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Global worker No1 2022

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You have a job and you are pregnant, or would like to become pregnant in the near future. What does this all involve with regard to your job? And what situations will you be faced with once you have become a mother? This brochure offers you a summary of what you may expect from month to month and also explains your rights and obligations. 
 
If you have any questions after having read this folder, you may want to consult the more detailed Dutch brochure &ldquo;<a href="http://www.arbobondgenoten.nl/arbothem/zwangerschap/zwangerschapsbrochure.pdf ">Alles over zwangerschap en werk</a>&rdquo; (Everything about work and pregnancy). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" /> 
Before you get pregnant 
 
You should always be careful if you work with hazardous substances. Many people do not realise this. Some substances, such as carcinogenic and so-called reprotoxic substances, cause extra fertility risks in men as well as women, or they may harm the unborn child. 
 
There are many professions that may involve handling hazardous substances. For example, if you work in the cleaning sector or in a laboratory, but also if you are a painter, nurse, pharmacist's assistant or if you work with certain pesticides. Every employer should draw up a list of risks that employees may be exposed to in their job, also if it involves these hazardous substances. Ask your employer for this list and read about the risks. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The first month 
 
You are only just pregnant. Most women often do not even know for certain whether or not they are pregnant, let alone that they take it into account when doing their job. Even at this early stage in pregnancy, it is important to be cautious when you work with hazardous substances. If you need to handle them, then it is advisable to notify your employer without delay that you are pregnant. 
In consultation with your employer you can determine whether you can be given other tasks, or discuss other ways to protect your unborn child. If you work with animals or laboratory animals you should be extra aware. And be alert to any risk of exposure to radiation. 
 
Studies into the effects of computer exposure have not yet shown that this poses a risk for pregnant women and/or their unborn child. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The second month 
 
If you are pregnant and involved in a job selection procedure, you are not obliged to report pregnancy. Neither is the employer allowed to ask. 
 
Be careful with vibrations and shocks. They may give you back problems and are also bad for the child that you are carrying. You should avoid working under extremely hot or cold temperatures, for example in a cold-storage room. This will burden your body and your unborn child too much. We definitely advise against working in depressurised situations, for example diving. The difference in pressure may harm the unborn child. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The third month 
 
Now there is less risk that something could go wrong with your pregnancy. For many women, the 12th week of pregnancy is the right moment to inform their employer and colleagues. As soon as you have notified your employer, you are legally entitled to extra protection during pregnancy in situations that require this. 
In addition, you should be given an opportunity to visit your midwife or gynaecologist, also during working hours. Ask the midwife for a pregnancy statement with the estimated date of birth. Your employer needs this statement to notify the UWV, the Institute for Employee Benefit Schemes, so that he will receive an allowance to cover your replacement and you can take maternity leave without loss of pay. 
 
Other things that you need to be extra careful with: do not lift heavy objects (less than 10 kg each time) and ensure that you are not exposed to sound levels that exceed 80 dB(A). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fourth month 
 
When you are pregnant, you are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave. (In Dutch this is called zwangerschapsverlof, before giving birth, and bevallingsverlof, after the baby is born.) 
You can take up this leave from six to four weeks, respectively, before the estimated date of birth. Once the baby is born, you are still legally entitled to another ten to twelve weeks, respectively, of maternity leave (bevallingsverlof). Please note that multiple births do not extend your entitlement to leave. 
 
Refer to the booklet with the collective agreement on terms and conditions of employment (CAO-boekje) for the exact arrangements in your branch of business or company. 
If you intend to resume work after the baby has been born and want to make use of childcare facilities, you may want to have your baby registered now. There could be waiting lists, so the sooner you get registered the sooner you may get a place. Ask your employer and your partner's employer about the options for a financial contribution towards childcare. 
 
Your pregnancy may cause health problems for which you need to visit a medical practitioner or a paramedic such as a physiotherapist or a physician (GP or specialist). Appointments usually take place during working hours. Check what arrangements have been made in the collective agreement. 
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The fifth month 
 
It is never healthy to work long hours under stress or time pressure, also called work-related stress. When you are pregnant you should take extra care of yourself. In stressful situations your body produces all kinds of extra hormones that may affect you and your unborn child. 
Discuss these situations with your superior and consult whether your tasks can be arranged differently, or whether your working hours and breaks can be adapted, by inserting an extra break or working fewer shifts, for example. 
You are not obliged to work night shifts during pregnancy. You are entitled to extra breaks when you are pregnant and up to six months after giving birth. If you work eight hours a day, then you are allowed to take a maximum break of one-hour extra on full pay. The employer should give you the opportunity to take this break. 
 
In the event of sickness, you can report sick in the usual way. You should notify your employer if your sickness is pregnancy-related, for example high blood pressure or pelvic instability. In this way, he can apply for an allowance to cover your replacement. You will be paid your salary in full. 
If you are on unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering) or occupational disablement benefit (WAO-uitkering) you should notify the UWV. From the twentieth pregnancy week onwards, women who frequently used to lift heavy weights during their job are only allowed to lift a maximum of five kilograms, ten times a day. 
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The sixth month 
 
Discuss with your superior how replacement will be arranged while you are on maternity leave. It will be good for both you and your colleagues that adequate replacement is arranged, so that your colleagues do not need to work extra hard. This is also a good time to consider how you may want to combine working and looking after your child in the future. 
If you have a partner, discuss with your partner how you would like to handle the new situation. Are you both going to work part time? Structurally or temporarily? You have the right to work part time. Your employer will need to come with substantiated arguments for rejecting your request. 
 
With regard to the work situation, you will need to take into account that you retain more fluid during pregnancy. As a result you may get RSI-related complaints such as pain, stiffness and a tingling feeling in your neck, shoulders, arms and/or fingers. Especially highly repetitive jobs such as cash register operator, goods packer, and assembly and VDU work may cause such complaints. 
Discuss with your superior the possibility of adapted work if you experience these complaints. Make sure that you do not constantly sit in the same position while performing your tasks. It is advisable to change your position every now and then and to have frequent breaks. Always contact the company doctor if you experience serious complaints. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The seventh month 
 
From the thirtieth week onwards it is not advisable to lift weights of five kilograms or over, more than five times a day. Furthermore, during the final three months of pregnancy your employer can no longer oblige you to squat on the ground, to kneel or bend down or to operate pedals while standing up. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The eighth month 
 
You need to notify your employer at least three weeks before your maternity leave starts. This will leave him little time to arrange your replacement, so try to inform your employer sooner if you already know when you want to stop work and start maternity leave. 
Consider once more the financial consequences of this (temporary) interruption of work. Pay will be continued, but some components, for example extra income from overtime, may not be paid. By considering the financial impact at an early stage, you will not be unpleasantly taken by surprise. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The ninth month 
 
The last month before giving birth is dedicated to maternity leave. Your belly will be getting in the way a bit and you will need some well-deserved rest. Enjoy your maternity leave! 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
Birth 
 
When the baby has been born you need to inform your employer who, in turn, can notify the UWV. On the basis of this notification the UWV will determine on what date your maternity leave should end. Your partner will be entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof) if the baby is born on a working day. On the days following childbirth your partner will be entitled to birth leave (kraamverlof). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The first month of parenthood 
 
You will now need to get used to being a parent. Fortunately, you will still be on maternity leave so that you do not need to think about going back to work. Together with you partner you can start thinking about how you are going to handle the period after maternity leave. 
One option is to take parental leave (ouderschapsverlof), for which you will need to meet a number of criteria. The actual provision can be found in the detailed brochure. Depending on what you have in mind, you may both want to take a shorter or longer period of part-time leave to look after your child. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The second month of parenthood 
 
The second period of maternity leave (in Dutch this is called bevallingsverlof) starts on the first day after the baby is born and lasts at least ten consecutive weeks. If you continued working for a longer period before giving birth and have taken less than six weeks of maternity leave, you may add this time to the period of leave after the baby is born. This means that you still do not need to resume work this month. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The third month of parenthood 
 
The end of maternity leave is approaching. Some women will resume work in the course of this month. It may happen that you cannot fully resume work immediately as a result of complications during pregnancy and/or giving birth. Discuss this as soon as possible with your superior, so that a suitable solution can be found and temporary replacement can be arranged. The possibilities can be determined in consultation with the company doctor. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fourth month of parenthood 
 
Depending on your physical condition you will have resumed work. If you are breastfeeding, you may need to express milk during working hours. Your employer is obliged to create a number of facilities such as a separate room, where you can sit without being disturbed, and a refrigerator to keep the milk in. Your have the right to spend a maximum of 25% of your working time to express milk or feed your child. 
If you prefer, you can also go home to feed the child during working hours. When breastfeeding, try to ensure that you avoid handling hazardous substances as much as possible. Furthermore, you should not be exposed to radioactive radiation and lead compounds if you work in a laboratory, for example. Always contact the company doctor if you are in doubt as to what to do. 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
The fifth month of parenthood and onwards 
 
By now you will be getting used to combining work and looking after your child. However, sometimes an unexpected situation may arise; for example, if the childcare centre rings that your child has become ill. You or your partner may need to collect your child from the nursery. This is considered an emergency situation and you are entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof). 
Should your child remain ill for longer, then you can make use of your entitlement to short-term care leave (kortdurend zorgverlof). If necessary, arrangements have also been made for long-term care leave (langdurig zorgverlof). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="" width="20" />
More information? 
 
In this folder we have given you a summary of general information about working before and after pregnancy. If you need more information, you can download FNV Bondgenoten's Dutch brochure Alles over werk en zwangerschap from <a href="http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl">www.fnvbondgenoten.nl</a>. Members can also obtain this brochure free of charge by contacting telephone number 0900 9690 (only from within the Netherlands - &euro; 0.10 a minute). If you are not yet a member, you can join the union by ringing this number, too. 
 
If you need more copies of this summary, you can order these by telephone. 
 
FNV Bondgenoten is the largest trade union in the market sector. It has over 466,000 members in the industrial sector, the iron and steel industry/light engineering industry, in the trade, transport, services, and agricultural sectors, and the general and technical support services sector. FNV Bondgenoten has concluded about 700 collective agreements in these sectors.

FNV Bondgenoten Brochure: Work &amp; Pregnancy - From Month to Month

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Workers represented by ICEM Jordanian affiliate, General Trade Union of Petrol and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union, began a legal strike at the state-owned Jordan Petroleum Refinery Co. on 8 March. Some 3,500 workers struck in order to get the company to implement a signed agreement that was agreed to by workers and management. 
 
The agreement calls for wage increases, housing loans and post-retirement health insurance, but the government has failed to put those and other work terms into effect. The union had put forward the demands in 2003 and they were subsequently agreed upon. The strike is at Jordan&rsquo;s only oil refinery, the 100,000 barrel-per-day Zarqa refinery. Jordan must import all crude oil supplies, and production at the refinery is crucial for domestic purposes.

Jordanian Oil Workers Strike

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The German trio of unions attempting to come under a single collective agreement with Energy producer Vattenfall got a lift when Swedish ICEM trade union affiliate SEKO pressed that country&rsquo;s Ministry of Economic Affairs for a fair and just resolution to the matter. Vattenfall AB is a Swedish state-run utility now in the process of buying out the minority stake of Vattenfall Europe AG. 
 
The German-based utility, the country&rsquo;s third largest, includes power utilities in Berlin and Hamburg, as well as power generation, distribution and lignite coal mines in eastern Germany. German unions IGBCE, Ver.di and IG Metall have been jointly negotiating with Vattenfall for a common accord in order to remove pay disparities and bring uniform working conditions to 20,000 German workers, but the company has refused. 
<img height="62" alt="" src="" width="100" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="63" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Vattenfall has indicated it may sell parts of the German company to other enterprises, effectively removing 5,000 from company employment rolls. The German unions seek a guarantee that sale of any operation to another company will include the common collective agreement. 
 
SEKO has begun a public campaign in Sweden on the company&rsquo;s hard-line stand in Germany, and has promised reciprocal industrial actions if the German unions strike. &ldquo;Vattenfall is an enterprise that must conduct its business activities outside Sweden the same as it does here,&rdquo; said SEKO Chairman Janne Rud&eacute;n. &ldquo;We have a tradition in Sweden in which the rights of workers are respected. This tradition must also occur in the countries of Europe.&rdquo; An ICEM News Release on the Vattenfall situation in Germany is at /?id=77&amp;doc=1672.

German Energy Dispute with Vattenfall Gets Swedish Attention

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French ICEM affiliate CFDT Chimie Energie is calling for a day of action on 23 March to protest the government&rsquo;s broken promise on Gaz de France. The union will call on members of Parliament, community officials across France, and consumers to tell them of the consequences if the government-brokered merger between Gaz de Franc and Suez, a French-Belgian water/power group, goes through. 
 
CFDT Chimie Energie declares that the social effects of the proposed merger have been completely disregarded. The French government pledged in June 2004 that no less than 70% of Gaz de France would remain in state hands following a debate on partial privatisation of the public utility. If the merger with Suez happens, only 34% of the combined enterprise would be under state control. The union will hold news conferences and conduct actions throughout France this Thursday.

23 March Day of Action to Save Gaz de France

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Glaverbel glass workers in Belgium waged a strike last week over the company&rsquo;s indiscriminate restructuring plans. Workers in the mirror and double-glass department, an area targeted for 42 job cuts, initiated the strike on 16 March at the Zeebrugge flat glass plant and a day later, all 300 workers walked out, shutting the plant. 
Led by Belgian trade union ABVV-FGTB, industrial action happened, in part, because of the manner in which sackings were carried out by Glaverbel, a subsidiary of Japanese Asahi Glass. An ABVV-FGTB representative said managers were targeting some workers who have workplace injuries or other medical problems for some of the 42 job cuts. 
 
The union has been concerned that the restructuring has taken too many jobs from the Seapane SV plant, and Glaverbel eventually will have to resort to contract labour to fill production needs. Management and the workers, represented by ABVV-FGTB, met today in attempts to resolve differences.

Strike by Glaverbel Glass Workers in Belgium

Going against the flow of today&rsquo;s business mantra on ethical and sustainable behaviour, China and India continue to sign energy agreements with the military dictators in Burma. 
Only last Friday, Indian President Abdul Kalam sealed such a new deal, which will allow India to tap into a part of Burma&rsquo;s vast natural gas reserves. As part of that deal, yet another pipeline will be built. In Burma, more pipelines mean more slave labour, and more misery for the Burmese people.&nbsp;
<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="200" />
This latest Indian deal follows the announcement late last year that the Burmese junta decided to sell a portion of its gas from the large Shwe project to China. 
By granting this and other rights to PetroChina and CNOOC (China National Offshore Oil Corp.), the military dictators opened up Burma&rsquo;s new natural gas resources to both regional superpowers, continuing their old habit of creating rivalries between them. Some gas will now, in part, be produced by Indian companies, but sold to China. Both nations are hungry for resources to drive their energy needs. 
 
These deals concern recently discovered offshore gas reserves, including the massive Shwe Project, operated by consortiums of Asian companies, including South Korea&rsquo;s Daewoo and India&rsquo;s state owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC). 
This is in addition to the other &lsquo;older&rsquo; gas fields in the region, such as Yadana and Yetagun, which are mainly operated by a mixture of OECD-based and regional companies, including Total, Unocal (now Chevron), Nippon Oil and Petronas of Malaysia. 
 
The &lsquo;newer&rsquo; fields are still largely in their test-drilling phases. Estimates on their combined size vary, but range from twice the size of the combined Yadana and Yetagun fields, to ten times as much. 
Together with a few recently discovered oil fields, they are likely to become the latest and maybe largest pool of resources at the hands of Burma&rsquo;s military cartel, widely known as one of the most horrific dictatorial regimes in the world. Burmese generals spend roughly half of their nation&rsquo;s budget on the army, a tool used to terrorize Burma&rsquo;s population. Spending on education or health services is nearly non-existent.&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="67" alt="" src="" width="100" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="66" alt="" src="" width="100" />
With the Chinese and Indian investments comes a startling fact: the projects will entail at least two new pipelines built inside Burma, one to India and one to China. 
While China is &ldquo;studying&rdquo; building a pipeline from the Arakan coast to the Chinese province of Yunnan, India reportedly agreed with Burma to build a pipeline that will now be much longer than originally anticipated, bypassing Bangladesh and going via Burma into northeast India. 
 
&ldquo;We all know about the consequences of building pipelines in Burma: countless Burmese civilians may be subjected to forced labour and suffer from it, ranging from having to work under slavery conditions at gunpoint, at best, to being murdered at worst&ldquo; said Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary. 
 
History is clear about what happens when pipelines are built in Burma. While the onshore part of the pipeline that links the Yetagun and Yadana gas fields with Thailand is only 65 kilometres in length, construction of it brought serious human rights concerns with it. 
Forced labour was used in connection to the building of the pipeline by the omnipresent army, officially there to protect operations. Land confiscation without compensation, something common throughout Burma, is another likely consequence of the investment. Estimates on the current number of people forcibly displaced already range from a few hundred thousand to a few million. 
 
All this will be no different this time. According to the ILO, the United Nations agency that deals with labour issues, forced labour is still widespread in Burma.
Multinational companies still have to enter into joint-venture deals with Burmese state-run companies, in this case MOGE, the Myanmar Oil &amp; Gas Enterprise, a company owned and controlled by the army, which continues to control virtually all aspects of life in Burma.&nbsp;

India and China to boost forced labour in Burma

Contents
1. Australia&nbsp;-&nbsp;Companies Benefit from Treating Women Workers Well 
2. Brazil &ndash; Women of Colour Receive Half Pay 
3. China &ndash; More Protection for Female Migrant Workers? 
4. European Union &ndash; Eurostat Publishes Statistics; Commission Issues Gender Equality Roadmap 
5. France &ndash; Parliament Adopts Law to Allow Equal Pay for Women 
6. ICFTU &ndash; International Women&rsquo;s Day &ndash; Organising Campaign II 
7. South Africa &ndash; National Union of Mineworkers Holds 3rd National Women&rsquo;s Conference 
8. Spain &ndash; Equality Law between Men and Women; Agreement to Promote Women in Traditional Men&rsquo;s Jobs 
9. UNICEF &ndash; 4th Annual International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation 
10. United Kingdom &ndash; Women and Work Commission Issues &ldquo;Shaping a Fairer Future&rdquo; Report 
11. Resources 
 

1. Australia &ndash; Companies Benefit from Treating Women Workers Well 
 
Forward-thinking businesses in South Australia are reaping the benefits of treating their female staff well. Paid maternity leave, part-time work and mentoring are features that draw bright female employees to companies with &ldquo;Employer of Choice for Women&rdquo; citations. The awards were presented on 21 February 2006 by the Women in the Workplace Agency to a total of 116 companies nationally. 
 
Employees are seen to be selective about where they want to work, and many women use the list as a guide. As a rule, the listed employers have higher numbers of women at senior levels, succession plans for women in management, development plans for high achievers, paid maternity leave, high maternity leave retention rates and the ability to work part-time at all levels. 

2. Brazil &ndash; Women of Colour Receive Half Pay 
 
Women of colour in Brazil receive, on average, half the wages paid to white female workers. This was one of the findings of a survey conducted by the Special Secretariat for Women&rsquo;s Policies, based on data gathered between July and September 2005 in six Brazilian state capitals. 
According to the study, the biggest difference exists in the city of Salvador, Bahia, where women of colour receive on average US$247 per month, compared with white women&rsquo;s US$598 per month. In Rio de Janeiro, white female workers received US$468 per month, while their black counterparts earned half this amount. 
 
The data indicate that the government should make a greater effort to address the issue of race and gender, invest in schooling and job training for women, and raise awareness about workers&rsquo; rights. 
The study, which was completed in December 2005, covered the cities of Salvador, Rio de Janeiro, S&atilde;o Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Recife and Porto Alegre. The research was based on data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics&rsquo; (IBGE) Monthly Employment Survey. (Source: Public Services International) 
 
 
3. China &ndash; More Protection for Female Migrant Workers? 
 
The All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) is stepping up its efforts to protect more migrant workers, especially women, according to a senior official. The ACFTU will work out rules to prevent female migrant workers from doing overtime and protect them from suffering from occupational diseases and sexual harassment. Surveys in different cities show that employers did not abide by the rules when hiring rural women. 
 
Trade unions in Northeast China&rsquo;s Heilongjiang Province found that 60 percent of female migrants who were questioned in the provincial capital Harbin did not sign labour contracts with their employers, and 62 percent of them suffered wage defaults. About 653,000 migrants were working in the city last year, and 35 percent of them were women. 
 
 
4. European Union &ndash; Eurostat Publishes Statistics; Commission Issues Gender Equality Roadmap 
 
In conjunction with the International Women&rsquo;s Day on 8 March 2006, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Community, publishes statistics to provide information on women and men in the European Union (EU). For example, women in the EU live, on average, 6 years longer than men. More women than men aged 20 to 24 had completed at least upper secondary education in 2005 (80% of women compared to 75% of men). Almost a third of managers in the EU are women. 
 
The employment rate, that is the percentage of the working age population that has an employment, was lower for women than for men in all member states, 56% for women and 71% for men. The female employment rate varied between 34% in Malta and 71% in Denmark and Sweden. On average about a third of working women were in part-time jobs, compared to 7% of men. Women work longer hours than men, however, including domestic work. Only in the United Kingdom and Sweden are the number of hours worked by women and men almost equal. 
 
Eurostat also produces a study entitled How is the time of women and men distributed in Europe? For more information on both publications, see <a href="http://www.eu.int/comm/eurostat">http://www.eu.int/comm/eurostat</a>. 
 
The European Commission adopted a &ldquo;Roadmap for equality between men and women 2006-2010&rdquo; in view of International Women&rsquo;s Day. The roadmap sets out six priority areas for action in the 2006 to 2010 period: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>Achieving equal economic independence for women and men; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Enhancing reconciliation of work, private and family life; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Promoting equal participation of men and women in decision-making; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Eradicating gender-based violence and trafficking; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Eliminating gender stereotypes in society, and; </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Promoting gender equality outside the EU. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
The Committee on Women&rsquo;s Rights and Equality of the European Parliament has also adopted a number of texts, including on the future of the Lisbon strategy from a gender perspective and on the call for the Gender Equality Institute. 
 
 
5. France &ndash; Parliament Adopts Law to Allow Equal Pay for Women 
 
The French government adopted, on 23 February 2006, a law aimed at guaranteeing equal pay rights for women, who currently earn - on average - one-fifth less than their male counterparts. The text sets a five-year target for wiping out pay inequalities, calling for more negotiations between companies and unions, but does not provide for any sanctions. 
A national review, to be carried out in three years&rsquo; time, will decide whether to introduce financial penalties for employers who are in breach of the regulations. The law requires French companies to carry out their own audits every year, including a comparison of salaries by gender. 
 
 
6. ICFTU &ndash; International Women&rsquo;s Day &ndash; Organising Campaign II 
 
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, ICFTU, is launching phase two of the Global Unions&rsquo; Organising Campaign &ldquo;Unions for Women, Women for Unions&rdquo; on 8 March. The ICFTU Women&rsquo;s Committee decided that phase two will aim at a significant increase in female membership rates in trade unions, particularly amongst women workers in the export processing zones, in the informal economy, among migrant women workers and young women, as well as a net increase in women&rsquo;s representation in decision-making levels of trade unions. 
 
Through the campaign unions will continue to advocate for women workers&rsquo; rights. More focus will also go to transforming the cultural and structural barriers that prevent women from becoming active members and leaders. For more information see: <a href="http://www.icftu.org">www.icftu.org</a>. 
 
 
7. South Africa &ndash; National Union of Mineworkers Holds 3rd National Women&rsquo;s Conference 
 
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) held its 3rd National Women&rsquo;s Conference from 16 to 18 February 2006 in Johannesburg. The conference was held against the background of the 50th Commemoration of the Women&rsquo;s March to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, in 1956. It also was a prelude to the NUM Congress in May 2006. 
 
The theme of the conference was &ldquo;Mobilise, organise and lead against chains of domination, exploitation and oppression of women.&rdquo; 285 delegates attended the conference, including some 30 men. NUM&rsquo;s emphasis is on women&rsquo;s development in order to generate cadres. NUM&rsquo;s structures must also be an engine to generate women activists. There are now women in the regional structures in 5 of the 11 national regions. 
 
In 2004, when the Mining Charter was adopted, women made up 1.5% of the workforce in South African mines. Now it is 6%. Growing numbers of women are also engine drivers. In addition, there are currently much more women in the mining engineering school than before. 
 
 
8. Spain &ndash; Equality Law between Men and Women; Agreement to Promote Women in Traditional Men&rsquo;s Jobs 
 
Draft legislation was approved in Spain on equality between women and men. The aim is first to transpose the European directive into Spanish law and to define direct and indirect discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying. The sanctions to punish these violations are already set. 
 
Parental rights are defined and broadly extended. Measures to improve work-life balance are also provided for. Furthermore, gender-related social security rights are improved. The path is open for positive action measures to eliminate inequality. 
 
So far, equality plans are voluntary, but companies with more than 250 workers ought to try to set up such plans. 
 
An agreement was signed between the Education and Science Council, the Spanish Chemical Employers&rsquo; Federation, the CCOO Chemical and Textile Workers&rsquo; Federation (FITEQA-CCOO) and the UGT Industrial Federation (FIA-UGT) to increase the number of girls taking vocational training courses in sectors that are not traditionally feminine. The point is to develop programmes and activities in secondary schools to help avoid discrimination in the chemical industry. 
 
 
9. UNICEF &ndash; 4th Annual International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation 
 
6 February was UNICEF&rsquo;s 4th Annual International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). UNICEF operates programmes in 18 of the 28 countries where this traditional practice exists. Of these 28 countries, 14 countries have passed anti-FGM laws. However, according to the London-based Foundation for Women&rsquo;s Health, Research and Development, only Burkina Faso, Ghana and Kenya actively uphold those laws. 
 
Countries have been under international pressure to ratify the African Union&rsquo;s Maputo Protocol banning FGM. However, they simultaneously face opposition to cultural change from many traditional ruling classes within their own societies. The African Union needs to set up a monitoring mechanism to follow compliance with the protocol. In addition, rights groups are needed to do field work to follow up at local level. 
 
 
10. United Kingdom &ndash; Women and Work Commission Issues &ldquo;Shaping a Fairer Future&rdquo; Report 
 
On 27 February 2006 the UK Government issued a report by the Women and Work Commission, entitled &ldquo;Shaping a Fairer Future&rdquo;. The commission was chaired by former Deputy General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers&rsquo; Union (and also former Chair of ICEM Women&rsquo;s Committee) Baroness Prosser. 
 
According to the report, women work in the lowest paid jobs, the so-called &ldquo;five c&rsquo;s&rdquo;: catering, cleaning, cashiering, clerical work and caring. The report claims that the equal pay gap is bad for the British economy and recommends 40 measures to boost women&rsquo;s careers and earnings. 
 
British trade unions, however, had mixed reviews about the report. The Transport and General Workers&rsquo; Union (T&amp;G) welcomed the report but also said the commission should have gone further and recommend a mandatory pay audit. &ldquo;Being a woman still means being paid less &ndash; a quarter less than men, which is the highest gap in Europe,&rdquo; said Diana Holland, T&amp;G&rsquo;s National Organiser for Women, Race and Equalities. 
&ldquo;Audits simply ensure an employer is complying with the law. Without an audit, employers will be vulnerable to thousands of individual, costly equal pay cases.&rdquo; 
For more information, see: 
<a href="http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/women_work_commission/index.htm">http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/ 
women_work_commission/index.htm</a> 
 
 
11. Resources
<ul>
 <li>WEDO's (Women&rsquo;s Environment and Development Organisation) Latest Global Monitoring Report: Beijing Betrayed. 
 
 In this appraisal of the status of women worldwide, which comes 10 years after governments adopted the groundbreaking &ldquo;Beijing Platform for Action&rdquo;, women in 150 countries assess the progress in the implementation the commitments. For the report, available in five languages, see <a href="http://www.wedo.org">www.wedo.org</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>UNESCO launched its initiative &ldquo;Women Make the News&rdquo; to ensure that the issue of gender equality must remain at the forefront of each society&rsquo;s agenda. See <a href="http://www.unesco.org/march8">www.unesco.org/march8</a>. 
 
 For news and information on the global action on gender and the media see <a href="http://www.whomakesthenews.org">http://www.whomakesthenews.org</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>The view the minimum wage and equality campaign in New Zealand, see <a href="http://www.supersizemypay.com">www.supersizemypay.com</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>Play an interactive game on working time at <a href="http://www.worksmart.org.uk">http://www.worksmart.org.uk</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>For a resource on good quality, affordable childcare, see the British TUC: <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-11300-f0.cfm">www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-11300-f0.cfm</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>To learn about women&rsquo;s vital contributions to peace and security, see <a href="http://www.womenwagingpeace.net">www.womenwagingpeace.net</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>Mama Cash works for social transformation and the advancement of women&rsquo;s rights worldwide. She strives for a peaceful and just world where women are free to make their own choices and secure their human rights: <a href="http://www.mamacash.nl">http://www.mamacash.nl</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>The International Transport Federation ITF has a campaign site that includes news on activities around the negotiation of equal rights for women airline employees in Jordan, the demonstrations outside train stations in France and India, and on surveys of women members in New Zealand. For information on strengthening women&rsquo;s participation in transport unions, see <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org/women/NetworkNews.cfm">www.itfglobal.org/women/NetworkNews.cfm</a>. 
 
 </li>
 <li>For information on the long-term earnings gap in the United States, Still a Man&rsquo;s Labor Market: The Long-term Earnings Gap, see the web site of the Institute for Women&rsquo;s Policy Research: <a href="http://www.iwpr.org">www.iwpr.org</a>. </li>
</ul>

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 9

Inside Thailand&rsquo;s current political turmoil and Prime Minister&rsquo;s Thaksin Sinawatra&rsquo;s rush to elections next month to solidify his authority rests the issue of privatisation and whether or not a country&rsquo;s resources belong in public control or sold off to capital markets. 
 
There is little question of where Thaksin stands, judging from his own business dealings and his government&rsquo;s actions to break up the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), as well as Metropolitan and Provincial electric utilities. 

<img height="67" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A central demand by the political opposition, which seeks Thaksin&rsquo;s resignation, is immediate debate and introduction of new constitutional amendments. Thaksin is seeking a quick victory, allowing him to continue setting constitutional precedents, including the ones he has used as the means to sell public-vested enterprises to investors. Initial listing of EGAT on the stock markets was scheduled for November 2005, but has been suspended pending a court review. 
 
New debate also has surfaced over privatising the regional electric power authorities, scheduled for later this year. Last month, the Thai Finance Ministry raised uncertainties on privatising these utilities by stating electricity rates are set by government policy, raising questions on profitability and revenue forecasts. Even more to the point, a ministry official said new investment decisions cannot necessarily be made just on commercial reasoning, but also must be made on social needs. 
&ldquo;The plan to shift transmission wires underground will in no way help boost profits, but rather is aimed at improving service quality and the community,&rdquo; the official told the Bangkok Post. The outcome in Thailand over the next several weeks promises to be the watershed that will shape political decision-making well into the future.

Electric Privatisation Cloaked in Thailand’s Political Tempest

French unions will begin mass protests and strikes today across the country over the government&rsquo;s broken promise, made a short 18 months ago, that Gaz de France (GDF) would remain at last 70% state held. The actions are due to a proposal made public a week ago to merge GDF with the French-Belgian publicly-traded water/power group, Suez. 
<img height="99" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The French government stands in the middle of the deal, which would effectively privatise GDF, with France&rsquo;s stake only 34%. The government currently holds 80% of GDF. 
 
The merger would have a detrimental effect on Electricit&eacute; de France, costing mass job losses since Suez and its subsidiaries would supply power to GDF. CFDT Chimie Energie said the proposed merger lacks transparency in that no analysis of the combined industrial plan was presented, and the social aspects of such a Suez-GDF merger had not been studied adequately. 
The deal is an attempt to block Italian energy company Enel&rsquo;s hostile takeover bid of Suez.

French Unions Strike over Gaz de France Merger Plan

<img height="41" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Even as German affiliate IGBCE came to acceptable terms with Continental Tyre over a plant downsizing in Hannover, two other ICEM-affiliated trade unions face difficulties with the company. In the US, United Steelworkers (USW) is fully engaged in achieving job protection measures in negotiations at a tyre plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
 
Continental North America announced last year that it would make redundant 510 of the plant&rsquo;s 1,083 jobs this year, and then dropped a concession-ridden proposal on the union seeking US$32 million in costs savings that includes across-the-board 15% pay cuts. 
USW has criticized the &ldquo;slash and burn proposal.&rdquo; Union Executive Vice President Ron Hoover said, &ldquo;There are absolutely zero job security provisions to maintain future productivity&rdquo; in Continental&rsquo;s proposal, a deviation from the master rubber contracts that Goodyear, Bridgestone-Firestone and BF Goodrich/Michelin operate under in the US. A labour agreement in place since 1999 at the Charlotte plant expires on 30 April 2006. 
 
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), meanwhile, has condemned Continental for failing to abide by a labour court ruling to reinstate workers at its Port Elizabeth plant. The workers were sacked after the company unilaterally changed working hours without consultations with NUMSA. The union has taken legal action, and is threatening a strike and a boycott of Conti products through its affiliation with COSATU, a South African national labour centre.

Continental Tyre Creating Problems in US, South Africa

Archive

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Jordanian Oil Workers Strike

German Energy Dispute with Vattenfall Gets Swedish Attention

23 March Day of Action to Save Gaz de France

Strike by Glaverbel Glass Workers in Belgium

India and China to boost forced labour in Burma

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 9

Electric Privatisation Cloaked in Thailand’s Political Tempest

French Unions Strike over Gaz de France Merger Plan

Continental Tyre Creating Problems in US, South Africa

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