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Global worker No1 2022

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Whereas, nine trade unions from eight countries met in Brussels on March 22 and 23 to discuss common problems faced by workers at DuPont Company, a multinational chemical company headquatered in the U.S.
Whereas, this meeting was organized in cooperation with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions, representing 20 million workers throughout the world; 
 
Whereas, the following unions were present at the meeting: 
<ul>
 <li>Gewerkschaft der Chemiearbeiter &Ouml;sterreichs (Austria) </li>
 <li>La Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale/FGTB (Belgium) </li>
 <li>LBC-NVK/CSC (Belgium) </li>
 <li>CNQ-CUT (Brazil) </li>
 <li>3F (Denmark) </li>
 <li>FCE-CFDT (France) </li>
 <li>IG BCE (Germany) </li>
 <li>FNV Bondgenoten (Netherlands) </li>
 <li>USW (USA) </li>
</ul>
Whereas, there was a free and open discussion among the trade unions present and a full exchange of opinions and ideas; 
 
Whereas, the key issues addressed by the trade unionists included 
<ul>
 <li>the out-sourcing of DuPont&rsquo;s human resource functions; </li>
 <li>growing concern about worker and community exposure to PFOA (C8) from Teflon-related chemicals; </li>
 <li>lack of full company reporting of accidents; </li>
 <li>company support of union-busting in the United States, and </li>
 <li>the lack of a business strategy or an adequate response for dealing with redundancies in Europe at DuPont&rsquo;s performance coating business; </li>
</ul>
Therefore be it resolved that all of the trade unions present at the meeting hereby form the Global Union Network of DuPont Workers to share information and develop strategies to protect DuPont workers and the communities where the live; 
 
Be it further resolved that the Global Union Network of DuPont Workers invites other trade unions to become members; 
 
Be it further resolved that the Global Union Network of DuPont Workers will exist to exchange information and to coordinate trade union strategy to address ongoing problems at DuPont.

Resolution from the ICEM Global Union Network of DuPont workers

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The ongoing protests across Thailand seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra were joined last week by thousands of public utilities&rsquo; workers, taking personal leave to march in the streets. Unions at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and other state utility enterprises encouraged workers to join the protests on 13 and 14 March, with senior level EGAT managers assisting by granting all requests for leave from workers. 
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The State Enterprise Relations Confederation, made up of these public service labour unions, called a general assembly on the same days, in efforts to get workers to participate in protests. 
A mass rally was held at Sanam Luang, Monday, 13 March, continuing into the next day when 100,000 people marched on the Government House to present a petition demanding Thaksin&rsquo;s resignation. The workers and the utility unions of Thailand are also using the protests to demand an end to Thaksin-led efforts to privatise the state enterprises, a major undercurrent leading to the call for the billionaire&rsquo;s resignation.

Thai Public Utility Unions March Against Thaksin

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A strike by oil-service contractors in Ecuador was put down by the military, following a state of emergency imposed in three Amazon region provinces by President Alfredo Palacio. The 48-hour strike, 6 and 7 March, in which five of the company&rsquo;s largest oil fields were occupied, was conducted by 4,000 contract workers employed by 50 contract firms responsible to state-run Petroecuador. 
 
The contract workers, who work under 15-day, 20-day and 30-day term contracts, had not been paid in three months due to a dispute between the Finance Ministry and Petroecuador. The army put down the strike with tear gas and other forceful means and the leader of the oil workers&rsquo; federation, Remigio Sornoze, was jailed. Not only were the workers seeking their rightful back wages, but demands also include permanent employment by Petroecuador, and reforms to the budgetary law that regulates the oil company. 
 
The strike curtailed over 40% of Ecuador&rsquo;s 535,000 barrel-per-day production, costing the nation US$20 million. The South American country depends on Petroecuador for 43% of its revenues.

Contract Workers in Ecuador’s Oil Sector Strike

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ICEM affiliate AMICUS of the UK has issued formal notice to International Paper at its Inverurie Mill in Scotland that industrial action is imminent if the company doesn&rsquo;t immediately amend a pay proposal. The union at the 400-worker printing and writing papers mill voted by four-to-one for industrial action, and notice of a four-hour work stoppage set for 23 March was sent to management. 
 
Bosses at the American company are demanding that paperworkers take a pay freeze in 2006, and receive a small, one-off payment in 2007. Workers responded with the resounding strike vote, calling a freeze an &ldquo;insult.&rdquo; Over two consecutive years in the recent past, Inverurie paperworkers had three percent deductions weekly taken from their earnings to fill a pension gap. 
 
One Amicus leader told a local newspaper after the 10 March strike vote that if bosses had their way, &ldquo;we would be chasing inflation forever.&rdquo; The union said the paper industry federation in the UK has made pay increases of 2.5% in 2006.

Amicus Poised for Industrial Action Against International Paper

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Negotiations in Norway&rsquo;s industrial sectors between ICEM affiliate Fellesforbundet and Norsk Industri broke off last week and are now headed for mediation with a state conciliator. The union and industry began the 2006 talks on 6 March over four separate collective agreements&mdash;paperboard, building materials, metal/engineering, and textiles. 
 
Fellesforbundet is seeking continuation of early retirement provisions, contract language to diminish part-time and casual labour, and life-long learning options for workers. Norwegian law stipulates industrial conflict cannot be declared until 14 days after the start of state mediation, which now would be on 3 April.

Industrial Bargaining in Norway Goes to Conciliation

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A potentially deadly offshore oil disaster was averted last week in the North Sea by quick action from platform firefighting teams. The incident occurred at Shell Exploration &amp; Production&rsquo;s 180-worker Tern Alpha platform, 105 miles northeast of Shetland Islands, and caused the evacuation of 128 workers. 
 
The fire started in the early hours of 16 March when a high voltage electrical motor in the gas compression module overheated. Onboard emergency teams fought the fire for four hours, during which time coast guard helicopters from the UK and Norway, as well as a BP rescue team, ferried the 128 to other platform installations. 
 
The fire, in an area of compressed gas, could have triggered a major disaster had it not been for the trained emergency teams. Shell Exploration operates Tern Alpha for Shell and Esso in the Hudson fields of the North Sea. The platform began production in 1989.

Emergency Response Teams Prevent North Sea Catastrophe

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China&rsquo;s latest coal mine fatalities occurred Saturday, 18 March, when 28 miners were trapped by flooding in Shanxi province. The incident happened at the Fanjiashan mine, owned by the Zhaoxian township in Luliang city. 
 
Prior to this, 12 major accidents claimed the lives of over 100 miners over a two week span dating back to 5 March. And separate to this, near Baishan, Jilin province, seven accidents over a two-week period in March occurred at local mines, killing a total of 10 workers. 
<img height="67" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On 13 March, a gas blast at the Rongsheng mine in Erdos city, Inner Mongolia, killed 22. Also on that day, nine were found dead after an explosion at the Qitaihe Taihe mine in Heilongjiang province. The cause of this latter blast was cited as illegal smoking inside the mine. On 23 February, a coal dust explosion killed 18 in Shandong province at a mine owned by the Zaozhuang Mining Group. The cause here was listed as failure to dampen an underground coal seam prior to drilling. 
 
In Hunan province, which already reports 79 mining deaths this year&mdash;29 more than last year&mdash;33 miners perished at three of the major accidents since 5 March. Provincial officials this month moved to close 400 unsafe mines in Hunan province. 
<img height="100" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Other actions are occurring at the national level to curb mining deaths. The government has recently blocked some US$70 million worth of coal mine investments on behalf of government officials. A government probe found that 4,578 officials in China have investments in the country&rsquo;s coal mines. Chinese workplace safety officials admit an estimated 60% of Chinese mines ordered to close in 2005 still continue to operate. The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) reported at the National People&rsquo;s Congress last week that their mandate is to reduce coal mine deaths by 3.5% this year. 
 
In 2005, China had an official death rate of 5,986, with unofficial estimates ranging up to four times higher. If March 2006 is any indication, Chinese coal mines will need to make fast improvements in safety in order to reach this goal.

March a Deadly Month So Far for Chinese Mine Workers

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Canadian paperworkers and hundreds of supporters marched in Nova Scotia on 18 March, angry over an imposed lockout by Stora Enso. The march and rally drew about 2,500 in the town Port Hawkesbury. Some 600 members of ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) were locked-out on 26 January 2006 by the Swedish-Finnish paper company, now the world&rsquo;s largest forest products concern. 
<img height="191" alt="" src="" width="380" />
The key issue separating CEP Local 972 and Stora Enso is one covering contracting-out policies. The company is intent on breaking from the pattern acceptance on contract labour provisions by other paper manufacturers in eastern Canada. Coming just seven months after a Finnish paper sector lockout led by Stora Enso, the lockout in Nova Scotia has caught the attention of scores of national trade unions. 
The company&rsquo;s Works Council made a strong statement in support of the CEP branch union at its 8-9 March meetings, and an ICEM Circular produced an unprecedented stream of protests to Stora Enso CEO Jukka H&auml;rm&auml;l&auml; in Finland. CEP Local 972 received earnest solidarity from scores of national trade unions, as well. 
<img height="83" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Finnish Paperiliitto President and ICEM Paper Sector Chairman Jouko Ahonen wrote, &ldquo;Your struggle is our struggle, as last year our struggle was your struggle. We were not alone last summer and you are not&mdash;and will not be&mdash;alone in this dispute. You can be also sure that the brave struggle of your Local and its members enjoys sympathy and admiration of Finnish people.&rdquo; 
 
The Works Council resolution states: &ldquo;Stora Enso has refused to accept the Eastern Canada Pattern Settlement and wants to outsource jobs. These demands are completely different from local traditions and also different from collective agreements with other companies. Stora Enso must understand that this kind of activity does not lead to any kind of good result; on the contrary, it will cause immense suffering for everybody involved.&rdquo; 
<img height="270" alt="" src="" width="360" />
The 18 March event was led by CEP President Brian Payne and a number of local dignitaries attended, including provincial New Democratic Party leader Darrell Dexter attended. Local union members, however, were disappointed that Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald, who is from a nearby town heavily populated by paperworkers, failed to attend.

Locked-Out Canadian Paperworkers Hold Rally

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A United Steel Workers (USW) local union in the US is alleging Bridgestone/Firestone (BFS) blocked a plant-gate effort to raise money for Firestone rubber plantation workers in Liberia. This would violate workplace rules as defined under the national US labor law statute. 
USW Local 1055 in LaVergne, state of Tennessee, filed the charges last month with the US government over management&rsquo;s action at a BSF auto/truck tyre plant employing 1,500 workers. The branch union was blocked by the company from collecting funds and sending the voluntary proceeds to some 6,000 plantation workers in war-infested Liberia, who, with their families, have been exposed to toxic chemicals in the cultivation of natural rubber. 
 
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve stood for years collecting for members who are ill or other locals on strike,&rdquo; said USW Local 1055 President Lewis Beck. &ldquo;Most recently, we collected to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.&rdquo; The US government&rsquo;s labor board will now investigate the charges and issue a ruling.

Steelworkers in US Press Charges Against Bridgestone Management

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South African and North American members of the Sappi Workers&rsquo; Network attended the paper company&rsquo;s AGM in Johannesburg on 6 March to protest lack of fruitful negotiations at mills in the US, and broken promises on education and over promotion opportunities in South Africa. 
Representatives of the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood &amp; Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU) of South Africa and United Steel Workers (USW) of the US learned at the meeting that CEO Jonathan Leslie would resign, and the USW issued a statement the day following the meeting that it would welcome a change in course of industrial relations. 
 
&ldquo;Sappi now has an opportunity to take a new direction if it chooses,&rdquo; said USW Vice President Dick LaCosse, leader of the union&rsquo;s Paper Division. &ldquo;We would welcome a new approach to our talks with the company to better secure our jobs, our communities and our future.&quot;

South Africa, US Unions Attend Sappi’s Annual Meeting

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