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

Nigerian unions welcomed a recent ruling from the Abuja Federal High Court that struck down the controversial Public Order Act, which required citizens to obtain a police permit before staging any protest. Nigeria&rsquo;s 1999 Constitution gave citizens the right to assemble and protest peacefully, and the court&rsquo;s ruling supports that.
&nbsp;Said Nigerian Labour Congress President Adams Oshiomhole, &ldquo;We have always believed the Constitution is superior to any other Act. If the colonial masters had cause to enact that law, a democratic government doesn&rsquo;t need it because it makes a society of democratic right through police licensing. 
Like any licensing, it can always be abused, as it has been abused.&rdquo; Added Peter Akpatason, president of ICEM affiliate NUPENG, &ldquo;The actual challenge is for the court to be able to implement or ensure that the ruling is obeyed because in Nigeria of today, it is obvious that obedience to court judgments has become selective.&rdquo; 
Labour leaders in Nigeria were sharply critical of acting Inspector General of Police Sunday Ehindero who publicly stated the police would appeal the High Court ruling.

Nigerian Unions Applaud Court&#039;s Free Assemby Ruling

Contents: 
	 
	1. 280 million women are victims of inequality in Latin America 
	2. Brazil - Women&#039;s Leadership in For&ccedil;a Sindical 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC seminar on discrimination 
	4. Russia - 100 years of trade union women 
	5. Finland - Gender gap narrowing 
	6. Germany - sustainable family policies 
	7. United States - men doing more housework? 
	8. Resources 
	 
	 
	1. 280 million women are victims of inequality in Latin America 
	 
	A recent Argentine study reveals that more than 280 million women in Latin America suffer from inequality compared to men. The author of the study claims that 20% of women in the region cannot read and write, and 30% of women are heads of household. One other detail is that only 36 out of the 100 most important companies in Latin America have women at the highest level on boards, and in only 5.1% are women in middle management. In Mexico only three major companies are managed by women, which means that it ranks third in the region behind Venezuela and Brazil. At worldwide level the country ranking first in this connection is the United States and last Japan. 
	 
	 
	 2. Brazil - Women&#039;s Leadership in For&ccedil;a Sindical 
	 
	On the eve of the For&ccedil;a Sindical Congress in Sao Paulo, the women&#039;s department held a conference attended by 100 women leaders from 30 July to 1 August. 
	 
	 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC seminar on discrimination 
	 
	FETIESC held a seminar on discrimination against women at its school from 3 to 5 August to discuss the changes in the world of work and how they affect relations between women and men and their impact on the family, the union and society. The seminar was attended by women from CLAMT, the Latin American Women Workers&#039; Commission, made up of representatives from Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil. Debates focused on collective bargaining and challenges to end discrimination in terms of gender and race, as well as the struggle to end violence against women. 
	 
	 
	4. Russia - 100 years of trade union women 
	 
	A conference was held in Moscow from 30 June to 2 July on Women for Unions - Unions for Women to celebrate the centennial of Russian trade unions. A book was published on women&#039;s leadership with the history of women in trade unions and biographies of key women, including ICEM Vice-President Evgenia Esenina. Much of the history of Russian trade unions was written by women. Even today women make up more than 50% of trade union members. Gender equality is a major part of the work done by the FNPR confederation and is the object of Congress resolutions. Gender equality is relevant among other things to the labor market, social guarantees, health and safety, unemployment. Women and men must commit themselves to it. 
	 
	 
	5. Finland - Gender gap narrowing 
	 
	In the fourth quarter of 2004 the wages of men in Finnish industry were 22% higher than women&#039;s. This meant a relative improvement over 2002, when the gender-related pay gap still amounted to 24%. 
	 
	 
	6. Germany - sustainable family policies 
	 
	On 28 July 2005 IGBCE adopted a position paper on successful family policies together with the Federal Minister for Families, Seniors, Women and Youth that involve family policies for works councils and define trade unions&#039; roles for a future with more children. Trade unions and politicians are both responsible for sustainable family policies to combine equal opportunities with economic dynamics. The Alliance for the Family made up of industry, trade unions and political parties supports modern family policies to achieve better work-life balance. Industry needs the potential offered by well trained women. Parental leave, family allowances and childcare are elements of family friendly policies that can be achieved by company agreements and collective agreements. 
	 
	 
	7. United States - men doing more housework? 
	 
	In dual-earner couples, the dominant family form in the United States, men&#039;s handling of household chores and childcare has increased steadily since 1977, according to a recent study by the Families and Work Institute. Moreover, the time women in these couples spend in such tasks has either decreased or stayed the same over the same period. For example, in 1977 employed fathers in dual-earner couples with children spent on average 1.3 hours per workday on household chores compared to 3.7 for employed mothers. By 2002, the comparable figures were two hours per day for fathers and three for mothers. The researchers speculate that if these trends continue, the housework gap will close entirely. 
	 
	The nurturing gap has also closed considerably. In 1977, employed fathers in dual-earner couples allocated 1.9 hours per work day to their children compared to 3.3 hours for employed mothers. By 2003, when the comparable figures for dual-earner couples were 2.7 hours for fathers and 3.5 hours for mothers, the gap had narrowed by 57%. 
	 
	American men seem to do more housework and childcare than men in other industrialized countries such as France, Italy, Germany and Japan, according to the Council on Contemporary Families. The US government, however, was last on the list in providing programs and benefits for families. Other research tells us that men, especially young men, want more time with their families. Men between the ages of 20 and 39 were more likely to give family matters top billing over career success, a national survey by the Radcliffe Public Policy Center found. 82% put family first, and 71% said they would sacrifice part of their pay to have more time with their families. This agrees with surveys conducted by DuPont and Merck and Co. 
	 
	 
	8. Resources 
	 
	For websites on gender issues, please see www.eldis.org/gender/ and www.socialwatch.org, which is also available in Spanish. 
	 
	 
	&nbsp;

ICEM Women’s bulletin No. 3 - August 2005

Contents: 
	 
	1. Africa - Gender Equality Protocol 
	2. Australia - Gender Wage Gap Grows 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC - Gender and Labor Market 
	4. Colombia - Message from Beatriz Chinchilla 
	5. France - New Anti-Discrimination Panel 
	6. Iceland solves the Problems of an ageing Society? 
	7. Italy - Violence Hot-Line 
	8. Norway - Boardroom Equality 
	9. WHO - Avoiding Maternal Deaths 
	10. Resources 
	 
	 
	1. Africa - Gender Equality Protocol 
	 
	A petition was handed over to Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius and Chairman of the Southern African Development Community, to demand a protocol for accelerating gender equality in the region. It was signed by 100 civil society leaders and regional groups. The regional bloc adopted a 1997 Declaration on Gender and Development, but the petitioners believe it has not achieved its objectives. Only South Africa and Mozambique have achieved the target of 30 percent female representation in parliament, for example. The groups want the declaration elevated to a legally binding protocol that would include new targets, such as appointing women to 50 percent of decision-making positions by 2010. It would also require member states to guarantee gender equality in their constitutions, take legislative aciton and allocate funds to fight gender violence, and ensure that constitutional law takes precedence over customary law. The proposed protocol enjoys broad support and has already been endorsed by senior officials. 
	 
	 
	2. Australia - Gender Wage Gap Grows 
	 
	The wage gap between men and women in Australia has widened by 2 percent in the past decade, as announced by the Australian Social Trends report. The report found that as of 2004, females earned only 92 percent as much as their male counterparts, resulting in a gender wage gap of 8 percent. Ten years earlier the gap was only 6 percent. But it also found that women aged 20-24 who have recently entered the workforce actually earned 7 percent more than their male counterparts, although the figure slips back behind men as they get older. The report compared men and women on the basis of hourly average weekly earnings, rather than overall earnings, to allow for the fact that women were more likely to work fewer hours because of family responsibilities. Only full-time employees who worked in non-managerial positions were considered, to allow easier comparison across different sectors. But there was a 23 percent gap between male and female workers in the finance and insurance sector, while women are 21 percent worse off in the mining sector, although recent pay increases for women in the mining sector have outstripped those of men. 
	 
	 
	3. Brazil - FETIESC Gender and Labor Market 
	 
	FETIESC held a seminar on gender and the labor market on 5 August, where ex-state deputy Pedro Uczai conducted the debate on gender and stated that, &quot;women have to manage conflict at work and at home in order to combat discrimination.&quot; For him, workers have internalised the exploitation so that they double output in the same time, which results in work-related illnesses such as RSI, repetitive strain injury. &quot;Pay discrimination is huge to the extent that women&#039;s pay is subordinate to men&#039;s; the men are comfortable with this because they have internalised on-the-job discrimination.&quot; According to Professor Cristiani Bareta da Silva, we are living in an emergency for women as individuals. &quot;In Brazil it is inadmissible for women to earn 30% less than men, even with higher educational levels.&quot; The situation is even worse in the case of black women - they earn half what men earn. Cristiani Bareta da Silva calls it age and racial inequality. For her the solution is to revitalise domestic space, to create more convivial areas, to raise children with gender equality and to do away with the idea that women have a monopoly on the home. 
	 
	 
	4. Colombia - Message from Beatriz Chinchilla 
	 
	&quot;I would like to say that in my union we have already started working on the action plan that we adopted in Sao Paulo in May. We reported to the national executive, and next 11 August we have a national meeting of CONAMUS, our national committee in SINTRAELECOL, to develop the plan. On the other hand, I would like to say that the government took away from men and women workers the possibility to have a collectively agreed pension, and they left only one scheme where women have to contribute much more money and much longer time, which means very little possibility for a pension. The women&#039;s groups are asking for abortion to be decriminalized in case of rape or fetus malformation.&quot; 
	 
	 
	5. France - New Anti-Discrimination Panel 
	 
	President Jacques Chirac inaugurated a new panel to monitor and fight discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, beliefs or physical disability. The 11- member panel, headed by the former chief executive of automaker Renault, includes leaders of women&#039;s rights groups, labor unions and the French Red Cross. The panel will have an annual budget of 10.7 million euros. 
	 
	 
	6. Iceland solves the problems of an ageing society? 
	According to OECD figures, 45% of the population of the European Union will be over 65 in the year 2020. One small country in the North Atlantic seems to have a solution, Iceland. Iceland ranks first in Europe in the birth rate, and it is a pioneer in women&#039;s participation in working life in addition. At the same time it has the lowest unemployment figures, both for women and men. Part of the solution can be found in its generous treatment of parents. In Iceland parents are entitled to a total of 8 months of parental leave at 80% pay. Both fathers and mothers are entitled to parental leave. A similar system exists in Sweden. About 80% of fathers in Iceland do take advantage of parental leave. Both men and women are able to work and enjoy family life. This means that for employers it is just as &quot;risky&quot; to hire a man as to hire a woman. The concerns about rising unemployment were also relieved, since unemployment amounts to about 3%. In our ageing societies we need to have a debate on a social model in which taking care of children and working life can be combined as they should be. 
	 
	 
	7. Italy - Violence Hot-Line 
	 
	The Italian government has set up a hot-line for women victims of violence. It is a 24-hour service, which will put women into contact with all help agencies, from police to psychologists. In the last three years 118,000 women have been victims of sexual violence in Italy, although the figure is likely to be higher since many cases are certainly not reported. 
	 
	 
	8. Norway - Boardroom equality 
	 
	Get more women on your board or we will shut you down, is the message from the Norwegian government to companies. Norwegian women have a tough time getting seats on boards. In Norway over 15 % of board members in private sector companies are women, but in a country where over a third of MP&#039;s and 8 out of 19 cabinet ministers are women, the figure is too low. Last year the Norwegian parliament passed a bill to force private companies to have at least 40% women on their boards. Companies had until July to boost participation of their own accord. If the number are insufficient, which the government will decide by August, then sanctions will be applied. From September new companies that do not comply will not be able to register, while existing firms will have another two years to find women for their boards. If they do not, they will be closed down. Already more than half way to its goal of 40%, Norway has the highest female participation rate in the world, ahead of Sweden and the United States. 
	 
	 
	9. WHO - Avoiding Maternal Deaths 
	 
	One out of 16 women will die of birth-related causes in poor countries. The WHO, World Health Organisation, calculates that every minute a woman dies during childbirth. The worst is that 90% of these deaths are avoidable. The situation has to do with the difficulty that women have in exercising their rights in connection with education and health, the right to work and the right to equal opportunities. Ten years after the Cairo summit women&#039;s needs are still not the priority of governments. Poverty, conflicts and natural disasters worsen the reproductive situation. Some countries such as China, Egypt, Honduras, Mexico, Jamaica and Tunisia have achieved a better record in maternal mortality. But resources will have to be earmarked for campaigns and sanctions to protect maternal health. Everything is linked - education is vital. When a woman can go to school, have access to adequate training, and a dignified job, she will be prepared to make an informed decision about motherhood. 
	 
	 
	 10. Resources 
	 
	For a website on gender issues, please see www.awid.org/wrec/ , Women&#039;s Rights and Economic Change, which is also available in French and Spanish.

ICEM Women&#039;s bulletin No. 4 - September 2005

The links below are only a small selection of the wide range of websites of organisations which are engaged in the fight against the pandemic. For more details on these organisations and further information on resources and funding you can refer to the <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0701ICEMHIVAIDSGuideEN.pdf">ICEM Guide on HIV/AIDS Resources and Funding</a> which is available on this website. 
 
International Labour Organisation - ILO 
 
<a href="http://www.ilo.org">www.ilo.org</a> 
 
ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work (ILO/AIDS) 
 
HIV/AIDS is a workplace issue because it affects workers and their families, enterprises and communities which depend on them. At the same time, the workplace has a vital role to play in the wider struggle to control the epidemic. Workplace programmes support prevention, expand access to care and treatment and promote non-discrimination. 
 
The key document is the <a href="http://www.ilo.org/aids/Publications/lang--en/docName--WCMS_113783/index.htm">ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work</a>, which was adopted by the ILO Governing Body in June 2001. The Code exists in some 50 languages. The 10 key principles of the Code are essential elements of any HIV/AIDS workplace policy. For training purposes the publication Implementing the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS: an education and training manual (also available as CD-Rom) was developed. The manual exists in English, French and Spanish. 
 
ILOAIDS has published leaflets, toolkits and posters, which serve as useful education materials. ILO field offices, some with a focal point on HIV/AIDS, in your country or region can help with material and identifying resources and extend technical assistance for training. 
 
The International Labour Conference, at its 99th meeting in June 2010, adopted <a href="http://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/99thSession/texts/lang--en/docName--WCMS_142613/index.htm">Recommendation 200</a> concerning HIV and AIDS and the World. This new Recommendation is a strong international human rights instrument to deal with all aspects of HIV and AIDS with special reference to the workplace. The Recommendation is accompanied by a Resolution for its follow-up, promotion and implementation. The ILO Governing Body, at its 310th session in March 2011, adopted a <a href="http://www.ilo.org/gb/GBSessions/lang--en/docName--WCMS_151293/index.htm">Global Action Plan</a> to promote implementation of <a href="http://www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/99thSession/texts/lang--en/docName--WCMS_142613/index.htm">Recommendation 200</a>. 
 
 
UNAIDS 
 
<a href="http://www.unaids.org">www.unaids.org</a> 
 
UNAIDS &ndash; Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS brings together the efforts and resources of ten UN system organisations (co-sponsors). UNAIDS, which was launched in 1996, is the main advocate for global action on the epidemic. 
 
UNAIDS publishes an extensive range of materials on HIV/AIDS. The AIDS Epidemic Updates (jointly with the WHO) are published annually in December. In September 2006, UNAIDS published in its Best Practice Collection &ldquo;Global Reach: how trade unions are responding to AIDS&rdquo; with case studies of union action. In his foreword to the publication, Peter Piot, the then Executive Director of UNAIDS, recognises the vast potential of unions to fight the pandemic at the workplace and in communities. 
 
You can access information on individual countries and find out about the UN Theme Group and UNAIDS Coordinator in your country on the website. 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 
 
<a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org">www.theglobalfund.org</a> 
 
The objective of the Global Fund is to dramatically increase resources to fight three of the most devastating diseases and to direct resources to areas of greatest need. The Fund is a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities. 
 
The Global Fund is a funding organisation that defers to local ownership and capacity for the design and implementation of programmes. Proposals are submitted through a national Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM). The Fund only has an office in Geneva; it does not operate field offices. Principal recipients in a country implement the projects. 
 
Calls for proposals are made at regular intervalls. Since the Global Fund was registered in January 2002, and up to December 2009, it has committed USD 19.3 billion in 144 countries. On the website of the Global Fund you can access details of the grants made to your country. 
 
In a letter of agreement signed with the ILO in April 2003, the great potential of workplace initiatives with the involvement of workers&rsquo; and employers&rsquo; organisations is stressed. 
 
World Health Organisation &ndash; WHO 
 
<a href="http://www.who.int">www.who.int</a> 
 
The WHO serves as the agency within the UN system for HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support. It has a wide range of publications, including useful guidelines on testing and counselling and on antiretroviral treatment. 
 
The conclusions of a meeting between Global Unions and the WHO in October 2005 specifically state that unions have unique comparative advantage to mobilise their constituencies in the fight against HIV/AIDS and calls on country representatives to support unions. 
 
The WHO operates a large number of country offices, most of them with HIV/AIDS specialists. 
 
Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the World Economic Forum 
<a href="http://www.businessfightsaids.org">www.businessfightsaids.org</a> and <a href="http://www.weforum.org">www.weforum.org</a> 

The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria leads the fight against the three diseases by companies. It serves as the focal point for the private sector at the Global Fund. The World Economic Forum launched its Global Health Initiative in 2001. You can find case studies on the HIV/AIDS policies and activities of your company on these websites. 
 
ACCA (AIDS Control in Companies in Africa) 
 
<a href="http://www.gtz.de">www.gtz.de</a> and <a href="http://www.acca-toolbox.org">www.acca-toolbox.org</a> 
 
The website of the German GTZ gives information on workplace interventions. The ACCA (AIDS Control in Companies in Africa) Toolbox is a collection of information and implementation tools for workplace interventions against HIV/AIDS. GTZ also operates the BACKUP Initiative which provides needs-oriented support to improve coordination, access and implementation of programmes financed through global funding mechanisms such as the Global Fund and the World Bank&rsquo;s Multi-country Aids Program (MAP). 
 
World AIDS Campaign 
 
<a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a> 
 
The Global Unions work closely with the World AIDS Campaign and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2005. Among others, WAC has mounted a worldwide campaign to fulfil the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted by the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June 2001. It is also the leading international NGO to organise campaigns on World AIDS Day, 1 December every year. 
 
Global Unions 
 
<a href="http://www.global-unions.org/hiv-aids">www.global-unions.org/hiv-aids</a> 
 
The Global Unions have a joint programme to fight HIV/AIDS. The programme&rsquo;s objectives are to mainstream HIV/AIDS as a priority for trade unions, to help unions to take action in their organisations and at the workplace, to develop partnerships with relevant organisations at all levels and to mobilise resources. 
 
The Education International (EI) &ndash; <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a> and the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) &ndash; <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a> have developed extensive HIV/AIDS programmes and materials for their respective sectors.

ICEM Overview of Links to Useful HIV/AIDS Related Websites

Rio de Janeiro, 
April 12th, 2002 
 
Statement by ICEM Latin America and the Caribbean condemning the coup in Venezuela 

1. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Union in Latin America and the Caribbean vehemently condemns the coup perpetrated in the early morning of April 12th 2002 against the constitutional government of Venezuela. 
 
 
2. We call upon all our affiliates in Latin America and the Caribbean, especially those in the oil sector, to similarly condemn the forces that carried out the coup, and to close ranks in defence of the Rule of Law and of Human and Trade Union Rights. 
 
 
3. We urge international forums, the United Nations and the Organisation of American States to conduct an immediate investigation into reports of violations of Human Rights perpetrated by the putschist forces. 
 
 
4. Finally, we call upon governments whose countries are OAS members not to recognise the &ldquo;provisional government&rdquo;, but to testify to its unconstitutionality and to take an unequivocal stand in defence of the Rule of Law. 
 
 
Luiz Gonzaga Ulhoa Ten&oacute;rio 
Regional President

Statement by ICEM Latin America and the Caribbean on the coup in Venezuela

M onday, 8 March, is International Women's Day, and the ICEM is encouraging affiliates, institutions and the general public alike to carry a workplace Human Rights message through to 1 May and beyond. That message is &quot;Respect for Workers' Rights, Respect for Women Workers.&quot; 
 
 
Artwork from Confederaci&oacute;n 
de Comisiones Obreras, Spain 
The 20-million-member ICEM, composed of over 400 affiliates in 125 countries in the oil, mining, chemical, pharmaceutical and processed industries, has joined with other global union federations and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) to promote a season of action in which the theme is &quot;Unions for Women, Women for Unions&quot; will be used to organize workers employed in the burgeoning informal sectors of both developed and developing countries. 
 
In the heavily unionized global sectors in which many members of ICEM affiliates work, some 30% of those workers are women. &quot;Against the background of rising militarisation and continuous attacks on Women's Rights, it is now more important than ever that the world commemorate International Women's Day as a day to say 'We can do better,'&quot; stated ICEM Women's Officer Carol Bruce. 
 
The ICEM points to appalling circumstances the world over that need immediate attention and remedies. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is a common military tool to use rape to terrorize, humiliate and punish an enemy. In free trade zones in Central America and Central Europe, worksites exist in which women must produce their sanitary towels each month to prove they are not pregnant. 
 
Women make up over 50% of all HIV/AIDS victims, and in many cases the cause is infection from their own husbands. Because of lack of empowerment, they do not dare insist that their husbands use a condom, nor do they dare refuse sex with their husbands. 
 
Besides the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the ICEM has identified challenges in its own sectors. Women workers in Thailand in the diamond industry who work in sweatshop conditions need a living wage. In Russia, one out of two women working in the chemicals industries are exposed to hazardous conditions with high gas and dust content. Many trade unions still do not provide for women's representation by statute. In the global pharmaceuticals industry, not nearly enough women are organized in trade unions that would bring higher pay and a better level of benefits. 
 
On International Women's Day, the ICEM does herald notable achievements. In South Africa, a negotiated commitment between ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers and the country's Council of Mines has been made to bring the level of women workers in mining up to 10%. Pharmaceutical companies operating in Central Europe now have record numbers of women managers. Women are putting forward their own demands in collective bargaining in Brazil as negotiators. 
 
The ICEM urges affiliates and others to make visible the message &quot;Respect for Workers' Rights, Respect for Women Workers&quot; through the 1 May holiday, and then to practice this message in everyday life.

8 March: Working Women Need Improvements at their Jobs

J ustice has finally arrived for a group of mineworkers in Australia-but more than five-and-a-half years late. 
 
Four of 16 miners at three Rio Tinto coal mines in Central Queensland who were sacked 21 July 1998 will walk back to their jobs Monday at the Blair Athol mine. The miners are members of ICEM affiliate Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia, and the union will mark their return with a Guard of Honour at the workplace entrance. 
 
The four were part of 16 staunch trade unionists sacked by Rio Tinto subsidiary Pacific Coal in 1998. The miners were discharged after the company conducted one-sided &quot;performance reviews&quot; that effectively placed them on a black list in the mining areas of Queensland. 
 
Two others will be reinstated by Rio Tinto at its nearby Hail Creek mine on 8 March. The fate of ten others is still in the hands of Rio Tinto. After some three years of legal wrangling, the Full Bench of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission ruled last year that the 16 were unfairly dismissed and must be given re-employment preference by Rio Tinto. 
 
Although the company is appealing that ruling, it has complied with reinstatement of the six. 
 
&quot;Rio Tinto should go the whole hog and get them all back on the job,&quot; said the Miners Union General President Tony Maher. &quot;These men and their families have suffered more than enough. It's time Rio did the right thing and get them all back on the job so their families can finally rebuild their lives and look to the future with the confidence they deserve.&quot; 
 
&quot;Hopefully, this puts closure to one of the sorriest chapters in mining labour relations the world over,&quot; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &quot;The ICEM now calls on Rio Tinto to put this whole dispute behind and recall the remaining the ten workers.&quot;

Blair Athol Miners Return to Work in Australia

T he government of Argentina yesterday issued a second order to Bridgestone/Firestone management to reinstate some 90 employees who were sacked at a tyre factory last October, and to commence good-faith negotiations with the union. 
<img height="280" src="" width="354" alt="" />
Thousands of supporters of SUTNA rallied 
the Japanese Embassy in Buenos Aires 17 February 
The union, Sindicato Unico de Trabajadores del Neum&aacute;tico Argentina (SUTNA), has been lodged in a fierce dispute with the Japanese-based company, which has refused to negotiate a renewal agreement at its San Fernando factory near Buenos Aires with SUTNA. Thousands of demonstrators in support of SUTNA marched and rallied in front of the Japanese embassy in Buenos Aires on 17 February. 
 
The dispute centers on managers circumventing bargaining with the union last October in order to achieve rationalization with a new shift schedule. Bridgestone/Firestone unilaterally fired the 90 then even though a valid stability clause in the labour agreement prevented any workforce reduction without first negotiating with the union. 
 
The Labour Ministry for the state of Buenos Aires ordered the workers reinstated with backpay on 5 December, but Bridgestone/Firestone defied that order. 
 
After a hearing on 19 February, National Minister of Labour Carlos Tomado firmly condemned the company's actions and ordered Bridgestone/Firestone to abide by the labour agreement and to recognize the industrial relations policies of the country. 
 
&quot;The reputation of Bridgestone/Firestone worldwide would be seriously damaged if they again defy an order from the Argentine government, this time from the Minister of Labour himself,&quot; said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. &quot;We call on all affiliates to aid SUTNA by registering protests with Bridgestone/Firestone management in their respective countries, and with the official Japanese missions near them.&quot;
&nbsp;In 2001, at the height of a currency crisis in Argentina, SUTNA signed a labour agreement conceding pay cuts of up to 25% and granting other entitlement reductions in order to keep Bridgestone's tyre operations in the South American country viable. The contract contained &quot;industrial peace&quot; language guaranteeing job security and full dialogue over issues with SUTNA. 
 
This initiative by SUTNA enabled the company to expend US$101 million in 2001-02 to expand production and shift to continuous operation. But management unilaterally voided that with last October's sackings, refusal to bargain with the union and prohibiting SUTNA representatives from even entering the tyre factory. 
 
&quot;We negotiated terms which were prejudicial to workers because we believed in the future of the company here in Argentina,&quot; stated SUTNA General Secretary Pedro Wasiejko. &quot;We trusted the company would respond when the economic situation got better. It has now improved but we're met by a company that refuses to comply with the terms of our agreement, or with the administration resolutions of the government.&quot; 
 
SUTNA is calling on Bridgestone/Firestone workers and their unions everywhere to direct letters of protest to local BF/FS managers, and to write to Japanese consulates and embassies in the countries in which they reside over the firm's intransigence in Argentina.

Bridgestone Again Stung by Ruling in Argentina

T he 20-million-member ICEM welcomed comments made last week by World Bank President James Wolfensohn that further dialogue is necessary to reach consensus over recommendations contained in the Extractive Industries Review (EIR). The EIR on 15 January issued its Bank-commissioned report entitled Striking a Better Balance intended to define the future role the World Bank should undertake in extractive industry sectors such as oil, gas and coal. 
 
&quot;Although there is much in the report that has had full input from the ICEM and which we embrace totally, we cannot endorse the EIR report's recommendation that the Bank phase out all involvement in oil and coal projects in the developing world over the next four years,&quot; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. 
 
&quot;Such elimination is directly opposite the stated goals of both the Bank and EIR for sustainable development and eliminating poverty,&quot; added Higgs. &quot;The ICEM stands ready as a key stakeholder representing workers and communities to continue this dialogue with the World Bank. We're convinced labour's steadying voice within the process will help shape consensus.&quot; 
 
The World Bank president made his comments that further public consultation is necessary on the EIR at a meeting of community development and environmental groups 12 February in Melbourne, Australia. 
 
The ICEM and its global energy and mining affiliates have been key components to the two-year-long EIR process starting from a planning workshop, through region-by-region consultations, participation on the EIR's Advisory Board, and to the global stakeholder forum held in Lisbon late last year. 
 
The ICEM has embraced many of the recommendations in the EIR report including the adherence of core labour and human rights principles as a mandatory lending requirement by the Bank on all development projects, full transparency in all revenue flows, and a priority that sustainable development be a major emphasis in all World Bank programmes. 
 
The ICEM also has endorsed EIR recommendations that transition monies for community development, retraining and social safety nets be built into World Bank funding because of continual trends to privatise a nation's resources. Further, the ICEM supports an EIR recommendation that the Bank promote small-scale mining initiatives that will enhance the livelihoods of some 100 million people worldwide. 
 
In a 5 February letter to the World Bank's James Wolfensohn, Higgs said of the EIR report: &quot;We find (the recommended phase-out of oil and coal projects) inconsistent with existing intergovernmental conventions regarding global warming, and we also believe it would undermine efforts to eradicate poverty and pose a clear threat to developing economies.&quot;

ICEM Welcomes Continued Extractive Industries Dialogue

T he US National Labor Relations Board issued a labor law violation against E.I. DuPont this week that cited the giant chemical firm with interfering, restraining and coercing union activities and union members at its Louisville (Kentucky) Works plant. To settle the complaint, DuPont has agreed in writing to halt its interference of shop-floor union activity that is protected by US law. 
 
ICEM affiliate Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical, Energy (PACE) Union in the US brought the charge forward after local managers in Louisville unlawfully prohibited PACE Local 5-2002 members from wearing union t-shirts and buttons, and removed the local union's bulletin board inside the plant. 
 
PACE recently affiliated the local union in Louisville after it stood as a stand-alone union for several decades, having been first established by DuPont in the 1930s to avoid militant union drives. PACE has been resisting DuPont's decision to move jobs from the neoprene facility in Louisville-a decision announced after the affiliation vote-to a non-union plant in the state of Louisiana. 
 
This week's labour law violation against the US-based chemical firm comes two weeks after PACE brought the issue of DuPont's sour labour relations behaviour to the attention of UN General Secretary Kofi Annan. DuPont is signatory to the UN's Global Compact, a voluntary accord by multinational companies pledging to adhere to a set of nine principles, including a guarantee to uphold fundamental labour and human rights and sound stewardship of the environment in all countries in which a company operates. 
 
Part of the labour law violation stemmed from Louisville manager Mike Sanchez's &quot;state of the business&quot; address to workers in which he made derogatory comments about the local union and PACE national union, specifically comments uttered disparagingly over PACE President Boyd Young's letter to Kofi Annan. 
 
&quot;DuPont has obviously not come to terms with the fact that workers in a number of their US worksites have chosen PACE for representation,&quot; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, referring to seven stand-alone and unaffiliated DuPont unions voting to become part of PACE in recent years. &quot;The ICEM will continue to monitor DuPont's labour relations not only in the US but elsewhere in the world.&quot;

DuPont Guilty of Labour Law Infraction in US

Archive

Nigerian Unions Applaud Court's Free Assemby Ruling

ICEM Women’s bulletin No. 3 - August 2005

ICEM Women's bulletin No. 4 - September 2005

ICEM Overview of Links to Useful HIV/AIDS Related Websites

Statement by ICEM Latin America and the Caribbean on the coup in Venezuela

8 March: Working Women Need Improvements at their Jobs

Blair Athol Miners Return to Work in Australia

Bridgestone Again Stung by Ruling in Argentina

ICEM Welcomes Continued Extractive Industries Dialogue

DuPont Guilty of Labour Law Infraction in US

About IndustriALL

Follow us

Contact us