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ICEM was represented by Jim Catterson at the 20th Anniversary Congress of this important affiliated trade union, held in Sibiu Romania 23 March, 2010. The Congress was attended by around 400 delegates. 
 
Following a report on delegates present, voting rights, and total votes available, the Congress opened with an excellent, professionally produced film of the first 20 years of the union, covering its foundation, activities and the role it has played internationally within both ICEM and EMCEF. International guests included a delegation from our Austrian affiliated union, PRO.GE., Romanian petroleum company, Industri Energi of Norway and the MOL trade union in Hungary. 
 
Petrom is now 51% owned by the Austrian headquartered multinational company, OMV. 

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Union President Liviu Luca 4th from the left
The Congress approved unanimously a detailed document on activities, past and proposed, and then accounts and a budget for the immediate future were approved. 
 
Two major issues at the Congress were firstly the fact that privatisation had led to the situation that workplace numbers have been under constant pressure since the OMV investment, with the union losing members as a result. 
 
Secondly Petrom, and other ICEM affiliated trade unions in Romania, are under strong attack by the government in an attempt to reduce both their power and their independence. ICEM is in discussion with our affiliates in the country, including Petrom, as to the best way to support their struggle internationally.

20th Anniversary Congress of Federatia Sindicatelor Libere Independente Petrom

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The ICEM-affiliated Italian Chemical, Energy and Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union, FILCEM-CGIL, has merged with the Italian Textile Workers&rsquo; Union, FILTEA-CGIL, to establish the new union FILCTEM-CGIL (Chemical, Textile, Energy and Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union). The official creation of the new union occurred at its Founding Congress, held on 7-9 April 2010, in the city of Pesaro. 
 
Representing over 250,000 members, the newly-created FILCTEM has 28 national collective agreements, covering more than 1,300,000 employees, in Italy, in chemicals and pharmaceuticals, textiles and clothing and footwear, rubber, plastics, glass, leather tanning, ceramics and tiles, energy (oil, gas transport, mining) and utilities (electricity, water, gas). 
 
FILCTEM-CGIL is affiliated to the ICEM, PSI and ITGLWF at the global level, as well as to EMCEF, EPSU and ETUF:TCL at the European level. 
 
The Founding Congress, held under the slogan &ldquo;Founded in the Workplace&rdquo;, was attended by around 800 delegates and guests. International participants were ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Chemical and Rubber Industries Officer, ITGLWF and ETUF:TCL&rsquo;s Patrick Itschert, General Secretary, EMCEF&rsquo;s Reinhard Reibsch, General Secretary, and EPSU&rsquo;s Jan Willem Goudriaan, Deputy General Secretary. 

<img src="" width="199" height="153" alt="" />
Alberto Morselli
Alberto Morselli, General Secretary of the new organisation, opened the Congress, and outlined priorities for the upcoming period as increasing employee participation, workers&rsquo; rights beyond the crisis, constitutional transparency and legality, government&rsquo;s policies on production and employment, energy efficiency, and renewable resources for the future. General Secretary Morselli emphasised the importance of unity and strength in light of a continued attack on workers&rsquo; rights. He declared that the new FILCTEM will struggle for change. 
 
Other Italian unions, FEMCA-CISL, FLAI-CISL, UILCEM-UIL, and UILTA-UIL participated in the Congress, and will work together with FILCTEM. 
 
The second day of the Congress was marked by a round table discussion entitled &ldquo;Industrial Innovation for Developing Employment and Overcoming the Crisis&rdquo;. Chaired by Alberto Morselli, the round-table was attended by Guglielmo Epifani, General Secretary of CGIL, Giorgio Squinzi, President of Federchimica (chemical employers&rsquo; organisation), Michele Tronconi, President of Sistema Moda Italia (textile employers&rsquo; organisation) and Giuliano Zuccoli, President of Assoelettrica (electricity employers&rsquo; organisation). There were also a number of high level representatives of large companies such ENI and ENEL. 
 
The Congress appointed Valeria Fedeli as Vice-General Secretary. She had been General Secretary of FILTEA-CGIL and continues as President of ETUF:TCL.

Italian Merger Congress Creates New Union FILCTEM-CGIL

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The ICEM&rsquo;s Sub-Sahara Africa Regional Organisation (SSARO), at its Executive Committee Meeting in Dakar, Senegal, 6 April, adopted a resolution of strong solidarity and support for the striking Canadian Vale workers. 
 
The Resolution marked the Vale &lsquo;Week of Action&rsquo; of 5-11 April, called to denounce to denounce Vale Inco&rsquo;s attacks on workers in Canada and throughout the world. Vale, the second biggest mining company in the world, operates in 36 countries. 
 
More than 3,000 Steelworkers in Sudbury, Port Colborne, and Voisey&rsquo;s Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, are into the ninth month of a strike, the longest ever at Inco. While the company persists with its demands on profit-sharing, pensions, job security, outsourcing, and seniority rights. Vale continues to refuse to enter into a binding arbitration, as instructed under Canada&rsquo;s labour laws. 

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The SSARO Resolution comes in light of the 50/50 joint venture between Vale and African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), a South African mining company that will act as a gateway for Vale to Africa&rsquo;s mineral resources. 
 
ICEM SSARO affiliates resolved to lobby their governments, national centres, NGOs, and communities, to condemn and take concrete actions in support of the struggle. 
 
View the Resolution in its entirety <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/1004.ssaro.resolution.vale.pdf">here</a>. 
 
View the USW Vale strikers&rsquo; campaign website <a href="http://www.fairdealnow.ca/">here</a>.&nbsp;

SSARO Meeting Vale Resolution in Support of Canadian Strikers

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An ash cloud from Iceland's spewing volcano halted air traffic across most of Europe on Thursday 15 March, with air travel still impossible today throughout Northern Europe, and beyond. 
 
The cancelled flights have disrupted ICEM&rsquo;s activities, leaving staff members and affiliates stranded. 
 
ICEM&rsquo;s President Senzeni Zokwana is still unable to fly home to South Africa from London, while General Secretary Manfred Warda was unable to fly to meetings in Germany, Singapore, and Australia over the last few days. 
 
Joe Drexler, Director of Corporate Affairs, is attempting to return to Geneva from North America. 

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ICEM Officers are currently unable to travel, and therefore unable to reach planned activities and meetings. Kemal Ozkan, Rubber and Chemicals Sector Officer, and Brian Kohler, Sustainability Officer, are unable to leave Istanbul. Dick Blin, Information, Pulp and Paper Officer is unable to leave London. Fons Vannieuwenhuyse, ICEM Projects Officer was also unable to fly to Singapore. 
 
Many ICEM affiliates are also stranded, J&oslash;rgen Juul Rasmussen, General Secretary of the Danish Union of Electricians (Dansk El-Forbund), is unable to return home for important union business in Denmark following the ICEM CAL event in Singapore. The Danish Union of Electricians' members will be balloted on a new agreement, if it is voted against a national strike will begin Sunday.&nbsp; 
 
This unforeseen disruption will continue to affect ICEM actions and work over the coming days. We hope affiliates and colleagues will understand.

Special Notice: ICEM Work Disrupted, Iceland’s Volcanic Ash Stops Air Travel

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With the ashes from the global financial crisis still about us, the ICEM has joined with the 11 other Global Union Federations (GUFs), as well as the International Trade Union Confederation and the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) to the OECD in issuing a joint 1 May statement. That statement follows below. 
May Day 2010 
Jobs, Justice and Public Services &ndash; Getting the Economy to Work 
The Council of Global Unions, the voice of the global labour movement, has issued the following statement to mark May 1, 2010 
 
On today of all days, trade unionists around the world demand fresh steps to reform the global economy in favour of social justice, investment in jobs and fairness in society. This is no time for business as usual. 
 
Neo-liberal economists and reckless financial dealings have created a crisis that has put millions of people out of work and forced many more into precarious employment to survive. Social safety nets are being torn apart. Public spending that provides for cohesive communities is being savagely cut. 
 
With all of this in mind, Global Unions call on policymakers and democrats everywhere to support a new paradigm of recovery and social justice that will: 
 
&bull; Reassert in government at all levels the primacy of public interest over private gain and ensure that the protection of citizens&rsquo; rights is made a cornerstone of social and economic development; 
 
&bull; Defend the rights of workers and trade unions; 
 
&bull; Mobilise for the creation of sustainable, secure and good quality jobs for all workers, that allow workers and their families to live in dignity; 
 
&bull; Ensure that social justice is a central mission of government and take concrete measures to reduce income disparities and increase equality, in particular gender equality; 
 
&bull; Eliminate market abuse through short-term speculation and manipulation of financial markets by imposing binding and effective regulation; 
 
&bull; Promote sustainable development with job-centred policies, effective social protections and reversal of global warming and environmental degradation; 
 
&bull; Renew commitment to public service values in society and enhance the contribution of quality public services to fairer and more efficient societies, and to finance these services through progressive systems of taxation that provide sufficient resources while improving social equity; 
 
&bull; Commit to education for all and provide resources needed to achieve the enrichment of society that comes from high quality education and training; 
 
&bull; Improve the quality of people&rsquo;s lives by providing universal access to health care and other vital social welfare services, as well as such fundamental issues as clean water and adequate nutrition, and breathing new life into efforts to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. 
 
May Day 2010 is a moment to change course, to meet the aspirations of workers and communities for a new beginning, to put to flight self-serving politics and corporate greed, and, above all, to build a new solidarity in society in support of people-centred values that will enrich the lives of all. 
 
 
The PDF of the statement can be found <a href="http://www.world-psi.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&amp;CONTENTFILEID=29028&amp;TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm">here</a>.

Global Labour’s Joint 1 May Statement

5. Mai 2010
Bergarbeiter aus Australien schlie&szlig;en sich einer Protestaktion der Aktion&auml;re auf der Jahreshauptversammlung des Schweizer Bergbaukonzerns Xstrata am 5. Mai an. 
 
Eine aus vier Kohlebergleuten bestehende Delegation aus New South Wales (NSW) und Queensland wird zur Hauptversammlung ins ferne Zug (Schweiz) reisen, wo sich die Zentrale von Xstrata befindet. 
 
Der Vizepr&auml;sident der CFMEU-Bergbau- und Energiesektion, Wayne McAndrew, der ebenfalls der Delegationsleiter ist, erz&auml;hlt, dass der Bergbaugigant 2009 eine Lohnsteigerung von 3% f&uuml;r die Bergleute bek&auml;mpft hat, w&auml;hrend Mick Davis im vergangenen Jahr US$ 7,75 Millionen kassierte und damit 41% mehr als sein Sal&auml;r in H&ouml;he von US$ 5,5 Millionen im Jahre 2008. 
 
&bdquo;Die australischen Kohlebergbaubetriebe von Xstrata geh&ouml;ren zu den gewinntr&auml;chtigsten Unternehmenssparten des weltweit operierenden Konzerns. Trotzdem gibt es in einem Viertel der australischen Xstrata-Minen Arbeitskonflikte und Unruhen aufgrund der arbeitnehmerfeindlichen Haltung des Unternehmens.&ldquo; 
 
&bdquo;Die Gewerkschaft ist zu einer konstruktiven Zusammenarbeit mit Bergbauunternehmen &uuml;berall in Australien in der Lage&ldquo;, berichtet Wayne McAndrew. &bdquo;Xstrata hat es jedoch immer wieder und konsequent abgelehnt, mit uns zu kooperieren und damit die besten Ergebnisse f&uuml;r alle Stakeholder in der Bergbauindustrie und besonders f&uuml;r die Bergleute zu erreichen.&ldquo; 
 
Xstrata ist ein Unternehmen, dessen Aktivit&auml;ten die zuk&uuml;nftigen Gewinne beeintr&auml;chtigen k&ouml;nnen und sich potenziell sch&auml;dlich auf Fusionen und &Uuml;bernahmen im Ausland auswirken&ldquo;. 
 
Die Bergbaugewerkschaft setzt sich f&uuml;r drei grundlegende Forderungen ihrer Mitglieder ein: Arbeitsplatzsicherheit, gleicher Lohn f&uuml;r gleiche Arbeit und ein rechtskr&auml;ftiges Schlichtungsverfahren in Konfliktsituationen. Im Jahre 2009 sind 37% des operativen Gewinns f&uuml;r das gesamte Unternehmen in australischen Kohlebergwerken erwirtschaftet worden. Australische Kohle hat mit 27% ebenfalls die h&ouml;chste Gewinnspanne aller Unternehmenssparten erzielt.
Die Internationale F&ouml;deration von Chemie-, Energie-, Bergbau- und Fabrikarbeiterverb&auml;nden (ICEM) mit Sitz in Genf unterst&uuml;tzt die Proteste ihrer australischen Mitgliedsgewerkschaft, der Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), gegen den Konzern Xstrata. Die ICEM ist eine globale Gewerkschaftsf&ouml;deration mit 467 Mitgliedsgewerkschaften in 132 L&auml;ndern.
Sprecher: Wayne McAndrew steht f&uuml;r ein Gespr&auml;ch unter der Telefonnummer +61 417 230 441 zur Verf&uuml;gung (CFMEU); Ansprechpartner in der Schweiz f&uuml;r die Medien ist Dick Blin, ICEM-Informationsb&uuml;ro, 079 734 8994 (Mobile) 

CFMEU Mining &amp; Energy Division 
Level 1, 365 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000 
PO Box Q1641 Sydney NSW 1230 
 
Telefon: (+61.2) 9267 1035
Fax: (+61.2) 9267 3198

MEDIENMITTEILUNG:Australische Bergleute machen sich für Aktionärsproteste gegen Xstrata stark

Hinweise f&uuml;r die Medien: 
Protest der Bergleute auf der Jahreshauptversammlung von Xstrata 
Ort: Congress Center Metalli, Parkhotel 
CH-6300 Zug 
Zeit: 10:00 Uhr 
 
Fotomotiv: Australische Bergleute auf der Versammlung in ihrer Arbeitskleidung. 
 
Die Jahreshauptversammlung der Xstrata-Aktion&auml;re findet am Mittwoch, 5. Mai um 11:00 Uhr Ortszeit in Zug statt (- 8 Stunden EST) 
 


Sprecher: Wayne McAndrew steht f&uuml;r ein Gespr&auml;ch unter der Telefonnummer +61 417 230 441 zur Verf&uuml;gung (CFMEU); Ansprechpartner in der Schweiz f&uuml;r die Medien ist Dick Blin, ICEM-Informationsb&uuml;ro, 079 734 8994 (Mobile), entweder auf der Veranstaltung oder f&uuml;r Interviews mit der CFMEU-Delegation in Z&uuml;rich am 4. Mai. 
 
Die Internationale F&ouml;deration von Chemie-, Energie-, Bergbau- und Fabrikarbeiterverb&auml;nden (ICEM) mit Sitz in Genf unterst&uuml;tzt die Proteste ihrer australischen Mitgliedsgewerkschaft, der Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), gegen den Konzern Xstrata. Die ICEM ist eine globale Gewerkschaftsf&ouml;deration mit 467 Mitgliedsgewerkschaften in 132 L&auml;ndern.

Hinweise für die Medien:Protest der Bergleute auf der Jahreshauptversammlung von Xstrata

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On 20-21 April, 82 trade union leaders from 14 countries participated in a wide-ranging conference of the ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific Region. The Sydney, Australia, meetings were expertly hosted and coordinated by the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia, which also provided generous support for many trade unions of the region to attend. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda was scheduled to attend, but scheduled flights out of Europe were grounded throughout that week due to volcanic ash from Iceland. Instead, Warda initiated a late-night telephone conference exchange with delegates from Geneva. 

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The ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific meetings were co-chaired by Kiyoshi Ochiai of UI Zensen, Japan, CFMEU&rsquo;s National President Tony Maher, and ICEM Asia-Pacific Regional Contact Person Phee Jung-sun. The CFMEU&rsquo;s John Sutton chaired the first day&rsquo;s union meeting. 
 
The regional forum had the distinction to hear representatives from the All China Federation of Labour (ACFTU) and the Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union of Vietnam. Representatives from both gave candid and vivid descriptions of multinational companies operating in their countries, and engaged with ICEM&rsquo;s Asia-Pacific delegates on a number of issues. 

<img src="" width="320" height="148" alt="" />
Left, Peter Tighe of Australia&rsquo;s Communications, Electrical, and Plumbing Union, and CFMEU&rsquo;s Forestry Division leaders Alex Millar and Michael O&rsquo;Connor
On 20 April, a morning session consisted of experiences and potential work of trade unions is in the region, while the afternoon session covered ICEM&rsquo;s Contract and Agency Labour (CAL) project in the region. Six unions from Australia and two from New Zealand also joined discussions in central coordination of activities and experiences with multinationals. 
 
Delegates passed two resolutions, one reiterating ICEM&rsquo;s CAL work, but also stating strong and aggressive policies are needed toward senior leaders of corporations that deny trade union and other rights to temporary workers. 
 
The other resolution is specific to Thailand. It states that violations of freedom of association and the right to collectively bargain are rampant against both regular workers and temporary workers, and that education, establishment of company networks, and raising necessary resources for Thai unions to develop are necessary so that they can resist such anti-worker biases.

Asia-Pacific ICEM Regional Conference Held in Australia

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The ICEM French trade union affiliate, the Federation of Chemical and Energy Workers (FCE-CFDT) Union, has launched a new section of their website that includes WebTV and online forum debates, open to all. 
 
Click <a href="http://www.fce.cfdt.fr/ ">here</a> to view. 
 
The forum, the union&rsquo;s first interactive online tool, enables dialogue between its members, employees, and activists. Personal questions and queries are explained by union staffers, with the explanations open for anybody, including workers considering joining the FCE-CFDT. This level of access to debates would not be possible using traditional tools. The new communicating tool is predicted to attract new members. 

<img src="" width="240" height="221" alt="" />
The forum was recently used by the union to conduct a poll on the union&rsquo;s popular new slogan, with the slogan &ldquo;Let us invent the CFDT of tomorrow!&rdquo; receiving the most votes. 
 
The WebTV gives free and open access to films and interviews on the work of the union, as well as news, federal campaigns, and actions underway. The ICEM applauds our French affiliate&rsquo;s initiative!

French FCE-CFDT Launches Online TV

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On 5 April, 29 American miners were killed at the Massey Energy Company&rsquo;s non-union mine of Upper Big Branch in the state of West Virginia. The catastrophe, caused by a methane gas explosion, was the worst mine tragedy to occur in the US in 40 years and it triggered a fierce debate in America over the merits of union mines versus non-union ones regarding safety. 
 
Three weeks after the disaster, non-union miners at Massey&rsquo;s Montcoal, West Virginia, colliery did what other non-union miners have done in recent times when company negligence has caused a disaster: they called on ICEM affiliate United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) to participate in the investigation. 
 
Under US mine safety law, non-union miners can request the expertise of the UMWA in the event of a disaster, or safety occurrence. That happened at the non-union Crandall Canyon mine in the state of Utah in August 2007, following an explosion that killed six miners, and then days later, three rescue workers. It happened at West Virginia&rsquo;s Sago Mine a year earlier when 12 miners perished due to an underground explosion. 

<img alt="" src="" width="120" height="167" />
UMWA President Cecil Roberts
Then, International Coal Group and its owner, New York investor Wilbur Ross, blocked UMWA safety experts from entering the mine even though miners had designated their participation. The UMWA and the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) had to sue International Coal to gain access and uphold the law. 
 
Despite Massey and its CEO Don Blankenship being vehemently anti-union, that recurrence did not happen when UMWA a safety expert showed up at Upper Big Branch on 23 April to investigate. He was allowed on to the property. 
 
On 27 April, a US Senate hearing on the West Virginia tragedy heard testimony that Massey&rsquo;s Upper Big Branch mine had been cited a total of 515 times for safety violations, and 124 times alone in 2009. The company was hit with fines totaling US$1.24 million, but paid less than US$180,000 because the fines were reduced through continual appeals. And those appeals generally delay the necessary safety corrections. 
 
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very easy to game the system,&rdquo; said Joe Main, who heads MSHA as an Assistant US Labor Secretary. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a catch me if you can mentality,&rdquo; added Main, who once served as Health and Safety Director of the UMWA. 
 
UMWA President Cecil Roberts testified, &ldquo;The miners who work for Massey are scared to death. They&rsquo;re intimidated. This company is run like its 1921, not the present day.&rdquo; 
 
A day after the US Senate hearings in the state of Kentucky, two coal miners were killed when an underground roof collapsed. These deaths occurred at the Dotiki mine, owned by Alliance Resource Partners.

US Mine Workers’ Union Designated to Investigate Massey Coal Mine Killings

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