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The 20-million-member ICEM has called for more global exposure to the pro-democracy mass movement against the absolute monarchy of King Gyanendra in Nepal. The global trade union federation said despite a remote location with barely any international press coverage to the growing insurrection, the royal government in Nepal is trampling human and labour rights on a daily basis. 
<img height="225" src="" width="344" alt="" />
Binda Pandey, left, arrested on 21 April (photo: Gefont) 
Today, 22 April, marks the 22nd consecutive day that thousands of Nepalese citizens have taken to the streets to defy a government ban on protest and mass assembly. Some 4,000 have been arrested, including trade union leaders of GEFONT-the General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions-as well as another national union, the Nepal Trade Union Congress. 
 
The political situation grows ever more dangerous as Nepal plunges closer to full martial law with royal authorities declaring riot zones and curfews now for the entirety of Katmandu and Lalitpur cities. The monarchy's troops and security forces have responded to peaceful sit-ins and marches by violently arresting the leaders of the trade union federations and political parties after dispersing mass assemblies with tear gas, rubber bullets and baton charges. Those detained are held in crowded facilities, undergoing severe questioning and void of any charges brought upon them. 
<img height="189" src="" width="300" alt="" />
Binda Pandey, ICEM Vice-President, speaking at 
the ICEM Congress in Norway last August 
The vast majority of Nepal's populace is seeking an end to the October 2002 proclamation dissolving the country's elected House of Representatives and government, and replacing it with executive powers solely vested in the monarchy. Gyanendra has installed a loyalist as prime minister, Surya Bahadur Thapor. 
The list of trade union leaders who in April have been detained and then released a day or two after arrest numbers 30, including ICEM Vice President Binda Pandey who has three times been arrested-once on 10 April, held until 11 April, again on 13 April, and again once more on 21 April. Pandey, who also serves as ICEM Women's Committee vice chair, is an officer of the Nepal Independent Chemical and Iron Workers' Union (NICIWU) and is education secretary of GEFONT. 
 
&quot;Dozens of the demonstrators are being injured and hundreds are being arrested every day,&quot; said Pandey. &quot;Mass participation is occurring every day and as that happens, suppression by the authorities grows each day as well.&quot; 
 
Besides Pandey, many other trade union leaders have been arrested including GEFONT Secretary General Bishnu Rimal, Vice Chairman Lalit Kumar Basnet, Treasurer Binod Shresthathus far in April been arrested include Secretary General Bishnu Rimal, NICIWU Member Radhika Khanal, ICEM-affiliated Garbage Cleaners' Union Central Member Madan Deula. The top leaders of NTUC including President Laxman Basnet, Deputy General Secretary Prem Singh Bohara, and Vice Presidents Puskar Acharya and Bam Bahadur DC have also been held. 
 
On 18 April, royal authorities arrested 160 journalists who gathered despite a no assembly ban in a Katmandu central square protesting the detention of 70 working journalists who had been rounded up on 16 April. 
 
Five major political parties inside Nepal have unified over the call to reverse the absolute powers of the monarchy. The two major trade union centers, cutting across all segments of work that employ much of Nepal's 24 million populace, also have unified and are in concert with the political coalition seeking an end to the monarchy's abolishment of Nepal's Constitution and its implementation of emergency decrees banning free speech, assembly and other means of peaceful dissent. In a recent joint declaration, the two trade union centers issued a joint plea for &quot;all working people and trade unions in every level for a nationwide go-ahead against this inhumane act of the government which has kicked all norms and limitations of constitution and rule of law.&quot;

ICEM Calls for More Attention to Nepal

The 20-million-member ICEM has pledged total support to our member trade unions stand with the pro-democracy movement in Nepal. The Brussels-based global union federation of 425 affiliates--including four in Nepal--also condemned harsh government acts in attempting to put down peaceful, pro-democractic demonstrations that have erupted in April in opposition to the actions of Nepal's absolute monarchy. 
<img height="200" src="" width="260" alt="" />
&quot;We are in constant contact with our affiliates. Together with Nepal's five-party coalition they are defying government repression by seeking a democratic state, and they have our whole and undivided support,&quot; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. 
 
Nepal's monarchy has banned political dissent, including assembly and print literature in recent days. The Royal Administration authorities have posted curfews in certain areas and the monarchy's troops and security forces have met marches and rallies with rubber bullets, tear gas and baton charges. 
<img height="197" src="" width="258" alt="" />
 
The pro-democracy masses have defied the crackdown by staging sit-ins in public areas and at major traffic intersections, resulting in nearly a thousand arrests over the past few days including trade union leaders and leaders of the five-party coalition opposed to total control by King Gyanendra.
&quot;We strongly oppose the continued beastly suppression of the peoples democratisation by this unconstitutional royal government,&quot; stated a joint release of two national trade unions centers of Nepal on 5 April. &quot;We appeal to all working people and trade unions in every level for nationwide go-ahead against this inhumane act of the government which has kicked all norms and limitations of constitution and rule of law.&quot; 
 
Despite a government ban ICEM affilates responded by launching a 9 April protest march from Asan to Naradevi inside Katmandu that was met with the arrests of seven National Executive members as well as others. 
 
The ICEM's Higgs also issued severe condemnation against Nepal for imposing the archaic Essential Services Act of 1957 on Nepalese society, which effectively bans trade union rights of workers. &quot;Nepal's monarchy must know that applying restrictive bans on democratic rights and on internationally-recognised labour rights is totally unacceptable to the international community. We demand the immediate release of all those arrested and join our affiliates call for the resignation of this royal government&quot; 
 
 
INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL, ENERGY, MINING AND GENERAL WORKERS' FEDERATION (ICEM) 
NATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE IN NEPAL 
 
April 5, 2004 
 
JOINT PRESS RELEASE 
 
Through the Royal step of Retrogression in October 2002, the nation has been continuously being pushed towards autocracy. The attack has been intensified on the rights gained through the popular mass movement of 1990 and on the constitution. The latest example is the imposition of Essential Services Act 1957 in order to ban the trade union rights of workers. 
 
The Royal Government is trying to suppress the peaceful popular mass movement of five major political parties launched for democracy and progress. Currently, the royal government has attempted to suppress the fast moving phase of the movement being conducted from April 2, 2004 in an inhumane &amp; savage manner. Hundreds of activists and leaders of the political parties have been injured by the cruel lathi-charge, tear gas full of hazardous chemicals and plastic bullets. Even the workers working in the factories/offices and coming to and from office including general people walking on the streets have been victimized by the inhumane suppression. 
 
We strongly oppose the continued beastly suppression of the people's demonstration by this unconstitutional Royal government. We appeal all working people &amp; trade unions in every level for nationwide go ahead against this inhumane act of the government, which has kicked all norms, and limitations of constitution and rule of law. Through this statement we call our local Affiliates/Committees, member and working masses to come forward against retrogression and in favor of democracy &amp; peace. Only in democracy, rights of the working class can be ensured and work can be run smoothly. So we request all entrepreneurs and employers as well to participate and assist this movement from their own places and stands. 
 
Signatories 
Mr. Janak Chaudhary President of NICIWU 
Ms. Bina Shrestha President of IGWUN 
Mr. Kumar Ojha President of NEAEU 
Mr. Ramkumar Shrestha President of NEAE

ICEM Backs Pro-Democracy Efforts in Nepal

A mass rally in the city of Izmit underscored the unease of the Turkish government's continued insistency to intervene on the side of employers in a labour dispute. 
 
Some 10,000 members and supporters of ICEM affiliate Lastik-Is march and rallied 24 March against both severe concessions proposed by tyre manufacturers and Turkey's decree of 21 March banning a strike by the country's petrol, chemical and rubber union, citing that such a strike would be a threat to &quot;national security.&quot; 
<img height="263" src="" width="350" alt="" />
Leaders of Lastik-Is at 24 March rally in Izmit 
The union and multinational tyre producers Goodyear, Pirelli and Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci entered collective bargaining in December for renewal of labour agreements covering 4,000 workers at six tyre factories. But the negotiations proved one-sided at the outset as the employers presented a set of concessionary demands and refused good-faith bargaining. 
 
Lastik-Is issued a call to strike for 22 March at Turkey's largest tyre producer, Italian-based Pirelli in Izmit. But a day prior, the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued the decree under Article 33 of Turkey's Law on Collective Agreements, Strikes and Lockouts. 
 
It was the third consecutive set of negotiations since year 2000 that the Turkish government has used Article 33 to prohibit a strike in the tyre industry. 
<img height="266" src="" width="354" alt="" />
Earlier, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs wrote the prime minister and warned that prohibiting the right to strike violated ILO Conventions 87, 98 and 158, core labour principles that Turkey has ratified. 
 
&quot;Tyre employers have made unacceptable demands on Lastik-Is,&quot; said Higgs in his letter. &quot;Such demands, if imposed, would lower the living standards and increase the work-life burdens of workers in the industry, thus reducing working terms and conditions in this particular sector to far below those of European standards.&quot; 
 
In the tyre producers only exchange with the union, employers seek to remove paid health insurance from workers, seek an increase in working hours by changing shift schedules and seek the unlimited use of temporary workers. Employers also want a separate salary structure for new employees, and propose decreases in current salaries and social payments for current employees. 
 
&quot;If the employers want to continue this forced agenda of their demands, then our fight will increasingly continue,&quot; said Lastik-Is General President Abdullah Karacan. &quot;I do believe that our will and resolve, together with international solidarity, will be the winner in this dispute.&quot; 
Meeting in Brussels on 24 March, the governing board of ICEM, the Presidium, pledged full support to affiliate Lastik-Is and issued a call to all global affiliates to protest the government's decree in protest letters to Prime Minister Erdogan.

Turkish Government Bans Strikes in Tyre Industry

T he nearly two-year-long labour dispute between ICEM affiliate and leading Turkish glass producer Sisecam Group ended this week. 
 
A signed agreement between the company and Turkey's dominant glass workers' union reinstates 350 union members sacked at a plant in Eskisehir, grants pay increases for both 2003 and 2004 to workers, and gives Kristal-İş full recognition rights at most Sisecam glass factories, the underlying principle in the lengthy dispute. 
 
The accord comes after both the ICEM and the European Mining, Chemical, Energy Workers' Federation (EMCEF) brought full attention to the dispute both globally and within the European community. It also came following the Turkish government twice prohibiting Kristal-İş from mounting a strike in the country's glass sector despite a Supreme Court ruling that such a strike was lawful. 
 
 
 
The main points to the settlement: 
 
&middot; Sisecam agreed to withdraw its legal obstacles to recognizing Kristal-İş in some 13 of 15 glass factories that employ 5,000 workers; 
 
&middot; The two parties agreed that social dialogue and goodwill will now become the norm for solutions to future problems; 
 
&middot; The 350 union activists who were sacked last September at a Pasabahce plant in Eskisehir following some 700 workers and contractors becoming Kristal-İş members will be reinstated; 
 
&middot; A shop steward who was also fired for his union activities will be reinstated; 
 
&middot; In line with Turkey&rsquo;s consumer price index, glass workers will receive a retroactive pay increase of 14% for the first half of 2003, 10% for the second half, and 12% for 2004. 
 
&quot;The ICEM applauds the determination and endurance of Kristal-İş members and their leaders in the most successful end result of this dispute,&quot; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &quot;We are delighted to have played a role, but the credit truly goes to Turkey's glass workers and their union for mobilizing and persevering in the face of nothing less than an orchestrated union-busting effort.&quot; 
 
In an era when more and more companies use contractors to avoid unionization, Higgs commended Kristal-İş for organising into its ranks contract workers at the Eskisehir plant. 
 
Kristal-İş President Mustafa Bagceci and Sisecam CEO Dogan Arikan released a joint communiqu&eacute; in which they promised to start a new phase of social dialogue in labour relations. &quot;This settlement means a new starting point between Kristal-İş and Sisecam,&quot; stated Bagceci. &quot;We have decided to look ahead instead of at the past.&quot; Bagceci added that international initiatives played a vital role in reaching the agreement and expressed appreciation to ICEM and EMCEF for strong support and solidarity.

Victory for Kristal-İş in Turkish Glass Dispute

&quot;People before Profit&quot; was the message over and over as union members from five labour organisations protested DSM NV reorganization at a stop-work march/rally 12 March in Limburg, NL. The unions, led by ICEM affiliate FNV Bondgenoten, are demanding a stop to DSM's decision to sack 1,000 core workers at industrial chemical worksites in Geleen, and replace them with 500 contractors.
<img height="210" alt="" src="" width="350" />
Some 2,500 workers, families and supporters attended the &quot;Stop the Breakdown of DSM Employment in Limburg&quot; march/rally, which circled the streets of Heerlen-DSM headquarters-and ended with a loud, spirited, united assembly on the plaza of the DSM headquarters building. 
 
The event marked the first such stop-work action at DSM. 
 
&quot;For us as unions, we've had enough,&quot; said Henk van Rees, a Bondgenoten officer. &quot;That's why we have called upon staff to down tools and go to Heerlen.&quot; 
 
In the 1980s, DSM operations in Geleen employed some 15,000 workers. Prior to last month's announcement from Heerlen, chemical operations in Geleen employ 5,000 workers. DSM also sacked 420 jobs at its DNP (Nutritional Products) former Roche plant in Sisseln, Switzerland, a fact not lost on those at the rally who see DSM overreaching into non-traditional business sectors.

DSM Dutch Workers Protest Outsourcing

M onday, 8 March, is International Women's Day, and the ICEM is encouraging affiliates, institutions and the general public alike to carry a workplace Human Rights message through to 1 May and beyond. That message is &quot;Respect for Workers' Rights, Respect for Women Workers.&quot; 
 
 
Artwork from Confederaci&oacute;n 
de Comisiones Obreras, Spain 
The 20-million-member ICEM, composed of over 400 affiliates in 125 countries in the oil, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical and processed industries, has joined with other global union federations and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) to promote a season of action in which the theme is &quot;Unions for Women, Women for Unions&quot; will be used to organize workers employed in the burgeoning informal sectors of both developed and developing countries. 
 
In the heavily unionized global sectors in which many members of ICEM affiliates work, some 30% of those workers are women. &quot;Against the background of rising militarisation and continuous attacks on Women's Rights, it is now more important than ever that the world commemorate International Women's Day as a day to say 'We can do better,'&quot; stated ICEM Women's Officer Carol Bruce. 
 
The ICEM points to appalling circumstances the world over that need immediate attention and remedies. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is a common military tool to use rape to terrorize, humiliate and punish an enemy. In free trade zones in Central America and Central Europe, worksites exist in which women must produce their sanitary towels each month to prove they are not pregnant. 
 
Women make up over 50% of all HIV/AIDS victims, and in many cases the cause is infection from their own husbands. Because of lack of empowerment, they do not dare insist that their husbands use a condom, nor do they dare refuse sex with their husbands. 
 
Besides the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the ICEM has identified challenges in its own sectors. Women workers in Thailand in the diamond industry who work in sweatshop conditions need a living wage. In Russia, one out of two women working in the chemicals industries are exposed to hazardous conditions with high gas and dust content. Many trade unions still do not provide for women's representation by statute. In the global pharmaceuticals industry, not nearly enough women are organized in trade unions that would bring higher pay and a better level of benefits. 
 
On International Women's Day, the ICEM does herald notable achievements. In South Africa, a negotiated commitment between ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers and the country's Council of Mines has been made to bring the level of women workers in mining up to 10%. Pharmaceutical companies operating in Central Europe now have record numbers of women managers. Women are putting forward their own demands in collective bargaining in Brazil as negotiators. 
 
The ICEM urges affiliates and others to make visible the message &quot;Respect for Workers' Rights, Respect for Women Workers&quot; through the 1 May holiday, and then to practice this message in everyday life.

8 March: Working Women Need Improvements at their Jobs

J ustice has finally arrived for a group of mineworkers in Australia-but more than five-and-a-half years late. 
 
Four of 16 miners at three Rio Tinto coal mines in Central Queensland who were sacked 21 July 1998 will walk back to their jobs Monday at the Blair Athol mine. The miners are members of ICEM affiliate Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia, and the union will mark their return with a Guard of Honour at the workplace entrance. 
 
The four were part of 16 staunch trade unionists sacked by Rio Tinto subsidiary Pacific Coal in 1998. The miners were discharged after the company conducted one-sided &quot;performance reviews&quot; that effectively placed them on a black list in the mining areas of Queensland. 
 
Two others will be reinstated by Rio Tinto at its nearby Hail Creek mine on 8 March. The fate of ten others is still in the hands of Rio Tinto. After some three years of legal wrangling, the Full Bench of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission ruled last year that the 16 were unfairly dismissed and must be given re-employment preference by Rio Tinto. 
 
Although the company is appealing that ruling, it has complied with reinstatement of the six. 
 
&quot;Rio Tinto should go the whole hog and get them all back on the job,&quot; said the Miners Union General President Tony Maher. &quot;These men and their families have suffered more than enough. It's time Rio did the right thing and get them all back on the job so their families can finally rebuild their lives and look to the future with the confidence they deserve.&quot; 
 
&quot;Hopefully, this puts closure to one of the sorriest chapters in mining labour relations the world over,&quot; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &quot;The ICEM now calls on Rio Tinto to put this whole dispute behind and recall the remaining the ten workers.&quot;

Blair Athol Miners Return to Work in Australia

Australia could face major disasters in a number of industries, notably offshore oil and gas. 
 
That warning was sounded by Doug Cameron, National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), after an explosion at the Longford gas complex this Friday killed two workers and seriously injured eight others. The plant is run by Esso, which owns it jointly with BHP. Longford is in the Australian state of Victoria. 
 
Cameron said the union had been receiving reports about serious undermanning in critical maintenance and safety areas of various industries. He blamed this on a prevailing business culture of putting profits before people. 
 
&quot;Highly skilled and experienced maintenance workers are having their jobs contracted out so companies can save on maintenance costs,&quot; Campbell stated. &quot;Lean production and lean maintenance inevitably lead to lean safety.&quot; 
 
He called for an immediate judicial inquiry into the Longford accident. It was, he said, essential that the inquiry assess the possible contribution made to the explosion, the loss of life and the injuries by: 
 
cost-cutting in maintenance functions 
reductions in the workforce 
contracting out of maintenance functions 
management systems and decision-making processes 
worker induction and training procedures 
quality control in the maintenance area 
companies' &quot;self-regulation&quot; of occupational health and safety under schemes introduced by the Victorian state government. 
The inquiry should include but not be limited to these issues, Cameron said. &quot;The company and the State Government must act decisively and openly so there can be no suggestion of a cover-up.&quot; 
 
Meanwhile, the company and the Victorian government have promised that the accident will be fully investigated. So far, no reason has been officially given for the explosion, but some reports are blaming it on a leaky valve. 
 
Longford provides about 80 percent of Victoria's domestic and industrial gas supplies, which have been severely disrupted by the accident. Cameron said companies hit by the gas cuts in Victoria must avoid laying workers off. Instead, they should be assigned to short-term replacement jobs. The union would be seeking compensation for any of its members put out of work. 
 
 
 
EMPLOYERS BLOCK GLOBAL CONTRACT LABOUR SAFEGUARDS 
 
At the global level, the AMWU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). Together with other union internationals, the ICEM has consistently drawn attention to the safety risks posed by reliance on contract labour. Worldwide, contract workers have significantly higher accident rates than their directly employed colleagues. 
 
Within the UN's International Labour Organisation, the unions had been campaigning for minimum international standards for contract workers, notably on safety and health. However, a draft ILO Convention on contract labour was talked out by employer delegates and their Australian spokesman during a filibuster at this June's ILO conference. The unions are now pressing for more ILO research into the issue, to which they intend to return.

Australian Gas Blast: &quot;Lean Safety&quot; Could Cause More Disasters, Union Says

Austria's mining inspectorate has opened proceedings against two executives of the Rio Tinto-owned Lassing mine for &quot;illegal extraction&quot; there, the newspaper Die Presse reported today. This July, ten miners were killed when the mine caved in. 
 
Die Presse names the two accused men as site manager Hermann Schmitt and Walter Engelhardt, Managing Director of Naintscher Mineralwerke, the local Rio Tinto company that operated the mine. 
 
Meanwhile, Economy Minister Hannes Farnleitner, who has responsiblity for the mining industry, has announced the launch of disciplinary proceedings against the regional head of the mining inspectorate, on the grounds that the inspectorate &quot;did not notice&quot; that mining was continuing in an area for which no valid current permit existed. 
 
Farnleitner is himself under growing pressure to resign over the Lassing disaster. He has now ordered the dissolution of the mining industry section within his ministry. According to Die Presse, Farnleitner said that an internal commission will investigate &quot;all suppositions and indications pointing towards perks, favours and corruption&quot; in the ministry's mining section. 
 
Apart from the question of non-permitted mining, Die Presse quotes Farnleitner as wondering why the extension of tunnels was allowed at all &quot;in a highly dangerous area.&quot; 
 
On Austrian TV this Sunday, Andr&eacute; Talmon conceded that the mining of one seam had extended 46 metres beyond the permitted area, but said this had not contributed to the accident. Talmon heads Luzenac Naintsch, which is owned by Rio Tinto and in turn owns the Lassing operating company, Naintscher Mineralwerke. 
 
However, the newspaper Der Standard said today it had been told of statements by miners that extraction at Lassing had also taken place from two further seams for which no permits had been issued. This could have led to the collapse of the mine. 
 
Contacted by ICEM UPDATE for comment this afternoon, Rio Tinto's world headquarters in London said the mining in question had been &quot;unauthorised&quot; rather than &quot;illegal&quot;. 
 
So Rio Tinto concedes that mining had taken place without a permit? &quot;We're still trying to get to the bottom of this,&quot; the Rio Tinto spokesman replied. &quot;Our understanding is that the seam concerned was covered by a mining permit up to the end of 1995, that it was in the process of being backfilled and that perhaps a procedural mistake occurred.&quot; 
 
Procedural mistake or not, the Lassing disaster cost the lives of ten miners. A report released last week by the Austrian mining union GMBE charged that the ten men had been sent in, after the mine had begun to subside, purely in order to prevent further damage to the mine rather than to save lives (for details of this and other allegations by the union, see ICEM UPDATE 76/1998). 
 
Rio Tinto is the world's biggest private mining corporation. 
 
Its anti-union stance in many parts of the world has made it a priority target for networking by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), of which the Austrian GMBE is a member.

Austrian Mine Disaster: Inspectorate Moves Against Rio Tinto Subsidiary

Management at Austria's disaster-struck Lassing mine sent ten workers to their deaths for purely economic reasons. 
 
That is the main accusation in a highly critical report released today by the Austrian metal, mining and energy union GMBE. 
 
Lassing is run by Talc de Luzenac, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto, the world's biggest mining corporation. In Austria's worst mining accident since the war, ten miners died at Lassing this July when the roof of the talc mine collapsed. They were sent in after another miner, Georg Hainzl, had already been buried by the collapse. Ten days later, Hainzl was brought out alive. 
 
&quot;Manifestly, neither the management nor the mines authority nor the other emergency services had any concept,&quot; the report concludes. &quot;That is the only possible explanation for the chaotic and amateurish organisation during this emergency. The failure to involve those present who had practical knowledge (the miners), including the works council chairman (also a miner), who certainly should have been involved in the response to the disaster, demonstrates an incomprehensible hierarchical arrogance on the part of the responsible specialists both within the firm and in the authorities.&quot; 
 
The report was prepared for GMBE President Rudolf N&uuml;rnberger by Richard Hollerer, the union's secretary in the Lassing area. It includes a chronological account of the disaster from 17 July onwards. Part of the chronology: 
 
[quote] 
 
Although the road through Lassing had been closed from 13.30 because of subsidence, and the stream there had already disappeared underground at around 11.30, miners who had been ordered back to the site were kept working all afternoon inside the mine in order to secure it, and it was there that, at approximately 22.00, they were tragically buried. 
At around 13.00, the responsible mines inspector had arrived at the site and had toured the mine with company managers (and commercial staff). 
Further subsidence in the area of the mine (above ground) was, incomprehensibly enough, also not taken seriously. As early as 11.50, local residents had reported that the house of the Maier family was subsiding. The company management produced photographic documentation of the evolution of this collapse. 
Private callers who had, over the previous few days, drawn attention to the danger posed by blasting were clearly not taken seriously either. 
It should also be noted at this point that it had been repeatedly stated over the past few years that there was no intention of mining too far under the stream, as the ground conditions were not stable there. It was all, the statements said, too heavily overlaid with marshland. 
The gentlemen responsible realised the seriousness of the situation much too late - namely, at about 22.00, when massive quantities of mud and water trapped the other 10 miners who were inside the mine. 
The chaos that reigned in the following hours, while organising the rescue work, shows quite clearly that the capacities both of the mine management and of the mines inspectorate were hopelessly overstretched. Nobody was capable of coordinating the deployment of the rescue squads. 
The chairman of the works council, who is also a miner, the other miners and the recently retired head supervisor were not brought into the crisis team or the deployment leadership team. Repeated appeals did nothing to change this attitude. 
The deployment team held hours of discussions and meetings without reaching any concrete conclusions - this in the presence of journalists. 
Offers of assistance from volunteers and teams of experts in Germany, Hungary, Italy, the USA and Austria were stubbornly refused. 
The unavoidable impression is that the intention, even in this catastrophic situation, was to find a company-internal solution. 
[end of quote] 
 
The chronology goes on to criticise the unpreparedness of the emergency services, the state authorities and the mines inspectorate. It also says that the drilling of a rescue shaft was decided much too late, and was further delayed by the use of old, inadequate equipment. It was through the rescue shaft that Georg Hainzl was finally brought out alive, after ten days underground. 
 
&quot;Incidentally,&quot; the report says,&quot;it was clear from the start that this was the only possible way of rescuing him.&quot; The implications of this are made clear a little later in the report: &quot;The claims now being constantly made, that it was necessary to send in the miners in order to rescue Brother Hainzl, are demonstrably incorrect (by means of available, verifiable safety plans). Rather, it is clear that they were reinforcing the mine so that the further extraction of talc would not be made impossible by the further penetration of mud!&quot; 
 
The report also notes that no register of mine rescue experts and equipment was available, and describes this as an &quot;unforgivable error both by the company and by the mining authority.&quot; 
 
And it says that previous safety incidents at the mine were hushed up. &quot;Attempts were made, through all kinds of 'tricks', to push down the mine's accident rate (provable). Injuries suffered by miners while underground were hushed up by giving them home leave or assigning them to jobs above ground.&quot; 
 
[All quotes above are translations from the German] 
 
Meanwhile, an investigation by the mines inspectorate supports allegations that tunnels had been dug beyond the area covered by Talc de Luzenac's permits at Lassing. The firm continues to deny this. But mines minister Hannes Farnleitner, himself under growing criticism for his conduct during the disaster, told parliament that he had passed files to the public prosecutor for investigation. 
 
 
 
RIO TINTO RESPONDS 
 
Asked by ICEM UPDATE today to comment on the allegations, Rio Tinto&rsquo;s global headquarters in London was unaware of them in detail. After the ICEM faxed through the Austrian documents, Rio Tinto provided the following response, which we reproduce in full: 
 
[quote] 
 
The circumstances surrounding the tragic disaster at Lassing are the subject of a detailed independent investigation being conducted by the Austrian authorities. Full cooperation is being extended by Naintsch Mineralwerke, a subsidiary of Talc de Luzenac, itself part of Rio Tinto. In these circumstances, the only comment Rio Tinto would make to the ICEM statement is to assert that: 
 
1) The only concerns of the authorities and of Naintsch Mineralwerke and Rio Tinto since the earliest inundation at noon on July 17 have been for the rescue of Georg Hainzl, the trapped miner, the safety of his colleagues, including those who tragically died, and the subsequent welfare of their families. 
 
2) The Austrian authorities lay down extensaive procedures relating to mine safety which ensure significant involvement of employees and the State Authorities in the safety of miners. Mine safety is of foremost concern to the company, its employees and the Authorities. The Lassing mine had over recent years an exemplary safety record due to their concerted effort and we are not aware of any safety incidents which have not been properly reported. 
 
In our understanding, this has never been a union-company point of difference and we would wish to pay tribute to the Austrian employees for their efforts in such difficult circumstances. 
 
[end of quote] 
 
 
 
ICEM UPDATE Editor&rsquo;s note: The statements to which Rio Tinto is responding here are, of course, by the Austrian miners&rsquo; union and the Austrian mining inspectorate, rather than by the ICEM. 
 
 
 
LUST FOR PROFIT? 
 
Rudolf N&uuml;rnberger, the GMBE's President, is also a member of the Austrian parliament. The responsibility for the Lassing disaster must rest &quot;at the top,&quot; N&uuml;rnberger told parliament yesterday - notably with Rio Tinto, the minister and the head of the mining authority. On the reports that the accident was caused by illegal mining, he said that, if proved, this would mean that the miners' deaths were in fact caused by &quot;the lust for profit&quot;. 
 
Reminding Austria's lawmakers of &quot;the pressure that can be exerted on workers by the threat that their jobs will be lost,&quot; N&uuml;rnberger insisted that &quot;for those who have a close knowledge of the ultimate owner, namely Rio Tinto, all this will not seem unusual.&quot; He went on to cite Rio Tinto - Tainted Titan, the &quot;stakeholders' report&quot; produced jointly by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and a number of human rights and environmental organisations. 
 
&quot;The ICEM,&quot; N&uuml;rnberger told parliament, &quot;is the worldwide federation in which chemical unions, miners unions ... and therefore also the union that I represent are united. On the occasion of Rio Tinto's last annual general meeting, we produced a very comprehensive report and, Minister, if you don't want to bother going on to the Internet, I am very willing to place this Rio Tinto report at your disposal.&quot; 
 
Others can access it on this site - see below. 
 
As N&uuml;rnberger told the minister, Rio Tinto - Tainted Titan gives a detailed worldwide critique of Rio Tinto's &quot;approach to human rights, particularly the rights of workers and local populations, rights concerning natural resources ... environmental protection regulations, and its very lax approach to occupational health and safety.&quot; 
 
Noting that &quot;last year, Rio Tinto earned 1.2 billion US dollars clear profit on a turnover of 9.2 billion&quot;, N&uuml;rnberger told a cheering parliament that, once responsibilities had been clarified, Rio Tinto should be made to pay back &quot;every schilling and groschen&quot; of the costs caused by the Lassing disaster. 
 
&quot;We fully support our Austrian colleagues' demands,&quot; commented ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe. &quot;It is becoming clear that there was no proper forward planning for dealing with an accident at Lassing. It also appears that safety precautions were inadequate and that safety incidents were hushed up. All this puts Rio Tinto and the authorities in clear breach of their obligations under international mining safety standards, as set out in Convention 176 of the UN&rsquo;s International Labour Organisation. 
 
&quot;If further tragedies of this kind are to be avoided,&quot; Thorpe emphasised, &quot;it is essential that representative trade unions be fully involved in safety planning and implementation at all Rio Tinto mines worldwide. We call upon the company to abandon its hostility to trade unions and to work with us to ensure that the world's biggest mining company becomes the world's safest.&quot;

Austrian Mine Disaster: Rio Tinto Blamed

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Austrian Mine Disaster: Rio Tinto Blamed

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