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Stefan L&ouml;fven was elected President of Nordic IN at a Congress held 15 June in Reykjavik, Iceland. Nordic IN is a regional trade union federation, representing 1.2 million workers of 22 affiliated national unions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. 
 
L&ouml;fven, who is the president of Swedish ICEM affiliate, IF Metall, the metal and chemical workers&rsquo; union, succeeds Kjell Bj&oslash;rndalen, who retired. Nordic-In&rsquo;s biennial Congress, attended by 70 delegates, also elected Thorkild Jensen, from Denmark's CO-industri, and Mari-Ann Krantz, from Sweden's Sif, as vice presidents. Jyrki Raina continues as general secretary. 
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New Nordic IN President Stefan L&ouml;fven
The federation&rsquo;s action programme 2008-2009 adopted at the Reykjavik Congress states that Nordic unions will work together to: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>safeguard the Nordic model with a high unionisation rate, strong collective agreements, social security and workers' participation; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>work towards fair globalisation and to ensure the respect of trade union rights in all parts of the world; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>promote proactive trade, energy and environmental policies; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>train union officers and European Works Council members on networking and on how to handle cross-border restructuring cases in multinational companies; and to </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>promote recruitment of new members and stronger union structures in the Baltic states. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
As part of the Congress, a thematic session was held that included participation by ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and trade union leaders representing the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF), the European Metal Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMF), and the European Mine, Chemical, and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMCEF). 
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Nordic IN General Secretary Jyrki Raina
That session centered on discussion on the future of the trade union movement in the global economy. &ldquo;The work Nordic IN is doing is a prime example of what can be accomplished when trade unions unite and follow a common agenda,&rdquo; said the ICEM&rsquo;s Warda. 
 
Nordic IN, founded on 1 January 2006 with the merger of Nordic Metal and the Nordic Industry Workers&rsquo; Federation (NIF), has as a basic mission to coordinate the policies and action of Nordic trade unions, especially within European industry federations EMF, EMCEF and the European Textile, Clothing, and Leather Federation, as well as within ICEM, IMF, and ITGLWF. 
 
The Congress confirmed that Nordic unions will continue to work to bring industrial workers into one federation in Europe and in the world, in order to maximise our resources in a globalised world.

Nordic IN Holds Biennial Congress in Reykjavik, Iceland

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One of ICEM&rsquo;s UK affiliates, Unite, has released a comprehensive study detailing the use and misuse of agency workers in the UK. The union, Britain&rsquo;s largest and the product of a recent merger between Amicus and the Transport and General Workers Union, released the results of the study to the Department of Trade and Industry early this month. 
 
The study finds systematic abuse and misuse of agency and temporary workers at some of the most visible corporations operating in UK, including Coca-Cola, BMW, Harper Collins Publishers, Norwich Union, Honda, Unisys, and WH Smith. The study was conducted by Unite&rsquo;s Amicus section, throughout the sectors of manufacturing, finance, construction, and graphical/media. 
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&ldquo;Regardless of how you define a McJob, many employers are using agency workers to undermine pay and conditions, and replace permanent workers with cheaper, less qualified labour, leaving hundreds of thousands in a cycle of insecure and low-paid employment,&rdquo; stated Derek Simpson, Unite Joint General Secretary. 
 
The study cites a situation at Unisys in which a contract employer, Right4Staff Agency, had up to five South African data-processing workers share one bed. The workers took turns sleeping, with those not sleeping being at work. At a Honda Civic plant in Swindon, due to growth in sales, the Japanese automaker found it needed an additional 800 workers. But rather than hire and train full-time, permanent staff, local managers turned to an agency called Best Connection. Workers from this agency are paid ₤2-an-hour less than the Honda starting rate and receive a third less holidays. 
 
At Coca-Cola in Wakefield, an agency specifically recruits Polish workers to do quality checking at ₤7-an-hour, nearly half the hourly wage negotiated by Amicus at the plant, and they miss out on a 38% shift allowance. At a BMW plant in Hams Hall, the company&rsquo;s canteen operates with a two-tier pricing system &ndash; with prices higher for temporary staff. Some temp workers at BMW here have laboured for more than five years without being called for full-time employment. 
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Unite blames the UK government with failing to provide equal employment rights to agency and temporary workers, despite a commitment from the 2004 Warwick agreement to do so. That agreement saw the Blair government pledge to implement the measures contained in the proposed EU Directive on Temporary and Agency Workers. Nothing was done. 
 
&ldquo;We expect the new leadership of the Labour government to right this wrong, and implement the measures contained in the proposed (directive),&rdquo; said Simpson. 
 
Earlier this year, a private member&rsquo;s bill in Parliament brought by Labour MP Paul Farelly of Newcastle-under-Lyme was introduced that would have given agency workers the same rights, pensions, and working conditions as full-time workers. But the bill was talked out and denied a vote in the House of Commons.

Unite Study in UK Finds Rampant Abuse of Agency Workers

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With the last hurdle cleared on 13 June for the public stock listing next year of German mining, energy, and chemicals company RAG, IGBCE succeeded in getting workers&rsquo; future security guaranteed, as well as winning retirement security for coalminers in the event mining of anthracite coal ceases in 2018. 
 
The central tenet to a negotiated agreement between German politicians, IGBCE, RAG CEO Werner M&uuml;ller, and others is the creation of a new foundation that will hold a 25.1% in the company, which is expecting a new name once it is listed. The foundation would sell shares in the chemicals, energy, and real estate portion of RAG, with proceeds estimated to range from &euro;6 billion to &euro;8 billion to cover pension and other liabilities. 
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Additionally, RAG will make &euro;3 million available to immediately assist workers at the insolvent Deilmann Haniel Mining Co. in Dortmund. IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt thanked M&uuml;ller for his leadership during the six months of difficult talks. IGBCE also endorsed the decision for M&uuml;ller to hold the central strategic position of the new public-traded company. 
 
&ldquo;It is now finally clear that we will go forward to the stock exchange with an integrated company involving chemicals, energy, and real estate,&rdquo; stated Schmoldt. &ldquo;This is a solid basis for future jobs,&rdquo; adding that financial promises also have been made for the loss of coal-mining jobs, thus meeting that social obligation. 
 
The 13-member board of the new company will include Schmoldt, as well as the current Works Council chairman of RAG.

German IGBCE Wins Financial Security for Workers of RAG

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The demands of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) that caused pipeline strikes near Basra during the week of 4 June were met, thus precluding further strike action that was to occur last week. 
 
On 11 June, leaders of the IFOU met with Iraq&rsquo;s Minister of State for Parliament Affairs, who directly represented Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Pledges that al-Maliki made to the union in mid-May were put into effect, including establishing a committee to deal with oil workers&rsquo; grievances. Those grievances, numbering 16, include salaries, work conditions, health and safety concerns, and a demand for consultation over the future of Iraq&rsquo;s oil industry. 
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In a statement, IFOU President Hassan Jumaa Awad Alasady said, &ldquo;Finally, the workers have won in demanding their legitimate rights. That is why an enlarged meeting was held with his Excellency, Minister of State for Parliament Affairs, lasting five hours (and) resulting in the cessation of all the failings resulting from the conduct of the Iraqi Oil Minister and (his) irresponsible stance. 
 
&ldquo;The activation of the committee formed by the Prime Minister to deal with the outstanding problems was affirmed. And after deliberations within our union, the two sides agreed to halt the strike and to use dialogue in dealings to resolve the outstanding issues.&rdquo; 
 
Basra-area pipeline workers, part of the 26,000-member IFOU, shut down oil pipelines leading to Baghdad on 4 June, and again on 5 June, over the decision by the country&rsquo;s oil minister, Hussein Shahrastani, and the general manager of the pipeline company, Adel Aziz, to void Prime Minister al-Maliki&rsquo;s pledge to IFOU. 
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The strike was suspended late on 5 June when Iraqi military forces surrounded the strikers. Also, IFOU learned that a number of union and strike leaders faced arrest warrants. The ICEM was on the front lines of this dispute, together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the US Solidarity Center, and the UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress, in drawing attention to the plight of strikers. 
 
The ICEM is extremely grateful to its affiliates who quickly responded with messages of support to IFOU, a point that was also made by Comrade Hassan Jumaa Awad: &ldquo;We extend our thanks to all, from across the world, who have campaigned and written to express solidarity with the oil workers and the IFOU.&rdquo;

Iraqi Oil Workers Declare ‘Tactical Victory’ in Southern Strike

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The Finnish Chemical Workers Union, Kemianliitto, signed a new national labour agreement on 8 June with chemical employers. The 30-month accord, coming 15 weeks before a current, two-year agreement is set to expire, covers 20,000 workers in Finland&rsquo;s chemicals, plastics, oil, and petrochemical industries. 
 
It provides for wage increases that are substantially higher than the country&rsquo;s predicted 2% inflation rate will be. 
 
On 12 June, Kemianliitto finished negotiations with rubber sector employers on a similar contract, covering 2,000 rubber workers. And, last night, 17 June, Finland&rsquo;s Union of Salaried Employees&rsquo; Union, Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni, began bargaining with the same employers for a renewal contract to replace the one expiring on 30 September 2007, applying to 6,500 white-collar workers in the chemicals industries.
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Both Kemanianlitto and Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni are ICEM affiliates. 
 
The pact for the 20,000 blue-collar workers includes an immediate bonus this month of between &euro;250 and &euro;305. On 1 October 2007, a pay increase of 3.4% was won, and another 2.5% is due in September 2008. Industry workers will receive a third percentage increase of 2.5% in May 2009, with the contract expiring on 31 January 2010. Additionally, the package includes performance-related increases for 2008 and 2009 that will be negotiated at plant-level, and which should result in a 0.4% bonus each year. 
 
The 8 June accord was the first in this round of bargaining under Finland&rsquo;s incomes policy agreement. The strength of the wage package makes it clear that workers were not harmed by certain industrial employer associations, which chose to forego income policy bargaining at the national confederation level, i.e. centralised bargaining across all Finnish work sectors, and instead, sought national bargaining on a sector-by-sector basis.

Finnish Chemical, Oil Workers Set Pay Patterns for the Country

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Whereas, the dispute between the workers of the National Federation of &ldquo;Chemistry&rdquo; &ndash; CL &ndash; &ldquo;Podkrepa, ICEM affiliate in Bulgaria, and their employer, Turkey-based Sisecam, continues at two glass plants of the Group in Targovishte, Bulgaria; 
 
Whereas, the workers have been on strike since May 19, 2007, demanding a proper payment for night work, as well as for work performed during overtime, beyond the country&rsquo;s legal minimum wage; 
 
Whereas, the workers merely demand their rights, as already guaranteed under existing Bulgarian labour law, and a signed collective agreement with their company; 
 
Whereas, the company continues its resistance toward a reasonable collective agreement and engages in blatant anti-union behaviour; 
 
 
Be it resolved, that the participants at the ICEM regional conference for Central Europe, meeting in Hungary on 5 and 6 June 2007,&nbsp;strongly support the Sisecam workers in their legitimate struggle for justice; 
 
Be it further resolved that the participants vigorously condemn the actions taken by the company to threaten workers, as well as the Bulgarian Government, with withdrawing investment in Bulgaria if existing labour laws are not changed, and if the union does not halt the strike.

ICEM resolution on Sisecam dispute in Bulgaria

Due to the Iraqi military surrounding striking Basra oil pipeline workers, the 20-million-member ICEM today called on the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to conclude peaceful negotiations with the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) in order to resolve their legitimate trade union demands. 
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In a letter to the Prime Minister from ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, the global union federation of oil, gas, and energy unions throughout the world, stated, &ldquo;On Tuesday evening, we learnt from the union that the Iraqi army had surrounded the strikers yesterday (5 June). The situation was, we understand, extremely tense. Urgent negotiations with your representatives have led to a temporary return to work to allow further negotiations, but the army remains in position and the situation remains very tense.&rdquo; 
Pipeline workers of the 26,000-member IFOU, first struck pipe number 42 in the early hours of Monday, 4 June, following a company communication that a normal payment made to workers would not be forthcoming. Prior to the strike there had been weeks of negotiation, over a range of demands including terms and conditions of work, health and safety, and the future of the oil industry in Iraq. 
The following morning, 5 June, the strike strengthened when oil workers cut off the flow of oil from another pipeline. That was followed by Iraqi military troops surrounding the strikers. 
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&ldquo;I assure you that military intervention in the dispute is not the way to resolve matters,&rdquo; stated the ICEM letter to Prime Minister al-Maliki. &ldquo;In particular, we urge you to ensure that there are no arrests or detentions of any strikers or strike leaders, and no one involved is physically harmed. Genuine negotiations over the workers&rsquo; legitimate grievances must take place.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM is calling on all its 384 affiliated trade unions in 124 countries to send messages of support to IFOU. The ICEM is coordinating efforts to assist the IFOU together with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the US Solidarity Center, and the UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress. 
 
For background on this week&rsquo;s strike, visit <a href="/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/2284-ICEM-Supports-IFOU-in-Today’s-Oil-Industry-Strike-in-Basra">/en/77-All-ICEM-News-Releases/2284-ICEM-Supports-IFOU-in-Today&rsquo;s-Oil-Industry-Strike-in-Basra</a>. 
 
For further information, contact Jim Catterson, Intl. Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) Energy Officer: +32 2 626 2045 - <a href="mailto:Jim.catterson@icem.org">Jim.catterson@icem.org</a>

ICEM Protests Iraqi Military’s Involvement in Basra Oil Strike

ICEM Contract and Agency Labour Newsletter

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Negotiations concluded on 19 June in Baku, Azerbaijan, between ICEM affiliate Oil and Gas Industry Workers&rsquo; of Azerbaijan (OGWUA) and the Caspian Shipyards Co. Ltd., producing wage gains and health and safety improvements for some 1,000 contract employees. 
They work in the construction of offshore rigs for Agip, a subsidiary of Italian energy firm Eni, as well as repairing and upgrading other offshore equipment.
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The mostly Azeri workforce staged a wildcat strike on 11 June over disparate pay and unfair working conditions. 

The workers at Caspian Shipyards, majority owned by Keppel FELS of Singapore, will now have a legitimate workplace organisation under OGWUA. The negotiations result in a US$78 increase to offset inflation, as well as a 6% wage increase retroactive to 1 June 2008. Minimum salaries have also been increased from a low of $US140-per-week to US$300. Further wage talks will occur annually, beginning in February 2009. 

Management at Caspian Shipyards also agreed to continue dialogue on making health and safety improvements, signing long-term contracts, annual paid leave, and reducing the disparity between foreign workers and Azeri workers.
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&ldquo;Our union views the results of these negotiations to resolve the Caspian Shipyards conflict as positive,&rdquo; said OGWUA Chairman Jahangir Aliyev. &ldquo;At the same time, we fully realise that not all of the issues have been resolved. However, the work to resolve the social and economic issues will now continue and appropriate monitoring and implementation has been put in place.&rdquo;

Azerbaijan Oil and Gas Workers’ Union Again Wins Recognition, Pay Gains for Contractors

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A second four-day strike by contract drivers of Royal Dutch Shell in the UK was not necessary for 20-23 June. ICEM affiliate Unite, representing 600 tank-truck drivers of Hoyer and J.W. Suckling Transport Ltd., won a two-year, 14% pay increase for the drivers instead, thanks to a strike two weeks ago that pressured Shell. 
 
The agreement came in the days following the end of the first industrial action on 17 June. Drivers voted by a 453-56 margin to accept a pay package that will give them a 9% this year, and 5% in 2009. The wage gains met Unite&rsquo;s goal of lifting drivers&rsquo; gross pay to &pound;36,000 per year.
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A strike from 13 June to the early morning hours of 17 June stopped petrol supplies at Shell&rsquo;s 950 retail stations in the UK, and severely impacted delivery of fuel for BP, Total, and Esso. Most drivers for those companies refused to cross picket lines at Shell depots and terminals. 
 
The dispute was unique for contract workers, since it saw a union successfully bring pressure on a primary company over low contract fees paid to service providers. Unite&rsquo;s pressure on Shell brought the wage increases for drivers, who are directly employed by Hoyer UK, a transport company based in Germany, and J.W. Suckling, wholly owned by the UK equity firm, Harris Holdings.

Tank-Truck Contract Drivers’ Dispute Ends in UK with Pressure Against Shell

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