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The issue of forced labour in Burma was prominent during the opening days of the 98th session of ILO&rsquo;s International Labour Congress, with a general session held on the issue on 6 June. The debate centered on what the Burmese military junta has done to eradicate forced labour, and how the ruling regime conspires to block any meaningful reform on forced labour in the southern Asian country. 
 
The session provided grim evidence that Burma is nowhere near fulfilling progress toward ratification of ILO Conventions 29 and 87, the Forced and Compulsory Labour Convention (1930) and the Freedom of Association Convention (1948). The debate also proved the regime is doing too little to bring the issue into effect through local statutes in towns and villages. The 6 June ILO debate was the ninth time the ILO has taken up the despicable Burmese work practice of forced labour in special session. 

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FTUB President Maung Maung has been in exile in Thailand
Representatives from the ILO workers&rsquo; group, Actrav, presented several examples aside horrid statistics to prove the illegitimate government has failed to adequately address the issue. The employers&rsquo; representative, despite few employer delegates being present at the general session, said &ldquo;words are not enough&rdquo; in giving failing marks on the junta&rsquo;s progress on the issue. 
 
The governments of China and other Asian nations claimed progress is being made. For example, the re-signing earlier this year of a &ldquo;supplementary understanding&rdquo; between the ILO and the military rulers was cited. But the employer representative&rsquo;s remarks and the facts prove differently. 
 
One such fact, cited by Chihiro Ikusawa of Japanese trade union federation JTUC-Rengo, is that despite the common opinion that international divestment from Burma must occur, direct investment in 2008 over 2007 increased 93%. She said a good portion of this is Chinese investment, and most specifically in mining. 

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The Korean workers&rsquo; delegate, C.K. Lee of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), called attention to specific Korean investments in Burma and said his government &ldquo;has betrayed our confidence&rdquo; in endorsing such business ventures. A Brazilian workers&rsquo; delegate said forced labour violations are too numerous, and banking and financial ties with Burma must be broken. 
 
A vivid connection between labour and agriculture was also mentioned by one speaker, who said government decrees mandating a portion of a farmer&rsquo;s lands for a specific state purpose is, in and of itself, forced labour. The issue of child conscription into military duty was addressed. And the EU representative present &ndash; from the current EU chair, the Czech Republic &ndash; said Burma&rsquo;s rulers &ldquo;lack any credibility&rdquo; until they release some 2,000 political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Other speakers noted the timing of the Nobel peace laureate&rsquo;s current incarceration with upcoming 2010 elections. 
 
In a report issued by a panel of ILO experts, a recommendation is offered to the ruling government to amend part of its new constitution giving it power to conscript Burmese citizens into captive labour jobs. That will likely be ignored, and the political and financial windfall that has driven forced labour will continue.

ILO: Burmese Junta Hammered Again on Forced Labour

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The roll-out of the revised Global Framework Agreement between EDF, French and other national unions, and the ICEM and global federations did not come without workers&rsquo; representatives airing the shortcomings to the electric company&rsquo;s application of its social responsibility principles. In Paris last week, from 12-14 May, EDF senior managers and the trade unions reviewed performance of the agreement through an established joint Consultation Committee for Social Responsibility (CCSR). 
 
A renewed global pact was agreed to in January 2009 for a four-year period. Last week marked the official unveiling and signing of the improved agreement by the social partners, which included the presence of EDF Chairman and CEO Pierre Gadonneix. The meetings also saw the election of a secretary for the workers&rsquo; representatives, selection of a six-member bureau to oversee the agreement, and a thorough review of the 22 articles contained in the social responsibility document. 
 
During the review, the 22 workers&rsquo; representatives from seven countries did produce a declaration of dissatisfaction on recent corporate performance. It was read to Gadonneix during an extensive question and answer session on 13 May. The declaration specifically cited workers taking industrial actions in France over social degradation, and a break-down in social dialogue at EDF&rsquo;s four businesses in Poland which caused workers to stage a manifestation at the French embassy in Warsaw on 5 May. 

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EDF&rsquo;s CCSR Workers&rsquo; Bureau, with Pierre Gadonneix (centre), from left, Guoping Zhou, CCAP, China; Pascal Lambolez, CGT, France; Dominique Tavera, FO, France; Lee Parris, Prospect, UK; Marc Ferron, Secretary, FCE-CFDT, France; and Walentyn Sasim, Solidarnosc, Poland 
The declaration also called EDF&rsquo;s restructurings and financial deals expensive, with workers suffering adverse effects. We &ldquo;note a general worsening of the social conditions within all subsidiaries of the group, a worsening in job security due to outsourcing, a worsening of both living and working conditions, and a worsening of social dialogue, particularly when it comes to salary negotiations. We cannot accept that workers pay the price for the strategic choices made by the company.&rdquo; 
 
The workers&rsquo; representatives of the CCSR said it refuses to let the agreement be used as mere &ldquo;social window dressing for EDF&rdquo; and demanded that managers at all levels of the company &ldquo;agree and respect without restrictions&rdquo; the general spirit of all the articles of the global agreement. 
 
Gadonneix responded by saying that he heard the pronouncements of the declaration. He also said he wants the social responsibility agreement to be window dressing for EDF, but that he desires to have &ldquo;substance inside that window.&rdquo; 
 
Workers&rsquo; representatives on the CCSR come from five different unions inside France, three from the UK, and representation from trade unions of Poland, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Vietnam, and China. 
 
Marc Ferron, representing ICEM French affiliate FCE-CFDT, was re-elected as secretary of the CCSR, and will serve a two-year term leading the global workers&rsquo; representatives to ensure EDF compliance with the agreement. The company is rapidly expanding operations both inside Europe and around the world.

EDF’s New Global Agreement Unveiled, Complete with Company’s Social Errors

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A week of industrial actions against AngloGold Ashanti by miners aligned with ICEM affiliate Ghana Mineworkers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) was avoided late last month when the union and company came to a Memorandum of Understanding that settles a three-year dispute over an Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP). 
 
The dispute dates back to November 2006, when Ashanti Goldfields fully merged with South Africa-based AngloGold. Then, GMWU proposed an ESOP for Ashanti staff at the Obuasi and Iduapriem gold mines who did not receive a US$1,000 &ldquo;goodwill package&rdquo; at the time of the merger. 

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AngloGold refused to take up the proposal, resulting in a two-and-a-year stalemate. In October 2008, the two sides resumed talks on the ESOP with GMWU giving the negotiations process six months to produce an ESOP. By 24 April, when Ghana management of the mining house still would not move toward ESOP parity for the Ghana miners with their South Africa counterparts, GMWU issued a press release calling it &ldquo;morally wrong for AngloGold Ashanti to discriminate in its employee relations,&rdquo; and stating a week of protests would result. 
 
But on 28 April, the two sides, meeting in Accra, agreed to an ESOP called for the 5,000 affected miners to receive 20 shares each of AngloGold stock, to be paid across four years in five-share increments. The first such award was made in May 2009. 
 
In a joint statement, GMWU General Secretary Prince William Ankrah and company Vice President for Ghana, Keith Faulkner, said: &ldquo;We are very pleased that this matter has been finalised. We see it as an important further step towards improved cooperation between the company and the union which we are convinced will advance the interests of both the company&rsquo;s employees and its shareholders.&rdquo;

ESOP Accord reached Between Ghana Mineworkers and AngloGold, Averting Industrial Actions

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Six miners are likely dead following a roof collapse at the Novodzerzhynska coal mine in Dzerzhynsk, Donetsk region, on 4 May. In a release issued by the Ukrainian Trade Union Federation, ICEM-affiliated Coal Mining Industry Workers&rsquo; Union (PRUPU) President Viktor Turmanov said the disaster was likely &ldquo;caused by gross safety violations&rdquo; due to the shift of rock underground. 
 
Three mines died instantly, while three others were rescued after nearly three days underground. The remaining three miners are unaccounted for and their exact underground location was still unknown as of last week. Fourteen miners were working inside the mine at the time of the collapse, with five able to immediately escape. 

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Turmanov said the search would continue this week, with restoration of the roof needed to carry on with a possible rescue attempt. But after two weeks, it is unlikely the three miners will be found alive. It the area where the roof collapsed, some 250 square metres of rubble accumulated. The tragedy happened 58 metres underground. 
 
Turmanov and PRUPU were instrumental in the days following the deaths in getting Ukraine&rsquo;s Cabinet of Ministers to set aside a large sum of money for better safety conditions at the Novodzerzhynska mine, which included compensation to the mining victims&rsquo; families. 
 
The mine in eastern Ukraine mine was reorganised last year and became a state enterprise connected to the Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine.

Mine Deaths in Donetsk Region, Ukraine, Raises PRUPU Safety Call

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The ICEM took part in the 21st International Mining Conference of Turkey, sponsored by the Turkish Chamber of Mining Engineers. The ICEM&rsquo;s campaign for ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, was continued there. The ICEM, the ILO, and Turkish mining affiliates met in Ankara during the first week of May, resulting in commitments from the unions to work towards ratification. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s mining programme established mechanisms for mining unions in Turkey to exchange successful strategies to combat the global financial crisis. Significant examples come from ICEM mining affiliates in Africa, where different forms of nationalisation and state mining enterprise are emerging to block mass job losses. The ICEM also showcased actions by African mining unions to head off efforts by employers in taking advantage of the financial crisis. 

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In other news, trade unionists in Istanbul carried out an historic May Day by ending a march in the city&rsquo;s Taksin Square. Workers&rsquo; had been banned from holding May Day rallies there by the military in 1980, and that ban was only lifted in the days before 2009&rsquo;s May Day celebration. Taksin Square is the site of the so-called &ldquo;Bloody May 1&rdquo; of 1977, in which 36 trade unionists were killed. It is significant to Turkish unions, standing as the symbol for the right to assemble and for free speech. 
 
In Turkey, 1 May this year was a public holiday for the first time, following a successful campaign of pressure by trade unions.

ICEM Campaign for ILO 176 Continues in Turkey

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The German social-democratic organisation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), released a briefing paper entitled &ldquo;Comeback of Global Governance,&rdquo; outlining the need for reform of mechanisms for global political and monetary governance. The current financial crisis is seen by many as the opportunity to reform global financial bodies, which fail both in terms of representation and of effectiveness. 
 
The past year has seen a list of failures in terms of global governance, from the Doha round of world trade talks to follow-up of the Monterrey Financing for Development Conference. Even the preliminary rounds of discussion at Posnan, Poland, environment and sustainability forums have illustrated significant obstacles in commitments over combating climate change. 
 
Arguably the most vital changes needed are inside the International Monetary Fund (IMF), whose failings have become all too apparent during this current global recession. The current financial crisis is a clear indication of how urgently an effective global regulatory framework is needed in order to come to grips with the present crisis and to contain future excesses. The days of the World Bank and IMF governing the world on a neo-liberal agenda now must end. 
 
The IMF&rsquo;s system of quotas and voting rights gives European countries an imbalanced amount of power that is no longer justified by their order in the world economy. Despite the limited voting-rights reform carried out in March 2008, the Benelux countries, for example, continue to have a higher quota than China. The reforms to the IMF that are on the agenda will go some way towards creating a fairer system, although they do not go far enough in &lsquo;giving a voice to the voiceless.&rsquo; 
 
The current economic climate offers many alternatives for change. US President Barack Obama seeks to establish a new disarmament and non-proliferation treaty. German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for a world economic council. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown advocate an international banking oversight commission. Germany and France, together with Russia and Brazil, promote a new global economic and financial architecture that has a special focus on regulating financial markets. 
 
Find the FES briefing paper <a href="http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/global/06319.pdf ">here</a>.

International Labour Calls for Reform of the Structures of Global Governance

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Following the release of the English and Arabic versions of the &ldquo;ICEM Guide on Contact and Agency Labour (CAL),&rdquo; the ICEM has now also released French, Spanish, and Russian versions of this important tool to assist unions around the world with their efforts in this growing area of work. 
 
The French version can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/icem%20manual%20frans%2026032009def.pdf ">here</a>. 
The Spanish version can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/icem%20manual%20spaans%20070420092.pdf ">here</a>. 
The Russian version can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org/images/documents/icemmanualrussiandef.pdf ">here</a>. 
 
The English and Arabic versions of the manual, as well as the ICEM&rsquo;s CAL campaign website can be found <a href="http://cal.icem.org">here</a>. 
 
The ICEM CAL Guide describes numerous problems faced by short-term contract workers, and by workers employed through temporary work agencies, containing a number of best - as well as worst - practices from around the world. 
 
The guide also provides an overview of some of the most recent changes in national and international labour laws and standards. It further deals with combating the phenomenon at company level through collective negotiations. Useful and encouraging examples, together with union strategies and ideas to counter the many abuses in this field, are also provided.

ICEM Releases Contract and Agency Manual in French, Spanish, Russian

La agrupaci&oacute;n Global Unions, que est&aacute; integrada por 13 federaciones sindicales internacionales, la Confederaci&oacute;n Sindical Internacional (CSI), y el TUAC de la OCDE, sabe cu&aacute;n importante es que en EE.UU. se apruebe el Acta de Libertad de Elecci&oacute;n de los Empleados (EFCA). Sabemos que para tener una econom&iacute;a fuerte, se tiene que dar a los trabajadores la oportunidad de afiliarse a un sindicato y realizar negociaciones colectivas para que se paguen sueldos justos y se eleven las prestaciones sociales de todos los ciudadanos de la sociedad. 
 
Creemos que &eacute;ste es el aspecto fundamental del Acta de Libertad de Elecci&oacute;n de los Empleados. Nuestro sindicato respalda firmemente a los sindicatos norteamericanos en el trabajo que realizan para lograr que el Congreso de Estados Unidos apruebe este proyecto de ley, que cuenta con el apoyo del Presidente Obama. Rogamos informar a los miembros de su sindicato, como tambi&eacute;n a sus funcionarios sindicales elegidos, que nuestro sindicato apoya plenamente el EFCA, y que consideramos que es un elemento esencial de una sociedad libre que permita a los trabajadores afiliarse a un sindicato, sin que les pongan obst&aacute;culos. 
 
(Firmado &hellip; Nombre del funcionario sindical) 
(Nombre del sindicato) 
(Pa&iacute;s)

Llamada Urgente: EFCA Letter ESP

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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report, among other items, on the HIV/AIDS activities planned by ICEM affiliates in sub-Saharan African countries and on HIV/AIDS projects sponsored by the British Trades Union Congress.
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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News from Affiliates 
 
National HIV/AIDS activities by ICEM affiliates in sub-Saharan Africa in 2009 are off to a good start. During the first quarter of the year, national coordinators in participating countries submitted proposals for national activities that are supported with small subsidies from the HIV/AIDS project sponsored by the Swedish LO/TCO Secretariat and the Dutch FNV Mondiaal. Below is a description of national HIV/AIDS activities planned in 2009. 
 
In Nigeria, ICEM affiliates NUPENG and PENGASSAN will continue their successful campaign, which was started more than two years ago, to boost the uptake of voluntary and confidential counselling and testing in major worksites. The project is co-sponsored by the Humanity Fund of the ICEM&rsquo;s Canadian affiliate, Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union. Increased attention will also be paid to women to know their status and to access information. 
 
The 18 ICEM affiliates in the Democratic Republic of Congo cooperate on an HIV/AIDS Committee. Focus this year is on the elaboration of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS proposal for third-party funding. VCT campaigns in specific companies are also planned and as a pilot project, a first campaign will be implemented in a large cement factory. 
 
ICEM affiliate Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Zambia (MUZ) and the NUCIW in Zambia are building on their earlier training activities to organise workshops and meeting for rank-and-file members, and communities, to encourage access to VCT. A gender training workshop and the development of an HIV/AIDS manual are also on their programme. 
 
In Tanzania, TUICO and TAMICO have started preparations for a major VCT campaign sponsored by funds collected by the Women&rsquo;s Department of the ICEM&rsquo;s German affiliate, IGBCE. Two workshops have already been organised for the unions&rsquo; women committees and shop stewards to prepare for the campaign. In an encouraging development, some of the facilitators were unionists who had been trained as peer educators and VCT counsellors earlier. 
 
UMU of Sierra Leone has made good use of the seed money provided by the ICEM HIV/AIDS project. A large number of shop stewards and local union officials have been trained since UMU was included in the HIV/AIDS project in 2007. As HIV/AIDS does not discriminate between formal and informal workers, the informal workers, so-called grass-diggers, have also been included in the activities. 
 
In Ghana, the Ghana Mineworkers&rsquo; Union (GMWU) is focussing on new mines and mines not previously covered, and where awareness and uptake of VCT is low. It is therefore targeting the sites of Newmont and the Ghana Bauxite Company. A training course for women on the issues and challenges they face with respect to HIV/AIDS is also planned. 
 
Women are the target group for an extensive company-based programme in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire. The national coordinator who also organises HIV/AIDS activities in a number of Francophone West African countries, plans to work with women in nine companies organised by the three ICEM affiliates in the country. 
 
Affiliates in Botswana and Uganda are also planning training workshops and campaigns with emphasis on awareness about VCT and counselling. 
 
In 2009, Guinea is a new target country for the HIV/AIDS project (see HIV/AIDS e-bulletin 41, February 2009). During a visit earlier this year, the Coordinator for Francophone West Africa, Charlotte Nguessan, met with ICEM affiliates to assess the needs and help affiliates to set up an HIV/AIDS committee to coordinate the work. She also met with the National AIDS Commission, UNAIDS, and the ILO.
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British TUC Launching HIV/AIDS Projects 
 
The UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) is launching a project designed to build workplace capacity to combat HIV/AIDS in Nigeria in partnership with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). 
 
The project, which is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) at a cost of &pound;500,000 over three years, will contribute to a drop in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, better protection of employment and human rights of workers infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, and the elimination of discrimination against them in the education and health sectors. 
 
Collective bargaining with employers on effective enforcement of the National Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS will be an integral part of the project. Emphasis will be on prevention and advocacy for voluntary and confidential counselling and testing by unionists trained by project activities. 
 
In Ghana, the TUC cooperates with the Timber and Woodworkers&rsquo; Union in a one-year project funded by the Bill Morris Testimonial Fund for HIV/AIDS in Africa. The project is aimed at the prevention of HIV infections through behaviour change, the improvement of the quality of life of workers affected by, or infected with, HIV and the facilitation of access to testing and counselling to ensure early diagnosis. 
 
(Source: TUC Briefing documents of 28 and 29 April on website <a href="http://www.tuc.org.uk">www.tuc.org.uk</a>)
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Global Fund Approves RCC Proposals 
 
The Global Fund Board has approved six proposals in Wave 5 of the Rolling Continuation Channel (RCC), representing costs of up to US$322 million over three years. Of the six proposals, two were for HIV. 
 
The RCC is a separate channel of funding set up to allow applicants with strong performing grants to apply for continuing funding for up to an additional six years beyond the original proposal term. Applications are by invitation only. The two HIV proposals which were approved were from Armenia and China. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer, Issue 103, 17 April. GFO is a free service of Aidspan &ndash; www.aidspan.org. To receive GFO send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>.)
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AIDS: Lessons Learned and Myths Dispelled 
 
In an article in the online edition of Lancet (<a href="http://www.thelancet.com">www.thelancet.com</a>), the authors, among them the head of the Global Fund, Michel Kazatchkine, and former head of UNAIDS, Peter Piot, deal with several myths which have emerged recently with respect to HIV and AIDS. 
 
The call alarming the notion, especially worrying during the time of financial crisis, that too much money is spent on AIDS. The fact is that AIDS remains the leading cause of death in Africa and the sixth highest cause of mortality worldwide. The authors also dispel the myth that HIV prevention is not working and point out that in several countries prevention programmes are effective and that global prevention of mother to child transmission has led to a substantial decrease in the number of children born with HIV. 
 
They also dismiss the myth that one solution, or a so-called silver bullet, will comprehensively prevent HIV transmission and the misconception that heterosexual transmission of HIV is uncommon outside Africa. The authors further argue that investments in AIDS are not being made at the expense of health systems which are chronically under funded. The Global Fund and PEPFAR are now among the biggest investors in health system strengthening. 
 
(Source: <a href="http://www.thelancet.com">www.thelancet.com</a> and Global Fund Observer, Issue 102, 25 March)
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World Bank&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS Efforts Failing 
 
World Bank programmes aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, are less effective overall than programmes aimed at addressing other health and development issues, according to a report released by the organisation&rsquo;s Independent Evaluation Group on 30 April. 
 
HIV/AIDS programmes in Africa had a 25% success rate, compared with 80% for all World Bank programmes, the report found. The report cited weak monitoring and infrastructure, poor implementation and overly complex programmes as reasons for the unsatisfactory results. Difficulties in coordinating collaboration with donors, NGOs, and government agencies contributed further to the poor results. 
 
(Source: <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com">www.medicalnewstoday.com</a> of 4 May)
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HIV/AIDS Funding in Times of Economic Crisis 
 
Life-saving drug treatment for up to 1.7 million people is under threat because of funding pressures triggered by the global financial crisis, according to an analysis released by the World Bank on 24 April. 
 
The report examined the effect of the economic crisis on 69 of the most impoverished countries worldwide and found that 15 are highly exposed to interruption of antiretroviral treatment because of decreases in domestic and foreign funding. As stopping treatment is a death sentence for HIV-positive people, cuts could be made in prevention programmes to be able to continue treatment. This will, however, lead to new surge in infections requiring an ever higher proportion for funding for treatment. 
 
(Source: Financial Times, 25 April)
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News from the Global Union Federations 
 
The fortnightly HIV/AIDS update of the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) of 1 April reports, among other items, on an HIV/AIDS comic book called &ldquo;Shore Leave,&rdquo; which was developed for seafarers and on plans by the Cambodian authorities to add questions about HIV/AIDS to the drivers&rsquo; licence exams (<a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a>). 

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 <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &quot;Translate a Web page&quot;: /en/72-HIV-AIDS/3222-ICEM-HIV-AIDS-e-bulletin-No.-44-April-2009

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 44 May 2009

ICEM Women’s Bulletin No. 33

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