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Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on 17-18 November 2005, trade union delegates at the ICEM&rsquo;s World Conference for the Materials Sector, encompassing the Cement, Glass, and Ceramics Industries, adopted the following statement: 
 
The state of the business scenario in the Cement, Glass, and Ceramics Industries has been one of mergers, acquisitions and re-location of production. The ICEM&rsquo;s World Conference for the Materials Sector recognized the disruption such business conditions cause to workers and their families. The Conference adopted measures to safeguard the trade union members and their families from the uncertainty caused by the consolidation of companies and the economic consequences brought to workers and their families. The Conference resolved to take all necessary steps to protect the interests of workers in the Materials Sector. 
 
The Conference adopted the following proposals: 
<ul>
 <li>During the next four-year period until the next ICEM World Conference for the Materials Sector, affiliates will seek to initiate dialogue and achieve further Global Framework Agreements with companies associated with the Materials Sector; 
 </li>
 <li>Affiliated Trade Unions will adopt new and innovative networking methods between themselves to further enhance Global Trade Union Solidarity; 
 </li>
 <li>Affiliated Trade Unions fully joined the ICEM&rsquo;s campaign on the abusive use of Contract and Agency Labour in all facets of work; 
 </li>
 <li>Affiliated Trade Unions moved to become more vigilant in monitoring and ensuring responsible behaviour by global companies in cement, glass and ceramics industries regarding health, safety and the environment. Specifically, unions will fully monitor and engage with employers, as well as campaign against the menace of asbestos and silicosis caused by hazardous materials used in these industries; 
 </li>
 <li>ICEM membership within this sector will engage effective workplace measures to educate and raise awareness of the risk of HIV/AIDS infection, and to ensure that meaningful programmes for anti-discrimination of those living with HIV/AIDS be put in place. 
 </li>
 <li>Affiliated Trade Unions will undertake to increase their efforts regarding the all-important Gender Issue of Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value, and to ensure that any and all gender-based discrimination is eliminated from workplaces. </li>
</ul>
It is the determination and commitment of the ICEM-affiliated Trade Unions in the Materials Sector to take sufficient and meaningful action to meet this agenda and produce a full report on the progress of these initiatives at the next World Conference for the Materials Sector. 
 
Adopted 18 November 2005 
Brussels, Belgium 
 
For more information on this conference, including background documents and presentations, click <a href="?id=148">here</a>.

ICEM Declaration on the Materials Sector

<a href="http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1582&amp;L2=1&amp;L3=106">OUTSOURCING GROWS UP</a> 
 
Written in early 2005 by two partners of the McKinsey&rsquo;s London office, this article shows that the ICEM views on contract and agency labour are beginning to be accepted by influential Management Consultants. 
 
According to the article, the main objective of the first companies using outsourcing, was purely to reduce costs. That has changed somewhat. It is now generally accepted that companies also use contract and agency labour to improve their operational performance. 
 
The authors&rsquo; research shows that, in spite of this change,&nbsp;few companies changed the way they make their deals. They also say that that &ldquo;up to 50% of outsourcing arrangements fail to deliver the expected value&rdquo;. 
 
Examples are given of companies experiencing severe problems during the operation of the contract, due to the fact that they did not have a clear strategy at the beginning of the process. Towards the end, the article argues to work with all the internal stakeholders that will be affected by the move, including union representatives. 
The article can be found here: 
<a href="http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1582&amp;L2=1&amp;L3=106">http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/ 
article_page.aspx?ar=1582&amp;L2=1&amp;L3=106</a>

Useful Background Articles on Contract and Agency Labour

The 20-million-member ICEM today condemns King Gyanendra and his autocratic rule in Nepal for the arrests and intimidation of dozens of pro-democracy activists in the days leading up to a four-day general strike beginning tomorrow, 6 April. The ICEM also condemns the absolute monarchy&rsquo;s threat to civil servants and professionals, who have been served notice that participation in the strike could mean dismissals or job transfers to remote areas of the Himalayan country. 
 
Specifically, the ICEM calls attention to the arrest yesterday of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) official Ramesh Badal. He was seized in New Baneswer as he was speaking to the Professional Alliance on joining the strike. Badal heads GEFONT&rsquo;s Department of Labour Relations. 
<img height="137" alt="" src="" width="131" /> 
 
Ramesh Badal
&ldquo;Arrests of activists before major strikes and demonstrations have become all too common in Nepal,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &ldquo;But this makes them no less appalling. Real rights and freedoms will not exist until Nepal&rsquo;s monarch lifts his absolute rule and allows political parties to function.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM, a Global Union Federation consisting of 389 affiliates in 122 countries, including four in Nepal, supports the 6-9 April general strike as a means of challenging Gyanendra&rsquo;s autocratic rule, now in place for 14 months. This week&rsquo;s general strike is being called by a wide ranging political coalition called the Seven Parties Alliance. The royal government has countered the strike with prohibition orders banning all assemblies inside the greater Kathmandu area.

ICEM Condemns Arrests, Repression Leading to General Strike

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Exactly one week after the Howard government&rsquo;s WorkChoices legislation in Australia went into effect, labour unions across the country have mounted campaigns to alert workers of the dangers. The unions also are preparing to oust Prime Minister John Howard from office at the time of next elections in 18 months. Several unions have established websites where workers can post and respond to employer abuses. 
The new law went into effect on 27 March and, in short, dismantles collective bargaining in favour of a system of individual contracts and exempts employers with fewer than 100 workers from unfair dismissal claims. 
In the first week alone, Australian unions have noted a rash of abuses. For instance, in South Australia, a hotel has announced a restructuring plan in which it will half its workforce, and place all staff on individual contracts with longer work hours. At another business in New South Wales, a company sacked all 29 of its employees and invited them to apply for 20 jobs based on individual contracts with salaries of A$180 per week less. 
<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM affiliate Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has begun a campaign entitled &ldquo;WhatChoice?&rdquo; and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, in conjunction with several states, is bringing legal action to reverse the law.

Australia’s Labour Reform Strips Workers of Protections

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South African affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has challenged Harmony Gold Mining&rsquo;s sacking of 300 contract workers without consulting the union. Harmony fired contractor DBE Mining at the Kalgold mine in the Northern Cape, and will bring in a new contractor employing other workers. 
NUM, which has filed a complaint over the matter in a South African labour court, is demanding that Harmony, &ldquo;in the current climate of a boom in gold prices,&rdquo; hire the 300 on a permanent basis. 
In a statement, NUM said, &ldquo;Harmony would like to hide behind the myth that the 300 workers are employees of a contractor while in reality they do critical work in a Harmony mine &hellip; subcontracting and outsourcing are new forms of exploitation through which big companies try to exonerate themselves from the stain of careless laying off of employees.&rdquo;

Layoffs of Contract Workers Challenged by NUM

<img height="41" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Trade union members of Amicus, an ICEM affiliate in the UK, staged a second four-hour strike on 30 March at International Paper Co.&rsquo;s Inverurie mill in Scotland. The union and its 231 members at the paper mill will escalate industrial actions this week with two further strikes, tomorrow and Thursday, 4 and 6 April, if the company does not revise a pay offer for 2006 and 2007. 
Management has proposed an unacceptable pay freeze for this year and a minimal one-off payment in 2007. Workers for the past two years have contributed part of their weekly earnings to help fill a gap in the company&rsquo;s pension scheme. The industrial actions have boosted Amicus support inside the printing and writing papers mills, as well as in the nearby community of Aberdeenshire.

Further Strikes at IP Paper Mill in Scotland

<img height="41" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The Government in Mauritania successfully mediated a three-party dispute that ends a six-month union rights battle at an oil-services contractor, in which the ICEM played a direct role. The dispute began in October 2005 when El Majabaat El Koubra Tours (MKT), a transport and logistics provider for Australian-based Woodside Petroleum, sacked 16 union activists of the Energy and Petroleum Workers&rsquo; Union (CGTM) of Mauritania. 
Woodside should now offer permanent employment to qualified MKT contract workers, and to recognise CGTM as union representative. MKT has agreed to pay severance of four months salary to union delegates, three months to long-term employees and two months to others. The ICEM had lobbied both Woodside and the Mauritanian government over the unjust treatment of contract workers. 
In a speech that covered the matter, Mauritania head of state Col. Ely Ould Mohammed Vall said, &ldquo;I appreciate the position of Woodside who has finally chosen to conform to the legitimate expectations of our people.&rdquo; Woodside has both onshore and offshore oil exploration and development contracts in the West African country.

Dispute in Mauritania’s Oil-Services Sector Ends

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Workers at Turkey&rsquo;s state oil company, Tupras, members of ICEM affiliate Petrol-Iş, went on a day-long strike 28 March in protest to the postponement of a definitive ruling that would cancel the 51% sale of the oil company to a private company. 
The union won, on 2 February, a preliminary ruling from Turkey&rsquo;s highest court, the Council of State, which blocked the US$4.14 billion sale to a consortium led by Koc Holdings and Royal Dutch Shell. The final ruling was scheduled to be handed down by the Council of State on 27 March, but is now delayed until 25 April. 
Workers halted production at Tupras&rsquo; four refineries, Izmit, Izmir, Kirikkale and Batman, as well as at a petrochemical plant located next to the Izmit refinery.

Petrol-Iş in Turkey Strikes Tupras Oil Refineries

G8 Working Group on HIV/AIDS &ndash; Global Unions Increase Pressure 
 
On 28 February, Global Unions launched an HIV/AIDS Campaign to convince Heads of State at the G8 Summit in Russia in July to create a permanent high-level G8 working group on HIV/AIDS. 
 
Alan Leather, Chair of the HIV/AIDS Global Unions Steering Committee, called on national union bodies in G8 countries to deliver letters to their Head of State and on unions the world over to deliver such letter calling for the establishment of a Working Group to the G8 government embassies in their country. This action forms part of the overall work of the Trade Union Advisory Group of the OECD (TUAC) and the Global Unions to influence the G8 outcome next July, which will focus on energy security, education and health issues. 
 
For more details see the Global Unions statement at <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_8.EN.pdf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_8.EN.pdf</a>. The draft letter for unions in G8 countries to their Heads of State is provided at <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_7.EN.rtf">http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_7.EN.rtf</a>&nbsp;as well as 7a, b and c for the respective country groups to deliver letters to the embassies. 
 
The Kenya Plantations and Agricultural Workers&rsquo; Union became the first union to join the campaign by delivering a letter to the British High Commissioner in Nairobi. The union told the High Commissioner that a permanent working group was needed to guarantee progress on the commitments made by governments at the Gleneagles G8 Summit last year to achieve universal access to treatment by 2010 and to further the development of a vaccine to prevent HIV infection. 
 
Focus on Women 
 
On International Women&rsquo;s Day, 8 March, ILOAIDS emphasised that there is more and more evidence about the susceptibility of women and girls to HIV transmission due to both gender inequalities and biological differences between men and women: 60 percent of new HIV infections occur to women, with even higher proportions for women under 25 years. 
 
The ILO drew attention to the Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. Principle 3 of the Code states, &ldquo;The gender dimension of HIV/AIDS should be recognised. Women are more likely infected and more often adversely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic than men due to biological, socio-cultural and economic reasons. The greater the gender discrimination in societies and the lower the position of women, the more negatively they are affected. Therefore, more equal gender relations and the empowerment of women are vital to successfully prevent the spread of HIV infection and enable women to cope with HIV/AIDS&rdquo;. (Source: ILOAIDS Website) 
 
The joint WHO/UNAIDS report (see below) states, &ldquo;While the report found no systematic bias against women in (antiretroviral treatment) ART access, rates of coverage for women varied. In some countries, more women receive treatment; in others, more men.&quot;
&quot;One notable area of concern is access to therapy to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, which remains unacceptably low. Between 2003 and 2005, fewer than 10% of HIV-positive pregnant women received antiretroviral prophylaxis before or during childbirth. As a result, 1800 infants were born with HIV every day. Each year, over 570 000 children under the age of 15 die of AIDS, most having acquired HIV from their mothers. In 2005, 660 000 children under the age of 15 were in need of immediate ART, representing more than 10% of unmet global need. Nine out of ten children needing treatment live in sub-Saharan Africa.&rdquo; (Source: WHO/UNAIDS News Release, 28 March 2006) 
 
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects women and girls in Africa, necessitating a new U.N. agency to focus specifically on women and HIV/AIDS, U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis said at a news conference on 17 March. 
Lewis, who had just returned from a trip to Lesotho and Swaziland, said a recent government study shows that 56% of pregnant women in Swaziland between ages 25 and 29 are living with HIV/AIDS and that about 30% of 15- to 17-year-old girls in Lesotho are living with the disease. An estimated 43% of HIV-positive people ages 15 to 49 in Lesotho are men, and about 57% are women. 
The rate of HIV-positive women in Swaziland is &quot;the highest prevalence I have ever encountered in the last five years,&quot; Lewis said. He added, &quot;What has happened to women is such a gross and palpable violation of human rights that the funding must be found,&quot; saying that a well-funded and influential agency targeting women would reduce the HIV prevalence within the group. (Source: Reuters Canada, 17 March 2006) 
 
 
WHO-UNAIDS: 3 by 5 Initiatives Short of Target 
 
A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that the number of people on HIV antiretroviral treatment (ART) in low- and middle-income countries more than tripled to 1.3 million in December 2005 from 400 000 in December 2003. 
Charting the final progress of the &quot;3 by 5&quot; strategy to expand access to HIV therapy in the developing world, the report also says that the lessons learned in the last two years provide a foundation for global efforts now underway to provide universal access to HIV treatment by 2010. 
Progress in treatment scale-up, while substantial, was less than initially hoped. (Reminder: &ldquo;3 by 5&rdquo; stands for treatment for 3 million infected persons by the end of 2005). The report notes, however, that treatment access expanded in every region of the world during the &ldquo;3 by 5&rdquo; initiative, with approximately 50 000 additional people beginning ART every month in the past year. 
Sub-Saharan Africa, the region most severely impacted, led the scale-up effort, with the number of people receiving HIV treatment there increasing more than eight-fold to 810 000 from 100 000 in the two-year period. By the end of 2005, more than half of all people receiving HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries resided in sub-Saharan Africa, up from one-quarter two years earlier. 
In July 2005, the G8 nations endorsed a goal of working with WHO and UNAIDS to develop an essential package of HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of moving as close as possible to universal access to treatment by 2010, a target subsequently endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2005. 
The new WHO/UNAIDS report outlines a number of steps that must be taken to continue and expand treatment scale up toward achieving this goal. 
 
(Source: Joint News Release WHO/UNAIDS, 28 March 2006. The full report can be accessed on the WHO and UNAIDS websites <a href="http://www.who.int">www.who.int</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>&nbsp;). 
 
 
East Asia and Pacific Conference Focuses on Children 
 
An estimated 1.5 million children in the Asia-Pacific region have lost one or both parents; 121,000 children are HIV positive and about 35,000 children in the region are in need of antiretroviral treatment. These were the stark figures, which confronted delegates at a three-day conference in Hanoi in March. 
 
The first high-level conference, concentrating solely on children, discussed how to intensify prevention efforts, upscale treatment and eliminate mother-to child transmission. Support groups for kids infected by the virus, or who have lost parents to AIDS, must also be created. 
(Source: Posted on <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a>&nbsp;on 24 March and Borneo Bulletin, Brunei, 23 March 2006) 
 
 
Reductions in Drug Prices 
 
Hardly a week goes by without news that that the price of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) is coming down and more multinational pharmaceutical companies agree to license their drugs for the production of generics. While the efforts of individual companies are appreciated, a more coordinated and comprehensive approach is called for. UNAIDS noted that further price cuts were needed to achieve universal access to ARVs by 2010. 
 
In Nigeria, efforts are being made with the help of Evans Medical, a UK-based pharmaceutical company, to bring treatment to 250,000 infected persons. These ARVs are locally manufactured and would thus help to ensure availability and affordability. An estimated 3.6 million Nigerians are currently infected; many of them need treatment but very few receive it. 
There are only 50 ARV treatment sites in Africa&rsquo;s most populous country and only approximately 17,000 patients receive consistent aid. In early March, Merck announced a 20-percent reduction of its ARV Stocrin to patients in developing countries. 
 
Critics of price cuts claim that even with the reduction, the majority of patients in third-world countries lack the financial ability to afford such medication. In lieu of further reductions, the alternative is to make cheaply priced generics more widespread. 
In the March e-bulletin, we reported on a deal between Bristol-Myers Squibb and two generic drug makers (Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa and Emcure Pharmaceuticals in India) to make its second-line ARV available at lower cost. Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company signed a similar agreement licensing its second-line ARV for generic production and marketing in sub-Saharan Africa. 
These are important developments as patients often become resistant to first-line drugs within a year and must change to second-line therapies, which, so far, have been up to ten times more expensive. 
 
 
HIV/AIDS Menace in Indian Call Centres 
 
A study on sexual attitudes and practice of employees in call centres and business-process-outsourcing firms found that there is an alarming rise in the percentage of respondents who have multiple sexual partners and unprotected sex &ndash; as opposed to an earlier study of the general population. 
 
The boom in IT-related outsourced industries has challenged traditional society and has created social conditions and new life-style practices among upward-mobile workers that can promote HIV transmission. The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) has launched its HIV/AIDS Call Centre Initiative, which includes a comprehensive prevention programme and access to testing and support services. 
 
Although the prevalence rate in India is still relatively low, in a population of over one billion that translates into more than five million Indians being HIV positive. 
(Source: Press Release of the GBC, 20 March on <a href="http://www.businessfightsaids.org">www.businessfightsaids.org</a>&nbsp;and various Indian newspapers) 
 
 
News from the Global Fund 
 
Dr. Robert Feachem, the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), has announced that he will leave his position when his current contract expires on 15 July, or as soon thereafter as a successor can be put in place. Feachem will be remembered as the man who took the Global Fund from dream to reality. 
When he started, the Global Fund had only a dozen staff, and it had not signed a single grant agreement or disbursed a single dollar. Nearly four years later, it has 200 staff, it has signed 390 grant agreements worth USD 3.6 billion and it has disbursed over USD 2 billion. 
 
As of 5 March, funds contributed and pledged to the Fund by donors totalled USD 8.5 billion of which nearly USD 5 billion had actually been received. For Round 1 to 5, grants nearly USD 5 billion have been approved and more than USD 2 billion has been disbursed to principal recipients. The rest of the funds pledged has been committed already. 
It is therefore not clear when a call for proposals for Round 6 will be made, as at present there is no money to pay for new grants. Thus there is a real threat that Round 6 grants will not be approved well into 2007. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 55 of 5 March 2006) 
 
Note: The Global Fund Observer is an independent source of news, analysis and commentary about the GFATM. To receive it you can send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>. The subject line and text can be left blank. 
 
 
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a>&nbsp;and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
<a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1729">/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1729</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 7

ネパール王政権の国際社会からのプレッシャー回避の試み 
ネパールのギャネンドラ国王は先週末に民主化に向けてすべての政党と対話をしたいとの声明を出したが、政府が拘束している労働組合活動家や政治家すべてを釈放しない限り、徒労の公約となる。国王は昨日（2月19日）ますます大きくなっている国際社会からのプレッシャーと、民主化を求める国内の勢力拡大を逸らすため、7政党連合を形成し、膠着状態の民主化プロセスを出来るだけ速くフルに活性化したいと表明し、予想外の展開を見せた。 
基本的人権を一時停止させた独裁政権が誕生1年目を迎え、王権に対する3000人規模の穏やかな抗議デモを実施する前日に、ネパール王は初めて国民に向けた声明を国営新聞に発表した。告訴状なしに拘束されているGEFONTとNTUCの組合幹部全員と他の人権問題活動家すべてが釈放されない限り、ギャネンドラ国王の美辞麗句は意味がない、とICEMは確信する。先週、数週間拘束された後、労働組合活動家数名が釈放されたが、上述の2つのナショナルセンターのリーダーと教員組合のリーダー数名はまだ拘束されたままである。 
GEFONT、NTUC 及びもう一つのナショナルセンターであるDECONTは、2月13日、政府に対し35日以内にフォーマルセクター及びインフォーマルセクターについてILO労働局の憲章にしたがって対応するよう要求した。ILOの憲章は、賃金値上げに関する労働法の強化、総合的社会保険基金制度の採用、基本的労働組合権に関するコミットメントの策定、特に女性に対する非差別行動慣行の実施を政府に求めている。 
 
世界の労働組合、バス運転手に対するイランの抑圧政策を非難 
世界の労働組合は、2月15日、テヘラン及びその周辺地域で働くバス運転手に対するイラン政府の抑圧政策を非難した。非難したのはGUF諸組織、各国ナショナルセンター、ICFTUばかりではなく、ヨルダン、エジプト、イラク、モロッコ及びチュニジアの運輸労組や石油労組も強い言葉で非難した。北アフリカや中近東諸国の鉄道労組や海員/港湾労組もイランのバス運転手を支援する目的で組織されたアクションデーに参加した。 
イラン情報省と治安警備隊「バシジ」は、未払い賃金の支払いを要求してストライキに入った運転手のストを潰す目的で2005年の春から警備隊を導入した。12月以降、イラン政府は様々な方法で運転手の抗議行動を抑えるため、抑圧政策をさらに強化した。1月28日、30人の運転手が重傷を負い、デモに参加した1400人が逮捕された。数日後、逮捕された運転手の家族や配偶者がイランの議会「マジレス」前に集まったが、ここにも治安警備隊が導入された。 
12月22日に政府はテヘラン及びテヘラン郊外のバス会社の労働組合幹部役員を逮捕したが、同労組のリーダーであるマンスール・オサンローは今も拘留されている。イランの治安警備隊はバスの運転手に対して暴力という手段を用いて強制的にバスの運行に就かそうとした。このため労働者はイラン政府当局の暴力的弾圧に抗議し、ライトを付けてバスを走らせ続けている。 
ICEMは2月15日のアクションデーに強い言葉の抗議文をイラン政府に送った。この抗議文は次のサイトを参照された。
<a href="/index.php?id=24&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1658">/index.php?id=24&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1658</a>. 

 
ICEM 、SINAP-CUTの闘争を支援 
ICEMはブラジルのマランハオ州のSINAP-CUT労組の闘争を支援している。ブラジルの企業グループ「ジョアオ・サントス」は、労働組合への通告なしに、また労働組合と対話することを拒否したうえで、先月、ブラジル北部の辺ぴな街コエルホネトのグループ製紙会社Itapag&eacute; SA及び農業関連企業Agrimex SAの227人の労働者を解雇した。グループ・ジョアオ・サントスは、労働者に支払うべき社会保険料を拒否し、さらに労働者の解雇がコレスホネトにもたらす経済困難について認めることをも拒否した。 
グループ・ジョアオ・サントスはこの片田舎のフォーマルセクターの90％の雇用機会を提供しているとともに、この町とその周辺地域の９０％の土地を所有している。労働者とその家族は、ICEM加盟労組のSINAP-CUTと農業労組の支援を受けてコレスホネトの会社事務所前にキャンプを設営した。このキャンプに寝泊りしている人々に、会社側が要請した機動隊が脅しをかけた。労働者と組合は、グループ・ジョアオ・サントスに対し地域社会に土地を返還すること、町の学校と学校職員の雇用を維持すること、2005年11月現在の雇用レベルで労働者を再雇用することを要求した。 
ICEM は労働者の要求を支持するとともに、ブラジルのシルバ大統領、労働・雇用大臣、労働基準局審議官に宛てた書簡の中で労働者に対する支持を表明した。 
 
ザンビア電力送配電公社、エネルギー労組に報復 
ICEM加盟労組の全国エネルギー関連産業労組 (NESAWU)は、ザンビア国営電力送配電公社（ZESCO）の経営の失策を明るみに出したため、経営側から報復と抑圧を受けている。ZESCOは同労組のピーター・チュパ会長及び支部労組の幹部ら数人を解雇し、ヨタム･マタヤチャロ書記長の組合専任職を解任した。 
昨年の初めからZESCOは賃金の支払が数ヶ月遅れていたが、最近になって高い利子がつく当座借越と言う手段で賃金を支払った。また、ZESCOは労働者の年金保険料の振込みを怠った。2005年4月20日には、当該公社は未払い賃金と公社取締役代表の退任を求めてNESAWUが1週間ストを行使したため、組合側と締結していた組合認知合意書を破棄した。公社側の報復手段はその後ことさら強くなった。 
今年初めにカフエゴージュ電力発電所の新設発電所で働く日雇い労働者が低賃金と賃金支払いの遅れに抗議してストした時、当該エネルギー労組はこれらの労働者を支援した。これに対し、ZESCOはストライキを指導した３０人を仕事からはずすという手段で対抗した。１月１０日、ZESCOの新取締役代表を選出する取締役会議に出席しようとしたチュパ会長は、40人あまりの警察官らに入室を阻止された。しかし、現取締役代表は会議を通常通り進行させ、退任する意思をまったく示さなかった。ZESCOは装置やインフラに十分な設備投資をしなかったため、 停電や変電器の不具合が起き、とくに一般家庭の停電などの問題が出ている。 
 
ニュージーランドの電力争議斡旋が再開 
ニュージーランドの地方電力会社トップエネルギーの労働者を代表するエンジニアリング印刷及び製造業労組（EPMU）の５８名の組合員のロックアウト問題の解決に向けて、今日、仲介斡旋委員会が再開する。ロックアウトは２月４日にはじまり、ロックアウト中止についての仲介斡旋は先週失敗に終わった。ノースアイランド電力会社が架線作業員の生命に影響を及ぼす作業規則の変更を引き続き求めたことがその原因。 
トップエネルギー社はEPMUの要求する５％の賃上げを受け入れたが、仲介/斡旋委員会を通じて労働者に示した譲歩案はこの賃上げを下回るものであった。EPMUはトップエネルギー評議会議長ブライアン・トーバンに公正な協約案の提示を求める書簡を送るよう国内外の労働組合に協力を要請している。トーバン議長のeーメールアドレスは<a href="mailto:b.thorburn@xtra.co.nz">b.thorburn@xtra.co.nz</a>.。 
 
ニューヨークで開催された国際労働問題会議 
２月９日から１１日にかけて、ICEM加盟労組ＵＳＷ（全米鉄鋼労連）を含む米国労働組合とコーネル大学内にあるニューヨーク州労使関係研究所との共催で、国際労働問題会議が開かれた。この会議では多様な問題に関する分科会が開かれ、ネットワーク活動をしている５５０人のグローバル労働組合リーダーと労働問題研究者が参加した。
ある分科会に参加したロシアのICEM加盟労組のロシア化学労組国際局長ヴラジミール・トリブンスキーは、世界規模の連帯の重要性を強調した。彼は、化学企業のヘンケルが2002年にロシアの３工場で敵対的労使関係を開始した時、いかに労働争議が回避され、ドイツのIGBCEとともに永続的団結のプログラムを策定したことを詳しく説明した。ロシア化学労組のアレキサンダー・シトノフ会長も、プロクター＆ギャンブルが正規雇用のフルタイム労働者を解雇して代わりに短期契約労働者を雇った時、同様にICEMとIGBCEから支援を得たことについて報告した。このアメリカの家庭用化学製品メーカーに対して契約労働の使用を中止するようプレッシャーがかけられたが、会社側はマンパワー社やケリーサービス社などの派遣会社を使って契約/派遣労働者を導入している。ロシア化学労組は現在これらの派遣会社の労働者の組織化活動を展開している。 
また同会議では、元USW会長のジョージ・ベッカーのリーダーシップとブリヂストンタイヤ工場のスト期間中の闘争における貢献について特別の賛辞が呈された。さらにＵＳＷ副会長のジム・ロバートソンも、ジョージ・ベッカーに感動的賛辞を述べた。ＵＳＷ会長のレオ・ジェラルドはそのスピーチの中で、米国最大の産別労組が運営するICEMグローバル労組ネットワークへの留意を喚起し、「我々はすでに６つのグローバルアライアンスを外国の労働組合と形成した。我々は経営側との対応の関連において、このような国境を越えたネットワークの強化を図っているところである。」と述べた。 
 
南アNUM女性部会会議 
南アフリカ全国鉱山労組 (NUM)女性部会会議が2月16日－18日にかけて開かれ、500人の代議員が参加した。参加代議員は、全国リーダーシップチームの選出、職場活動計画の採択、および５月に開催されるNUM定期大会に提出する簡潔かつ具体的な活動計画の策定を行った。 また南ア労働鉱物エネルギー大臣のリンディウィ・ヘンドリックス、COSATU 第二副会長のバイオレット・セボネ及びANC 女性リーグ書記長のテンバ・クガシなどの著名な女性がこの会議でスピーチを行った。 
NUM女性部会は1998年に創設され、その後はナショナルレベル及び国際レベルの女性リーダーシップの登竜門的存在となった。「NUMの女性は、これをするようにと指示される段階を卒業しました。組合の活動方針に女性の声を反映させるべく、力強く自己の立場を守ってきました。」とNUM女性部会議長のローザ・モハレは述べた。

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