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Three and a half thousand workers took to the streets on 23 April, in Hanover,&nbsp;Germany, to demonstrate for site preservation. Continental AG&nbsp;workers from across Germany, France, and Mexico turned out in solidarity for their IGBCE, IG Metall, and Verdi colleagues. The 3,500 demonstrated in front of the Conti-Shareholders' Annual General Meeting, for the preservation of the nearly 2000 jobs threatened. 
Several delegations of the European Forum of Continental AG (European Works Council), from Regensburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin, demonstrated alongside trade unionists. 
Werner Bischoff, a senior leader of the ICEM affiliate IGBCE, announced that the Corporate Executive Board can not make decisions alone, on matters of site closure. 
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Werner Bischoff 
As reported in InBrief No. 128, both factories recorded excellent financial figures for the year 2008. The ICEM supports the common declaration of the 2-3 April meeting of Continental AG workers&rsquo; representatives, in describing the proposed job cuts as &ldquo;morally despicable.&rdquo; 
 
One German trade unionist at the protest stated, &ldquo;It's the first time that French union members and German members of the BCE union have come together against the shareholders, who, as we have already said, are talking just about money, whereas we are talking about our families and our hearts&rdquo; 

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German labour representatives read a statement to shareholders that said &quot;we do not accept that the life of thousands of families, when suppliers are included, are sacrificed to your boundless appetite.&quot; 
Continental management has said that no definitive decision has yet been taken on the closure of the Clairoix plant. French workers have staged repeated protests over previous weeks, including the ransacking of administrative offices at the plant. The company had previously pledged to keep the French factory open until 2012 at least. 
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Workers are unanimous that if closure does occur, Continental will have to guarantee solid compensation packages for its employees. 
 
Continental slashed around 8,000 jobs worldwide last year, and 6,000 more in the first three months of 2009.

Hanover Demonstration to Preserve Continental Jobs

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A general strike in Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula that started on 15 May got the ICEM&rsquo;s attention and immediate support today. Called by the General Labour Union (GLU) of Yemen, the strike started because Prime Minister Ali Mujawar did not respond to demands for higher wages in the face of rampant inflation and a devalued currency. 
 
The strike started with one-hour work stoppages on 15 May and again yesterday, and will escalate to three-hour stoppages today and Tuesday, 18 April. If the government still does not respond in a week&rsquo;s time, the strike will occur over the whole day on 24 May. 
 
&ldquo;Following the sharp rise in prices and cost of living that has been afflicting Yemeni citizens in the last two years, GLU demands a rise in wages and salaries and the establishment of a minimum wage of at least US$300, instead of the current monthly salary of less than US$100,&rdquo; stated GLU President Mohamed al-Jedri. 

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The GLU is also demanding a reduction in taxes, improved health conditions for workers, giving fixed and permanent jobs to contract workers, and improvements in living conditions. The government earlier had agreed to set up a joint committee to address GLU concerns, but that has never materialized. 
 
The strike was called for all workers in the public and private sectors, with the exception of emergency health workers, electricity, water, and air traffic control workers. The ICEM-affiliated General Union of Oil, Mining, and Chemicals Workers&rsquo; were expected to join the strike. 
 
The GLU consists of 12 general unions, 15 branches in various governorates, and totals 520,000 workers as union members.

General Strike in Yemen Gains ICEM Support

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Pulp and paper mill staff belonging to the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada saved their pensions at AbitibiBowater, but more importantly, they assured a future for the world&rsquo;s largest newsprint producer. 
 
And in the US, the United Steelworkers (USW) did its part to keep AbitibiBowater solvent and operating. USW members ratified a four-year agreement that grants the company immediate financial relief, but aligns four US mills into a first-time master labour contract and gives workers future job and union security, as well as preserving some of the best terms in the American paper industry. 
 
CEP members at 12 AbitibiBowater mills in eastern Canada ratified a five-year agreement in recent days with a 63.5% vote that grants cost reductions to AbitibiBowater, currently in creditor protection proceedings both in Canada and the US, but preserving pensions for both current and future retirees. 
<img alt="" src="" width="130" height="108" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="185" height="102" />
A full year after pulp and paper collective agreements expired in Canada&rsquo;s east, the CEP declared at its Eastern Pulp and Paper Caucus on 14 May that the AbitibiBowater contract &ndash; covering 3,500 workers &ndash; is &ldquo;extraordinary&rdquo; because the Montreal-based firm is in Canada&rsquo;s Companies&rsquo; Creditors Arrangements Act (CCAA). But the contract terms and future wage increases negotiated a month earlier with AbitibiBowater will set the standard for the eastern pulp and paper industry. 
 
&ldquo;CEP members remain committed to pattern bargaining and this declaration of our pattern for the industry is our best effort to negotiate a fair and balanced standard for the industry,&rdquo; said President Dave Coles. 

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CEP President, Dave Coles
Provincial finance ministries in both Ontario and Quebec must still approve the company&rsquo;s restructuring under CCAA before the CEP agreement goes into effect. The agreement, dating back to April 2009 and extending until April 2014, calls on AbitibiBowater to contribute C$500 million into a union-operated pension fund over the next ten years. 
 
Coles said a newly-established defined benefit pension plan guarantees that &ldquo;never again&rdquo; will AbitibiBowater workers have their pension savings jeopardized. The agreement also includes a 10% wage cut, with wage increases to resume in 2012 and 2013. 
 
&ldquo;Our feeling is that you can always get wages back, but retrieving lost benefits, particularly on pensions is something else,&rdquo; stated Coles. 
 
In the US, USW-represented workers will take an immediate 3% wage cut, but will also recoup those cuts in 2012 and 2013. The master labour agreement, covering four mills in the US southeastern states of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, will have mill-level expiration dates within months of each other in 2014. 

<img alt="" src="" width="125" height="165" />
USW VP Jon Geenen
It also contains a &ldquo;successorship&rdquo; clause, meaning in the event a plant is sold, union representation remains, and neutrality language guaranteeing AbitibiBowater&rsquo;s non-interference when USW attempts to recruit workers at non-union worksites. International Vice President Jon Geenen, who heads USW&rsquo;s pulp and paper sector, said that although negotiations were difficult due to the company being in bankruptcy, the new agreement gives the USW important bargaining table leverage for the future.

CEP, USW Rescue AbitibiBowater from Liquidation in North American Paper Talks

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In manifestations scheduled for today and tomorrow, the Hungarian Union of Mining and Energy Industry Workers (BDSZ) and the Federation of Trade Unions in the Electric Energy Industry (EVDSZ) will turn out hundreds of workers and supporters to preserve the V&eacute;rtes Power Station in northwestern Hungary. The electric generation plant, and adjoining coal mine, both subsidiaries of Hungarian Power Companies Ltd. (MVM), are in jeopardy. Today, the board of the state-run utility is meeting with bankruptcy and liquidation of V&eacute;rtes the sole point on the agenda. 
 
Today&rsquo;s demonstration will take place in Budapest where the board of directors meet, while tomorrow&rsquo;s will take place at the Orasźlany power plant, part of the V&eacute;rtes company complex. 
 
In a joint declaration by BDSZ President Ferenc Rabi and EVDSZ President G&aacute;l Rezső, the two national Hungarian trade union leaders said the decision to place immediate closure on the agenda comes without providing the necessary information to local trade unions and without full consultations. The threat of liquidation could mean the loss of 2,500 to 3,000 jobs in the region. 

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The V&eacute;rtes Power Station consists of the M&aacute;rkushegy mine and the Orasźlany plant, capable of generating 240 megawatts of power. The two unions insist that the power plant be maintained until at least 2014, and that the mine continue producing until the year 2020. Rabi and Rezső said the wishes of the local trade unions at the sites should be respected. Those unions have proposed an energy mix that will safeguard the environment and provide job security. 
 
The two unions, in the declaration call, on Hungary&rsquo;s National Assembly today to issue a resolution supporting their actions to preserve the power plant and mine. 
 
The ICEM issued a letter of support today to V&eacute;rtes workers and the two unions. In it, General Secretary Manfred Warda said, &ldquo;Your manifestations today and tomorrow to preserve jobs, livable standards for families, and to keep local business enterprises around the M&aacute;rkushegy mine and Orasźlany plant operable is exactly the rallying cry that workers worldwide must make to ensure sustainable futures. With a global trade union sustainability conference coming soon to Canada, your rallying cry to achieve a balance between clean environmental methods and security of employment is a leading example to all of us.&rdquo;

Hungary’s Electric, Mining Unions Oppose State Liquidation of Power Company

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The ICEM-Lukoil Global Framework Agreement, first negotiated in May 2004, was updated and extended last week for a further year at a meeting at Lukoil&rsquo;s headquarters in Moscow. 
 
By signing the document, OAO Lukoil confirms its adherence to the principles of the UNO Global Initiative, as well as to the basic labor and environmental principles specified in the conventions of the UNO and the ILO. Under the agreement, Lukoil intends to keep its employees&rsquo; lives and their health protection as a top priority in relation to production performance. 
 
Signing the agreement were ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, Lukoil President Vagit Alekperov, Russian Oil, Gas, and Construction Workers&rsquo; Union (ROGWU) Chairman Lev Mironov, and Georgy Kiradiev, Chairman of the Council for the International Association of Lukoil Trade Union Organizations (OAO LUKOIL IATUO). 

<img src="" width="225" height="156" alt="" />
From left, Georgy Kiradiev, Vagit Alekperov, Manfred Warda, Lev Mironov 
Photo: Lukoil
Following the signature ceremony, the parties engaged in a detailed question and answer session, outlining each other&rsquo;s views of the present situation in the global oil and gas industry, as well as forthcoming activities. Lukoil also presented an overview of recent investment decisions and challenges posed by the world economic crisis. 
 
Both the ICEM and company and ICEM concentrated at first on the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a disaster so serious it was already impacting on both production and further exploration decisions in deep and ultra-deep water deposits worldwide. 
 
ICEM discussed its program of social dialog in the Caspian Sea region, where Lukoil had recently brought on-stream the Yu Korchagin field in the Russian offshore of the Caspian Sea. The field was discovered by Lukoil in 2000 and the maximum expected output is 2.5 million tons of oil and 1 billion cubic meters of gas annually. 

<img src="" width="149" height="43" alt="" />
Between 2004 and 2009, LUKOIL invested a total of RUR 34.4 billion into field development. The company expects to extract 343,000 tons of oil by the end of the year. 
 
There was also a discussion on the company's recent investment in Iraq, as well as the ICEM World Energy Conference, slated for Stavanger, Norway, from 6-8 September 2010. 
 
Lukoil, ICEM, and the Russian trade unions present agreed that there should be further detailed discussions on all of the issues raised.

ICEM, Lukoil Renew Global Agreement for Another Year

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The horrid twin explosions inside mine shafts in Russia&rsquo;s Kuzbass basin on 8-9 May that killed 90 underscored the need for more countries to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. Since Convention 176 was adopted in 1995, only 24 nations have ratified it. 
 
In Moscow last week, while rescue efforts at the Raspadskaya Coal Co. mine were underway 3,500 kilometres to the east, both ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union (ROSUGLEPROF) President Ivan Mokhnachuk went on BBC World Service Radio to plead for Russia and other resource-rich countries to take up the important call for ratification of Convention 176. 

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ROSUGLEPROF President Ivan Mokhnachuk
ROSUGLEPROF represents workers at Raspadskaya, a mine jointly owned by Russia&rsquo;s second largest steel and metals group, the Evraz Group, and Cypress-based Corber Enterprises Ltd. A union vice president made his way to the mine immediately following the tragedy. 
 
But it is still not clear if ROSUGLEPROF will be allowed to participate in an investigation that hopefully will lead to the cause of the blasts. At the end of last week, the government halted investigation efforts because mine shafts are still too dangerous. 
 
It is still too early to speculate about cause. What is known is that the mine in the Kemerovo region of western Siberia does have some of the best methane gas detection and ventilation equipment available. And that the first blast, occurring just before midnight local time on 8 May, killed at least 50 miners. The second explosion, four hours later, killed other miners as well as all 19 rescue workers who were sent in. 

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What is not known is did a negligent Russian pay system contribute? That system sets an extremely low flat-rate monthly wage, with the vast share of all mining salaries based on production. Volume, productivity, and profits drive wages higher. This means that detection equipment, safety procedures, and other protection devices are oftentimes disabled or ignored in order to boost monthly pay. 
 
That was the case on 19 March 2007 when 110 miners died at the nearby Ulyanovskaya mine, owned by another mining subsidiary of Evraz. It was the worst mining tragedy in 60 years in Russia and the former Soviet Union. The Raspadskaya disaster of eight days ago stands as the second worst. 
 
ILO Convention 176 improves mine safety and health by forcing improved national mining laws. But Convention 176 does something else; it places responsibility on employers to not only correct hazards, but remedy the cause of the hazards themselves. In Russia, that could well be construed to mean corrective laws to fix a faulty pay system in coal mining.

Russian Mine Disaster Restates Immediacy for ILO Convention 176

Strike actions in April and a flurry of trade union activities over the past two weeks have succeeded in bringing formal recognition to the ICEM affiliate, Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Georgia, at the Zestafoni Ferroalloys Plant and the Georgian Manganese mines, some 40 kilometres from Zestafoni in Chiatura. 
 
That was reinforced on 13 May after the union, backed by the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), and top managers met for a second conciliation commission session and made headway towards resolving a host of demands put forward by workers. 
 
Miners and metalworkers were buoyed massively when, ten days after a three-day strike ended on 25 April that got management&rsquo;s rapt attention, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan travelled to western Georgian to meet with workers. 

<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="225" />
(LtoR) Irakli Petriashvili, President of GTUC, Manfred Warda,&nbsp;GTUC interpreter, Kemal &Ouml;zkan 
Bringing pledges of solidarity from the ICEM and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), Warda told Georgian workers they were not alone. And speaking before regional news media and to workers directly, Warda assured all that the combined strength of the two federations was ready and willing to take this fight beyond central Asia if that was needed. 
 
The message underscored a resolve borne through several months of struggle, culminating in a series of April incidents, including grievous intimidation tricks (see prior ICEM report <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3731-Miners-Metalworkers-Not-Intimidated-by-Georgian-Manganese-Managers">here</a>) by management that served only to bring more staff into the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; fold. 
 
Initially in the 13 May negotiations, managers and their attorneys sought involvement of an existing but dying &ldquo;yellow&rdquo; union in the talks. But the seven union members of the joint, bilateral commission threatened to walk out and begin renewed strike actions. The union and GTUC representatives then showed managers a large number of power-of-attorney statements by workers that expressed their allegiance to the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union. 

<img alt="" src="" width="300" height="142" />
Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union Members
Recognition was achieved. The numerous petitions that workers demand to improve their working lives were then open for discussion. Foremost among them were wages. In the hours leading up to the talks, the ICEM and IMF scrambled to gather and succeeded in delivering wage rates from associated ferroalloy plants in Ukraine, owned by the metals arm of PrivatBank. 
 
Miners at the Georgian Manganese complex are paid an average monthly wage of GEL (lari) 450, or US$238, &euro;192. Metalworkers at the ferroalloy plant in Zestafoni earn a monthly average of GEL 562, or US$298, &euro;240. With both sides having already agreed to 1 May as the effective date for salary adjustments, management proposed a 15% increase for shift workers and 8% for day workers. 
 
This is unsatisfactory to the union side of the commission. But they are confident that further negotiations on 17-18 May, and again on 20 May, will bring long overdue percentage increases higher. The union did get a commitment at the 13 May set of talks that the enterprises will begin to comply with Georgia labour law regarding sick leave payments, including retroactive compensation for those workers who have been denied such pay. 
 
&ldquo;It is a big step forward,&rdquo; said Gocha Aleksandria, Vice President of the GTUC, who is a member of the 14-member conciliation commission. &ldquo;The administration now accepts our union, but the hardest part is still ahead. We intend to achieve the obvious, meaningful, and tangible results for our members and that is permanent labour contracts that address all issues.&rdquo; 

<img alt="" src="" width="304" height="241" />
Some of those issues include raising the number of yearly paid leave days from 30 (metal) and 32 (mining) to 35; creation of a joint contributory pension fund to supplement a miserly state pension; better safety and health conditions; and an upgrade to medical facilities. 
 
Even prior to the first commission negotiations, on 7 May, management reacted to workers&rsquo; militancy and ICEM&rsquo;s mission statement of that week by agreeing to permanent work contracts, as well as reinstatement of two union leaders who were discharged for strike activities. (At the 13 May session, management agreed to pay the two their full April salaries.) 
 
Another accomplishment in the recent bargaining is that union leaders will bring their demands directly to Georgian shareholders of the enterprises. The complex ownership of the ferroalloy plant and manganese mines has stock ownership by privately-held Stemcor Holdings of the UK, with shares also traded publicly on the Georgian bourse with Georgia entrepreneurs and the Ukrainian oligarch Gennadiy Boholyubov and his manganese empire that is tied to PrivatBank holding vast sums. 
 
For now, the 3,600 miners and 2,200 metalworkers have a free and democratic union they can call their own &ndash; the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Imereti Region. But as Aleksandria states, the journey now begins in earnest: erstwhile dialogue to gain the wage levels, benefits and work conditions that they justly deserve.

Recognition Realised for Georgian Miners, Metalworkers at Manganese Operations

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other news items, on the first ICEM &ndash; IndustriEnergi (IE-Norway) workshop on HIV/AIDS in Jordan, on the adoption of an ILO Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, and on the launch of the Global Fund &ldquo;Born HIV Free&rdquo; campaign. 
 
The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
ICEM, IndustriEnergi of Norway Break Ground on HIV/AIDS Work in Jordan 
 
The ICEM organised a first HIV/AIDS workshop in a Middle Eastern country! Following a request from its affiliate in Jordan, the General Union of Petroleum and Chemical Workers in Jordan (GUPCW), and with solidarity funding from its Norwegian affiliate, IndustriEnergi, the workshop was organised in Amman in June. 
 
The workshop was attended by some 30 participants, of whom about 35% were women. Essential elements of the programme were presentations by local facilitators, power point presentations by the ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant, and working groups in the evening. A highlight was the presentation by a person living with HIV/AIDS, a first step to reduce stigma and discrimination. 
 
For a first workshop of this kind, the most important objective was to initiate an open discussion and to launch the union&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS work with the participation of civil society organisations and government agencies. 
 
Unionists who came from workplaces have gone back with a better knowledge of basic facts about HIV and AIDS and they are prepared to talk about it. They recognise the importance of reducing stigma and the value of policies against discrimination. They can use the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, and its ten principles in their work. 
 
Khaled Elzyood, the GUPCW President, was actively involved in the workshop. In his presentation on the ILO Code of Practice (and on numerous other occasions), he emphasised that HIV/AIDS is a union issue and that the union has the responsibility to provide workers with information and to safeguard their rights. Lack of knowledge creates stigma and leads to discrimination. People do not talk about HIV and AIDS but we have to accept the realities even though this may go against cultural traditions and religious beliefs. 
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International Labour Conference Adopts New HIV/AIDS Instrument 
 
The annual International Labour Conference of the ILO adopted a new Autonomous Recommendation on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, as well as a resolution. The new standard was adopted by a vote of 439 to 4, with 11 abstentions. 
 
High-level engagement and consensus on the urgency to act prevailed during this second and final round of discussion in the Committee on HIV/AIDS for the formulation of the first international human rights instrument to focus on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
Over the 19 sittings of the Committee, delegates representing governments as well as employers&rsquo; and workers&rsquo; organizations discussed and reached consensus on 118 amendments without resorting to a single vote. Throughout the amendment process, committee members worked at formulating a recommendation all-inclusive in scope and as practical as possible. Universality of human rights, feasibility, efficiency, sustainability, and accountability were kept at the forefront of all discussions, spurred by a great sense of urgency to address the HIV pandemic. The adoption of the recommendation is accompanied by a strong resolution for its follow-up, promotion, and implementation, which also invites the ILO Governing Body to request regular reports from member States. 
 
For more information and links to interviews with delegates from the HIV/AIDS Committee, please consult the new ILOAIDS web site at <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids">www.ilo.org/aids</a>. 
 
Note by the Editor: The new standard is in the form of a Recommendation, one of two types of labour standards the ILO can adopt. While distinct from a Convention in that it does not require ratification under Article 19 of the ILO Constitution, a recommendation must still be communicated to national parliaments and discussed in terms of how it might be implemented through national policies and legislation. 
 
(Source: ILO website) 
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UNAIDS Welcomes Creation of New UN Body for Women 
 
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has welcomed the merging of four gender entities of the United Nations into UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The new entity will provide a new powerful voice for women and girls and help move the AIDS response forward. 
 
&ldquo;I look forward to working with UN Women,&rdquo; said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidib&eacute;, &ldquo;Together we can ensure that all women living with HIV access treatment when they need it. And most importantly, we can restore their dignity and rights.&rdquo; 
 
Nearly half the people living with HIV in the world are women. In sub-Saharan Africa more women are infected than men. HIV is a major cause of maternal mortality. It is behind nearly one-in-five of all maternal deaths. 
 
Gender inequities, violence, lack of access to education, health, and economic opportunities are making women vulnerable to HIV. But by teaming up and working on common goals the AIDS movement and the women&rsquo;s movement can dramatically reduce the impact of HIV on women and their families. 
 
UNAIDS recently recognized the importance of promoting gender equality and eliminating violence and discrimination against women, by appointing the renowned singer Annie Lennox as International Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS. Her particular mission is to raise awareness and support for women affected by the AIDS epidemic. 
 
(Sources: UNAIDS Press Statement, Geneva, 5 July) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Kenya: Muslim Leaders Champion HIV Testing 
 
Binti Omar waits anxiously for her HIV test in a tent erected as part of a testing drive being conducted by the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) in the coastal city of Mombasa. Omar is accompanied by her fianc&eacute;, Abubakar Ismael, and his two wives. 
 
&quot;I'm about to be part of Abu's larger family, so we found it necessary to come here and get ourselves tested so that we can plan our future much better,&quot; Omar said. &quot;Life nowadays is so risky. It would be good for us all to get to know each other's HIV status.&quot; 
 
Ismael and his family, as well as hundreds of other locals, are getting tested at the CIPK camps in response to calls by imams - Muslim scholars - in mosques in Kenya's largely Muslim Coast Province. 
 
Outgoing Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Kassim recently led some imams and locals in getting tested for HIV. He noted that the camps were meant to enlighten and encourage Muslim youths, couples, and Kenyans in general on the importance of getting tested. Muslim men are allowed four wives and the initiative is encouraging all spouses to get tested. 
 
For many years, Muslim leaders in Kenya shied away from discussing HIV, especially in the mosques. More recently, however, they have joined the national prevention campaign, although many still reject some aspects of it, particularly the use of condoms. 
 
The HIV prevalence in Coast Province is 7.9%, marginally higher than the national average of 7.4%. The 2007 Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey revealed that an estimated 44% of new HIV infections in Kenya occur among married or cohabiting couples. 
 
(Sources: IRIN PlusNews, Mombasa, 2 July) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Lesotho Suffering 
 
The impact of AIDS has ruined Lesotho. A third of the population is HIV positive. Of the total number of inhabitants of 1.9 million, as many as 400,000 are AIDS orphans. Life expectancy has fallen to 34. Uniquely in the developing world, Lesotho&rsquo;s deaths are close to outnumbering its births. 
 
The impact of AIDS has also ruined the economy of the Kingdom. In 1980, Lesotho produced 80% of the cereals it consumed; now this is down to 30%. Due to tariff modifications, its textile industry, largely Chinese-owned, which at its height employed 50,000 people, has collapsed. 
 
In an unusual move, 30,000 people have signed a petition which was delivered to the Lesotho parliament and the South African High Commission, requesting that their country be integrated into its giant neighbour, which completely surrounds it. This followed a move by South Africa barring thousands of people from Lesotho from crossing its borders in the wake of higher security measures ahead of the Soccer World Cup. 
 
(Source: The Observer, 6 June) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
WHO Issues Technical Brief on Addressing Gender Inequalities in Global Fund Proposals 
 
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a technical guidance brief on &quot;Addressing Gender Inequalities: Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programming for Women and Girls&quot; in Global Fund proposals. The information in the seven-page brief is designed to support the development of proposals to improve access to, and the quality of, HIV prevention, treatment, and care programmes for women and girls through approaches that address gender inequalities. 
 
The brief discusses gender-related elements that should be included in a situation analysis (e.g., harmful gender norms and practices, violence against women, lack of economic security, lack of education for girls). The brief also provides a list of essential elements for gender-responsive programming, as well as examples of strategies and activities for standard HIV/AIDS interventions and broader interventions that promote gender equality. 
 
Examples of strategies and activities for standard HIV/AIDS interventions are: providing skills to women and girls to negotiate safe sex; behaviour change communication strategies that target harmful gender norms and practices; and reducing barriers faced by women in accessing HIV/AIDS services. Examples of strategies and activities for broader interventions that promote gender equality are: working with law enforcement to respond to violence against women; providing economic opportunities to women; and keeping girls in school and making schools safe for them. 
 
&quot;Addressing Gender Inequalities: Strengthening HIV/AIDS Programming for Women and Girls&quot; is available at <a href="http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/toolkits/2-1a_Gender_Oct08EN.pdf">www.who.int/hiv/pub/toolkits/2-1a_Gender_Oct08EN.pdf</a>. 
 
(Source: Global Fund press release and Global Fund Observer, Issue 126 of 14 June. GFO is a free service of Aidspan (<a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>); to receive GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Global Fund Launches &lsquo;Born HIV Free&rsquo; Campaign 
 
The Global Fund is hoping that its &ldquo;Born HIV Free&rdquo; campaign will not only mobilise public support for a world where no child is born with HIV, but will also persuade donor countries to give more to the Fund at the Third Replenishment meeting in New York on 4-5 October 2010. The Global Fund and UNAIDS have said that elimination of HIV transmission from mother to child by 2015 is possible if governments continue to invest adequately in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 
 
In a press release, the Global Fund said that the campaign has been designed to work across digital and traditional media, and that it brings together several major companies who have joined up as official partners in support of the Global Fund: Google, JC Decaux, Jean-Paul Gaultier, MSN, Orange, Tiffany &amp; Co., and YouTube which will be a major platform for the campaign. The campaign is operating in several languages. 
 
To check out the Born HIV Free website and to sign up: <a href="http://www.bornhivfree.org">www.bornhivfree.org</a>. 
To see the videos on YouTube: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/bornhivfree">www.youtube.com/bornhivfree</a>. 
 
(Source: Global Fund press release and Global Fund Observer, Issue 126 of 14 June.) 
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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 58, July 2010

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2010 brings hazards activists a special opportunity - the 12th bi-annual European Work Hazards Conference, hosted by the UK Hazards Campaign at Leeds University. The conference will give hazards activists the chance to meet and work with activists from throughout Europe and other parts of the world. 
 
The conference will explore the impact of the global recession on work environments and occupational health and safety. It is organised by the European Work Hazards Network, a forum uniting activists with different experience, skills and backgrounds - workers, trade union health and safety representatives, campaigners, academics, scientists and occupational safety and health professionals. 
 
Delegates from countries outside Europe are also welcome. Full detail of the conference is available <a href="http://www.ewhn.eu/">here</a>.

European Work Hazards Conference, 10-12 September, Leeds University

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The ICEM has supported an initiative sponsored by the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), conducting a global e-petition against maritime piracy. The initiative is co-sponsored by virtually all employer organisations in the shipping industry, forming an unprecedented coalition. 
 
Although campaigning against piracy at sea has for many years been a concern to the ITF Seafarers&rsquo; Section, the recent growth of pirate attacks in the Somalia region has brought the issue to the attention of the public around the world. The ITF and co-organisers are aiming to collect over half a million signatures in time for World Maritime Day, 23 September 2010. 
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With half a million signatures, the global petition will be used to push governments toward committing the necessary resources to end Somalia-based piracy. 
 
Currently at least 379 seafarers from 25 countries are being held hostage, some since December 2009. In the last two years over 1800 seafarers have been kidnapped. 
 
See more information and sign the petition on the dedicated website <a href="http://www.endpiracynow.org/">here</a>.

Global Petition against Maritime Piracy

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