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The ICEM directed criticism at Advanced Chemical Industries Ltd. (ACI) of Bangladesh last week over 22-23 January protests inside a pharmaceutical factory in Siddhirganj, central Narayanganj district, that left one worker dead. The ICEM believes that both full-time and temporary workers were pushed to their limits by ACI Plant Manger Ishtiaque Ahmed, who exhibited notoriously cruel behaviour to workers with constant threats of dismissal. 
 
Following peaceful worker protests on 22 January, ACI management responded by calling for armed police action against nearly all 400 workers inside the plant on the following day. The ICEM learned that management refused several times in recent months to engage in earnest discussions over workers&rsquo; grievances. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s protest to ACI can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/2.GDFSUEZunitedwatLet.pdf ">here</a>. Police fired rubber bullets and 30 canisters of tear gas on 23 January to break up the in-plant protests. One worker, 25-year-old temporary worker Enamul Huq, died from wounds suffered by he police assault. Over 100 others, including some police officers and the plant manager himself, were hospitalised. 
<img alt="" src="" width="123" height="151" />
Arrest Warrant: Beaten Worker
In the early days of last week, local Narayanganj police issued arrest for 30 named workers and another 300 whose names were not listed. 
 
The ICEM finds that the mayhem is attributable to ACI, which for too long neglected the pleas of workers and their plant-level trade union to address issues. Those issues include extended temporary work status to deserving workers, denying those workers union representation, and employing temporary workers at a sub-par level of benefits. Some temporary staff at ACI Pharmaceutical in Siddhirganj have worked as long as 12 years in unsecured job postings. 
 
The ICEM noted that nearly 400 of the plant&rsquo;s 407 workers took part in last weekend&rsquo;s protests. The ACI plant employs 167 full-time and 240 temporary workers. 
 
The ACI plant produces drug aids for human use. The plant employs 167 full-time workers and is a major Asian manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of drug aids, agri-chemical and pesticide products, and basic consumer products.

ICEM Says Bangladesh Chemical Company Provoked Riot that Killed One

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Release from International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF) 
 
The Global Union representing workers in the garment industry is convened a meeting of jeans&rsquo; brands and retailers to raise awareness of the need to eliminate the use of sandblasting, a method used to give jeans a fashionably faded look. 
 
Patrick Itschert, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF), said, &ldquo;Sandblasting is an extremely harmful process which can cause silicosis. The meeting on January 20 in Brussels provides an opportunity to hear contributions by experts, to examine best practices, to exchange points of view and to discuss further steps for action. 
<img src="" width="130" height="106" alt="" />
ITGLWF General Secretary Patrick Itschert
&ldquo;In Turkey, the world&rsquo;s third largest exporter of jeans and the only country so far where the impact of sandblasting on the health of workers has come under scrutiny, 550 former sandblasting workers have been diagnosed with silicosis since 2005 and 46 have so far died of the disease. These officially-documented cases are just the tip of the iceberg both in Turkey and globally. 
 
&ldquo;Clearly, government regulation is needed to ban the process or to enforce existing bans. However, in the absence of effective government regulation brands and retailers urgently need to take voluntary action. 
 
&ldquo;Even if brands and retailers adopt rigorous standards regarding sandblasting, there will always be suppliers that do not enforce those standards, thus putting unsuspecting workers at risk. Therefore the best policy is to ban sandblasting altogether in the garment industry. Several leading brands have already done so and we believe others should now do the same&rdquo;. 
 
Speakers at the meeting, entitled &ldquo;Towards the Elimination of Sandblasting in the Garment Industry,&rdquo; were trade union health and safety experts as well as brands that have taken the step to ban sandblasting.

ITGLWF Convenes Meeting of Jeans’ Companies on Perils of Sandblasting

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In early January, the ICEM learned of a major workers&rsquo; protest in al-Ferdous Square in Baghdad by Iraqi public employees and civil servants. More details are now available on that 4 January manifestation, thanks to the Federation of Workers&rsquo; Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI). This legitimate protest was held to uphold work rights for Politically Dismissed Workers. 
 
An inquiry commission is about to wrongly verify documentation acknowledging the sackings of hundreds of workers from ministries and agencies within Industry, Commerce, Agriculture, Irrigation, and other departments of government over political allegiances.
<img src="" width="231" height="155" alt="" />
Public Workers Carry a Symbolic Coffin in Baghdad
The demonstration was vocal and visual, by all accounts. 
 
The manifestation&rsquo;s first demand called for the cancellation of all decisions by the inquiry commission. Secondly, the 4 January rally and march demanded that sacked workers&rsquo; dismissal periods count as actual employment and thirdly, the 500 protesters demanded a stop to proceedings of verification against the politically dismissed workers. 
<img src="" width="230" height="173" alt="" />
FWCUI President Falah Alwan
After trade union activists spoke at al-Ferdous Square, demonstrators carried a coffin as a death symbol to government officials destroying any semblance of global labour standards in this particular case. The march wound its way in central Baghdad to Square Wiz and then back again to al-Ferdous Square. 
 
The protest was widely covered by Baghdad television, radio, and print media outlets. 
 
The ICEM gives global support to Iraqi workers who exercise their legitimate rights under international labour standards.

Public Sector Workers Demand Justice for Sacked Workers in Iraq

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Uluslararasi Sendika Federasyonlari IMF, ICEM, ITF ve UNI, &uuml;ye sendikalarını 14 Şubat tarihinden,&nbsp;Pasta de Conchos trajedisinin 5. yıld&ouml;n&uuml;m&uuml; olan 19 Şubat tarihine kadar eyleme davet etmektedir.
T&uuml;m &uuml;ye sendikalarımızdan Meksika H&uuml;k&uuml;meti&rsquo;ne y&ouml;nelik aşağıdaki &ccedil;ağrımıza katılması istemekteyiz: 
 
1. İşverenden ve Meksika h&uuml;k&uuml;meti yetkililerinden 19 Şubat 2009 tarihinde ger&ccedil;ekleşen ve 65 madencinin hayatına malolan Pasta de Conchos patlamasının hesabı sorulmalıdır. 
 
Patlamanın nedenleri bağımsız bir şekilde soruşturulmalıdır. Sorumlular hakkında hukuki kovuşturma başlatılmalıdır. H&uuml;k&uuml;met tarafından kurbanların ailelerinin haklarının adil bir şekilde karşılanması, g&ouml;&ccedil;&uuml;k altında kalan madencilerin cesetlerinin &ccedil;ıkarılması ve cenaze t&ouml;reninin yapılması gerekiyor. Meksika, madenlerdeki iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği mevzuatını geliştirerek İLO S&ouml;zleşmeleri ile uyumlu hale getirmek i&ccedil;in harekete ge&ccedil;melidir. 
 
2. İşveren g&uuml;d&uuml;ml&uuml; &ldquo;koruma s&ouml;zleşmeleri&rdquo; ve sendika se&ccedil;imlerine m&uuml;dahaleyi de i&ccedil;eren &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenmeye y&ouml;nelik sistematik ihlallere son verilmelidir. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met, &Ccedil;alışma Bakanlığı yetkililerinin, y&uuml;r&uuml;rl&uuml;ğe girmeden &ouml;nce sendika se&ccedil;imlerinin sonu&ccedil;larını onaylamasını gerekli kılan &ldquo;toma de nota&ldquo; uygulamasını ortadan kaldırmalıdır. Los Mineros ve SME sendikalarının se&ccedil;ilmiş y&ouml;neticileri bir an &ouml;nce tanınmalıdır. İş&ccedil;ilerin kendilerini temsil edecek sendikayı korkusuzca ve &ouml;zg&uuml;rce se&ccedil;ebilmeleri i&ccedil;in işveren g&uuml;d&uuml;ml&uuml; &ldquo;koruma s&ouml;zleşmeleri&rdquo; uygulaması sona erdirilmeli ve iş&ccedil;iler toplu s&ouml;zleşmenin bir kopyasını alma hakkına sahip olmalıdır. 
 
3. İş&ccedil;ilerin kendilerine daha iyi &ccedil;alışma koşulları ve daha y&uuml;ksek &uuml;cret, daha sağlıklı ve g&uuml;venli &ccedil;alışma koşulları sağlayacak olan &ldquo;demokratik sendika&rdquo; meşru talebini baskı altına almak amacıyla devlet veya &ouml;zel hukuk kişileri tarafından kuvvet kullanılmasına son verilmelidir. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met, Federal Polis Kuvvetlerini bir an &ouml;nce Cananea ve diğer b&uuml;t&uuml;n işyerlerinden &ccedil;ekmelidir. 
 
Los Mineros &uuml;yeleri Hector Alvarez Gomez, Mario Alberto Castillo Rodriguez, Reynaldo Hernandez Gonzalez, Juventino Flores Salas, ve FLOC &ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme sorumlusu Santiago Rafael Cruz'un katledilmesinin sorumluları adalete teslim edilmelidir. 
 
4. Meksika Maden İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası ve Meksika Elektrik İş&ccedil;ileri Sendikası'na y&ouml;nelik sistematik politik baskı kampanyasına son verilmelidir. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met haksız yere cezaevinde tutulan sendika liderleri; Juan Linares Montufar ve Miguel Marguez'i serbest bırakmalı, Genel Sekreter Napoleon Gomez Urrutia ve diğer Los Mineros liderleri hakkındaki ceza kovuşturmalarını d&uuml;ş&uuml;rmeli, sendikanın dondurulan banka hesaplarındaki kaynakları geri vermeli ve SNTMMSRM ve SME'ye y&ouml;nelik sistematik politik baskıya sonlandırmalıdır. 
 
H&uuml;k&uuml;met Mexico City b&ouml;lgesine elektrik enerji dağıtımını yapacak yeni bir kamu şirketi kurmalı. İşe iadelerini talep eden işten atılmış iş&ccedil;ileri yeniden işe almalı ve SME'yi toplu s&ouml;zleşme tarafı olarak tanımalıdır. 
 
Sizleri, bu talepleri desteklemeniz i&ccedil;in diğer sendikalar ile birlikte 14-19 Şubat 2011 tarihleri arasında aşağıdaki eylem bi&ccedil;imlerinden uygun bulduklarınızı uygulamaya &ccedil;ağırmaktayız. 
 
&bull; Meksika H&uuml;k&uuml;meti&rsquo;ne protesto mektubu g&ouml;ndererek, &uuml;lkenizdeki Meksika B&uuml;y&uuml;kel&ccedil;iliği ya da Konsolosluğu &ouml;n&uuml;nde g&ouml;steriler ve toplantılar d&uuml;zenlenebilir. 
&bull; İnsan hakları ve sendikal haklar alanında uluslararası m&uuml;zakereler yoluyla Meksika H&uuml;k&uuml;meti &uuml;zerinde etkili olabilecek politikacılarla toplantı ve brifingler yapılabilir. 
&bull; Temel haklara y&ouml;nelik bu ihlalleri a&ccedil;ıklamak i&ccedil;in ilgili Meksika şirketlerinin m&uuml;şterileri ve yatırımcıları ile toplantılar organize edilebilir. 
&bull; Kamuoyunun dikkatini Meksika'daki duruma &ccedil;ekmek i&ccedil;in basın a&ccedil;ıklamaları yapılarak, medyaya y&ouml;nelik etkinlikler d&uuml;zenleyin, gazete edit&ouml;rlerine mektuplar g&ouml;nderilebilir. 
 
Bu k&uuml;resel eylem haftasının koordine edilmesinde bize destek olmak i&ccedil;in &uuml;yesi olduğunuz ilgili K&uuml;resel Federasyonu ne t&uuml;r eylem planladığınıza ilişkin en kısa sure i&ccedil;erisinde bilgilendirmenizi istirham etmekteyiz. 
 
IMF (E-posta: <a href="mailto:unionrights@imfmetal.org">unionrights@imfmetal.org</a>) 
ICEM (E-posta: <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a>) 
ITF (E-posta: <a href="mailto:cortes_isabel@itf.org.uk">cortes_isabel@itf.org.uk</a>) 
UNI (<a href="mailto:Olga.Vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org">Olga.Vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org</a>)

Meksika`da Sendikal Haklar icin Eylem Haftasi - 14/19 Subat 2011

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The global trade union for the mining industry, the ICEM, congratulates the miners of Carbones del Cerrejon and their union, Sintracarb&oacute;n, as well as management of the coal enterprise in la Guajira state in reaching contract terms early this week in Colombia. In a statement, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda noted that through respectful social dialogue &ndash; a process instituted with the assistance of the ICEM seven years ago &ndash; the two parties reached a mutually acceptable collective agreement, thus abandoning a planned strike. 
 
The two-year labour accord between the 4,000-member ICEM-affiliated mining union and the company operating the world&rsquo;s largest set of open pit coal mines, owned jointly by AngloAmerican, BHP Billiton, and Xstrata, was reached with the assistance of Colombia Vice President Angelino Garz&oacute;n and Vice Minister of Labour Relations Ricardo Echeverry late last week. That mediation illuminates the importance of social dialogue at the highest level in a country usually devoid of such labour-management tools. It also averts a costly strike that would have placed a heavy toll both on union members of Sintracarb&oacute;n and Cerrejon. 
 
&ldquo;We have witnessed both sides reach the brink of negotiations in the past several sets of two-year talks,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;The fact that Sintracarb&oacute;n and Cerrejon have not had a strike in over 20 years is testament to mutual respect and shared responsibility by both the union and management in looking after the welfare of communities, workers, and their families.&rdquo;
<img alt="" src="" width="220" height="185" />
The 2011-2012 labour agreement calls for a first-year wage increase of 6.5% and a 2012 increase of two percent over next year&rsquo;s Consumer Price Index. But more importantly, the ICEM noted, Sintracarb&oacute;n continued to make improvements at the bargaining table for the communities surrounding the massive coal complex in north-east Colombia, improvements in health benefits for workers and their families, and education benefits for family members. 
 
The ICEM commends the involvement of Vice President Garz&oacute;n, Vice Minister Echeverry, and the Cerrejon management for recognizing in this set of talks that contract workers not directly employed by Cerrejon have the right of association and the right to form a union of their own choosing without interference from sub-contracting companies of Cerrejon, or the mining enterprise itself. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the bargaining committee of Sintracarb&oacute;n for achieving a deserved 2011 pay increase of 6.5%, better than double Colombia&rsquo;s current 3.19% CPI. The ICEM&rsquo;s notes that Cerrejon is a highly profitable enterprise for the parent companies, as well as for Colombia, the world&rsquo;s fifth biggest exporter of coal. 
 
&ldquo;The union&rsquo;s organised process of collective negotiations and it&rsquo;s method of mobilising 4,000 workers behind the bargaining team is an example to all unions worldwide,&rdquo; said Warda. &ldquo;In this set of bargaining, they succeeded in raising the bar on work standards inside Colombia that should be an aspiration to all workers.&rdquo;

Sintracarbón, Cerrejon Reach Commendable Contract in Colombia

Dear Sisters, Brothers and Comrades: 
 
You may have heard that I am departing the ICEM and returning to North America and my union, the United Steelworkers (USW). This was a very difficult decision for me, which was determined largely by personal factors. Manfred and the USW have worked out an arrangement for me to assist the ICEM in the transition with replacement staff, so feel free to contact me at jdrexler@usw.ca if I can be of assistance. 
 
While my original leave of absence to work at the ICEM was for two years, the leave was extended and I am finishing with almost 3 &frac12; years of service to the ICEM. I had an extraordinary opportunity that few trade unionists ever have. I was able to see the world through the eyes of wonderful colleagues and comrades in the many unions I came in contact with. Working together, we were able to build a stronger and more vibrant ICEM North America Region and make important strides in building power against greedy and sometimes brutal multinational employers. 
 
Serving as the ICEM Mining Sector Officer was particularly rewarding. Mining trade unions in much of the Global South play a pivotal role in the broader trade union movements and may well determine the future of civil society in many countries. The struggle to ensure responsible mining investment and sustainable development, the right to organize trade unions without employer interference, improved health and safety of miners, and stopping the scourge of tragic mining accidents remain major challenges. 
 
I express special thanks and appreciation to Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary; Senzeni Zokwana, ICEM President; Andrew Vickers, Chair of the ICEM Mining Sector; Ken Neumann and Dave Coles, Co-Chairs of ICEM North America; and the ICEM staff for their support and counsel throughout my tenure at the ICEM. 
 
I wish all the ICEM affiliates the very best in the future. I know with continued hard work and perseverance that we will build a new and better life for working people throughout the world. 
 
In solidarity, 
 
 
 
Joe Drexler 
 
ICEM - Director of Industry &amp; Corporate Affairs, Mining Secretary and North American Coordinator

Joe Drexler&#039;s Letter to ICEM affiliates on his departure

Calling for trade union rights in Mexico, the international trade union movement began a week of action by meeting with the Mexican Ambassador to the United Nations and holding a rally in Geneva, Switzerland today. 
 
Similar actions are scheduled to take place in at least 30 countries around the world until February 19, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the deaths of 65 miners at the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster in Mexico on February 19, 2006. 
 
Since this time the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union, the union that called for justice following the disaster, has faced systematic, frequently violent and escalating violations of worker and trade union rights by employers and the Mexican government. 
 
Other independent trade unions in Mexico seeking to improve the rights of working people have also increasingly come under attack in recent years through the tolerance, complicity and, on many occasions, the direct action of the Mexican state. 
 
A delegation of international trade union leaders, accompanied by a representative of the Swiss union UNIA, met with the Mexican Ambassador in Geneva this afternoon and demanded the Mexican government stop violating fundamental trade union rights and start complying with its own laws and international standards on human and trade union rights. 
 
&ldquo;It is now five years since 65 miners were killed in the February 19, 2006 explosion at the Grupo M&eacute;xico Pasta de Conchos coal mine. To this day, bereaved families have not received proper compensation, the miners&rsquo; bodies remain buried and violent and illegal attacks perpetrated by the Government and employers against the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union continue,&rdquo; explained Fernando Lopes, Assistant General Secretary of the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation, a member of the delegation to the embassy in Geneva today. 
 
&ldquo;The political persecution of the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Unions and others like it must stop,&rdquo; demanded Lopes. 
 
Independent unions including the Mexican Miners' Union (SNTMMSRM), the Mexican Electrical Workers' Union (SME), the UNTyPP union representing workers in Mexico's state-owned petroleum company PEMEX, the National Union of General Tyre Workers of Mexico (SNTGTM) and the Union of the Autonomous University of Mexico's Workers (SUTUACM), as well as the Mexican Telephone Workers' Union (STRM), Authentic Workers' Front (FAT) and up to thirty other unions affiliated to the National Union of Workers (UNT) have all faced violent attacks, intimidation and repression of trade union rights. 
 
Supporting the campaign, Joe de Bruyn, President of the UNI Global Union explains, &quot;For decades the Mexican government has facilitated low wages and suppressed worker voices through a pervasive web of employer-controlled protection contracts. We want to change the rules of the game in Mexico and ensure all workers can join the free and independent trade union movement.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;Calderon must begin to understand that trade union freedoms in Mexico will not disappear, no matter how hard he tries to ignore it,&rdquo; said ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana, also supporting the week of action. &ldquo;Global trade unions in fact are now keenly united on Mexico as a target for vast improvements on social labour rights. Momentum and pressure now become our tools.&rdquo; 
 
David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary, added, &quot;We have witnessed at first hand the deep running desire of Mexicans for representation and just and safe workplaces. The will and the need are there; it is actions like these ones that now take this struggle forward.&quot; 
 
&ldquo;Mexico must fulfill its international obligations to respect fundamental workers&rsquo; rights. The treatment of the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union is a symptom of a much broader problem of violation of ILO standards in Mexico, and the fact that proper compensation still has not been paid is simply unacceptable,&rdquo; said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. 
 
Trade unions in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Korea, Kosovo, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the U.S. are calling on the Mexican government to respect trade union rights in a series of actions from 14 to 19 February 2011. 
 
In Mexico itself, the independent trade union movement will be holding various actions across the country throughout the week to highlight the systematic abuse of trade union rights by the Mexican government. 
 
Together the trade unions are holding rallies, meeting with Mexican government representatives, and sending letters and thousands of emails all calling on the Mexican government to: 
1. Hold employer and government officials accountable for the Pasta de Conchos mine explosion that killed 65 miners on February 19, 2006. 
2. Abolish systemic violations of workers&rsquo; freedom of association, including employer-dominated &ldquo;protection contracts&rdquo; and interference in union elections. 
3. End the use of force&mdash;by the state or private parties&mdash;to repress workers&rsquo; legitimate demands for democratic unions, better wages and working conditions, and good health and safety conditions. 
4. End the campaign of political persecution against the Mexican Miners&rsquo; Union and the Mexican Electrical Workers&rsquo; Union. 
The action to support the democratic and independent unions in Mexico is being taken by trade unions around the world affiliated to the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), UNI Global Union and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). 
 
NOTES TO EDITORS: 
 
1. For additional information about trade union rights violations in Mexico please see: 
<a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/Fact%20sheet_en.pdf">/wp-content/migration/icem/Fact%20sheet_en.pdf</a> &nbsp; 
 
2. For addition information about the actions taking place around the world this week, go to: 
&bull; IMF website at: <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011">www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; ICEM website at: <a href="/en/5-Mining-DGOJP">www.icem.org/en/5-Mining-DGOJP</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; UNI Global Union website at: <a href="http://www.uniglobalunion.org/MexicoAction">www.uniglobalunion.org/MexicoAction</a> &nbsp; 
&bull; Twitter hashtag #mexicoaction 
 
3. The International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and represents the interests of 25 million metalworkers in over 100 countries around the world. <a href="http://www.imfmetal.org">www.imfmetal.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
4. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) also based in Geneva, represents 20 million workers worldwide. <a href="http://www.icem.org">www.icem.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
5. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) represents 4.6 million transport workers in 781 unions in 155 countries. <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
6. UNI Global Union represents 20 million workers belonging to 900 skills and services trade unions worldwide. <a href="http://www.uniglobalunion.org">www.uniglobalunion.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
7. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) represents the interests of working people worldwide. It has 301 affiliated member organizations in 151 countries and territories, with a total membership of 176 million workers. <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org">www.ituc-csi.org</a> &nbsp; 
 
________________________________ 
For further information on the actions being taken, please contact:&nbsp;Tom Grinter, ICEM, +41 22 304 1853. <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a>, Anita Gardner, IMF, +41 22 308 5032. <a href="mailto:agardner@imfmetal.org">agardner@imfmetal.org</a>,&nbsp;Olga Vinogradova, UNI Global Union, +4179 4462703. <a href="mailto:olga.vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org">olga.vinogradova@uniglobalunion.org</a>,&nbsp;Sam Dawson, ITF. Tel: +44 (0)20 7940 9260. <a href="mailto:dawson_sam@itf.org.uk">dawson_sam@itf.org.uk</a>

Global Days of Action On Workers’ Rights in Mexico

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The ICEM applauds the unity and successful coordination of Colombian trade unions, in the launch of a new daily radio programme for workers, called &quot;Contacto Social.&quot; Included in the grouping of 12 unions were ICEM affiliates Sintraelecol and USO. The process was supported locally by ICEM&rsquo;s country coordinator Carlos Bustos. 
 
The daily programme has now been broadcasting since 1 February, Monday to Friday, in the areas around Bogot&aacute;, Cundinamarca, Boyac&aacute;, Meta, and Tolima, and is also available globally online. The organizers of the project plan to expand its reach in the future and become a major media tool in Colombia, communicating views to workers, and supplying an outlet to those whose voices cannot otherwise be heard. 
<img alt="" src="" width="150" height="99" />
Trade unionists and supporters are encouraged to call and join the on-air debate at +57 4176970 
 
One story that was&nbsp;reported today on &quot;Contacto Social&quot; is the Colombian national Labour center&nbsp;CUT organising a workers' picket at&nbsp;the office of the Vice President, ahead of a high-level meeting with the ILO. 
Unions in the South American country&nbsp;demand that Colombia be re-added to the list of countries evaluated by the ILO's Committee of Experts. CUT President Tarsicio Mora decried the continuing dangers facing trade unionists in Colombia, where&nbsp;46 were murdered in 2010 and three so far this year. There are currently over 40 labour disputes ongoing, many caused by the erosion of labour&nbsp;rights and working conditions by employers. 
 
Listen to the <a href="http://www.icemcolombia.com/index2.php?option=com_radio">daily radio programme</a> of Colombian workers here.&nbsp; 
See more on the <a href="http://www.icemcolombia.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=frontpage&amp;Itemid=1">ICEM Colombia website</a>.

Trade Unions Coordinate Launch of Daily Radio in Colombia

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
Over 400 delegates and guests attended the 5th Congress of the ICEM-affiliated Russian Oil, Gas, and Construction Workers&rsquo; Union (ROGWU) 22-23 December 2010, at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow. 
 
The Congress re-elected Lev Mironov as President in a closely fought three-way election. ROGWU also elected two Vice Presidents, Vladimir Kosovich and Nadezhda Zvyagintseva. 
 
The Congress also marked 20 years of the union in its present form, having been established in December 1990 with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the Russian Federation as an independent state, making it necessary to restructure trade union work. However, the origins of the Oil, Gas, and Construction Workers&rsquo; Union dates back to 1906 and the first organisation of workers at the oil plants in the Caspian Sea city of Baku, now Azerbaijan. 
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Today the union represents around 1.4 million members. Functioning in 63 subjects of the Russian Federation are some 2,700 primary union organizations, 28 territorial elective bodies, and six inter-regional trade union organizations of the companies Lukoil, Gazprom, Sibur-Holding, Tatneft, Novatech, and Sodrujestvo. 
The Congress approved the basic directions of activity for ROGWU for 2011-2015 and adopted amendments to the Charter of Oil, Gas, and Russia, as well as a resolution on the institutional strengthening of trade unions, a resolution dealing with the urgent issues of social protection, labour rights, and economic interests of workers, union policies on youth, on information and analytical work regarding gender equality, as well as an appeal to employers organizations of the oil and gas industry. 
 
Jim Catterson and Anatoly Surin represented the ICEM Secretariat at the Congress, with a number of important oil industry affiliated unions, including Norway&rsquo;s IndustriEnergi (IE) also present. 
 
ROGWU has posted material about the Congress <a href="http://rogwu-center.ru/en/news/detail.php?ID=9584 ">here</a>.

ROGWU Re-Elects Lev Mironov at Fifth Congress in Moscow

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Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9346 went on strike at 20h on&nbsp;Sunday, 30 January, following a break down in contract negotiations with management at the Elkview metallurgical coal mine in&nbsp;south-eastern British Columbia, Canada. The mine is operated by Teck Coal Ltd., a subsidiary of Canada's largest diversified mining company, Teck. 
 
Workers have been without a contract since the previous agreement expired on 31 October 2010. Talks, on-going since last September, broke off on 30 January after management delivered an unacceptable offer to Local 9346&rsquo;s bargaining committee. The committee could not recommend members to accept the package since it failed to address key demands of the union. The main issues for the union that were not included in the company&rsquo;s offer relate to an increase in employer contributions to its employee-registered pension plan and the extension of medical benefits to retirees.
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Of 620 union members voting, 609 voted in favour of a strike, sending a strong message to Teck Coal that they must seriously address these issues. The total workforce at the Elkview mine is 850. Local 9346, led by President Chris Nand, represents heavy equipment operators, maintenance workers, and labourers. 
 
There are no talks scheduled,&nbsp;although Local 9346's&nbsp; Nand has made it clear to Teck that the bargaining committee stands ready to negotiate with management. 
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Other outstanding issues for the union that the company refuses to&nbsp;address in their offer are: Christmas Shutdown, a sunset clause on certain contractual language, stat pay for 10- and 12-hour shifts, dental plan improvements, retroactive pay starting from 1 November&nbsp;2010,&nbsp;and improvements to vacation time. 
 
During the strike, the union is paying the members&rsquo; medical insurance, as well as strike pay. 
 
Teck reported last week a profit of US$361 million for the quarter ending 31 December. The Elkview mine has an annual capacity of 5.6 million tonnes of coal production, second to Teck&rsquo;s Fording River mine, 100 kilometres&nbsp;north of Elkview, which has an annual output&nbsp;of 8 million tonnes. The collective agreement at Fording River expires 30 April.

Steelworkers Strike at Teck Coal in Western Canada Continues

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