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Members of ICEM&rsquo;s Colombian mining affiliate, Sintracarb&oacute;n, were braced to strike the massive coal enterprise called Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n, in Guajira state, over the weekend. The mining operation in northeastern Colombia, complete with a 150-kilometre rail link to company-owned deep-water port facilities at Puerto Boliv&aacute;r, is owned by global mining houses AngloAmerican, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata. 
 
Sintracarb&oacute;n union members at the world&rsquo;s largest open pit coal mine voted to strike over a week ago. The union&rsquo;s National Assembly of Delegates, which met on 25 January, voted to give approval for a possible strike to begin anytime in the next ten working days. Company and union representatives were continuing bargaining over the weekend. 
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A total of 4,000 workers are represented by Sintracarb&oacute;n, while the mining enterprise employs another 4,000 contract workers. 
 
All three multinational mining companies, along with the Colombian subsidiary, are partners with the ICEM and Sintracarb&oacute;n in a unique Social Dialogue arrangement in the South American country. That agreement, set in 2004, covers some eight global companies doing business in Colombia, and establishes a formalised procedure not only for the safety and security of trade unionists, but also for meaningful labour-management discussions on all issues. 
 
Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n and Sintracarb&oacute;n called on the ICEM to intervene in the dispute two weeks ago. The ICEM had been monitoring the negotiations since November. 
 
General Secretary Manfred Warda responded to the company, as well as to the three parent firms, stating, &ldquo;ICEM has taken note of the extended period of negotiations involved in settling a new, two-year collective agreement between Sintracarb&oacute;n and your company. We are also keenly aware of the profitable coal mining and export operations that Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n and its three multinational partners have in Guajira state, as well as the high demand for this coal on global markets. 
&ldquo;We urge your company not only to maintain the level of respectful Social Dialogue that exists in the charter developed by the ICEM with multinational companies doing business in Colombia, but also to seriously consider the proposals set forth by Sintracarb&oacute;n. These social proposals are just and proper in view of the operation that your company has in Colombia.&rdquo; 
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Sintracarb&oacute;n is seeking a 2007 salary increase of 8%, and a 2008 increase of 2.5% above the Colombian consumer price index for this year. The ICEM affiliated trade union is also seeking monthly health care stipends to cover the costs of medicines for family members. It also seeks a university educational stipend for children of miners, as well as a non-conditional production bonus. Management is attempting to apply conditions to such a bonus plan. 
 
Another legitimate union demand calls on Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n to begin discussions on buying the land of indigenous people who live in the vicinity of Cerrej&oacute;n, and possibly relocate them to areas away from the company&rsquo;s vast mining operations. Sintracarb&oacute;n is proposing immediate &ldquo;working sessions&rdquo; between the union, company, and community leaders to analyse environmental problems and find solutions. 
 
A last unresolved issue involves the high number of contract workers on Cerrej&oacute;n worksites. Sintracarb&oacute;n is seeking for the minimum level of pay for contract workers to be increased and linked to the minimum legal salaries in Colombia. It also seeks application of all Colombian employment laws for these workers, including the right to union representation. 
In the ICEM letter to the companies, the Global Union Federation asks Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n to actively monitor the work practices of contract employers. The ICEM also insists that &ldquo;contract workers receive the same protections and rights that full-time, permanent employees have, including the right to trade union representation.&rdquo; 
 
The mining operation, once jointly owned by ExxonMobil and the Colombian government, has ramped up excavation of thermal coal from 17 million tonnes in 1995 to an expected 28 million tonnes this year. Cerrej&oacute;n&rsquo;s coal reserves are estimated at 930 million tonnes. 
 
The coal is highly desirable on global markets because it is high in energy and has a low sulphur and ash content. Europe accounts for 56% of exports, while 20% is exported to North America. The three parent companies have seen coal prices tripling over the past year, and the operation posted revenues of US$1 billion.

Sintracarbón’s Miners Poised to Strike at Carbones del Cerrejón in Colombia

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The 2007 annual meeting of general secretaries of the Global Union Federations (GUFs) last week took on a major structural change when labour leaders formed a Council of Global Unions. This new structure will include the newly formed International Trade Union Federation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD. The founding of the council occurred in Brussels during meetings on 9-10 January. 
 
The founding document of the council proclaims &ldquo;a common determination to organise, defend human and trade union rights and labour standards everywhere, and promote the growth of trade unions for the benefit of all working women and men and their families.&rdquo; 
<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="300" />
ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda
Fred van Leeuwen, general secretary of Education International (EI), was elected chair of the council, while Building Workers&rsquo; International (BWI) Gen. Sec. Anita Normark was elected vice-chair. Each participating organisation will be represented by three members on the council. ITUC Gen. Sec. Guy Ryder will serve as secretary of the council. 
 
Van Leeuwen, commenting on the formation, said, &ldquo;Our talks this week revealed how much more we can do together to confront global forces that work against the interests of working people, and we will carry forward the momentum of this new accord to achieve just that.&rdquo; 
 
Besides the ICEM, the GUFs signatory to the Council of Global Unions include: BWI, EI, International Arts and Entertainment Alliance (IAEA), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF), the International Union of Food Workers&rsquo; Association (IUF), Public Services International (PSI), and the Union Network International (UNI). ITUC and TUAC round out the membership on the council.

ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and Gen. Sec. Manfred Warda sign Global Unions’ Council

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After 22 days in an Iranian jail, Sherkat-e Vahed trade union leader Mansour Osanloo of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company was released for a second time on 19 December after his wife deposited a sizeable bail bond. 
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Sherkat-e Vahed trade union leader Mansour Osanloo
The release was welcomed by the Iranian union&rsquo;s global federation, the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), but the ITF expressed disgust that Iran is now resorting to added bail money and other restrictions to hold back legitimate trade union rights. 
Osanloo was arrested outside his home on 19 November by plain-clothes policemen, who beat him and forced him at gunpoint into a car. He appeared in court a week later, but no charges were filed against him. In August 2006, only three months earlier, he was released from prison, after nearly eight months of detention for essentially championing union rights among Tehran&rsquo;s bus drivers. 
<img height="102" alt="" src="" width="102" />
In January 2006, a strike by drivers was met with brutal clubbings and beatings by Iranian police forces. Many among some 50 strike leaders have been terminated and/or blacklisted for their suspected involvement in that strike. The ITF, in coordination with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), has been engaged in a campaign against Iran&rsquo;s rights&rsquo; abuses, using both direct protests and formal complaints. 
 
Following Osanloo&rsquo;s 19 December release, ITF Gen. Sec. David Cockroft stated, &ldquo;The persecution of this man has got to stop. Fundamental trade union rights have to be respected in Iran, and we await similar news concerning Mansour Osanloo&rsquo;s trade union colleagues, some of whom have been sacked and all of whom have been denied the right to be represented by the union of their choice.&rdquo;

Iran Releases Trade Union Leader Mansour Osanloo

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The United Steelworkers (USW) in the US is recommending that copper miners and smelter workers of Asarco LLC in the states of Arizona and Texas approve a new 42-month labour agreement. The union successfully negotiated an amicable tentative settlement with the subsidiary of Grupo Mexico late in December, and voting by some 1,600 miners at three mines and two smelters is now underway. 
 
The accord must also be approved by a US Bankruptcy Court. 
 
USW District 12 Director Terry Bonds said the tentative agreement contains substantial economic gains, as well as achieving job security protections that have never before been seen in the US mining industry. &ldquo;This agreement is a tremendous breakthrough for workers in the mining industry,&rdquo; said Bonds. 
<img height="66" src="" width="120" alt="" />
Perhaps the highlight of the new agreement is that it is a single contract covering all five locations. &ldquo;In 2004, we had seven different contracts with varying contract language, two different expiration dates, and differing pension plans,&rdquo; said Bonds, adding that workers took action in a bitter 136-day strike. That strike began in July 2005 when Grupo Mexico demanded massive wage and benefit concessions, despite copper prices being at record highs. 
 
To settle the strike, workers agreed to a one-year contract extension. &ldquo;This recently concluded tentative agreement is the fruit of this extraordinary struggle,&rdquo; Bonds said. &ldquo;I could not be more proud of our members and local union leaders. This was a long struggle and its outcome was never guaranteed. Our members proved that working people don&rsquo;t have to simply accept inequality or economic injustice.&rdquo; 
 
The USW&rsquo;s Southwest regional director in the US also had high praise for Asarco CEO Joe Lapinsky. He said the company&rsquo;s labour relations behaviour began to change when Grupo Mexico management was moved aside and an independent board of directors and Lapinsky were named to head the US subsidiary. 
 
&ldquo;(Lapinsky) has chosen a path of cooperation with our union, rather than confrontation, and we look forward to working with him to address the many challenges still facing the company,&rdquo; stated Bonds. 
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Once ratified, the new contract will contain US$1-per-hour wage increases for all miners and smelter workers, backdated to 1 January 2007. Another US$1 increase will come on 30 September 2008, with another US$1 hike coming a year later. Workers will receive a US$3,000 ratification bonus with approval of the contract. 
 
Quarterly bonuses will be awarded if the price of copper averages above US$1.60-per-pound. A 20% increase in the pension formula over the life of the three-and-a-half-year pact was also negotiated. 
 
But perhaps more significantly, USW won strong successorship protections in the event of a sale of any Asarco asset; reinvestment guarantees on the part of the company; restrictions on Asarco&rsquo;s ability to outsource work; substantial USW influence in any Plan of Reorganisation; and a company requirement that it will remain neutral in union organising efforts, with union recognition granted on the basis of a card-check.

Approval Near for Innovation Mining Contract between USW and Asarco in US

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Belgian unions FGTB/ABVV and CSC/ACV have boosted their joint project in Colombia to draw attention to human and trade union rights. The unions now have a petition drive underway on the project&rsquo;s website, aimed at the government of Colombia, including members of Parliament. The petition drive also addresses the management of both Colombian and multinational companies to take action. 
The project, called Syndicol, is operated by the two Belgian unions, in full cooperation with all three Colombian national labour centres, CUT, CGT, and CTC. A number of ICEM&rsquo;s Colombian affiliates are directly involved in the project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<img height="42" alt="" src="" width="123" align="absMiddle" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="71" alt="" src="" width="120" align="absMiddle" />
Syndicol&rsquo;s action plan is to bring aid and solidarity to the workers of Colombia. Its aim is to build broad campaigns of information around the abuses of human and trade union rights in the South American country, including the many assassinations of trade union leaders. 
The current petition, located on Syndicol&rsquo;s French language website at <a href="http://www.syndicol.be/Petition">http://www.syndicol.be/Petition</a>, states that over 3,000 trade unionists have been assassinated since 1990, and calls on government and business leaders to take immediate action to end this state of terror. 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
&ldquo;The flagrant and inadmissible violations of human rights and, in particular, of the rights and trade union freedoms are a denial of justice, and disgraceful for those who commit the crimes, as well as their protectors. The systematic assassination of trade unionists and human rights defenders is a throwback to another age and what&rsquo;s worse, the perpetrators enjoy impunity from the Colombian legal system and the country&rsquo;s authorities.&rdquo; 
 
ICEM affiliates and activists are encouraged to visit the website to sign the petition.

Belgian Unions Team on Colombia Petition Drive

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Three gold miners, jailed on 17 December, for illegal gold mining in the southern Zimbabwe region of Matabeleland, died six days after their arrest from exhaustion and starvation. The three died after days of filling trenches without being given food or enough water by the police forces of Robert Mugabe&rsquo;s government. 
 
In a country with 80% unemployment and an inflation rate that hit a new high of 1,281% in December, the three miners were arrested with 12 other gold diggers as part of the government&rsquo;s crackdown on illegal mining, called Operation Makorokoza Zvakwana by the Mugabe police forces. 
<img height="111" alt="" src="" width="107" />
One police officer told ZimOnline, Zimbabwe&rsquo;s independent news agency, that when the workers tried to resist the continuous trench filling, or complained of hunger, they were beaten &ldquo;because that&rsquo;s how our bosses had instructed us to treat them.&rdquo; 
 
The three died at separate times on 24 December after experiencing extreme dizziness before collapsing. 
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe&rsquo;s labour leaders, who were severely beaten in September after police forces broke up an anti-poverty rally, have sued top Mugabe aides for unlawful arrests and injuries incurred to them. Zimbabwe Council of Trade Unions (ZCTU) Sec. Gen. Wellington Chibebe and 14 other labour leaders sued Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri, and several other police officers for Z$1.34 billion (US$9.13 million), which includes general damages, and unlawful arrest and deprivation of liberty. 
<img height="140" src="" width="120" alt="" />
ZCTU Secretary General Wellington Chibebe 
In the lawsuit, attorneys for the labour leaders cite violations of the Zimbabwe constitution, Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 of the African Charter for Human and People&rsquo;s Rights, Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Treatments. 
The labour leaders, on 12 and 13 September, were subjected to beatings that caused bone fractures, serious cranial/facial bruising, and head injuries. Some 256 ZCTU activists were arrested at the time. 
 
The current economic crisis in Zimbabwe, which saw the inflation rate jump a full 182% from November to December 2006, has caused mass labour strikes in the health care and education sectors, not to mention in mining and energy industries, because salaries have become miniscule compared to the vast inflation jumps. For example, staff of the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority staged a two-day strike on 3-4 January, when an internal memo was released stating that salaries would only increase by 50%.

Mugabe Regime Starves Jailed Gold Miners

8 March 2007 
 
Brother Mustafa Oztaskin 
President 
Petrol-Is Union 
Altunizade Mah. 
Kusbakisi Sok. No. 25 
81180 Altunizade Uskadar 
Turkey 
 
Via e-mail <a href="mailto:merkez@petrol-is.org.tr">merkez@petrol-is.org.tr</a> 
or Fax Number +90 216 4749870 
 
Dear Brother Oztaskin, 
We understand through our mutual affiliation with the ICEM that workers in the Antalya Free Trade Zone at Novamed GmbH, a subsidiary of Fresenius Medical Care, have been on strike since late September 2006. 
 
We also know from the ICEM that of 84 workers on strike, 82% of them are women. They are rightfully seeking dignity on the job, and their full trade union rights to collective bargaining. We applaud them in their very heroic efforts to defend these rights and their very basic fight for dignity. 
 
On this day, 8 March, International Women&rsquo;s Day, our Union commends Petrol-Is for standing strong with these women workers. We also ask you to pass our Solidarity and Unity to them in this most important fight against Fresenius Medical Care. Please convey to them that our Union stands firmly with them. 
 
Fraternally,&nbsp;

Model letter for International Women’s Day on Turkey

Dear Colleagues, 
 
International Women&rsquo;s Day is marked on 8 March every year and is a day of global celebration for women&rsquo;s economic, political and social achievements. Among other relevant historic events, it commemorates the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in 1911 where 140 women lost their lives. 
 
On International Women&rsquo;s Day this year, some 84 workers in Turkey are making a stand. Eighty-two of them are women. They have been on strike against Fresenius Medical Care in the Antalya Free Trade Zone since 26 September 2006. They are fighting for basic dignity and justice on and off the job. 
 
On 8 March 2007, the ICEM is asking all to stand with them by <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=2162&amp;la=EN">sending a letter of support</a> to them through their trade union, ICEM affiliate Petrol-Iş, the Petroleum, Chemical and Rubber Workers&rsquo; Union. 
 
A <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=2163&amp;la=EN">short fact sheet</a> on this dispute is provided here, as well as <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=2162&amp;la=EN">a model letter</a> that can be used. 
 
The ICEM will stand with our Turkish sisters and brothers on 8 March, and we will stand with them every day thereafter until they win their rights. Please let these courageous workers and Petrol-Iş know,&nbsp;on International Women&rsquo;s Day,&nbsp;this Thursday 8 March, that you are&nbsp;also standing with them. 
 
Thank you for taking part in this most important action. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary

Urgent Action on 8 March (International Women’s Day) for Women Strikers of Petrol-Is in Turkey

Jawad al-Maliki 
Prime Minister of Iraq 
Brussels, 5 March 2007 
 
Dear Prime Minister, 
 
On behalf of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers Unions, the Global Union Federation, representing 20 million workers in the Mine, Energy, Chemical and related Process Industries I wish to express to you my strong condemnation of the recent attacks on the head office of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) and I call on you to intervene as a matter of urgency in what is obviously an illegal and grossly irresponsible act. 
 
The ICEM has been informed by the GFIW Executive that on 23 February, American and Iraqi forces raided the head office of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) and arrested one of the Union security staff. 
 
This unprovoked attack resulted in the destruction of furniture, the confiscation of a computer and fax machine and the arrest of an employee who we understand was released unharmed later same day. 
 
The same force repeated this unprovoked attack on 25 February and caused further extensive damage. 
 
ICEM adds its voice to the demands of the GFIW which condemn this unprovoked attack and also calls on the occupation forces to issue a written apology, to return all the GFIW property and compensate for the damages they caused to the unions office. 
 
These attacks are a clear violation of fundamental human and trade union rights. They are also a cynical attempt to not only harass the trade union movement of your country but to limit their ability to communicate with both their members and their international contacts. This is appalling, particularly at the present time. Genuine and democratic trade unions are a cornerstone of democracy and at the same time are a force for reconciliation, peace and stability in a society. 
 
It is essential that your government upholds internationally recognised rights, including full respect for the fundamental human rights of workers. We urge you to order a thorough investigation into these attacks on the GFIW. 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary

ICEM letter to Prime Minister of Iraq on raids on trade union office

The ICEM, the Global Union Federation for oil workers, is calling for &ldquo;strong condemnation&rdquo; of the two recent US and Iraqi military raids on union offices in Baghdad. The raids, during which one worker was arrested, and computers and fax machines at the central office of the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) confiscated, occurred on 23 and 25 February. 
 
The ICEM, with affiliates in 125 countries, is calling on trade unions worldwide to directly protest this unprovoked attack on a trade union federation that stands for nation building and bettering the living conditions inside Iraq. 
 
ICEM is calling on trade unions and others to write to Iraqi embassies in their home countries, as well as to send messages of solidarity to GFIW leaders that their efforts to build strong trade unions in Iraq will succeed and with it, fair and just reconstruction for all Iraqi people. 
 
Trade unions are asked to register a protest with the Iraqi embassy or consulate in their country by visiting: <a href="http://www.mofa.gov.iq/index.aspx">http://www.mofa.gov.iq/index.aspx</a>. They are also being strongly urged to write GFIW leaders in Baghdad to tell them they protest these forceful and menacing acts.
Messages can be sent to these principal addresses: 
<a href="mailto:abdullahmuhsin@iraqitradeunions.org">abdullahmuhsin@iraqitradeunions.org</a> 
<a href="mailto:adnalsaffar@yahoo.com">adnalsaffar@yahoo.com</a> 
<img height="115" alt="" src="" width="250" />
The ICEM notes that the pair of raids on the GFIW offices represents disturbing and counter-productive acts inside Iraq. On 19 February, a raid also occurred at the offices of the Iraq Syndicate of Journalists, and American troops confiscated computers and membership records. 
 
&ldquo;These attacks are a clear violation of fundamental human and trade union rights,&rdquo; wrote ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda to Iraq&rsquo;s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. &ldquo;They are also a cynical attempt to not only harass the trade union movement of your country, but to limit their ability to communicate with both their members and their international contacts. 
 
&ldquo;This is appalling, particularly at the present time. Genuine and democratic trade unions are a cornerstone of democracy and at the same time are a force for reconciliation, peace and stability in a society,&rdquo; said Warda. 
To read the ICEM letter to the Iraqi Prime Minister, <a href="/index.php?id=24&amp;doc=2160&amp;la=EN">click here</a>.

Military Raids, Arrest at Iraqi Union Office Demands Action

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