their revenues. Midwives can use specially designed lamps to deliver in homes without electricity. Solar lamps in homes can help children study and achieve better in school. Garment workers use solar energy to run sewing machines. Women have installed smokeless stoves. In addition to helping the women earn better livelihoods, there is no pollution with solar energy. SEWA hopes women will adopt solar energy on a large scale.
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&nbsp;6. Kuwait &ndash; Women Are Not Allowed to Work at Night 
 
Gulf News reported that the Kuwaiti Parliament has banned women from working at night. The new law prohibits women from working between 8 pm and 7 am outside the medical profession. Nor are women allowed to work in jobs that &ldquo;break public morals and in all-men service places at any time.&rdquo;
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&nbsp; 
7. Sierra Leone &ndash; Domestic Violence Is Outlawed 
 
The parliament in Sierra Leone passed a law to ban all domestic violence, and to guarantee women&rsquo;s inheritance rights and the right to register customary marriages. The law greatly improves women&rsquo;s status, especially in rural areas. 
 
The police may now either mediate disputes or support women who decide to take action. The registration of customary marriages enables women to own property, and the inheritance law guarantees them access to the property they are entitled to when their husbands die, without interference from extended families. 
 
Women must be aware of their rights, and the rights must be enforced.
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&nbsp; 
8. Thailand &ndash; New Anti-Rape Law Passed 
 
Thailand&rsquo;s National Assembly passed a new law at the end of June which criminalizes marital rape. The new law carries a monetary penalty, and also possible imprisonment of up to 20 years. The definition of &ldquo;victim&rdquo; has also been expanded so that men can also file charges against women or other men. 
 
Gay rights activists applaud the law because they now see protection for gays, lesbians and cross-dressers who are often targeted violently. Nevertheless it will take time for rape victims to speak out freely. The justice system is still a barrier, and people will still be afraid for a long time of continued violence at the hands of their aggressors.
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&nbsp; 
9. Uganda &ndash; Law Curbs Effects of Polygamy 
 
A new law in Uganda has decriminalized adultery for women and men. In Uganda, polygamy for men is legal in &ldquo;customary&rdquo; marriages, and thus men&rsquo;s adultery is tolerated. Women&rsquo;s adultery is stigmatized. 
 
The new law has implications for divorce, which is heavily stigmatized. Divorces should be easier to obtain. Now women will be able to divorce husbands who bring the HIV/AIDS virus home. The law also contains provisions regarding inheritance and rights to a widow&rsquo;s children. Women rights are slowly gaining protections in the law.
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10. Uruguay &ndash; National Equal Opportunities Plan Is Launched 
 
In June, the government presented the plan to end gender discrimination in Uruguay where inequality persists between men and women in access to power and work. 
 
The plan aims to reverse inequality and combat discrimination by facilitating women&rsquo;s access to the labour market, reviewing legislation to eliminate discrimination, providing equal access to housing and the social security system. Research into unpaid work will be promoted &ndash; women spend 67% of their time on unpaid work and 33% on paid work, while with men it is just the opposite. 
 
The Vice-President of Uruguay admitted that in macho societies, women are still constrained in roles that have no place in today&rsquo;s world.
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&nbsp; 
11. Resources:
&nbsp; 
European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions focuses on equal opportunities in the April issue of FOCUS available at: 
<a href="http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0731.htm">http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0731.htm</a> 
 
The British TUC reports on work-life balance news at <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm ">http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm </a> 
 
The second issue of the newsletter of the International Women and Mining Network is available at <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm ">http://www.tuc.org.uk/work_life/tuc-13468-f0.cfm </a>e at&nbsp; 
 
The NEWSLETTER of the European Parliament Committee on women's rights and gender equality is available at: <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/femm/news/2007/20070620_newsletter_en.pdf ">http://www.europarl.europa.eu/comparl/femm/news/2007/20070620_newsletter_en.pdf 
</a> 
BRIDGE supports gender advocacy and mainstreaming effort by bridging the gaps between theory, policy and practice with accessible and diverse gender information in print and online. See <a href="http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk ">http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk </a> 
 
Information on Equality in Spanish at AmecoPress <a href="http://www.amecopress.net ">http://www.amecopress.net </a>

ICEM WOMEN&quot;S BULLETIN 24

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Justice was slow, but it finally came on 29 June when the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), multinational drug company Bayer AG, and the National Contact Point for Germany came to agreement on a longstanding case from the Philippines. 
 
With assistance from ICEM affiliate IGBCE and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the agreement grants a trade union leader who was summarily fired in the year 2000 a hefty backpay package, with additional compensation. It also resolves a union dues issue for a chemical workers&rsquo; union that represents workers at Bayer&rsquo;s 600-worker factory in the Canlubang Industrial Estate, Calamba, Philippines.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="88" alt="" src="" width="70" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="52" alt="" src="" width="108" />&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Juanito Facundo, now 58 and once president of the plant-level union, and the union&rsquo;s treasurer were called into an office in 2000 and fired without notice. Facundo was an electrical engineer and a loyal employee for 30 years. Bayer Philippines said it was merely a matter of redundancy and restructuring, but the victims claimed it was for testifying against managers in an unfair labor practice case and for leading a lawful 1997 strike. 
 
The cases went before the National Labor Relations Commission but after several legal proceedings, the government dropped the complaints. In 2003, DGB picked up the matter and made it a labour rights case under the OECD&rsquo;s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
<img height="111" alt="" src="" width="180" />
&nbsp; 
After tireless work by DGB, Chairman Thomas de Win of the Bayer Works Council in Germany, TUAC, IGBCE, and the Manila office of the Friedrich Ebert Siftung (FES) Foundation, the German company, after visiting the Philippines to conduct its own investigation, came to written terms in late ending the long ordeal.

DGB Successfully Delivers OECD Justice in Bayer Case from the Philippines

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ICEM Argentine affiliate Sindicato Unico Trabajores del Neum&aacute;tico Argentina (SUTNA) wrapped up major tyre talks in the South American nation, but it didn&rsquo;t come easy.
While global tyre producers Pirelli and Bridgestone-Firestone came to terms early and conflict-free at their factories, FATE, a home-owned company which employs 1,200 workers at a factory near Buenos Aires, attempted to impose terms that undercut the gains made by SUTNA at the Italian and Japanese-based companies. 
 
Workers did not take industrial action, but they firmly and repeatedly rejected the inferior FATE contract offers. Finally, in late June, FATE presented SUTNA with terms that equal the Pirelli and Bridgestone-Firestone deals.
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SUTNA members at FATE&rsquo;s San Fernando factory won wage increases totalling 23.2% over the next year. With bonuses, including two front-end ratification payments, the package equals &ndash; and surpasses, in some areas &ndash; contracts for the 1,400 rubber workers at the bigger companies. 
 
SUTNA General Secretary Pedro Wasiejko pledged prior to last spring&rsquo;s national negotiations that no worker would earn less than 2,741 pesos, or &euro;600 per month. 
 
We have attained our goals, Wasiejko said, &ldquo;through transparent and democratic negotiations.&rdquo; He commended the unrelenting worker resolve at the tyre factory, and said holding the line against FATE was made possible by workers &ldquo;gathering in assemblies to freely and openly discuss&rdquo; the company&rsquo;s bargaining stands. He also said FATE workers conducted several democratic votes on many of the issues put forward by the company, votes that fostered unity.
<img height="180" src="" width="180" alt="" />
&nbsp; 
SUTNA&rsquo;s FATE workers won a 12% increase that is retroactive to April; they will get 6% in October 2007, 4% in February 2008, and another 1.23% in June 2008. SUTNA also won job advancements for 82 of the 1,200 workers, a major accomplishment. 
 
At Pirelli and Bridgestone-Firestone, SUTNA negotiated 10% increases in April, with 6.5% coming due in October 2007, 3.5% in March 2008, 2% in April 2008, and 1.23% in June 2008. 
 
The agreement was signed on 28 June, more two months after Pirelli and Bridgestone-Firestone came to terms.

SUTNA in Argentina Meets Goals in Talks with Last Major Rubber Company

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Some 2,400 oil refinery workers at Suncor Energy in Fort McMurray, Alberta, ratified a new three-year labour agreement on 4 July that preserves the National Energy and Chemicals Bargaining Pattern of the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers (CEP) of Canada. 
 
The contract, achieved through hard talks, is considered key because Suncor operates the second largest oil-sands project in the booming energy industry of northern Alberta, a Canadian province in the west of the country. The agreement preserves the pattern established on 13 May when 300 CEP members of Local 501A ratified a pact at a Petro-Canada refinery near Edmonton, Alberta. Like nearly all Canadian oil refineries in the west, that 135,000 barrel-per-day facility is expanding to meet the need for increased processing capacity brought by the oil-sands crude.
<img height="90" src="" width="180" alt="" />
&nbsp; 
The labour agreement ratified by CEP Local 707 at Suncor&rsquo;s Fort McMurray refinery contains an increase retroactive to 1 February of 5%. It also includes the same retroactivity in a special 2% &ldquo;oil-sands supplement&rdquo; which brings the increase to 7%. Local 707&rsquo;s 2,400 members won a 6% increase for 2008, which includes a 1.5% supplement, and will see the same 6% tacked on to salaries in 2009. 
 
CEP Western Region Vice President Don MacNeil said the contract also includes local wage incentives and other adjustments. The CEP and Suncor will continue to negotiate over a delicate overtime issue; due to the oil-sands boom, refinery workers are forced to work excessive amounts of overtime due to a skilled labour shortage in the region. 
 
CEP Local 707 President Dave Drummond said the overtime issue is a major concern to the union, because it is having a detrimental effect on family life. He called the Suncor contract &ldquo;a fair deal&rdquo; that involved &ldquo;very tough bargaining,&rdquo; and said 73% of the local union&rsquo;s members voted to accept the agreement.
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In another oil refinery bargain that met the national pattern, CEP members at Federated Cooperative&rsquo;s Consumers&rsquo; Cooperative Refineries LTD in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan voted on 10 July to accept the wage increases contained in the national energy pattern. The 500 CEP members did authorise a strike during the week of 2 July, but management then increased its offer. Consumers&rsquo; is a 100,000 barrel-per-day refinery that is undergoing a C$1 billion expansion. 
 
The CEP continues to negotiate the pattern established at Petro-Canada in Edmonton for some 7,000 other oil and chemical workers across Canada.

CEP Maintains National Energy Pattern in Canada with Sizeable Gains at Suncor Refinery

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With the Canadian economy in the throes of an industrial melt-down, the government has felt the heat and appointed a task force on competition and foreign investment. But the Tories, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, have appointed only their friends to the five-member panel formally called the &ldquo;Competition Policy Review Panel.&rdquo; 
 
Those appointments, announced last week on the very day that Canada&rsquo;s biggest foreign takeover occurred, Rio Tinto&rsquo;s C$45 billion buy-out of aluminium producer Alcan, has angered Canadian labour. ICEM Vice President Ken Neumann, the United Steelworkers&rsquo; Canadian Director, called it an insult to the workers and citizens most affected by the government&rsquo;s unsound fiscal policies, lack of any industrial strategy, and the current run of sell-offs to Canadian-based companies.
<img height="202" alt="" src="" width="180" />
&nbsp;USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann 

&ldquo;It is time for working people to have meaningful input into reforming the legislative agenda on these issues,&rdquo; Neumann said. &ldquo;Our members have been on the receiving end of unregulated corporate globalisation&rdquo; far too long. 
 
The panel, charged with reviewing the rules of the Canadian Investment Act, is composed of former CEOs of Canadian companies that have split apart, as well as representatives of banking and finance. Neither labour nor community representatives received appointment to the panel. It is chaired by the former head of a telecommunications company that tore apart from Bell Canada, and also has on it the CEO of a splintered Canadian retail conglomerate. 
 
Canada has been plagued by rampant joblessness in rural, single-industry communities due to the increasing value of the Canadian dollar. Now, the Bank of Canada has raised interest rates by one-quarter percent to 4.5%, and a similar increase is expected by year end. 
 
&ldquo;Higher interest rates will accelerate the rise of the Canadian dollar,&rdquo; Neumann said, &ldquo;which has already been responsible for wiping out more than a quarter-million manufacturing jobs in this country. 
 
&ldquo;Those who claim that the loss of these jobs does not have a significant impact on the economy are not living in the real world of unemployment, lower standard of living, and the devastation experienced by many communities across the country.&rdquo; 
 
The Competition Policy Review Panel is expected to make recommendations that could liberalise the rules governing foreign investment deals inside Canada. The panel, however, composed of global marketers and finance people with little experience in creating Canadian jobs, will have to seriously re-think Tory and Liberal Party priorities in order to do to recommend policies that resuscitate the livelihoods of millions of ordinary Canadians.

Steelworkers-Canada Blasts Government’s One-Sided Economic Review Panel

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Jury selection began last week in a US courtroom in the state of Alabama over Drummond Coal&rsquo;s alleged authorisation of the murders of three trade union leaders in Colombia. The company, in a case brought by ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) and the International Labor Rights Fund, is being accused of aiding, abetting, and funding the murders of the three trade unionists in 2001 by right-wing paramilitaries. 
 
The case was filed on behalf of family members of the slain union leaders under the US&rsquo;s Alien Torts Claims Act, which allows foreigners to file civil suit against US companies for millions of dollars in damages for crimes committed outside the US. The plaintiffs won a key victory on 5 March 2007 when the US Federal District Court of Northern Alabama ruled that there was enough evidence against Drummond for the charges to go to trial. Drummond is based in Alabama.
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The lawsuit contends that in 2001, Valmore Lacarno, Victor Oracasita, Gustavo Soler, all labour leaders in the Colombian mining union Sintramienerg&eacute;tica, &ldquo;were ultimately murdered by paramilitary employees and/or agents working for (Drummond) to eliminate effective leaders from the trade union representing Drummond workers, and to intimidate other workers from joining the union or assuming a union leadership position.&rdquo; 
 
In 10 March 2001, Valmore Lacarno Rodr&iacute;guez and Victor Hugo Orcasita were pulled from a Drummond-chartered bus on their way to work at the company&rsquo;s La Loma mine. They were then shot execution style. Lacarno was the president of the union, while Orcasita was the vice president. 
 
Some months later, the new president of Sintramienerg&eacute;tica, Gustavo Soler, was assassinated. 
 
On behalf of the estates of the three, the USW and the Human Rights Fund will present affidavits from those who witnessed the horrific deeds, as well as present in court witnesses who had direct knowledge of Drummond&rsquo;s alleged complicity in the killings. They include a former Colombian army combatant, who later became a part of a right-wing paramilitary group, and a bodyguard to Drummond&rsquo;s director of Community Relations, who witnessed a large monetary pay-off from the company&rsquo;s managing director to paramilitaries. 
 
If the civil suit is successful and punitive damages are awarded, it will mark the first time in US history that the 1789 Alien Tort Claims Act has been used to find a company guilty of crimes abroad.

Trial Begins in US on Drummond Coal’s Alleged Murders of Colombian Trade Unionists

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Trial Begins in US on Drummond Coal’s Alleged Murders of Colombian Trade Unionists

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