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Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

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You have a job and you are pregnant, or would like to become pregnant in the near future. What does this all involve with regard to your job? And what situations will you be faced with once you have become a mother? This brochure offers you a summary of what you may expect from month to month and also explains your rights and obligations. 
 
If you have any questions after having read this folder, you may want to consult the more detailed Dutch brochure &ldquo;<a href="http://www.arbobondgenoten.nl/arbothem/zwangerschap/zwangerschapsbrochure.pdf ">Alles over zwangerschap en werk</a>&rdquo; (Everything about work and pregnancy). 
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Before you get pregnant 
 
You should always be careful if you work with hazardous substances. Many people do not realise this. Some substances, such as carcinogenic and so-called reprotoxic substances, cause extra fertility risks in men as well as women, or they may harm the unborn child. 
 
There are many professions that may involve handling hazardous substances. For example, if you work in the cleaning sector or in a laboratory, but also if you are a painter, nurse, pharmacist's assistant or if you work with certain pesticides. Every employer should draw up a list of risks that employees may be exposed to in their job, also if it involves these hazardous substances. Ask your employer for this list and read about the risks. 
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The first month 
 
You are only just pregnant. Most women often do not even know for certain whether or not they are pregnant, let alone that they take it into account when doing their job. Even at this early stage in pregnancy, it is important to be cautious when you work with hazardous substances. If you need to handle them, then it is advisable to notify your employer without delay that you are pregnant. 
In consultation with your employer you can determine whether you can be given other tasks, or discuss other ways to protect your unborn child. If you work with animals or laboratory animals you should be extra aware. And be alert to any risk of exposure to radiation. 
 
Studies into the effects of computer exposure have not yet shown that this poses a risk for pregnant women and/or their unborn child. 
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The second month 
 
If you are pregnant and involved in a job selection procedure, you are not obliged to report pregnancy. Neither is the employer allowed to ask. 
 
Be careful with vibrations and shocks. They may give you back problems and are also bad for the child that you are carrying. You should avoid working under extremely hot or cold temperatures, for example in a cold-storage room. This will burden your body and your unborn child too much. We definitely advise against working in depressurised situations, for example diving. The difference in pressure may harm the unborn child. 
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The third month 
 
Now there is less risk that something could go wrong with your pregnancy. For many women, the 12th week of pregnancy is the right moment to inform their employer and colleagues. As soon as you have notified your employer, you are legally entitled to extra protection during pregnancy in situations that require this. 
In addition, you should be given an opportunity to visit your midwife or gynaecologist, also during working hours. Ask the midwife for a pregnancy statement with the estimated date of birth. Your employer needs this statement to notify the UWV, the Institute for Employee Benefit Schemes, so that he will receive an allowance to cover your replacement and you can take maternity leave without loss of pay. 
 
Other things that you need to be extra careful with: do not lift heavy objects (less than 10 kg each time) and ensure that you are not exposed to sound levels that exceed 80 dB(A). 
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The fourth month 
 
When you are pregnant, you are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave. (In Dutch this is called zwangerschapsverlof, before giving birth, and bevallingsverlof, after the baby is born.) 
You can take up this leave from six to four weeks, respectively, before the estimated date of birth. Once the baby is born, you are still legally entitled to another ten to twelve weeks, respectively, of maternity leave (bevallingsverlof). Please note that multiple births do not extend your entitlement to leave. 
 
Refer to the booklet with the collective agreement on terms and conditions of employment (CAO-boekje) for the exact arrangements in your branch of business or company. 
If you intend to resume work after the baby has been born and want to make use of childcare facilities, you may want to have your baby registered now. There could be waiting lists, so the sooner you get registered the sooner you may get a place. Ask your employer and your partner's employer about the options for a financial contribution towards childcare. 
 
Your pregnancy may cause health problems for which you need to visit a medical practitioner or a paramedic such as a physiotherapist or a physician (GP or specialist). Appointments usually take place during working hours. Check what arrangements have been made in the collective agreement. 
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The fifth month 
 
It is never healthy to work long hours under stress or time pressure, also called work-related stress. When you are pregnant you should take extra care of yourself. In stressful situations your body produces all kinds of extra hormones that may affect you and your unborn child. 
Discuss these situations with your superior and consult whether your tasks can be arranged differently, or whether your working hours and breaks can be adapted, by inserting an extra break or working fewer shifts, for example. 
You are not obliged to work night shifts during pregnancy. You are entitled to extra breaks when you are pregnant and up to six months after giving birth. If you work eight hours a day, then you are allowed to take a maximum break of one-hour extra on full pay. The employer should give you the opportunity to take this break. 
 
In the event of sickness, you can report sick in the usual way. You should notify your employer if your sickness is pregnancy-related, for example high blood pressure or pelvic instability. In this way, he can apply for an allowance to cover your replacement. You will be paid your salary in full. 
If you are on unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering) or occupational disablement benefit (WAO-uitkering) you should notify the UWV. From the twentieth pregnancy week onwards, women who frequently used to lift heavy weights during their job are only allowed to lift a maximum of five kilograms, ten times a day. 
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The sixth month 
 
Discuss with your superior how replacement will be arranged while you are on maternity leave. It will be good for both you and your colleagues that adequate replacement is arranged, so that your colleagues do not need to work extra hard. This is also a good time to consider how you may want to combine working and looking after your child in the future. 
If you have a partner, discuss with your partner how you would like to handle the new situation. Are you both going to work part time? Structurally or temporarily? You have the right to work part time. Your employer will need to come with substantiated arguments for rejecting your request. 
 
With regard to the work situation, you will need to take into account that you retain more fluid during pregnancy. As a result you may get RSI-related complaints such as pain, stiffness and a tingling feeling in your neck, shoulders, arms and/or fingers. Especially highly repetitive jobs such as cash register operator, goods packer, and assembly and VDU work may cause such complaints. 
Discuss with your superior the possibility of adapted work if you experience these complaints. Make sure that you do not constantly sit in the same position while performing your tasks. It is advisable to change your position every now and then and to have frequent breaks. Always contact the company doctor if you experience serious complaints. 
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The seventh month 
 
From the thirtieth week onwards it is not advisable to lift weights of five kilograms or over, more than five times a day. Furthermore, during the final three months of pregnancy your employer can no longer oblige you to squat on the ground, to kneel or bend down or to operate pedals while standing up. 
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The eighth month 
 
You need to notify your employer at least three weeks before your maternity leave starts. This will leave him little time to arrange your replacement, so try to inform your employer sooner if you already know when you want to stop work and start maternity leave. 
Consider once more the financial consequences of this (temporary) interruption of work. Pay will be continued, but some components, for example extra income from overtime, may not be paid. By considering the financial impact at an early stage, you will not be unpleasantly taken by surprise. 
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The ninth month 
 
The last month before giving birth is dedicated to maternity leave. Your belly will be getting in the way a bit and you will need some well-deserved rest. Enjoy your maternity leave! 
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Birth 
 
When the baby has been born you need to inform your employer who, in turn, can notify the UWV. On the basis of this notification the UWV will determine on what date your maternity leave should end. Your partner will be entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof) if the baby is born on a working day. On the days following childbirth your partner will be entitled to birth leave (kraamverlof). 
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The first month of parenthood 
 
You will now need to get used to being a parent. Fortunately, you will still be on maternity leave so that you do not need to think about going back to work. Together with you partner you can start thinking about how you are going to handle the period after maternity leave. 
One option is to take parental leave (ouderschapsverlof), for which you will need to meet a number of criteria. The actual provision can be found in the detailed brochure. Depending on what you have in mind, you may both want to take a shorter or longer period of part-time leave to look after your child. 
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The second month of parenthood 
 
The second period of maternity leave (in Dutch this is called bevallingsverlof) starts on the first day after the baby is born and lasts at least ten consecutive weeks. If you continued working for a longer period before giving birth and have taken less than six weeks of maternity leave, you may add this time to the period of leave after the baby is born. This means that you still do not need to resume work this month. 
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The third month of parenthood 
 
The end of maternity leave is approaching. Some women will resume work in the course of this month. It may happen that you cannot fully resume work immediately as a result of complications during pregnancy and/or giving birth. Discuss this as soon as possible with your superior, so that a suitable solution can be found and temporary replacement can be arranged. The possibilities can be determined in consultation with the company doctor. 
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The fourth month of parenthood 
 
Depending on your physical condition you will have resumed work. If you are breastfeeding, you may need to express milk during working hours. Your employer is obliged to create a number of facilities such as a separate room, where you can sit without being disturbed, and a refrigerator to keep the milk in. Your have the right to spend a maximum of 25% of your working time to express milk or feed your child. 
If you prefer, you can also go home to feed the child during working hours. When breastfeeding, try to ensure that you avoid handling hazardous substances as much as possible. Furthermore, you should not be exposed to radioactive radiation and lead compounds if you work in a laboratory, for example. Always contact the company doctor if you are in doubt as to what to do. 
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The fifth month of parenthood and onwards 
 
By now you will be getting used to combining work and looking after your child. However, sometimes an unexpected situation may arise; for example, if the childcare centre rings that your child has become ill. You or your partner may need to collect your child from the nursery. This is considered an emergency situation and you are entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof). 
Should your child remain ill for longer, then you can make use of your entitlement to short-term care leave (kortdurend zorgverlof). If necessary, arrangements have also been made for long-term care leave (langdurig zorgverlof). 
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More information? 
 
In this folder we have given you a summary of general information about working before and after pregnancy. If you need more information, you can download FNV Bondgenoten's Dutch brochure Alles over werk en zwangerschap from <a href="http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl">www.fnvbondgenoten.nl</a>. Members can also obtain this brochure free of charge by contacting telephone number 0900 9690 (only from within the Netherlands - &euro; 0.10 a minute). If you are not yet a member, you can join the union by ringing this number, too. 
 
If you need more copies of this summary, you can order these by telephone. 
 
FNV Bondgenoten is the largest trade union in the market sector. It has over 466,000 members in the industrial sector, the iron and steel industry/light engineering industry, in the trade, transport, services, and agricultural sectors, and the general and technical support services sector. FNV Bondgenoten has concluded about 700 collective agreements in these sectors.

FNV Bondgenoten Brochure: Work &amp; Pregnancy - From Month to Month

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The selective strike by ICEM Norwegian oil workers&rsquo; union NOPEF ended late on 24 July following a mediated session by the government. The 34-day strike against oil service companies operating on Norway&rsquo;s Continental Shelf proved highly effective, and produced a new two-year agreement that fulfils NOPEF&rsquo;s demands toward normalising the national oil services agreement with other collective agreements in the country&rsquo;s energy sector. 
 
The accord also matches the other agreements in the sector with the first-year wage increase, and provides an even better salary pay-out for 2007. Effective 1 July 2006, oil service workers in Norway, numbering some 2,650, receive a 5.9% wage increase. In 2007, a lump sum bonus of NOK 17,000 (US$2,800) was won. 
 
But more significantly, the 2006-2006 agreement sets forth a protocol that will begin moving oil service companies to the standard rotation schedule of two-weeks on, four-weeks off. Local discussions toward that work schedule will now occur, with NOPEF and the employers&rsquo; federation, Oil Industry Association (OLF), meeting in February 2007 to review the progress. 
 
NOPEF also achieved an increase in night work, added pay for holidays, and increases in food and travel pay and arrangements. The union did not achieve pay for waiting time, but that issue will be prioritised for talks in future renewal contracts. Workers will now vote on the new contract, with the vote to be completed by 1 September. 
 
NOPEF&rsquo;s strike against oil service contractors began on 21 June. The union called but 87 workers out on strike against just a handful of employers, knowing that such a strategy would place pressure on the oil majors in their drilling and development projects. The main employers targeted were Halliburton, Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Weatherford and Oceaneering. 
 
The ICEM salutes NOPEF for carrying out a tactical and effective strike in achieving a national oil services agreement that has proven to be the most difficult in the Norwegian energy sector. The will and discipline from a set of highly-skilled workers and trade unionists has now brought major employers providing oil services closer to the work rules and terms of other companies operating inside Norway&rsquo;s oil patch.

NOPEF Wins Oil Services Strike in Norway

Probes into deadly coal mine disasters in the Americas earlier this year are now coming into focus. And at two of the worst &ndash; the Sago mine blast in the US state of West Virginia on 2 January and the 19 February explosion at Grupo Mexico&rsquo;s Pasta de Conchos No. 8 mine in Mexico&rsquo;s Coahuila state &ndash; inadequate government safety monitoring and a reckless company safety culture are just part of the causes.
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&nbsp; 
In Mexico, a report issued last week by the government&rsquo;s National Human Rights Commission said, in 2004, safety officials of Mexico&rsquo;s Labour Department identified 48 major problems in Grupo Mexico&rsquo;s Minera Mexicana mine. The report added, however, that nothing was done to correct the deficiencies until just 12 days before the explosion. Sixty-five miners were killed in the February 2006 mine blast, the majority of them contract workers who were given no training and inadequate oxygen supply devices. Some 25 of the miners killed were members of Mexico&rsquo;s Miners &amp; Metalworkers Union (SNTMMSRM). 
 
The Human Rights Commission stated that Labour Department officials tolerated carelessness and neglect on behalf of company safety representatives, and that they &ldquo;had full knowledge of the working conditions of the mine where the catastrophe occurred (that) infringed on security standards,&rdquo; said a statement from the agency. The government knew of problems with lighting and underground signal systems, as well as gas and oil leaks and a faulty smoke-release system. 
 
In the US, a joint state and federal investigation into the Sago disaster that killed 12 miners has found that company officials had workers falsify documents. Testimony saw workers admitting they had signed documentation brought to them by bosses that they had attended safety classes and training, when, if fact, they had not. Sago is owned by the Wolf Run Mining Co., one of many coal mines in the eastern United States bought in bankruptcy proceedings by US-based investment house International Coal Group (IGC).
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&nbsp;An in-depth investigation done by a Pennsylvania newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also found that seals inside the non-union Sago mine&rsquo;s safety chambers were poorly constructed, using materials unable to withstand the force of a methane explosion. 
 
IGC attempted to bar safety officials from ICEM affiliate United Mineworkers of America (UMWA) from playing a role in the Sago disaster&rsquo;s investigation, even though miners and family members of victims sought such help. Under mine safety regulations in the US, such union assistance in non-union worksites is permissible if so requested. IGC had private security forces physically stop UMWA safety officials from entering the mine property following the explosion, and the US government had to sue the company in order that the mine safety law was honoured. A US District Court ruled in favour of UMWA involvement late in January, but IGC appealed that ruling to a higher court. Last month, the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court&rsquo;s verdict.

Mine Safety Probes in the Americas Progress

In Chile, negotiations resumed 22 July between Escondida Workers&rsquo; Union No. 1 and Minera Escondida Ltd., owner of the world&rsquo;s largest copper-producing mines. The union and company, primarily held by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, have been locked in a pay dispute since bargaining began on 21 June.
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A current contract expires 2 August. The unaffiliated union, representing 2,052 workers, or 96% of Escondida&rsquo;s workforce, issued a statement on 21 July that workers would vote on management&rsquo;s latest salary offer on 28 July. Miners have already given authorisation for a strike if their pay demands are not met by then. 
 
In early July, a company pay offer of 1.5% above Chile&rsquo;s inflation rate enraged workers, resulting in work-to-rule actions in which strict adherence to all safety rules forced a 10% production reduction. The union is seeking a 13% pay adjustment, in addition to a one-off bonus for high copper prices coupled with an end-of-dispute bonus.
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&nbsp; 
Record high copper prices and the fact that production from Escondida&rsquo;s two massive open-pit mines in Chile&rsquo;s northern Region II has risen nearly 15% increase over last year has given credence to the union&rsquo;s demands. The union has argued that because of the mining boom, the cost-of-living in such places as Antofagasta near Escondida is 10% higher than anywhere else in Chile. 
 
Minera Escondida Ltda. produced 1.27 million tonnes of copper and copper cathode last year, some 8% of the world&rsquo;s total. The mine also produced 182,472 ounces of gold. BHP Billiton holds 57.5% of the company&rsquo;s stock; Rio Tinto, 30%; a Japanese consortium led by Mitsubishi, 10%; and the World Bank&rsquo;s International Finance Corp., 2.5%.

Chile’s Escondida Copper Miners Poised to Strike

Trade union rallies, protests and strong and bitter objections are being heard across Pakistan to harsh and draconian changes to the country&rsquo;s labour code.
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&nbsp;Five major trade union centres have marched, posted letters, distributed literature, and even promoted and participated in a one-day hunger strike on 20 July in protest to, in the words of one Asian NGO, legislative changes that take &ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s working conditions back to the 17th century.&rdquo; 
 
A month ago, the National Assembly&rsquo;s House of Representatives &ndash; without Senate consent &ndash; passed changes to Pakistan&rsquo;s Finance Bill, which effectively increased daily work hours, reduced overtime compensation, and created a new category of &ldquo;contract worker&rdquo; not entitled to legal compensation for overtime work. 
 
The legalisation of contract work with no overtime pay will open the floodgates in Pakistan for employers to use large numbers of people as temporary workers well into the future. By amending just one statute in the framework of the Finance Bill, daily working hours have been increased from eight to 12. 
 
Another amendment abolishes the country&rsquo;s compulsory closed weekly holiday, while others will target women for more work and less family life. A provision in the Finance Bill amends the Factories Act, allowing women workers now to work up until 22h00 in two daily shifts. Prior, women were prohibited from working before sunrise and after sunset. 
 
Trade union leaders in Pakistan, and the world over, are declaring the changes inhumane, in violation of international labour standards and ILO Conventions, and against the spirit of the Constitution of Pakistan. Leaders inside Pakistan also consider the procedure for adopting the labour amendments as unconstitutional and illegal. They say the direct result will be rampant labour exploitation, especially to those people already marginalised within society.

Trade Unions in Pakistan Revolt Against Labour Code Changes

Oil fields workers in Chad again hit Esso-Tchad, lead company in a West African energy consortium, with a three-day strike last week. The workers, organized behind Chad&rsquo;s national labour centre, UST, are seeking salary parity with oil workers in neighbouring Cameroon, connected to them by a 200,000-barrel-per-day pipeline.
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&nbsp; 
The Chad-Cameroon Pipeline, fully operational now and reaping rich rewards for ExxonMobil, Petronas of Malaysia, and Chevron of the US, has been wrapped in a contentious funding dispute between the World Bank and the government of Chad, which only recently was tentatively resolved. The oil companies have used the high-profile stalemate over development monies to take holiday on many of their own social commitments. 
 
Case in point is the difficulty oil workers in the Doha fields of southern Chad have in getting management at Esso-Tchad to respond to good-faith efforts to resolve salary differences and other work terms. An important matter in Doha that employers have ignored is a career development programme for oil workers, a plan that was promised when production began in 2003 but has not been delivered. 
 
The 420 oil workers, behind the UST, said that if Esso-Tchad is not forthcoming in meeting their demands, they will launch a 10-day strike, which could come as early as this week. Workers struck initially from 4-6 July, and last week&rsquo;s strike ran from 18-20 July.
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The dispute between the World Bank and Chad was over a legislative change made to the country&rsquo;s Petroleum Revenue Management Law last year. In effect, it changed the bank&rsquo;s financial terms. The World Bank responded by halting all loans and development monies. On 14 July, the two parties reached an agreement that lending would resume once the government makes amendments to the law, including a requirement that 70% of oil revenues be used for anti-poverty measures. 
 
The Chad-Cameroon Pipeline has been plagued by labour and human rights problems dating back to its construction between 2000 and 2003. To cite one social consequence, credible research done in 2004 reveals that the prevalence rate of those infected with HIV/AIDS was 19.8% in the bordering populations of the 1,063 kilometre pipeline, compared to a 5.5% average on the national level.

ExxonMobil Workers in Chad Launch Renewed Strikes

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Affiliates in Colombia Organise First Seminar on HIV/AIDS
ICEM affiliates in Colombia organised their first seminar on HIV/AIDS and the workplace in cooperation with UNAIDS and the Ministry of Social Protection. 
 
The seminar concluded that there was a lack of consistent campaigning on the part of companies and also unions. To overcome ignorance, discrimination and stigmatisation participants recommended including clauses in collective agreements and drawing up workplace policies based on the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work.
The seminar formulated an action plan which includes the formation of workplace committees, workshops, information material, revision of collective agreements and gender-oriented programmes. Each union is to nominate a focal point to coordinate implementation of the action plan. 
 
Company representatives were invited to the seminar but only Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n, which&nbsp;represents the interests of BHP Billiton, Glencore and Anglo American, participated. 
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Mongolia Union Concerned about Increase in Reported HIV Infections 
In a report to the ICEM's Asia-Pacific Regional Committee, the Mongolia Mining and Energy Union expressed concern about the recent increase in HIV prevalence in the country. Despite the still very low prevalence rate, the potential for a further increase due to unsafe sex, high infection rates among migrant workers and mobile traders and lack of education among young people is high. 
 
Workplace prevention programmes are at the initial stage in the country. Only recently, trade unions organised a national seminar in collaboration with the employers&rsquo; federation and the ILO on the introduction of workplace prevention programmes. 
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A Quarter of a Century of AIDS
The world has changed in 25 years since physicians saw the earliest cases of AIDS in hospitals in the United States and in Africa. The world was slow to recognise the gravity of the new health crisis and in the years in which AIDS remained off the political agenda, the infection took a foothold that it has not yet relinquished.
Over the last quarter century nearly 65 million people were infected with HIV and an estimated 25 million have already died of AIDS.
Today it is estimated that close to 40 million live with HIV &ndash; yet the vast majority are unaware of their status. More than 4 million became newly infected with HIV and almost 3 million died in 2005. 
 
With the establishment of the WHO Global Programme on AIDS in 1987 and UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) in 1996, the United Nations moved to address the epidemic not as an isolated health problem, but as a human development issue. 
 
At the 2001 Special Session of the UN General Assembly on AIDS (UNGASS), 189 nations agreed that HIV/AIDS was a national and international development issue of the highest priority, signing the historic Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS that promised innovative responses, coordinated efforts and accountability for progress against the epidemic.
The Declaration set a comprehensive list of time-bound targets to support the Millennium Development Goal 6 of halting, and beginning to reverse the epidemic by 2015. 
 
In 2003, UNAIDS and the WHO promoted the 3 by 5 Initiative (3 million people living with HIV/AIDS on treatment by the end of 2005). Although the initiative did not meet its target, it focused attention on treatment and increased the number from 400,000 in December 2003 to 1.3 million in December 2005.
When new targets such as universal access by 2010 are set it is hoped that these are not empty promises but there is a real commitment behind them which includes the massive financial resources required. 
 
A real breakthrough in funding came with the launch of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) in December 2002. More than 20% of all international financing to fight HIV/AIDS is currently channelled through the Global Fund, which has approved close to 400 grants to government and civil society partners in 131 countries.
Funds contributed and pledged to the Global Fund by donors totalled US$8.5 billion. But even such a large amount pales when resource requirements for 2007 are estimated to be US$18 billion, while resources expected to be available from all sources are estimated at US$10 billion. Despite substantial increases in donor funding, huge gaps remain.
(Source: UNAIDS 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic &ndash; see below. Read also: Newsweek, 5 June &quot;AIDS at 25&quot;) 
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UNAIDS Publishes Report on the Epidemic
As reported in the June issue of ICEM's e-bulletin, UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, launched the 2006 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic on the eve of a United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS. This special edition, marking the 10th anniversary of UNAIDS, contains the most in-depth data from countries to date, based on progress reports from 126 countries as well as independent data from more than 30 civil society organisations. 
 
The Report cites positive trends, and states that the epidemic appears to be slowing down globally but new infections are continuing to increase in certain regions and countries. The Report also shows that important progress has been made in country responses, including increases in funding and access to treatment and decreases in HIV prevalence among young people in some countries over the past five years.
It states, however, that HIV/AIDS remains an exceptional threat. The response is very diverse with some countries doing well on treatment but poorly on HIV prevention efforts and vice-versa. 
 
An estimated 38.6 million people are living with HIV worldwide. This is lower than the 40.3 million given in the UNAIDS December 2005 Epidemic Update. The lower estimate is partly due to genuine declines in HIV prevalence in several countries. However, most of the differences are due to increased availability of reliable data.
Rising mortality have also caused HIV prevalence to level off although the numbers of people living with HIV have continued to rise, due to population growth and antiretroviral treatment. 
 
The report can be accessed at <a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a>. It includes profiles of the 126 countries surveyed. 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, 30 May 2006) 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS
Unlike the 2001 UN General Assembly Session on HIV/AIDS, relatively few world leaders attended the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS which took place in New York from 29 May to 2 June.
Civil society organisations have criticised the final declaration of this meeting. Difference over prevention strategies, such as abstinence and condom use, intellectual property rights, and the naming of vulnerable groups have resulted in a weaker declaration and in serious omissions.
In deference to Muslim and conservative Latin and Vatican opposition, the Declaration refers only to &ldquo;vulnerable groups&rdquo; at risk for infection without naming sex workers, homosexuals, or intravenous drug users as in need of particular attention. Civil society also noted an insufficient commitment to women&rsquo;s rights. 
<img height="28" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Global Fund Progress Report Shows Substantial Impact 
 
Performance results from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria show that as of the end of&nbsp;April, 544,000 people have begun antiretroviral treatment through Global Fund-supported programmes &ndash; up from 384,000 six months ago. 
 
Global Fund support for efforts to combat AIDS, TB and malaria account for 56% of the total US$5.4 million committed to date for programmes in 131 countries to fight the three diseases. Some&nbsp;400 grants have been approved so far. Of the US$3 billion allocated to AIDS, half is dedicated to prevention activities while the other half is allocated to treatment. 
 
In 2005, the Global Fund was responsible for an estimated 20% of all international funding in support of efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, and approximately two-thirds of global funding for programmes against TB and malaria. 
 
What is encouraging is that civil society organisations are strong implementers as compared to government agencies, with 30% of their grants over-performing and the remaining 70% showing satisfactory performance. 
There are strong indications that countries can drastically increase their national absorptive capacity by channelling more of its health spending through non-governmental and faith-based organisations and the private sector. 

(Source: Global Fund Press Release, 29 June 2006)
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Focus on the Caribbean
According to the UNAIDS Report (see above), AIDS-related illnesses are the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44 in the Caribbean, accounting for more than 27,000 deaths in 2005. 
 
While the Bahamas, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti have contained the progress of HIV, Guyana has a serious epidemic underway.
The Caribbean remains the region most affected by HIV/AIDS after Africa. According to UNAIDS estimates 330,000 HIV-positive people were living in the Caribbean at the end of 2005, 51% of whom were women.
This status as second-most affected region masks substantial country differences in the extent and intensity of the epidemic. Prevalence rates range from 0.1% in Cuba to more than 2% in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, and exceeding 3% in the Bahamas and Haiti. New infections among women are far surpassing those among men, ranging from twice the likelihood for teenage girls to be infected in Jamaica to six times in Trinidad and Tobago. 
 
In the region fewer than one in four people needing antiretroviral drugs are actually receiving them. 

(Source: UNAIDS 2006 Report as compiled by Medical News Today, 5 June 2006) 

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Global Unions Demand G8 Permanent Working Group on HIV/AIDS 
In the run-up to the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, 15-16 July, a Global Union delegation met Russian President Putin.
Among other items, they put forward the demand for a permanent Working Group on HIV/AIDS. At last year&rsquo;s Summit in Gleneagles, there was a time-bound commitment to fighting the epidemic but since then there has not been a clear follow-up and monitoring mechanism to reach the objective of universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care by 2010.
The call for a permanent Working Group was also made at the ILO&rsquo;s International Labour Conference in Geneva in June when Global Unions delivered letters to government, workers&rsquo; and employers&rsquo; delegations and to the Health Ministers gathered at the WHO annual World Health Assembly in May.
(Source: OECD-TUAC Press Release, 5 July and Global Union Statements) 
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International AIDS Conference 
 
The ICEM abstract written for the International AIDS Conference, Toronto, Canada,&nbsp;13 to 18 August, was accepted for a poster exhibition.
The ICEM was also invited to speak on &ldquo;The importance of social dialogue and workers&rsquo; participation in public/private partnerships&rdquo; at a Satellite Meeting Session with the theme: &ldquo;From the workplace to the community &ndash; Co-investment to access prevention, treatment and care in public/private partnerships&rdquo;. 

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ICEM Resources on HIV/AIDS 
 
This is a reminder that HIV/AIDS materials are available on our website <a href="http://www.icem.org">www.icem.org</a>. You can download the ICEM Leaflet on HIV/AIDS as well as power point presentations and find links to other interesting websites and materials.
Latest addition is the HIV/AIDS Training Manual for Collective Bargaining. Written by the ICEM Africa Regional HIV/AIDS Coordinator Shirley Miller with input from the national coordinators from sub-Saharan Africa the manual is a rights-based practical guide for unionists to deal with HIV/AIDS at the workplace and bargain for clauses safeguarding against discrimination and victimisation. The manual can also be found in three different languages at:
English: <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualEN.pdf">/files/PDF/Key_issues_pdfs/ 
AIDS/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualEN.pdf</a>
French: <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualFR.pdf">/files/PDF/Key_issues_pdfs/ 
AIDS/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualFR.pdf</a>
Spanish: <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualSP.pdf">/files/PDF/Key_issues_pdfs/ 
AIDS/0606ICEMHIVAIDSManualSP.pdf</a>

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No.10

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Oil and gas trade unions, including the ICEM, were represented for the first time at the annual Caspian Oil &amp; Gas Exhibition last month in Baku, Azerbaijan. The eighth running of the show included oil and gas workers&rsquo; unions from Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, and Norway. 
 
Trade unions representing the ICEM&rsquo;s Caspian Energy Project, together with staff from the Brussels Secretariat, manned colourful booths and distributed brochures, pins, banners and histories of their respective unions. Materials on HIV/AIDS, health and safety, contract and agency labour, and general labour relations were also presented to oil and gas company trade representatives.

ICEM’s Caspian Energy Network Debuts at Oil &amp; Gas Trade Show

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Sappi paperworkers at a Belgian mill staged a 24-hour strike on 5-6 July in protest of the South African company&rsquo;s restructuring plan. The paper mill&rsquo;s 700 workers seek to persuade the company not to cut 123 jobs from the pulp and coated papers mill. 
 
Management at the Lanaken mill claims the restructuring is merely a costs-savings measure, while the unions see it as mass redundancies and forced dismissals. The unions will use social dialogue to argue that cost-cutting should not go beyond not replacing those who retire combined with a tightening on the number of fixed-term contract workers that Sappi utilises. 
<img height="102" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Preliminary talks between the unions and management will occur on 18 July, with social dialogue on the restructuring plan to take place in September.

Sappi Paperworkers in Belgium Strike over Proposed Job Cuts

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The United Steelworkers (USW) in America on 30 June selected Michelin&rsquo;s BF Goodrich tyre operations as the bargaining template in order to achieve a master rubber contract for 27,000 workers in North America. Talks with three major tyre producers, Michelin, Goodyear Tire &amp; Rubber, and Bridgestone/Firestone (BSF), have already started. 
 
The current master labour agreement for the US tyre-making sector expires with all companies on 22 July, but the USW and the major tyre producers generally go beyond that deadline in negotiations. Smaller manufacturers in the US, such as Yokahoma, also follow the bargaining pattern. 
<img height="53" src="" width="100" alt="" />
USW represents some 4,000 Michelin workers at three BF Goodrich plants, while it covers 17,000 Goodyear workers at 12 plants and 6,000 BFS workers at eight tyre facilities. 
 
&ldquo;Significant in the selection of BF Goodrich is the fact that we believe that we can set an industry pattern that looks after our retirees, enhances job security and protects standard of living for our active and retired members,&rdquo; stated USW Lead Negotiator and Executive Vice President Ron Hoover.

Michelin Chosen for Tyre Bargaining Pattern in US Talks

Archive

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ExxonMobil Workers in Chad Launch Renewed Strikes

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No.10

ICEM’s Caspian Energy Network Debuts at Oil & Gas Trade Show

Sappi Paperworkers in Belgium Strike over Proposed Job Cuts

Michelin Chosen for Tyre Bargaining Pattern in US Talks

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