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The potash industry must become fully sustainable. 
 
That was the call this morning from the world's potash workers' unions, meeting at a conference in Germany. 
 
Company speakers also took part in the event, as did EU officials and parliamentarians. 
 
The emphasis was on two types of sustainability - in the management of a finite resource and in the impact of fertilisers on the environment. 
 
Organised by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the event was hosted by the ICEM-affiliated German mining, chemical and energy union IG BCE. The venue was the German town of Rotenburg an der Fulda, which is in the middle of Europe's biggest potash mining area. 
 
 
 
HELP FOR EX-SOVIET POTASH INDUSTRY 
 
The conference, which has just ended, followed up on an ICEM commitment made in Berezniki, Russia, in June 1999. An international conference of potash mining unions there raised the question of the anti-dumping measures imposed by the EU vis-a-vis potash producers in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine. 
 
The ICEM and IG BCE promised to organise another conference in order to continue the dialogue on this question, but also to promote the sustainability of the potash industry worldwide. 
 
The key to resolving the dumping issue is to revive internal demand for potash in the countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, said speakers at the Rotenburg conference. 
 
The EU anti-dumping measures &quot;have not built up any insuperable barriers to trade,&quot; IG BCE Vice-President Klaus S&uuml;dhofer pointed out. In fact, German imports of potash from Russia rose by 35 percent in the first quarter of this year. &quot;But home market sales of potash in Russia and Belarus have fallen to just 20 percent of their 1990 level,&quot; S&uuml;dhofer said. The problems caused by this should be tackled at source, rather than being exported. 
 
One solution was outlined by ICEM Mines Officer Damien Roland. He called for &quot;large-scale&quot; EU assistance in order to &quot;revitalise a healthy and adequate level of demand&quot; for potash in the countries of the CIS (former Soviet Union). The assistance should be under the EU's TACIS programme of aid to these countries, &quot;supported by well-targeted commercial loans which could emanate from institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the International Finance Corporation.&quot; The programme should aim to rebuild the potash distribution circuits destroyed by the collapse of the centrally planned economies in these countries. But it should also promote &quot;environmentally optimal use of potash and occupational health and safety, as well as the overall management of social issues within the potash mining industry.&quot; 
 
Both the ICEM and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers' Federation (EMCEF) are &quot;committed to support the formulation and financing of such an assistance programme,&quot; Roland said. The two organisations &quot;will also try to enlist the support of employers in the potash industry.&quot; 
 
 
 
SUSTAINABILITY NEEDS A SOCIAL DIMENSION 
 
Potash is used mainly as a fertiliser. Worldwide consumption declined during the 1990s, chiefly due to the collapse of demand in the former Soviet Union. But global demand for potash is now recovering, and is predicted to continue rising up to and beyond the year 2030. Potash is under less pressure from environmentalists than are nitrogen-based nutrients, speakers in Rotenburg pointed out. It is also less subject to fluctuations in the price of energy, notably gas. The biggest importer of potash is China. 
 
&quot;The efficiency of fertilisation is increased by a higher and therefore more balanced use of potash in relation to nitrogen,&quot; Dr. Ralf Bethke told the conference. He is the Chairman of leading German potash and salt producer K+S. Potash is vital to &quot;meeting the increasing food requirements of a world population that is continuing to grow,&quot; he insisted. Available agricultural land per head of the world's population will have dropped from about 3,000 square metres in 1975 to &quot;significantly less than 2,000 square metres&quot; by the year 2025, Bethke said. In Asia, the corresponding figure will be just 800 square metres by the same year. Consequently, he argued, a further intensification of agriculture is &quot;unavoidable&quot;. 
 
&quot;If everyone acts wisely, the clear increase in demand for our potash will ensure that none of the potash producers need fear for their economic viability,&quot; Bethke stated. &quot;Quite the reverse. However, in my view, new potash capacity will not be needed in order to maintain supply over the next five to seven years.&quot; 
 
Bethke made a strong link between the sustainability of the global potash industry and its treatment of its workers: &quot;A joint aim of the international potash industry and the people working in it should, I believe, be that we achieve - everywhere in our enterprises - similar working conditions, social provisions and environmental standards.&quot; 
 
The same linkage was made by union speakers at the conference. 
 
&quot;To be truly sustainable,&quot; said the ICEM's Damien Roland, &quot;development must encompass the recognition of a series of rights whose respect must be monitorable. From the ICEM's perspective, this should lead to global agreements between mining companies and the trade unions representing the workforce employed by these companies.&quot; 
 
IG BCE Vice-President Klaus S&uuml;dhofer called for a general raising of standards: &quot;The constantly increasing globalisation of the economy also demands the establishment of new standards. These will not just be confined to the quality of the goods produced. The rules of production must include social and environmental norms. Understanding of the need for these extended standards, which have so far attracted interest principally within the European Union, should grow worldwide. In order to abide by these norms, there will have to be a raising of standards in, for example, vocational training, occupational safety, research and environmental protection.&quot;

World Potash Conference Maps Sustainable Future

Tyre multinational Bridgestone has reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers of America (USWA), the union confirmed today. 
 
The breakthrough is a big success for the American union - and for organised labour in Bridgestone worldwide. 
 
Bridgestone workers' unions on all continents had pressed the company to reach a US settlement, as had the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
The proposed deal is for new contracts (collective agreements) at nine unionised Bridgestone/Firestone plants in the US. A major strike was narrowly averted, as the contracts had expired at midnight on 1 September. 
 
The settlement is subject to approval by the membership, and the USWA will not be commenting in detail on the package until it has been seen by the rank-and-file in the Bridgestone plants. However, it is understood to mean important gains for the union in terms of wages, benefits, pensions, seniority, restrictions on contracting out, grievances and arbitration procedures. In addition, all the various agreements now have a common expiration date. 
 
International union support for the American Bridgestone workers was mobilised via the global network of unions in Bridgestone recently set up by the ICEM. 
 
&quot;During this difficult time, the existence of the network has proved to be a valuable tool,&quot; commented ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs today.

Bridgestone: Tentative US Agreement Brings Labour Gains

Midnight tonight is the deadline for leading tyre multinational Bridgestone to reach a settlement at nine unionised plants in the USA. 
 
That is when extensions of contracts (collective agreements) at the plants expire. 
 
The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) is seeking a comprehensive agreement that improves working conditions, wages and pensions for its members working at all of these Bridgestone/Firestone facilities. 
 
Some 8,000 US Bridgestone workers are ready to strike if necessary from one minute after midnight onwards. 
 
As the deadline approaches, Bridgestone is under growing pressure from its workforce around the world to reach an agreement. The USWA is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which recently set up a global network of trade unions in Bridgestone. 
 
At the network's launch last month in the American city of St. Louis, Bridgestone union leaders pledged their &quot;support and solidarity&quot; to the USWA in this round of bargaining, and called on their members &quot;to engage in solidarity activities&quot; in support of the USWA in the event of a strike. 
 
Letters from unions representing thousands of Bridgestone workers in eight countries have been sent this week to Yoichiro Kaizaki, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the tyre multinational, expressing support for the USWA and urging the company to settle contract negotiations with the union before midnight tonight. 
 
In addition, these unions have sent worker delegations to see local Bridgestone/Firestone plant managers in their respective countries this week to deliver the same message. 
 
Unions that have taken action so far - all representing Bridgestone employees - are Lastik-Is in Turkey; the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa; the Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union; the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the US; the F&eacute;d&eacute;ration de la Metallurgie in Canada; the Frente Unica de Borracha of Brazil; the Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores del Neum&aacute;tico Argentino; and the Sindicato de Trabajadores Bridgestone-Firestone of Chile. 
 
Adding his voice to the demand for a settlement was Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary, who today urged Kaizaki to &quot;amicably and expeditiously reach a just new agreement&quot; with the USWA. Higgs indicated that the ICEM is prepared to mobilise its affiliates around the world in support of the USWA but expressed his hope that &quot;a mutually agreeable settlement can be reached without a strike.&quot;

World Labour Pressures Bridgestone As US Deadline Nears

Leading US industry magazine Rubber &amp; Plastics News has praised a recently signed global labour agreement. The magazine says the worldwide union deal will give the Freudenberg company a competitive edge. 
 
Finalised this July, the agreement is between Freudenberg and the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
Rubber &amp; Plastics News devoted its main thinkpiece Opinion to the agreement. Here is the magazine's article in full, reproduced with permission: 
 
 
Freudenberg's global labour pact makes sense 
 
Give Freudenberg Group credit for demonstrating a social conscience by signing a global cooperative agreement with an international labour organisation. Give Freudenberg even more credit for being smart. 
 
The pact with the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions sets guidelines for work rules and policies at the German sealing and vibration control producer's operations throughout the world. The agreement is a framework and therefore doesn't supplant local bargaining units and national trade unions. 
 
A worldwide labour pact may be anathema to tyre and rubber product companies that operate on a global scale and seek out low-wage regions. But take a close look at what Freudenberg has agreed. 
 
The company said it will recognise its employees' right to join trade unions and won't discriminate against them if they do. Unless a company is out to break a union, what's wrong with that? 
 
Freudenberg agreed to follow United Nations guidelines about forced and child labour. Any objections? The company said it will cooperate in striving toward job security and social justice and seek solutions to problems through &quot;appropriate dialogue.&quot; Isn't discussion the key component of bargaining, anyway? 
 
Finally, Freudenberg made a commitment to environmental protection and safety in the workplace and with its products. What company would oppose that? 
 
While confirming policies it probably already pursues, Freudenberg has taken a big step toward keeping labour relations on an even keel. That gives it an edge over competitors that take a more combative approach to labour. 
 
__________ 
 
 
When it comes to smartness, Rubber &amp; Plastics News is obviously no slouch either. 
 
But will the big players in the rubber and other sectors get the message?

Industry Press Lauds Freudenberg Agreement

American unions yesterday succeeded in stopping the takeover of Crown Central Petroleum by company insiders. 
 
The campaign against the bid was run by the US Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) in conjunction with the national labour federation, the AFL-CIO. 
<img height="269" alt="" src="" width="200" />
Crown has a long history of union-busting. On 5 February 1996, management ordered union members to leave Crown's refinery in Pasadena, Texas, and locked the gates behind them. By the next day, the company replaced all 252 union workers with inexperienced &quot;temporary&quot; workers. The lockout has continued ever since. 
 
Various groups have also accused the company of racism, sexism and environmental pollution. 
 
Yesterday, at its annual shareholders' meeting, Crown announced that the vote in favour of the takeover fell far short of the two-thirds of voting shares needed under Maryland law in order for the family of Crown CEO Henry Rosenberg to acquire all remaining shares in the company at 9.50 US dollars per share. 

<img height="247" alt="" src="" width="320" />
WORLD PRESSURE ON CROWN 
ICEM's and NOPEF's Lars Myhre with locked-out workers in Texas last year. 
Stopping the takeover was unprecedented, since the Rosenberg family already owned over half the stock. One unnamed source with close ties to Crown insiders told PACE that Crown board members were shocked that the takeover by Rosemore, the Rosenberg family holding company, did not pass. 
 
American unions yesterday succeeded in stopping the takeover of Crown Central Petroleum by company insiders. 
 
The campaign against the bid was run by the US Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) in conjunction with the national labour federation, the AFL-CIO. 
 
Crown has a long history of union-busting. On 5 February 1996, management ordered union members to leave Crown's refinery in Pasadena, Texas, and locked the gates behind them. By the next day, the company replaced all 252 union workers with inexperienced &quot;temporary&quot; workers. The lockout has continued ever since. 
 
Various groups have also accused the company of racism, sexism and environmental pollution. 
 
Yesterday, at its annual shareholders' meeting, Crown announced that the vote in favour of the takeover fell far short of the two-thirds of voting shares needed under Maryland law in order for the family of Crown CEO Henry Rosenberg to acquire all remaining shares in the company at 9.50 US dollars per share. 
 
Stopping the takeover was unprecedented, since the Rosenberg family already owned over half the stock. One unnamed source with close ties to Crown insiders told PACE that Crown board members were shocked that the takeover by Rosemore, the Rosenberg family holding company, did not pass. 
 
At the global level, PACE is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). The campaign to end Crown's union-busting has received strong support from the ICEM and its affiliated unions. 
 
In Norway, the ICEM-affiliated oilworkers' union NOPEF is pressing the Norwegian-based multinational Statoil to suspend all commercial dealings with Crown until the US company reverses its anti-union policies. 
 
&quot;PACE's victory in the shareholder battle is important for American workers, but also for oilworkers everywhere,&quot; commented Lars Myhre in Norway today. Myhre is NOPEF's President, and he chairs the ICEM energy workers' section. 
 
&quot;Unless and until Crown Central Petroleum halts its union-busting and its other nefarious activities, no respectable oil company should have anything to do with Crown,&quot; Myhre insisted. 
 
In the US, where Crown gasoline and other products are on direct sale to the consumer, PACE and other organisations have been running a boycott campaign.

US Unions Block Crown Central Petroleum Takeover

For the first time, a leading multinational in nonwoven and allied products has signed a global agreement with trade unions. 
<img height="62" src="" width="70" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="61" src="" width="150" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="65" src="" width="51" alt="" />
The 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) finalised the deal today with German-headquartered Freudenberg after a series of negotiating sessions. The main points are trade union rights, workplace equality, protection of health, safety and the environment and a ban on child labour and forced labour. 
 
The agreement with the ICEM encompasses Freudenberg's long-standing business principles, notably &quot;the social commitment that the Freudenberg Group has towards all its employees.&quot; It specifically recognises that full cooperation and consultation with workers and their unions are the best way of furthering the interests of the company and its shareholders. 
 
All sites of Freudenberg and its subsidiaries worldwide are covered by the agreement. It was negotiated in cooperation with the ICEM-affiliated German union IG BCE, which is a co-signatory. 
 
The ICEM organises more than 20 million workers within 379 unions in 103 countries. 
 
Freudenberg employs about 30,000 people in 41 countries. 
 
Primarily, it supplies components to manufacturers, such as the auto, engineering and footwear industries. Sealings, vibration controls and lubricants are among its main products. But almost a quarter of its sales now come from consumer goods, including household products, floor coverings and footwear. 
 
Its consolidated worldwide sales rose to DM 7 079 million last year. The EU accounted for 57.2 percent of this, followed by North America at 30.6 percent. While Germany remains by far the company's biggest market, the proportion of international sales has been rising rapidly. 
 
The emphasis in the global agreement is strongly on trade union rights and other human rights. Specifically cited as touchstones are the relevant Conventions of the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO). Through the agreement with the ICEM, Freudenberg undertakes to respect, as a minimum, Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining; Convention 135 on non-discrimination against union reps; Conventions 100 and 111 on equal opportunities and treatment; Conventions 29 and 105 on forced labour; and Convention 138 on child labour. 
 
Significantly, the agreement provides for ICEM monitoring and for annual meetings between Freudenberg's global management and the ICEM. Both sides commit themselves &quot;to contact each other directly and immediately in case any conflicts or violations of the agreement arise, in order to seek a common solution.&quot; 
 
This is the crucial difference between a global agreement and the internal codes of conduct adopted by many multinationals. The Freudenberg agreement is fully verifiable by the ICEM. 
 
The agreement clearly acknowledges &quot;the right of the employees in the Freudenberg Group to freely join trade unions of their choice, to elect workers' representatives and represent their interests in negotiations concerning collective bargaining agreements.&quot; It is &quot;part of the cooperation and confidence&quot; between Freudenberg and its workers that &quot;wherever the employees wish to organise themselves in trade unions, and trade unions apply for recognition, ways are sought to develop good labour relations in joint dialogue.&quot; This &quot;rules out any kind of unequal treatment, discrimination or sanctions against trade union organisation.&quot; 
 
Freudenberg also commits itself to &quot;sustainable protection of the environment and natural resources&quot; and to ensuring the safety of the workplace and of its products. 
 
It further &quot;condemns involvement in unethical or illegal business&quot; and undertakes not to produce &quot;weapons or any kind of war materials similar to weapons.&quot; 
 
&quot;Confidence and cooperation between management, employees and their representatives, innovation and flexibility in work organisation are the basis for the employees' future success and that of the Freudenberg Group,&quot; the agreement says. Every effort will be made to achieve &quot;a consensus about the introduction of flexible, efficient and customer-oriented forms of work organisation&quot;, while taking account of &quot;the needs of the employees.&quot; 
 
&quot;This agreement is in the best interests of Freudenberg's workers, but also of all the company's stakeholders worldwide,&quot; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs today. Higgs negotiated and signed the deal on the ICEM's behalf. 
 
&quot;Today, we are witnessing a big step forward in global industrial relations,&quot; Higgs emphasised. &quot;The ICEM intends to negotiate and implement a whole series of such agreements with the major global corporations in its sectors.&quot; 
 
He paid tribute to the efforts of ICEM German affiliate IG BCE in securing the global agreement. &quot;We were able to build on the good cooperation between IG BCE and Freudenberg in Germany,&quot; Higgs said. &quot;We thank IG BCE President Hubertus Schmoldt and all his team for their decisive role in achieving this breakthrough.&quot; 
 
Schmoldt, who is also an ICEM Vice-President, said the agreement is in line with &quot;the traditionally fair and constructive policies of the Freudenberg Group.&quot; It opens up &quot;the opportunity to jointly make innovative contributions to the further global development of good industrial relations,&quot; Schmoldt insisted. &quot;Particularly important for us is the fact that the ICEM is now recognised as a trade union representative at all the company's sites.&quot; 
 
For the Freudenberg Management Board, Dr. Hans-Jochen H&uuml;chting commented: &quot;The approach from IG BCE and the ICEM fell on fertile ground as far as we were concerned, because the main contents of the agreement - such as the rejection of child labour and of forced labour and the commitment to environmental protection and to the responsibilisation of our employees - are already enshrined in our business principles and codes of conduct.&quot; 
 
Germany's Labour Minister Walter Riester welcomed the agreement as &quot;an important step towards more social responsibility between employers and employees&quot; in the Freudenberg Group.

Freudenberg And Unions Seal Global Agreement

The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) has urged the Chevron Corporation to settle strikes at two US coal mines. 
 
Currently, 520 members of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) are on strike against Pittsburg &amp; Midway Coal Mining Company (P&amp;M), a wholly-owned Chevron subsidiary. The strike at the McKinley mine near Window Rock, Arizona on the Navajo Nation territory, involving 310 UMWA members, has been ongoing since May 14. At the Kemmerer mine in Kemmerer, Wyoming, 210 UMWA members have been on strike since May 28. The UMWA is affiliated at the global level to the 20-million-strong ICEM. 
 
In a letter to David J. O&rsquo;Reilly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chevron Corporation, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs expressed concern about &quot;the company&rsquo;s retention of outside legal counsel which has the reputation for promoting, instead of resolving, conflict; the company&rsquo;s hiring of military-type security guards (one of whom has already been arrested by Navajo police), and the company&rsquo;s demand that the union accept a pension package inferior to those offered by your competitors in the coal industry.&quot; 
 
&quot;The United Mine Workers of America is a valued affiliate of our federation,&quot; Higgs continued, &quot;and we intend to do everything possible to support them, including notifying our affiliates around the world with members employed by Chevron Corporation and Caltex Petroleum Corporation about the ongoing dispute. I strongly urge you to do everything possible to bring about a speedy end to this dispute.&quot; 
 
Already responding to the solidarity appeal is the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE), which represents approximately 2,000 Chevron oil and chemical workers in the United States. &quot;We will support the UMWA in any way we can,&quot; said PACE Executive Vice President Robert Wages. &quot;We will mobilise our members at Chevron&rsquo;s oil and chemical operations to ensure that justice is won at these coal mines.&quot; PACE is also affiliated globally to the ICEM. 
 
&quot;We are grateful for this show of support and solidarity,&quot; said Jerry Jones, UMWA Vice President and the union's chief negotiator with P&amp;M. &quot;Our members on strike at McKinley and Kemmerer are stronger and more resolved than ever and, with this show of support from other Chevron workers in the US and around the world, I am certain we will win a fair and just contract with P&amp;M.&quot;

Settle US Coal Strike, Global Union Tells Chevron

Days before a multi-nation meeting about the closing of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant, leaders of 10 US unions representing 4.9 million workers today wrote to President Clinton, urging him to &quot;take active leadership&quot; to ensure adequate funding to aid the 12,000 Chernobyl workers and their families. 
 
Signing the letter were union presidents George Becker, United Steelworkers of America; Douglas Dority, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union; Edward Fire, International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine &amp; Furniture Workers; Frank Hanley, International Union of Operating Engineers; Jay Mazur, Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees; Brian McWilliams, International Longshore and Warehouse Union; Cecil E. Roberts, United Mine Workers of America; Andrew Stern, Service Employees International Union; and Boyd Young, Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union. Also signing were Robert Clark, Secretary-Treasurer of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America; and Fred Higgs, General Secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
The US signers all head unions that are affiliates of the ICEM, a global industrial trade union federation representing more than 20 million workers worldwide. ICEM affiliates include the Trade Union of Nuclear Energy and Industry of Ukraine (ATU). The ATU represents the workers at Chernobyl, the site of the worst-ever nuclear accident in 1986. 
 
Governments of the G-7 nations are sending representatives to Berlin on July 5 to discuss Chernobyl's closure, scheduled for December 15. However, according to the ICEM's Higgs, &quot;not enough attention is being paid to shielding Chernobyl's workers from economic disaster.&quot; 
 
Higgs explained that &quot;under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Ottawa in 1995, western commitments to fund the Chernobyl closure included a pittance - a mere 4 million US dollars - to help displaced workers. In 1997, experts from the governments of the United States, the European Union and Ukraine drafted a Social Impact Plan to provide retraining and new jobs for Chernobyl workers in case the plant was closed. Today, it is estimated that fully funding the Social Impact Plan would cost between 50 million and 100 million dollars.&quot; 
 
He said that &quot;Western nations are proposing to spend some 875 million dollars on projects such as building a new, safe shell to contain dangerous radiation&quot;. 
 
&quot;Isn't it reasonable to ask that less than one-eighth of that amount be spent to ensure affected workers have the benefit of a safety net?&quot; Higgs said. &quot;We believe that it is.&quot; 
 
The union leaders' letter to Clinton says: &quot;The July 5, 2000, Pledging Conference in Berlin would seem to be an excellent opportunity for the U.S. Government to reaffirm its commitment to assist in funding ... to ensure that ... the future of the Chernobyl workers (and) their families ... is protected.

Unions Press Clinton To Aid Chernobyl Workers

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko must end his government's serious breaches of trade union rights, a world labour federation urged today. 
 
In a fax to Lukashenko, the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) backed a union complaint to the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) against the Belarus government. The ICEM also pledged &quot;pratical assistance&quot; for any other measures considered necessary by ICEM-affiliated unions in Belarus. 
 
Belarus is flouting its commitments under ILO Conventions 87 and 98, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs told Lukashenko. The country is fully signed up to both Conventions, which protect freedom of association and collective bargaining. 
 
Higgs cited various breaches of &quot;these fundamental human rights&quot; in present-day Belarus: 
 
State and employer interference 
The head of the presidential administration ordered ministers to take control of union elections and to ensure that &quot;constructive forces&quot; are elected. Subsequently, enterprise directors and ministry officials have been trying to manipulate trade union conferences in order to ensure the election of pro-government chairpersons and delegates. 
 
Strike curbs 
The legal requirements for calling a strike are highly restrictive and take at least two months to complete. And the President is empowered to postpone any strike for another three months on the ill-defined grounds of a supposed threat to national security, public order, public health or the rights and freedom of other persons. 
 
Harassment of union members 
Employees have been dismissed for taking part in trade union activities or threatened with dismissal if they do not leave their trade union. The state security service, the KGB, has been observing trade union activities and has paid regular visits to trade unionists for &quot;information purposes&quot;. 
 
Compulsory registration 
The state has made trade union registration obligatory and demands the immediate dissolution of non-registered unions. At the same time, the registration requirements are so cumbersome and complicated that in practice it has been virtually impossible for many trade union organisations to obtain registration. 
 
Barriers to organising 
A minimum of 500 founding members, representing the majority of regions of the Republic of Belarus and Minsk, is required in order to set up a nationwide trade union organisation. The list of names has to be provided to the Ministry of Justice. To establish a trade union in enterprises, offices, organisations and other places of work, membership by at least 10% of the entire workforce is required, with a minimum of ten people. This makes it virtually impossible to create new trade union organisations. 
 
Higgs strongly urged Lukashenko to &quot;withdraw the discriminatory measures without delay and to ensure respect for trade union rights in your country, both in law and in practice&quot;. 
 
Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, will be visiting Belarus on 11-12 July. Lukashenko should heed Jordan's recommendations, Higgs said, and should &quot;implement them in full&quot;.

Belarus: World&#039;s Unions Condemn Rights Violations

More than 500 protesters joined yesterday's picket, which was organised by the Association of Trade Unions In Basic Industries. 
 
The association groups the Oil, Gas and Construction Workers' Union (ROGWU), Electrounion, the Chemical Industry Workers' Union, the Mining and Metallurgical Industries Workers' Union, the Construction and Building Materials Industry Workers' Union, the Atomic Energy Workers' Union, the coal workers' union Rosugleprof and the Timber Industry Workers' Union. 
 
 

<img height="241" alt="" src="" width="380" />
 
Most of the demonstrators were members of unions affiliated at the global level to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). Last week, the ICEM strongly criticised the tax plan and urged the Russian government to consult with the unions. 
 
That consultation moved forward yesterday when the Moscow protesters delegated representatives for negotiations with the Vice-Chair of the Russian government, Valentina Matvienko. 

<img height="243" alt="" src="" width="380" />
TAX CHANGES OPPOSED 
Russian union leaders lobbied the government over the threat of social cuts. Here, ROGWU's Lev Mironov is telling the Moscow demonstrators that the unions will pursue their demands. 
(Photos: ROGWU) 
Heading the union side at the talks was ROGWU President Lev Mironov. He chairs the Association of Trade Unions In Basic Industries and is a member of the ICEM Executive. 
The delegates told the government of their serious concern about cuts in working people's social protection if the new tax were introduced. It was agreed that the consultations will continue. 
 
After the talks, a brief meeting was held on Moscow's Gorbaty Most (Arched Bridge). Pickets expressed their support for their representatives' demands and said they were ready to continue the protest action in defence of working people's rights. 
&nbsp;

Russian Unions Picket Government Over Tax Plan

Archive

World Potash Conference Maps Sustainable Future

Bridgestone: Tentative US Agreement Brings Labour Gains

World Labour Pressures Bridgestone As US Deadline Nears

Industry Press Lauds Freudenberg Agreement

US Unions Block Crown Central Petroleum Takeover

Freudenberg And Unions Seal Global Agreement

Settle US Coal Strike, Global Union Tells Chevron

Unions Press Clinton To Aid Chernobyl Workers

Belarus: World's Unions Condemn Rights Violations

Russian Unions Picket Government Over Tax Plan

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