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Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, today, the Presidium of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) gave its full support to a week-old boycott of Petro-Canada products in the North American country. The action by the governing board of the 20-million-member Global Union Federation is in support of 260 oil-refinery workers, members of Local 175 of Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union, who have been locked-out at a Petro-Canada refinery in Montr&eacute;al, Qu&eacute;bec, since 17 November 2007. 
 
In Montr&eacute;al on 28 October, the CEP, the Canadian Labour Congress, and the F&eacute;d&eacute;ration des travailleurs du Qu&eacute;bec, the major labour union federation in that province, announced a national boycott of all petroleum products produced by Petro-Canada. 

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&ldquo;We want people throughout the world to know that this once patriotic and state-owned oil company has turned on workers in its own country,&rdquo; stated ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, also the President of the National Union of Mineworkers in South Africa. &ldquo;ICEM leaders will now return to their respective countries and tell workforces about this unjust lockout. We will also inform those travelling to Canada on the boycott, and urge them to refrain from purchasing anything with the name Petro-Canada.&rdquo; 
 
The energy company, which was fully privatised in 2004 by the government of Canada, locked out union members at the 130,000 barrels-per-day Montr&eacute;al refinery when they refused to accept work terms and conditions significantly inferior to those contained in the CEP&rsquo;s National Energy and Chemical Bargaining Pattern Agreement. Ironically, that collective bargaining pattern was set by Petro-Canada and CEP at an oil refinery in Edmonton, Alberta, earlier in 2007. 
 
The ICEM resolution endorsing the boycott states that the company has jeopardized the safety and community well-being of residents of Point-aux-Trembles, an east-end Montr&eacute;al residential area, by attempting to operate the refinery at reduced output using managers and outside replacement workers. Petro-Canada has been cited by a provincial labour court for violated Qu&eacute;bec&rsquo;s laws by using such workers. 

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ICEM Presidium members were vocal in their condemnation of Petro-Canada, as well as their support for the workers. 
 
&ldquo;Our union members have been aware of this lockout since November 2007,&rdquo; said Phil McNulty, National Officer for the Energy Sector of Unite the Union. &ldquo;Now we learn of the national boycott in Canada. Unite the Union will assure that all our members in the United Kingdom and Ireland are aware of this boycott, and we will encourage them to spread the message to honour it.&rdquo; 
 
Said ICEM Latin American/Caribbean Vice President Sergio Novais, a trade union leader in Brazil&rsquo;s National Federation of Chemical Workers (CNQ-CUT), added, &ldquo;The message we will deliver at home is that CEP members in Montr&eacute;al are standing strong and united after one year&rsquo;s time. We will communicate to our chemical workers across the country &ndash; and to Petrobras workers &ndash; that all of Canada is behind a boycott of Petro-Canada. We support that and encourage all Canadians to respect this call.&rdquo; 
 
The Geneva-based ICEM consists of 467 trade unions in 132 countries, and is the voice of oil, gas, and energy workers in both the upstream and downstream sectors.

ICEM Endorses North American Boycott of Petro-Canada Products

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ICEM Asya-Pasifik B&ouml;lgesi'nin &Ccedil;alışan Kadınlar Grubu 26 Ekim g&uuml;n&uuml; Endonezya'nın Cakarta kentinde toplanarak analığın korunması konusundaki &ccedil;alışmalarını s&uuml;rd&uuml;rd&uuml;. &Ccedil;alışma 2007 D&uuml;nya Kadın Konferansı'nda saptanan yedi konu &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde bir yıldır s&uuml;r&uuml;yor. 
 
Toplantıya Endonezya, Japonya, Hindistan, Tayland, Malezya ve Avustralya'daki ICEM &uuml;yesi &ouml;rg&uuml;tlerden kadınlar katıldı. Kadınlar maden, &ccedil;imento, kimya, cam, ila&ccedil; ve elektrik enerjisi gibi farklı işkollarından geliyorlardı. 
 
Gebe ve yeni anne olan kadınlar d&uuml;nyanın &ccedil;oğu &uuml;lkesinde h&acirc;l&acirc; ayırımcılığa uğruyorlar. K&uuml;resel mali kriz s&ouml;z konusu ayırımcılığı daha da keskinleştiriyor. 
 
Kadınların analığın korunmasına ya da analık haklarına duydukları ihtiya&ccedil; Asya-Pasifik B&ouml;lgesi'nde b&uuml;y&uuml;k farklılıklar g&ouml;steriyor. S&ouml;zgelimi Japonya ve Avustralya'da toplumların yaşlanması ve vasıflı işg&uuml;c&uuml; a&ccedil;ığından &ouml;t&uuml;r&uuml;, karar organlarındaki y&ouml;neticiler, &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;m&uuml;n kadınları doğurmaya teşvik etmekten ge&ccedil;tiğinin farkına varıyorlar. Başka &uuml;lkelerde ise kadınların hakları taşeronlaşma nedeniyle tehdit altında. 
B&ouml;lgedeki hi&ccedil;bir &uuml;lkenin onaylamamış olduğu Analığın Korunmasıyla Ilgili 183 nolu ILO S&ouml;zleşmesi'nin onaylanması i&ccedil;in kampanya d&uuml;zenlenmesi kararlaştırıldı. Bununla birlikte, bir&ccedil;ok sendika toplu s&ouml;zleşmeyle analığın korunmasını bir &ouml;l&ccedil;&uuml;de sağlamış bulunuyor. Bu &ccedil;abaların s&uuml;rmesi ve g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirilmesi gerekiyor.

ICEM&#039;in Asya-Pasifik Çalışan Kadın Grubu Analığın Korunması Çalışmalarını Sürdürüyor

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Asya-Pasifik Goodyear Lastik ve Kau&ccedil;uk İş&ccedil;ileri Ağı'nın d&ouml;rd&uuml;nc&uuml; b&ouml;lge toplantısı beş Asya &uuml;lkesinden 20 delegenin katılımıyla 28 Ekim g&uuml;n&uuml; Endonezya'nın Cakarta kentinde yapıldı. Ağın &ouml;nceki toplantıları 2005'te Manila'da (Filipinler), 2002'de Singapur'da ve 2000'de Kuala Lumpur'da (Malezya) yapılmıştı. 
 
Japon sendikasının başkanı Toshiaki Hojo toplantıda yaptığı konuşmada şunları vurguladı: &ldquo;B&ouml;lge ağımızın &ccedil;alışmalarının 2000'den bu yana s&uuml;r&uuml;yor olması, katılan sendikaların uluslararası dayanışma ve işbirliğine bağlılığını g&ouml;steriyor. Bu bizleri gelecek adına umutlandırıyor. &Ccedil;alışmalarımızın ICEM'in Goodyear K&uuml;resel Sendika Ağı'na paralel y&uuml;r&uuml;mesi &ccedil;ok &ouml;nemli.&rdquo; 
Hojo şirketin Asya-Pasifik Ağı'nın iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği konularında başarılı bir &ccedil;alışma y&uuml;r&uuml;tt&uuml;ğ&uuml;n&uuml; ekleyerek bu alanda daha fazla şey yapma s&ouml;z&uuml; verdi. 
<img height="257" src="" width="160" alt="" />
Toshiaki Hojo, GOMU-RENGO
Delegeler Goodyear K&uuml;resel ve Asya-Pasifik B&ouml;lge ağlarının ge&ccedil;miş faaliyetlerini değerlendirdiler. Toplantıya 25 &uuml;lkedeki 60 fabrikada 70.000 iş&ccedil;iyi istihdam eden Goodyear'ın mali durumu ve &ccedil;alışma ilişkileri konusunda ayrıntılı bir rapor sunuldu. Delegeler &ccedil;alışma toplantısında işyerlerindeki &uuml;cretler, &ccedil;alışma saatleri ve toplu s&ouml;zleşmelerle ilgili somut sayısal bilgiler verdiler. 
 
İş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği konusunun ele alındığı oturumda ise ICEM Kimya ve Kau&ccedil;uk Sorumlusu Kemal &Ouml;zkan ge&ccedil;mişten bug&uuml;ne kadar olan gelişmeyi &ouml;zetledi. Daha sonra, iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliğiyle ilgili somut sorunlar ele alındı ve bilgi alışverişinin &ouml;nemi vurgulandı. ICEM'in &ouml;zellikle sıcaklık limitleri ve g&uuml;venlik g&ouml;zl&uuml;kleriyle ilgili k&uuml;resel standartlar konusunda bilgi vermesi istendi. 
 
ICEM'in 2009 Kau&ccedil;uk İşkolu D&uuml;nya Konferansı ve gelecek yıl yapılacak diğer işkolu konferanslarının g&ouml;r&uuml;ş&uuml;lmesinden sonra, toplantıda kabul edilen eylem planı &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde, ortak &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme &ccedil;alışmalarının artırılması, eğitim programlarına ağırlık verilmesi, elektronik ortamda d&uuml;zenli ve ayrıntılı bilgi alışverişi yapılması kararlaştırıldı. 
B&ouml;lge ağı toplantısında, ayrıca, şirketin haksız olarak işten &ccedil;ıkardığı Taylandlı ve Malezyalı arkadaşlarımızın işe iadesine y&ouml;nelik eylemin s&uuml;rd&uuml;r&uuml;lmesi konusunda &ouml;zel bir &ccedil;ağrı kabul edildi.

Asya-Pasifik Goodyear Kauçuk İşçileri Ağı&#039;nın Cakarta&#039;daki Dördüncü Toplantısı Sonuçlandı

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In this issue, we call on ICEM affiliates to get involved in activities on World AIDS Day which occurs on 1 December. We report on the engagement of women of ICEM German affiliate of the German IGBCE in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the situation of women in Asia, and the fight of women in Nepal for better HIV/AIDS services. 

 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator 
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World AIDS Day 2008, 1 December &ndash; Get Ready! 
 
The ICEM calls on its affiliates to take the lead in campaigning on World AIDS Day, 1 December 
 
The first of December marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. There is no time to celebrate. Since 1988, efforts made to respond to the epidemic have produced positive results, however the latest UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic (see e-bulletin 35/36, August/September <a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS/2745-ICEM-HIV-AIDS-e-bulletin">here</a>) indicates that the epidemic is not yet over in any part of the world. 
 
Together with its partners, the World AIDS Campaign set this year&rsquo;s theme for World AIDS Day as &ldquo;Lead &ndash; Empower &ndash; Deliver,&rdquo; building on last year&rsquo;s theme of &ldquo;Take the Lead.&rdquo; Designating leadership as the overall theme for 2007 &ndash; 2008 provides an opportunity to highlight the political leadership needed to fulfil commitments &ndash; particularly the promise of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support by 2010. 
 
Unions can demonstrate leadership at every level &ndash; in the workplace, in their own governing bodies, in women&rsquo;s committees, in health and safety committees, in negotiations with companies, in the community and at the national policy level. 
 
Any union member, shop steward, union official, committee member, gender representative who takes action on HIV/AIDS is a leader in the fight against the deadly disease. 
 
(Source: UNAIDS press release, 27 October) 
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IGBCE Women&rsquo;s Conference 
 
The Women&rsquo;s Conference of the ICEM affiliate IGBCE (mining, chemicals, and energy) in Germany made a strong commitment to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 
 
Meeting in Hanover in early October, funds were collected at the conference for an HIV/AIDS project in Tanzania in partnership with ICEM affiliates TUICO and TAMICO, and the ICEM HIV/AIDS project. In numerous discussions with delegates, ICEM Women&rsquo;s Officer Carol Bruce and HIV/AIDS Coordinator Hans J Schwass explained the project in Tanzania which focuses on women and their stronger involvement in HIV/AIDS work, training as counsellors and advocacy for voluntary counselling and testing. 
 
Delegates will continue the appeal in their regional and local structures to raise the funds necessary to sustain the project in 2009 and 2010. 
 

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Global Fund Launches Round 9 
 
(For more details, see the ICEM HIV/AIDS special e-bulletin in October <a href="-Global-Fund-Calls-for-Round-9-Proposals">here</a>) 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria launched Round 9 on 1 October, just seven months after the launch of Round 8. The proposal form and guidelines for Round 9 are substantially unchanged from Round 8. They are available in six languages at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org">www.theglobalfund.org</a>. 
 
Applicants must submit their Round 9 proposals by 21 January 2009. All proposals submitted by the deadline will be reviewed by the Global Fund Secretariat to ensure that they meet the Fund&rsquo;s eligibility criteria. Those that do meet the criteria will then be sent to the Technical Review Panel. The Global Fund Board will decide which proposals to approve at its meeting on 7-8 May 2009. 
 
In light of the fact that the Round 9 application form and procedures have hardly changed since Round 8, Aidspan has not updated its guides for applications which are accessible at <a href="http://www.aidspan.org/guides ">http://www.aidspan.org/guides </a>in English, French and Spanish. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, GFO, Issue 96, 24 October 2008. The GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>, a Kenya-based NGO that serves as an independent watchdog of the Global Fund. To receive the GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>)
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Caribbean Needs to Increase Efforts against HIV/AIDS 
 
Increased efforts are needed to bolster HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and education in the Caribbean, Karen Sealy, head of the UNAIDS Caribbean office, said recently. &ldquo;High-risk groups include commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men. An increase in HIV/AIDS cases is also being recorded among drug users,&rdquo; said Sealy, adding, &quot;We know that the spread of HIV in the Caribbean is in fact being fuelled by serious gaps in gender equality.&quot; 
 
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning said that &quot;one of the true successes&quot; of the country's efforts to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS is the decrease in mother-to-child transmissions because of the no-cost antiretroviral drugs provided to all pregnant women who receive treatment at government clinics. Manning said that many of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago are able to live &quot;a high quality of life&quot; because of the country's health care program but added that more work needs to be done to address the spread of HIV. 
 
The Caribbean has the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate worldwide, after sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS figures show that an estimated 230,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the region and that 14,000 AIDS-related deaths were recorded last year. 
 
(Source: Medical News Today, 27 October, reprinted with kind permission from <a href="http://www.kaisernetwork.org">www.kaisernetwork.org</a>) 
 

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Assessment Missions to Botswana and Namibia 
 
In the last year of the project cycle, the ICEM conducts an internal assessment of the impact of the HIV/AIDS project at national level. In September, Project Management Assistant Paule Ndessomin went to Botswana and Namibia and met with national coordinators, peer educators trained by the programme and national NGOs. Visits of mining sites completed the mission. 
 
Overall the project had a very positive impact in both countries. Awareness has increased considerably. In Botswana, most large companies organised by ICEM affiliates such as Botswana Power Corporation, Botswana Copper and Nickel (BCL), and diamond miner Debswana have HIV/AIDS workplace policies. Affiliates have cooperated with BONELA, an NGO that deals with issues of ethics, legislation, and advocacy in the field of HIV/AIDS. 
 
Employment legislation stipulates that every employee who enters into a contract of employment shall be examined by a medical officer. As this section in the Employment Act stands, it may include pre-employment HIV testing. The Public Service Code, however, prohibits such testing. Another inhibiting factor is the fact that living on the proceeds of commercial sex is illegal thus making it difficult for sex workers to have access to medical care. 
 
In Namibia, ICEM&rsquo;s only affiliate, the Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Namibia (MUN), has been engaged in HIV/AIDS activities for some time. Large mines such as R&ouml;ssing Uranium, which is two-thirds owned by mining giant Rio Tinto, have workplace policies in place and provide treatment and care. More recently, MUN has also been involved with the country&rsquo;s employer group, the Chamber of Mines. The Chamber&rsquo;s Occupational Health Education and Awareness Programme (OHEAP) is currently being evaluated in cooperation with the Labour Resource and Research Institute. 
 

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Women need empowerment in fight against AIDS 
 
Women must be more involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS and men must also be encouraged to respect women more. Nafis Sadik, U.N. special envoy for HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region, told a poverty alleviation conference in Beijing that lack of respect for women was helping drive the spread of the virus. 
 
&quot;Gender-based violence and discrimination on grounds of gender drive the HIV and AIDS epidemic among women. Empowerment of women - equipping them with self-esteem, the knowledge, and the ability to protect themselves &hellip; will be of critical importance in winning the battle,&quot; Sadik said. 
 
&quot;Women suffer doubly. First, from HIV and AIDS itself, and secondly from the stigma associated with the disease. Women are routinely blamed for infecting their husbands, though it is almost always the men who infect their wives,&quot; she said. 
 
In Asia, at least 75 million men regularly buy sex from about ten million female sex workers, she added. &quot;The results of male behaviour can be seen in changing patterns of infection. Today, about one-third of all people living with HIV in China are women, compared with one in ten in 1995,&quot; Sadik said. 
 
(Source: Reuters, 17 October) 
 

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HIV-positive Women in Nepal Call for Greater Assistance 
 
Nepal's HIV/AIDS policies and programs have failed to address the problems of women living with HIV/AIDS in the country, stated HIV-positive women of Shakti Milan Samaj, a social organisation working on behalf of women living with HIV/AIDS. 
 
The women also called on the government to guarantee access to no-cost treatment, care, resettlement, social security and jobs, as well as a special programme to help them maintain a living. They added that the government &quot;should make arrangements for free education to our children and announce legal action against all violence against us regarding it as a crime against the state.&quot; 
 
The women said that although the country has received significant funding for efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, the government still does not address the issues they face. Women in the country are vulnerable to HIV because of cultural and economic factors, as well as domestic violence. 
 
(Source: News Medical Net, 5 October with permission from <a href="http://kaisernetwork.org">kaisernetwork.org</a>) 
 

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How Obama and McCain Differed on HIV/AIDS 
 
With Barack Obama winning the US presidential election, it might be useful to look back to see how he and opponent John McCain compared on HIV/AIDS policy. For starters, they both fully support President Bush&rsquo;s PEPFAR programme, the President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was re-authorised with increased funding. 
 
While this is focused on the epidemic overseas, activists have criticised neglect of the US domestic epidemic. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that 5% of the people living in Washington, DC, have the infection. That is a rate two-and-a-half times higher than in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world. 
 
Barack Obama calls for a more effective AIDS policy and says that studies have shown that the incidence of HIV and AIDS may have been undercounted. Obama&rsquo;s plan begins with his promise to sign universal health care legislation by the end of his first term as president. He wants to prevent HIV through sex education and by promoting HIV testing. The cornerstone of Obama&rsquo;s plan calls for a national HIV/AIDS strategy involving all federal agencies. 
 
While John McCain also called for a domestic plan, his main prescription to prevent HIV is abstinence programmes. For those with pre-existing conditions such as AIDS, he campaigned on a plan to establish &ldquo;guaranteed access plans&rdquo; for affordable insurance. His prescription for rising drug costs was to create greater competition among drug companies. The centrepiece of a McCain campaign blueprint is a US$2,500 tax credit for individuals to purchase health coverage of their choice. 
 
(Source: CBS News, from 14 October) 
 

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New Vigour in Fighting the Epidemic in South Africa 
 
AIDS organisations and activists welcomed the nomination of Barbara Hogan as new health minister of South Africa. Unlike her predecessor, Hogan has made it clear that the HI-Virus causes AIDS and that the only way to treat it is with anti-retroviral drugs. Hogan announced better access to such drugs and an expansion of the programme to fight mother to child transmission. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
ICMM Launches Guide on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria 
 
The International Council on Mining and Metal (ICMM) launched its new guide, &ldquo;Good Practice Guidance on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria,&rdquo; in London on 15 October. Among the panellists was ICEM HIV/AIDS Coordinator Hans J Schwass who welcomed the initiative of the ICMM to publish this guide but criticised that very little reference is made to organised labour or workers&rsquo; organisations or unions as potential partners in the fight against the diseases. Schwass said, &ldquo;There is no reason not to collaborate on life and death issues with organisations with which companies are at times in dispute over pay and working conditions, especially when these organisations can add value to HIV/AIDS interventions. Of course, to cooperate with trade unions, means recognising them in the first place.&rdquo; 
 
The guide provides a systematic framework and practical advice on the management of the three diseases that will enable mining and metal operations worldwide to address key challenges, both among workers and neighbouring communities. 
 
The guide can be accessed at the ICMM website <a href="http://www.icmm.com">www.icmm.com</a>. 
<img height="57" alt="" src="" width="40" />
News from the Global Union Programme and Global Unions 
 
The Global Union AIDS Programme is planning a series of coordinating and capacity building workshops in sub-Saharan Africa, and is coordinating the union input in the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (ICASA), as well as the Global Fund Partnership Forum, both in Dakar, Senegal, in December. 
 
In its latest Newsletter on Education for All and HIV &amp; AIDS Prevention at Schools (EFAIDS) of 2 October, Education International reports on the launch of its programme in Nepal. It also addresses World AIDS Day. The EI EFAIDS programme has prepared an activity kit which teachers around the world can use to share knowledge and encourage discussion on HIV/AIDS issues in the campaign for World AIDS Day &ldquo;One Hour on AIDS&rdquo; &ndash; <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 37 November 2008

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The ICEM fully supports the work of the National Federation of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Workers of Pakistan, an affiliate of the International Union of Food Workers&rsquo; Association (IUF). The 723 contract labourers at Unilever&rsquo;s last directly-owned and operated Lipton Tea factory in Pakistan have organised to form the Unilever Mazdoor Union Khanewal. The newly organised workers, with the support of the IUF and ICEM, are preparing a new round of public action to press their case. 
 
The ICEM and IUF call for international support for the cause of these contract workers to form their union. To support their struggle click <a href="http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/campaigns/show_campaign.cgi?c=396">here</a> to send a message to Unilever. Tell corporate management that the Lipton Khanewal temporary workers must be given permanent employment status - and the way to implement this is through direct negotiations with the affiliated National Federation of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Workers of Pakistan. 
 
Unilever's Khanewal factory employs 22 permanent workers, union members who are covered by a collective agreement. But another 723 workers are hired through six contract labour agencies. The union is assisting contract agency workers to file petitions in the Labour Court to secure their right to permanent employment. 

<img height="158" alt="" src="" width="300" />
The permanent workers receive a monthly base wage of PKR 18,000 - some US$226. The basic wage for non-permanent workers is PKR 6,000, if they are lucky enough to work a minimum 26 days per month. Otherwise the daily wage is PKR 232 - less than three US dollars a day. Where permanent workers receive double for overtime/holiday work, agency workers simply receive the basic hourly wage. Disposable workers have no annual or medical leave. From one week to the next, they do not know their assignments or work schedules - or whether they will have work. Through exploiting workers in this way, Unilever was able to send CEO Niall Fitzgerald into retirement with a &pound;17 million golden handshake. 
 
Unilever employees at the site are illegally blocked from becoming permanent workers, as national legislation states that after nine consecutive months employed under a temporary contract, an employee must be offered a permanent contract to stay. The majority of agency workers at the Khanewal site have been on the job for more than 10 years, with some there for as long as 30 years. But since they are not formally employed by Unilever, they are barred from joining a union of Unilever workers and bargaining with Unilever as their employer. The labour agencies who supply the temporary employees to the factory do not have any other client, and operate their offices inside the Unilever factory itself, clearly a false way of flouting labour law. 
Two Lipton workers dismissed in August after 30 years of working at Unilever's Khanewal tea factory at minimum wage and received no social security, medical benefits or pension. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="" width="146" />
The Lipton workers are fighting for the right of workers everywhere to decent work - secure employment, a living wage, health and retirement benefits, and the right to join a trade union with a collective bargaining relationship to their real employer. 
 
Copies of your messages will be sent to Unilever corporate and Pakistan management, to the union, and to the IUF secretariat. 
 
You can give additional support by taking a moment to visit <a href="http://www.unilever.com/sustainability">http://www.unilever.com/sustainability</a>. Scroll down the page to a section on the lower right entitled &quot;Sustainability during the credit crunch&quot; There you can &quot;vote&quot; yes/no to the question, &quot;Do you consider sustainability in your product purchasing decisions?&quot; This is followed by &quot;Please tell us what actions you are taking to make the world more sustainable,&quot; with fields for name/message. Please take a moment to send the following response, or a message of your own: 
 
&quot;Sustainability is about investing in sustainable jobs - over 700 workers at the Khanewal Lipton factory are disposable workers hired through labour hire agencies, with no employment security and inferior wages and benefits though many have worked continuously for decades. Make the Khanewal workers permanent through direct negotiations with the National Federation of Food, Beverage and Tobacco Workers of Pakistan!&quot;

Support Needed for Contract, Agency Workers Forming Union at Unilever Tea Factory in Pakistan

Estimados trabajadores de MASSUH SA y dirigentes de FOEIPCyQ: 
 
 
La ICEM, federaci&oacute;n sindical internacional del sector de la pulpa y papel, ha dado a conocer a nuestro sindicato la lucha que enfrentan con el fin de lograr que la empresa MASSUH pague como corresponde los sueldos a sus trabajadores. A pesar de que muchas empresas de diferentes partes del mundo enfrentan actualmente una p&eacute;sima situaci&oacute;n econ&oacute;mica, la mayor&iacute;a paga a sus trabajadores, porque saben que sus ganancias provienen exclusivamente del esfuerzo de los trabajadores. 
 
Por tanto, objetamos severamente la decisi&oacute;n de MASSUH de negarse a pagar los sueldos de sus trabajadores. Felicitamos a FOEIPCyQ, nuestro sindicato hermano en Argentina, el haber solidarizado con la lucha de los trabajadores de MASSUH. 
 
Exhortamos a los trabajadores para que se mantengan unidos en la defensa de sus derechos; la unidad en torno al sindicato es la clave del triunfo final. 
 
Saludos solidarios,

Transmit to e-mails: fedpapel@speedy.com.ar and alari@papeleros.org.ar

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The multinational pharmaceutical company Menarini was put on notice 15 January by Italian unions to improve its social contract with workers, or face a first eight-hour strike on 30 January. In a statement by the tri-union Coordinating Committee of the Menarini Group, FILCEM-CGIL, FEMCA-CISL, and UILCEM-UIL jointly gave warning that pay and profit-sharing increases must be made to Italian workers, and greater participation in corporate strategies must be granted workers. 

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The unions are attempting to secure a four-year social compact with the privately-held, Florence-based company, which specialises in development and manufacture of cardiovascular, respiratory, and other drugs. The three unions are still in search of a satisfactory contract with a term stretching from 2008 to 2011. 
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The statement, issued after a 14 January meeting of the Coordinating Committee in Florence, demands a profit-sharing scheme using a different measure and one weighted more heavily on productivity. The three unions also seek wage quotas that meet the industry medium. 
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In addition, the unions demand working conditions, job classifications, and job re-organisation which will give workers more say in decision-making. Menarini, Europe&rsquo;s 19th largest pharmaceutical company, employs 3,850 of its global workforce of 12,500 in Italy. Besides several other Italian worksites, it operates a large bio-technical centre in Pomezia. 
 
In March 2007, the ICEM intervened on behalf of Turkish affiliate Lastik-İş when Menarini&rsquo;s subsidiary in Istanbul, İbrahim Ethan İla&ccedil;lari A.S., sacked union leaders who were seeking Lastik-İş representation. The company&rsquo;s refusal to abide by a court decree recognising the union caused a plant occupation by workers.

Italian Unions Put Demands on Gruppo Menarini, Plan 30 January Manifestation

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French trade unions will mobilise in Paris on 29 January, the result of failed social talks within the public electric and gas companies. The issues are job retention, re-training, and fair pay, and failure thus far to meet social accord is the fault of the federal government and Medef, the employers&rsquo; council in France, say the unions. 
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Eight unions, including federations CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, and CFTC, decided in early January to set the mobilisation date, with resumption of social talks scheduled early in February. The three-page declaration is described as a compromise among workers&rsquo; representatives at several French gas and electric worksites over the pay issue. The declaration calls for urgent measures to prioritise job retention, remunerations, and economic revival, beginning first at the workplace. 
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The declaration also said now is the time to increase low wages, social minimums, and to enhance re-training opportunities, an area of general agreement between the three parties. But the unions forcefully denounce French federal government plans to fire 30,000 people from civil service jobs. 
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The French trade union federations&rsquo; call for mass participation on 29 January is urgent, and it is a legitimate &ldquo;workers&rsquo; awakening&rdquo; in the resistance of the neo-liberal agenda.

French Unions Unite in Gas, Electric Sectors for Jobs, Training, Fair Wages

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Leaders of Nigerian ICEM oil and gas affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN are mobilising workers as a 21-day ultimatum to the national government draws near demanding revocation to a contract with US-based Cobalt International covering pre-shipment services on oil exports. 
 
If the government does not, strikes will occur. 
 
NUPENG last week sent a petition to the Minister of Petroleum, Rilwan Lukman, clarifying that the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is statutorily required to carry out the work of pre-shipment services, and that instead of hiring an outside firm at great cost, the government should allow Nigerians and DPR workers to do the work. 
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NUPENG said the contract with Cobalt &ldquo;should be abrogated with immediate effect,&rdquo; and demands the Nigerian state use its oil and gas revenues to acquire the necessary equipment &ldquo;to enhance its supervisory role in the oil and gas industry. 
 
&ldquo;The contract with Cobalt International Ltd. should not be allowed to stand because it serves as a conduit pipe for siphoning money by agents of multinationals from our national treasury,&rdquo; stated NUPENG. 
 
Elsewhere in Nigerian labour, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Adetokumbo Kayode, called for increased levels of dialogue between labour and the federal government during these times of economic difficulty. This positive move by the new minister for closer cooperation encouraged trade union leaders in Nigeria. &ldquo;Government, in order to move the country forward, will engage labour in a constructive dialogue on labour matters,&rdquo; said Kayode. 
 
This occurred while NUPENG was endorsing an electronic loading system, to be introduced across the energy-rich country by the Petroleum Equalization Fund. The system will monitor diversion of petroleum products, track information, and assure accurate billing and payment of products both at loading and receiving terminals. Some of the most dangerous work in Nigeria&rsquo;s oil patch is done by tank-truck drivers, who are members of NUPENG. 
 
Both NUPENG and PENGASSAN again addressed the security problem facing their union members in the Niger Delta region. The two unions issued a joint statement demanding further government intervention to ensure workers&rsquo; security at work.

Nigerian Oil Workers’ Move Closer to Strike Action on Outsourcing

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Thursday, 15 January, saw Brazil&rsquo;s five major labour unions come together, pledging to follow a united path through the current economic crisis. The meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil&rsquo;s centre for business and largest city, created the &ldquo;Union Action Pact,&rdquo; which outlines the labour movement&rsquo;s determination to protect jobs during the economic downturn. The pact will now be presented to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and to several state governors. 
 
The newly unified force of the five unions represents tens of millions of workers throughout Brazil, the largest and most important of the Latin American economies. The weight given by these numbers to demands laid out in the accord is considerable. One important clause decided on by the unions is that loans and benefits from the Brazilian government to companies be linked to commitments by them not to cut jobs. 

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Other demands laid out in the accord are to do with the national economy. Organised labour asks the central bank to lower the national interest rate from its currant 13.75%, and also puts demands on private banks to correct the current imbalance between the interest they charge borrowers and the rates they pay for deposits. 
 
The labour groups are asking Lula, himself a former union leader, to boost unemployment insurance and to increase the amount of money going to the national worker-training fund. They are planning a manifestation this Wednesday, 28 January, in S&atilde;o Paulo to coincide with a central bank meeting related to interest rates. 
 
A current example of the problems facing Brazilian workers is at the powerful S&atilde;o Paulo state industrial federation, or FIESP. While asking workers to accept a 25% pay cut, FIESP is unwilling to offer a no-layoff pledge.

Brazilian Labour Unions work together to fight challenging economic times

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Support Needed for Contract, Agency Workers Forming Union at Unilever Tea Factory in Pakistan

Transmit to e-mails: [email protected] and [email protected]

Italian Unions Put Demands on Gruppo Menarini, Plan 30 January Manifestation

French Unions Unite in Gas, Electric Sectors for Jobs, Training, Fair Wages

Nigerian Oil Workers’ Move Closer to Strike Action on Outsourcing

Brazilian Labour Unions work together to fight challenging economic times

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