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UK unions, particularly Amicus, are supporting Action Mesothelioma Day tomorrow, 27 February, to draw attention to the tens of thousands of workers and family members suffering from asbestos-related cancer. The campaign is headed by the British Lung Foundation.
Amicus, which has already distributed thousands of posters to convenors and shop stewards, is urging members to stage a one-minute period of silence at their worksites tomorrow. One Amicus action in particular has drawn attention: the convenor at the union&rsquo;s Crewe branch, home to workers employed at Bombardier Transport, has led a drive to erect a park bench in the municipal square of Crewe to commemorate Amicus members who have died or are suffering from mesotheliama. 
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Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body&rsquo;s internal organs. The resulting cancer can develop long after exposure to asbestos. 
 
Most people who develop the disease have worked in jobs where they have inhaled asbestos particles. Family members have also been known to develop it through contact with working parents in high-risk jobs, or merely by washing the work clothes of such workers. 
 
In the UK, about 2,000 people per year die from mesothelioma. It is estimated that by 2050, 95,000 people will have died from the disease. 
 
&ldquo;Mesothelioma can develop up to 60 years after exposure to asbestos and because of this long delay, it has been calculated that the number of UK cases will continue to rise until 2015,&rdquo; said Amicus Health and Safety Officer Rob Miquel. 
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&ldquo;People have died needlessly from this most painful horrific disease,&rdquo; stated Amicus Gen. Sec. Derek Simpson. &ldquo;We will continue to fight for better working conditions, so that our children will not suffer the same fate.&rdquo; 
 
The British Lung Foundation&rsquo;s campaign began on 26 February 2006, when it presented the &ldquo;Mesothelioma Charter&rdquo; with 14,000 signatures to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. The charter calls for better protection for employees from asbestos, better care and treatment for those inflicted with asbestos-related diseases, and more funding for research. Further information on the day and on the drive to stop this deadly disease can be found at the campaigning pages of the foundation&rsquo;s website, <a href="http://www.lunguk.org/getting-involved.asp">http://www.lunguk.org/getting-involved.asp</a>.

‘Action Mesothelioma Day’ Set in UK for 27 February

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Effective 1 March, German workers in the fine ceramics industry will see wage increases of 3.5%. This was announced in a statement on 16 February by ICEM German affiliate IGBCE, which negotiated the increase. 
 
The IGBCE&rsquo;s wage negotiating committee for the ceramics industry unanimously approved the negotiated settlement, calling it a good result and one corresponding to the current position that the industry is in. 
 
The agreement will run for 16 months and, in addition, workers will receive a bonus payment of &euro;100, while trainees in the industry will receive &euro;30. Further elements to the agreement include no changes in work time, and the preservation and enhancement by employers of education opportunities.

IGBCE Negotiates 3.5% Wage Gains for Germany’s Ceramics Workers

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ICEM affiliate IGBCE reminded Germany&rsquo;s coalition government last week that the recent energy summit agreement promised that brown coal will remain the most important product in the country&rsquo;s power generation for the foreseeable future. That promise, however, is threatened by the procedural process inside Germany of Phase II of the European Union&rsquo;s allocation plan for carbon emissions trading. 
 
In order to preserve the future coal mining industry in Germany without state subsidies, stated IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt, the union is advocating more efficient and economical power generation facilities in order to reduce carbon emissions, and to provide safe and reliable energy sources to customers.
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IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt
The prerequisite for that, stated Schmoldt, &ldquo;is sufficient planning and investment now that will ensure coal-driven power stations for the next generation are efficient and economical.&rdquo; 
 
He added that this is now threatened by the revised plans of the Ministry of Environment to meet the EU&rsquo;s carbon emissions plan for the years 2008-2012. The ministry is proposing even stricter regulations that will not only endanger the brown coal industry, but power generation stations themselves. 
 
&ldquo;Irrespective of the ongoing political disputes on the energy policy, what is at stake now is maintaining Germany as an energy producing country,&rdquo; stated Schmoldt.

German Implementation of EU’s Carbon Emissions Plan Could Threaten Energy Summit Accord

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On 19 February, ICEM French affiliate FCE-CFDT successfully concluded wage negotiations in the pharmaceutical industry, achieving a minimum salary increase of 2% for 2007. That is expected to be 0.2% above the French inflation rate for 2007.
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&nbsp;The wage increase is retroactive to 1 January, and the union and employers agreed to meet later in the year to review minimum salary levels, with emphasis particularly on the lowest levels of the scale. 
 
After consulting with pharmaceutical workers, FCE-CFDT and the workers called the wage agreement a result of productive social dialogue between the parties. It does show concrete results for the workers in a period when growth in the French pharmaceutical industry is flat.

French Affiliate, FCE-CFDT, Negotiates Minimum Salary Increases in Pharmaceutical Sector

Se&ntilde;or Alvaro Uribe V&eacute;lez 
Presidente de la Rep&uacute;blica 
Palacio Nari&ntilde;o 
Carrera 8 No. 7-26 
Bogot&aacute; 
 
By Fax: ++57-1-337.58.90 and ++57-1-566.20.71 
 
Brussels, 15 February 2007 
 
 
Mr. President, 
We are writing to you in the aftermath of two recent coal mine disasters in Colombia which saw, in total, the death of almost 40 people. 
 
As you know, the first catastrophe, the worst of its kind in Colombia in 30 years, took place on 3 February, in the San Roque and La Preciosa Mines in Sardinata, Norte de Santander department. Thirty-two miners lost their lives in this tragedy. You visited the mine site after the explosion. 
 
Although you stated a full investigation would occur, you said nothing publicly about the underlying safety and other problems plaguing Colombia&rsquo;s mining industry. 
 
A short two days after your visit, another tragedy struck a mine in G&aacute;meza, Boyac&aacute; department. There, 8 people lost their lives, including a 13-year-old boy who was working inside a shaft mining coal. The mine in G&aacute;meza was operating illegally. 
 
At a time of high demand for coal, with the market situation pushing prices to near record highs, the 20-million-member International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and the 168-million-member International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are deeply concerned about the inadequate or non-existent safety measures that were behind these accidents. 
 
In this context, we condemn your government&rsquo;s policy to weaken the role of the state in the monitoring and verifying process of working conditions in the mines. Through our affiliates, we have been informed of a resulting decline in both the quantity and the quality of labour inspections. This is especially worrisome given that Colombia has ratified ILO Convention No. 81 on Labour Inspections. 
 
We further understand that, with the exception of the major mining companies of the world, which operate vast mineral export businesses in your country, the level of technical and other modern safety devices is totally inadequate in most Colombian underground mines, including in the many illegal ones. 
 
We believe that your government bears much responsibility for this, since safety failures in the mining industry are a result of structural problems that need governmental attention. 
 
We urge your government to assume its direct decision-making role in this regard. We note that Colombia has ratified International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 174, the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention. But we also note that Colombia has ratified neither ILO Convention No. 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, nor Convention No. 155, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention. 
 
We therefore call on the government of Colombia to start the process toward ratification of Convention Nos. 155 and 176 at once. And we urge you, as leader of the growing industrial economy that Colombia has become, to spearhead this effort. 
 
In closing, we state that the right to a safe and secure working environment is an inherent right for all workers. It is the responsibility of governments to assure that right. We look forward to your comments on this important issue. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
Manfred Warda 
ICEM General Secretary 
Guy Ryder 
ITUC General Secretary 

Cc: Embassy of Colombia in Brussels 
International Labour Organisation 
International Council on Mining &amp; Metals

Joint ICEM-ITUC letter to Colombian President on mining disasters

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A study by the Belgian ethical research organisation, Ethibel, of nine North American chemical companies found that DuPont, Dow Chemical, and Monsanto fell far short of a threshold for final analysis because, among other reasons, of the companies labour practices. Ethibel researched various environmental and sustainability criteria in making the study, including the genetic manufacture of agriculture seeds. 
 
DuPont received contrasting commentary on its environmental and sustainable practices. On the one hand, the company received high marks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and for producing energy-efficient, next-generation products and technology. But DuPont also scored highest among 2006 air polluters, according to the US-based Political Economy Research Institute&rsquo;s (PERI) Toxis 100 list. 
The study also showed DuPont as having a &ldquo;major involvement in hazardous chemicals, as well as minor involvement in animal testing and armament.&rdquo; The study also cited DuPont&rsquo;s &ldquo;stout anti-union reputation.&rdquo; 
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Dow Chemical, Ethibel claims in its research, &ldquo;is involved in several disputable practices, union-busting, suing critics, and various environmental air and water pollution cases. In 2006, Dow ranked 11th on PERI&rsquo;s Toxis 100 air pollution list. Monsanto ranked 69. 
 
The labour and environmental shortcomings meant the three companies fell short of eligibility for Ethibel&rsquo;s Excellence Register, or Ethibel&rsquo;s Pioneer Register. 
 
The companies examined by Ethibel, besides DuPont, Dow, and Monsanto, included Air Products and Chemicals, Praxair, Rohm and Haas, PPG Industries, Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan, and Ecolab. Only Air Products and Chemicals, Praxair, Rohm and Haas, and Potash Corporation were found to be eligible for the Ethibel Excellence Register.

DuPont, Dow, Monsanto Fare Poorly in Study of North American Chemical Producers

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Although the ICEM is encouraged by last week&rsquo;s agreement between partisan Palestinian political parties to lay aside their differences and form a working coalition government, a fundamental reason why violence has erupted in Palestine was spelled out by the leader of ICEM&rsquo;s Palestinian affiliate, the General Union of Petroleum, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; in Palestine (GUPMCWP). 
 
Mohammed Jadallah said the withholding of legitimate Palestinian funds by Israel worsens the plight of workers. Jadallah said the continuing occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel and the economic siege have sown seeds of discontent for Palestinians. &ldquo;It is very difficult for people on the outside to understand how difficult daily life is for Palestinian workers,&rdquo; said the president of the GUPMCWP. 
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Mohammed Jadallah
He added that a recent two-day seminar by the union in the West Bank city of Ramallah, attended by 60, revealed that the Palestinians hurt most by Israel&rsquo;s blockade of revenues to his government have been women, children, and the elderly. 
 
Jadallah was speaking after sectarian violence destroyed the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) building on 2 February, an act targeting not only the national centre but also the Voice of Workers&rsquo; radio station situated inside the building. GUPMCWP is an affiliate of the PGFTU. 
 
Jadallah concluded by saying that an end to violence inside Palestine will only occur when Israel and Palestine find a lasting peace in which the security of all people is guaranteed.

Israel’s Withholding of Palestinian Funds Has Incited Violence, GUPMCWP Leader Says

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An advisor to the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW), Dr. Adnan Al-Abed, was found murdered on 31 January, three days after he and two colleagues were abducted in front of the Al-Nahrain University, where he was a law professor. The murders reflect the horrid circumstances that trade unionists and their allies are subjected to every day in attempting to build democratic unions in Iraq. 
 
Dr. Al-Abed was a known supporter of Iraqi unions, who used his expertise to write and publish frequently on labour issues, including revision of an ILO-sponsored draft labour law for Iraq. He was a frequent lecturer at the GFIW-affiliated Institute for Trade Union Education.
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Also on 31 January, a car bomb severely wounded Khalil Ibrahim Al-Mashhadani, vice president of the GFIW. It is believed he was the target of the bomb. Al-Mashhadani also serves as general secretary for the Arab Federation of Building and Woodworkers. Prior to the three-way merger of the GFTU, the IFTU, and the GFITU to form the GFIW, Al-Mashhadani served as president of the GFITU. 
 
Violent acts against Iraqi trade unionists didn&rsquo;t stop with these attacks on 31 January. A car bomb exploded the same day at the GFIW&rsquo;s branch office for the northern province of Nineveh, resulting in injuries to workers and trade union leaders. The car bomb went off in Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province. 
 
GFIW issued the following statement after that morning bomb attack: &ldquo;The terrorist acts, the annihilation of trade unionists, the destruction and occupation of trade union offices, the freezing of the trade union movement&rsquo;s assets, and the placement of obstacles in our way will only increase our resolve to build an independent, democratic trade union movement that is free of government and party hegemony.&rdquo;

Violence in Iraq Aimed at GFIW Trade Unionists Continue

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Following a two-hour warning strike by power-generating and distribution workers on 6 February, the government of Hungary came to a partial agreement with&nbsp;VDSZSZ over the government&rsquo;s plan to eliminate discounted electricity tariffs for workers and retirees of the sector. 
 
Further strikes were called off after VDSZSZ and the Ministry of Economic Affairs met on 7 February and agreed on a temporary plan to preserve the preferential tariff reductions. The union was scheduled to begin an eight-hour strike on 8 February, and then commence with a continuous strike beginning today, 12 February. A Budapest labour court had rejected management&rsquo;s attempt to block the strikes, and ruled that the strikes would be legal.
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&nbsp; 
The talks on 7 February produced the basis of a final agreement between the union and the government, scheduled to occur on 9 May. The Ministry of Economic Affairs guaranteed it would create a legal entitlement that allows electric industry companies to finance discounted fees for 20,000 sector employees and 43,000 retirees. 
 
The government had proposed eliminating the subsidies, effective in July 2007, as part of the liberalisation of the electric industry. 
 
&ldquo;The main point of our agreement is that the discount tariff will remain in place in its present form until the full opening of Hungary&rsquo;s electricity market,&rdquo; VDSZSZ said in a statement. &ldquo;We signed a preliminary agreement which must be followed by a final agreement within 90 days, and with the signing of this preliminary agreement, trade unions will suspend further strikes.&rdquo;

Hungary’s Power Union Preserves Price Subsidies for Electric Workers and Retirees

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Bargaining between ICEM affiliate IGBCE and the BAVC employers&rsquo; association for 550,000 chemical workers in western Germany proved futile on 8 February. After several rounds of talks on regional levels, IGBCE and BAVC met at a national table in Hannover. 
 
The result was non-conclusion, with employers submitting no viable proposals. IGBCE Head of Collective Bargaining, Werner Bischoff, called it &ldquo;completely incomprehensible&rdquo; that chemical employers offered nothing of substance. &ldquo;We want a contract of economic fairness,&rdquo; Werner said. &ldquo;That means: good money for good work.&rdquo; 
 
Werner added that it would be impossible for the union to settle for a wage increase of less than 3% in 2007, while 4% is a fair and realistic target. &ldquo;We seek an attractive proposal that addresses the unique position the industry is in,&rdquo; he said. 
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Werner Bischoff
This unique position is a result of the 2004 round of negotiations with the IGBCE, through which wages increased only 2.7% and a single payout was granted. More importantly, to boost the industry, IGBCE agreed to increase the number of trainees and apprenticeships allowed to work in the industry. 
 
Werner called that agreement a complete success, with 7% more training places for young workers in Germany&rsquo;s chemicals sector. He said the industry has been stabilised and it is now time for employers to bargain fairly. &ldquo;Young people need to know that they have a future in the chemicals industry.&rdquo; 
 
IGBCE and the BAVC employers group will return to national level talks on 8 March in Lahnstein.

Chemicals Bargaining in Germany Hits Standstill

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