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On the five-year anniversary of the Toulouse, France, chemicals explosion at the AZF plant, ICEM affiliate FCE-CFDT has called on French energy company, Total, to explain the reasons why it disagrees with reports by multiple experts on the cause of the blast. 
 
On 21 September 2001, one of the worst industrial explosions in France occurred in Toulouse, killing 29 workers and injuring 2,442 others. The nitrogen fertiliser and chemical intermediates facility was then owned by TotalFinaElf. 
 
FCE-CFDT said that the conclusive and final expertise reports state that it was an accident that could have been prevented had the proper safeguards been in place. &ldquo;Total, for its part, does not agree with the conclusions of the expert magistrates. It is, for that reason that FCE-CFDT insists that the management of Total come out with its own explanation on why the tragedy occurred.&rdquo; 
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The union&rsquo;s statement added that the experts&rsquo; reports bring pressure both on not only the soci&eacute;t&eacute; Grande Paroisse, Total&rsquo;s chemicals and fertilisers business, but also on senior Total management itself to explain its contradictions. &ldquo;For the truth to come out is the best way to honour the victims of the tragedy. Without the real reasons, society cannot learn the lessons needed to avoid such future industrial accidents,&rdquo; stated the union. 
 
Many of the workers killed or injured in southern France on that fateful day were members of FCE-CFDT, or ICEM affiliate F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGT-FO.

Total Pressed to Explain It’s Side to 2001 Toulouse Blast

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The French joint trade union front against the privatisation of Gaz de France (GDF), consisting of CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, and CFTC, called for a second national manifestation day tomorrow, 3 October, in Paris and in other French cities. This new call for demonstrations follows the union&rsquo;s first day of action on 12 September. 
 
Tomorrow is the day when the National Assembly in France is set to vote on proposed legislation that, if adopted, would clear the way for the government-planned merger between GDF and the Franco-Belgian utility, Suez Group. 
 
Another demonstration day is scheduled to occur 14 October. According to a report published by the unions, who quote banking sources &ndash; specifically banking giant ING &ndash; some 20,000 jobs could be lost over the next three years if the merger deal goes through. The unions have also written to President Jacques Chirac, asking him to stop the privatisation of GDF. 
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Opposition to the merger deal, which was brokered by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to fend off a hostile bid of Suez by Italian energy company Enel, appears to be growing, with not only opposition parties and trade unions fighting it, but also with some members of the ruling UMP Party resisting. 
 
In spite of this growing resistance, the first legal step to the merger process was taken last week when deputies in the National Assembly voted in favour of one key article of the proposed law, a measure to reduce France's stake in GDF from over 70% to 34%. However, as far as the unions are concerned, this &ldquo;file has not been closed yet.&rdquo; The proposed merger has yet to be voted on in its entirety, nor is it yet a done deal. 
 
The CGT, the union with the largest membership inside GDF, as well as Electricit&eacute; de France (EDF), said in a statement: considering &ldquo;the growing opposition by French citizens to the privatisation of GDF, it is no longer tolerable in this country for fundamental dossiers, such as the privatisation of the energy sector, to be dealt with only in the interest of one political party.&rdquo; The union found it surprising that &ldquo;with 80% of the French being against the privatisation, the Prime Minister announces this as a victory.&rdquo; 
 
On 20 September, GDF and Suez announced a proposal of five measures, including asset transfers, in reply to the EU Commission&rsquo;s anti-trust demands. FCE-CFDT seriously questions these proposed remedies forwarded by the two companies, saying wide ramifications would occur that have not been properly thought through. 
 
Problematic issues include, for example, the fact that competing companies would get easy access to a public resource without guarantees on pricing. The FCE-CFDT reiterated its demand to examine the alternative solution of developing partnerships between Suez and GDF, which would keep GDF in the public sector.

French Unions Continue Resistance to GDF-Suez Merger

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Protests by long-term electrical workers in Sierra Leone who are classified as casual workers erupted late in July in the country&rsquo;s capital. Members of the Electricity Employees Union protested at the headquarters of the National Power Authority because workers employed as long as 12 years are considered &ldquo;casual&rdquo; and denied entitlements and benefits. 
The union had taken the matter to the Ministry of Labour, but utility managers failed to cooperate with an investigation. The union argues that junior workers can only be considered casual workers for the initial three months of employment.

Sierra Leone Electrical Workers Protest Casual Status

SIPTU, Ireland&rsquo;s general workers&rsquo; union, is waging a campaign for recognition, pay gains and work improvements at a Merck KgaA pharmaceutical laboratory in Baldoyle, Dublin. The union has sought and won a determination from an Irish Labour Court under a rare application for indirect representation under the amended Industrial Relations Act. The court ordered Gerard Laboratories, or Merck KGaA, the German firm&rsquo;s European manufacturing arm for generic drugs, to increase rates of pay, introduce a sick-pay plan, and spell out grievance and disciplinary procedures, as well as recognise SIPTU as bargaining representative. The union has the solid backing of Merck&rsquo;s EWC in efforts to bring the company to the bargaining table.

Irish Unions Campaign Against Merck

The Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU), on behalf of ICEM affiliate Botswana Mining Workers Union, is mobilizing for a march 20 August on the offices of President Festus Mogae in the capital of Gaborone. Botswana&rsquo;s labour leaders are demanding a response on a petition submitted in May in which they demand reinstatement for firedworkers at diamond-money enterprise Debswana and BCL, a copper and nickel operation in Botswana. Mogae has refused to respond to the demand. 
BFTU and its 26 affiliates, along with six associations comprised of teachers and public employees, are seeking also to reform the country&rsquo;s 2004 labour legislation. 
At Debswana, the prosperous joint venture between the government and DeBeers which accounts for 75% of Botswana&rsquo;s total gross domestic product, 461 mostly white-collar workers and technicians became the first victims of the May 2004 law when they were fired for striking in August 2004. Using its new powers, a governmental labour court deemed any strike at Debswana illegal in the days prior to the strike.

Botswana&#039;s Unions Set 20 August for March and Rally

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ICEM affiliate EPS Trade Union of Serbia-Montenegro, the union for the electrical generating industry, elected members to the Presidium of its Women&rsquo;s Committee recently. Elected as president was Ljiljana Vorkapic, Electric Distribution Co., Belgrade; Zorica Rajovic, EPS Central Office, Belgrade, as vice president; and Slavica Stevanovic, PE Elektrosrbija, Kralijevo, as general secretary.

Serbia&#039;s Electric Union Elects Women&#039;s Committee

In North American paper bargaining, national leaders of Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) of Canada are attempting to get a New Brunswick provincial mediator to re-start talks in the seven and- a-half month strike of UPM Kymmene&rsquo;s mill in Miramichi. After some progress was made in three-day mediated bargaining sessions late in June, company negotiators abruptly walked out of the final day&rsquo;s talks without submitting a promised discussion document intended to lead to a final settlement. UPM Kymmene told CEP Local 689&rsquo;s leaders that they can expect bargaining to resume in September.

Progress Noted in CEP&#039;s Strike Talks with UPM Kymmene

Nigerian unions welcomed a recent ruling from the Abuja Federal High Court that struck down the controversial Public Order Act, which required citizens to obtain a police permit before staging any protest. Nigeria&rsquo;s 1999 Constitution gave citizens the right to assemble and protest peacefully, and the court&rsquo;s ruling supports that.
&nbsp;Said Nigerian Labour Congress President Adams Oshiomhole, &ldquo;We have always believed the Constitution is superior to any other Act. If the colonial masters had cause to enact that law, a democratic government doesn&rsquo;t need it because it makes a society of democratic right through police licensing. 
Like any licensing, it can always be abused, as it has been abused.&rdquo; Added Peter Akpatason, president of ICEM affiliate NUPENG, &ldquo;The actual challenge is for the court to be able to implement or ensure that the ruling is obeyed because in Nigeria of today, it is obvious that obedience to court judgments has become selective.&rdquo; 
Labour leaders in Nigeria were sharply critical of acting Inspector General of Police Sunday Ehindero who publicly stated the police would appeal the High Court ruling.

Nigerian Unions Applaud Court&#039;s Free Assemby Ruling

Contents: 
	 
	1. 280 million women are victims of inequality in Latin America 
	2. Brazil - Women&#039;s Leadership in For&ccedil;a Sindical 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC seminar on discrimination 
	4. Russia - 100 years of trade union women 
	5. Finland - Gender gap narrowing 
	6. Germany - sustainable family policies 
	7. United States - men doing more housework? 
	8. Resources 
	 
	 
	1. 280 million women are victims of inequality in Latin America 
	 
	A recent Argentine study reveals that more than 280 million women in Latin America suffer from inequality compared to men. The author of the study claims that 20% of women in the region cannot read and write, and 30% of women are heads of household. One other detail is that only 36 out of the 100 most important companies in Latin America have women at the highest level on boards, and in only 5.1% are women in middle management. In Mexico only three major companies are managed by women, which means that it ranks third in the region behind Venezuela and Brazil. At worldwide level the country ranking first in this connection is the United States and last Japan. 
	 
	 
	 2. Brazil - Women&#039;s Leadership in For&ccedil;a Sindical 
	 
	On the eve of the For&ccedil;a Sindical Congress in Sao Paulo, the women&#039;s department held a conference attended by 100 women leaders from 30 July to 1 August. 
	 
	 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC seminar on discrimination 
	 
	FETIESC held a seminar on discrimination against women at its school from 3 to 5 August to discuss the changes in the world of work and how they affect relations between women and men and their impact on the family, the union and society. The seminar was attended by women from CLAMT, the Latin American Women Workers&#039; Commission, made up of representatives from Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Debates focused on collective bargaining and challenges to end discrimination in terms of gender and race, as well as the struggle to end violence against women. 
	 
	 
	4. Russia - 100 years of trade union women 
	 
	A conference was held in Moscow from 30 June to 2 July on Women for Unions - Unions for Women to celebrate the centennial of Russian trade unions. A book was published on women&#039;s leadership with the history of women in trade unions and biographies of key women, including ICEM Vice-President Evgenia Esenina. Much of the history of Russian trade unions was written by women. Even today women make up more than 50% of trade union members. Gender equality is a major part of the work done by the FNPR confederation and is the object of Congress resolutions. Gender equality is relevant among other things to the labor market, social guarantees, health and safety, unemployment. Women and men must commit themselves to it. 
	 
	 
	5. Finland - Gender gap narrowing 
	 
	In the fourth quarter of 2004 the wages of men in Finnish industry were 22% higher than women&#039;s. This meant a relative improvement over 2002, when the gender-related pay gap still amounted to 24%. 
	 
	 
	6. Germany - sustainable family policies 
	 
	On 28 July 2005 IGBCE adopted a position paper on successful family policies together with the Federal Minister for Families, Seniors, Women and Youth that involve family policies for works councils and define trade unions&#039; roles for a future with more children. Trade unions and politicians are both responsible for sustainable family policies to combine equal opportunities with economic dynamics. The Alliance for the Family made up of industry, trade unions and political parties supports modern family policies to achieve better work-life balance. Industry needs the potential offered by well trained women. Parental leave, family allowances and childcare are elements of family friendly policies that can be achieved by company agreements and collective agreements. 
	 
	 
	7. United States - men doing more housework? 
	 
	In dual-earner couples, the dominant family form in the United States, men&#039;s handling of household chores and childcare has increased steadily since 1977, according to a recent study by the Families and Work Institute. Moreover, the time women in these couples spend in such tasks has either decreased or stayed the same over the same period. For example, in 1977 employed fathers in dual-earner couples with children spent on average 1.3 hours per workday on household chores compared to 3.7 for employed mothers. By 2002, the comparable figures were two hours per day for fathers and three for mothers. The researchers speculate that if these trends continue, the housework gap will close entirely. 
	 
	The nurturing gap has also closed considerably. In 1977, employed fathers in dual-earner couples allocated 1.9 hours per work day to their children compared to 3.3 hours for employed mothers. By 2003, when the comparable figures for dual-earner couples were 2.7 hours for fathers and 3.5 hours for mothers, the gap had narrowed by 57%. 
	 
	American men seem to do more housework and childcare than men in other industrialized countries such as France, Italy, Germany and Japan, according to the Council on Contemporary Families. The US government, however, was last on the list in providing programs and benefits for families. Other research tells us that men, especially young men, want more time with their families. Men between the ages of 20 and 39 were more likely to give family matters top billing over career success, a national survey by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center found. 82% put family first, and 71% said they would sacrifice part of their pay to have more time with their families. This agrees with surveys conducted by DuPont and Merck and Co. 
	 
	 
	8. Resources 
	 
	For websites on gender issues, please see www.eldis.org/gender/ and www.socialwatch.org, which is also available in Spanish. 
	 
	 
	&nbsp;

ICEM Women’s bulletin No. 3 - August 2005

Contents: 
	 
	1. Africa - Gender Equality Protocol 
	2. Australia - Gender Wage Gap Grows 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC - Gender and Labor Market 
	4. Colombia - Message from Beatriz Chinchilla 
	5. France - New Anti-Discrimination Panel 
	6. Iceland solves the Problems of an ageing Society? 
	7. Italy - Violence Hot-Line 
	8. Norway - Boardroom Equality 
	9. WHO - Avoiding Maternal Deaths 
	10. Resources 
	 
	 
	1. Africa - Gender Equality Protocol 
	 
	A petition was handed over to Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius and Chairman of the Southern African Development Community, to demand a protocol for accelerating gender equality in the region. It was signed by 100 civil society leaders and regional groups. The regional bloc adopted a 1997 Declaration on Gender and Development, but the petitioners believe it has not achieved its objectives. Only South Africa and Mozambique have achieved the target of 30 percent female representation in parliament, for example. The groups want the declaration elevated to a legally binding protocol that would include new targets, such as appointing women to 50 percent of decision-making positions by 2010. It would also require member states to guarantee gender equality in their constitutions, take legislative aciton and allocate funds to fight gender violence, and ensure that constitutional law takes precedence over customary law. The proposed protocol enjoys broad support and has already been endorsed by senior officials. 
	 
	 
	2. Australia - Gender Wage Gap Grows 
	 
	The wage gap between men and women in Australia has widened by 2 percent in the past decade, as announced by the Australian Social Trends report. The report found that as of 2004, females earned only 92 percent as much as their male counterparts, resulting in a gender wage gap of 8 percent. Ten years earlier the gap was only 6 percent. But it also found that women aged 20-24 who have recently entered the workforce actually earned 7 percent more than their male counterparts, although the figure slips back behind men as they get older. The report compared men and women on the basis of hourly average weekly earnings, rather than overall earnings, to allow for the fact that women were more likely to work fewer hours because of family responsibilities. Only full-time employees who worked in non-managerial positions were considered, to allow easier comparison across different sectors. But there was a 23 percent gap between male and female workers in the finance and insurance sector, while women are 21 percent worse off in the mining sector, although recent pay increases for women in the mining sector have outstripped those of men. 
	 
	 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC Gender and Labor Market 
	 
	FETIESC held a seminar on gender and the labor market on 5 August, where ex-state deputy Pedro Uczai conducted the debate on gender and stated that, &quot;women have to manage conflict at work and at home in order to combat discrimination.&quot; For him, workers have internalised the exploitation so that they double output in the same time, which results in work-related illnesses such as RSI, repetitive strain injury. &quot;Pay discrimination is huge to the extent that women&#039;s pay is subordinate to men&#039;s; the men are comfortable with this because they have internalised on-the-job discrimination.&quot; According to Professor Cristiani Bareta da Silva, we are living in an emergency for women as individuals. &quot;In Brazil it is inadmissible for women to earn 30% less than men, even with higher educational levels.&quot; The situation is even worse in the case of black women - they earn half what men earn. Cristiani Bareta da Silva calls it age and racial inequality. For her the solution is to revitalise domestic space, to create more convivial areas, to raise children with gender equality and to do away with the idea that women have a monopoly on the home. 
	 
	 
	4. Colombia - Message from Beatriz Chinchilla 
	 
	&quot;I would like to say that in my union we have already started working on the action plan that we adopted in Sao Paulo in May. We reported to the national executive, and next 11 August we have a national meeting of CONAMUS, our national committee in SINTRAELECOL, to develop the plan. On the other hand, I would like to say that the government took away from men and women workers the possibility to have a collectively agreed pension, and they left only one scheme where women have to contribute much more money and much longer time, which means very little possibility for a pension. The women&#039;s groups are asking for abortion to be decriminalized in case of rape or fetus malformation.&quot; 
	 
	 
	5. France - New Anti-Discrimination Panel 
	 
	President Jacques Chirac inaugurated a new panel to monitor and fight discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, beliefs or physical disability. The 11- member panel, headed by the former chief executive of automaker Renault, includes leaders of women&#039;s rights groups, labor unions and the French Red Cross. The panel will have an annual budget of 10.7 million euros. 
	 
	 
	6. Iceland solves the problems of an ageing society? 
	According to OECD figures, 45% of the population of the European Union will be over 65 in the year 2020. One small country in the North Atlantic seems to have a solution, Iceland. Iceland ranks first in Europe in the birth rate, and it is a pioneer in women&#039;s participation in working life in addition. At the same time it has the lowest unemployment figures, both for women and men. Part of the solution can be found in its generous treatment of parents. In Iceland parents are entitled to a total of 8 months of parental leave at 80% pay. Both fathers and mothers are entitled to parental leave. A similar system exists in Sweden. About 80% of fathers in Iceland do take advantage of parental leave. Both men and women are able to work and enjoy family life. This means that for employers it is just as &quot;risky&quot; to hire a man as to hire a woman. The concerns about rising unemployment were also relieved, since unemployment amounts to about 3%. In our ageing societies we need to have a debate on a social model in which taking care of children and working life can be combined as they should be. 
	 
	 
	7. Italy - Violence Hot-Line 
	 
	The Italian government has set up a hot-line for women victims of violence. It is a 24-hour service, which will put women into contact with all help agencies, from police to psychologists. In the last three years 118,000 women have been victims of sexual violence in Italy, although the figure is likely to be higher since many cases are certainly not reported. 
	 
	 
	8. Norway - Boardroom equality 
	 
	Get more women on your board or we will shut you down, is the message from the Norwegian government to companies. Norwegian women have a tough time getting seats on boards. In Norway over 15 % of board members in private sector companies are women, but in a country where over a third of MP&#039;s and 8 out of 19 cabinet ministers are women, the figure is too low. Last year the Norwegian parliament passed a bill to force private companies to have at least 40% women on their boards. Companies had until July to boost participation of their own accord. If the number are insufficient, which the government will decide by August, then sanctions will be applied. From September new companies that do not comply will not be able to register, while existing firms will have another two years to find women for their boards. If they do not, they will be closed down. Already more than half way to its goal of 40%, Norway has the highest female participation rate in the world, ahead of Sweden and the United States. 
	 
	 
	9. WHO - Avoiding Maternal Deaths 
	 
	One out of 16 women will die of birth-related causes in poor countries. The WHO, World Health Organisation, calculates that every minute a woman dies during childbirth. The worst is that 90% of these deaths are avoidable. The situation has to do with the difficulty that women have in exercising their rights in connection with education and health, the right to work and the right to equal opportunities. Ten years after the Cairo summit women&#039;s needs are still not the priority of governments. Poverty, conflicts and natural disasters worsen the reproductive situation. Some countries such as China, Egypt, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica and Tunisia have achieved a better record in maternal mortality. But resources will have to be earmarked for campaigns and sanctions to protect maternal health. Everything is linked - education is vital. When a woman can go to school, have access to adequate training, and a dignified job, she will be prepared to make an informed decision about motherhood. 
	 
	 
	 10. Resources 
	 
	For a website on gender issues, please see www.awid.org/wrec/ , Women&#039;s Rights and Economic Change, which is also available in French and Spanish.

ICEM Women&#039;s bulletin No. 4 - September 2005

Archive

Total Pressed to Explain It’s Side to 2001 Toulouse Blast

French Unions Continue Resistance to GDF-Suez Merger

Sierra Leone Electrical Workers Protest Casual Status

Irish Unions Campaign Against Merck

Botswana's Unions Set 20 August for March and Rally

Serbia's Electric Union Elects Women's Committee

Progress Noted in CEP's Strike Talks with UPM Kymmene

Nigerian Unions Applaud Court's Free Assemby Ruling

ICEM Women’s bulletin No. 3 - August 2005

ICEM Women's bulletin No. 4 - September 2005

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