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The UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) will host a &ldquo;Put People First &ndash; March for Jobs, Justice, Climate&rdquo; on 28 March in London. The Saturday afternoon event will serve as a mobilisation of civil society prior to the convening in London of the G20 Summit on 2 April. 
 
Although a UK event, the TUC and International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) are encouraging union delegations from around the world to attend in order to bring to the attention of G20 leaders the imperative need for effective, adequate, and appropriate action to eliminate the hardships caused by the global recession. 
 
&ldquo;The only sustainable way to rebuild the global economy is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, ends global inequality and builds a low carbon future,&rdquo; stated TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber. 

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Brendan Barber
&ldquo;Recession must not be an excuse for putting off action for global justice or to stop climate chaos,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Creating a just, fair, and sustainable world is the only lasting way out of recession.&rdquo; 
 
The march will assemble at Victoria Embankment at 11h00. (Nearest tube station is Temple.) It will then set off at noon and pass the UK Parliament, wind through central London, before ending up for a rally at Hyde Park. 
 
The TUC is using three separate themes: Decent Jobs and Public Services for All; End Global Poverty and Inequality; and Building a Green Economy. More details on the TUC&rsquo;s London march and rally can be found <a href="http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk">here</a>. 
 
In addition, during the week of 16 March, the ITUC will release a trade union statement with recommendations to the G20 for a fairer, more sustainable economic system. The ITUC is requesting that this &ldquo;Trade Union G20 London Declaration&rdquo; be sent to respective governments by trade unions everywhere on 23 March. 
 
The document will support the necessity for inclusion of trade union representation on the four working groups established by the G20 governments, a promise that was made to global labour by world financial institutions in November 2008, but one which so far has not been met.

London Manifestation Set for 28 March, Prior to G20 Summit

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, on the new HIV/AIDS project in Ethiopia, a planned programme in Mongolia, and further work on the ILO HIV/AIDS instrument. 
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The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 

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New HIV/AIDS Project in Ethiopia 
 
The LO/FTF Council, the Danish Solidarity Support Organisation, has obtained funding for a three-year HIV/AIDS project in Ethiopia in cooperation with the ICEM-affiliated National Industrial Federation of Energy, Chemical and Mine Trade Unions (NEFECM) of Ethiopia. 
 
The main objectives of the project are to reduce HIV/AIDS stigmatisation and discrimination in the high-risk mining sector and to increase the capacity of NEFECM and its affiliated unions to deal with HIV/AIDS at the workplace, negotiate agreements with employers and thus protect workers, their families and the wider community in remote areas. 
 
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant will work as a consultant to the project during the first year. After a fact-finding mission in December 2008, the first activities in the framework of the project will be organised in Addis Ababa towards the end of March. A more detailed article on the project and the first activities will follow in the April issue of this e-bulletin. 

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HIV/AIDS Programme in Mongolia 
 
Thanks to sponsorship from UI Zensen, Japan, the Taiwan Petroleum Workers&rsquo; Union and the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project, an HIV/AIDS programme in cooperation with the Federation of Energy, Geology, and Mining Workers&rsquo; Union of Mongolia will be organised in August. 
 
As Mongolia is a vast country with natural resources distributed throughout the country, it would not be possible to reach every workplace and union branch to train members and shop stewards. Therefore, 60 peer educators will be trained in two three-day centralised courses, one for the mining sector and another for the energy and geology sector. 
 
Participants will be chosen from union branches all over the country. On completion of the training, their task will be to take a pro-active role at their workplaces in organising awareness campaigns, inform about prevention measures, and advocate voluntary counselling and testing. The union will monitor the activities of peer educators and report back to the sponsors of the programme. 

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South Africa: Xstrata Sacks 106 Workers 
 
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will contest the sacking of 106 workers at the Rustenberg smelter, operated by Xstrata, the world&rsquo;s largest ferrochrome producer. NUM spokesperson Lesiba Shesoka said that the workers were sacked for not taking part in a compulsory health briefing in which they said they were to be told they would have to take an HIV test. South African legislation says that no worker can be forced to take an HIV test. 
 
The company, however, said that it had no intention to force the workers to take the test. The company stated that the workers were dismissed for taking part in an illegal strike when they had demanded to be paid 50% of their wages and shift allowances during their extended leave in December. Workers were sent on the long leave due to a drop of demand in ferrochrome, requiring cutbacks in output and the closure of furnaces. 
 
(Source: Reuters, 11 March as reported in Mining Weekly) 

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Three Per Cent of US Capital City Living with HIV 
 
At least 3% of residents in Washington, D.C., are living with HIV, according to a report published on 16 March by the District of Colombia&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS Administration. 
 
The Report states that HIV positive people are found in all demographics in Washington: more than 4% of African-Americans, almost 2% of Latinos, and 1.4% of Caucasians are living with HIV. However, African-American men are disproportionately affected, accounting for 76% of people living with HIV. 
 
The United States has one of the largest HIV epidemics in the world, with an estimated 1.2 million people living with HIV in 2007. 
 
(Source: News item on UNAIDS website, 16 March) 
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Contribution from a Reader of the e-bulletin 
 
In a contribution to the February issue of the e-bulletin, Victoria Nanteza Kakooza of Uganda writes on &ldquo;Women and HIV/AIDS &ndash; a Ugandan Perspective&rdquo;: 
 
Cultural practices, norms and values deprive Ugandan women of the chances to decide whether they have sex with their husbands and to decide on the number of children to have. 
 
Women constitute 38% of the workforce and only 18% are employed in permanent jobs with very few in intermediate and senior positions. This makes a large number of women economically dependent on men. Men take advantage by taking a minimum of three wives, which has tremendously increased the number of people with HIV and AIDS. More so, children born with HIV/AIDS are now mature and dating and passing on the virus to others, hence increasing cases in the new generation. 
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News from ILO/AIDS 
 
In the course of its work towards the adoption of a new international instrument on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, the ILO has now issued Report IV (2), presenting the views of the ILO's constituents on the new standard. 
 
The first report, entitled HIV/AIDS and the world of work, Report IV (1), was published and disseminated to all ILO Member States in January 2008, and contained a questionnaire to which the Member States, in consultation with the social partners, were asked to respond by 31 August 2008. 
 
The second report, Report IV (2), summarizes almost 250 responses received from governments, employers and workers to this questionnaire. The vast majority of the constituents recognised the need to increase the attention paid to the issue of HIV/AIDS in the world of work through the adoption of a new international instrument. Moreover, there was a general consensus in the replies that the instrument should incorporate and strengthen the ten key principles contained in the ILO Code of practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
On the basis of those responses, the report contains draft conclusions regarding the proposed contents of the new instrument. The first and second reports will now serve as the basis for the discussions to be undertaken at the International Labour Conference in June 2009 on the form and content of the new instrument. 
 
(Source: ILOAIDS website where the two reports can also be accessed) 

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News from the Global Union AIDS Programme 
 
The Steering Committee of the Global Union AIDS Programme, at its meeting in Brussels on 3 March, discussed, among other items, future cooperation between Global Union Federations (GUFs) on HIV and AIDS. India was chosen as a pilot target country as four GUFs, including the ICEM, have already HIV/AIDS projects in that country. 

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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. 
For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try http://www.google.com/language_tools and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
<a href="/en/72-HIV-AIDS/3036-ICEM-HIV- AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-41-February-2009">/en/72-HIV-AIDS/3036-ICEM-HIV- AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-41-February-2009</a> 
Or click directly on the links below: 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=fr&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Cliquez ici pour une traduction automatique en fran&ccedil;ais</a>. 
Cette traduction est faite automatiquement par un logiciel internet gratuit. L&rsquo;ICEM n&rsquo;assume aucune responsabilit&eacute; &agrave; cet &eacute;gard. Elle est approximative, mais peut n&eacute;anmoins vous donner une id&eacute;e g&eacute;n&eacute;rale du contenu de l&rsquo;article. 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=de&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Hier Klicken f&uuml;r eine maschinelle &Uuml;bersetzung ins Deutsche</a>. 
Diese &Uuml;bersetzung, f&uuml;r die die ICEM keine Verantwortung &uuml;bernimmt, erfolgt durch eine frei zug&auml;ngliche Internetsoftware. Diese &Uuml;bersetzung ist nicht perfekt, gibt aber eine ann&auml;hernende Idee, wor&uuml;ber der Artikel handelt. 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=ru&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Щелкните мышью здесь для получения машинного перевода на Русский</a>. 
Этот перевод выполняется автоматически с помощью бесплатной Интернет-программы, и ICEM не несет за него ответственности. Перевод приблизительный, но все же может дать общее представление о содержании статьи. 
日本語への翻訳について、無料オン� ��イン翻訳サービス利用されたい方<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=ja&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">はここをクリ</a>ックしてください。ただし、当該サ� ��ビスを利用した翻訳の質等について 、ICEMは一切責任を負いませんので、� ��了承ください。 
 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=es&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Haga clic aqu&iacute; para una traducci&oacute;n autom&aacute;tica en espa&ntilde;ol</a>. 
Esta traducci&oacute;n se hace autom&aacute;ticamente con tecnolog&iacute;a libre del Internet. La ICEM no se responsabiliza de ella. La traducci&oacute;n es aproximada, pero puede proveer una idea general del contenido del art&iacute;culo. 
<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icem.org%2Findex.php%3Fid%3D72%26la%3DEN%26doc%3D3104&amp;sl=en&amp;tl=sv&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8">Klicka h&auml;r f&ouml;r en maskin&ouml;vers&auml;ttning till svenska</a>. 
Denna &ouml;vers&auml;ttning utf&ouml;rs automatiskt med kostnadsfri internetteknik. ICEM tar inget ansvar f&ouml;r den. Den &auml;r inte helt korrekt men ger dig &auml;nd&aring; en allm&auml;n uppfattning om vad artikeln handlar om.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 42 March 2009

The ICEM is using the occasion of April 28, the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, to announce the renewal of its campaign for the formal ratification of International Labor Organization ILO Convention 176 on Health and Safety in Mines. 
 
The ICEM has been lobbying the ILO to dramatically increase its efforts to promote ratification of the convention to improve health and safety laws in many countries. A recent seminar in Mongolia, the first in a series of proposed seminars, showed a new committment by the ILO to become more actively engaged in a campaign for ratification. (See story on Mongolia seminar in InBrief No. 129 <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3162-ILO-Mongolia-Seminar-Launches-Asia-Campaign-for-Ratification-of-Mine-Safety-Convention-176">here</a>)

ICEM Campaigns for ILO Convention 176

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Son on yılda, &ccedil;okuluslu lastik şirketleri Orta Avrupa'yı yatırım cenneti olarak g&ouml;rd&uuml;ler, &uuml;retimi hızla oraya kaydırdılar ve tesisleri genişlettiler. Son olarak, ABD k&ouml;kenli Goodyear Polonya'nın Debica kentindeki tesislerine 100 milyon dolar yatırdı, Japonya'daki Bridgestone ise yine Polonya'da ikinci bir tesis kurmak &uuml;zere oraya gitti. 
 
G&uuml;ney Kore'den Hankook Macaristan'da bir &uuml;retim birimi kurdu, Bridgestone'un yeni tesisi ise faaliyete ge&ccedil;mek &uuml;zere. Hindistan'dan Apollo Tyre'ın Macaristan'da bir tesisi var. Keza, Romanya'da, Slatina'da, Pirelli &ccedil;elik kord &uuml;retmek &uuml;zere Continental AG ile birlikte kurduğu bir tesisi faaliyete ge&ccedil;irdi. 

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Ne var ki, Orta Avrupa'daki bu b&uuml;y&uuml;me, iş koşulları ve sendikal temsil konusunda bazı sonu&ccedil;lar doğuruyor. Bu b&ouml;lgedeki &uuml;cretler, &ccedil;alışma koşulları, iş sağlığı ve g&uuml;venliği kuralları Batı Avrupa &uuml;lkelerindeki d&uuml;zeyin hayli gerisinde kalıyor. Yeni tesislerin bazılarında sendikal haklar g&ouml;rmezden geliniyor ya da şirketler işyeri ve şirket sendikalarını tercih ediyorlar. 
 
Bu gelişmeler karşısında ICEM, ulusal sendikaların bu koşulların &uuml;stesin gelmesini sağlamak &uuml;zere lastik sendikalarının bir b&ouml;lge ağı kurmasını &ouml;nerdi. Macaristan, Slovakya, Romanya ve Slovenya'dan sendika y&ouml;neticileri ekonomik krizin etkilerinin yanı sıra bu sorunları g&ouml;r&uuml;şmek &uuml;zere 8-9 Nisan'da Budapeşte'de bir araya geldiler. 
ICEM'in Macaristan'dan &uuml;yesi VDSz'nin evsahipliğini yaptığı ve Friedrich Ebert Vakfı'nın desteklediği toplantıya Fransa ve İspanya'dan sendika temsilcileri ve EMCEF katıldı. 
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VDSz Başkanı Gy&ouml;rgy Paszternak 

Sekt&ouml;rdeki k&uuml;resel durum &uuml;zerine ICEM'in yaptığı sunumdan sonra, katılımcılar, &uuml;lkelerindeki durum hakkında raporlar sundular. Macaristan b&ouml;lgedeki lastik end&uuml;strisinin her zaman merkezi olmuştur, ama sendikal &ouml;rg&uuml;tl&uuml;l&uuml;k d&uuml;zeyi son yıllarda d&uuml;şt&uuml;. Hankook ve Bridgestone gibi bazı şirketlerde sendikaların serbest&ccedil;e kurulması ve faaliyet g&ouml;stermesi engelleniyor. 
 
ICEM'den, her iki şirketteki sendikal tanınma m&uuml;cadelesini desteklemeye devam etmesi isteniyor. Slovakya'da, mali kriz &uuml;retimin &ouml;nemli &ouml;l&ccedil;&uuml;de d&uuml;şmesine yol a&ccedil;tı, iş saatleri d&uuml;ş&uuml;r&uuml;ld&uuml; ve genelde iş&ccedil;ilere normal &uuml;cretlerinin y&uuml;zde 60'ı &ouml;deniyor. Slovenya'da iş haftasının kısaltılmasını &ouml;ng&ouml;ren bir yasa &ccedil;ıkarıldı ve sendikalar bu yasayı destekledi. 
 
Slovenya'da kriz otomotiv end&uuml;strisini ve tedarik&ccedil;i firmalardan oluşan sekt&ouml;r&uuml; ağır bir şekilde etkiledi. Başlangı&ccedil;ta, &uuml;cretler kısılmadı, ama iş&ccedil;iler yıllık izinlerini kullanmaya zorlandı. Kriz derinleştik&ccedil;e, &uuml;cretler ve iş saatleri d&uuml;ş&uuml;r&uuml;ld&uuml;. Keza Romanya'da, otomotiv end&uuml;strisinde yaşanan ağır kriz araba lastiği sekt&ouml;r&uuml;n&uuml; ciddi bi&ccedil;imde etkiliyor. Tek olumlu gelişme, sendikanın Slatina'da yeni faaliyete ge&ccedil;en Pirelli fabrikasındaki 1.500 iş&ccedil;iyi &ouml;rg&uuml;tleyerek &uuml;cretlerde y&uuml;zde 10 artış sağlaması. Toplantıda, ayrıca, EMCEF kriz &uuml;zerine bir tebliğ sundu. 
 
&ldquo;Krizin &ouml;nceki kazanımlarımızı yok etmesine izin vermemeliyiz&rdquo; diyen VDSz Başkanı Gy&ouml;rgy Paszternak s&ouml;zlerini ş&ouml;yle s&uuml;rd&uuml;rd&uuml;: &ldquo;İşverenlerin mevcut koşulları k&ouml;t&uuml;ye kullanmasına izin vermemeliyiz. Toplumsal geleceğimiz sendikaların tanınmasına, sendikal temsile, &uuml;cretlerin ve &ccedil;alışma standartlarının y&uuml;kseltilmesine bağlıdır.&rdquo;

Orta Avrupa&#039;daki lastik sendikaları mali kriz konusunda ortak stratejiler oluşturuyorlar

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, on the new HIV/AIDS project in Ethiopia in cooperation with the LO/FTF and on the HIV/AIDS project in India, sponsored by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.
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The ICEM Calls on its Affiliates to Contribute to this e-bulletin 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of HIV/AIDS activities. To spread the information on new agreements, awareness, and prevention campaigns, and educational activities, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
Editor: Hans J Schwass, ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant 
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HIV/AIDS Workplace Project in India on Track 
 
During his recent visit to India, which was organised by Project Coordinator BK Das who is also the General Secretary of the Indian National Mineworkers&rsquo; Federation, the ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant could confirm that the HIV/AIDS project in India, sponsored by the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, has made excellent progress. 
 
&ldquo;So far we have trained 330 peer educators from ICEM affiliates in the coal mining, chemical, cement and diamond sectors in India&rdquo;, said BK Das. &ldquo;The project is on track&rdquo;, he added. The Consultant participated in a training course for peer educators and attended HIV/AIDS awareness meetings conducted by peer educators in remote mining villages in the region where Eastern Coal Ltd (ECL), around Asansol, some 250 km northwest of Kolkata, operates. 
 
He also had the opportunity to meet with peer educators of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) in Dhanbad. Both companies are subsidiaries of Coal India Ltd. (CIL). The Deputy Chief Medical Officer of BCCL, Dr Anurag Verma, said that there has been a significant increase in the uptake of VCT as reported back by the two Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres in the region. Peer educators have also taken the initiative to campaign among commercial sex workers and they cooperate with organisations of people living with HIV and AIDS. 
 
In Kolkata, the Consultant participated in a master trainers&rsquo; course, which was facilitated by HIV/AIDS specialists SM Afsar and Divya Verma from the ILO Delhi Office. The cooperation with the ILO Delhi Office has been outstanding: two master trainer courses were facilitated; material was made available and contacts with organisations of HIV+ people and state AIDS control societies were made. The ILO has also lobbied CIL, and in a meeting with Board member R Mohan Das, further HIV/AIDS activities to be undertaken by the company at its eight subsidiaries were discussed. 
 
For a continuation of the project when funding from Boehringer Ingelheim ends in December 2009, CIL and its subsidiaries as well as state AIDS control societies have to be targeted. With companies taking the threat of the pandemic more seriously, and with state AIDS control societies recognising the workplace as a major place of HIV/AIDS intervention, the prospects for sustainable HIV/AIDS work among ICEM affiliates in India are good. 
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New HIV/AIDS Project in Ethiopia 
 
As reported in the March issue of the e-bulletin, the LO/FTF Council, the Danish Solidarity Support Organisation, has obtained funding for a three-year HIV/AIDS project in Ethiopia in cooperation with the ICEM-affiliated National Industrial Federation of Energy, Chemical and Mine Trade Unions (NIFECM). 
 
The main objectives of the project are to reduce HIV/AIDS stigmatisation and discrimination in the high-risk mining sector and to increase the capacity of the Federation and its affiliated unions to deal with HIV/AIDS at the workplace, negotiate agreements with employers, and thus protect workers, their families, and the wider community in remote mining areas. 
 
After a fact finding mission in December 2008, the first project activities took place in March. Two workshops were organised for the leadership and union activists of NIFECM; the first on basic facts about HIV/AIDS and awareness and prevention and the second with the objective to develop an HIV/AIDS policy for the Federation. Both workshops were facilitated by the ICEM HIV/AIDS Consultant and could count on the cooperation of the ILO office in Addis Ababa. The draft HIV/AIDS policy is expected to be adopted by the NEFECM Congress in July. 
 
Further activities in 2009 include a study tour to South Africa, the preparation of materials and the development of a negotiation guide and an HIV/AIDS toolbox, which should be validated in a workshop in October. At that time, a meeting of the Project Advisory Committee is also envisaged. 
 
The training of master trainers will lead to workshops for a total of 220 local union leaders and activists who will then be capable of promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaigns at the workplace and in mining communities. Parallel to this, the competence of union leaders in negotiations and bargaining for HIV/AIDS issues such as non-discrimination and anti-victimisation as well as reducing stigmatisation will be developed. 
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UNITAID to Raise Funds through Travel Web Sites 
 
Philippe Douste-Blazy, former French foreign minister and head of UNITAID, announced recently that he is in talks with the online travel industry to allow air travellers booking online to make a $2 per-flight donation to HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria efforts worldwide. The global financial crisis has placed some governments' foreign aid budgets &quot;under pressure,&quot; and the United Nations is &quot;turning to private industry and individuals to finance the battle against&quot; the three diseases. Several companies are working with UNITAID to develop system for micro-contributions that could also be adopted by other industries. 
 
UNITAID aims to raise more than US$1 billion annually for HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria efforts. It has raised US$600 million during the past two years through a tax on airline tickets implemented by 12 participating countries. One flight with 300 passengers could raise enough funds to provide 60 HIV-positive children with treatment for one year. 
 
(Source: Financial Times, 11 March) 
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Haiti Making Progress against HIV/AIDS 
 
Some good news is coming from Haiti, one of the countries hardest hit by the epidemic. Data show that about 2.2% of Haiti's population -- or 120,000 people -- are living with HIV/AIDS and that AIDS-related deaths in the country have decreased in recent years. This compares with an HIV/AIDS prevalence of 6.1% in 2001. The percentage of HIV-positive test results among pregnant women has decreased by 50% over the past 10 years. 
 
Haiti's progress has been particularly significant for a country where 60% of the population lives below the poverty line of US$2 per day. Only four of every 10 Haitians have access to potable water and there is only one doctor for every 10,000 inhabitants. 
 
The progress in fighting HIV/AIDS in Haiti is due in large part to the efforts of dedicated people who work in NGOs founded to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS. More than 400 workers have been trained to administer no-cost antiretroviral drugs within communities. But many challenges remain as the majority of Haitians still lack sufficient sex education. Only 15% of women and 28% of men between ages 15 and 24 know HIV prevention methods, and both boys and girls are becoming sexually active at earlier ages. 
 
(Source: Cesar Chalala in Miami Herald, 12 March) 
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News from the Global Union Federations 
 
The Education International reports in its EI Newsletter &ndash; <a href="http://www.ei-ie.org/efaids">www.ei-ie.org/efaids</a> - of 9 April on HIV/AIDS initiatives by its affiliates in Namibia and Swaziland and reviews the recent UNESCO publication &ldquo;Heroes and Villains,&rdquo; which assesses the interaction between the education sector and the AIDS crisis and highlights the important contribution of teacher unions in the fight against the pandemic. 
 
The fortnightly HIV/AIDS update of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) of 15 March reports on the launch of an HIV/AIDS workplace policy at Mombasa port and on a UNDP report that female migrant workers from Asia have become highly vulnerable to HIV (<a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>). 
 
 
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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 43 April 2009

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
In 11 days, trade unions in the free world will celebrate May Day &ndash; the globally-recognised tribute to work and labour. But in Turkey, May Day last year was met with government repression and police thuggery. 
 
Turkish unions now demand that their government declare May Day as an official holiday, as it was prior to the military coup d&rsquo;&eacute;tat in 1980. May Day celebrations were banned between then and the early 1990s, but were allowed only on limited basis after that. 
 
For trade unions in Turkey to hold any kind of celebration on May Day, they invite trouble. At last year&rsquo;s celebrations, security forces used excessive means to disperse unionists before they reached Taksim Square in Istanbul, site of a planned celebration. They used gas, water cannons, and batons in doing so. 

<img height="135" alt="" src="" width="200" />
Turkish police gassing the headquarters of DİSK in the early morning hours of 1 May last year
Recently, a bill was submitted by the government to the Turkish Parliament to make May Day public holiday. Parliament&rsquo;s Interior Commission raised no objections to the bill and it will be brought before Parliament on April 22. 
 
The Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (T&uuml;rk-İş), the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK), and the Confederation of Public Sector Unions (KESK) have announced their intention and decisiveness to celebrate 1 May 2009 in historic Taksim Square, which has great significance to Turkey&rsquo;s unions because it was there that 36 unionists were killed celebrating May Day on 1 May 1977. 
 
The Turkish government uses this excuse to ban May Day celebrations in Taksim Square. 
 
In 2007, on the 30th anniversary of the so-called &ldquo;Bloody May 1&rdquo; of 1977, Turkish unions re-launched an initiative to overturn the ban on the 30th anniversary of the so-called &quot;Bloody May 1&quot; in 2007. But in both 2007 and 2008, thousands of demonstrators were taken into custody for attempting to assemble there on May Day 
 
Turkish unions consider Taksim Square as a symbol for the struggle for the eight-hour workday, for improvements in work conditions, and for the promise of living wages. But the Istanbul governorship has announced that any other square will be open for celebrations, but not Taksim Square. 

<img height="151" src="" width="110" alt="" />
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda
In a statement on Turkey for May Day, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, said, &ldquo;We consider the government proposal to the Parliament to make May Day an official holiday a step forward. I am convinced this would be important to Turkish democracy and as meaningful signal to the adherence of trade union rights. 
&ldquo;I should, however, say that this only holds true if Taksim Square is opened to peaceful demonstrations on May Day. It is a symbol for the struggle of democracy and union rights. ICEM will be present in Turkey this year to follow May Day celebrations. We know that the upcoming ILO Labour Conference in June will scrutinize the Turkish government because they must modify their labour laws. ICEM believes that any changes should be significant, not just minor modifications. Turkey must put forward adequate changes regarding freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike, changes that are in line with major ILO Conventions and, in fact, standards that have already been ratified by Turkey. We will follow the developments and continue our solidarity with our Turkish affiliates in this struggle.&rdquo;

ICEM, Turkish Unions Demand May Day Holiday; Want Celebrations at Historical Taksim Square

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The Consultation Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CCSR) for the EDF Group of France met on 24-25 March in Paris to discuss and determine policy on the worrying situation facing employees of the mostly public electric utility and its subsidiaries throughout the world. The group determined that EDF is bound by its prior corporate social responsibility agreements to, at the very least, maintain the standard of living of its employers. 
 
In this regard, due to the effects of the global financial meltdown, specifically on purchasing power of EDF employees, adjustments must be made to salaries merely that living standards remain consistent. The committee&rsquo;s statement from Paris meeting was addressed to EDF Group Chairman Pierre Gadonneix, and other management officials, Mr. Lagarde and Mr. Caron. 

<img height="93" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The ICEM supports the statement of the group, and its demands, which were circulated by Marc Ferron, secretary of the CCSR and member of French union FCE-CFDT. 
 
The statement calls for more attention on the workers at EDF subsidiaries in the developing world. Workers there have been hit hardest by the crisis. The CCSR requests EDF management to redistribute profits towards the increase of salaries to, at the very least, the level of inflation and the cost of living in the country concerned. 
 
The EDF Corporate Responsibility Agreement was originally signed on 24 January 2005 by Pierre Gadonneix, EDF's President and by the assembled employee representatives from each country where the Group is present. Commitments in the Agreement included provisions for industrial restructuring within the group. Current restructuring within the group is taking place in Clover in Poland, and in UK&rsquo;s energy industry. The enterprise Leibin in China will soon be restructured and job preservation throughout all restructuring projects is called for.

EDF called on to respect CSR agreement, block job losses

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On 17-18 November, Finland&rsquo;s Transport Workers Union (AKT) imposed a two-day boycott on handling exports of all Stora Enso wood and paper products from Finland. The boycott occurred because the company allegedly told subcontractors at the Port of Kemi to refrain from signing labour agreements that are in line with the union&rsquo;s pay and benefits package. 
 
The union believes that all goods handled through ports should be done under terms of its labour agreement. Stora Enso insists on lower standards for sub-contract workers. AKT did the same action last summer at the Port of Kemi. 
 
On 17 and 18 November, unionised dockworkers were refusing to unload trains or trucks delivering wood and paper from Stora mills at Kotka and Hamina. Kotka is one of the bigger export points for the Finnish company&rsquo;s products. The Port of Kemi was not affected by last month&rsquo;s two-day boycott. 
 
In other Stora Enso news, the company has completed its mandatory social talks with trade unions at its Imatra and Anjalankoski operations, two mills included in the firm&rsquo;s most recent restructuring which has caused thousands of retrenchments. A total of 330 paperworkers will lose their jobs when paper machines and coating operations are shuttered in 2008. At Imatra&rsquo;s Tainionkoski mill two weeks ago, a worker was killed when he was squeezed inside a roll packing machine. 
 
In Germany, Stora&rsquo;s supervisory board made the decision a week ago to shut down a coated paper machine at the Kabel Mill and endorsed the company&rsquo;s September restructuring announcement that a containerboard machine would be shut at the Baienfurt mill. A total of 520 German jobs will be lost.

Finnish Port Workers Boycott Stora Enso Exports over Subcontractors’ Rights

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
The last big pulp and paper employer in Canada&rsquo;s Western region agreed to the pattern labour agreement, as set by ICEM North American affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union. Some 2,000 workers of Catalyst Paper, the continent&rsquo;s second largest newsprint producer, are expected to agree to terms shortly in balloting at four worksites. 
 
That gives some 12,000 paperworkers in Canada&rsquo;s industry-battered West renewal labour agreements. The CEP still has to negotiate with some smaller pulp and paper employers in the West. The pattern was set when the region&rsquo;s largest pulp and papermaker &ndash; employment wise &ndash; Canfor Pulp Ltd. came to terms for total 10% wage increases over the four-year term of the pattern in early July. 

<img height="109" alt="" src="" width="180" />
That was followed by agreement at multiple mills by Howe Sound Pulp and Paper, Domtar Corp., Kruger Products, and West Fraser Timber Co. The pattern accord also contains significant benefit increases, craft trades allowances, and job security provisions, including good severance packages. 
 
&ldquo;During the tough economic times we are facing, maintaining this pattern across the Canadian West is an important victory,&rdquo; said CEP president Dave Coles. 
 
The CEP covers seven branch unions at Catalyst&rsquo;s four mill sites, Crofton, Powell River, Campbell River, and Port Alberni, all in the province of British Colombia. The agreement for pulp and paper firms operating in the West expired on 1 April 2008. A separate agreement covering 20,000 workers in Canada&rsquo;s East region expires on 1 April 2009.

Last Major Pact in Place for Western Canadian Paperworkers

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
Job cuts caused by the financial meltdown are not uncommon. But in Zambia, mining companies are cutting some jobs and holding others hostage in an attempt to overturn higher taxes and payment of higher royalty fees. And they&rsquo;re citing the economic crisis for the job cuts, and threats of more job cuts have become common. 
 
Zambia&rsquo;s rich copper and cobalt reserves &ndash; as well as other minerals such as iron ore, manganese, and soon uranium &ndash; are primarily owned by companies composed of investor groups. 
 
In April 2008, Zambia government passed mineral royalty increases to 3% from 0.6%. The corporate tax rate increased from 25% to 30%. Since, foreign-based mining companies such as Canada&rsquo;s First Quantum Minerals, India&rsquo;s Vedanta Resouces, and others claim the country must revert to old development pacts when the Zambian Consolidated Copper Mines was divested, or further retrenchments will occur. The royalty and tax issue will be taken up in the courts. 

<img height="203" alt="" src="" width="200" />
The Chamber of Mines denied it was &ldquo;arm-twisting&rdquo; the government over jobs, and said dropping copper prices and the world recession was having an impact. The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions challenged the mining companies to stop using the economic crisis as the excuse for retrenchments. First Quantum, which holds huge cooper assets at Bwana Mkubwa and Kansanshi, and Chinese-based Chambisi Metals, owner of the biggest cobalt mine in Zambia, have recently sacked workers and cited the economic crisis. 
 
President Rupiah Panda, who took over for Levy Mwanawasa following his August death and was elected on 30 October, called on investors with mining stakes to engage in meaningful dialogue with the government and unions in order to prevent retrenchments. Mining investors have tentatively agreed to sit and talk. Meanwhile, Mines and Minerals Development Minister Maxwell Mwale has called for calm in the fierce public debate, falling just short of accusing certain mine industry players of creating panic. 
 
Central to the issue, however, is the question: should massive profits made in the recent past, when copper and mineral prices were at historic highs, have any bearing on jobs now? And Zambians ask: should it not be a matter of social responsibility to keep workers employed even in hard times? Now it is up to the Panda government to strike a social commitment deal with the many stakeholders that hold equity in the country&rsquo;s rich mineral grounds.

Job Cuts in Zambia’s Mining Industry Causing Aggravation

Archive

London Manifestation Set for 28 March, Prior to G20 Summit

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 42 March 2009

ICEM Campaigns for ILO Convention 176

Orta Avrupa'daki lastik sendikaları mali kriz konusunda ortak stratejiler oluşturuyorlar

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 43 April 2009

ICEM, Turkish Unions Demand May Day Holiday; Want Celebrations at Historical Taksim Square

EDF called on to respect CSR agreement, block job losses

Finnish Port Workers Boycott Stora Enso Exports over Subcontractors’ Rights

Last Major Pact in Place for Western Canadian Paperworkers

Job Cuts in Zambia’s Mining Industry Causing Aggravation

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