English

Español

Français

Русский

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

<img height="39" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Two days ago, on Saturday, 8 March, the world celebrated International Women&rsquo;s Day (IWD). The day was first officially recognised as a day to honour the achievements of women at a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1911, but it actually had its origin in a women&rsquo;s march in New York City three years earlier. 
 
Then, in 1908, 15,000 women marched through the streets of New York demanding shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights in the US. The first national women&rsquo;s day was declared in the US on 28 February 1909. It wasn&rsquo;t until 1977 that the UN established 8 March as IWD.
<img height="74" src="" width="59" alt="" />
This year, events, reports, and surveys worldwide drew attention to accomplishments by women in both work and in life, as well as highlighting the necessity to continue the fight for gender equality. Perhaps nowhere is 8 March celebrated like it is in Russia, where, in 1917, it was declared a national holiday. 
 
It was in that year that Russian women gained the right to vote. Today, 8 March is a day of tribute to all women of Russia, with flowers presented to them and road police commonly ignoring minor traffic violations committed by women. Two days ago, women of Nizhny Novgorod in the Volga region played chess on a giant carpet in the city square, using men as the chess pieces. Women commanded their every move, as the men were dressed in masks and gowns. 
 
In Latvia, a poll shows that 53% of all citizens consider IWD an important holiday and they celebrate it, despite the government downgraded the day after separation from the former USSR in 1991. In Georgia, women who are beyond the ages of 90 and 100, received special gifts from their government this year.
<img height="74" src="" width="59" alt="" />
But in many countries, actions took a more serious note over the weekend. In Iraq on Saturday, hundreds of women gathered or a rally in front of the Babylon Hotel in Baghdad&rsquo;s central Karada neighbourhood to call for an end to violence toward women in the war-torn country. 
 
The Iraqi call also was for women to be granted the freedom to choose their husbands themselves, as well as their careers. Following the rally, a conference on women&rsquo;s rights was held in a hotel. One of the speakers was the Iraqi Minister for Women&rsquo;s Rights, Nariman Mahmoud Othman, who earlier had led a delegation of women to the offices of Mahmoud Mashhadani, head of Parliament, with a list of women&rsquo;s rights issues. 
 
Also in Iraq, an NGO report, issued two days before IWD, showed that 64% of Iraqi women surveyed say that violence against them had increased since the 2003 invasion by occupation military forces.
<img height="195" src="" width="260" alt="" />
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas used IWD to give a speech at his Ramallah headquarters, calling for peace between the impoverished nation and Israel. &ldquo;Despite all the Israeli attacks, we call for peace and we are keen on peace built through international legitimacy,&rdquo; said Abbas, in calling for renewed peace talks with Israel. 
 
In the Philippines, over 1,000 women on 8 March marched to the presidential palace of Gloria Arroyo. The march was led by feminist groups, who called on Arroyo to resign over allegations that her husband and a political ally sought financial kickbacks from a Chinese company in a national internet broadband deal. 
 
Arroyo used the day prior to IWD to announce two programmes aimed at giving Filipino women technical training and to assist them in entrepreneur endeavours.
<img height="74" src="" width="59" alt="" />
Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu dedicated the opening of the Taiwan National Women&rsquo;s Hall in Taipei on Saturday. It will serve as a venue for women&rsquo;s groups to hold exhibitions, meetings, and to host international women&rsquo;s delegations. &ldquo;Usually people think history is the story of men, hence the word &lsquo;history&rsquo;,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But in the future, there should also be the story of &lsquo;herstory,&rsquo; and when the two words are combined, they become &lsquo;human story&rsquo;,&rdquo; she remarked. 
 
In Australia, IWD was marked by a celebratory rally in Sydney&rsquo;s Hyde Park in honour of a new domestic violence law that took effect in the state of New South Wales (NSW). The law introduces a specific change regarding domestic violence that allows the state to name and shame offenders. 
 
NSW now places a &ldquo;black mark&rdquo; next to the names of repeat offenders, so that such people are highlighted before the justice system. Previously, domestic violence offenders were tagged only with general assault charges. Meanwhile, the Kevin Rudd government has begun the process toward making Australia a partner to the optional protocol of the UN&rsquo;s Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
<img height="74" src="" width="59" alt="" />
In Nepal, women&rsquo;s and human rights groups activists staged protests calling for an end to the statutory 35-day limitation in the Himalayan country for filing rape charges. Jagaran Nepal, an NGO working for women&rsquo;s rights, peace, and governance, also conducted events, as did the organisation Walking for Working Women, which held a march in Kathmandu that culminated in music and performance at Three Kings Monument in the city. 
 
In Pakistan, Working Women Organisation (WWO) organised a seminar on Saturday at the Lahore Press Club. Human rights activists presented their thoughts regarding women&rsquo;s role in building democracy and justice. &ldquo;Even though the situation is extremely gloomy&rdquo; in Pakistan, said a WWO letter, &ldquo;one thing which keeps our hopes alive is that workers, women&rsquo;s organisations, trade unions, lawyers, and media never stop to raise their voices against government suppression.&rdquo; 
 
Also in Pakistan, social service organisations, NGOs, and some political parties paid tribute to the contributions of women in the fields of politics, science, education, the medical profession, and arts and literature. The Pakistan People&rsquo;s Party directed all of its branch offices across the country to hold ceremonies in honour of its slain chairperson, Benazir Bhutto. 
 
In Ireland on 7-8 March, the Irish Council of Trade Unions held a Women&rsquo;s Conference in Tralee that focused on gender pay and the pension gap, support for working families, childcare, equality, and women in leadership. Some 180 delegates attended.
<img height="74" src="" width="59" alt="" />
A motion from the trade union SIPTU to the conference centered on pay inequality. The union stated that traditional ways of measuring the pay gap between men and women does not fully reflect the real disparities. &ldquo;Issues such as pensions and paid leave must be factored in,&rdquo; read SIPTU&rsquo;s motion. 
 
The union called for research to be commissioned in Ireland in order to provide more accurate and holistic statistics for comparing income throughout the life cycle. SIPTU also calls on trade unions to place the pensions disparity between men and women forefront in future collective negotiations. 
 
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) used IWD to release a survey on women&rsquo;s presence in leadership positions inside trade unions. The ETUC survey, the first of what will become an annual poll of member organisations on gender issues, reveals a paradox between women in trade union leadership positions and the fact that women&rsquo;s job growth is sharply curbing the decline in union membership. 
 
Eighteen European national labour centres have reported rises in female union membership, ranging from 0.2% to 2.5% over just the past year. This compares with a general drop in union membership for men. &ldquo;There is significant room for improvement and it is time to implement concrete measures&rdquo; for more women leadership roles in trade unions, states the ETUC.
<img height="82" src="" width="220" alt="" />
Meanwhile, the ITUC last week issued a report on the occasion of IWD, entitled The Global Gender Pay Gap. Using statistics from 63 countries, the report puts the worldwide gender pay gap on average at 16% less for women than for men. 
 
The report does show that collective bargaining by trade unions in some countries swerves to narrow the gap in salaries. But the report cautions that the actual pay gap may be higher than 16% when considering the hundreds of millions of informal workers toiling in low-wage jobs today. 
 
Another report last week was issued by the ILO. Called Global Employment Trends 2008, the report says creation of greater gender equality is dependent on access to decent work and productive employment. The report states that even though women are entering the workforce in greater number, the jobs women get are generally low-paid and vulnerable, leaving them with few social protections or basic rights. 
 
The ILO noted that the most successful region in terms of economic growth over the past 10 years &ndash; East Asia &ndash; is also the region with the highest employment-to-population ratio for women at 65.2%. East Asia is characterized as a region with low jobless rates for both men and women, and relatively small gender gaps in pay and status. 
 
IWD is observed officially as a national holiday by 14 nations. They include: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Global Events Mark International Women’s Day, 8 March

Brussels, 7 March 2008 
 
Dear Colleagues, 
 
Following a decision taken by our Congress, last November 2007, the ICEM will move its headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland. 
 
As from 1st April the new address for ICEM will be: 
54bis route des Acacias 
1227 Geneva, Switzerland 
<img height="43" alt="" src="" width="50" />
The transfer of the headquarters will implement some technical issues with the transfer of the IT server to Geneva. Indeed ICEM will be &lsquo;cut&rsquo; from any internet, e-mail or network communication from 21 March 2008 until most probably 6 April 2008 included. 
 
We apologies for the inconvenience the situation could cause you and we thank you very much in advance for your understanding. 
In case of emergency situation or issues, you can contact us by fax on +32-2/648-43-16 and we will do our best to help you. 
 
Looking forward to welcoming you in Geneva. 
 
In solidarity, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary

ICEM is moving to Geneva

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc. has become an anti-social force blocking workplace solutions to the downstream oil section of Nigeria. And the company&rsquo;s actions last week leave no doubt as to its intentions &ndash; it seeks to operate its technical and white-collar work units in downstream production with non-union staff. 
 
The company, 100% owned by US-based ExxonMobil, refused to attend a mandated mediation meeting called by the Nigerian Labour Ministry, on 3 March 2008, to resolve differences on work practices and severance procedures with white-collar oil workers&rsquo; trade union, PENGASSAN.
<img height="50" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Through much of 2007 and into 2008, ICEM-affiliated PENGASSAN and Mobil Oil &ndash; as they did similarly with other oil refiners &ndash; engaged in negotiations over severance packages. Some intermediate agreements had occurred, but implementing practical application of job separation was elusive. 
 
That process spilled into the Labour Ministry. Senior Nigerian managers of three downstream firms operating in Nigeria did attend the meeting with Nigeria&rsquo;s Labour and Industrial Relations Director a week ago. But Mobil Oil Nigeria failed to show up. 
 
In the days following that 3 March meeting, the American company displayed its prejudice: it unilaterally sacked PENGASSAN branch leaders, including the zonal Financial Secretary and the union&rsquo;s National Treasurer. It now has severed from employment all PENGASSAN bargaining committee members who represent workers in collective negotiations. 
 
It also has fired shop stewards and others identified with the union, rising to over 100 the number of full-time workers sacked. In last year&rsquo;s talks, PENGASSAN and Mobil Oil Nigeria had agreed to staff cuts of just over 40, mostly to accommodate a new data processing system. The company did employ about 400 white-collar staff permanently, but that number has now decreased, with contract and agency workers now taking many of those jobs.
<img height="92" alt="" src="" width="100" />
&nbsp;PENGASSAN Gen. Sec. Bayo Olowoshile 

&ldquo;Mobil Oil Nigeria has betrayed our trust,&rdquo; stated PENGASSAN General Secretary Bayo Olowoshile. &ldquo;These recent actions are pre-meditated attempts to victimise and harass union officers, frustrate legal justice, and they amount to a serious breach of our existing labour agreement, national industrial law, and global labour standards.&rdquo; 
 
Olowoshile said Mobil has violated terms of the 2007-2008 labour agreement; breached Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, which grants rights to membership in trade unions; ignored Section 9 of the Nigerian Labour Code; and disregarded ILO Convention 135, the Worker&rsquo;s Representatives Convention. 
 
With the company failing to turn up for 3 March mediation session, the Labour Ministry is now expected to side with PENGASSAN in a National Industrial Court matter over the company&rsquo;s unilateral actions. The three downstream companies that did engage in last week&rsquo;s mediation session included Chevron, African Petroleum Plc., and Oando Plc. The labour relations of Shell Nigeria&rsquo;s downstream operations are not affected in these talks. 
 
The ICEM steadfastly stands behind PENGASSAN and its illegally sacked leaders at Mobil Oil Nigeria, and will work toward reinstatement. The Global Union Federation notes that the company, in 2004, replaced all its permanent blue-collar workers in the downstream sector with agency workers. Those full-time staff had been represented by ICEM affiliate NUPENG.

ExxonMobil Viciously Victimises Union Staff at Nigerian Downstream Operations

<img height="39" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Unite the union, ICEM&rsquo;s largest British affiliate, will take 48-hour strike action next week, 27-28 April, at Ineos Group Holdings&rsquo; Grangemouth petrochemicals complex near Falkirk, Scotland. 
 
The action will come due to company intentions to close the final pension scheme to new workers, and planned imposition of other adverse work terms. The polyolefins and oil derivatives plants at Grangemouth employ 1,200 workers, the vast majority of them Unite members.
<img height="60" src="" width="120" alt="" />
In late March, workers balloted for strike action. That vote passed with a 98% affirmative for industrial action. 
 
Unite is hopeful negotiations will resume this week, but will only return to the bargaining table if the company signals it&rsquo;s intent to move away from shutting the pension scheme to new hires and removing the proposed and negative work terms. In talks last Friday, 18 April, Ineos refused to budge from its proposals, causing United to issue the strike notice. 
 
&ldquo;The company is profitable, and the pension scheme in its present form is well funded and affordable,&rdquo; said United National Secretary Phil McNulty, who also is an ICEM Vice President. &ldquo;The changes to the scheme Ineos are proposing are unreasonable, unnecessary, and have forced our members at Grangemouth to take industrial action for the first time,&rdquo; he added.
<img height="120" src="" width="120" alt="" />
Ineos is seeking to withdraw &pound;40 million from the pension fund, and Unite said other changes at the 200,000-barrels-per-day refinery could cost workers up to &pound;10,000 annually. Grangemouth manufactures petrochemicals for uses in all manners of transport fuels and other uses. 
 
Since the strike notice was issues three days ago, the company has begun shutdown procedures at the complex near Glasgow. The shutdown, 48-hour strike, and subsequent start-up are expected to crimp fuel supplies across Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Ineos operates the petrochemicals complex with only a week&rsquo;s supply of refined fuels as reserves. 
 
Ineos was created in 1998 through a management buyout. In December 2005, the UK-based company purchased Grangemouth from BP&rsquo;s Innovene chemicals division. The US$9 billion deal also brought the company petrochemicals plants in Lav&eacute;ra, France, as well as seven chemical manufacturing operations in Europe and nine in North America.

Unite Ready to Strike Giant Petrochemicals Complex in Scotland

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On 15-16 April, ICEM German affiliate IGBCE and the BAVC Chemical Industry Association came to 2008 and 2009 wage terms for some 550,000 chemical workers. The union achieved desirable pay gains, but more importantly, posted enhancements to future training opportunities for young workers, as well as a flexible, part-time work arrangement for older workers. 
 
The agreement, which came during the second round of national industry talks, contains a pay increase of 4.4%, retroactive to either 1 March or 1 April, or effective 1 May, depending on the respective IGBCE region. That extends for 13 months. Then, effective in 2009 for 12 months, chemical industry workers won a 3.3% pay raise. 
 
Additionally, on 1 July 2008, workers will realize a one-off payment of 13 times 0.5% of their monthly wage. That will be determined by workers and managers in individual companies, depending on a firm&rsquo;s profitability. The agreement covers some 19,000 German chemical companies.
<img height="166" alt="" src="" width="125" />
&nbsp;IGBCE Head of Collective Bargaining Werner Bischoff
&ldquo;The 2008 chemical accord has set a milestone,&rdquo; stated IGBCE Head of Collective Bargaining Werner Bischoff. He said that not only has the number of training places for young workers in chemicals been dramatically increased in this set of talks, but an &ldquo;occupational bridge&rdquo; has been created through the flexible work scheme. It replaces one due to expire next year. 
 
The new arrangement, however, is more extensive. A fund will be established, on 1 January 2010, that will be paid for by employers, with employee payments added supplementary. The fund, to be governed by works councils, will be used for flexible transition to retirement, including part-time work, partial pension benefits, health incentives, and added insurance for inability to work, to name just a few of the benefits.
<img height="138" alt="" src="" width="140" />
In 2003, IGBCE and BAVC first agreed to create future training opportunities for young workers. In last year&rsquo;s negotiations, for 2007 and 2008, the parties agreed to fund training places for 16,800 young workers in the chemicals sector. In last week&rsquo;s concluding talks, agreement was reached to increased that to 18,200 for 2009 and 2010. 
 
&ldquo;The strong increase in incomes corresponds to the current inflation situation and we met our goal &ndash; a higher pay raise than in 2007,&rdquo; said Bischoff. &ldquo;But the success story of this collective agreement is that &lsquo;Training for the Future&rsquo; has been updated, and we have succeeded in achieving a full flexible transition to retirement.&rdquo;

IGBCE Achieves Novel ‘Job Bridging,’ More Youth Opportunities in Chemical Pay Talks

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM affiliate Paperiliitto of Finland and that country&rsquo;s Forest Industries Federation jointly announced a 22-month labour agreement, covering 22,000 workers at 70 pulp and paper mills. The new accord comes seven weeks before expiration of an existing agreement, with both sides commending the negotiations for meeting the challenges of the changing Nordic paper sector, while taking into account workers&rsquo; needs and development. 
 
&ldquo;The agreement includes numerous positive changes in workers&rsquo; conditions of employment,&rdquo; stated Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen. &ldquo;One important goal of the agreement is to increase real cooperation at the confederation and local level. I also consider it positive that we were able to reach an agreement in good time before the expiration of the current agreement, without outside assistance and without confrontation.&rdquo;
<img height="151" alt="" src="" width="180" />
&nbsp;Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen
The new pact will run from 1 June 2008 to 31 March 2010. 
 
Wage levels will rise annually by 4% each in the first two years. For the third year, an increase will be negotiated by the union and industry in an autumn 2009 set of talks. If the parties fail then to reach accord on the remainder of the pact, the agreement can be terminated. 
 
The pay system for Finnish paperworkers is being reformed in this collective agreement and their job security improved in the face of restructurings by the major paper companies. Workers made redundant due to financial or production-related reasons will be entitled to full pay for a paid-notice period, even if that worker gets a job with another employer. 
 
The re-employment obligation by companies for workers&rsquo; made redundant was extended from nine months &ndash; the applicable period by Finnish labour law &ndash; to 15 months, from the date of the employment termination relationship. Further, the employer is obligated to inform redundant workers of new vacancies for another nine months beyond that. 
 
Perhaps most importantly to Paperiliitto, is that terms and conditions for outsourcing and lay-offs remain unchanged.
<img height="164" alt="" src="" width="160" />
Paperworkers also gained a three-day sick period without proof of medical certificate, a first inside Finland&rsquo;s industrial sectors. The new agreement allows for flexible work time if workers and employers, with union approval, agree to it on the local level. The two sides can also agree on regular 10-hour work days. 
 
The new pay system to be implemented will promote multi-skilled jobs. It provides opportunities, incentives and personal training for diversity of tasks, and for workers to acquire new competencies. This agreement was also achieved outside of Finland&rsquo;s traditional tripartite incomes policy of employer association, national labour centres, and government, but leaves open the possibility to return to the national incomes policy in spring 2010. 
 
Toimihenkil&ouml;unioni TU, ICEM salaried workers&rsquo; affiliate in Finland, which represents white-collar workers in the pulp and paper sector, has currently just begun talks with the Finland Forest Industries Federation on a new labour agreement. That pact also expires 31 May 2008.

Paperiliitto, Finnish Pulp/Paper Industry Come to Amiable Terms

<img height="39" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A US-based company has provoked a strike in New Zealand because it has refused to join Multi-Employer Collective Agreement for the Metals Industry. Members of ICEM affiliate Engineering, Printing, and Manufacturing Union (EPMU) struck Ecolab in Hamilton, New Zealand, in March. 
 
Despite mediation efforts to resolve the dispute, 16 EPMU members continued to picket outside the plant last week. Workers voted to enter joint negotiations for the Metals Industry earlier this year, but local managers declined to abide by the decision.
<img height="170" src="" width="320" alt="" />
Ecolab, a chemicals company, is a manufacturer of cleaning and sanitizing products for institutional and industrial companies. The state of Minnesota-based company also makes infection-control products for health care customers. 
 
EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little stated the Metals Industry&rsquo;s bargaining platform provides a benchmark for wages and conditions, and that Ecolab workers have a right to expect a collective agreement that is not sub-standard. &ldquo;These workers have made a democratic decision to negotiate a deal which is consistent with industry standards, but their employer has a policy of refusing all industry negotiations,&rdquo; said Little. 
 
The publicly-traded, multi-national company, 29% owned by German chemicals producer Henkel, provides its Australian workers with higher pay and extra shift leave, the EPMU states. Besides achieving industry standards, Ecolab workers stand to gain an extra week&rsquo;s leave if they can bring Ecolab into the fold. The Multi-Employer Collective Agreements for Metals covers more than 100 general manufacturing companies in New Zealand.

New Zealand Chemical Workers On Strike Against US-based Ecolab

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Nuclear workers in the UK &ndash; members of three trade unions &ndash; are currently meeting to consider whether or not to conduct industrial action. If taken, job actions could affect 11,500 workers at several nuclear sites just as the British Nuclear Decommissioning Authority prepares to sell the last of the country&rsquo;s state-owned nuclear assets.
<img height="112" alt="" src="" width="89" /><img height="90" src="" width="90" alt="" />
Meetings this week by trade unions Unite, GMB, and Prospect will discuss a proposed 2% pay offer by employers, a proposal considered inferior and below inflation. Bosses did present an extra 2% bonus, but union negotiators say too many strings are attached to the bonus. 
 
A consultative ballot is expected at this week&rsquo;s meeting over the 2% pay proposal, and the unions will then move that an industrial ballot be taken if the pay offer is refused. The nuclear sites that are affected are Sellafield in Cumbria, its technical facility in Risley, and Capenhurst, a former uranium enrichment plant in Cheshire.

UK’s Nuclear Workers Consider Industrial Action

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
An active exchange of solidarity occurred between Turkish and Bulgarian trade unions last year over a glass dispute in Targovishte, Bulgaria, at a company called Trakia Glass, which is a subsidiary of rapidly-growing, Turkey-based multinational Şişecam Group.
<img height="58" alt="" src="" width="120" />
Şişecam has production facilities in Turkey, Bulgaria, Russian, and Georgia, and employs over 17,000 workers. They produce flat glass, glassware, chemicals, and packaging. The company also has a joint venture with Belgian-based chemicals company Solvay in Bulgaria called Solvay-Sodi. 
 
Gaining full ICEM involvement, the dispute at Trakia served as a springboard for a recent day-long ICEM workshop between unions of the two countries in the chemicals and related industries, with support from the German-based Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation.
<img height="79" alt="" src="" width="120" border="1" />&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="80" alt="" src="" width="120" />
The workshop, held 1 April in Sofia, Bulgaria, was entitled &ldquo;Cooperation between ICEM Turkish and Bulgarian Affiliates on Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue in the Chemical and Related Industries.&rdquo; Participants from Turkey included Petrol-İş, the Oil, Chemical and Rubber Workers Union, and Kristal-İş, the Cement, Glass and Soil Workers Union, while Bulgarian participants included the National Labour Federation of Chemistry and Industry (KNSB Confederation) and the National Federation of Chemical Workers Union (CL-Podkrepa). 
 
Employers from both countries were also represented at the conference, with attendance by delegates from the Turkish Glass Employers Association (Cam İşveren) and Bulgarian Chemical Industry Chamber (BI). Those delegates included Lilyana Dombalova from Bulgaria, and Ali Nafiz Konuk and Hakan Yildirimoğlu from Turkey&rsquo;s glass employers. 
 
The workshop created a platform of exchange on knowledge and experience on both labour and industrial relations, and means for social dialogue in the two countries. It also served as a forum for national unions in both countries to gain experience at international and European levels. The workshop was facilitated by ICEM Chemicals and Rubber Industries Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan.
<img height="174" alt="" src="" width="260" />
Participants at the 1 April Workshop in Sophia&nbsp;
It also featured a presentation called &ldquo;European Level Social Dialogue&rdquo; by Mira Kovacheva of the Bulgarian Foundation for Advanced Social Trust (FAST). Trade union presentations were made by Krasimir Krastev, President of Bulgaria&rsquo;s Chemicals Workers&rsquo; Union; Todor Birindjiev, President of Podkrepa Chemical Workers; and Mustafa &Ouml;ztaskin, President of Petrol-İş, and Aziz &Ccedil;elik, Education and International Director of Kristal-İş. 
 
The workshop established a framework of lasting cross-national dialogue between trade unions and employer organisations. This will prove vital, considering the two strikes that occurred at Trakia Glass in Targovishte, as well as the fact that Şişecam and the Bulgarian union continue to negotiate for a new term agreement, hopefully to be accomplished in constructive social dialogue.

Social Dialogue Workshop Brings Turkish and Bulgarian Unions Together

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Some 13,000 contract workers of several Indian trade unions ended an eight-day strike Saturday, 5 April, against state-run Neyveli Lignite Corporation, a mining and electric generating company in southern Tamil Nadu state that supplies power to four neighbouring states. 
 
The contract workers, employed for as long as 12 years at the company&rsquo;s three mines and three power stations, are seeking permanent work status and payment of bonuses. Reportedly, the company had filed a petition with India&rsquo;s Supreme Court to vacate a recent Madras Hugh Court ruling calling on Neyveli to make all contract workers full-time employees.
<img height="182" alt="" src="" width="180" />
Contract workers were also seeking housing provisions, and medical and transport allowances. The strike, which began on 29 March, was highlighted by mass demonstrations in front of two of the power plants. At one, Thermal Power Station No. 2, all 2,000 demonstrators were arrested by police. 
 
The end of the strike indicates that contract workers obtained their demand for regularisation. A spokesperson for Neyveli Lignite, founded in 1956, which went public in 1986, said during the strike that 4,000 contract workers had been absorbed into the company, and that an 8.33% had been awarded. The company mined 22 million tonnes of lignite in 2007, and saw a 10.57% increase in power generation.

13,000 Contract Workers End Strike Against India’s Neyveli Lignite Corporation

Archive