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The strike that began on 25 May by 11,000 contract workers at the El Teniente division of Codelco in Chile has dwindled to about 4,000 as many of the more than 20 employers doing sub-contract work for the state-run copper producer have settled with contract staff. 
 
Production of copper cathodes from El Teniente, the company&rsquo;s most profitable division, had dropped to 40% at the peak of the strike on 8-9 June following blockades that prevented buses carrying Codelco staff from reaching the mine. But by late last week, output grew to 75% or more as some sub-contractors awarded bonuses and increased travel allowances to contract workers to get them to return to work. 
 
Codelco also began ferrying regular staff to the mine-site in central Chile by helicopters after transport buses were stopped and turned back. 
 
The unions representing contract workers have been unsuccessful in getting either Codelco or Chile&rsquo;s government to engage them on working conditions at El Teniente. (See <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4462-Contract-Workers-Strike-Codelco-at-El-Teniente-Mine-in-Chile">ICEM report</a> on the outbreak of the contractors&rsquo; strike here.)&nbsp;
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Mines and Energy Minister Laurence Golborne said he has been monitoring the strike, but ruled out any possible involvement by Codelco or the government because of &ldquo;acuerdo marco,&rdquo; or an agreement in 2007 stating that neither party has an obligation to address the grievances of contract workers. 
 
Regional politician Ricardo Rinc&oacute;n of Chile&rsquo;s Christian Democrat Party (DC) condemned the government&rsquo;s unwillingness to address the legitimate grievances of contract workers, stating that turning a deaf ear to workers does not speak well of Codelco management or of the government. 
 
Sub-contract employers have given their staff one-time bonuses of 700,000 pesos (US$1,500) to quit the strike, in addition to the increases in travel allowance. The strike has been marked by daily mobilizations and marches in the nearby city of Rancagua in Region VI, some violence and damage to buses, and arrests of about 80 contract workers. 
 
On 14 June, some 1,000 contract workers boarded 17 buses and travelled to Santiago to deliver petitions to the National Congress and several different ministries. Meanwhile, a day earlier in Rancagua, four women &ndash; mothers of striking contract workers &ndash; began a water-only hunger strike in the city&rsquo;s cathedral to protest the government&rsquo;s negligent lack of involvement in the dispute. 
 
Elsewhere, at Codelco&rsquo;s Chuquicamata mine, part of the company&rsquo;s El Norte division, some 1,000 regular staff, union members of branches of Federaci&oacute;n de Trabajadores del Cobre (FTC), marched on 15 June in preparation for a strike that could occur at any time. 
 
The FTC branches are manifesting over staffing requirements and possible job retrenchments as Codelco prepares Chuquicamata for conversion from an open-pit copper mine to an underground one. The FTC said protests will continue and possible strike action will occur unless management shows a willingness to engage in talks with workers over plans for the conversion. 
 
The US$2.2 billion conversion project means underground mining will start at Chuquicamata in 2018.

Chilean Contract Workers’ Strike at Codelco Lingers

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Negotiations resume today and tomorrow, 20-21 June, for 4,000 Australian coal miners employed by the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), the world&rsquo;s top exporter of metallurgical coal. Union allies, led by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), conducted successful stop-work meetings last week that saw broad agreement among miners that they want job security and an end to work practices of Australia&rsquo;s bygone WorkChoices era. 
 
The union alliance, called the Single Bargaining Unit and consisting of CFMEU, the Australian Manufacturing Workers&rsquo; Union (AMWU) and the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU), met yesterday to prepare for this week&rsquo;s pivotal talks. 
 
The six-hour and longer stop-work meetings, held across seven BMA mines of the Bowen Basin, Queensland, from 14-17 June, saw miners vent frustration at BMA intransigence that has stalled bargaining, and company arrogance inside those talks. The two sides have been bargaining since December 2010. See ICEM <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4463-Aussie-Coal-Miners-Vote-92-to-Strike-BHP-Billiton-Mitsubishi-Alliance">InBrief No. 182</a> report on this enterprise bargaining dispute here.&nbsp;
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Stephen Smyth
Union members are &ldquo;sick and tired of the same rhetoric being spat out of the company&rsquo;s PR machine,&rdquo; said CFMEU District President Stephen Smyth to the Central Queensland News. Miners and export facility workers voted in May for lawful industrial action by better than 92%. They are vehemently opposed to BMA proposals on changes in work rosters and moves toward subcontracting that will cost jobs and equitable incomes. 
 
The stop-work meetings were attended by between 300 and 1,000 miners each in forums at BMA&rsquo;s Broadmeadow and Saraji mines on 14 June, Blackwater and Gregory Crinum mines on 15 June, Goonyella Riverside and Norwich Park mines on 17 June, and Goonyella and Peak Downs mines on 18 June. BMA is a 10-year-old joint venture between two of the world&rsquo;s industrial titans that produces 58 million tones annually of coking coal.

Stop-Work Meetings Raise Stakes in Queensland Coal Talks

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ICEM-affiliated Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia broke through a major barrier with Rio Tinto on enterprise bargaining when it used good-faith dialogue under the Fair Work Australia law to negate Rio Tinto&rsquo;s long-standing preference for individual work agreements. The breakthrough came in an &ldquo;in principle&rdquo; agreement achieved with the mining giant on 9 June that grants 400 iron ore train drivers and car examiners in West Australia collective bargaining rights. 
 
The agreement is precedent-setting and it is hoped that the Anglo-Australian mining house and metals producer follows similar Fair Work law practices in its other Australian businesses and with other Australian unions. The agreement allows the 400 essential staff who moves Australia&rsquo;s valuable iron ore resources to West Coast ports to vote on a collective agreement. 
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Gary Wood
&ldquo;This is a long overdue outcome that would never have been achieved under WorkChoices, and has only been achieved because of the Fair Work Act and the determination of the rank-and-file to stand united in support of their collective rights,&rdquo; said CFMEU West Australia Mining and Energy Secretary Gary Wood. 
 
The agreement came through 18 months of bargaining with Rio Tinto under procedures of two-year-old Fair Work Australia that left the company no alternative but to acquiesce and allow workers to vote on a collective agreement. It also ends an 18-year period of hostility by Rio Tinto to remain union-free and operate under individual work agreements at Rio&rsquo;s Hamersly, Pilbara Iron Ore, and other subsidiaries. 
 
The ICEM salutes the CFMEU for this historic accomplishment on behalf of Australian unions regarding Rio Tinto, and now calls on workers in West Australia to make the most of the achievement in order to speak with a collective voice in making life-enhancing gains for all.

CFMEU Wins Bargaining Rights for Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Train Drivers

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The National Union of Mineworkers, South Africa (NUM) are mobilising against an attempt by Brazilian mining multinational Vale to invest in the African copper belt. Vale&rsquo;s proposed purchase of Metorex Ltd was opposed by the NUM Central Committee, meeting 26-28 May, due to the anti-union history of the country, most notably in Canada. 
 
The NUM will now file a complaint to the Competition Commission, and engage the South African government to intervene against the US$1.1 billion purchase. Meterox is based in South Africa, but all its operations are in Zambia, and the DRC. Huge potential for copper extraction in the DRC is especially attracting Vale to the Meterox deal. 
<img alt="" src="" width="100" height="103" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img alt="" src="" width="155" height="85" />
At the same time, Vale demonstrated its aggressive opposition to workers&rsquo; organising, in Colombia. On 3 June workers at the El Hatillo mine, in the Department of Cesar, Northern Colombia, organised with Sintramienerg&eacute;tica, and presented modest bargaining demands to management. 
 
Vale Coal Colombia responded to its employees exercising their right to organise and bargain collectively with persecution, threats, and outright refusal to bargain. Vale supervisors at the mine have threatened all workers with the sack if they do not renounce the union. Many El Hastillo employees are precariously employed through outsourced contractors, facilitating Vale&rsquo;s union busting at the mine. 
 
On June 12, El Hastillo superintendent Jairo Tamayo locked employee and union leader Mario Prado in his office and aggressively threatened him. This intimidation caused Mr. Prado a suspected heart attack, and he remains in hospital in a serious condition. 
 
The United Steelworkers last week launched an international campaign supporting Sintramienerg&eacute;tica in their struggle to organise at Vale. An international LabourStart campaign is launched today, calling on the Colombian government ensure the fundamental rights of workers at El Hatillo, and calling on Vale Colombia to halt its union busting efforts and negotiate with the union in good faith. 
 
Support the <a href="http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=1027">LabourStart campaign</a> here, and write to the Colombian President and CEO of Vale Colombia.

NUM, USW Take Gloves Off on Vale in South Africa, Colombia

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ICEM Belgian affiliate Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale-FGTB and the chemicals company Clariant made temporary peace over the weekend in a pitched industrial strike by blue-collar workers in Louvain-la-Neuve. In weekend talks between the union and Clariant Benelux, the blue-collar workforce accepted reinstatement of one of two discharged shop stewards and resumption of social dialogue based on trade union rights and safeguards of freedoms, said the FGTB. 
 
Mohamed Loukili and Kemal Bennaceur were sacked by Clariant on 27 July for faithfully carrying out union responsibilities inside the workplace. This weekend&rsquo;s negotiations won reinstatement for Loukili, while Bennaceur decided earlier to accept a pay-out package from Clariant and depart the company. 
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Strikers Surround FGTB Rep Mohamed Loukili at 17 August Manifestation
A 17 August strike manifestation at Clariant plant gates in Louvain-la-Neuve saw 200 workers and supporters call on Clariant to reverse the anti-social sackings. Three days before the annual summer shut-down, managers announced dismissal of the two union representatives. That caused a strike by the entire 45-worker blue-collar unit, a strike that threatened the safety of some 100 white-collar staff when work resumed last week. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the FGTB on winning this important union rights test, and notes it is the second time in a month that Belgium&rsquo;s Socialist Union has won reinstatement rights for sacked job leaders. It happened at Belgian Refining Corp. (BRC), near the Port of Antwerp, when two union delegates were reinstated through dialogue on 15 July between FGTB-ABVV and BRC managers. (See <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/4558-BRC-Belgium-Conflict-Settled-Sacked-Oil-Workers-Reinstated ">ICEM story</a> here) 
 
Clariant&rsquo;s chemical plant in Louvain-la-Neuve is part of the Swiss company&rsquo;s Masterbatches division and produces colour chemicals for inks and textiles.

Union Rep at Clariant in Belgium Reinstated

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Jack Layton, the soul of a progressive Canada and leader of the NDP, passed away Monday, 22 August, of cancer. For the past decade and more, Layton has led a populist surge in Canada that has given NDP, the party of fairness and justice, the official opposition stamp &ndash; since May 2011 &ndash; to the ruling neo-liberal Tories. Layton was 61. 
 
Layton had recently been diagnosed with his second bout against cancer. He died at 4h45 on 22 August in his home and surrounded by his family. 
 
Layton&rsquo;s energy and conviction inspired ordinary Canadians and statements on his passing testified to that. Statements by North American unions said Layton&rsquo;s inspiration, ideas, and vision must push faster forward. 
 
In a statement to Canadian unions, the ICEM said, &ldquo;What happens in Canada has global significance&rdquo; (see full <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/100.ICEM.Jack%20Layton.Canada.23August.pdf">ICEM letter</a>). The ICEM remembers Layton as a courageous fighter for social justice, depicted best in his own words on the labour strife brought by Vale, the Brazilian mining giant, or to the Mexican government on its union smashing. 
 
In Sudbury at the beginning of a bitter year-long strike Vale provoked against Canadian living standards, Layton stood among thousands of miners, and emphatically said, &ldquo;They cannot take away what working people have built over generations in this country, or this town.&rdquo; 
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Toronto: Tributes to Jack Layton
In 2009, Layton was part a global labour mission to Mexico sponsored by the ICEM and International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF). He accurately summarised the full trade union climate in Mexico: &ldquo;We made it clear that the government&rsquo;s interference in union governance, it&rsquo;s jailing of union leaders and freezing union bank accounts, declaring strikes illegal and failing to prosecute the killers of union leaders, are serious and unacceptable violations of basic human rights.&rdquo; 
Dave Coles, President of the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) of Canada said: &ldquo;I knew Jack Layton as a principled social democrat who was utterly committed to social justice and peace. Thousands of our members knew Jack by his first name, as a leader who had reached out to them in their workplaces and communities. Jack Layton paid attention to our members&rsquo; deepest concerns and gave them unqualified support in their struggles.&rdquo; 
Ken Neumann, Canadian National Director of the Untied Steelworkers (USW), said: &ldquo;Jack reawakened Canadians to the reality that government can &ndash; and must &ndash; play a positive role in ensuring the economic and social wellbeing of its citizens. Steelworkers will help lead the way in honouring Jack&rsquo;s legacy by carrying on his fight to build a better Canada and a better world.&rdquo; 
Ken Lewenza, President of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) said in a message to the NDP: &ldquo;At Jack&rsquo;s passing, your voice of conscience is needed more than ever. Your efforts can and will make a difference in the direction of our country.&rdquo; The CAW also said in mourning, progressive Canada must reflect on Jack&rsquo;s vision for Canada &ldquo;and how we can endeavour to make some of his cherished ideas a reality.&rdquo; 
 
Jack Layton was born in Hudson, Quebec, into a political family. He entered public service in 1982 as a member of the Toronto City Council after leaving academia. His years on the city council of Canada&rsquo;s largest city were marked by many accomplishments concerning poverty, homelessness, public transport, and environmental stewardship. In 2004, Layton won election to the federal Parliament as NDP leader, and the NDP has grown steadily to where it now is the logical political choice for a social Canada, and beyond. The ICEM letter said Jack stood always for workers, the poor, the disenfranchised. 
 
Jack is survived by his wife, Olivia, his dedicated political partner; and a son, Mike, a member of the Toronto City Council, and daughter, Sarah, who works for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

ICEM Mourns Passing of Canadian Stalwart Jack Layton

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The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, a key ICEM global affiliate in the Materials Sector, held its quadrennial Convention in Las Vegas, US, from 25-28 July, and re-elected their top office-bearers with unanimous voice approval. The nine officers stood as the Proven Leadership Team. 
 
The convention marked the 32nd Convention of the US-Canadian union that has united boilermakers, cement workers, ship builders, forgers, and blacksmiths for the past 131 years in North America. 
 
Re-elected President was Newton B. Jones; Secretary-Treasurer, William Creeden; and Vice Presidents: Warren Fairley, US Southeast; James Pressley, Industrial Sector; Lawrence McManamon, US Great Lakes Region; Joseph Maloney, Western Canada; Edward Power, Eastern Canada; J. Tom Baca, Western US States; and David Haggerty, US Northeast. 
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Speaking on the closing day of the Convention, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda sincerely thanked Jones for accepting global responsibilities with the ICEM as a member of the Executive Committee and as Chairman of the ICEM Materials Sector. He also cited the importance of specific sector work, citing ICEM and European trade union influence in blocking Lafarge&rsquo;s attacks on retiree health insurance of IBB Local D-27 members in Sugar Creek, Missouri, in 2008 and 2009. 
 
&ldquo;I assure you the ICEM will always be prepared to mobilise global support and solidarity whenever you call and tell us of the need,&rdquo; said Warda. 
 
The ICEM leader also told of trade union repression by governments in Colombia, Iraq, and Mexico, and he reminded IBB delegates of the shameful deeds by US right-wing politicians in camouflaging deficit-reduction measures as direct attacks on trade unions. 
 
&ldquo;Wisconsin must be stopped before it becomes a virus spreading all around the world,&rdquo; said Warda to standing applause. 
<img src="" width="327" height="161" alt="" />
UMWA President Cecil Roberts
United Mine Workers&rsquo; of America (UMWA) President Cecil Roberts spoke on the convention&rsquo;s opening day and praised the leadership of the IBB. &ldquo;These people are the blood of your blood, the flesh of your flesh, and the soul of your soul,&rdquo; Roberts told delegates. &ldquo;They have shown the way for all of us.&rdquo;

US Boilermakers Hold 32nd Convention

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from International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation 
 
Miners at Cananea, Sonora, Taxco, Guerrero and Sombrerete, Zacatecas, have now been on strike for four heroic years in defence of their labour and trade union rights. On 30 July and the following days, the miners will hold rallies to reaffirm their continued support for the strikes and the struggle of the Mexican Miners' Union. 
 
The National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM), or Los Mineros, affiliated to the ICEM and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) says it is willing &quot;to negotiate legal arrangements necessary to end the strikes, if a solution can be found that will respect the workers, recognize their collective agreements, definitively establish adequate health and safety conditions, and respect the miners' union led by Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez Urrutia.&quot; 
<img alt="" src="" width="205" height="154" />
The three strikes continue because there has been no legal ruling to determine a definitive end to the strikes, explained the union. The union added that, throughout this period, the company has stubbornly refused to act peacefully and resolve the strikes in accordance with the law. 
 
During these years, the workers on strike have been persecuted and some judges have ruled that the strikes were invalid. However, the courts have ruled in the union's favour in response to union requests for legal protection. Workers have been subjected to repression in these four years, for example on 6 June 2010 at the Cananea mine, which was occupied by 4,000 armed men who maintained a climate of terror against the miners. 
 
In addition to the rallies that will take place on July 30 to commemorate four years on strike, the union will hold meetings to discuss how to strengthen the strikes and to call on the local communities to continue their support for the miners. 
 
The miners and the local communities are deeply concerned that neither the government nor Grupo M&eacute;xico has taken any steps to resolve the disputes, recognise the collective agreements, and respect the National Miners' Union.

Los Mineros Commemorates Four Years on Strike Against Mexican Mine Companies

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A two-year campaign by the Building &amp; Wood Workers&rsquo; International (BWI), it&rsquo;s North American affiliate, the International Association of Machinists (IAM), and BWI affiliate GS of Sweden paid off on 27 July when union representation was won at IKEA&rsquo;s only Swedwood manufacturing plant in the US. 
 
Workers at the three-year-old plant in Danville, Virginia, voted by an astonishing 76% affirmation, 221-69, to have IAM represent them in a US government-supervised election. The vote brings relief to an agonising and frustrating period for BWI, IAM and GS, which sought to make IKEA live up to commitments in a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) that calls for voluntary recognition and good faith-dialogue when workers indicate a desire for a union. 
 
Swedwood is 100% owned by IKEA and exclusively provides home furnishings to the retailer. The Danville factory provides many of the furnishings to IKEA&rsquo;s 37 US stores. 
<img alt="" src="" width="308" height="142" />
Senior managers at IKEA rebuffed BWI at several junctures in the Global union Federation&rsquo;s efforts to get the company to acknowledge and correct anti-social practices at Swedwood in Danville. That included health and safety deficiencies, mandatory overtime at risk of punishment &ndash; something that is contrary to IKEA&rsquo;s written code of conduct &ndash; and failure to allow shop-flow freedom of association as outlined in the GFA. The only choice left was the government-mandated union certification process through the US National Labor Relations Board. 
 
Swedwood workers at Danville, to their credit, responded resoundingly last week. 
 
&ldquo;Despite the &lsquo;persuasive&rsquo; tactics and intervention strategies that the Swedwood management installed throughout the entire union election process, and to be frank, prior to that, the workers at Swedwood have emphatically said yes to the union,&rdquo; stated BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson. 
<img alt="" src="" width="101" height="101" />
BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson
Swedwood must now reach a first collective labour agreement in Danville, one that must come without stalling and through honest negotiating that meets the social needs of workers. 
 
The Director of IAM&rsquo;s Woodworking Department, Bill Street, said it best: &ldquo;IKEA, you have a choice to make. You can recognise what we&rsquo;ve been saying over the past is in fact true and then begin bargaining with us in good faith, or you can continue this fight.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM congratulates BWI, IAM, and GS for actively working with Swedwood workers in America to ensure they have a voice at work.

BWI, Machinists Succeed in Bringing Union to Swedwood’s US Plant

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In South Africa, the 18-day petroleum strike by 70,000 union members mostly from the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Wood and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union (CEPPWAWU) ended on 28 July, two days after the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA) presented satisfactory wage and other terms. 
 
But strikes in three other bargaining councils aligned with the chemical industries continue with some hint that issues in the Pharmaceutical sector will get resolved today when CEPPWAWU and that industry association meet in government mediation. In the Glass sector, the employers&rsquo; association and unions representing 6,000 workers came to terms late on 28 July in a one-year settlement similar to the petroleum industry. 
 
In two other sectors of the National Bargaining Council for the Chemical Industry, Industrial Chemicals and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods, the union still awaits dates for mediation as strikes continue. CEPPWAWU represents some 40,000 workers in total in Pharmaceutical, Industrial Chemicals, and the consumer goods sector. Some of the companies affected included Sasol, Adcock Ingram, Aspen Pharmaceutical, Pharmacare, Revlon and Colgate. 
<img alt="" src="" width="240" height="160" />
CEPPWAWU Members March in Johannesburg, 11 July
In the Wood, Pulp, and Paper sector, where workers employed by Sappi, Mondi, and others have been on strike since 14 July, talks mediated by the government&rsquo;s Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) will take place this afternoon and an accord is expected. Settlement did come in Timber and Sawmilling on Friday, 29 July, where a nationwide strike began on 18 July. That agreement is now going to membership for their approval. 
 
In Fibreboard and Particleboard, negotiations have yet to be scheduled. A walkout there began on 11 July. 
 
In the Tissue and Allied Products sector, Kimberly Clark has been particularly troublesome. The American company has refused now to bargain. Many weeks ago, Kimberly Clark tabled a measly 4% wage increase for its 400 workers at two paper towel and tissue mills, nearly half the accurate inflation rate in South Africa. 
 
CEPPWAWU National Policy Coordinator John Appolis told the ICEM that Kimberly Clark is firmly set on driving down wages and work standards for competition reasons. The company had bargained jointly with Nampak as part of an employers&rsquo; association in the Tissue and Allied Products sector in years past, but Nampak broke from the multi-employer talks due to Kimberly Clark&rsquo;s bargaining-table recalcitrance. 
 
Nampak settled with CEPPWAWU and other unions early in July for an 8% raise without workers striking. 
<img src="" width="244" height="160" alt="" />
In the Timber and Sawmilling settlement, CEPPWAWU successfully negotiating a first-ever maternity leave. That will see women get four months of protected leave, in addition to 12% of their salaries to supplement their mandated unemployment compensation. Also, the minimum wage rate in Timber and Sawmilling will increase from ZAR 1,500 (US$225) to ZAR 1,775 (US$266). 
 
All wage settlements will be backdated to 1 July, including the much-publicized petroleum strike where some fuel shortages and panic buying brought wide, albeit over-stated South African press coverage. 
 
In petroleum, the unions and SAPIA agreed to an 8.5% increase, with a 10% hike gained for lower-waged workers. For them, the minimum salary increases from ZAR 4,000 (US$600) per month to 4,400 (US$660), while the unions maintained a 40-hour work-week. Women in the petroleum sector will receive a first-ever two days of leave for pre-natal maternity care. 
 
&ldquo;On the wage front,&rdquo; said Appolis, &ldquo;our improvements are slightly ahead of current buying power in South Africa, and we showed progress in several other areas.&rdquo; Besides the majority CEPPWAWU, others unions in these sector talks include the South African Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union (SACWU), the General Industrial Workers&rsquo; Union of south Africa (GIWUSA), and Solidarity.

CEPPWAWU’s Petrol Strike Ends; Chemical Sectors Close, Kimberly Clark Recalcitrant

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