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The on-again, off-again bid by NUM in South Africa to save jobs at Harmony Gold Mining Ltd. is on again as the two sides this past weekend signed an agreement preventing closure of six mineshafts targeted by the company. In April, the firm agreed on a process to continue employment for 5,000 miners, but that was broken in late June when Harmony insisted the jobs must go. The latest agreement calls for a plan to integrate both marginal and profitable shafts, thus creating new job opportunities. &ldquo;We are in the process of creating history with this agreement,&rdquo; said NUM Gen. Sec. Gwede Mantashe. &ldquo;The fact that we ensured that the shafts are not closed augurs well for our goal to save jobs.&rdquo;

NUM, Harmony Gold Resume Talks in South Africa

German and French unions are teaming up to block the hostile takeover of German-French pharmaceutical Aventis by French rival Sanofi-Synthelabo. Hubertus Schmoldt, president of German IGBCE and Patrick Pierron, general secretary of the French union FCE-CFDT, oppose the hostile takeover. They fear massive job cuts in both countries will result, and jointly expressed disdain over how the takeover was set up. &ldquo;A hostile takeover such as this is counter-production to the stock market. There are hardly any winners with such actions, but certainly plenty of losers,&rdquo; the two unions said.

French, German Unions Resist Aventis, Sanofi Chemical Merger

<p>The framework accord reached in May between South African affiliate NUM and Harmony Gold Mining Ltd. Was broke last week when the firm refused to budge on its initial stand of sacking 5,000 workers at six mine shafts. &ldquo;Clearly, Harmony is not interested in savings jobs but wishes to wait out the situation by mothballing shafts until the price of gold improves,&rdquo; said NUM Gen. Sec. Gwede Mantashe. &ldquo;Their emphasis is more on cost-cutting and efficiency improvement, going against the framework we developed on jobs.&rdquo; The union has declared a dispute with Harmony through a formal letter to the company and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration</p>

NUM marches over Job Retrenchments in South Africa

The framework accord reached in May between South African affiliate NUM and Harmony Gold Mining Ltd. was broken last week when the firm refused to budge on its initial stand of sacking 5,000 workers at six mine shafts. &ldquo;Clearly, Harmony is not interested in saving jobs but wishes to wait out the situation by mothballing shafts until the price of gold improves,&rdquo; said NUM Gen. Sec. Gwede Mantashe. &ldquo;Their emphasis is more on cost-cutting and efficiency improvement, going against the framework we developed on saving jobs.&rdquo; The union has declared a dispute with Harmony through a formal letter to the company and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.

Harmony Gold Breaches Agreement with NUM in South Africa

Also in Nigeria, a day-long &ldquo;warning strike&rdquo; 22 June by NUPENG and PENGASSAN against Shell Petroleum Development Co. was conducted at worksites in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri. The action was taken over a document produced by Shell stating that the firm intends to cut between 30-40% of its 5,000-member workforce in Nigeria.

Warning Strike Launched at Shell in Nigeria

Protest actions began today by ICEM&rsquo;s two Nigerian affiliates, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, aimed at forcing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. to upgrade four oil refineries. Following a 24 June joint emergency meeting of the National Executive Council of the two unions, a five-point communiqu&eacute; was issued to the government to revitalize the refineries in order that petrol prices in Nigeria be stabilized. The unions gave the government a 21-day ultimatum beginning today; otherwise a national strike of the refineries will be called.

Nigerian Oil Affiliates Seek Upgrades to Refineries

German affiliate IGBCE is calling on both the European Commission and the social partners in Germany to take action to strengthen the industrial policy of European nations. The union is seeking a joint approach including unions, governments and companies working together to achieve such a policy.

German Affiliate IGBCE Seeks Stronger Industrial Plan in Europe

US affiliate PACE&rsquo;s five hunger strikers ended their protest in Taiwan 17 June after seven days of only consuming water. The hunger strike is in protest to Continental Carbon&rsquo;s 37-month lockout of 86 workers at a carbon black in Ponca City, Oklahoma. The hunger strikers and supporters did enter the AGM of one of the company&rsquo;s parents, China Synthetic Rubber Corp., but were denied the opportunity to speak by armed security guards. For detailed information on the Americans&rsquo; protest in Taiwan this month, see www.fightbackonline.org.

PACE Union Members End Hunger Strike in Taiwan

ICEM affiliate FNV Bondgenoten of The Netherlands is in dispute with French-based BSN Glasspack at three plants just as Europe&rsquo;s second largest glassmaker has been bought by Owens-Illinois of the US. The employer is seeking to escape pension obligations, raise the retirement age from 62 to 63, and cut a profit-sharing plant for 200 workers at plants in Leerdam, Maastricht and Schiedam. Workers are steadfast against BSN&rsquo;s concessionary proposal. The collective agreement expires 1 July.

FNV Bondgenoten in Glass Dispute in NL

A three-day general strike in Nigeria ended 11 June after a federal court in Abuja ordered petrol and fuel prices lowered. The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo has sought to remove petrol subsidies in the oil-rich nation, a move that drove up fuel prices and pushed inflation levels to 20%. Two strikers were shot and killed 10 June by aggressive police forces outside the offices of the Nigerian Labour Congress after they accompanied NLC leaders on a mission to monitor petrol prices. Both ICEM affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN were front and center in the strike. Obasanjo retaliated against the nationwide shutdown by threatening to amend the Trades Union Act of 2003 that effectively would dissolve the NLC and other democratic unions, but popular sentiment by both legislators and the general populace make this an unlikely action.

Nigerian Unions Win General Strike with Petrol Price Decrease

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