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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. Some 5,800 workers at the Zestafoni Ferroalloys Plant and the Georgian Manganese mines, some 40 kilometres from Zestafoni in Chiatura, now have a free and democratic trade union to call their own. 
 
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. 

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(LtoR) Irakli Petriashvili, President of GTUC, Manfred Warda, 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 here) by management that served only to bring more staff into the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; fold. 
 
Initially in last week&rsquo;s second conciliation session, 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 lead 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. 
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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 today and tomorrow, 17-18 May, and again on 20 May, will bring the 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. 

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&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; 
 
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. Shares are 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, 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.

Free Trade Union Recognised for Miners, Metalworkers of Georgia

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A 15-week lockout by Rio Tinto on 760 members of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 30 in Boron, California, ended over the weekend, following a 75% approval of a new collective agreement by union members who voted Saturday, 15 May. 
 
The six-year labour accord at a borax mine and processing operation in California&rsquo;s Mojave desert comes minus nearly all of the job-destroying contract proposals that Rio Tinto Minerals sought over nine months, and stands as testament to the courage and resolution of ILWU Local 30 members. 
 
It came after three straight days of non-stop bargaining last week, negotiations in which ILWU President Bob McEllrath hammered home the fact that loyal and dedicated workers did not deserve the harsh contract-language takeaways that the company sought. Rio Tinto listened. 

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&ldquo;Bob brought something else, something completely different to the table,&rdquo; said a Local 30 Bargaining Committee member. &ldquo;His resolve to get this dispute ended, get these unfair issues wiped clean made all the difference.&rdquo; 
 
Last week&rsquo;s negotiations took place at the offices of the US Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) in Glendale, California. 
 
Boron workers will begin reporting on 18 May for four days of US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) refresher training in Palmdale, California, training for which they will receive 40 hours pay from the company. Rio Tinto will remove the company that provided replacement workers this coming weekend, and Local 30 members will be back to work on 24 May. 
 
The six-year agreement, which takes effect 15 May, provides for a 2.5 percent wage increase each year. In addition, workers receive a US$5,000 ratification bonus.&nbsp; 
 
But more importantly, Local 30 and the ILWU leadership resisted Rio Tinto proposals to restrict job bidding and job transfers based on seniority; protected full-time employment against creation of part-time and temporary work; gained an agreement that prohibits sub-contracting unless union members cannot fulfill company assignments; and beat back a company proposal to eliminate one day of holiday leave each year. 
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The union did concede a few issues. It granted the company some flexibility regarding overtime, in that workers must give one week&rsquo;s advance posting if they will be available to work overtime; sick leave was reduced from 14 to ten days per year, but workers are allowed to maintain up to 200 hours of banked sick leave pay atop the ten days; and new hires will fall into a different pension-savings scheme. 
 
There was pressure on Rio Tinto Minerals to end the lockout, since orders for sodium borates were picking up and replacement workers provided by the private-security company were unable to handle processing work. The mineral is used in detergents, glass, building materials, and other uses such as an ingredient in chemicals. 
 
The ICEM congratulates ILWU President Bob McEllrath, Secretary-Treasurer Willie Adams, Vice President Ray Familathe, and the entire membership of Local 30 for standing together, refusing to settle for less, and sending a signal to all that fiercely resisting a multinational company&rsquo;s family-wrecking agenda can succeed. 
 
The ICEM also commends the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, for providing continual aid and assistance to Local 30 members and their families.

ILWU Beats Back Concessions in Rio Tinto US Collective Agreement

Mine workers are backing a shareholders revolt against Xstrata Chief&rsquo;s 41 % pay increase from last year, at the AGM of Swiss mining giant Xstrata on 5 May. 
 
A delegation of four coal miners from New South Wales and Queensland will travel to the AGM in remote Zug Switzerland, where Xstrata has its headquarters. 
 
CFMEU Mining and Energy Vice President and delegation leader Wayne McAndrew said the mining giant had spent the last year fighting a 3 % pay rise for mine workers, while Mick Davis earned $US7.75 million last year, a payrise of 41 % compared with the $US5.5 million he picked up in 2008. 
 
&ldquo;Xstrata&rsquo;s Australian coal operations are the most profitable parts of the company&rsquo;s extensive global operations. Yet one quarter of Xstrata&rsquo;s Australian coal mining operations currently face industrial disputes or unrest because of the company&rsquo;s anti worker stance&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The union is able to work constructively with mining companies across Australia, but Xstrata has continually and consistently refused to work with us to gain the best results for everyone concerned in the mining industry, and most importantly the mine workers,&rdquo; said Wayne McAndrew. 
 
&ldquo;Xstrata is a company that is engaging in activities that are harming the future profits of the company and has the potential to affect its overseas mergers and acquisitions.&rdquo; 
 
The miners union is representing its members in their pursuit of three basic conditions: job security, equal pay for equal work and a legally enforceable avenue for arbitration. In 2009, 37 percent of operating profit for the entire business came from Australian coal. Australian coal also has the highest profit margin of any part of the business, at 27 percent. 
 
Lee Webb a miner at the Tahmoor Colliery in Sydney&rsquo;s south-west is travelling to Switzerland for the first time. 
 
&ldquo;I am going to Zug to show the shareholders that it is the rank-and-file workers like me who suffer when Xstrata will not work with the Union,&rdquo; he said. 
 
&ldquo;I want the shareholders to know that we are not asking for much, just to be treated fairly and decently and to have job security and a little bit of respect for the dangerous job we do for the company.&rdquo; 
 
The delegation will be led by Wayne McAndrew, CFMEU Vice President, Mining and Energy Division. He will be joined by coal miners from Newlands open cut mine in Queensland and Tahmoor Colliery in NSW.
The Geneva-based International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers&rsquo; Union (ICEM) is supporting its Australian affiliate, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in its protest against Xstrata. The ICEM is a global union federation consisting of 467 trade union affiliates in 132 countries.
Spokesperson: Wayne McAndrew will be available for interviews from Switzerland on +61 417 230 441(CFMEU); Please contact Dick Blin, ICEM Information Office, 079 734 8994 (mobile) for media assistance inside Switzerland.
ENDS 
 
The Xstrata AGM will be held in Zug, Switzerland on Wednesday 5 May at 11:00 am local time. (- 8 hours Australian EST) 
 
Media: For photos of miners at the AGM and to arrange interviews contact Angela Cuming (EMC) 0439 411 774

Australian miners flex industrial muscle in support of Xstrata shareholders revolt

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Next week, on 12 May, Don MacKinnon, President of the Power Workers&rsquo; Union (PWU), an ICEM affiliate, will be one of two honorees at Toronto&rsquo;s Tribute Award Dinner. MacKinnon will be feated for his involvement and fundraising on behalf of Easter Deals Ontario, an advocacy organisation for children with physical disabilities. 
 
Proceeds from the dinner help the organization meet the cost of mobility equipment, communication devices, and summer camp activities for children with disabilities. Bruce Power, one of the PWU&rsquo;s major employers, is the title sponsor of the event. 

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PWU President Don MacKinnon with CGT-F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Mines Energie&rsquo;s Alain Vassaux
The other honoree is Ontario Provincial Minister of Finance Dwight Duncan. 
 
MacKinnon began his career in the electric utility sector in 1971 as a lineman for Ontario Hydro. He became a key safety innovator for the power company, something that paralleled his rise in the union ranks. In 1989, he was elected Vice President of the PWU, and won election as President of the union in the year 2000.

Canada’s PWU President, Don MacKinnon, to Receive Toronto Tribute Award

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Representatives of the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU) say it has not been uncommon for Alcan, the steel and aluminum subsidiary of Rio Tinto, to lose alumina hydrate into coastal waters while loading ships in the Northern Territory. 
 
But on 13 April, something more grievous occurred. While loading a ship near Alcan&rsquo;s bauxite Gove refinery in Nhulunbuy, workers were ordered by a manager to dump a ship-loading conveyer containing 80 tonnes of alumina into Melville Bay after the load became contaminated with water. The AMWU-represented workers protested the decision, but the manager called the lead supervisor who ordered it dumped into the harbour. 
 
The incident went unreported for two weeks until a whistle-blower informed the news media. Alcan management then responded by saying the 80-tonne figure was wrong &ndash; that it was only 30 tonnes. 
 
Rio Tinto Alcan could face a maximum A$1 million fined by the Northern Territory Environmental Ministry if the company is found to have illegally dumped harmful substances. Alumina hydrate contains caustic soda, which can cause severe burns. 
 
AMWU members working at Alcan at Gove say it is common for two percent of loads to be lost due to wind or negligence. The AMWU is standing behind Gove workers as they provide evidence to the territory&rsquo;s Environment Department. A union representative said it was the company&rsquo;s inaction over a number of years that caused workers to go to the media over the April incident.

AMWU Members Say Rio Tinto’s Alcan Alumina Spills Not Uncommon

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The month of May has been designated by United Steelworkers Local 6500 in Canada as &ldquo;anti-scab&rdquo; month, a reference to the strikebreakers that the Brazilian mining company Vale is using in efforts to break a ten-month strike in the provinces of Ontario and Labrador/Newfoundland. 
 
Some 200 steelworkers and other supporters rallied in Queen&rsquo;s Park, Toronto, on 29 April to support introduction of legislation in the Ontario Parliament that would outlaw the use of striker replacements during economic strikes or lockouts. Many of the steelworkers arrived after long bus rides from Sudbury, Ontario, where they experience first-hand the family hardships and community strife brought on by the bargaining intransigence of a company content to use scabs to regain partial production. 

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ICEM Vice President, Ken Neumann
On 29 April, the Private Member&rsquo;s Bill that again would prohibit companies operating in Ontario from using scabs passed a first reading in Parliament by a 32-3 vote. The bill was introduced by New Democratic Party legislators France Gelinas and Peter Kormos. 
 
Somewhat surprisingly, 21 members of the ruling Liberal Party joined with eight New Democrats and three Progressive Conservatives to pass this first reading. The bill must proceed through two more hearings before becoming law, and that could happen by year&rsquo;s end. In Canada, most labour code is enacted at the provincial level. 
 
Quebec and British Colombia are currently the only two provinces that prohibit the use of replacement workers during strikes or lockouts. In Ontario, such a prohibition was on the books from 1992 to 1995, but was repealed in 1995 when Liberals took control of the Parliament. Gelinas presented proof that legislation banning companies from using replacement workers leads to shorter strikes, less volatile picket-line scenes, less family and community stress, and overall, better labour-management relations. 

<img src="" width="154" height="205" alt="" />
Andrea Horvath, NDP Ontario Chair Person
The 3,100 victimised miners and nickel and copper smelter workers at Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ontario, as well as another 250 workers that are on strike against Vale in Voiseys Bay and Goose Bay, Labrador, are current examples on why the ban is needed. Their lives have been turned upside down by a profitable employer demanding deep cuts in their collective agreements. 
 
In Sudbury on 28 April, the City Council firmly sided with the interests of the community by passing a resolution condemning Vale for using replacement workers. The resolution also calls on the provincial legislative body to enact the ban and urges Vale and the USW to return to the bargaining table. Previously, the city has charged Vale with violating zoning bylaws by housing scab workers inside an industrial complex. 
 
In Voiseys Bay last month, USW Local 9508 aligned with the Nunatsiavit First Nations People to prevent a Vale vessel from entering a port to collect copper ore concentrates. Union leaders also met with the Labrador/Newfoundland Minister of Natural Resources to express safety concerns over replacement workers utilizing mining and other equipment without the proper training.

Canadian Nickel Strikers Rally for Renew Anti-Scab Law in Ontario Province

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A relentless, two-year campaign by ICEM US affiliate, the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), against Covanta gave 140 workers in the state of Massachusetts their first labour agreement effective 15 April. The collective agreement, actually two contracts with one giving workers huge retroactive backpay and bonus awards, punctuates a capitulation by the American waste-to-energy company in resisting full workers&rsquo; rights following a successful organizing drive. 
 
That recruitment drive by UWUA Local 369 at an incinerator in Rochester, Massachusetts, that burns solid waste for conversion to electricity occurred in May 2008. Following the union vote, conducted by the US labour board, Covanta did what so many American companies do following union certification: they engage in &ldquo;surface bargaining,&rdquo; never intending to reach a first labour agreement, and they punish workers for voting union by withholding scheduled pay gains. 

<img alt="" src="" width="216" height="160" />
Under US labour statute, after a one-year period has elapsed from the certification vote, workers have an option to de-authorise the union as bargaining representative. 
 
But at Covanta in Massachusetts, the UWUA would have none of it. The Washington, DC-based union began an unyielding campaign that blocked the publicly-traded Covanta from expanding its waste-to-energy business into Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the Netherlands. That meant engaging trade unions, civic organizations, and environmental groups as Covanta sought to gain municipal contracts to collect trash and the necessary permits to built incinerations in those countries in order to sell power to electric grids. 
 
UWUA impeded Covanta both at home and abroad by highlighting the company&rsquo;s negligent health and safety ledger, its environmental record, and its appalling labour relations conduct, which included serious and malicious breaches of US labour law (see earlier ICEM dispatches <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3694-UWUA-Wins-US$1-Million-Judgment-for-Covanta-Workers- ">here</a>, <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3532-US-Labour-Board-Issues-Stern-Injunctive-Relief-against-Covanta ">here</a>, and <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3039-Covanta-Energy-Violates-US-Labour-Law ">here</a>). 
 
The end result was a three-year collective agreement, plus a separate contract granting workers sizeable backpay and bonus payments that had been withheld. Local 369 members at Covanta&rsquo;s SEMASS facility voted to accept the pair of agreements by a wide margin on 22 April. The pay and other gains are exceptional, and the working agreement now in place contains the best features of US union contracts. 
 
The backdated bonus and pay accord gives the 140 workers a retroactive wage increase of 3% to early 2009; an incentive bonus of 8.1% of total wages for 2008; an annual wage increases backdated to 1 January 2010 of 2.7%; and a further missed incentive bonus of 4.85% of total wages for 2009. Added up, these retroactive gains average US$17,000 per worker. 

<img alt="" src="" width="200" height="133" />
UWUA President D. Michael Langford
And on top of that, comes the three-year pay, bonus, and other union protection items which took effect in mid-April. That includes a 2.8% increase each year, a ratification bonus of US$1,250 per worker, additional incentive bonuses of up to 7% in each year of the contract, as well as new safety and health protections, including a medical surveillance programme to monitor workers&rsquo; blood levels from the handling of hazardous materials, and limits on sub-contracting. 
 
The ICEM considers UWUA&rsquo;s campaign and the end result of the Local 369-Covanta contract exemplary and an inspiring example inside America on how best to fight a recalcitrant employer attempting to deny its employees their lawful rights. In congratulating UWUA President D. Michael Langford, General Secretary Manfred Warda termed the initial labour agreement an excellent one that &ldquo;all UWUA members &ndash; in fact, all union members in America &ndash; can be justly proud of.&rdquo; (See the full letter <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/33%20Letter%20to%20UWUA%20Presiden%20-%20Michael%20Langford.pdf">here</a>.) 
 
In a joint release issued by UWUA Local 369 and Covanta, Local 369 President Gary Sullivan stated, &ldquo;Our UWUA Bargaining Committee has done an outstanding job pressing for a fair and just contract. We are hopeful this is the first step to a productive relationship with Covanta.&rdquo;

Utility Workers of America Gets Excellent First Labour Pact with Covanta

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Svenska Pappers, the Swedish Paperworkers Union, and the Forest Industry Employers&rsquo; Association (SFIF) reached agreement for 18,000 workers on 26 April, just minutes before a second set of industrial actions were to begin. Those strikes, if they had happened, would have shut a total of 12 pulp and paper mills in Sweden. 
 
Strike action at six mills did occur on 16 April, taking 3,000 paperworkers out in protest against an industry attempting to make workers the scapegoats for the financial crisis. It was those strikes, the unified front of all Pappers members at 61 mills, and the threatened further strikes that gave better-than-average wage gains and contract terms to Pappers and its members. 
 
The SFIF was the driving wedge in a multi-industry employers&rsquo; front that was aimed at Sweden&rsquo;s paperworkers in an effort to shift the burden of the economic crisis onto workers. Pulp, paper, and packaging trade unions across the world recognised this and posted hundreds of solidarity messages to Pappers, all of which made their way to branch unions. 

<img src="" width="200" height="267" alt="" />
Svenska Pappers President Jan-Henrik Sandberg
The 26-day stand-off only ended when industry chieftains realised they were at the brink of another major set-back to Swedish pulp and paper exports. The union and SFIF agreed on a 22-month contract, totaling 3.4%, with the first increase taking effect 1 May and the second increase due on 1 April 2011. As part of that total pay package, an extra 0.4% additional increase was won for the lowest paid workers in the sector. That was one goal met by Pappers in its bargaining aims. 
 
The other goals that were accomplished included continued company payments to a pension scheme for a period, an issue related to Swedish law, and tougher sanctions on employers who use and abuse workers hired through agency labour companies. In addition, the union&rsquo;s grittiness both at the bargaining table and on the shop floor won supplementary insurance benefits for workers injured at work and an added month &ndash; from four to five &ndash; of paid parental leave. 
 
&ldquo;We were overwhelmed by the support and solidarity given us from around the world by so many different trade unions,&quot; said Svenska Pappers President Jan-Henrik Sandberg. &ldquo;We passed these messages on to our branches and this support strengthened our resolve. We express our sincere gratitude for this outpouring of solidarity.&quot;

Swedish Paperworkers Carve Solid Gains After 11-day Strike

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

Global Labour’s Joint 1 May Statement

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Next month, the ICEM and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) will conduct a pivotal forum for industrial and manufacturing unions on sustainable development. On 18-19 June 2010, the two Global Union Federations &ndash; along with their Canadian affiliates &ndash; will host a conference titled &ldquo;The Triple Crisis of Sustainability&rdquo; in Toronto, Ontario, to precede the G8 and G20 summit meetings near there. 
 
There is little question that the economic collapse, environmental degradation, and the resulting negative social impacts have badly affected workers, their families, and their communities. Contributing to the magnitude of these crises is the absence of effective global regulations and lagging financial governance of markets. 
 
Toronto&rsquo;s World Conference on Sustainability will produce a declaration that will be forwarded to the G8 and G20 summits. It will demand that global economic and political leaders take decisive action to reverse the downward social spiral felt by most of the world&rsquo;s people, and begin implementing real, worker-friendly solutions on climate change and a sustainable economic future. 

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="86" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="90" height="87" />
The Conference will include panel discussions, as well as keynote speeches from notable experts on the economic crisis, sustainability, and global governance. In addition, there will be ample opportunities for trade union leaders of ICEM and IMF affiliates, as well as others to tell their own stories of how workers have responded to a crisis not of their own making. 
 
The Conference will be held in the Dominion Ballroom of the Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto, 123 Queen Street West. The ICEM has reserved a block of rooms. The registration form for the Conference and hotel rooms can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/EN%20sust.dev%20Attendance%20form.pdf">here</a>, and it should be returned forthwith to <a href="mailto:Fanja.rasolomanana@icem.org">Fanja.rasolomanana@icem.org</a> in order to assure prompt booking. 
 
Workers have a central role to play in building a future that lifts people out of poverty, while protecting the environment. The ICEM and IMF believe that the systematic looting of the global economy by unscrupulous speculators must be stopped. The Jobs Pact, developed by the ILO, is one proposal for exiting a financial crisis brought about by greed and lack of financial oversight. 
 
Regarding the environment, industrial unions did deliver a message in Copenhagen that a fair, ambitious, and legally binding agreement on global greenhouse gas emissions is necessary, but that the legitimate concerns of workers for decent work, social justice, and long-term, sustainable jobs must be forefront. It cannot be jobs or the environment, it must be both, or it will ultimately be neither. 
 
The crises of failing economies, environmental inaction, and social disorder are interconnected. It will be the goal of the ICEM/IMF conference to ensure that the voices of workers are heard on these matters at the highest level. Jobs, workers&rsquo; rights, social protections, quality public services, and sustainability are at the heart of this agenda.

Global Trade Union Sustainability Conference in Toronto Fast Approaching

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