English

Español

Français

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Action Plan 2021-2025

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

Women

Youth

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The ICEM and the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) jointly stated on 15 October that they reject the recommendation by the European Commission (EC) to establish a central set of pan-European safety standards for the offshore oil and gas industries. 
 
The two Global Union Federations (GUFs) were responding to EC Energy Commissioner G&uuml;nther Oettinger&rsquo;s rolled back recommendation for a &ldquo;centralised and prescriptive&rdquo; set of safety standards on 13 October. The recommendation follows the European Parliament&rsquo;s rejection of a moratorium on deepwater drilling on 7 October by a 323-285 vote. 
 
The moratorium proposal was in response to BP&rsquo;s Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. Both the ICEM and ITF, as well as the industry group Oil and Gas UK, believe that a uniform safety regime imposed by the EC would infringe on union-management best practices already in place in the North Sea. 
<img alt="" src="" width="157" height="132" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="125" height="144" />
Lars Mhyre and Norrie McVicar
Responding to the recommendation that member states should consider suspending offshore licensing in advance of possible new EU-wide safety standards, Norrie McVicar, Chair of the ITF&rsquo;s Offshore Task Force Group (OTFG), said: &ldquo;This is the wrong position to take and the wrong time to take it. The EC should be protecting the safety gains made in the UK offshore sector, not eroding them by dumbing them down to a lowest common denominator.&rdquo; 
 
Said Lars Myhre, ICEM Energy Sector Chair, &ldquo;You can never be too safe and we would never condone complacency, but the British and Norwegian sectors are generally good examples of best practice. They should be studied, learned from and, where necessary, improved. They shouldn&rsquo;t be remodeled into a one size fits all &ndash; but not very well &ndash; Euro model.&rdquo; 
 
McVicar added: &ldquo;One very positive feature of the UK industry is OSPRA, the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Advisory Group, which brings together regulators, industry bodies and trade unions such as Unite and the RMT in a joint effort to ensure that we get the oil and gas we need as safely and cleanly as possible. It&rsquo;s that kind of good practice that we&rsquo;d like to see adopted by the rest of the global oil and gas sector, not weakened here in Europe.&rdquo;

ICEM, ITF Reject EC’s Common Safety Prescription in Offshore Oil, Gas

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
IndustriEnergi (IE), ICEM&rsquo;s strong Norwegian energy and chemicals affiliate, awarded its first Arthur Svensson International Award for Trade Union Rights to Wellington Chibebe, the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). The award came at the opening of IE&rsquo;s Congress in Oslo on 11 October. 
 
Chibebe won the award as one of the trade unionists leading the courageous struggle in Zimbabwe for workers&rsquo; rights. IE&rsquo;s Arthur Svensson Award is named after a longtime leader of Norsk Kjemisk Forbund, the Norwegian Chemical Workers&rsquo; Association, which merged in 2006 with NOPEF to form IE. 
<img src="" width="175" height="140" alt="" />
Wellington Chibebe, ZCTU General Secretary
Chibebe told African radio upon wining the award that Zimbabwe&rsquo;s unions must continue fighting for its rightful &ldquo;democratic space&rdquo; in Zimbabwe&rsquo;s economic society. The global significance to the award, said Chibebe, is that the world now knows that Zimbabwe has appeared before the ILO Standards Committee every year since 2002, &ldquo;culminating in the commission on enquiry which came to Zimbabwe last year and a report that moved the government to address the problems that have been facing unions.&rdquo; 
 
Chibebe and others in Zimbabwe have been effective global voices against the brutish trade union abuses that occur in the country. In May 2008, he and ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo were locked up and charged with an absurd &ldquo;communicating falsehoods&rdquo; complaint against the state. In September 2006, Chibebe was beaten in police custody after being one of some 200 trade unionists seeking satisfactory work rights. He began his trade union career in 1988 as an apprentice railway worker. He became president of the railway union and then joined ZCTU in 2001. 
 
In praise of Chibebe&rsquo;s award last week, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said in a statement that he has &ldquo;courage, passion, and firmness of principle. We believe the African trade union movement in particular and the global trade union movement in general has an asset in him and we are yet to see more of his outstanding contributions as we intensify our struggle for justice.&rdquo; 
 
The Arthur Svensson International Award for Trade Union Rights comes with a cash prize of NOK 500,000 (&euro;60,000).

Zimbabwe’s Wellington Chibebe Receives First Norwegian Labour Prize

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
Proposed amendments to Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Labour Relations Act have rattled the country&rsquo;s employers&rsquo; grouping, but the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) is having none of it. Bosses&rsquo; hue and cry over fairness changes to the labour code doesn&rsquo;t add up, union leaders say. 
 
The controversy is over ILO draft recommendations regarding severance packages, contract workers&rsquo; rights, and other common social entitlements. The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries (CFI) met the press in the southern African nation on 11 October, and told them the changes would be burdensome and costly. 
 
ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo countered by saying enterprises covered by the CFI have been paying the lowest wages in southern Africa for a long time. &ldquo;Those who are against this idea are people who have gotten used to profiteering,&rdquo; Matombo told the Harare Herald. 
<img src="" width="150" height="136" alt="" />
ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo
The ILO&rsquo;s review of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s labour law recommends establishment of a minimum set of retrenchment criteria, including education and re-training, and includes severance benefits and other social rights for contract workers, as long as they were on the job for three years. The CFI said severance payments to contract workers would not be sustainable for businesses to survive. 
 
The recommendations include a number of fair-minded social improvements, including paid sick leave, and specifically, revising maximum vacation leave from 30 calendar days to 30 work days. An amendment also calls for daily breast-feeding by working women to be increases from one to two hours for up to18 months. 
 
At the 11 October press briefing, the CFI said the revisions would stifle enterprise and said Zimbabwe&rsquo;s workers must &ldquo;accept the concept of delayed gratification.&rdquo; The CFI argued that business is not just about paying workers, but also earning dividends. 
 
The ICEM supports the progressive social amendments being introduced in Zimbabwe, and stands with the ZCTU and its own affiliates.

Zimbabwe’s Unions, Employers Clash on Labour Code Revisions

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
On 29 September, ten million bitter people demonstrated across Europe. They protested government imposed austerity measures brought on by a financial crisis not their fault, or the fault of those now feeling the pain from crisis-caused social cuts. 
 
In the weeks since, that bitterness and anger has not gone away. In fact, it is manifesting itself day by day through differing circumstances in different countries. What the angst and anger have in common from one country to another is the feeling that those that caused the pain do not share in it now. 
 
Perhaps nowhere is the anger more pronounced than in France, where last week&rsquo;s strikes at refineries, pipelines, shipping, and transportation centres were compared to strikes in 2006. The country could be literally shut down this week if the strikes &ndash; focused on President Nicolas Sarkozy&rsquo;s pension reforms &ndash; continue. Prior 24-hour strikes were extended to continuous strikes last week, and another mass day of action is set for tomorrow, 19 September. 
<img src="" width="174" height="249" alt="" />
The CFDT said 3.5 million workers taken to the streets by mid-week last. Although Sarkozy has pushed through portions of pension reform, he still seeks legislation to increase the minimum pension age from 60 to 62 and increase the age for a full retirement package from 65 to 67. As the strikes grew throughout last week, a poll showed 69% of French citizens support the strikes. 
 
In Romania on 13 October, Finance Ministry workers stopped work in a spontaneous strike and occupied the Finance Ministry overnight. They were joined by public-sector workers from the Work, Heath, and Post Office, all protesting elimination of bonus payments from July, totaling between &euro;100-150 per month. That accounts for up to 60% of public-sector salaries. 
 
Continual protests in the Central European nation have now had an effect. Late in the week, the finance minister agreed to restore the bonuses for August and September. And a pension reform bill that would have lifted the retirement age for both men and women was sent back to Parliament for amendments because of &ldquo;people mobilisation&rdquo; and pressure from trade unions. The protests could become even bigger this week, since the menace behind Romania&rsquo;s austerity cuts &ndash; the International Monetary Fund &ndash; is scheduled for an evaluation visit on 22 October. 
 
In the Slovak Republic on 12 October, thousands of trade unions marched in Bratislava and assembled in the city&rsquo;s SNP Square, protesting the government&rsquo;s harsh reductions in the 2011 budget. The measures include cutting one-seventh of the entire state budget, including cutting the pay of all public-sector workers by 10%. The Confederation of Trade Unions (KOZ) said the average family of four throughout the country will see a reduction in income of &euro;400 a year, and instead calls for higher taxation on dividend earnings and granting relief measures to ordinary citizens. 
 
In the Czech Republic, trade unions are on strike alert today, anticipating the worst scenario on how a 10% pay cut in across the public sector will be implemented. A poll in the Czech Republic revealed that 58% of people polled believe the austerity measures will result in slower economic recovery. On 21 September, 40,000 Czech public-sector workers took to the streets because of the pay cuts. 
 
In Athens, Greece, protesters that are owed up to two year&rsquo;s back pay barricaded themselves inside the Acropolis and had to be removed by police force. Other tense confrontations appear to be hotting up for Slovenia, Portugal, and the UK. 
 
Instead of pension reform, wage cuts, and budget curtailments, trade unions see jobs and economic growth as the catapult to recovery. Unions bear witness that most victims of austerity cuts are workers and the working poor, victims of an economic crisis set off by bankers and traders and aided then by the same neo-liberal governmental policies that now call out for social cuts.

Deep Anger to Austerity Continues Across Europe

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
As the world rejoiced last week on the release of 33 trapped miners in Chile, questions arise over a chain of events at Campa&ntilde;ia Minera San Esteban Primera&rsquo;s San Jos&eacute; copper mine leading up to the massive 5 August roof collapse and rock slide that entombed miners for a record 69 days. 
 
While Chile President Sebasti&aacute;n Pi&ntilde;era basks in the global spotlight of a heroic rescue marshaled by the world&rsquo;s very best mine engineering and technical expertise, answers to those questions likely will remain hazy. Pi&ntilde;era has pledged there will be no impunity for mine owners and has commissioned an enquiry that will report findings by 22 November. 
 
But the very make-up of that commission explains just one of the structural deficiencies inherent in Chilean mine safety: no trade union representatives will be involved. Chile&rsquo;s mining unions say the government for decades has been unwilling to engage in tri-partite dialogue to improve mine safety, telling workers&rsquo; representatives their job is to negotiate over economic issues, not to participate on health and safety matters. 
<img alt="" src="" width="175" height="247" />
The unions say government officials and mine industrial representatives have consistently refused initiatives to discuss ratification of ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, because it would dislodge strict industry-government control. One trade union leader told the ICEM that with vast private-sector investment already in Chile&rsquo;s mining industry, he has witnessed a steady stream of World Trade Organisation (WTO) people, but never a representative from the ILO. 
 
The facts behind San Esteban&rsquo;s shoddy safety record must come to light to accurately illuminate the structural barriers blocking safe mine practices in Chile. As early as 2004, the single entity trade union at San Jos&eacute;, Union No. 2 of Compania Minera San Esteban, presented legal challenges in courtrooms to close the mine because of unsafe conditions. Those went unheeded. 
 
In January 2007, following a rock slide that killed a worker, the National Service of Geology and Mining (SERNAGEOMIN) did order closure of the mine, but a replacement supervisor for the agency ordered it re-opened several months later. Reportedly, the order to reopen came because of political pressure. 
 
The re-opening was conditional, with the two owners promising to construct a second escape route, improve ventilation, and make other capital improvements inside a mine prone to rock falls after blasting. None of the promises were carried out and no inspections were made. 
 
Six months before 5 August, San Esteban&rsquo;s safety consultant resigned when he couldn&rsquo;t deal with the multitude of safety infractions. He spoke of roof meshing not in place, roof bolts being shorter and interspaced further than standard requirements, and huge rocks not cleared following blasting. In short, all the prerequisites contained in ILO Convention 176 &ndash; a second exit route, regular inspections, trade union consultation, regulatory bodies with the authority to shut and keep shut unsafe mines, workers&rsquo; rights to refuse unsafe work &ndash; were missing in the San Jos&eacute; mine, and no doubt in countless other Chilean mines. 
 
(To view ICEM&rsquo;s global campaign for the ratification of ILO Convention 176, click <a href="/en/209-ILO ">here</a>.) 
 
What is for certain is Pi&ntilde;era, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, and others, including leaders of state-run copper company Codelco, did assemble a world-class operation that successfully rescued the 33 San Jos&eacute; miners. Chile is a world-class minerals producer. But there is little question that procedural safety processes at the country&rsquo;s mine sites are far from world class. 
<img alt="" src="" width="80" height="82" />
In the aftermath of the recue, scores of ICEM affiliates issued public statements. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) congratulated the Chileans &ldquo;on the successful rescue operation&rdquo; and said that since expert technical aid came from South Africa, South African miners should expect more at home in terms of fewer mine deaths. 
 
&ldquo;Over 90 mine workers have died from January to date and the mining industry in South Africa continues to move snail-paced in safety terms and continues to fool itself and those who believe there is significant improvement&rdquo; inside the country&rsquo;s mines, read the statement. 
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="91" />
The Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia said that in August, it &ldquo;set about the task of raising funds to help (the 33 miners) and their families. These are people who have nothing and work under some of the most draconian conditions in the world. (CFMEU&rsquo;s) campaign raised 20 million pesos, about A$40,000, and is still growing. 
 
The Australian union created a video tribute that can be seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceX6ftvKgi4 ">here</a>. 
<img alt="" src="" width="140" height="45" />
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) said, &ldquo;&hellip; while we celebrate, we must also look at this event as a learning opportunity for those who regulate mining at home and abroad. Every mine in the world, regardless of location and engineering challenges, must operate in an environment that puts the safety of miners above every other consideration. 
 
&ldquo;Even the most stringent mine safety laws are only effective when regulators have the will and the means to rigorously enforce them. As we rejoice in the rescue of our Chilean brothers, let us also learn from the mistakes that put their lives at enormous risk.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="" width="66" height="83" />
In Germany, the IGBCE stated that this misfortunate must draw on lessons to support Chilean miners in their fight for safe work conditions. The ICEM rightfully uses this mine disaster to call on governments all over the world to ratify and adhere to the safety standards contained in the ILO Convention. 
<img alt="" src="" width="83" height="100" />
And Los Mineros, the Mexican National Miners&rsquo; and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union (SNTMMSRM), contrasted the all-out effort to rescue the Chilean miners with its own government&rsquo;s refusal to search or to conduct any kind of inquiry into the February 2006 mine disaster that killed 65 miners. 
 
The 33 miners in Chile are now safe and together with their families. But exactly how they came to be at death&rsquo;s door, and whether or not the Chilean government will make corrective structural changes in mine safety, remains an open question.

Chile’s Rescue Illuminates Country’s Mine Safety Shortfalls

<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the great success of a project by the German IGBCE women in Tanzania, on the South African government&rsquo;s failure to provide promised female condoms at the World Cup games, and on the mining house AngloAmerican&rsquo;s ongoing campaign to stem the spread of the HIV virus in South Africa. 
 
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" />
IGBCE Women Sponsor Successful VCT campaign in Tanzania 
 
The second leg of the campaign for voluntary counselling and testing took place in Mwasa, the second largest town in Tanzania, in August. The campaign was sponsored with donations from the women unionists of the German ICEM affiliate, IGBCE. The African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF) gave technical assistance. 
<img src="" width="278" height="202" alt="" />
A total of 875 people were tested, among them 800 workers, members of the ICEM affiliates TUICO and TAMICO in Tanzania. Four percent tested positive, with a marked difference between men (3.1 percent) and women (6.9 percent). All who tested positive were referred to the government hospital in Mwasa. 
 
A dancing troupe of people living with HIV and AIDS provided entertainment, and members of the group also gave testimonies to encourage workers and members of the public to get tested. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Female Condoms Missing During World Cup 
 
Female condoms have been widely celebrated as an answer to putting reproductive health and HIV protection in the hands of women. Yet, the South African government fell far short of its promise of distributing 7.5 million female condoms during the World Cup games in June, with only one million finding their way into the hands of consumers. On the other hand, male condoms were available in high numbers - 565 million - though even these were 20% fewer than expected. 
 
Many women&rsquo;s organisations, who had pressed for the condoms, expressed disappointment that the female versions were largely missing in action, thus offering women less choice of how to protect themselves. Tian Johnson of Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Trust is frustrated at the situation, referring to messages communicated by the organisation to 2010 visitors, &ldquo;Coming to South Africa soon? Bring your own condoms; we certainly don&rsquo;t have enough to share!&rdquo; 
 
(Source: <a href="http://www.genderlinks.org.za">www.genderlinks.org.za</a>, as reported in Pambazuka, 23 July) 
 
Note by the Editor: The Coordinator of the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project is campaigning for wider access to female condoms. During the Sub-regional HIV/AIDS Women&rsquo;s Workshop in May, she found that female condoms were not commonly available. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
World AIDS Day 2010: Universal Access and Human RIghts 
 
First observed in 1988, World AIDS Day (WAD) on 1 December has served to raise awareness about the epidemic, focus attention on issues that are key to a successful response, and to inspire positive action. The WAD theme for 2009-2010 is &ldquo;Universal Access and Human Rights.&rdquo; 
 
In cooperation with the World AIDS Campaign and other organisations, this year UNAIDS is organising a global &ldquo;Lights for Rights Commemoration&rdquo; in 100 cities. This campaign aims to highlight the linkages between HIV vulnerability and Human Rights around the world, especially of people living with HIV, women and girls, men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who inject drugs, and transgender people. 
 
The &ldquo;Lights for Rights&rdquo; campaign began on 1 December 2009 in the US, when the lights were turned off and later turned back on, illuminating New York City landmarks. The darkness represents how stigma, discrimination, and criminalization forces people to die alone in fear and shame, while switching the lights on symbolizes the human rights of all people, which allows one to walk in the light of information, treatment, care, and health. 
 
(Source: UNAIDS website <a href="http://www.uniaidstoday.org">www.uniaidstoday.org</a>. UNAIDS has produced a toolkit which can be accessed on this site 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Zimbabwe: Patients Forced to Pay for ARVs 
 
Rampant corruption in the provision of life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and other HIV services is threatening Zimbabwe's national AIDS response, according to a recently released report by a local human rights group. 
 
Commissioned by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) in March 2010, the report - Corruption Burns Universal Access to Treatment - found that 73% of HIV-positive respondents had been asked to pay bribes by health workers. Most of those unwilling or unable to pay were turned away or given inadequate services. 
 
The findings were based on interviews with 1,024 people living with HIV in the provinces of Masvingo, Harare, Bulawayo, and Manicaland. Most of the respondents lived in urban areas and 89% had a family income of less than US$100 a month. 
 
HIV patients were often asked to pay for services that were supposed to be free. About a third of the respondents who were asked for bribes refused to pay them, mainly because of poverty; as a consequence, 63% were denied the service and had to pay for drugs or diagnostic tests in the private sector, or on the black market, or go without. 
 
(Sources: Plus News, Harare, 5 October) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Kenya: Minister Condemned for Promoting Gay Inclusion 
 
A Kenyan minister who expressed her opinion in support for HIV and Aids mitigation programmes for gays and lesbians has come under sharp criticism from church and Muslim leaders who said her remarks were &ldquo;satanic&rdquo; and contrary to &ldquo;African culture.&rdquo; 
 
Esther Murugi, the special programmes minister in the Kenyan government, while addressing a Gays and Commercial Sex Workers HIV and Aids Symposium held at the Kenya Coastal City of Mombasa, challenged the government, in which she serves to help the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and inter-sex (LGBTI) community efforts in war against the scourge. 
 
The seminar, titled &ldquo;Most &ndash; At-Risk Populations (MARPs),&rdquo; was targeted at Men having Sex with Men (MSM), sex workers, and Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), believed to be at the greatest risk of HIV infection. 
 
Politicians attacked the minister over her remarks and called on Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to dismiss her for advocating for the recognition of gays and lesbians. The symposium was partly sponsored by the National Aids Control Council (NACC) which is the government national agency that designs and implements policies on the fight against HIV and AIDS. 
 
(Source: BTM correspondent, 6 October) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Global Fund: Donor Governments Pledge Record Amounts 
 
Donors are expected to give the Global Fund about US$11.7 billion over the three-year period, 2011-2013. This is 20% more than was pledged three years ago for the 2008-2010 period; but it is still less than the Global Fund says that it needs. 
 
More than 40 countries, together with the European Commission, faith-based organizations, private foundations and corporations attended a pledging session in New York on 5 October chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. 
 
The Fund says that its total needs over the three years 2011-13 will be between US$13 billion and US$20 billion. Over the past few months, donor government studied the Fund's needs and effectiveness and deliberated over how much each would commit to for the three years in question. They then came to New York to announce their decisions. 
 
The four countries that pledged the most for 2011-13 are the US, US$4 billion, 40% more than its pledge for the previous three years; France, US$1.48 billion, a 20% increase over the previous three years; Germany, US$822 million, no change; and Japan, US$800 million, a 28% increase. The three countries that pledged the largest percentage of their Gross National Income (GNI) are Norway and France (0.018% each) and Canada (0.013%). 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 131 of 8 October. 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" />
AngloAmerican&rsquo;s Campaign against HIV/AIDS 
 
AngloAmerican is the largest private sector employer in South Africa and the effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic have ravaged its business. However, over the years the situation has become more manageable. By its own estimates, approximately 12,000 of its 71,000-workforce in South Africa are HIV-positive. 
 
The group&rsquo;s medical consultant, Dr Brian Brink, who is also the Global Fund Board member for the private sector, says that the big turning point came when treatment became available and effective. In negotiations with the union, the company agreed to pay for antiretroviral treatment (ART), but the real obstacle to getting things done was the stigma, fear, and distrust surrounding the disease. Agreement with the union also included guarantees that the jobs of HIV-positive workers were safe. 
 
From the economic point of view, giving out ART free of charge also makes sense. The fully-accounted cost for treatment is US$126 per HIV-positive worker per month. Against this, the total savings from reduced absenteeism and declining health care costs, as well as reduced staff turnover and benefits payments are US$219. 
 
(Sources: Daily Telegraph London, 2 August, with additions from the editor) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
News from the Swedish Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme 
 
The Swedish Workplace HIV/AIDS Programme (SWHAP) is a joint initiative by the International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR) and the Swedish Industrial and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union (IF Metall), an affiliate of the ICEM. 
 
In the latest newsletter of SWHAP, there is a report on the Swedish programme&rsquo;s Sub-regional Conference in Zimbabwe related to the development of its South Africa Peer Educators Network and new HIV/AIDS workplace programmes in cooperation with unions and Swedish companies in Southern and East Africa. The SWHAP programme in Namibia has commenced with the adoption of workplace policies by Auto Sueco, Atlas Copco, and ABB, and the training of peer educators. 
 
(Source: SWHAP Newsletter August 2010) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
News from Global Unions 
 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>, reports in its latest HIV/AIDS update No. 93 of 1 October on its HIV/AIDS capacity-building workshop for the Asian region and the publication of a new seafarers directory that includes information on practising safer sex and advocacy of condom use. 
 
The August Newsletter of PSUFASA (Public Sector Unions Fighting AIDS in Southern Africa) reports on the projects activities in Zimbabwe. The project, which is supported by the UK Department for International Development, is in its last year of the three-year project cycle. The project is coordinated by Tsitsi Mariwo from the PSI Southern Africa office in Johannesburg. 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
Five Years Ago: ICEM&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS e-Bulletin was Born 
 
The first issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin was published in October 2005. In future issues, we will refer to an article from the same month five years ago and reflect on developments. 
 
In October 2005, we reported on the Global Fund replenishment meeting in London in September 2005. Governments then pledged US$3.7 billion, which was short of expectations as the total needs of the Fund had been estimated at US$7 billion. As the article on the replenishment meeting in New York above shows, the amounts pledged have trebled but so have the needs to cover all approved grants and sustain service delivery. 
 
In the October 2005 issue we wrote: &ldquo;The relatively low level of support raises questions about the G8 commitment (at the Gleneagles Summit in July 2005) to place on antiretroviral treatment by 2010 all HIV patients who need it.&rdquo; 
 
That sadly has become true. As the year 2010 comes close to ending, various estimates say that only half of the HIV positive population who needs treatment still has not access to it. 
 
(The source of the article in October 2005: Global Fund Observer, Issue 50 of 7 September 2005) 
<img alt="" src="" width="40" height="40" />
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. 61, October 2010

The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine &amp; General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) yesterday called on the Government of Chile to radically change the procedural methodology it uses on mine safety once the imminent rescue of 33 miners at the San Jos&eacute; mine near Copiap&oacute; in northern Chile is complete. 
 
In a letter to Minister of Mining Laurence Golborne Riveros, the 20-million-member global union federation called on the government to streamline workplace safety and health enforcement, now contained in several different ministries, into a single, autonomous agency &ldquo;that has full powers and full technical capabilities to inspect and correct workplace deficiencies before accidents happen.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM is also calling on the government of Chile to begin the process toward ratification of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 176, the 1995 Safety and Health in Mines Convention. By adopting the global principles contained in Convention 176, Chile ensures that workers and their trade unions have a voice on safety matters and the ability to take action to prevent mine accidents. (The full letter can be seen <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/116.ICEM.Chile.MiningMinister.4Oct.pdf">here</a>.) 
 
&ldquo;In a mine, when a trade union safety committee is engaged with the respective company and government representatives, the risks in that mine gets reduced dramatically,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;This is basic to Convention 176 but, unfortunately, is woefully lacking inside Chile&rsquo;s mining industry.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM called on Chile&rsquo;s government to consolidate ministerial safety investigatory bodies into a fully-staffed independent rule-making agency that has judicial and other powers to ensure safe and healthy workplaces. In the letter, the ICEM states that creation of such an agency can also serve as the mechanism to implement and enforce the global mine safety standards contained in Convention 176. 
 
The ICEM commended Chile&rsquo;s government for the intensive rescue to save the lives of the 33 San Jos&eacute; miners, but reminded that massive work awaits both politically and administratively to prevent such disasters from happening in the future. 
 
The Geneva-based ICEM, composed of 467 trade union affiliates in 132 countries, is the representative global body for some 70 national mining unions in as many countries. The ICEM has a global campaign underway pressing on governments of resource-rich nations to ratify ILO Convention 176. 
 
For further information, contact Dick Blin, ICEM Information Officer, <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>; telephone: +41 22 304 1842 (direct) or +41 79 734 8994 (mobile).

Mine Safety Culture in Chile Must Change, Asserts ICEM

<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="39" />
The annual Regional Conference for the Eastern Europe/Central Asia Region of the ICEM was conducted in Moscow on 23 September. Participating affiliated trade unions came from Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. 
 
The meeting was chaired by ROSUGLEPROF &ndash; the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union &ndash; President and ICEM Vice President Ivan Mokhnachuk. Each delegation briefed participants on today's situation in their respective country and union. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda spoke on the process of building joint structures with the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF). The idea of creating a new Global Union Federation was supported by Mikhail Tarasenko, President of the Russian Mining Trade Union, a union invited as a guest to the meeting. 
<img alt="" src="" width="298" height="197" />
The ICEM&rsquo;s Regional Contact Person for the Eastern Europe/Central Asia Region and the Central Europe Region, Anatoly Surin, gave a report on the activities in the region since the last regional Council in September 2009, in Kiev, Ukraine. The participants of the meeting adopted a resolution of support to the miners of the enterprise &ldquo;STRATEX&rdquo; of Moldova in a struggle for fair wages. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s Regional Conference in 2011 will take place in Uzbekistan.

ICEM Holds Eastern Europe/Central Asia Regional Conference

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
The pharmaceutical industry has been one of the few industries which did not suffer a severe negative impact during the global financial crisis. In 2009, the market grew 7% to US$837 billion, compared with a 4.8% growth rate in 2008. Sales of the sector are expected to grow 4 to 6% this year. The size of the global market for pharmaceuticals is expected to grow nearly US$300 billion over the next five years, reaching US$1.1 trillion in 2014. 
 
But with this growth, global pharmaceuticals are experiencing a significant shift. The Asia-Pacific region is emerging as the fastest growing market. The reason attributed for this is lower costs and lack of stringent regulatory requirements. 
 
Pharmaceutical sales are growing rapidly in India, China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Indonesia due to rising disposable incomes and several health insurance schemes. China&rsquo;s pharmaceutical market will continue to grow at over 20% annually, and will contribute 21% of overall global growth through 2013, while the Indian market is expected to grow by 10% this year. 
<img src="" width="370" height="159" alt="" />
For South East Asia, Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) harmonization is a hot topic among pharmaceutical companies, as it will liberalize a number of highly regulated markets (ASETUC). 
 
Considering all these developments in pharmaceuticals and demands from affiliates, the ICEM, with the support of Germany&rsquo;s Friedrich-Ebert Foundation (FES), organized a workshop for pharma industry unions in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 28-29 September. Attended by 30 trade union representatives from Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Pakistan, Singapore, Nepal, and Thailand, the workshop was hosted by Indonesian Pharmaceutical Industry and Health Services Union (FARKES), led by Djufnie Ashary. 
 
The ICEM was represented by Chemical and Rubber Industries&rsquo; Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan, and Asia-Pacific Regional Contact Person Phee Jungsun, who ran the workshop. 
 
Following the opening speeches by Erwin Schweisshelm, Indonesian Director of the FES, Sjaiful DP, President of ICEM affiliated union of FSP KEP and Chairman of ICEM Indonesian Council, and Djufnie Ashary of FARKES, the workshop got a detailed presentation from &Ouml;zkan on both the global and Asian pharmaceutical markets, with recent figures, developments, and challenges set forth. Participants provided country and company information at the workshop. 
 
In Indonesia, pharmaceutical industry volume turns over at about US$2.7 billion each year. Pharma growth in Indonesia is about 10% annually. In 1991, multinationals controlled over 70% of market share, but now that figure has dropped to 25%. 
<img src="" width="370" height="157" alt="" />
Norihiro Tokunaga, Assistant General Secretary of ICEM-JAF, shared basic data on Japanese health care. According to Tokunaga, in Japan, with its low birthrate, society is rapidly aging. It is estimated that one-fifth of the population will be older than 75 by the year 2030, and that will extend to a full quarter by 2055. 
 
This development, said Tokunaga, has already made a huge impact on the cost of the social security system. If this trend continues further, naturally, expenditures on pension schemes and the national health system will increase, pressuring the country&rsquo;s finances. Therefore, Japanese public health care systems must respond urgently. Tokunaga explained that social dialogue in the pharmaceutical industry is considered the proper way for sustainable development of the sector and is the norm on how pharmaceutical unions must organize in Japan. 
 
For South Korea, representatives of the Federation of Korean Chemical Workers&rsquo; Unions (FKCU) described the challenges of pharmaceutical workers as job security, particularly with mergers or closures of production lines, and restructuring caused by multinational company mergers occurs. A further challenge is a change of pharmaceutical policies by the government, which includes an incentive system for low-price purchases and the crime of dual punishment in case of rebate or kickback. 
 
The workshop was participated by a number of union representatives from such pharmaceutical multinationals as Sanofi Aventis, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer Schering, Takeda, Meiji, Tanabe, Hisamitsu, and Kawasumi. 
 
One country which has recently opened for international investments &ndash; Vietnam &ndash; has 39 registered foreign pharmaceutical companies with 6,500 employees. But only 14 of these are unionized with a total membership of 2,300, and just four collective agreements are in this sector in Vietnam. 
 
The workshop also received reports from the ICEM&rsquo;s &Ouml;zkan on &ldquo;Global Dimension of Industrial Relations: International Mechanisms, Social Dialogue, Global Framework Agreements, and Global/Regional Networks,&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Rising New Threat Against Working Conditions: Precarious Employment.&rdquo; 
 
After the discussions, workshop delegates unanimously decided to form the ICEM Asia-Pacific Regional Pharmaceutical Industry Network. For using electronic technology, a list of e-mails was prepared and immediate exchange of information will begin very soon. 
 
&ldquo;Just prior to the ICEM&rsquo;s World Conference for the Chemical Industries, to be held on 27-28 October 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey, the creation of this regional network is very promising,&rdquo; said &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;It has shown us the opportunities and challenges within pharmaceuticals, and trade unions should be able to take further initiatives.&rdquo;

ICEM Asia-Pacific Pharma Workers’ Network Formed at Workshops in Indonesia

<img src="" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
Over 3,300 garment workers in Kandal province, southern Cambodia, have been sacked after they took strike action in protest of the new monthly minimum wage for the sector. That wage, set in July, is for US$61 a month. 
 
There is also widespread discontent among workers in the sector over poor working conditions and unemployment. The main cause of anger now is the retaliatory sacking of strikers, and especially of the trade union activists for their roles in the strikes. 
 
Workers had demanded a raise of the minimum monthly wage from US$50 to US$93. The new minimum of US$61 does not constitute a living wage in Cambodia. Unions began a four-day strike on 13 September. The strike did not become an issue for employers until the third day, at which time an estimated 200,000 workers had joined the walk-out. It was stopped on 16 September so talks could resume. 
<img src="" width="180" height="146" alt="" />
ITGLWF General Secretary Patrick Itschert
But then further strike action was carried out by 10,000 workers on 17 September, calling for the reinstatement of 200 suspended union representatives, blocked from returning to work in blatant breach of their rights to organize, bargain, and strike. 
 
Social Affairs Minister Ith Sam Heng called for the reinstatement of all sacked workers, and pleaded with unions not to strike. His call was followed by three factories in Kandal province employing 3,300 workers who announced their refusal to comply with the Minister&rsquo;s request. 
 
While it was the promise of more negotiations that stopped the strike, neither the government nor employers have indicated any likelihood of significant concessions. The government did call employers and unions back together on 27 September for talks. 
 
The International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF) welcomed the meeting on September 27 brokered by the government, but criticised the strike-breaking tactics of Prime Minister Hun Sen&rsquo;s government. 
 
&ldquo;[The government] filed law suits against union leaders on charges of &lsquo;incitement,&rsquo; and appealed to the police to collaborate with the industry association GMAC in cracking down on the strike and in seizing materials which could be used in legal action against the strikers,&rdquo; said ITGLWF General Secretary Patrick Itschert. 
 
Clothing brands and retailers including Adidas, Gap, H&amp;M, and Levi&rsquo;s wrote to employers and unions to express their &ldquo;great concern&rdquo; at the unrest, but have expressed no concern over the poverty wages paid to those workers making their products. 
 
Global retailers must take responsibility for the social damage caused by the &ldquo;race to the bottom.&rdquo; It is impossible for workers to receive anything higher than poverty wages unless global retailers pay suppliers reasonable prices. Instead, suppliers are forced year on year to produce larger orders at lower costs. 
 
Kandal province, where the affected factories are located, completely surrounds but does not include the national capital Phnom Penh.

Cambodian Garment Workers Sacked for Striking

Archive