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="68" src="" width="140" alt="" />
A breakthrough came this month in the dispute over trade union rights for workers employed by subcontracting companies of Unilever at warehouses in Turkey. International pressure by three Global Union Federations (GUFs) &ndash; the ICEM, the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF), and the International Union of Food and Agricultural Workers (IUF), together with Turkish affiliates &ndash; can be credited with this first and major step toward resolving the dispute. 
 
Management of the subcontracting companies, &Ccedil;ipa and Şimşek, agreed to a protocol agreement with T&Uuml;MTIS, the Turkish Motor Vehicles&rsquo; Workers Union, an affiliate of the ITF, which addresses some of the issues in the dispute. This occurred in December, some six weeks after the GUFs, and ICEM affiliate Petrol-&Iuml;ş and IUF affiliate Tek-Gida-&Iuml;ş, met in a summit in Turkey, and pledged to bring pressure against Unilever on behalf of T&Uuml;MTIS and the subcontracting workers.
<img height="255" src="" width="340" alt="" />
The protocol agreement does not yet give T&Uuml;MTIS recognition status for hundreds of warehouse workers in Gebze, near Istanbul, but it does resolve some issues surrounding the sacking of 87 workers who joined the union. And the employers did agree not to oppose union activity inside the warehouses. 
 
Whether or not &Ccedil;ipa and Şimşek does recognize and bargain with T&Uuml;MTIS is a now a matter that will be resolved in a Turkish labour court. The union agreed to end a continual manifestation in front of warehouses. 
 
Within the protocol agreement, some workers who were fired received payments from employers, while others &ndash; which had won court cases over unfair dismissals &ndash; received add-ons to their indemnity payments. Some workers did get reinstated, while the union is still seeking reinstatement for others. 
 
T&Uuml;MTIS General Secretary G&uuml;rel Yilmaz reported that the protests, and the global labour support, have seen the number of workers who have taken up union membership soar to over 200. He said this has given momentum and renewed motivation among the trade unionists to continue recruitment efforts. 
 
Yilmaz, however, is urging the union partners who joined hands in the 20 October summit to continue their efforts. The ITF will continue to press its trade union rights case in the matter under terms of the OECD&rsquo;s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 
 
The ICEM, in concert with the ITF and IUF and Turkish trade unions, will continue to monitor this Unilever subcontractors&rsquo; case, and press for union recognition and a collective agreement for the subcontracting workers. &Ccedil;ipa and Şimşek are companies that handle and distribute Unilever products in Turkey and throughout the Middle East.

Joint Global Union Action Gives Contract Workers of Unilever First Grasp of Victory in Turkey

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM leaders and senior managers of French-based chemicals multinational Rhodia travelled to Brazil from 2-5 December for a second round of monitoring the Global Framework Agreement. This kind of joint mission was first realised last year in China with a view toward making sure the agreement is properly implemented at specific workplaces. 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, ICEM Latin America/Caribbean Vice-President S&eacute;rgio Novais, and Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan represented the ICEM, while Rhodia&rsquo;s Exeuctive Vice-President Bernard Chambon&ouml;, Sustainable Development Director Jacques Kheliff, and Communications Vice President Lucia Dumas participated, as did the Brazilian team of Rhodia, headed by Latin American President Marcos De Marchi. 
<img height="210" alt="" src="" width="280" />
The social partners discussed the global agreement in Brazil in general, and specifically, at the regional headquarters in S&atilde;o Paulo. The delegation visited plants in Paulinia, Santo Andr&eacute;, and Cubatao, and met with local trade union leaders at those worksites. 
The ICEM team was informed about products, technology, safety, health, and environmental matters, and received information on salaries, social benefits, staffing, and local community relations in the plant visits. 
In terms of trade union representation, all Rhodia workplaces are organised by six different unions, each with collective agreements. The ICEM proposed a network among these different unions so coordination can occur and a common dialogue can happen at the national level. 
<img height="210" alt="" src="" width="280" />
&ldquo;I am pleased by the positive results of our agreement with Rhodia,&rdquo; commented Warda. &ldquo;The successful visit to Brazil, coordinated effectively by management, has shown us that a GFA can be a positive tool in industrial relations at the global level. 
&ldquo;It also secures an understanding on how local and national level social dialogue can proceed in a cooperative manner,&rdquo; Warda added. The Global Framework Agreement with Rhodia was renewed in March 2008, and now contains succinct language related to union recruitment and company neutrality.

ICEM, Rhodia Monitor Global Agreement at Brazilian Plants

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda compared the labour repression of the Mexican government to that of the regimes in Burma and Zimbabwe. This follows the recent arrests of two union officials and the seizure of the union&rsquo;s bank assets. 
 
The targeted National Miners&rsquo; and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM) is fighting to retain its democratic integrity as a trade union in Mexico. 
 
The recent arrests were clearly carried out on the request of Grupo M&eacute;xico and other employers. The ICEM points to reports that arrests of other trade unionists are imminent. The letter can be found <a href="/wp-content/migration/icem/0812.President%20Calderon.pdf">here</a>.
<img height="157" alt="" src="" width="340" />
The two union leaders, Carlos Pavon Campos, SNTMMSRM&rsquo;s secretary of Political Affairs, and Juan Linares Montufar, president of the union&rsquo;s General Council of Oversight and Justice, are accused of stealing funds awarded the union after the privatization of Grupo M&eacute;xico&rsquo;s Cananea copper mine, according to Mexico&rsquo;s top prosecutor. Mexican miners at numerous sites laid down their tools in protest against the arrests, including Fresnillo, Madero, and Sabinas worksites, demanding the immediate release of the two. 
 
The illegal arrest of Juan Linares was carried out at his home on 3 December, with a heavy presence of federal and state forces. The equally arbitrary and illegal arrest of Carlos Campos came the following day, with Campos being taken to the Camarones detention centre. 
 
These repressive actions of the Mexican government continue a worrying trend of the last three years, which has seen SNTMMSRM&rsquo;s General Secretary Napoleon Gomez Urretia twice removed from office, and other union officials charged falsely, with several of those charges dismissed in court rooms.

ICEM Condemns Union Repression by Mexican Government

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
On 11 December, ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda met with Argentine affiliates in Buenos Aires. The meeting was held with the support of Friedrich Ebert-Siftung (FES), a German-based labour foundation. It included unions representing paper workers, private-sector energy and gas workers, and others. 
 
Manfred Warda welcomed to the meeting the metal workers&rsquo; union of Argentina, a union seeking affiliation to ICEM on behalf of nuclear energy workers. 

<img height="210" alt="" src="" width="280" />
The meeting focused on recent ICEM initiatives, with attention to what is planned and occurring in the Latin American/Caribbean Region. Issues regarding energy and the different networks that operate with regional involvement in energy and chemicals were of special interest. The participants of the meeting voiced their concerns on contract and agency labour, and sustainable development. Gender and youth issues were other focuses. 
 
Warda expressed gratitude that the Argentine affiliates are prepared to welcome the next ICEM Congress in 2011. The Congress will be a resounding success, not least because of the enthusiasm shown on the part of Argentine affiliates.

ICEM Convenes Meeting of Argentine Affiliates; Agreement on 2011 Congress in Buenos Aires

<img height="39" src="" width="100" alt="" />
On 1-2 December, in Bogot&aacute;, Colombia, union leaders of ICEM affiliate Sintracarb&ograve;n delivered a list of demands to management of Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n, the world-class coal mining operation owned by BHP Billiton, AngloAmerican, and Xstrata. The workers are seeking solutions regarding serious problems in health, education, low wages, outsourcing of labour, and effects on the local community. 
 
Preliminary discussions were carried out on 3-4 December at company headquarters in the city of Barranquilla, where a course was set forth for the negotiations to continue. The direct settlement stage of discussions began 9 December, where both parties again agreed on the required methodology in approaching negotiation of the union demands. 
 
This massive open-pit mining enterprise in the northern state of Guajira produces highly desirable low-carbon thermal coal. The mine produces 32 million tones annually, with a majority of that shipped to Europe, with exports to North America second in scope.
<img height="252" src="" width="300" alt="" />
Miners of Sintracarb&ograve;n in Colombia&nbsp; 
 

Since January 2007, when the ICEM assisted Sintracarb&ograve;n in achieving its current and now expiring labour contract, the number of health problems of workers has increased dramatically, up to 700, leading to the demand for a better health care system for both workers and their families. Aims to reduce the numbers of outsourced workers at the mine would develop economic stability for miners and their families, as well as efficient unionization of the workforce enabling collective bargaining. 
 
The union represents some 4,500 full-time Carbones del Cerrej&oacute;n workers, with another 4,000 employees working for service providers. Sintracarb&ograve;n is requesting solidarity again from its global affiliation, as well as from national level unions in Colombia as the talks progress in December.

Sintracarbòn Enters Critical Talks with Carbones del Cerrejon in Columbia

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs Joe Drexler reports that progress is being made with Russian and Ukrainian governments by ICEM-affiliated mining affiliates in promoting the ratification of the ILO Convention 176 on Health and Safety in Mines. 
 
Russia experienced a major mining disaster last week when 12 people were killed at an apatite mine near Kirovsk, in the Murmansk region, and Ukraine has the most dangerous coal mines in Europe. Apatite is used in fertilizer production. 
 
In a week-long trip that included stops in Moscow, Russia, and Kiev and Donetsk, Ukraine, Drexler met with union leaders, employers, and government officials including the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development in Russia and the Minister of Coal in Ukraine. The meetings with the ministers were set up by Ivan Mokhnachuk, President of the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union, and Victor Turmanov, Chairman of the Trade Union of Workers&rsquo; of the Coal Industry of Ukraine. 

<img height="186" alt="" src="" width="278" />
Left, Joe Drexler, ICEM Director for Industry and Corporate Affairs; right, Ivan Mokhnachuk, President of the Russian Independent Coal Employees' Union (Rosugleprof)
In Russia, the Chemical and Allied Industries Workers Union, which represents some 50,000 largely phosphate and potash miners, and the Russian Trade Union of Metal Workers in the Nickel, Cobalt, and Platinum Industries, representing miners at Norlisk Nickel, offered strong support for the ratification of ILO Convention 176. Valery Glaskov, president of the metal mining union, also said he would open direct talks with Norlisk about a Global Framework Agreement. The talks will include the ICEM and trade unions outside of Russia. Norlisk has mining operations in Africa and the US.
It is in Ukraine where the prospect of achieving ratification of ILO Convention 176 in the near-term appears most likely. Victor Turmanov, who is also a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, has been leading the effort along with Mikhail Volynets of the ICEM affiliated Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine, and also a member of Parliament. A meeting was also held with Vasyl Khara, President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, and yet another member of Parliament. Although much of the research and proposed changes to mining laws and regulations have been prepared, unified political pressure will be required to ensure ratification. 
&ldquo;I think we can say with confidence that Ukraine will become the 23rd nation to ratify ILO 176,&rdquo; said Turmanov after a meeting with Viktor Poltavets, the Minister of Coal, who gave his whole-hearted commitment to push for ratification in 2009. 
 
The ICEM has been lobbying the ILO to step up its own efforts to promote the ratification of the convention. The ILO is setting up workshops about ratification in India and Mongolia, but after several months of discussion, no meeting dates have been set. 
 
Indian unions have grown frustrated over the slow progress by the ILO and are actively engaged in lobbying efforts with government and employers. The Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) of Australia has received a commitment from the new Labour government that it will also proceed next year toward ratification. 
 
Ratification of ILO Convention 176 will result in needed improvements in mining regulations and laws in most countries which have not yet ratified. Experience has shown that good mining laws and regulation will make mines safer.

ILO Mine, Safety Convention 176 Moves Closer to Realty in Russia, Ukraine

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A critical meeting was held in Basra at the headquarters of the Federation of Workers&rsquo; Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI) on 29 November. Iraqi union leaders of FWCUI&rsquo;s branches met in a general session with an emphasis on preparing for elections in the oil sector. 
 
The meeting was attended by 36 trade union leaders of the oil sector, including workers&rsquo; representatives from the northern Rumaylah fields, the southern Rumaylah fields, as well as the Birjisiya, Shiayba, and Saltt stations, the pipelines company, the petrochemical company, and the headquarters unit of the Southern Oil Co. 

<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="267" />
The meeting was chaired by Thair Ismaieel, coordinator of FWCUI&rsquo;s preparatory committee, and was attended by Raiad Mahmoud and Haydar Abd Alilah, charged with administrative and financial affairs, for the union, and by Kareem Johi, Secretary of FWCUI&rsquo;s Petro-Chemicals Branch. 
 
The meeting produced a set of recommendations intended to determine responsibilities of the union&rsquo;s supreme committee regarding elections, and a call to respect the instructions issued by this committee. 
 
The recommendations also include mechanisms to empower union members to shape the federation as an independent organization, to encourage women to join unions of the federation, a call to unionists to be willing and able to support workers&rsquo; activities in all sectors, and publishing and distribution of FWCUI&rsquo;s newspaper in all workplaces. 
 
The meeting took up the challenges to the 1987 Saddam-era Decree 150 &ndash; still in force &ndash;which prohibits independent trade unions in the public sector, and also explored ways to expand membership. FWCUI is focused on making its unions power tools in the hands of workers.
<img height="80" alt="" src="" width="120" />
A week after the meeting, on 5 December, FWCUI issued a strong statement against the so-called &ldquo;Security Agreement&rdquo; between the US and the government of Iraq. That statement rejects the agreement and invites other Iraqi parties that reject the agreement &ldquo;to place their opposition in the political arena (in order) to widen the public discourse and to transform the rejection of this agreement to an empowerment of the people.&rdquo; 
 
FWCUI members of the supreme committee for elections includes: Thaier Ismaieel, President; Mustapha Ahmed and Mahdi Bishara, Vice Presidents; Raid Abd Alqader, Secretary; Ghazi Abd Alqader, Secretary Assistant; Dhaher Auda, Administrative and Financial Affairs Officer; Nashwan Faisal, Administrative/Financial Assistant; Kareem Johi, Communications Officer; Mukhlis Faisal, Public Relations Officer; and Saffa Talib and Muayad Hamad, respective assistants in those latter areas.

FWCUI in Iraq Holds Crucial Meeting Leading Up to Elections

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
A call for action was made by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on 8 December, following the arrest of KCTU President Lee Suk-haeng three days earlier. 
 
The alleged reason for the arrest was Lee Suk-haeng&rsquo;s role in organizing a general strike on 2 July, deemed as &ldquo;illegal.&rdquo; The Korean labour leader&rsquo;s solidarity action, supporting the E-land contract labour strike in 2007, had drawn the wrath of South Korean authorities then, and resulted in his arrest early this month. 
 
The general strike was called to gain the right to re-negotiate on health and safety, specifically the 2007 Protocol on US beef imports, on food-safety grounds. The KCTU had organized various solidarity actions in support of the strike by the E-land workers, protesting against sudden termination of contracts and illegal subcontracting, which clearly violated the Korean Irregular Workers law of July 2007. 
 
The charge against KTCU President Lee Suk-haeng is &ldquo;obstruction of business,&rdquo; under section 314 of the Penal Code. However, freedom of association and the right to strike under collective bargaining are clearly protected by ILO Core Conventions 87 and 98. 
 
The 8 December KCTU call for pressure on the Korean government, to stop trade union repression, respect health and safety consultation, and to show proof that ILO conventions are being practiced, is important. It is also important in gaining the immediate release of Bro. Lee Suk-haeng. 
 
The call has been answered by the ICEM; the ICEM letter can be found <a href="/index.php?id=7&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=2927">here</a>; the ICEM encourages trade unions to copy or excerpt the letter, and to lodge their own protests with the South Korean government.

ICEM Joins Wide Protest of Korean Trade Union President’s Arrest

Lee Myung Bak 
President 
Republic Of Korea 
December 11, 2008 

The ICEM, representing 20 Million Workers in Chemical, Energy and Mining Industry over 130 countries strongly protests at the arrest of Mr. Lee Suk-haeng, President of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). 

The ICEM has been informed that Bro. Lee Suk-haeng was arrested on 5 December, at 10:40 pm, in connection with his role in organising an &ldquo;illegal&rdquo; general strike on 2 July 2008 and in organising a solidarity action in support of the E-land Retail Precarious workers&rsquo; strike in 2007. 
We understand that Brother Lee Suk-haeng would be mainly charged with &ldquo;obstruction of business&rdquo; (provision in section 314 of the Penal Code) due to his role in these actions. 

The ICEM is appalled that trade union leaders are being arrested and detained merely for exercising fundamental workers' rights, like to the right to strike. The right to strike encompasses both the right for workers to pursue demonstrations concerning social and economic policies affecting its members, as well as solidarity actions. We are very concerned about the severe form and nature of the repression, especially the deprivation of liberty of those involved and the intrusion into the privacy of family members. The targeting of top union leaders is blatant anti-union repression and the ICEM is disappointed that the government has chosen to keep union leaders imprisoned for longer periods in this case. 

The ICEM is urging your government to order the immediate release of Mr. Lee Suk-haeng and all other imprisoned trade unionists and that all charges against them be dropped. It also urges you to ensure that the arrest warrants against all other labour leaders be withdrawn immediately. 

In the meantime, I trust that you will pay prompt attention to this very serious matter. 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Manfred Warda 
General Secretary 
ICEM

ICEM Letter to South Korean Government On Arest of Lee Suk-haeng

<img height="39" alt="" src="" width="100" />
ICEM &uuml;yesi Yeni Zelanda sendikası Ulusal Dağıtım Sendikası'na (NDU) &uuml;ye k&uuml;&ccedil;&uuml;k bir antrepo iş&ccedil;ileri grubu Auckland'da ilk toplu s&ouml;zleşmeyi bağıtlamak i&ccedil;in &ccedil;etin bir m&uuml;cadele veriyorlar. Auckland antrepo iş&ccedil;ileri y&ouml;redeki işyerlerinde &ccedil;alışan dağıtım iş&ccedil;ilerinden y&uuml;zde 30 kadar daha az &uuml;cret &ouml;alıyorlar ve y&ouml;neticilerin aşağılayıcı davranışlarıyla karşı karşıya kalıyorlar. Yeni Zelanda'daki antrepoda L&rsquo;Oreal 20 kadar taşeron iş&ccedil;isi istihdam ediyor. 
 
11 iş&ccedil;inin Ekim sonlarındaki iki kosa grevinin ardından iş&ccedil;ilerin taleplerine sahip &ccedil;ıkan Avrupa'daki kozmetik şirketinde &ccedil;alışan iş&ccedil;ileri temsil eden sendikalarla temasa ge&ccedil;ti ve onlardan Fransa'da kurulu şirket hakkında şik&acirc;yette bulunmalarını istedi. 
 
Yeni Zelanda'daki uyuşmazlık Fransız, Bel&ccedil;ika, Alman, İspanyol ve İtalyan sendikalarının, ICEM'in de katılımıyla, Br&uuml;ksel'de d&uuml;zenledikleri L&rsquo;Oreal'le ilgili bir toplantıda ele alındı. Toplantıda şirketin Avrupa'daki durumu ve koşulları &uuml;zerine ciddi bir değerlendirme ve g&ouml;r&uuml;ş alışverişi yapıldı. Katılımcı sendikalar şimdi Yeni Zelanda'daki uyuşmazlıkla ilgili gelişmeleri dikkatle izliyorlar. 
<img height="92" alt="" src="" width="200" />
NDU yeni antrepodaki iş&ccedil;ileri bu yılın başlarında &ouml;rg&uuml;tledi, ama L&rsquo;Oreal bir toplu s&ouml;zleşme bağıtlama fikrine baştan karşı &ccedil;ıktı. 5 Kasım'daki g&ouml;r&uuml;şmelerde şirket NDU'nun diğer dağıtım iş&ccedil;ileriyle eşitlik sağlamaya y&ouml;nelik &uuml;cret teklifini aldı, fakat y&ouml;neticilerin bir toplu s&ouml;zleşme isteyip istemediklerinden emin olmadığını s&ouml;yledi. 
 
Genel Sekreter Manfred Warda şirketin Fransa'daki genel merkezine g&ouml;nderdiği bir mektupta, şirketin NDU'ya y&ouml;nelik tutumunun ILO'nun 98 nolu &Ouml;rg&uuml;tlenme ve Toplu Pazarlık Hakkı S&ouml;zleşmesi'ni ihlal ettiğini, bu s&ouml;zleşmenin &ouml;ng&ouml;rd&uuml;ğ&uuml; kuralları hem Fransa hem Yeni Zelanda y&ouml;netimlerinin onayladığını ağır bir &uuml;slupla hatırlattı. 

<img height="193" alt="" src="" width="140" /> 
ICEM Genel Sekreteri Manfred Warda 

Warda, mektupta ayrıca, Br&uuml;ksel'de yapılan toplantının ana konusunun &ldquo;L&rsquo;Oreal ile sendikalar arasında sosyal diyalogu karşılıklı tanıma ve saygı temelinde g&uuml;&ccedil;lendirmenin yollarını aramak olduğunu&rdquo; vurguladı ve ş&ouml;yle dedi: &ldquo;ICEM i&ccedil;in bu k&uuml;resel d&uuml;zeyde anlam taşımaktadır.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;Sizin Yeni Zelanda'daki y&ouml;netiminizin &ccedil;alışma ilişkilerine y&ouml;nelik tutumu buna t&uuml;m&uuml;yle aykırıdır. Auckland'daki sorun en kısa s&uuml;re i&ccedil;inde &ccedil;&ouml;z&uuml;me kavuşmayacak olursa, ICEM bu uyuşmazlığa d&uuml;nyadaki ICEM &uuml;yesi diğer L&rsquo;Oreal sendikalarını katmayı d&uuml;ş&uuml;n&uuml;yor.&rdquo;

ICEM Üyesi Avrupa Sendikalar Yeni Zelanda&#039;daki L&#039;Oreal İşçilerinin Mücadelesine Destek Verdi

Archive

Joint Global Union Action Gives Contract Workers of Unilever First Grasp of Victory in Turkey

ICEM, Rhodia Monitor Global Agreement at Brazilian Plants

ICEM Condemns Union Repression by Mexican Government

ICEM Convenes Meeting of Argentine Affiliates; Agreement on 2011 Congress in Buenos Aires

Sintracarbòn Enters Critical Talks with Carbones del Cerrejon in Columbia

ILO Mine, Safety Convention 176 Moves Closer to Realty in Russia, Ukraine

FWCUI in Iraq Holds Crucial Meeting Leading Up to Elections

ICEM Joins Wide Protest of Korean Trade Union President’s Arrest

ICEM Letter to South Korean Government On Arest of Lee Suk-haeng

ICEM Üyesi Avrupa Sendikalar Yeni Zelanda'daki L'Oreal İşçilerinin Mücadelesine Destek Verdi

About IndustriALL

Follow us

Contact us