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A spate of disasters in Chinese mines occurred over the past month, including two on 29 and 30 September that claimed the lives of 17 miners. In all, at least 52 deaths occurred over the past 31 days, as reported by either the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety or the official news agency Xinhua. 
 
Four miners were overcome by carbon dioxide and suffocated on 29 September at the Changsheng coal mine in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region of northwest China. A day later, 13 miners were killed after a gas explosion at the Tianlong coal mine in the town of Hada, Heilongjiang province. Eight miners were rescued in that tragedy. 
 
On 22 September, two catastrophes occurred in Yunnan and Hebei provinces. At the Songzhu coal mine in Hauping County, Yunnan, a gas combustion explosion claimed the lives of two miners, while 27 others were injured. At an iron ore mine owned by Laiyuon Iron and Steel, a landslide also killed two miners, while injuring two others. The mine is a former state-owned enterprise that was operating without a work safety permit. 
 
Two separate accidents also happened on 13 September, claiming the lives of eight miners. At the privately-owned Xiren coal mine in Jilin province, work safety officials determined that miners inadvertently opened an adjacent mine tunnel, causing mass flooding. Seven died, while another 12 either escaped or were rescued. A gas leak at the Danangou coal mine, Datong city, Shanxi province, claimed one miner, while 45 were rescued. Both of these coal operations were licensed and qualified to operate. 
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In the central Chinese province of Hubei on 3 September, a mine shaft was flooded and six miners perished. That occurred at the Zhenxing coal mine in Daye city. A day earlier, eight miners died and four were seriously injured following a methane gas explosion at an illegal coal mine in southwest province.
On 31 August, nine workers died due to a gas blast inside the Lianyi coal mine in Lianyi city, Hunan province. They were killed after the mine owner hired them to repair tunnels. The owner had failed to measure the gas density inside shafts, and the workers&rsquo; electrical tools ignited, causing the explosion. 
 
Official statistics of the State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) state that for the first eight months of 2006, through August, mine accidents have claimed 2,900 lives. SAWS claims that this is a 25% decline over the same period in 2005. All told, China has witnessed 1,824 colliery accidents during the first eight months of 2006. 
 
Separately, the Coal Mine Safety bureau said it will close a total of 4,861 small coal operations this year and in 2007. Coal production by small mines, considered less than 30,000 tonnes annually, accounts for one-third of the country&rsquo;s total production. The agency says that such mines bring two-thirds of the total deaths from Chinese mining operations.

Deaths in China’s Mines Rise in September

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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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On 18 September, energy company Repsol signed a national framework agreement with the two relevant Spanish ICEM affiliates, FITEQA-CC.OO. and FIA-UGT. Present at the signing in Madrid were the President of Repsol, Antonio Brufau, and the two General Secretaries of the respective unions, FITEQA&rsquo;s Joaquim Gonz&aacute;lez Muntadas, and FIA-UGT&rsquo;s Antonio Deusa Pedrazo. 
 
The agreement with Spain&rsquo;s largest oil company includes specific protocols on work and family life, on the hiring of people with disabilities, on equal opportunities between men and women, and on victim protection when family violence occurs. 
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Affecting 15,000 Repsol workers in Spain, the agreement also contains a salary increase, a clause on maintaining purchasing power, and language on partial retirement at age 60 for some 1,000 workers. These workers will all be replaced by other workers, all with permanent contracts.
Many other issues are dealt with in the agreement, from a reduction in work time for about 7,000 workers, pension plans and training and education, to the recognition of seniority acquired while working under temporary work contracts. The agreement is valid for three years. 
 
FITEQA&rsquo;s Joaquim Gonz&aacute;lez Muntadas said in his speech at the signing that Spanish national labour federations CC.OO. and UGT have begun work on similar industrial relations issues in other regions where Repsol operates, referring specifically to Latin America, and to Argentina in particular. He added that he hopes Repsol engages in maximum collaboration in those efforts. 
 
In a report in the Spanish publication El Mundo Bursatil, Repsol President Brufau stated, &ldquo;The signing of this framework agreement is not only a reflection of our ability to dialogue, but also of the confidence we have in one another and of the transparency in the relationship between the management of the company and the union representatives.&rdquo;

Repsol Signs Spanish National Agreement with Two ICEM Affiliates

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ICEM Spanish affiliate FIA-UGT has expressed grave concerns that the bidding war that escalated last week for national utility Endesa will endanger both jobs and the quality of energy services in Spain. That sentiment was backed by national labour federation, UGT. 
 
FIA-UGT criticised the recent buy-up frenzy of Endesa shares, saying it will lead to a splintered energy sector in which the highest bidder may win control, but with dire consequences as a result. The union said the absence of a national model for Spain&rsquo;s electric system will create a fractured energy sector, in which both workers and consumers will suffer. 
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FIA-UGT called on Spain&rsquo;s Ministry of Industry, Tourism, and Commerce to establish an immediate roundtable at which all stakeholders, together with the government, analyse, define, and agree on a model of consolidation for the energy sector that reflects the interests of Spain. FIA-UGT said the recent unsettling events concerning Endesa are the result of &ldquo;an absence of regulation, and an absence of a political and social consensus that has turned a strategic sector into a speculative one.&rdquo; 
 
The labour federation UGT has urged the Spanish government to take a stronger stand to protect Endesa. UGT General Secretary C&aacute;ndido M&eacute;ndez predicts that the takeover of Endesa will result in higher fees for consumers, a lowering of investment, and job redundancies. 
 
The 13-month-long contest for control of the electricity company entered a new phase on 25 September when Spanish construction group Acciona significantly increased its stake in Endesa by topping German utility E.ON&rsquo;s &euro;27.50-a-share bid, an offer dating back to February 2006. Acciona bought another 10% stake in Endesa at prices up to &euro;32-a-share, lifting its share of Endesa to near 25%. That was countered by E.ON on 27 September, which bid &euro;35-a-share. Barcelona-based Gas Natural, the original hostile bidder for Endesa over a year ago, is also still contemplating a takeover of Spain&rsquo;s largest electric-generating company. 
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European energy unions from Germany, Italy, and Spain, together the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMCEF), met and formulated a position on any Endesa takeover late last winter. That position called for Endesa to remain as it is, without splitting of any business units. The position opposes contracting out of any parts of the company. The coalition also called for maintaining and enhancing internal investment, continuation of Endesa&rsquo;s collective labour agreements, no redundancies or layoffs, and engagement in social dialogue with trade unions on all matters of industrial policy. For further information on EMCEF&rsquo;s position, <a href="/index.php?id=78&amp;doc=1684&amp;la=EN">click here</a>.

Spanish Unions Ring Alarm over Endesa Bidding

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On 19 September, exactly one week before the trade union Day of Action for human and social rights in Colombia, a miner and community leader in the northern Colombian province of Bol&iacute;var was assassinated by members of the Neuva Granada Battalion of the Fifth Brigade of Colombia&rsquo;s army. Alejandro Uribe, a father of two who was president of a local town council in the southern Bol&iacute;var province, had spoken out against the army&rsquo;s aggressive intimidation and abuse of citizens. 
 
Local people, many miners included, fear they will be forced off the land by a new gold mining venture, and have become more and more vocal in recent months.
The mining venture, announced in June to explore and drill for mineral opportunities in Bol&iacute;var and Antioquia provinces, was created when South African-based AngloGold Ashanti and Canadian-based Bema Gold Corp. formed an enterprise called Newco. AngloGold is providing at least eight exploration properties in a 120,000 square kilometre area for initial test drilling for Newco, which is expected to be a publicly-traded company within two years. 
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The assassination of Uribe was the culmination of months of attacks, threats, blockades, and other killings by the army on some 1,300 miners and their families, said the Catholic Diocese of Magangue. 
According to Swedish-based New Colombia News Agency (ANNCOL), which tracks Colombian human rights abuses, residents of some 16 rural communities marched in a candle-light vigil in the town of Santa Rosa del Sur on 24 September, demanding that the government investigate the murder of Uribe and others, as well as demanding a response from civilian authorities over the military&rsquo;s abuses. They were joined by Christian Peacemaker Teams and international human rights activists. 
 
ANNCOL reported that a meeting with national government authorities had been scheduled for 26 September in Santa Rosa. &ldquo;The main condition the communities placed on the meeting was that it should take place with civil authorities and without the presence of military,&rdquo; stated the ANNCOL report. 
 
But both Colombian officials and military officers insisted that the military be present. &ldquo;In response, the people once again marched through the streets demanding justice. They then occupied the central plaza, and the government officials left without a dialogue,&rdquo; wrote ANNCOL.

Colombian Army Murders Outspoken Mining Region Leader

An International Day of Mobilisation was held on 26 September to bring attention to a commitment not yet fulfilled in Colombia. That commitment, signed 1 June 2006 by Colombian trade union federations, the government of President Alvaro Uribe, and multinational companies operating in Colombia at the ILO in Geneva, promised freedom of association, full human rights, and meaningful social dialogue in union-management relationships in Colombia. 
 
The agreement also pledged to establish an ILO permanent representative in the South American country. Such an office is not only to be charged with ensuring that the ILO&rsquo;s concept of decent work is carried out, but would also protect the basic rights of workers and their trade union representatives. According to the Colombian Commission of Jurists, over a two-year period, from 2003 to the end of 2005, 271 labour activists were killed in Colombia. 
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The Day of Action on September 26 was called for by three national trade union federations in Colombia, CUT, CGT, and CTC, as well as by the ICFTU because commitments from the June signing in Geneva have not materialized. 
 
Some one million members of Colombian trade unions and other groups marched peacefully through the streets of Bogot&aacute;, Cali, Medellin, and Cucuta on that day. Leaders and members of ICEM-affiliated unions Sintraelecol, Sintracarbon, Sintravidricol, Sintraquim, Sintracarcol, Fenaltec, and the Chemical, Pharmaceutical &amp; Petrochemical Union of Colombia marched shoulder to shoulder with Colombian Members of Parliament seeking to implement the Geneva initiative, as well for an end to Uribe&rsquo;s privatisation policies. 
Demonstrators also expressed opposition to current negotiations between the Uribe government and the US over a free trade agreement. 
 
On 19 September in Brussels, global trade union leaders, including ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, met with Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos Calder&oacute;n seeking speedy advances on the Geneva resolve. 
 
The ICEM is two years into its own programme regarding meaningful social dialogue in Colombia between affiliated trade unions and some seven multinational companies. &ldquo;We see the process of social dialogue as a major step to achieving peace and justice in this war-torn country,&rdquo; said the ICEM&rsquo;s Higgs.

Colombia ‘Day of Action’ on 26 September Seeks Fulfilment of Social Promises

Following coordinated discussions today between the 20-million-member ICEM, and affiliated trade unions Transport &amp; General Workers Union (TGWU) of the UK and F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Force Ouvri&egrave;re (FO) Mat&eacute;riaux, C&eacute;ramique, and Thermique of France, global strategies have been developed related to the economic devastation planned by Imerys to the Cornwall region of the UK. 
 
Meeting in Brussels, home to the ICEM, representatives of the three labour organisations vowed to organise all unions globally which represent workers of the French-based building products company. They will bring attention to the company&rsquo;s adverse labour relations, as well as to their practice of forced redundancies in the face of massive profits. 
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Imerys is targeting some 610 jobs to be made redundant late next year in Cornwall, Devon, Lee Moor and St Austell in the South West of England, cuts that will effectively end generations of family-sustaining industrial jobs in the region. TGWU delegates at the meeting noted that Imerys not only failed to offer economic alternatives to the lost jobs, but also offers little in the way of redundancy packages. 
 
French trade union leaders, at recent European Works Council (EWC) meetings, voiced deep opposition to the UK job cuts, as well as to company redundancies made earlier this year at plants in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, and at Lixhe, near Vis&egrave; in Belgium. Today, they expressed their commitment for the global strategies against Imerys. 
 
FO&rsquo;s Dominique Guelfucci, Federal Secretary for the Materials and Ceramics section, and FO&rsquo;s Serge Gonzales, secretary of Imerys&rsquo; EWC, are ready to make a visit to the Cornwall area to address union members there. 
 
&ldquo;We will assist the Imerys workers of the UK to assure that what they are fighting for becomes a reality,&rdquo; stated Guelfucci. Added Gonzales, &ldquo;We are prepared to illuminate the anti-social attitudes of Imerys. We see clearly that the company&rsquo;s agenda is not with workers and that solidarity is urgently needed.&rdquo; 
 
One immediate strategy resolved at today&rsquo;s meeting is to form a global network of trade unions representing Imerys&rsquo; workers worldwide. 
 
Said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, &ldquo;We sincerely hope that Imerys absorbs the ever-increasing expressions of solidarity that will now take hold and moves to negotiate an equitable resolution for the workers and the communities in which they live.&rdquo; 
 
Higgs said it is also paramount that Imerys stops its increasing use of contract workers in the Cornwall region in order that permanent jobs are retained. 
 
Higgs added that the mining operations of Imerys and its predecessor, English China Clay, have literally left deep scars on the landscape. &ldquo;If they hope to capitalise on the sale of land for other, non-industrial purposes, it is perfectly logical that Imerys makes commitments to the workers, who otherwise might be made redundant for jobs, on land reclamation projects.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;We welcome the initiatives from the meeting today,&rdquo; stated Jennie Formby, TGWU National Secretary. &ldquo;Imerys has failed to negotiate meaningfully with the unions on redundancies. It also has been extremely callous in its regard for the livelihoods of workers, as well as to the communities of the South West as a whole.&rdquo; 
 
Delegates at the meeting also noted Imerys&rsquo; anti-worker attitudes at a USA plant in the state of Alabama as a reason why a global network of unionised workers is necessary. 
 
The ICEM is a Global Union Federation, representing 379 trade unions in 123 countries.

ICEM, UK, French Unions Draw Up Strategies Against Imerys

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Time to Deliver &ndash; XVI International AIDS Conference 
 
The 16th International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto from 14 to 18 August. Over 20,000 scientists, politicians and activists participated in the event. The labour movement was well represented, highlighting the impact of HIV and AIDS on the workplace and outlining the role of workers in fighting the pandemic. 
 
Prior to the Conference, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) organised a two-day labour forum with the support of the ILO. The forum convened union representatives from all over the world who expressed their support for intensifying the involvement of trade unionists and unions and to build strong coalitions with civil society organisations. On the occasion of the labour forum the CLC released a new report &ldquo;Labour Fights AIDS&rdquo; which demonstrates that unions are at the fore in the global fight against AIDS 
 
Apart from its involvement in satellite meetings, skills-building workshops and other activities, the ILO also set up a workplace action centre for advice and information exchange. The main purpose of the centre was to offer practical help in developing policies and setting up programmes related to the workplace. 
 
The ICEM abstract written for the Conference was accepted for a poster exhibition. The ICEM was also invited to speak on &ldquo;The importance of social dialogue and workers&rsquo; participation in public/private partnerships&rdquo; at a Satellite Meeting Session with the theme &ldquo;From the workplace to the community &ndash; Co-investment to access prevention, treatment and care in public/private partnerships&rdquo;. 
 
Several broader trends emerged from the Conference. Although still inadequate, treatment is becoming more available. However, those on antiretrovirals (ARVs) remain infected and require treatment indefinitely. This requires a re-emphasis on prevention. Despite many years of research at huge cost, a vaccine has not yet been found. 
 
Also noted is that prevention techniques away from consent-requiring condom use focus on female protection to empower women to take control. 
 
(Sources: EI Newsletter on EFA and HIV/AIDS, ILO Press Release, CLC Press Release, The Economist, 19 August 2006) 
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2nd Global Fund Partnership Forum 
 
More than 400 participants from 118 countries attended a lively Global Fund Partnership Forum in Durban, South Africa, 1 - 3 July. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the major source of assistance in the worldwide fight against these diseases. 
 
The Global Fund Partnership Forum meets every two years and brings together a broad group of stakeholders. While its purpose is to inform stakeholders about progress and challenges, its major aim is to provide those who do not have a direct voice on the Global Fund Board the opportunity to give their opinions. The Forum was preceded by ten skills-building workshops. 
 
While a wide range of organisations attended, unfortunately labour presence was low with only the ICEM sending a representative. Representation of the business sector was also proportionately low. 
 
A wide range of issues were discussed. The hottest debates were centred on the operations of the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs). Issues raised included the following: 
<ul>
 <li>Need for the independence of the CCM from any specific stakeholder, including government, and possible creation of an independent secretariat for the CCM. </li>
 <li>Constitutions and by-laws developed by stakeholders should guide the operations of the CCM. These should include mechanisms to improve feedback and support constituency consultations. </li>
 <li>The Chairperson of the CCM and principle recipient of funding from the Global Fund should preferably not be from the same constituency. There should be a conflict of interest policy in place to deal with this situation. </li>
 <li>The chair of the CCM should be rotated among the stakeholders. </li>
 <li>Concerns were also raised about the utilisation of Technical Assistance from other countries and regions which could undermine the ownership and leadership of the national stakeholders. </li>
 <li>The Global Fund should explore the potential for the consolidation and harmonisation of CCMs and National AIDS Commissions in each individual country. </li>
 <li>Problems with Local Fund Agents (LFA) were also identified. </li>
 <li>The current LFA model does not accommodate different situations that countries have. </li>
 <li>The LFAs were often seen as spies rather than partners to assist projects. </li>
 <li>Quality of work of LFAs has not been good across the board and sometime their skills were inadequate for the roles they had to play. </li>
</ul>
Overall assessments of the operations were that often proposals were very ambitious, but work plans were weak; recipients lacked capacity to implement the programmes. There are very different levels of human and technical resources available in countries. CCMs were often weak and delays in procurement and suppliers weakened the projects. Overall, the status of the national health system was an integral factor in the success of the projects. 
 
The operations and dimensions of Global Fund grants are potentially huge in national AIDS initiatives. Currently, the voice of the Labour Movement is not being heard in the CCMs, which determine the application for funds and the way in which the funds are used. More information on the Global Fund is available at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org">http://www.theglobalfund.org</a>. Reports from the Partnership Meeting will soon be available at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/about/forum/2006">http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/about/forum/2006</a>. 
 
(Source: own report) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Global Fund Donors Meet 
 
After the Forum, representatives of more than twenty donor countries met in Durban for a mid-term review of the first replenishment period 2006-7. Governments are the major source of funding and constant replenishment is required to finance the grants approved in the different funding rounds. The Fund has, so far, received sufficient pledges to cover the costs of Phase 2 renewals for Rounds 1 to 5, but is short of funding for the cost of Round 6 for which proposals were submitted by 3 August, and for Round 7, which is anticipated to be launched next year. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 61, 5 July 2006 &ndash; GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Top Pharma Companies Fail to Address Industry Best Practices on HIV/AIDS 
 
In the spotlight of the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Interfaith Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) released a comprehensive study evaluating the pharmaceutical industry&rsquo;s efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the neglected diseases that often accompany the virus. 
The ICCR report &ldquo;Benchmarking AIDS: Evaluating pharmaceutical company responses to the public health crisis in emerging markets&rdquo; highlights the large disparities between industry best practice and the actions of 15 leading pharmaceutical companies. Two major problems were identified: a failure to develop new medicines that also address neglected diseases and a lack of access for poor patients to the existing medicines. 
(Source: ICCR Press Release, 14 August &ndash; <a href="http://www.iccr.org">www.iccr.org</a>)
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G8 HIV/AIDS Renewing its Commitment to Tackle HIV/AIDS 
 
Trade unions welcomed the renewed commitment made by the G8 meeting in St. Petersburg to tackle HIV/AIDS and to create a regular monitoring of its work. This reflects a call made during a year-long campaign by trade unions for Summit leaders to create a reporting framework to ensure progress on fighting the pandemic. 
Fulfilling existing promises is more important than making new ones because the G8 has, so far, failed to review any progress on its own promise, made in 2005 at Gleneagles, for universal access to treatment by 2010. 
 
According to a report published by the World AIDS Campaign (WAC &ndash; <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>) ahead of the Summit, only a fraction of the G8&rsquo;s commitments on health have been taken up over the past five years by the leading economies of the world. According to WAC, accountability on past promises must top the agenda. 
(Sources: Global Unions Press Release, 19 July 2006 and WAC Press Release, 14 July 2006) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Ghana: Business Joins the Fight Against HIV/AIDS 
 
The Ghana Business Coalition against HIV/AIDS was launched in Accra on 25 July. The private sector in Ghana has been slow in responding to HIV/AIDS. 
 
At the launch in Accra, the country&rsquo;s Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, stated that the price of doing nothing at workplaces can be significantly higher than the cost of addressing the epidemic and managing it through workplace programmes, education, advocacy and peer counselling. The Business Coalition will serve as a coordinating body for the private sector response to the epidemic. 
 
(Source: Accra Mail, 26 July) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
News from GUFs: HIV/AIDS Workshops during the ITF Congress 
 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) has intensified its commitment to fight the pandemic, especially among transport workers who, due to their working conditions and mobility, are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. 
 
The ITF&rsquo;s new HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Dr Asif Altaf, runs the international&rsquo;s global programme. During the 41st ITF Congress in Durban, two workshops on HIV/AIDS and transport workers were organised. The high attendance and active participation was a good reflection of the commitment and dedication of ITF affiliates to protect transport workers and their families. Without the active involvement of transport workers, and their unions, it is impossible to develop an effective response to the pandemic. 
At the Congress, the documentary &ldquo;Highway of Hope&rdquo; was launched. It highlights the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS crisis affecting transport workers on the Northern Corridor &ndash; the strategic highway connecting Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. 
(Source: ITF HIV/AIDS update 4, 15 August) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Kenya HIV/AIDS Patients to Get New ARV Drug 
 
Kenya is to receive the first shipment of a new HIV/AIDS drug that could help patients whose treatment with first-line ARVs has failed. Abbott Laboratories manufactures the drug, Kaletra, which is available in the US for USD 9,000 per patient per year. The cost in Kenya will be USD 500, following price concessions by Abbott. 
Unlike other ARVs, Kaletra does not require refrigeration, which means it can easily be transported to remote areas. The international humanitarian organisation Medicins sans Fronti&egrave;res is importing the initial shipment.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 11/12

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Oil fields workers&rsquo; in southern Chad launched a three-day strike against Esso-Tchad, US-based ExxonMobil&rsquo;s operating unit there, over wage discrimination and neglect over implementation of a career development plan by the oil and gas supermajor. Oil workers in Chad are also upset that the money produced through their labours is not reflected in their socioeconomic standing. 
 
The strike by over 400 workers lasted from 4 to 6 July in the Doba oil fields of Kome, Miandoum, and Bolobo. Oil workers served notice that future strikes would occur, possibly production of the 200,000 barrel-a-day output sent through the three-year-old Chad-Cameroon pipeline, unless workers&rsquo; demands are met. The strike was caused by Esso-Tchad when it placed an inferior pay offer before the workers a day before the walkout began. 
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Management offered a pay increase of only 7.5%, while workers are seeking 25% in order to bring pay levels closer to oil workers on the transit side of the upstream development in Cameroon. Chad&rsquo;s national labour centre, Union des Syndicats de Tchad (UST), is assisting oil workers in talks. 
 
In March, the union representing the workers issued demands in the form of a statement that called out the unequal pay practices between oil workers in Chad and Cameroon, and charged that a phantom &ldquo;career progression plan had never been seen by the Chadian personnel, who continue to receive a salary that is not equivalent to the services rendered or the socioeconomic situation.&rdquo; Esso-Tchad made no response to those demands. 
 
The Doba fields, connected to the Cameroon port of Kribi by a 1,063-kilometre pipeline, belong to a consortium of oil companies, with ExxonMobil holding 40%, Malaysia&rsquo;s Petronas 35%, and US-based Chevron a 25% stake. The World Bank-funded development project became mired in controversy when, in January 2006, Chad&rsquo;s government changed the bank&rsquo;s financial arrangements, and diverted monies away from poverty relief and social programmes to counter civil strife, leading to a mass of refugees entering eastern Chad from the Sudan. 
 
With a stalemate brought by the World Bank&rsquo;s dispute with Chad&rsquo;s government, ExxonMobil decided to stop royalty payments to the government of Chad, worth some US$20 million per month, which further choked resources in one of the world&rsquo;s poorest countries. 
 
The World Bank-sponsored Chad-Cameroon pipeline has been plagued by other labour and human rights problems as well. In September 2005, Chad&rsquo;s national gendarmerie broke up peaceful protests by contract workers who had been denied overtime pay while employed by Chad-Cameroon Constructors, the oil companies&rsquo; consortium building the pipeline. The police action left three dead and three seriously injured.

Chad’s Oil Workers Target ExxonMobil for Strike Action

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