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International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers 
 
On 28 April, the trade union movement remembers over two million workers who die and millions more who are injured, or who fall sick each year due to unsafe, unhealthy or unsustainable work and workplaces. 
The slogan for this year&rsquo;s 28 April Commemoration Day is &ldquo;Union Workplaces &ndash; Safe Workplaces&rdquo; and the selected themes are: The Global Union Ban Asbestos Campaign, HIV/AIDS &ndash; workplace aspects and implementation of programme response, and ILO Conventions and Instruments that relate to Occupational Health and Safety. 
 
Unions the world over are called upon to mobilise workers to seek government and employer support of a total ban of asbestos; to promote action on HIV/ADS as a workplace issue and to convince the next G8 summit to establish a permanent working party on HIV/AIDS; and to encourage governments to ratify key ILO occupational health and safety instruments. 
 
A 28 April guide, issued by the Global Unions, can be accessed <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpH_3d.EN.pdf">here</a>. The backgrounder provides a history of 28 April and points to a wide variety of activities that trade unions can implement on the day itself. Specifically on HIV/AIDS, we draw your attention to the trade union country profiles. these can be found <a href="http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpT_4a.EN.pdf">here</a>. 
 
 
New UNAIDS Website 
 
UNAIDS has launched a new version of its website complete with a new navigation, branding and logo <a href="http://www.unaids.org/">www.unaids.org</a>. The website, which will also be available in French, Spanish and Russian, provides content specifically chosen for each audience group: business and labour; civil society; donors; media; people living with HIV/AIDS; policy-makers; researchers; the UN family; and women, as well as an easier more intuitive navigation structure. 
 
The new focus of the website is to include all the relevant documentation and publications but also to highlight the impact of UNAIDS&rsquo; work through its cosponsors and partners. Each of the new sections provides additional background information, relevant publications and links to outside sources. 
 
At <a href="http://www.unaids.org/en/mediacentre/newsletter">www.unaids.org/en/mediacentre/newsletter</a>&nbsp;you can find the new UNAIDS quarterly newsletter. The first issue features a letter from the UNAIDS Executive Director, information on a regional consultation on universal access in Latin America and UNAIDS support to Kenya. Future issues will be available in French, Spanish and Russian. Subscriber information is available online at <a href="http://www.unaids.org/Services/Subscribe.aspx">www.unaids.org/Services/Subscribe.aspx</a>. 
 
 
World AIDS Campaign Calls for Greater Accountability 
 
Governments and international agencies are coming under pressure to answer for the specific HIV and AIDS commitments and promises they have made. In a new report, the World AIDS Campaign (WAC) closely examines statements, commitments and declarations made by governments and intergovernmental organisations in the past five years, and asks how they hold up under scrutiny as genuine promises. 
 
The WAC Report, entitled &ldquo;Promises, Promises &hellip;.&rdquo; reveals the growing gap between what governments say they will do about HIV and AIDS and what is actually achieved. It argues that the most significant promises were made during the special session of the UN General Assembly in June 2001 when the Declaration of Commitment was solemnly adopted by all member states of the UN. 
A review of the progress on the Declaration will be made at a special session in June 2006 (see e-bulletin No. 5, February 2006). For the full WAC report, go to <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>. 
 
 
Pakistan Labour Federation Holds Seminar 
 
The Pakistan Labour Federation organised a one-day seminar in collaboration with UNAIDS on the responsibilities of trade union leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Atia Saleem, Chairperson of PFL&rsquo;s Women&rsquo;s Wing, stressed that HIV/AIDS should not be an issue discussed only once a year. 
From the first cases reported in 1987, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has soared. Trade unions, with their presence at the workplace, have an important role to play in implementing anti-discrimination policies and they can contribute to home and community care. 
(Source: PLF News Release) 
 
 
Generic Drugs 
 
A deal between Bristol-Myers Squibb and two generic drug makers (Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa and Emcure Pharmaceuticals in India) will allow cheaper versions of its newest AIDS drug to be made available in sub-Saharan Africa and India. The agreement includes the transfer of technology covering manufacture, testing, packaging, storage and handling of the drug&rsquo;s active ingredient. 
(Source: Business Day, Johannesburg, 17 February 2006) 
 
 
Product RED to Fight AIDS in Africa 
 
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bono announced Product RED, an economic initiative designed to deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). Leading brands have made a commitment to channel a portion of profits from sales of specially-designed RED products to the GFATM to support AIDS programmes in Africa with a focus on women and children. 
 
The GFATM has welcomed this new initiative. Through RED and other initiatives it hopes to increase the private sector share of income from less than one percent currently to ten percent or more in the long term. Nelson Mandela added, &ldquo;We must all come together in supporting the Global Fund and the fight against AIDS. RED carries the promise of capturing the world&rsquo;s attention to do just that and I applaud RED and its partners for their vision and commitment.&rdquo; 
 
Go to <a href="http://www.joinred.com/">www.joinred.com</a>&nbsp;to find out more. 
 
 
Joint publication on co-investment and public-private partnerships (PPP) 
 
The Deutsche Gesellschaft f&uuml;r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the Global Business Coalition on AIDS (GBC), the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the ILO and the World Bank have joined forces to produce &ldquo;Making Co-investment a Reality &ndash; Strategies and Experiences.&rdquo; The publication explains how co-investment can strengthen HIV/AIDS workplace programmes and extend them into the community. It gives examples and lessons learned on PPP and co-investment. 
The publication can be accessed at 
<a href="http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/publ/gtzgbccoinvest.pdf">http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids 
/publ/gtzgbccoinvest.pdf</a>. 
 
 
Update from ILOAIDS 
 
At the beginning of the year, ILOAIDS has released a number of new publications. Most important of these is the booklet &ldquo;Workplace Action on HIV/AIDS &ndash; How to Access Funds at the National Level,&rdquo; which you can find at <a href="http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/publ/resmob.pdf">http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav 
/aids/publ/resmob.pdf</a>. 
The booklet contains a set of fact sheets to help workers&rsquo; and employers&rsquo; organisations identify sources of funding and understand the mechanisms necessary in order to apply for them. 
A complementary guidance note for proposal writing is in preparation. This will be posted on the ILOAIDS website <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids">www.ilo.org/aids</a>, where you can also find the other recently released publications such as &ldquo;The Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Labour Force in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Preliminary Assessment,&rdquo; and &ldquo;ILO/AIDS Brief on Women, Girls, HIV/AIDS and the World of Work,&rdquo; which is now also available in French and Spanish. 
 
Reminder: In the first issue of our e-bulletin, October 2005, we drew your attention to the ILOAIDS 24-hour News Service. You can register under <a href="http://campo.ilo.org/cmdb-access">http://campo.ilo.org/cmdb-access</a> and indicate your language preference. For up-to-date daily news on HIV/AIDS and the world of work this new website is highly recommended (it will take you no more than 3 minutes to register). 
 
 
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: <a href="/?id=72&amp;doc=1673">/?id=72&amp;doc=1673</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 6

To: All ICEM affiliates in Nepal 
 
Brussels, 12 April 2006 
 
Dear friends and colleagues, 
 
Ever since the illegitimate takeover of power by King Gyanendra in February 2005, the ICEM has been closely following the courageous efforts of its affiliated trade unions and others in Nepal. We are proud to have been able to support you and other trade unions as you have staged and taken part in the many demonstrations and protests actions against the king&rsquo;s autocratic rule. 
 
As we follow the unfolding events of the present time, we look in disbelief at how the so-called government in Nepal clings on to power using a wide range of brutal measures which seem to be installed specifically to hurt its own people. 
 
The ICEM strongly protests against the many arrests in Nepal that have taken place over the last few days, including the many arrests of both ordinary trade union members as well as trade union leaders. We also condemn the increasing violence used against the people of Nepal. We forcefully support the actions of the independent trade unions in Nepal as part of the broader struggle for the restoration of democracy. 
 
In name of the 20 million members of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions from 122 countries, I would like you to congratulate you on your actions so far and let you know that we are firmly with you and the Nepalese people in your united struggle against the royal oppression during this strike and beyond. 
 
In Solidarity! 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM letter of support for Nepalese affiliates

In the latest example of the appaling series of human and trade union rights violations in Colombia, the ICEM has learned of the murder of brother Daniel Cortez Cortez, a member of ICEM&rsquo;s Colombian affiliate Sintraelecol. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On Sunday April 2nd, brother Cortez was murdered in Puerto Parra, near the city of Barrancabermeja, the third largest city in Colombia, in a region known to be controlled by the paramilitaries. For the last 16 years, he has been working for the energy company Empresa Electrificadora de Santander, where he had been an active trade union member from the day he started. 
 
Daniel Cortez was assassinated at night on April 2nd. Attacked by a group of paramilitaries, he died instantly when he was shot in the face. He leaves behind a wife and four children and the ICEM offers its sincere&nbsp;condolences to his family, colleagues and friends. 
 
In a <a href="/index.php?id=26&amp;doc=1756&amp;la=EN">letter to the Colombian authorities</a>, the ICEM calls for an urgent, full and open investigation into the exact circumstances of this brutal assassination. Those responsible for the crime need to be brought to justice and convicted. 
 
The murder is, regrettably, not a stand alone case. Far more trade unionists are murdered in Colombia every year then anywhere else in the world. According to preliminary figures, over 70 murders on trade unionists were counted last year. In 2004, there were at least 99. 
 
&ldquo;This murder can not be just another addition to an already lengthy list. We need to keep realising that every time a trade unionist is killed in Colombia, a new tragedy unfolds. Each time, new families, other colleagues and different communities are faced with the loss of a family member, a colleague or a friend&rdquo; said Fred Higgs, General Secretary of the ICEM. &ldquo;It is imperative that we continue our demands on the Colombian government for effective protection for trade unionists in Colombia.&rdquo;

Member of Sintraelecol, ICEM Affiliate in Colombia, murdered

Meeting in Istanbul on 6 and 7 April, delegates at the ICEM&rsquo;s 3rd World Conference for the Rubber Industries ended two days of discussions and information exchange on Friday with the adoption of a plan for action. 
<img height="120" alt="" src="" width="120" />
Topics at the conference included current world-wide trends in the rubber industries, one of the most oligopolistic industrial sectors, and their effect on workers, as well as the need for multinational companies to guarantee respect for national and international workers&rsquo; rights. The conference was attended by over 100 representatives from 16 ICEM affiliated rubber sector trade unions from 14 countries. 
 
At the conference, two special resolutions were adopted. The first one dealt with the recently announced Goodyear plant closures in the UK and Poland, declaring international solidarity support towards the Goodyear workers in those countries. 
<img height="213" alt="" src="" width="390" />
The second resolution calls on Goodyear, Bridgestone and Pirelli to &ldquo;exert common sense and to bargain in good faith&rdquo; with Turkey&rsquo;s ICEM affiliate Lastik-Iş. These three companies take a very harsh approach to collective bargaining in Turkey. They are not only demanding concessions in working conditions, they have also consistently called on the Turkish government to ban strikes, while simultaneously threatening to leave the country. 
 
The conference adopted an action plan for the next four years, setting out broad guidelines for international trade union action at both national and international level. An important priority in the action plan is the need for continued and improved dialogue with multinational companies in the rubber sector, including through global framework agreements and global trade union networks. Special emphasis also goes to health and safety issues. 
Other priority areas are the difficulties related to the increased use of contract and agency labour and the fight for gender equality. 
 
Leo Gerard, International President of ICEM&rsquo;s US affiliate USW (United Steelworkers), was re-elected as Chair of the ICEM rubber section. 
 
Speaking at the conclusion of the conference, ICEM general secretary Fred Higgs said that &ldquo;The discussions, resolutions and adoption of a forward looking action plan by the conference demonstrates that unions around the world in the rubber sector are determined to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing industry on the basis of mutual support and solidarity&rdquo;. 
 
 

For the resolution on the Goodyear plant closings in the UK and Poland, <a href="/index.php?id=164&amp;doc=1754&amp;la=EN">click here</a>. 
 
For the resolution on collective bargaining in Turkey, <a href="/index.php?id=164&amp;doc=1750&amp;la=EN">click here</a>.&nbsp;
For more information on this conference, including background documents and presentations, <a href="/index.php?id=164&amp;la=EN">click here</a>.

ICEM’s World Rubber Conference Reacts to the Challenges of Globalisation

BAE, Kang-wook 
President 
Korean Chemical and Textile Workers Federation (KCTF) 
Third floor, Woosung Building 
94-14 Yeongdeungpo-dong 7-ga 
Yeongdeungpo 
Seoul 150-037 
SOUTH KOREA 
 
by fax: + 82-2-26.32.47.55 
by&nbsp;e-mail: <a href="mailto:kctfim@hanmail.net">kctfim@hanmail.net</a> 

Dear Sisters and Brothers of KCTF-KCTU in Korea, 
 
We are informed by the ICEM that your union has been, since 2004, the victim of an anti-union repression by GS Caltex, and that you now have decided to launch a boycott campaign against GS Caltex products in Korea. This letter is meant to offer our union&rsquo;s support and encouragement in your courageous fight against the unfair labor practices by GS Caltex. 
 
We understand that some 30 union leaders at GS Caltex have been dismissed in August 2004 and that eight have faced criminal charges for carrying out their legitimate union duties. It is clear that GS Caltex wanted to punish these dedicated trade unionists, as well as the KCFT-KCTU itself, for its trade union actions. This behavior by the company is abhorrent and far from what can and should be expected in developed and civilized nations. GS Caltex needs to start bargaining in good-faith. 
 
It is also deplorable that the South Korean Government has collaborated with the management of GS Caltex by assisting in the suppression of reasonable union demands through dispatching anti-riot police units and arresting union members. 
 
We salute KCFT-KCTU for undertaking this brave struggle in defense of basic trade union rights, particularly the fight for freedom of association. Please know that the members and leaders of our union stand firmly with you in your pursuit of justice and dignity. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
 
(Name) 
(Title) 
(Union)

Model Letter of Support to KCTF

<a href="http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1582&amp;L2=1&amp;L3=106">OUTSOURCING GROWS UP</a> 
 
Written in early 2005 by two partners of the McKinsey&rsquo;s London office, this article shows that the ICEM views on contract and agency labour are beginning to be accepted by influential Management Consultants. 
 
According to the article, the main objective of the first companies using outsourcing, was purely to reduce costs. That has changed somewhat. It is now generally accepted that companies also use contract and agency labour to improve their operational performance. 
 
The authors&rsquo; research shows that, in spite of this change,&nbsp;few companies changed the way they make their deals. They also say that that &ldquo;up to 50% of outsourcing arrangements fail to deliver the expected value&rdquo;. 
 
Examples are given of companies experiencing severe problems during the operation of the contract, due to the fact that they did not have a clear strategy at the beginning of the process. Towards the end, the article argues to work with all the internal stakeholders that will be affected by the move, including union representatives. 
The article can be found here: 
<a href="http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1582&amp;L2=1&amp;L3=106">http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/ 
article_page.aspx?ar=1582&amp;L2=1&amp;L3=106</a>

Useful Background Articles on Contract and Agency Labour

The 20-million-member ICEM today condemns King Gyanendra and his autocratic rule in Nepal for the arrests and intimidation of dozens of pro-democracy activists in the days leading up to a four-day general strike beginning tomorrow, 6 April. The ICEM also condemns the absolute monarchy&rsquo;s threat to civil servants and professionals, who have been served notice that participation in the strike could mean dismissals or job transfers to remote areas of the Himalayan country. 
 
Specifically, the ICEM calls attention to the arrest yesterday of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) official Ramesh Badal. He was seized in New Baneswer as he was speaking to the Professional Alliance on joining the strike. Badal heads GEFONT&rsquo;s Department of Labour Relations. 
<img height="137" alt="" src="" width="131" /> 
 
Ramesh Badal
&ldquo;Arrests of activists before major strikes and demonstrations have become all too common in Nepal,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &ldquo;But this makes them no less appalling. Real rights and freedoms will not exist until Nepal&rsquo;s monarch lifts his absolute rule and allows political parties to function.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM, a Global Union Federation consisting of 389 affiliates in 122 countries, including four in Nepal, supports the 6-9 April general strike as a means of challenging Gyanendra&rsquo;s autocratic rule, now in place for 14 months. This week&rsquo;s general strike is being called by a wide ranging political coalition called the Seven Parties Alliance. The royal government has countered the strike with prohibition orders banning all assemblies inside the greater Kathmandu area.

ICEM Condemns Arrests, Repression Leading to General Strike

<img height="41" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Exactly one week after the Howard government&rsquo;s WorkChoices legislation in Australia went into effect, labour unions across the country have mounted campaigns to alert workers of the dangers. The unions also are preparing to oust Prime Minister John Howard from office at the time of next elections in 18 months. Several unions have established websites where workers can post and respond to employer abuses. 
The new law went into effect on 27 March and, in short, dismantles collective bargaining in favour of a system of individual contracts and exempts employers with fewer than 100 workers from unfair dismissal claims. 
In the first week alone, Australian unions have noted a rash of abuses. For instance, in South Australia, a hotel has announced a restructuring plan in which it will half its workforce, and place all staff on individual contracts with longer work hours. At another business in New South Wales, a company sacked all 29 of its employees and invited them to apply for 20 jobs based on individual contracts with salaries of A$180 per week less. 
<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM affiliate Australian Manufacturing Workers Union has begun a campaign entitled &ldquo;WhatChoice?&rdquo; and the Australian Council of Trade Unions, in conjunction with several states, is bringing legal action to reverse the law.

Australia’s Labour Reform Strips Workers of Protections

<img height="41" src="" width="100" alt="" />
South African affiliate National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has challenged Harmony Gold Mining&rsquo;s sacking of 300 contract workers without consulting the union. Harmony fired contractor DBE Mining at the Kalgold mine in the Northern Cape, and will bring in a new contractor employing other workers. 
NUM, which has filed a complaint over the matter in a South African labour court, is demanding that Harmony, &ldquo;in the current climate of a boom in gold prices,&rdquo; hire the 300 on a permanent basis. 
In a statement, NUM said, &ldquo;Harmony would like to hide behind the myth that the 300 workers are employees of a contractor while in reality they do critical work in a Harmony mine &hellip; subcontracting and outsourcing are new forms of exploitation through which big companies try to exonerate themselves from the stain of careless laying off of employees.&rdquo;

Layoffs of Contract Workers Challenged by NUM

<img height="41" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Trade union members of Amicus, an ICEM affiliate in the UK, staged a second four-hour strike on 30 March at International Paper Co.&rsquo;s Inverurie mill in Scotland. The union and its 231 members at the paper mill will escalate industrial actions this week with two further strikes, tomorrow and Thursday, 4 and 6 April, if the company does not revise a pay offer for 2006 and 2007. 
Management has proposed an unacceptable pay freeze for this year and a minimal one-off payment in 2007. Workers for the past two years have contributed part of their weekly earnings to help fill a gap in the company&rsquo;s pension scheme. The industrial actions have boosted Amicus support inside the printing and writing papers mills, as well as in the nearby community of Aberdeenshire.

Further Strikes at IP Paper Mill in Scotland

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