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The Council of Global Unions, the coordinating body for most of the 11 Global Union Federations, as well as the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee of OECD, has launched a new website, <a href="http://www.global-unions.org">www.global-unions.org</a>. 
 
The site will rely on RSS feeds from the representative global bodies and will provide relevant data and timely calls for action on issues concerning global trade unions. The site was launched on 1 May, and in the coming weeks will be further updated to include features. 
 
The website was a creation of a global union communicators&rsquo; task force, and had the technical expertise of the ITUC&rsquo;s Alex Gomes in design and innovation. Aidan White, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, chaired the task force.
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&nbsp;Education International GS Fred Van Leeuwen
&ldquo;The website is just the latest way to improve how we talk to the world,&quot; stated Fred Van Leeuwen, General Secretary of Education International, who is also chairman of the Council of Global Unions. &ldquo;Global-unions.org is the new starting point for anyone, anywhere, who works and is looking to someone in fight in their corner.&rdquo;

Global Unions Raises New Website to Heighten Profile

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The ICEM filed strong protest with the government of South Korea last week over the detention and deportation of two leaders of the Migrants&rsquo; Trade Union (MTU). President Tornu Limbu and Vice President Abudus Sabur were arrested outside the union&rsquo;s offices in Seoul on 2 May, and held in the Cheongju Detention Centre. 
 
The two were deported by South Korea&rsquo;s Justice Ministry on 15 May, according to a release issued by Amnesty International. Due process was denied them, as they were not given legal rights to challenge the deportation order.
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&ldquo;It is very clear to the ICEM, and its 475 affiliates in 173 countries, that the two have been incarcerated because of their trade union activities, a clear violation of accepted international norms and standards,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda in a letter to the Korean head of Mission at the UN in Geneva last week. &ldquo;Migrant workers, like all other workers, deserve the respect and treatment afforded them under freedom of association, as enshrined in ILO Convention 87.&rdquo; Click <a href="/en/7-Asia-Pacific/2652-ICEM-Letter-to-Korea-Over-Detention-Expulsion-of-Migrant-Workers'-Leaders">here</a> to find the ICEM&nbsp;letter. 
 
Reportedly, both Tornu Limbu, a citizen of Nepal, and Abudus Sabur, from Bangladesh, were beaten while in detention. The crack-down occurred just following newly-elected South Korean President Lee Myung-bak&rsquo;s public vow that foreign workers in the country, who are without the necessary papers, will be flushed out of Korea even through use of force. 
 
Limbu, 42, and Sabur, 39, had been effectively organising migrant workers in the country for 16 and nine years, respectively. Limbu has been a vocal critic of the difficulties and unfairness inherent in the work permit process in Korea for foreign workers.
The MTU and the fight for rights for migrant workers have the backing of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. On 18 March, the plight of migrant workers in Korea was the central focus of a seminar in Geneva, which called on the United Nations to take strong action to ensure that migrant workers work with dignity as part of their basic human rights.

ICEM Protests Expulsions by Korea of Migrant Workers’ Union Leaders

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The Labour Government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown appears to have brokered a deal that will give agency workers new and better rights in the UK. Late last week, negotiators for both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Confederation of British Industry struck a deal that would bring the UK more in line with the European Union nations that seek a Temporary Workers Directive. 
 
Although some details of the proposed UK law concerning agency workers still need to be worked out, staff of agencies would get job protection rights after 12 weeks of work. Employer groups had sought up to a year&rsquo;s working time before a doctrine of unfair dismissal could take effect. Equal pay and similar work conditions for 1.4 million agency workers also is included in the UK dialogue, although details on those issues are still in discussions. 
 
Last week&rsquo;s news was a clear victory for the TUC and UK&rsquo;s trade unions, which mounted an effective campaign early in 2008 for work rights for agency workers. 
 
In a speech early last week, Brown tipped his hand to the impending agreement, promising legislation that &ldquo;will, for the first time, ensure new rules for the fair treatment of agency workers here in Britain.&rdquo;
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TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber&nbsp;
On Wednesday, 14 May, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said of Brown&rsquo;s draft legislative plan: &ldquo;I welcome the Prime Minister&rsquo;s clear recognition that agency workers get a raw deal. Unions will now step up their campaign to secure proper protection and a fair deal for agency workers.&rdquo; 
 
That campaign produced a record 136 MPs supporting a Private Member&rsquo;s Bill on the issue of rights for temp agency workers. That bill, by Labour MP Andrew Miller, which garnered a full third of the House of Commons in February, left little doubt that the Brown Government must act on a draft law. 
 
Winning work rights for agency workers in Britain will also have enormous significance inside the EU, where a directive has been blocked by only a handful of countries, including the UK. The proposed EU directive has a six-week period for temp workers to gain employment rights.

UK Moves Closer to Granting Agency Workers Better Rights

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African trade union leader&nbsp;&nbsp;Fran&ccedil;ois Yao announced that a 34-month dispute between ICEM affiliate National Union of Workers in Electricity, Gas, and Water (SYNASEG) in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire and Compagnie Ivoirienne d&rsquo;Electricit&eacute; (CIE), a subsidiary of French-based Bouygues Group, ended recently with a framework labour agreement calling for continual social dialogue and respect for trade union rights. 
 
The framework accord was signed on 30 April 2008, after five months of intense negotiations between SYNASEG leaders and CIE. Yao, the SYNASEG General Secretary,&nbsp;announced the agreement at a 1 May, Workers&rsquo; Day, news conference. 
 
&ldquo;We have now opened a new spirit of tolerance and dialogue that will ensure harmony and cohesion within (our country&rsquo;s) electrical sector,&rdquo; he said. He termed the negotiations &ldquo;difficult, but frank and sincere,&rdquo; and credited Bouygues&rsquo; chief manager in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Marcel Zadi Kessy, with providing an atmosphere that made the draft agreement possible.
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The union will now begin informational meetings with electricity workers across the West African nation in order to inform them of the accord. 
 
The agreement calls for regular, quarterly meetings between the new social partners. It also pledges both parties to a common goal of profitability and lifting the living conditions of CIE&rsquo;s workforce. And specifically, SYNASEG won full participation in the affairs of the Mutual Investment Fund, a fund established years ago for training, placement, and workers&rsquo; needs. It was the company taking unilateral control of that fund in 2006-2007 that brought the dispute to a near strike in March 2007. Workers make contributions to the fund.
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&nbsp; 
The dispute itself began in 2005 when CIE began systematic attacks on SYNASEG. That was seen as retaliation against the union for its backing of a then government plan to renationalise the utility and end Bouygues&rsquo; 15-year contract. The ICEM had brought the dispute to both global attention, and to the attention of French social partners. 
 
The ICEM commends both its C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire affiliate and the Bouygues affiliate for reaching a framework agreement that will ensure social harmony. &ldquo;We are sure that this recently achieved milestone of mutual respect and joint confidence will carry the SYNASEG-CIE partnership to greater rewards for both workers and the company,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda.

Three-year Dispute Between Côte d’Ivoire’s SYNASEG and Bouygues Subsidiary Ends

13 May 2008 
 
Sung-joo Lee 
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea 
Avenue de l&rsquo;Ariana 1, CP 2 
CH-1211 Geneva 20 
Switzerland 
 
Transmitted to Fax Nos. 022 748 0001 and 031 356 2444, and e-mail mission.korea-rep@tie.itu.int 
 
Mr Sung-joo Lee: 
 
The International Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM), a Global Union Federation numbering 20 million workers, including tens of thousands in the Republic of Korea, writes to file sincere protest with the recent arrests and detentions of Torna Limbu and Abudus Sabur, the President and Vice President of the Migrants&rsquo; Trade Union (MTU) in your country. 
 
I urge you to convey to your government that such arrests and detentions are contrary to social conventions upheld by international organisations, such as the ILO. I also urge you to insist to your government that the Republic of Korea respect all human and trade union rights. 
 
Information received by the Geneva-based ICEM states that Torna Limbu was arrested in front of his office at 08h20 on 2 May 2008, and that one hour later, Abudus Sabur was also rounded up and arrested. We have received further information that the two are being held in Cheongju Detention Centre. 
 
It is very clear to the ICEM, and its 475 affiliates in 173 countries, that the two have been incarcerated because of their trade union activities, a clear violation of accepted international norms and standards. We call on you to insist that Korean authorities release the two and allow them to carry on their valuable trade union services to migrant workers. Migrant workers, like all other workers, deserve the respect and treatment afforded them under freedom of association, as enshrined in ILO Convention 87. 
 
Without further delay, I demand that the Republic of Korea release the President and Vice President of the MTU, and that your government ensures they are able to continue their legitimate work inside Korea on behalf of migrant workers. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary

ICEM Letter to Korea Over Detention, Expulsion of Migrant Workers&#039; Leaders

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


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

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

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

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

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

Asia-Pacific ICEM Regional Conference Held in Australia

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

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

French FCE-CFDT Launches Online TV

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

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

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

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The European Mine, Chemical, and Energy Workers&rsquo; Federation (EMCEF) and the European Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (EMF) joined together on 22 April in a Brussels manifestation, demanding a secure future for industrial sites across the 27 Member States of the European Union. 
 
Marching under the banner &ldquo;Power to Jobs in Europe! Time to Act!&rdquo; 1,200 people marched and then leading figures of EMCEF, EMF, and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) met with EU Employment and Social Affairs Commissioner L&aacute;szl&oacute; Andor and Industry and Entrepreneurship Commission Antonio Tajani to stress the impact that climate change, energy prices, and high raw material costs have on jobs. 

<img src="" width="240" height="180" alt="" />
EMCEF General Secretary Reinhard Reibsch 
 
Photo: Andy Michaelis
Demonstrators in Europe&rsquo;s capital city also called for stricter regulation of financial markets and the necessity to add needed social dimensions to EU emission-trading schemes. 
 
A simultaneous EMCEF/EMF manifestation occurred in the German city of Duisburg, home to the large German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp. 
 
Buses and trains replete with industrial workers waving the colours of their unions descended into Brussels. One busload of workers came from Scunthorpe in the Yorkshire region of the UK, where the steel-maker Tata Corus has shed jobs. 
 
&ldquo;We are uniting in Brussels to ensure workers come before profits,&rdquo; said Unite the Union National Steel Officer Terry Pye. &ldquo;Rising electricity prices are damaging our already weakened industries, making windfall profits for electricity companies. Pressure on raw material prices is also heightened by financial market speculators trying to make a quick buck on the back of our industries.&rdquo; 

<img src="" width="200" height="150" alt="" />
Photo: Andy Michaelis
Belgian ACV-CSC Metea President Marc De Wilde said industrial production in the Benelux country dropped by 30% in 2009, with a 10% reduction in the number of workers as a consequence. He said previously, suppliers and others provided long-term contracts that assured steady pricing and workplace stability. &ldquo;Now, only short-term contracts&rdquo; are given and that means instability for both workers and enterprises. 
 
EMCEF General Secretary Reinhard Reibsch spoke at the manifestation. He said, &ldquo;We need a clear policy of the European Union that is in the interest of our jobs and the economic future of Europe.&rdquo; Reibsch added that the economic success of Europe has historically been the industrial model, and that industrial production must remain the basis for creating a just and equitable society. 
 
Reibsch, EMF General Secretary Peter Scherrer, and ETUC Secretary Jozef Niemiec then met with EU officials. An open letter from the European labour federations to Commission President Jos&eacute; Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and the heads of government of all 27 Member States stated that the time to act for preservation of industrial enterprises is now.&nbsp;

EMCEF, EMF Join to Demand European Preservation of Industrial Sectors

Archive

Global Unions Raises New Website to Heighten Profile

ICEM Protests Expulsions by Korea of Migrant Workers’ Union Leaders

UK Moves Closer to Granting Agency Workers Better Rights

Three-year Dispute Between Côte d’Ivoire’s SYNASEG and Bouygues Subsidiary Ends

ICEM Letter to Korea Over Detention, Expulsion of Migrant Workers' Leaders

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

Asia-Pacific ICEM Regional Conference Held in Australia

French FCE-CFDT Launches Online TV

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

EMCEF, EMF Join to Demand European Preservation of Industrial Sectors

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