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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

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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. 

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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

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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. 

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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.
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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

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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

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After four years of existence, the Global Union Research Network (GURN), a joint ILO and global unions research forum, unveiled a more user-friendly and attractive web site. Users will find it much easier to navigate and search for documents and information on the many topics covered by the institute. 
 
A new addition to the site is the topic on Public-Private Partnership, which allows GURN to provide information on eleven important research topics: Corporate Governance; Economic Alternatives and Poverty Eradication; Global Trade Union Strategies (Union Renewal); Health Politics and Trade Unions; Migration; OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) &amp; International Financial Institutions (IFIs); Public-Private Partnerships; Sustainable Development; Trade; and Wages and Collective Bargaining 
 
The new Public-Private Partnership (PPP) page is created to shed light on the issues and concerns related to PPPs in different countries. 
 
GURN is a platform for trade unionists and researchers dealing with the challenges of globalization from a labour perspective. Partners to it include the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) of the OECD, the Global Union Federations, the ILO&rsquo;s Bureau for Workers&rsquo; Activities (ACTRAV), and the ILO&rsquo;s Institute for Labour Studies. 
 
The new site can be found <a href="http://www.gurn.info/en/">here</a>.

GURN Launches New Website

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The ICEM has received a request for affiliation by the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM), a progressive trade union of 250,000 members. Although formal acceptance of the affiliation is subject to approval by the regional committee and the ICEM Executive Committee, it is anticipated that approval will be unanimous. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda, in a letter to SNTMMSRM Secretary General Napoleon G&oacute;mez Urrutia and the union&rsquo;s executive board, welcomed the application for affiliation: &ldquo;We view your affiliation as an historic step to not only align with mining unions throughout the world but also to further integrate the struggle for free and democratic trade unionism in Mexico with both the North America and Latin America regions of the ICEM.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM has joined a global campaign, initiated by the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF), to bring more public attention and pressure on the Mexican government to stop efforts to destroy the union. Numerous ICEM affiliates have sent letters to Mexican President Felipe Calder&oacute;ne, protesting the collaboration of the government with Grupo M&eacute;xico to crush one of the few examples of democratic trade unionism in the country. The ICEM encourages additional letters, please refer to <a href="/index.php?id=155&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=2797">here</a>. 
 
Napoleon G&oacute;mez and his family, fearing assassination or incarceration on trumped up charges by the Mexican government, have been in exile in Canada under the sponsorship of the United Steelworkers. In May 2008, he was unanimously was re-elected as general secretary while in exile. 
 
In February 2006, a coal mine explosion killed 65 miners and only two bodies were ever recovered. The government has refused to investigate the cause of the accident. The government has also refused to investigate Grupo Mexico&rsquo;s involvement in the murder of Reynaldo Hern&aacute;ndez Gonz&aacute;lez, a miner who was applying for reinstatement, and the detention and torture of union members in Nacozari, Sonora. 
 
In April 2006, the government of Mexico sent 1,000 armed officers in an unsuccessful attempt to crush a strike in the State of Michoacan which resulted in two workers being killed and more than 100 persons injured. Strikes, prompted partly by health and safety concerns, continue at Grupo M&eacute;xico mines.

ICEM Welcomes Affiliation Request from Mexico’s National Miners’ and Metalworkers’ Union

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A methane gas explosion killed 13 miners and wounded 14 others at the Petrila site of the National Coal Co. in the Jiu valley, Romania. The tragedy occurred 15 November. 
 
Among the dead were four emergency workers who were killed by a second explosion four hours later. They were attempting to rescue survivors, and recover bodies. All rescue activities were put on hold for 48 hours following the second blast. The final miner died of cardiac arrest early last week at a Bucharest hospital. 
 
The mine was shut down for two weeks, and reopened on 27 November. Workers held a memorial service on 18 November. The company paid the wages and seniority bonuses for the mine&rsquo;s 1,490 workers during the two-week shutdown. 

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Romania&rsquo;s worst mining disaster in 28 years, the two Petrila explosions on 15 November had attracted serious attention by the country&rsquo;s President. Both called for tougher scrutiny of safety at Romanian mining sites. &ldquo;This is too big a tragedy not to wonder about the causes,&rdquo; stated President Traian Basescu. &ldquo;The inquiry will determine if all protective measures were taken when the first miners went down the shafts and if the rescuers&rsquo; intervention was done according to the rules,&rdquo; said Varujan Vosganian, Romania&rsquo;s Minister of Economy and Commerce. 
 
Rumours were backed up by relatives that miners had been forced to continue working despite high readings of methane levels six days before the disaster. Smaller gas explosions had occurred in the mine. 
 
Ovidiu Jurca, Vice President of a national trade union bloc, BNS, said, &ldquo;Its criminal negligence to let these people work when the accepted methane gas level has been topped.&rdquo;

Thirteen Dead in Romania Mine Blast

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Mine safety in South Africa was enhanced on 21 November when the country&rsquo;s Parliament passed amendments to the Mine Health and Safety law. The legislation must now go to President Kgalema Motlanthe for his signature before becoming effective. 
 
But South Africa&rsquo;s government is still withholding a presidential audit on health and safety in the mining industry. And ICEM&rsquo;s largest affiliate in Africa wants the report brought into the open. 
<img height="94" alt="" src="" width="140" />
South Africa President, Kgalema Motlanthe
At its National Executive Meeting (NEC) in Vereeniging, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) called for the immediate release of the national audit. &ldquo;The way the report has been held up gives suspicion that it may contain controversial safety details. We believe that the audit will reveal the true status of safety standards in the various mining companies,&rdquo; said NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni. 
 
After months-long lobbying to derail the safety reform bill by the Chamber of Mines, Parliament passed the measure ten days ago. A memorandum attached to the final version of the bill called it &ldquo;premised on the principle that the responsibility for health and safety lies with the employers.&rdquo; 
 
The reform measure includes insistence that mine safety investigations be carried out within ten days of occurrence, and that the reports are issued within 30 days. The reform also contains a criminal liability clause in which company executives can face a five-fold increase in fines and penalties if convicted of responsibility in health and safety accidents or deaths. 
 
Although NUM applauded passage of the stricter safety enforcement, it insists that the Mbeki safety audit must be forthcoming immediately. The audit was commissioned by former president Thabo Mbeki in October 2007, after 3,200 workers were trapped underground at Harmony Gold's Elandsrand mine. Miraculously, they were all rescued. The Mbeki national safety report, despite at least two pronouncements that it would be issued, has still has not been made public. 

<img height="200" alt="" src="" width="141" />
NUM Gen. Sec. Frans Beleni
&quot;The NEC noted with serious concern the escalating number of workers who perish in the line of duty,&rdquo; said the NUM&rsquo;s Baleni. &ldquo;Over 180 mineworkers have died (this year) and thousands others have been injured, while thousands more suffer from respiratory diseases,&quot; he added. He called on the government to &quot;beef up inspectors&rdquo; to ensure that companies operating mines and building sites adhere to proper safety measures.&quot; 
 
Following the Elandsrand accident 14 months ago, the NUM called for an independent safety audit of mines and facilities. The national audit instead was carried out by the inspectorate of the Mines and Energy Department. 
 
More recently, the NUM presented an impact assessment report to a discussion forum on health risks to miners. The NUM proved that the blasting process produces large amounts of dust in both air and water. According to the NUM, this dust causes most miners to suffer for respiratory diseases, such as pulmonary tuberculosis and silicosis, as well as asbestos-related, skin and eye diseases, acute diarrhoea or noise-induced hearing loss. 
 
Meanwhile, the death toll continues to mount in the country&rsquo;s mines. Deaths in recent weeks have included: two miners killed at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s TauTona mine near Carltonville, on 27 and 31 September; a miner killed at Harmony&rsquo;s Elandsrand operation in a cave-in; a miner killed at Gold Fields&rsquo; Driefontain mine following an earth tremor on 16 October; a fatality caused by electrocution from underground machinery at AngloCoal&rsquo;s Greenside Colliery, 19 October; a Northam Platinum employee who died in an underground industrial accident near Thabazimbi on 11 November; and a miner employed by DeBeers at its Finsch mine in the Northern Cape died on 17 November.

South African Parliament Passes Mine Safety Reform; Year-long Safety Audit Still Held-up

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A recently released study by the Human Science Research Council of South Africa&rsquo;s Witwatersrand University reveals that the country&rsquo;s mining industry is becoming more and more reliant on short-term contract workers and casual labour. The survey found, for instance, that over 60% of the platinum mines in the Rustenburg area use non-regular workers in order to avoid accountability and reduce their costs.
Overall nationally in South Africa, 36% of all platinum mines use subcontract labour, with researchers finding that many of the workers come from other southern African countries. That gives employers less direct responsibility in the event of injury or economic liability. 
 
The Witwatersrand study said the number of subcontractors in South Africa&rsquo;s mining sector increased from 90,231 in 2003 to 122,589 in 2005. 

<img height="108" alt="" src="" width="180" />
The study, commissioned by the government&rsquo;s Labour Department, reveals that the trend is growing alarmingly. A spokesperson for the study, Professor Edward Webster, said a lesson can be drawn that the informal economy of three decades ago, which drew workers from the urban poor into unregistered enterprises, has now been replaced by formal enterprises utilizing more and more casual and subcontract workers. 
 
The research also found that most employers surveyed do not adhere to stipulated wage minimums, resulting in exploitation and disempowerment of workers, and threats of dismissals are common if casual workers attempt to align with trade unions. 
 
Labor Department Acting Director-General Les Kettledas told a news agency that the state has adequate laws and policies to prevent exploitation of short-term contract workers, but strategies to implement those policies and laws fall short. He said the aim of commissioning the university&rsquo;s Sociology of Work Programme for the study was to assure corrective measures are implemented. 
 
Kettledas admitted the findings are a reflection of the reality that now exists in the formal sectors.

South African Study Shows Contract Labour ‘Growing Alarmingly’ in Mining

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