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GERMANY: Just-auto.com reports that the transnational company Delphi Automotive Systems has now closed its production facility in Bochum, Germany, in line with its March 2001 restructuring plans to close nine facilities, consolidate activities at 40 others and reduce its global workforce by 11,500. 

The Bochum plant, which produced ignition cables and wiring assemblies for European carmakers, had 329 employees. The company has transferred the work from this plant to other factories in an effort to consolidate production capacity within existing manufacturing operations. 

The U.S.-based Delphi deals in the manufacture of mobile electronics and transportation components and in systems technology.

Closure is part of its large-scale restructuring plan announced a year ago.

Delphi shuts down plant in Germany

EUROPE: A campaign called "Small Change for Little People" is giving an added boost to the Volkswagen Group Works Council's hugely successful project in aid of street children called "An Hour for the Future." 

With the introduction in January 2002 of the euro in the 12 member countries of the European Monetary Union (EMU), an option about what to do with coins of the former currencies was suggested by the Volkswagen Euro Team: collect the money via their initiative "Small Change for Little People" and then donate this to "An Hour for the Future". 

The VW Group, which has approximately 200,000 employees in the EMU alone, has set up collection boxes at 22 production sites in all EMU member countries. The collection initiative also extends to company dealerships for the Audi, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen brands, as well as to Volkswagen subsidiaries and partner companies.

A VW campaign collecting coins of former currencies of the European Monetary Union can help build a future for children.

VW workers help Puebla street children

Campaign info (in English)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Campaign info (in German)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

&quot;Coins for the future&quot;

COLOMBIA: As negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement between the employer and the trade union at the Cerro Matoso nickel mine in Colombia remain unsettled, a members' assembly will decide on whether to strike or go to arbitration.

The current negotiations concern an agreement on how to improve the standards of living of the company's workers, including health, education, salaries and housing.

The SINTRACERROMATOSO trade union now asks for "moral support" from trade unions at both national and international levels. Trade unionists who want to show solidarity with the Cerro Matoso workers can write to:
<ul>
<li>the President of Cerro Matoso, Mr. Bert Nacken, fax no. +57 4 7723612
<li>the company's negotiating commission, fax no. +57 4 7722391
</ul>
The trade union's negotiating commission can be reached by fax on +57 4 7722210 and by e-mail <a href="mailto:sitracer@col3.telecomcom.co">sitracer@col3.telecomcom.co</a>. (For all numbers above: If you are situated in Colombia, omit 57, and dial 094 instead of an isolated 4.)

Cerro Matoso, located in northern Colombia in the province of Córdoba, is - according to BHP Billiton - one of the world's lowest-cost, major nickel producers.

600 workers at BHP Billiton-owned mine consider strike.

Miners in Colombia ask for support

KOREA, REP: The proposed acquisition of Daewoo Motor Co. by the U.S. transnational carmaker General Motors remains unsettled. GM is still calling for a revision of the current collective bargaining contract for Daewoo workers, which the Daewoo workers' trade union will not accept. The contract requires union support in the event of a sale of the automaker's assets or layoffs. 

In a meeting which took place this week between the Korean automaker and the union, the union insisted that it cannot accept the takeover deal unless there is job security for all Daewoo Motor workers and the collective agreement is maintained. 

Other union demands are for 400 laid-off workers to be rehired by the end of the year and to be clearly informed of GM's future development plans for Daewoo Motor.

The Daewoo Motors Workers' Union stands firm on its demands for job security and collective agreement.

Update on GM&#039;s takeover bid of Daewoo

GREAT BRITAIN: Workers at the Airbus plants in Filton and Broughton have agreed to cost-cutting measures in an attempt to safeguard their jobs over the next two years. Orders at the European aircraft maker fell by one-third during 2001, and it is expected that sales will also fall far short of earlier predictions for 2002. 

At the Filton factory - responsible for wing design, aircraft landing gear and fuel systems, component manufacture, and wing sub-assembly - a majority of the 1,200-strong workforce voted to accept a pay cut, a 35-hour workweek, no overtime, no wage increase this year and redeployment to other departments. 

Workers at Airbus' Broughton plant, which manufactures aircraft wings, have agreed to a 35-hour, four-day workweek, and no overtime. 

With this said, however, a new concern has come up regarding Airbus Military, a subsidiary of Airbus, and the possible setback for a huge defence project for 196 new Airbus 400M military transport planes, which was agreed by 8 European nations on December 18, 2001. It was reported that this 18 billion euro deal (nearly US$16 billion), said to be the largest joint venture so far in Europe's defence industry, could be in jeopardy after the German Parliament raised problems about Germany's pledge to buy 73, or well over one-third, of the A400M aircraft. Unions in the UK are seeking urgent talks with Airbus to find out if these reports are true, as thousands of jobs could be affected. 
 
FEBRUARY UPDATE: It seems that the German Parliament finally agreed to stick to their pledge for the Airbus 400M military transport planes, however the Italian government has now said it is backing out of the project.

There are reports of a new jobs threat, however, at the European aircraft maker.

Jobs deal at Airbus UK

UK Airbus workers agree on cost-cutting

In a few months' time, billions of people across the globe will be sitting in front of their TV sets around the clock watching what many consider to be the best entertainment of all, the FIFA World Cup football championship, which is coming up in Japan and the Republic of Korea. The goal of each participating country is to win the championship and become No. 1 in the world. 

I believe this is also a great opportunity to put the Korean government and its president on the spot by reminding football fans everywhere that workers in South Korea are not enjoying much of this wonderful entertainment, especially those who are still in jail because they are trade union activists and militant trade union leaders. 

During 2001 alone, 218 trade unionists were put in prison in the ROK. Some have been released, but as many as 50 are still detained and have been sentenced to long prison terms. Among them are Dan Byung-ho, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and Mun Sung-hyun, president of the Korean Metal Workers' Federation. 

All of us would like for the World Cup to be a great celebration where people from across the globe can come together to spend a few hours in a big stadium and express his or her emotions depending on the results achieved by the various teams. And we know that large numbers of metalworkers around the world will be eager to watch the matches. We hope this happens without problems and as smoothly as possible. 

The Republic of Korea is a very important country which should play a central role in the economic and social development of the entire Asian region and elsewhere. Its poor record on trade union rights will definitely have a negative impact on investors and international organisations such as the OECD, WTO and others who have to make a judgement on the Korean president and government before making decisions on investment in the country. 

This is why we appeal to the Korean president to release all trade unionists in jail and to ratify International Labour Organisation conventions on basic labour standards. 

On January 22, next week, metalworkers around the world are going to the various embassies of the Republic of Korea to deliver a special letter with our request to President Kim Dae-jung. We aim to get all trade unionists out of jail, not just in time to watch the football championship, but to start working again in their plants or in their union offices immediately. 

This would be the best way to celebrate not only football but a return to democracy.

South Korea this June is not just about football

KOREA, REP: In Marcello Malentacchi's latest opinion column, the IMF general secretary says that the upcoming World Cup football championship, to be co-hosted by South Korea, is not just about enjoying one of the world's favourite pastimes but offers the possibility to put pressure on this Asian nation with regard to its poor record on trade union rights. 

"I believe this is a great opportunity," states Malentacchi, "to put the Korean government and its president on the spot." One had to remind football fans everywhere - and amongst them large numbers of metalworkers - that the workers in South Korea do not enjoy much of this wonderful entertainment, especially those who are in jail because of their trade union activities. 

Metalworkers around the world will join in putting the spotlight on this country during next week's international day of action for the release of imprisoned trade unionists in South Korea, taking place on January 22. 

To read the full text of the IMF general secretary's new opinion column, click on the associated link.

The IMF wants all trade unionists out of jail and the country to return to democracy before the World Cup takes place.

Marcello Malentacchi's new opinion column

South Korea is not just about football

URUGUAY: A spate of general strikes has hit Uruguay as the country's main trade union centers and workers protest the government's failed economic policies and the escalating crisis there.

In a bid to halt the economic recession, which is in its fourth year, and to avoid contagion from neighbouring Argentina's on-going economic crisis, the Uruguayan government recently announced a decision to make cuts in public spending and last week closed banks in an attempt to stop people from withdrawing their savings.

Marching workers have demanded an increase in wages and public spending as well as cash to prop up the country's faltering banking system. 

The recession in Uruguay has left a fourth of the population unable to meet basic food needs and pay bills. Unemployment is at 15.6 per cent of the workforce.

Uruguay and Brazil are getting the ripple effects of the continued economic crisis in Argentina.

Strikes hit Uruguay as crisis worsens

CANADA: The IMF-affiliated USWA reports that on July 30 a majority of the unionised employees at Stelco Inc.'s Hilton Works in Hamilton, Ontario, voted to approve the terms of a new, four-year collective contract reached between the union and company management on July 26. The ballot result was 71 per cent in favour, with 3,621 out of more than 4,000 unionised workers voting.

The agreement, which will be in place until July 31, 2006, contains a substantial increase in retirement pensions, with the pension for a 30-year employee taking early retirement to rise by 44 per cent over the four-year contract period. The pension increase was one of the union's key bargaining objectives and is the largest in the history of Hilton Works.

With regard to wages, the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) and premiums, the existing $1.40 COLA float will be rolled into the wage scale immediately and will generate $1.20 an hour in further increases over the life of the roll-in. Also, future COLA payments will be rolled into the wage scale during the life of the agreement. A wage increase of 15 cents an hour will take effect in the second year of the agreement and night shifts will carry a 10-cent-an-hour premium. Tradespeople and crane operator positions will be upgraded. 

At Stelco's wholly-owned subsidiary Stelco-McMaster Ltée in Quebec, however, USWA members rejected by 98 per cent the company's "final" offer because it fell far short of the agreement reached at Hilton Works. Strike action began with the expiration of the existing contract, at midnight on July 31. The highly productive Stelco-McMaster plant produces billets, special quality bars and reinforcing bars for shipment to North American and offshore markets.

Stelco Inc. is Canada's largest steel producer, with an annual steelmaking capacity of 6.2 million tons. 


Note: Figures are in Canada dollars, with the current exchange rate at 1 CAD = 0.634380 USD.

USWA hourly workers at Stelco's steel-producing unit in Hamilton, Ontario, ratify deal, but union members at Stelco-McMaster Ltée in Quebec reject company offer and set up picket lines.

Agreement reached at Stelco&#039;s Hilton Works

I have heard trade union leaders say that what happens on the stock exchange does not interest the individual worker.

This couldn't be further from the truth these days. The crash of some big U.S. companies clearly shows how so-called casino capitalism, ruthless as it is, uses workers' money for gambling. And this isn't happening just in the USA; worldwide the situation is very much the same.

CEOs being granted astronomical figures for compensation while their companies are in deep trouble is happening all over - in Sweden, Germany, France, Switzerland, just to mention a few. In the USA, managers have been able to collect sums such as 3.3 billion dollars as their companies go bankrupt, making 100,000 workers jobless and thousands of shareholders poorer.

As trade unions, we never liked the old-fashioned managers who ran their companies in a paternalistic way. For them, workplace democracy and workers' influence were a burden rather than an asset. But most of them planned for the future, and to secure the company and jobs in the long term.

On the other hand, the CEOs involved in these bankruptcies have not planned any longer than their nose. Their main concern appears to be driving up stock values so they can cash in on stock options. They almost make trade unions miss the old-style industrialists.

This is why the strong reaction of John Sweeney, expressed on July 30 during his visit to Wall Street, fits perfectly into this.

The AFL-CIO represents 13 million workers who together own pension funds worth 6,000 billion dollars. This money is not supposed to feed a few irresponsible CEOs and make some shareholders richer. It represents the only guarantee for the future of millions of people and their families. The same applies all over the world.

The funds which are manipulated to enrich a few are almost 100 percent money which has been brought together by workers. By saving money for pensions, workers contribute largely to providing a strong and stable base for economic development. The least we can ask is that our money is used to secure our future when we have no other income.

This is why, when John Sweeney and the AFL-CIO say that we will no longer tolerate the greed of short-term speculators and corrupt insiders and will not tolerate companies which overcompensate their executives, the entire trade union movement can only give him its massive and total support.

CEOs who commit illegal acts should be severely punished -- just like anyone else who breaks the law. But that is not enough. What the most recent spate of corporate misdeeds shows is that we need much tighter accounting rules, and government regulators who strictly apply them.

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