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Stemming out of a European Commission-funded project, European trade unions representing workers of French cosmetics producer L&rsquo;Oreal conducted a second seminar in Brussels on 1-3 October on social conditions of the company. On the second day, following a general presentation on Global Framework Agreements by ICEM&rsquo;s Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan, participants discussed a draft agreement, which had been circulated among them, of a possible global agreement with L&rsquo;Oreal. 
 
French FCE-CFDT Leader Marc Ferrand brought forward the multi-unions&rsquo; global agreement with French electricity producer EDF. Serious discussion then ensued on bringing the draft to senior L&rsquo;Oreal management.
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ICEM French affiliate FCE-CFDT and Belgian affiliate CSC Energy and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union developed the early October project, aimed at getting the attention of L&rsquo;Oreal&rsquo;s trade union representatives from its European Works Council (EWC). Funded by the European Commission, the project also includes ICEM affiliates from Italy (FEMCA-CISL), Poland (Solidarnosc), and Spain (FIA-UGT). 
 
The objective of the project is to enhance the expertise of trade union representatives over industrial and organisational changes, compensation policies, and new European rules regarding cosmetics. Based on the assessments made during the discussions, the main aim of the project is to re-energise the EWC and to open a dialogue with the company on social responsibility on the global level. 
 
Also included in the project in the early October discussions were IGBCE of Germany, la Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale (FGTB/ABBV) of Belgium, CC.OO of Spain, FILCEM-CGIL of Italy, and CGT and CGT-FO, both of France. 
 
The first seminar inside the project occurred in Paris from 17-18 April 2008. Then, 50 delegates from five European countries took part.

L’Oreal European Unions Discuss Proceeding to Possible Global Framework Agreement with Company

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Established in 2006, the South-East European Energy Union Network held its second general assembly in Istanbul on 18 October, and the ICEM participated. Hosted by ICEM Turkish affiliate Petrol-İş, the weekend meeting was attended by 90 delegates and observers from 16 trade unions in 13 countries. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, Petrol-İş President Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkin, and Turkish Tes-İş President Mustafa Kumlu opened the conference, and spoke on common trade union strategies in the region, as well as issues regarding against MNCs in the chemicals, oil, gas, and electric sectors. Tes-İş is the Energy, Water, and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union in Turkey, while Petrol-İş covers the oil, petrochemicals, and chemicals industries.
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&ldquo;In today&rsquo;s globalised world, energy is very crucial and strategic,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;Securing energy supplies and establishing the best social standards for workers in these industries is crucial. 
 
&ldquo;To create international solidarity around the globe, we welcome regional efforts like this one to coordinate and advocate on behalf of workers&rsquo; issues,&rdquo; Warda added. 
 
The regional energy network&rsquo;s general assembly addressed problems arising from the deepening of sector integration, as well as EU energy policies on the South-East European Region. Delegates also confirmed participation at next month&rsquo;s EU social-partner conference in Albania. They pledged to put the issue of privatisation before this conference, as one the major challenges faced by trade unions. 
 
The conference also evaluated campaigns to recruit pipeline workers in the region, with targeting of some energy MNCs that operate in the region. 
 
At the close of the meeting, delegates elected Franc Dolar of Slovenia as acting chair of the network, with Mustafa &Ouml;ztaşkin taking up the vice-chairman position. Nikos Orfanos of Greece serves as general secretary for the network. 
 
Trade unions from Albania, Bosnia-Herzergovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Macedonia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey participated in the 18 October conference.

South-East Europe’s Energy Unions Meet in Turkey Over the Weekend

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Following the merger in October 2007 between SIF and HTF to create Unionen, an AICEM affiliate and Sweden&rsquo;s largest private-sector union held its First Congress 6-9 October in &Ouml;rebro, Sweden. The 530,000-member union, made up of salaried, technical, and clerical workers across nearly all of Swedish employers, adopted a vision statement and elected Cecilia Fahlberg as the new President. 
 
The Congress opened by giving Unionen President Mari-Ann Krantz a rousing send-off., who retired. Selected to head the union at the 2007 extraordinary merger congresses, Krantz is retiring. She presided over the initial structural changes in making the merger between the two unions work.
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New Unionen President Cecilia Fahlberg
Fahlberg, 48, has been a Deputy Vice President of Unionen and she comes to union leadership after serving as a Vice President and previously, in the collective bargaining department of HTF, the former Salaried Employees&rsquo; Union. She is an economics major from a business school and is a resident of Sigtuna, Sweden. 
 
&ldquo;A big and strong union is what is needed today,&rdquo; stated Fahlberg, &ldquo;especially with conditions facing the Swedish labour market and a global financial crisis that is shaking all societies.&rdquo; 
 
Also elected at Congress was a 16-member Executive Committee, equally represented by eight men and eight women. The union boasted that the average age of this Executive Committee had been reduced to 45 from the previous board&rsquo;s average age of 53. 
 
Unionen&rsquo;s vision statement is built around democracy, solidarity, and political engagement. Due to the enormous amount of business before this First Congress, not all questions before it got addressed. Thus, Unionen will conduct an extraordinary Congress as soon as possible to finish proceedings. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda was a guest at the Congress.

Swedish Unionen Holds First Congress in Örebro

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A planned strike yesterday, 19 October, by ICEM Kuwaiti affiliate KNPC Labour Syndicate was postponed after the company, Kuwait National Petroleum Co. (KNPC), met workers&rsquo; demands for better pay and staff promotions. 
 
The union said the strike, planned at Kuwait&rsquo;s three refineries and other oil installations, would be postponed for eight weeks in order to allow KNPC to implement an agreement reached before the weekend. On Wednesday, 15 October, the KNPC Labour Syndicate&rsquo;s board of directors issued a statement urging &ldquo;all employees and workers to stage a total strike in all sectors and be present in the headquarters of the syndicate&rdquo; on Sunday morning, 19 September.
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The strike call came two days after all three of KNPC&rsquo;s refineries were closed due to a power blackout. Although the 13 October outage did not cause any health or safety incidents, KNPC&rsquo;s refineries do have a serious recent history of safety mishaps. On 11 August, one maintenance contractor was killed and another badly injured when a fire erupted during the shutdown of a hydro-cracking unit at the Shuabia refinery. 
 
And in late June, several workers were injured in another fire at the Mina Abdullah refinery, KNPC&rsquo;s largest. A September fire at KNPC&rsquo;s third refinery, Mina al-Ahmedi, did not cause any injuries. 
 
The national oil company is mired in political controversy as it tries to construct the 615,000-barrel-per-day Al-Zour refinery, due now to go on-line in 2012. Currently, KNPC&rsquo;s three refineries produce petroleum products amounting to 930,000 barrels-per-day.

Kuwaiti Oil Strike Averted After Government Accedes to Demands

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In Australia, another round of industrial action by iron-ore train drivers of Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) is scheduled this week against Rio Tinto. The strikes are seen as a pivotal test in getting a company to negotiate collective agreements with Australian unions, turn away from the Howard-era individual work agreements. 
 
Some 30 drivers staged a 12-hour strike against Rio&rsquo;s export-hauling ore lines to the West Australia port of Dampier on 11 October. They will stage successive 12-hour strike actions this week on 22 October and 23 October.
The strike actions are protected activity since CFMEU conducted secret-ballot votes of the drivers. In late 2007, those drivers refused to sign renewal Australian Workplace Agreements &ndash; or individual contracts &ndash; with the intention of gaining a collective agreement.
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Individual work agreements for some 45 drivers expire early next year, and the drivers and CFMEU seek enterprise agreements and fair wage gains. But Rio Tinto has refused to enter negotiations with the union, preferring individual contracts with the locomotive drivers, who are crucial to Rio&rsquo;s mineral export profits from Australia. 
 
The drivers seek a wage increase of 4.75%, which is the rate of West Australia&rsquo;s economic growth, and they seek continuation of an A$20,000 bonus when Rio Tinto switches to driver-less trains in 2012. CFMEU West Australia Mining and Energy Secretary Gary Wood said continuing strike actions are likely unless Rio Tinto comes to the bargaining table. As 2009 approaches, more of the company&rsquo;s 300 train drivers could vote for similar industrial action as their individual agreements expire. 
 
Legislation repealing the individual work agreement portion of John Howard&rsquo;s WorkChoices law will not take effect until July 2009, meaning companies are not compelled to bargain with unions until then. But that does not prohibit Australian trade unions from taking industrial action, as long as the necessary protocols are followed.
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State politicians and others are urging Rio Tinto to begin informal talks with the CFMEU. Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Sharan Burrow commented on the industrial actions by stating the company&rsquo;s refusal to negotiate is directly contrary to ILO Convention 98. &ldquo;Rio Tinto is saying, &lsquo;You can be a member of the union, but we&rsquo;re not going to sit down and talk to you collectively.&rsquo;&rdquo; She added it is an insult to the drivers to have their future job design and job security decided without collective consultation. 
 
The job actions by train drivers and their union in northwest Australia are necessary pressure tactics in getting an employer to reverse itself from former Prime Minister John Howard&rsquo;s draconian and company-dominated labour statutes. The ICEM salutes the direct action taken of late by these workers at Rio Tinto&rsquo;s Hamersly and Pilbara Iron Ore subsidiaries.

Rio Tinto’s Iron-Ore Train Drivers Reject Individual Work Agreements with Industrial Action

Statement of Xstrata Union Leaders 
 
We as leaders of unions representing workers at Xstrata have met in Montreal, Quebec on October 15 and 16, 2008. 
 
We have exchanged information and discussed our experiences. 
 
We are concerned that Xstrata&rsquo;s actions are having a negative impact on workers and communities around the world. We expect Xstrata to operate at the highest labour and environmental standards around the world. 
 
We agreed as follows: 
&bull; To support members of CAW 599 in their struggle in Timmins, Ontario, Canada with the company. 
&bull; To find concrete ways to offer stronger support to each other during collective bargaining, especially for unions entering into bargaining in 2008 and 2009 (including among others: the Falconbridge Workers Union in the Dominican Republic; Altonorte Smelter Workers Union, in Chile, and Antamina Workers Union, in Peru). 
&bull; To promote worker exchanges to promote solidarity and build awareness on workers&rsquo; issues. 
&bull; To improve communication between us. We need fast and effective communication as the foundation of our work. We will establish a communications network through the internet. 
&bull; To consult with and educate our members in our local unions. 
&bull; To endorse the campaign of the CFMEU in Australia on workers&rsquo; right to be represented by trade unions. We will participate in that campaign through coordinated action. 
&bull; To meet again and bring together more unions representing Xstrata workers. To work with the ICEM and its affiliates. 
&bull; To develop strategies, including media strategies, to advance union campaigns. 
&bull; To establishing an International Solidarity Fund that would provide us with the resources to undertake joint projects and support each other at the appropriate times 
&bull; To work toward: 
&bull; establishing a Workers&rsquo; World Council 
&bull; engaging the company in the establishment of common international minimum standards on occupational health, safety and environment. 
 
The following unions and union federations participated in the meeting and endorse this statement. 
 
ICEM - International Federation of Chemical, Energy, and Mining and General Workers&rsquo; Unions 
 
From Australia &ndash; 
Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) &ndash; Australia, including: CFMEU branches at: 
&bull; Xstrata Newlands Coal 
&bull; Xstrata Oaky North Coal 
&bull; Northern District Branches 
 
From Germany - 
IG Metal, Nordenham, Germany 
 
From Canada &ndash; 
United Steelworkers (USW), including: 
&bull; USW Local 2020 &ndash; Xstrata Nickel, Sudbury, Ontario 
&bull; USW Local 4614 - Fonderie Generale &ndash; Montreal, Quebec 
&bull; USW Local 5385 &ndash; Brunswick Mining &amp; Smelting, Bathurst, New Brunswick 
&bull; USW Local 6887 &ndash; CCR, Montreal, Quebec 
&bull; USW Local 6486 &ndash; CEZinc, Montreal, Quebec 
&bull; USW Local 9449 - Raglan, Qu&eacute;bec 
&bull; USW Local 7085 &ndash; Brunswick Mining &amp; Smelting, Bathurst, New Brunswick 
 
From Chile &ndash; 
Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Fundidora Altonorte, Antofagasta, Chile 
 
From the Dominican Republic &ndash; 
SUTRAFADO, Falconbridge Workers Union, Dominican Republic 
 
From Peru &ndash; 
FNTMMSP, National Federation of Mine and Metalworkers of Peru 
SUTRACOMASA, Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Compa&ntilde;&iacute;a Minera Antamina, Peru

XSTRATA UNIONS GLOBAL NETWORK - October, 2008

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Japonya, Endonezya, Hindistan, Malezya, Tayland ve Vietnam'dan kau&ccedil;uk iş&ccedil;ilerini &ouml;rg&uuml;tleyen yirmi beş sendikanın temsilcileri 27 Ekim g&uuml;n&uuml; Endonezya'nın Cakarta kentinde bir araya geldiler ve ICEM Asya-Pasifik Kau&ccedil;uk Sendikaları Ağı'nı kurdular. Friedrich Ebert Vakfı'nın desteklediği ve ICEM &uuml;yesi Kimya Maden ve Enerji İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'nın (FSP KEP) evsahipliğini yaptığı toplantıya Japonya'dan ICEM-JAF sendikası ve ICEM Sekretarya kadrosu da katıldı. 
 
FSP KEP Başkanı D. Pataobong Sjaiful a&ccedil;ış konuşmasında ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;D&uuml;nyada s&uuml;r&uuml;p giden ekonomik kriz koşullarında ve Asya-Pasifik B&ouml;lgesi'ne &ouml;zg&uuml; zorluklar karşısında, ICEM'in kau&ccedil;uk işkolundaki sendikaları bir ağ &ccedil;er&ccedil;evesinde bir araya getirme girişimi son derece &ouml;nemli. Ağır koşullarda &ccedil;alışan &uuml;yelerimizin haklarını daha iyi korumaya y&ouml;nelik bu birlikteliğe ihtiyacımız var.&rdquo; 
 
Toplantıda ICEM Kimya ve Kau&ccedil;uk B&ouml;l&uuml;m&uuml; Sorumlusu Kemal &Ouml;zkan k&uuml;resel kau&ccedil;uk sekt&ouml;r&uuml;ndeki &ouml;nemli gelişmeler ve zorluklar konusunda bir sunum yaptı. Toplantıdan &ouml;nce dağıtılan soru formları sayesinde, verilen &uuml;lke raporlarının ve sendikaların durumuyla ilgili tartışmanın sağlam verilere dayanması sağlanmış oldu. 
Toplantıda ICEM'in k&uuml;resel ve b&ouml;lgesel şirket ağları ve k&uuml;resel &ccedil;er&ccedil;eve s&ouml;zleşmeler &uuml;zerinde de duruldu. K&uuml;resel s&ouml;zleşmelerin &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenmede ara&ccedil; olarak kullanılması enine boyuna tartışıldı. Şirket ağlarının ise dayanışma &ouml;rg&uuml;tlemede ve bilgi alışverişinde hayati ara&ccedil;lar olduğu vurgulandı. 
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Şirket ağları konusu toplu pazarlık, iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği, istihdam ve genel &ccedil;alışma koşulları bağlamında da ele alındı. 
 
Yeni kurulan Asya-Pasifik Kau&ccedil;uk İş&ccedil;ileri Ağı'nın başkanlığına Japon Kau&ccedil;uk İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası (GOMU-RENGO) Başkanı Toshiaki Hojo se&ccedil;ildi. Toplantıda, ayrıca, izleme &ccedil;alışmalarıyla ilgili bir eylem planı da kabul edildi. Eylem planı d&uuml;zenli bilgi dolaşımını &ouml;ng&ouml;r&uuml;yor ve Kore merkezli Hankook ve Kumho ile Hindistan'dan Apollo gibi &ccedil;okuluslu şirketleri hedefliyor. 
 
Asya'da kau&ccedil;uk işkolunda hızla yaygınlaşan taşeron iş&ccedil;iliği de toplantının g&uuml;ndeminde yer alıyordu. İş&ccedil;ilerin k&uuml;resel &ouml;l&ccedil;ekte karşı karşıya bulunduğu bu soruna ilişkin &ccedil;alışmanın geliştirilmesine karar verildi.

Asya-Pasifik Kauçuk İşçilerinin Sendikaları Bölge Ağı Kurdu

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The ICEM&rsquo;s Global Framework Agreement with the Freudenberg Group, a German-based rubber, auto accessories, nonwovens, and engineering company, was improved recently to include neutrality on union organising. Together with Michael Mersmann, International Director of the German union, IGBCE, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan met with Lorent Freudenberg, Human Resources Director, and Dr. Dirk Mahler, counsel of Freudenberg, to review and update the agreement with Freudenberg. 
 

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Meeting in Pittsburgh. UE's Bob Kingsley and John Hovis, USW's Leo Gerard and Gerald Fernandez 

Regarding proposals put forth to the privately-held company by the ICEM, it was agreed to continue discussions on most of those issues. But the company did accept a clause in the agreement on neutrality with immediate effect. 
It reads: 
 
&ldquo;The Freudenberg Group respects the right of its employees to freely decide whether or not to establish or to associate with any legitimate trade union of their choice. The Freudenberg Group shall remain strictly neutral concerning its employees&rsquo; choice in the matter.&rdquo; 
 
The agreement also contains a provision, stating, &ldquo;ICEM and IGBCE agree to use their best efforts to promote constructive approaches in local organising drives in the spirit of social dialogue and to achieve positive labour relations as expressed in this Agreement.&rdquo; 

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From left, CEP's Alan Tate, UE's Robin Alexander, ICEM Gen. Sec. Manfred Warda, and Lorent Freudenberg and Dirk Mahler of Freudenberg Group.
To establish the mutual trust and constructive approach in labour relations, the ICEM helped to arrange a US meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 1 October that brought managers of Freudenberg together with some of ICEM&rsquo;s North American affiliates, including the United Steelworkers (USW), United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), and the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada. 
 
The meeting was headed by USW President Leo Gerard and UE President John Hovis and following discussions that both labour and management termed honest and constructive, it was agreed that a model case would be implemented and executed regarding social dialogue procedures based on neutrality. 
 
The agreement between ICEM and Freudenberg was signed in June 2000, and was the ICEM&rsquo;s second such Global Framework Agreement at that time.

ICEM’s Freudenberg Global Accord Improved to Include Organising Neutrality

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Meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland, on 10 November, offshore oil and gas workers unions from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Netherlands, and Norway, together with representatives from the ICEM and International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), expressed full support to the boycott of Petro-Canada products throughout Canada. 
 
The action is in support of 260 oil refinery workers, members of Communication, Energy Paperworkers (CEP) Union Local 175, who have been locked-out at a PetroCanada refinery in Montreal, Quebec, since 17 November. 
 
Participants at the meeting were appalled to hear that the company has jeopardised safety by attempting to operate the refinery at reduced output using management and scab replacement workers. 
<img height="188" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0811.Aberdeen.Offshore.Oil&amp;Gas.JPG" width="250" />
&ldquo;We call on PetroCanada to immediately end the lockout and accept the work terms and conditions contained in the CEP National Energy &amp; Chemical Bargaining Pattern Agreement. This pattern was set by PetroCanada and the CEP at an oil refinery in Edmonton, Alberta, earlier in 2007,&rdquo; said Norrie McVicar, ITF Offshore Task Force Chairman. 
 
&ldquo;Oil &amp; Gas workers around the world must be informed of this outrageous behaviour by Petro-Canada and we need to increase pressure on the company internationally as the lockout approaches its first anniversary,&rdquo; said Lars Myhre Chairperson of the ICEM-ITF Oil &amp; Gas Workers Trade Union Alliance and President of the ICEM Energy Industries Section. 
 
The meeting took place to plan a conference of North Sea oil and gas workers, slated for early 2009, and participants unanimously decided to invite CEP to this conference to share experiences in the industry.

ICEM/ITF Onshore/Offshore Task Force Pledges Support for CEP’s Petro-Canada Boycott

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Five hundred Canadian miners at Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc. had been on strike for over three months seeking a new collective agreement, one that included a commodity-based bonus scheme. The strike ended last week, 13 November, when members of United Steelworkers Locals 7458, 7689, and 189 voted by 77.5% to ratify a new labour agreement. 
 
Miners and processing plant workers at worksites of PotashCorp in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan are expected to be back in their jobs this week. 
 
The three-year agreement provides minimum 18% wage increases over that period, with some increases higher. Roger Falconer, USW&rsquo;s Canadian head of strategic campaign, said, &ldquo;The members are happy to go back to work.&rdquo; Included in the back-to-work agreement is retroactive pay during the strike, which began on 7 August, a supplemental market bonus of C$5,000, and shift premium increases which start at C$1.35-an-hour. 
 
<img height="101" alt="" src="" width="134" />&nbsp; <img height="87" alt="" src="" width="116" /> 

Workers did not achieve commodity-based bonuses &ndash; a central issue being the strike &ndash; primarily because of the rapid economic downturn now. 
 
They did receive a C$50 increase to vacation bonuses, as well as return-to-work bonuses following layoffs of C$800 for the first two weeks of a furlough, and C$400-per-week after that. 
 
PotashCorp reported a profit increase of more than 400% in 2007 over 2006. The company is the world&rsquo;s largest fertilizer enterprise, with the operations that were struck, Cory, Allan, and Patience Lake mines and plants, accounting for 18% of all Canadian potash supply and six percent of the world&rsquo;s capacity. 
 
USW members took their campaign for a fair labour agreement to New York City and London to persuade industry analysts that they were proposals were justified, and that a prolonged strike would severely hurt the company&rsquo;s financial ledger. 

&nbsp;

USW Canadian Members End 99-Day Strike at Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan

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