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The ICEM calls on South African pulp, paper, and woodlands company Sappi to cease disciplinary matters against 19 shop stewards and 23 other workers at the Enstra mill in Gauteng province. The ICEM supports its South African affiliate, Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU), in its rigorous defense of the 42. 
 
The paperworkers are charged with inciting three safety strikes in May at the 700-worker pulp, printing, and graphics paper mill near Johannesburg. The incident started when shop stewards prevented a worker from doing unsafe work. That worker is now one of the 23 workers still on the job that Sappi now wants to suspend for one week without pay, and issue final written warnings to. 
 
The 19 shop stewards, the mill&rsquo;s entire CEPPWAWU representation team, have already been suspended, and await further discipline at meetings on 7-8 July. 

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The safety strikes took place on 5 May, 8 May, and 28 May. The worker was assigned to do cleaning in a part of the paper mill that a piece of equipment normally performs. When shop stewards protested the unsafe act, management hardened and the safety strikes began. The matter was compounded when a joint labour-management report on the safety incident and subsequent strikes was ignored by the mill manager. 
 
In a 16 June ICEM letter to Sappi, the Global Union Federation told Sappi to drop the disciplinary procedures at the Enstra mill and to &ldquo;get on with building a trusting labour-management relationship at Enstra.&rdquo; The ICEM noted in the letter that Sappi had been engaged over the past six months in building a better labour relations climate at the mill, but failure to follow through with the findings contained in the joint investigatory report was a breach of trust. 
 
&ldquo;The ICEM strongly believes the first and most important component in building a trusting and lasting relationship in labour-management relations must be safety,&rdquo; read the letter. 
 
The ICEM also believes Sappi violates global labour standards at Enstra, not least of which was suspending all CEPPWAWU shop stewards and discrimination in bringing separate sets of charges against the 23 workers and the 19 duly-elected shop stewards. 
 
Some 90% of Enstra workers are CEPPWAWU members.

ICEM Calls on Papermaker Sappi to Halt Safety Discipline

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The ICEM hosted leaders of its two oil and gas workers&rsquo; unions of Nigeria on 18 June. Elected officers from NUPENG, the blue-collar union, and PENGASSAN, representing white-collar workers, visited the ICEM&rsquo;s headquarters in Geneva. 
 
With General Secretary Manfred Warda and Energy Officer and Director of Organisation Jim Catterson present, the Nigerian trade unionists discussed the difficulties of security for workers in the Niger Delta brought on violence and kidnappings, and also the growing casualisation arising in oil and gas in Nigeria. 
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Taking part in the discussions were PENGASSAN General Secretary Bayo Olowoshile and NUPENG General President Peter Akpatason, as well PENGASSAN leaders Stephen Ereyukomhen, Sunday Oginni, and Adamu Unoru. 
 
On the issue of physical security in the Niger Delta, the trade union leaders said it was wrong for the government to be shifting responsibility to the oil and gas operators in the region. The Nigerians also outlined labour law changes enacted over the past few years that are detrimental to workers. 

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Regarding casualisation, there is constant abuse of agree-upon quotas for expatriate workers, and the oil and gas workers&rsquo; leaders emphasized that with the use of more and more casual workers, career development and job careers for Nigerians is being marginalized. 
 
They also expressed concern that outsourcing is being directed at incompetent and poorly trained workers, and that is creating safety hazards in the industry. They expressed regret that the government has not committed to stem the growing use of casual workers. 
 
Finally, NUPENG and PENGASSAN leadership discussed with the ICEM the rising number of Chinese exploration and development companies that are entering the oil patch of southern Nigeria.

ICEM Hosts Nigerian Union Leaders from NUPENG, PENGASSAN

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Two miners in South Africa died on 20 June deep inside South Africa&rsquo;s biggest gold mine, the Driefontein mine owned by Gold Fields. They died when an earth tremor, registering 3.5 on the Richter scale, caused a shift of rock. Eight other miners were rescued, three of whom were hospitalized. One miner is suffering with serious injuries. 
 
It was the second accident caused by a shift ground at Gold Fields&rsquo; mines in a month. On 20 May, two miners died deep in the earth at the company&rsquo;s Kloof mine near Westonia in West Rand. A day earlier, one miner at Kloof died in a similar but separate accident. 

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The tragedy that occurred 20 June at Driefontein near Carletonville caused mine production to halt for four days. The spokesman for the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), Lesiba Seshoka, called the latest accident deeply disappointing. &ldquo;There doesn&rsquo;t seem to be any willingness to improve safety,&rdquo; he said. 
 
Gold Fields, the world&rsquo;s fourth largest gold miner with operations in Australia, Ghana, Peru, and South Africa, said in a statement to financial markets late last week that it has had 20 mining fatalities since July 2008. All have occurred in South Africa. In the first six months of 2008, 23 of 87 mine fatalities in South Africa occurred in mines operated by Gold Fields.

Gold Fields Struck by 5 South African Mining Deaths in Past Month

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Germany&rsquo;s two biggest industrial unions, ICEM affiliate IGBCE and IG Metall, urgently called upon elected officials and employers within Germany to begin a constructive dialogue on overcoming the consequences of the current global crisis. The unions recently issued a joint statement to draw attention to the fact that economic and industrial policy challenges cannot be undertaken with mere &quot;cosmetic adjustments without a genuine substance.&quot; 
 
In cooperation with the Hans B&ouml;ckler Foundation, IGBCE and IG Metall organised a joint conference in Oberhausen, Germany, entitled &ldquo;Industrial Policy for Tomorrow.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;The industrial base of our economy must be strengthened to lay the foundations of sustained growth and prosperity,&rdquo; said IGBCE board member Michael Vassiliadis. 

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Added Berthold Huber, President of IG Metall, &ldquo;We need a bridge over the crisis and it must lead to the other shore and not back to the same shore. We must now have a model for a sustainable industrial policy.&rdquo; 
 
In the joint statement, the unions warn of the danger that industrial cores could be lost and entire value-chains in industrial processes might collapse. Therefore, the unions call on the German government to provide &ldquo;short term loans and guarantees, and to generate additional demand.&rdquo; 
 
Specifically, IGBCE and IG Metall call for a public equity fund, effective protections for companies to secure jobs, the adoption of a sustainable industrial policy that would replace unregulated markets, comprehensive social-democratic participation rights, decent work, regulated labour markets, and a coordinated industrial policy for all of Europe.

IGBCE, IG Metall in Germany Combine to Demand Sustainable Industrial Policy

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This month&rsquo;s 98th Session of the ILO Conference adopted a landmark Global Jobs Pact on 19 June. The accord, called a Jobs Pact, was agreed to by governments, trade unions, and employers, and lays out a template for economic recovery and reform. 
 
Jobs, workers&rsquo; rights, social protections, quality public services, and sustainability are at the heart of the proposal for a new system of global governance, said International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) General Secretary Guy Ryder. 

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ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder
Global labour unions fear that the ILO will return to a course of business as usual, and that world economic institutions will continue with the failed policies of free-market radicalism. Some commentators say that the financial crisis has already bottomed out and recovery is now imminent, but voices at the 19 June ILO session argue that the affect of lost jobs will be lasting and devastating. 
 
The Jobs Pact is seen as an alternative to shocking ILO projections that the crisis will push 50 million workers into unemployment, and that 200 million of the world&rsquo;s population will be pushed into extreme poverty. The creation of sustainable jobs is essential, as is the fight against climate change. 
 
Another aspect of the Jobs Pact is the high level of importance given to tripartite dialogue, social dialogue, and collective bargaining. High standards of working conditions and improved wages are vital, along with education and training programmes for the unemployed. The Jobs Pact calls for increased implementation of public-sector job creation schemes. 
 
The Global Jobs Pact signifies an important and significant step forward. Implementation must now occur. The ICEM supports demands for concrete results before the next G20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, on 24-25 September 2009.

ILO’s Jobs Pact; a Solid Proposal for Exiting the Financial Crisis

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The ICEM reviewed and extended its Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with French-based chemical multinational Rhodia covering 15,000 workers in March 2008 with a series of new initiatives. One of those includes a joint initiative on workers&rsquo; health and safety through a global safety partnership committee. 
 
ICEM and Rhodia agreed to have an addendum to the agreement that clarifies terms and conditions of the global committee. This is expected to be finalised this autumn following ICEM consultations with its affiliated unions that represent Rhodia workers. 
 
While the discussions are ongoing, a first-ever joint activity regarding health and safety was held at Rhodia&rsquo;s subsidiary in Freiburg, Germany, on 19 June. 

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The ICEM was represented by Chemicals and Rubber Officers Kemal &Ouml;zkan and Health, Safety, and Sustainable Development Officer Brian Kohler, and representatives from German affiliated union IGBCE, which represents workers at the plant, attended. The IGBCE&rsquo;s Michael Wolters from union headquarters in Hannover was present, as was IGBCE regional representative Wilfried Pernshorn, and Works Council members Cornelia Kainz and Hans Peter Rich. 
 
Rhodia was represented by Yolene Coppin, Jacques Kheliff, and Jean Paul Perez, all from the company&rsquo;s Paris headquarters, and by Raimund Hinsen, Uwe M&auml;nnel, and Hans-Ulrich Lutz, managers at the Freiburg plant. 
 
That facility, called Rhodia Acetow, produces chemicals such as filters, flakes, and anhydrides. The joint mission heard presentations on the plant&rsquo;s economic and employment situation, and on health, safety, and environmental indicators. After touring the various sections of the plant, the group made an evaluation on the current situation of Rhodia Acetow and discussed a future action plan. 
 
&ldquo;This is an important step forward in the GFA with Rhodia,&rdquo; said the ICEM&rsquo;s &Ouml;zkan. &ldquo;Dealing with health and safety at the global scale, using the substantial contributions offered on a plant by plant basis, will keep standards high and serve to harmonise the standards across all company plants throughout the world.&rdquo;

ICEM, Rhodia Take Health, Safety Agenda to Shop Floor in Freiburg, Germany

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The human rights group Amnesty International said last week at the time of the illegitimate inauguration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Iran has experienced an &ldquo;alarming spike&rdquo; in the number of executions since the disputed 12 June election. 
 
&ldquo;In just over 50 days, we recorded no less than 115 executions,&rdquo; said the London-based watchdog group in a statement. &ldquo;That is an average of more than two each day.&rdquo; 
 
In comparison, Amnesty said that between 1 January 2009 and the election day, Iran carried out 196 executions. &ldquo;This represents a significant increase, even compared to the appallingly high rate of executions that has been so long a feature of the human rights scene in Iran,&rdquo; Commented Amnesty Secretary-General Irene Kahn. 
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Amnesty International joined Education International (EI), the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), the International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers (IUF), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on 26 June in drawing a global focus on the plight of trade unionists who have been jailed and falsely charged and convicted for trade union activities. Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi of the Syndicate of Workers&rsquo; of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Farzad Kamangar of the Irainian Teachers&rsquo; Trade Association, and a group of five activists of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Workers&rsquo; Union continue to be persecuted and imprisoned for exercising their basic human rights.

Amnesty International Cites Execution Spike in Iran to June Elections

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The Federation Chimie Energie CFDT (FCE-CFDT) has pledged full support for the national framework agreement, reached between the Union des Industries Chimiques (UIC) and the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Employment. The agreement outlines the responsibilities of companies facing difficulties during the current economic and financial crisis. Companies are encouraged to expand training programs for employees, to avoid redundancies, and to develop skills. 
 
The French state has made a commitment of &euro;8.5 million for the implementation of the programmes outlined in the agreement, until December 2011. 
 
The FCE-CFDT will ensure, in particular, that this training development plan will benefit those workers that are most vulnerable, and those companies that are truly facing serious financial difficulties.

French Chemical Workers Respond to Financial Crisis

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A dispute over pay differentials that separate mineworkers of Ghana and expatriate staff employed by AngloGold Ashanti mushroomed last week into a short strike when 5,000 union miners at the gold mines Obuasi, Tarkwa, and Idruapem downed tools. 
 
The strike began on 5 August and was halted two days later upon intervention by the country&rsquo;s National Labour Commission. Tripartite talks are underway in hopes that a compromise can be reached. The Ghana Mine Workers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) warned that a further walkout would come in the next two weeks if differences are not resolved. 
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AngloGold&rsquo;s Vice President for Ghana, Keith Faulkner, in a published report last week, admitted the disparities have caused &ldquo;angst and grief &hellip; it is disparate, there is a gap and everyone in the industry knows that.&rdquo; 
 
The union claims, in some cases, expatriate workers are paid 30 times the rate of a Ghanaian for performing the same job. Another point of contention is AngloGold&rsquo;s decision to stop using the US dollar as the basis for salaries. The mining house had been quoting salaries in dollars and then converting that amount to cedis (GHC). 
 
AngloGold seeks now to pay salaries in cedis from the outset, a policy miners oppose. 
 
AngloGold has reaped huge profits in second quarter 2009, mostly on continued high gold pricing and the productivity of Ghana&rsquo;s Birimian field, which holds the rich deposits of Obuasi and Tarkwa.

Last Week’s Strike of AngloGold by Ghana Mineworkers’ Gets Airing

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The ICEM heralds a 20 July resolution by the Goodyear Tyre Makers&rsquo; Union in Thailand, part of ICEM affiliate Petroleum and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Federation (PCFT), to actively recruit the growing number of fixed-term contract workers in the factory. The union&rsquo;s resolution appeared the very next day on the Tyre Makers&rsquo; bulletin board inside the Goodyear-Thailand Ltd. plant in Bangkok. 
 
The union has recorded 120 workers thus far in 2009 with whom Goodyear has brought in as short-term contract employees. Most have had experience working at the tyre plant because, prior to 2009, they had been employed through a labour agency. Now they work side by side with regular workers doing the same jobs in the same production lines, such as sprays, pigments, trucking, apexing, timer, etc. 
 
Thai law, under the Industrial Relations Act of 1975, clearly states that where there is a collective agreement &ndash; such as at Goodyear Thailand Ltd. &ndash; management cannot hire workers on individual contracts unless wages, benefits, and conditions exceed the negotiated agreement. The 120 workers, many of whom are now working directly for Goodyear on 11-month contracts, are paid significantly less than the plant&rsquo;s 600 regular workers. 
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The collective agreement between the Tyre Makers&rsquo; Union and Goodyear excludes workers performing work under definite terms of employment, which appears to counter the law. It should be noted that Goodyear&rsquo;s decision to switch from a labour agency to fixed-term contract workers came about because a portion of the Labour Protection Act of 1998 was amended to facilitate this. But Goodyear has violated the spirit of that amendment by not improving the work conditions of the contract workers. Most are paid at the Thai minimum wage. 
 
Goodyear-Thailand has refused to consult with the union on any matters related to contract labour, and instead has persisted in defaming PCFT members who bring the company&rsquo;s legal irregularities to light. Seventy-four permanent workers were sacked late in 2008, and the union has taken up cases on 62, with an Industrial Relations Court issuing unfair dismissals. But Goodyear has appealed the ruling. 
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Goodyear&rsquo;s obstinacy over the contract labour issue is reminiscent of 2005-2006 when the union fought for, and mainly won, a case involving 18 contract workers in the warehouse. In November 2006, the Industrial Court made Goodyear pay up to ten years&rsquo; backpay to the workers. 
 
The ICEM commends the Tyre Makers&rsquo; Union and President Aukaphol Thongdeeleard and other trade unionists for continuing to press Goodyear on this issue, and especially with actively recruiting fixed-term workers into their ranks. The ICEM also encourages contract workers at Goodyear-Bangkok to stand up for themselves by actively joining the PCFT. 
 
Equal rights for contract and agency workers is ICEM&rsquo;s theme this year for Day of Decent Work, 7 October, and activities of the Global Union Federation will centre on worksites in Thailand and Turkey. The situation at Goodyear in Thailand is an issue that all rubber workers must mobilise around; to support the solid work being done by the ICEM affiliate, particularly with the collective bargaining agreement up for renewal this month. 
 
The Tyre Makers&rsquo; Union at Goodyear-Thailand is also resisting a unilateral management policy that it maintains the right to dismiss any employee who has family members or relatives working for a rival company of Goodyear. Brother Aukaphol called it a violation of privacy rights and vowed the union will challenge the recent policy.

Contract Labour Issue Again Surfaces at Goodyear-Thailand Ltd.

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