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Another methane gas blast inside a Colombian coal mine killed five workers, and seriously injured one. This time it occurred on 1 February at the semi-legal La Escondida colliery in Cunduinamarca department, in a community called Sutatausa, 100 kilometres north of Bogot&aacute;. 
 
Last time was only a fortnight ago when 25 miners died 600 metres inside the La Preciosa Ltda. coal mine in Norte de Santander department. That 26 January tragedy now stands as Colombia&rsquo;s second worst mine disaster in less than a year, behind the San Fernando mine blast on 16 June 2010, where 73 perished in North-West Colombia state. 
 
Following the recent mine deaths, both Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Mines and Energy Minister Carlos Rodado Noreiga admitted the country&rsquo;s Institute of Geology and Mining (Ingeominas) is ill-equipped to handle mine safety and compliance in the nation&rsquo;s burgeoning mining industry. 
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Ingeominas has 17 mine inspectors to handle some 6,000 mines that are currently licensed. Roughly 19% are coal operations, with the vast majority of them underground mines operated by small- and medium-sized businesses. The ICEM reminds that Colombia has many illegally operating mines, with estimates that of every 100 mining enterprises, 51 are operated illegally. 
 
The Escondida mine is in an area called Pe&ntilde;as de Boquer&oacute;n in the central department of Cunduinamarca and was operating under a temporary permit granted by Ingeominas. A day before the tragedy, miners had complained that the ventilation system was not operating adequately and gas levels were rising. 
 
The San Fernando mine blast in June 2010 was Colombia&rsquo;s worst mining accident in 30 years. A preliminary investigation found breach of existing safety regulations, faulty monitoring and detection devices, lack of training and qualification, and unfamiliar explosives used inside the mine. 
 
The list was even more extensive, with all contributing factors listed as preventable. Colombia&rsquo;s underground mine safety regulations fall under the out-dated Decree 1335 of 1987, a regulatory code that is easily breached by small- and medium-size companies. The problem is complicated by the fact that Ingeominas has been too quick to award mining licenses without the proper safety culture or safety equipment. 
 
Colombia has become the world&rsquo;s fifth largest exporter of coal, behind Australia, Russia, South Africa, and Indonesia. There are reported to be 5,800 new mines in various phases of exploration and development and unless the government revamps its internal mine safety structure, and adopts global mine safety standards as outlined in ILO Convention 176, more tragedies are certain to occur.

Colombia’s Second Mine Blast Brings More Alert; 5 More Dead

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Union members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9508 in the Canadian province of Labrador / Newfoundland last week voted by 80% to accept the recommendations of a government Industrial Inquiry Commission to end an 18-month strike and return to work. But the conciliatory move won&rsquo;t get the 124 copper and nickel miners any closer to their jobs. 
 
Their employer, Brazilian-based Vale rejects the report&rsquo;s recommendations out of hand, findings that were drawn up by a neutral commission the company actually embraced three months ago. 
 
The independent commission presented the two sides with its first report &ndash; recommendations to settle the dispute &ndash; at the end of 2010. The report&rsquo;s findings caused Vale to initiate a call to Local 9508 for resumption of bargaining, which occurred in remote Goose Bay, Labrador, on 5-6 January. But the company walked away from talks on the second day after disagreeing with the term length of a renewal agreement. 
 
In talks last October, just days before former provincial Premier Danny Willams established the commission, Vale sought a three-year term, while the USW wanted five years from the August 2009 expiry of the last agreement. In its report, the Industrial Inquiry Commission recommended four years. But in this month&rsquo;s Goose Bay talks, Vale changed its position, seeking a five-year term from the date of ratification, proposing a 31 January 2016 expiry. 
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The commission&rsquo;s report on collective bargaining issues does stand as a workable compromise. While it is critical of both sides for prolonging the strike, it cites the Steelworkers with already making &ldquo;significant&rdquo; compromises to end the dispute. The report recommends wage adjustments, a bonus plan based on Vale&rsquo;s Labrador operations, a back-to-work protocol, and sub-contracting rules. The commission does not have the power to impose a settlement, but it has urged both sides to accept the compromise or submit unresolved issues to binding arbitration. 
 
Most tellingly, however, the report states that Vale&rsquo;s use of scab workers during the strike is reason for the company&rsquo;s intransigence. &ldquo;It is apparent to the Commission that the Employer has an approach that does not contemplate compromise on any basis that might be acceptable to the Union.&rdquo; 
 
Vale &ldquo;maintains that it has a desire to conclude a collective agreement, buts its actions and reactions send the opposite message.&rdquo; The report also cites the company with circumventing &ldquo;a union&rsquo;s right to bargain on behalf of its membership.&rdquo; 
 
Vale is operating its eastern Canadian operations now at full production with the use of replacement workers. But nearly all of those scabs are working in excess of 60 hours per week, creating the obvious safety risks. The Industrial Inquiry Commission&rsquo;s second report will be issued in late February and it will address the integrity of Vale&rsquo;s Labrador operations, the strike&rsquo;s impact on rural communities, the reasons behind the strike, and Vale&rsquo;s international strategies to re-shape Canadian work-life. 
<img alt="" src="" width="134" height="130" />
USW Local 9508 President Darren Cove
The strike by USW Local 9508 began on 1 August 2009, and now has eclipsed by six months a parallel strike by 3,500 steelworkers in Ontario. That strike against Vale, in Sudbury and Port Colborne, went on for 50 weeks and ended on 7 July 2010. 
 
In total, Vale has forced 420 Local 9508 members into strike action in Voiseys Bay and other remote worksites of Labrador. Workers at three of Vale&rsquo;s contractors, including First Nation electrical and pipefitting firm Ushitou Maintenance and security and catering companies, are on strike due to the mining giant&rsquo;s recalcitrant positions. In addition, workers of a logistical transport company, Torngat, also represented by Local 9508, will see a collective agreement expire early in 2011. 
 
Local 9508 this week will call on new Labrador/Newfoundland Premier Kathy Dunderdale and Human Resources, Labour, and Employment Minister Darin King to intervene more assertively to resolve the strike. On Saturday, 15 January, the USW purchased a full-page advertisement in a province-wide newspaper the urgent need for further government action. 
 
&ldquo;It is now clear that Vale is the impediment to a fair settlement,&rdquo; said USW District Six Representative Boyd Bussey. &ldquo;It is also clear that, unless our government takes action to bring about a settlement, Vale will continue to use its scab workforce and prolong the hardship for our working families and communities.&rdquo;

Vale’s Arrogance to Eastern Canadian Miners, Communities, Government Continues

6 January 2011 
 
To All ICEM Affiliated Unions: 
 
 
 
Job Posting for ICEM Mining/DGOJP Officer 
 
Firstly, I extend the Best Wishes from ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and myself to all of you in the New Year. 
 
I write to inform you that the ICEM is seeking applicants for the position of Mining/Diamond, Gems, Ornaments, and Jewelry Production Officer. Joe Drexler, who has served in that capacity, has decided to leave the ICEM and resume his duties with the United Steelworkers. 
 
I attach a job description in English for the post, which will be based in Geneva, Switzerland. I would be grateful if you could distribute details of this vacancy throughout your trade union organisation, and should a candidate wish to apply for the position, please have them send full details of their background in cover letter in English, along with their CV, to myself, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, manfred.warda@icem.org, and Finance and Administration Officer Marie-France Sarfati, mariefrance.sarfati@icem.org, or it can be faxed to Manfred Warda and Marie-France Sarfati at +41 22 304 1841. 
 
Fluent written and spoken English is essential, and IT skills also are essential. There also is a requirement for some travel from Geneva. The deadline for application is February 15, 2011. 
 
Thank you for your kind attention in distributing this announcement throughout your organisation. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
 
 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary 
 
Enclosure: Job Description (EN)

Job Posting for ICEM Mining/DGOJP Officer

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The Building &amp; Woodworkers International (BWI) is calling for trade unionists to register protests with the Indonesia minister of Manpower and Transmigration over jailing of a trade union leader of SP KAHUTINDO, a BWI affiliate. 
 
Sister Nurimah, a KAHUTINDO plant level chairperson at the San Yu Frame Moulding company in Semarang, was detained on 9 December and is still being held at a state prison in Bulu, Semarang, for an alleged assault charge from June 2006. Her arrest conveniently comes at a time when the KAHUTINDO branch was pressing for its first negotiation with the wood-products manufacturer. 
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In June 2009, 434 of the company&rsquo;s 700 workers registered for KAHUTINDO representation. A series of union actions had forced the company to the bargaining table, but BWI believes the arrest of Nurimah has been orchestrated by management to intimidate workers and halt bargaining. 
 
To register your protest with the Indonesian government, click <a href="http://www.bwint.org/default.asp?index=3236&amp;Language=EN ">here</a>.

Take Up Protest for Woman Trade Unionist Jailed in Indonesia

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ICEM Central European affiliate, the Independent Trade Union of Chemistry and Non-Metal Workers of Bosnia-Herzegovina (SSHN-FBIH), held its Congress is Sarajevo on 8 December 2010, and high on the agenda was ICEM involvement in a bitter backpay dispute last year with one of the union&rsquo;s major employers. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda spoke at the Congress. The union re-elected the woman who fought selflessly to bring a successful conclusion to the backpay and health and safety dispute. SSHN-FBIH President Kata Iveljic was enthusiastically acclaimed again as leader of the trade union. 
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The dispute involved 1,250 workers employed by Global Ispat Koksana Industtrija Lukavac (GIKIL), a sodium carbonate plant that produces coking coke for steelmaking. The enterprise is a unit of the nefarious Global Infrastructure Holdings, owned by Pramod Mittal of the Indian steel-making family. 
 
Management of GIKIL, which is operated by the Indian company but jointly owned with the Canton of Tuzla, had unilaterally rolled back wages 55% to 2003 levels, failed to pay wages during the last quarter of 2009, and neglected to heed SSHN-FBIH&rsquo;s call for proper safety and health attention around coke ovens that had caused numerous cases of cancer. 
 
At last month&rsquo;s Congress, Warda congratulated the union for mobilizing support beyond the borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as for two successful strikes in late 2009 and early 2010 which forced the absentee Mittal brother to respond to workers&rsquo; grievances. Warda also praised the government of the Canton of Tuzla for stepping into the fray and forcing Global Infrastructure Holdings to react. The 2009 pay arrears were fully paid in February 2010 through the joint ICEM/SSHN-FBIH campaign. 
<img src="" width="170" height="128" alt="" />
ICEM Central European Project Coordinator Mato Lalic
Warda also told SSHN-FBIH delegates in Sarajevo that the ICEM will continue to monitor GIKIL&rsquo;s social conduct and health and safety inside the factory, located in the northern city of Lukavac. 
 
Other guests at the Congress included ICEM Central European Project Coordinator Mato Lalic and representatives from trade unions of Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Chemistry, Non-Metal Workers’ Union Holds Congress in Sarajevo, Bosnia

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For the second straight year, trade unions representing over a quarter of the 10,500 UK workers in publicly-traded electric and gas company National Grid have voted to take industrial action. Some 3,000 union members of Unite, Prospect, and Unison balloted overwhelmingly to take action short of a strike due to an inferior 2010 pay offer by National Grid. 
 
Following talks last week that saw the London-based company only reduce from three years to two its wage offerings, industrial action that would include work-to-rule and a ban on overtime could begin by month&rsquo;s end. The current dispute is the second year running that profitable National Grid has proposed wage hikes below UK&rsquo;s retail price increase. 
 
In 2009 pay talks, unionised National Grid workers balloted affirmatively for strike action, but labour and management agreed to a 1.3% increase before the industrial activity could begin. In talks this time, National Grid initially put forth a three-year pay offer of 2.5%, 2.25%, and 2.25%, still below inflation. 
<img src="" width="92" height="108" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img src="" width="150" height="62" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img src="" width="83" height="82" alt="" />
On 12 January, the company revised its pay proposal by offering a two-year deal of 2.5% and 2.25%, but continues to insist on certain conditions attached to the increases. The unions are seeking a one-year wage deal from 2010. 
 
In early January, the 750 mainly electrical transmissions workers that are represented by Unite the Union voted by 94% for industrial action. Grid system engineers, gas operations engineers, and field engineers, represented by Prospect and numbering 1,000, then voted by 95% for the overtime ban and work-to-rule, which means performing only the minimum level of work as specified in contracts. The 1,200 Unison members, mostly gas workers, also voted by a wide margin for industrial action. 
 
National Grid posted a 12% increase in pre-tax profits and shareholders saw an 8% increase in dividends in the first half of 2010. About the same period that unions were voting for industrial action, on 6 January UK energy regulator Ofgem levied a &pound;8 million fine on National Grid for reporting completion of gas pipe maintenance work that was imposed by the government&rsquo;s Health and Safety Executive (HSE). In fact, that maintenance work had never been done. 
 
It was the second big fine in two years by Ofgem against in National Grid. In 2009, the company agreed to pay a reduced a fine of &pound;15 million for misreporting maintenance work.

Three UK Unions on Verge of Industrial Action at National Grid

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In Australia on 5 January, the Tasmanian Supreme Court struck a blow to mining and metals giant Rio Tinto&rsquo;s and delivered a victory to workplace safety and health compliance. The court denied Rio&rsquo;s appeal to block a trade union from entering a worksite to meet with staff over health and safety issues. 
 
The company had filed the appeal with the state high court to prevent representatives of the Australian Workers&rsquo; Union (AWU) from meeting in a lunch area with aluminium workers at Rio Tinto/Alcan&rsquo;s Bell Bay smelter. The AWU represents some 600 workers at the 180,000-tonne-per-year aluminium smelter, located in Launceston in northern Tasmania. 
<img src="" width="150" height="134" alt="" />
In late November 2010, the AWU gave legal notification under the state&rsquo;s Workplace Health and Safety Act to Rio Tinto of its intent to enter break areas to &ldquo;discuss health and safety issues with workers during a meal or other break.&rdquo; Following the company&rsquo;s refusal, both Tasmania&rsquo;s Inspector of Workplace Standards and the state&rsquo;s Solicitor General determined that AWU had that right. 
 
But Rio Tinto appealed the Solicitor General&rsquo;s decision, only to have Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Alan Blow deny the company&rsquo;s appeal. Within minutes of the judge&rsquo;s decision on 5 January, the AWU was on its way to meet with workers employed in an industry notoriously rife with respiratory hazards. 
 
AWU National Secretary Paul Howes criticised the company for attempting to use its power and money in its litigious way to stop independent health and safety oversight. The AWU &ldquo;has successfully fought what clearly looks like a conspiracy by (Rio Tinto) to act as if Australian workplace health laws do not exist,&rdquo; he said. 
 
The case hopefully will become a precedent for other Australian state inspectors to fulfil safety laws by allowing union representatives to discuss safety issues with workers in break room areas.

Court Tosses Rio’s Australian Appeal on Safety ‘Right-of-Access’

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The spate of horrid flooding in the Australian state of Queensland has brought out the best in Australian trade unionism. Nearly all unions have either dedicated money to one relief agency or another, with some setting up their own benevolent funds to assist those in need. 
 
The Mining and Energy Division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union&rsquo;s (CFMEU) Central Council on 12 January authorised A$250,000 to help families caught up in the devastating Queensland floods. 
 
&ldquo;The donation is our first step in providing hands on relief,&rdquo; stated Energy and Mining General Secretary Andrew Vickers, who also serves as Chairman of ICEM&rsquo;s Mining Sector. &ldquo;Queensland and all of Australia will be affected by these floods as coal production grinds to a halt. The union will be there every step of the way supporting workers and communities.&rdquo; 
<img src="" width="90" height="90" alt="" />
The Queensland branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU) has established a fund and kick-started it with A$20,000 in seed money. The funds will go to the <a href="http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html ">Queensland Premier&rsquo;s Flood Relief Appeal</a>. 
 
&ldquo;This is an important way for our large union membership to show solidarity and make a positive difference to the devastated communities,&rdquo; said State Secretary Andrew Dettmer. &ldquo;The floods have had an impact on tens of thousands of AMWU members, their homes and workplaces in Rockhampton, Brisbane, Toowoombia, and throughout the south-east and Central Queensland. 
 
Donations to the AMWU fund can be made to: AMWU Disaster Appeal Account; Bank: NAB; BSB: 082 057; Account Number: 188 989 948. 
<img src="" width="140" height="73" alt="" />
As of last week, members of the Australian Workers&rsquo; Union (AWU) have collectively donated A$100,000 to the Queensland Premier&rsquo;s Flood Relief Appeal. In addition, the AWU federal office has contributed A$50,000 and the Victorian branch of the union also has donated. The AWU&rsquo;s Queensland branch office was closed for a week due to the floods, and only reopened today. 
 
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has established the Australia Flood Appeal Fund, with both the national office and the Queensland branch each seeding A$5,000 into the fund. The MUA has many port workers and seamen affected since the Port of Brisbane was shut last week, with vessels directed out to sea. 
 
The MUA&rsquo;s Appeal Fund for international money transfers: MUA-General Fund; Bank: Maritime Mining and Power Credit Union, George Street, Haymarket, NSW 2000, Australia; BSB Number: 062-006; Account number: 10001 0464; CBA Swiftcode: CTBAAU2S.

Australian Unions Give Generously to Flood Relief in Country

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Industri Energi (IE), one of ICEM&rsquo;s Norwegian affiliates, announced opening of the nomination process for the Second Annual Arthur Svensson International Award for Trade Union Rights. The prestigious award comes with a cash prize of NOK 500,000 (&euro;65,000) and is awarded to a person or organisation for contributing greatly to promoting trade union rights and the strengthening of trade unionism on both international and national levels. 
 
Nominations are due by 1 March 2011, and can be made by Norwegian trade unions, by trade union affiliates associated with global unions, or the global unions themselves. A nomination must contain a solid justification for the candidate, make clear who is nominating the candidate, and spell out the nominator&rsquo;s relationship with the candidate. 
<img alt="" src="" width="130" height="145" />
Arthur Svensson
In 2010, Wellington Chibebe, the General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), was awarded the prize at IE&rsquo;s Congress in Oslo in October. (See the ICEM news article <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4056-Zimbabwe’s-Wellington-Chibebe-Receives-First-Norwegian-Labour-Prize">here</a>.) The 2011 award winner will be announced on 16 June. 
 
The award is named after Arthur Svensson, a long-time leader of Norsk Kjemisk Forbund, the Norwegian Chemical Workers&rsquo; Association, which merged in 2006 with NOPEF to create IE. Svensson died in 2008, but left a legacy in Norway and beyond as a man who promoted global peace, disarmament, and a nuclear weapons-free world. 
 
He was also a driving force from his union leadership position in developing Norway&rsquo;s environment law, and a strong proponent of clean energy to drive clean industries. But first and foremost, he was a dedicated trade unionist, maintaining membership in LO-Norway for 61 years, the final 48 of those years with the Chemical Workers. 
 
Nominations can be e-mailed or faxed to Svensson Award Committee Chairperson <a href="http://liv.undheim@industrienergi.no">Liv Undheim</a>, fax no. +47 23 06 13 60. Further information on the award, in English, can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/1101.arthur%20svensson%20flyer%20EN.pdf ">here</a>.

Industri Energi’s Second Arthur Svensson Union Rights Award Opened

The ICEM is calling on Pulp and Paper Activists to take immediate action in support of 45 members of UK&rsquo;s Unite the Unite, dockworkers at the Port of Tilbury in Essex, who today are concluding their third round of strike action against Enterprise Distribution Centre and the Stora Enso parent rolls they handle in this North Sea port.

	(Stora Enso Logistics is the operator of a warehouse at the port, employs management personnel there, and from all indications is the company that is seeking rollbacks on work terms through the Port of Tilbury&rsquo;s enterprise that ultimately will affect pay.)

	Copy the message in italics below and send to <a href="mailto:Jane.jeffery@unitetheunion.org; Diana.holland@unitetheunion.org; tony.burke@unitetheunion.org; andygreen63@aol.co.uk?subject=Support%20for%20Tilbury%20Dockworkers%2C%20Represented%20by%20Unite%20the%20Unite!!&amp;body=Dear%20Tilbury%2045%2C%0D%0A%0D%0AWe%20have%20heard%20from%20the%20ICEM%20about%20your%20valiant%20struggle%20to%20retain%20your%20living%20standards%20at%20the%20Port%20of%20Tilbury%2C%20living%20standards%20that%20Enterprise%20Distribution%20Centre%20and%20Stora%20Enso%20are%20attempting%20to%20strip%20from%20you.%20Please%20know%20that%20my%20union%20is%20aware%20of%20your%20strike%20actions%2C%20we%20are%20in%20full%20support%2C%20and%20we%20will%20do%20everything%20in%20our%20power%20to%20spread%20the%20word%20of%20this%20unfair%20assault%20on%20your%20livelihoods.%0D%0A%0D%0A(Signed)%0D%0A(Name%20of%20Union)%0D%0A">Port of Tilbury Dockworkers </a>by clicking this mail link.

	The situation is this: On 1 March, without negotiating with Unite, Enterprise unilaterally changed work shifts to where the 45 dock and warehouse workers are only called when a ship loaded with paper arrives from Sweden. Previously, they worked full work shifts. The change means a reduction in pay between &pound;2,500 and &pound;5,000 per year.

	The Tilbury 45 staged a 24-hour strike action on 8 May, a 48-hour strike on 21-22 May, and a 48-hour one that ends tonight (29 May) at 22h00. Tomorrow, 30 May, the union and management will enter into the first formal set of negotiations, even though the work-time rollback occurred three months ago.

	And also today, the Swedish Dockworkers&rsquo; Union will begin the first of two 24-hour strikes at Stora&rsquo;s port in Goteborg blockading the two ships (one owned by Stora) used to ferry parent rolls from Sweden to the UK&rsquo;s Tilbury Port. Do your part, copy the following message or send one in your own hand to the dockworkers at Unite the Union.

	(Subject heding) Support for Tilbury Dockworkers, Represented by Unite the Unite!!

	Dear Tilbury 45,

	We have heard from the ICEM about your valiant struggle to retain your living standards at the Port of Tilbury, living standards that Enterprise Distribution Centre and Stora Enso are attempting to strip from you. Please know that my union is aware of your strike actions, we are in full support, and we will do everything in our power to spread the word of this unfair assault on your livelihoods.

	(Signed)

	(Name of Union)

	A copy of the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/42.ICEM%20UK%20Enterprise%20Distribution.29May.pdf">ICEM letter</a> sent in support of the Tilbury 45 is here. Thank you for your prompt action in support of these workers!

UK Dockworkers Handling Stora Enso Parent Rolls Need Immediate Support

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