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Global Solidarity 
A newsletter for unionised Goodyear workers world-wide
 
ICEM World Rubber Conference Set for Brazil on October 28-29 
 
The World Conference for the Rubber Industry will take place later this month in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 
 
Since the last conference held in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the effects of globalization &ndash; corporate mergers and acquisitions and new strategic alliances &ndash; have become more evident in the rubber industries. 
 
The ICEM has determined that the agenda for the conference will focus on: 
<ul>
 <li>Economics, future trends and their impact on workers </li>
 <li>Occupational safety and health and the environment </li>
 <li>Global trade union networks </li>
 <li>Global company agreements and other industrial initiatives including employee participation. </li>
</ul>
The conference will be chaired by United Steelworkers of America (USWA) International President, Leo W.Gerard, the chair of the ICEM rubber section. 
 
Turkish unions win new settlement 
 
In late May, Turkish union leaders and three foreign joint venture tire makers reached an agreement and averted the possibility of a strike in the crisis-hit country. 
 
The government earlier had ordered a postponement of strike plans by Lastik-Is, the rubber union at the leading tire plants of Turk Pirelli, Goodyear and Brisa Bridgestone. 
Talks between the union and the firms on pay and social security payments for 2002-2003 had hit difficulties amid a deep economic recession sparked by a financial crisis in February 2001. 
 
Goodyear Cancels Continental Carbon Contract 
 
At the request of the United Steelworkers of America, the company canceled its contract with Continental Carbon in late September. Continental Carbon, a producer of carbon black used to make tires, locked out its union workforce in Ponca City, Oklahoma on May 7, 2001. 
 
The Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers&rsquo; (PACE), which represents the Ponca City locked out workers, has escalated a corporate campaign to include warnings to tire manufacturers, such as Goodyear and Bridgestone, and consumers about the company using replacement workers to manufacture carbon black at the Ponca City plant. 
 
Polish Unit Improves Financially 
 
Debica, the Polish unit of Goodyear, reported a strong second quarter this year. The company attributed the performance to restructuring and a stronger Euro currency.
Last year, the company reduced its workforce by 20%, laying off 800 workers. It also cut general expenses by a similar amount. 
 
Since Debica garners about 70% of its sales from exports, the strengthening of the Euro is expected to continue bettering Debica&rsquo;s results. 
 
U.S. Mold Plant Will Close 
 
It appears that more than 100 workers at Goodyear&rsquo;s Stow, Ohio mold plant will lose their jobs. The facility is currently operating at less than a third of its capacity. 
 
Thirty years ago, Stow was the only manufacturer of tire molds for the company&rsquo;s American tire plants. 
 
That changed in the mid-&lsquo;90s when the company opened a nonunion mold shop in Statesville, North Carolina. In recent years, the Stow shop focused on molds for racing and experimental tires. 
 
To save money, the company now farms out much of its mold manufacturing to independent plants and has reallocated work among it offshore mold plants in Brazil and Luxembourg. 
 
Company Increases Stake in Slovenia Venture 
 
Goodyear announced this spring that it had increased its holdings in its joint venture with Sava Tires of Slovenia from 60% to 80%. Since 1998, Goodyear has invested more than $90 million in modernizing the facility. It holds the right to buy the remaining 20% stake in 2004 and 2005. 
 
The investments increase the company&rsquo;s position in the Eastern European tire market. In 2001, Sava produced more than 6 million car and truck tires at its Kranj, Slovenia facility. The company has 1,400 workers. 
 
Company Plans Expansions 
 
Goodyear has committed nearly $500 million to three major projects. Two of the expansions are planned in the U.S. and the other is slated for China. In addition, the company has committed to a smaller project at a joint venture in New Zealand. 
 
In the U.S., the company plans to spend $250 million over four to five years to modernize its Lawton/Fort Sill, Okla., radial passenger tire facility. 
 
It will spend another $120 million to modernize its Topeka, Kan., farm and earthmover/off-the-road tire plant that will upgrade equipment, processing and technology during the next five years. 
 
In China, Goodyear will invest $120 million through 2006 to nearly triple production capacity for passenger tires at its Dalian facility. Capacity will rise to 5.3 million units by 2006, when employment will double to 1,000. 
 
In New Zealand, Goodyear's South Pacific Tyres Ltd. joint venture will invest about $5 million at its Upper Hutt passenger car tire plant this year to expand output nearly two-thirds to 2.4 million tires annually.

Goodyear network Global Bulletin - English version - October 2002

Trade unions in Thailand&mdash;led by affiliate EGAT-LU&mdash;continue to resist the government&rsquo;s plan to privatise the electric and water services of the country. The ongoing stalemate will likely now be the key issue in government elections set for February 2005. Unions, now in their 119th consecutive day of protest at the headquarters of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, have embarked on a &ldquo;Scattering Bees Strategy&rdquo; in which they will conduct educational forums and brochure drops in all parts of Thailand leading up to those elections.

Thai Government, EGAT-LU Stalemated Over Electric Privatisation

French unions have promised more actions over the government&rsquo;s plan to partially privatise the country&rsquo;s electric and gas industries. Some 10,000 workers and supporters marched in Paris 29 June, the day the National Assembly passed a bill changing the statutes of the Electricit&eacute; de France and Gaz de France to limited liability companies. The French Senate must still vote on the proposed liberalization and implementation decrees also must be issued. ICEM affiliates FCE-CFDT and F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGT FO are leading the resistance.

French Unions March in Paris Over Electric, Gas Privatisation

French unions again will demonstrate next week, 15 June, the day their government will take up and debate legislation to partially privatise the country&rsquo;s gas and electric industries. The ICEM&rsquo;s Executive Committee on 27 May resolved to fully support French affiliates FCE-CFDT and F&eacute;d&eacute;chimie CGT FO in their resistance to the measure. On 27 May, 80,000 French workers marched in Paris against the government&rsquo;s bill to remove Electricit&eacute; de France and Gaz de France from state control, a status the utilities have had since 1946.

French Unions Take to the Streets Over Utility Privatisation

South Korea faces a nationwide power strike from 24 November over plans to privatise the electricity sector. 
 
Notice of industrial action has already been served by the Korea National Electricity Workers' Union (KNEWU), which will ballot members tomorrow. The union says it will launch the action if the Korean parliament presses ahead with legislation to split up and privatise the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). 
 
The parliament's Standing Committee on Industry and Energy is due to consider the draft law by 23 November. The KNEWU has publicly opposed the plans from the outset. A recent opinion poll showed 90.8 percent of KEPCO employees ready to take part in protests, and the scheme has also run into growing opposition from the public at large. In fact, the restructuring is already behind schedule because parliament pulled back from adopting the legislation last year. 
 
KEPCO is one of South Korea's biggest public enterprises. By law, the government currently holds 52.6 percent of its equity. The corporation accounts for about 94.2 percent of the country's power generation, and has 44 GWh of installed capacity. It transmits, distributes and sells all of South Korea's electricity. In June this year, it employed 34,146 people. 
 
The government has tabled a four-phase privatisation plan, starting with a split-up of KEPCO's generation side from this year onward and full privatisation of generation by 2002. Full competition would be introduced into the wholesale electricity market in the period 2003-2008, and the retail side of the business would be sold off. Competitive retailing of electricity would be brought in from 2009 onwards. 
 
KEPCO's thermal and hydro generation units are already being hived off into five separate subsidiaries, as a prelude to privatisation. Its nuclear capacity will be kept as a wholly-owned KEPCO subsidiary for the foreseeable future. As in power sell-offs elsewhere, there may be few or no takers for the nuclear stations. 
 
One issue is the debts run up by KEPCO, but the union points out that these are the result of the government's own policy of providing cheap electricity to industry and to low-income households. KEPCO has a public service ethic which includes support for rural communities, small and medium-scale enterprises and the domestic coal industry. 
 
The union's fight against privatisation is &quot;not just a matter of job security,&quot; said KNEWU representative Kim Chae-Ro. &quot;Resolving KEPCO's debts through asset sales will destroy the company. The changes will lead to an industry where suppliers wield the sword.&quot; 
 
Globally, the KNEWU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), which has declared full support for the Korean union's action. 
 
&quot;Your powerful campaign has so far prevented the sell-off of your national utility,&quot; ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs emphasised in a message to KNEWU President Oh Kyung-Ho today. &quot;In Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa, we are helping our unions to fight against destructive privatisation which has led to huge job losses, higher prices and declining health and safety conditions everywhere it has been carried out. In countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Hungary, Uruguay, Paraguay and Thailand, unions have campaigned successfully in favour of alternative models which safeguard the interests of workers, their families and the citizens. The ICEM strongly believes that energy is a social product. It should be produced and distributed for the good of all citizens, not just for the benefit of the few.&quot; 
 
At special ceremonies across South Korea today, KNEWU officers had their hair trimmed down to a monkish minimum. It was a token of their readiness - and a cutting comment on a sell-off that could leave Korea shorn.

Korean Power Strike Over Privatisation

How can workers face up to the might of the global corporations? 
	 
	By organising globally.

	That is why more than 20 million workers worldwide are already members of the ICEM, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&#039; Unions. 
	 
	The ICEM is a rapidly growing industry-based world labour federation dedicated to practical solidarity. It unites trade unions in its sectors on all continents. Its aim is to become a truly global trade union.

	<img alt="" height="43" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/icemlogo.gif" width="50" />

	Its main focuses are:
<ul>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			negotiating and monitoring global agreements with multinational companies - mainly on workers&#039; rights, equality at work and the highest standards of health, safety and environmental protection worldwide</div>
	</li>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			networking trade union reps within global corporations</div>
	</li>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			coordinating solidarity and support for member unions during disputes</div>
	</li>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			union-building in countries where unions are weak or non-existent</div>
	</li>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			providing information and expertise on topics ranging from collective bargaining to health and safety standards</div>
	</li>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			representing workers&#039; interests within the UN, its agencies and other intergovernmental bodies</div>
	</li>
	<li>
		<div align="justify">
			skills training and development work with trade union officers and rank-and-file union members.</div>
	</li>
</ul>

	 
	The ICEM organises in a wide range of industries: 
	 
	Energy 
	Exploration, production, generation, refining and distribution of all types of primary and secondary energy. 
	 
	Mining and Quarrying 
	Exploration, extraction and processing of hard coal and lignite, metallic and non-metallic minerals, clays, sands, gravels and gems. 
	 
	Chemicals and Bioscience 
	Research, production and refining of chemical elements, compounds and products, pharmaceuticals, chemo-technical products, petrochemical products, agrochemicals, plastics, plastic products and composites and artificial fibres. Research and manufacture of products and materials resulting from biotechnical methods or genetic engineering techniques. 
	 
	Pulp and Paper 
	Research, production and conversion of pulp, paper, board, kraft, paper packaging and other paper and board products. 
	 
	Rubber 
	Research and production of synthetic rubber and composites and fabrication of both natural and synthetic rubber products. 
	 
	Diamonds, Gems, Ornaments and Jewellery Production 
	Diamond and gem sorting, cutting and polishing; pearl farming and setting; ornament and jewellery manufacture. 
	 
	Glass, Ceramics, Cement and Associated Industries 
	Research, production and fabrication of flat glass, container glass, glass fibres, household glass, technical glass and all other glass products; all types of pottery, clay and ceramic materials, composites and products; cement, non-metallic minerals, composites and products. 
	 
	Environmental Services 
	Waste disposal and recovery, pollution control, recycling, cleaning and maintenance, laundry, dry cleaning and hygiene services, porterage and security and associated activities. 
	 
	Service and Miscellaneous Industries 
	Service and miscellaneous industries not falling within the scope of other International Trade Secretariats. 
	 
	 
	The ICEM membership includes all employee categories within its sectors.

	By March 2012, the ICEM represented 355 industrial trade unions in 115 countries. Enquiries are welcomed from other unions in ICEM sectors worldwide. 
	 
	The ICEM unites workers irrespective of race, nationality, gender or creed. It supports sustainable industrial development. The ICEM campaigns for the highest levels of health and safety at the workplace, and for environmentally responsible industrial products and processes. The ICEM is also committed to the global application of the best possible standards and practices - especially within multinational corporations.

	&nbsp;

	 
	Principal officers of the ICEM

	&nbsp;

	 
	<img alt="" height="198" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Senzeni.jpg" width="160" /> 
	 
	President 
	Senzeni Zokwana 

	&nbsp;

	<img alt="" height="169" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0610Manfred1.jpg" width="160" /> 
	 
	General Secretary 
	Manfred Warda

	 
	The ICEM promotes modern techniques of information exchange between affiliated trade unions, including computer networking. In particular, it is expanding trade union contacts and cooperation within the worldwide operations of the major multinational companies in its industries. 
	 
	As a clearing house for trade union expertise, the ICEM draws on a pool of specialists from its affiliated trade unions around the world. Its own staff provide rapid responses to unions&#039; specific questions on, for example, collective bargaining trends, company structures or the health hazards of a new industrial chemical. 
	 
	The ICEM believes that its policies must be locally &quot;owned&quot; by its rank-and-file membership - not handed down from above. These policies must be relevant to the day-to-day needs of its affiliated trade unions. The ICEM&#039;s union-building programmes carefully avoid the creation of client organisations. Its assistance to newly emerging industrial trade unions is on the basis of help for self-help. 
	 
	While maintaining its global unity, the ICEM has devolved some of its decisions and action to the world&#039;s different regions. 
	 
	Special provisions ensure that women workers throughout the world are properly represented within the ICEM, which runs programmes to meet their particular concerns. 
	 
	The ICEM issues a range of general and specialised publications, both in print and via the Internet. It also voices workers&#039; concerns within the world media. And its website at www.icem.org is first with the unions&#039; news and views. 
	 
	The ICEM often makes representations on workers&#039; behalf to national authorities and international bodies. These include the relevant specialised UN agencies, such as the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation. 
	 
	The ICEM maintains close contact with the trade union movement&#039;s other sector-by-sector Global Union Federations (GUFs), with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), with regional trade union bodies of all continents and with other organisations campaigning on issues that directly affect its members (for example, the environment and human rights). 
	 
	The world&#039;s major employers are now organised globally. Trade unions cannot lag behind. The ICEM believes that industrial trade unionism worldwide must concentrate on its main tasks - improving workers&#039; pay and conditions and recruiting new members.

The ICEM - who we are, what we do

A grim New Year faces the Ukraine's unpaid miners and their families. 
 
40,000 miners have now launched an indefinite strike at the call of the Miners'Indepedent Trade Union of Ukraine (MITU). 
 
They have two demands: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>Payment of the wages owed to them. Wages and other social payments are now 11 months in arrears. The miners are owed more than 800 million US dollars. 
 </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Provision in the 1999 budget for state subsidies to the coal mines. </div>
 </li>
</ul>
Miners who see their families going hungry are now turning to acts of despair. 
 
This Monday, a MITU miner picketing the Lugansk state administration tried to burn himself to death. Alexandre Mikhalevich is in critical condition after suffering 45 percent burns to his body and lungs. 
 
Three other miners say they will resort to self-immolation unless the wage backlog is paid. 
 
At the global level, MITU is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM). 
 
&quot;The desperate act of Alexandre Mikhalevich reminds us immensely and painfully of the limits of what humans can endure,&quot; writes ICEM General Secretary Vic Thorpe in a solidarity message to MITU Chairman Mikhail Volynets. &quot;The sheer enormity of the wages and social payments due to workers cannot distract us from the thought that behind these figures are tens of thousands of men, women and children suffering in their limbs and souls. We realise that entire communities must feel that they have been brutally robbed of their past and of their future.&quot; 
 
But, Thorpe warns, &quot;our compassion cannot distract us from the firm belief that the response of organised workers lies in struggle - not self-annihilation. Yes, there are moments when we are overwhelmed by the complexity and magnitude of the problems in front of us, but the bitter experience of the ICEM's members is that there are no alternatives than to continue to fight for justice, dignity and solutions.&quot;

Grim New Year For Ukrainian Miners

Global Solidarity 
A newsletter for unionised Goodyear workers world-wide
 
Global Network Links Workers across Borders 
 
When more than 100 labor leaders and trade union representatives from 16 countries gathered in Cleveland, Ohio in March 1999, they decided to form a global network for Goodyear workers around the world. The goal was to open lines of communication worldwide and to share information of mutual interest. 
 
Publishing Global Solidarity is one facet in the creation of a network that builds international worker solidarity within a multinational corporation. With the continuing consolidation of the world tire industry, workers need a united global front to address common problems. 
 
The Cleveland conference and the establishment of a global network was a direct result of an agenda established during an ICEM rubber industry conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 1998. 
 
The delegates at the Cleveland conference elected a network steering committee comprised of Richard Davis (United Steelworkers of America), chairman; Yoshihiko Sawada (Gomo Rengo, Japan); Bill Holmes (Manufacturing Science &amp; Finance, U.K.); Carlos Antonio da Silva (Frente Unica de Borracha, Brazil); Thabang Nchele (National Union of Metalworkers, South Africa); and Peter Schmitt, (ICEM). 
 
The Steering Committee met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 25, 2000 to set the network&rsquo;s direction. Among other things, the network held an initial meeting with senior Goodyear executives and proposed that a joint agreement on health and safety be negotiated. 
 
 
U.S. Steelworkers Win Contract Improvements 
 
On November 15, 2000, the Goodyear/Kelly Springfield/Dunlop Policy Committee of the United Steelworkers of America announced member ratification of changes to the Master Contract. The contract improvements are consistent with the industry pattern agreement established in the 2000 Bridgestone negotiations. 
 
Union workers at Goodyear and subsidiary plants in the U.S. will receive wage, cost-of-living and pension increases as well as language improvements in several areas, including preferential hiring and outside contracting. The agreement covers 12,000 employees at nine Goodyear locations, 5,700 workers at three Kelly plants and 2,600 workers at two Dunlop facilities. 
 
Negotiations between Goodyear and the Steelworkers began in March. Re-opener discussions were suspended March 10, about a month after the Steelworkers chose Bridgestone as its target company for pattern bargaining. When negotiations between Bridgestone/Firestone and the union concluded successfully in September, talks between the Steelworkers and Goodyear resumed. 
 
 
Asia/Pacific Unions Hold Regional Conference 
 
The ICEM hosted the Asia/Pacific Goodyear Network Workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 25-26, 2000. The workshop resulted from actions taken at the ICEM World Rubber Conference of June 1998 and the ICEM-USWA Goodyear World Conference of March 1999, which directed Goodyear steering committees in all regions to conduct sessions. 
 
Yoshihiko Sawada, president of the Japanese Rubber Workers Union Confederation (Gomu Rengo, Japan) chaired the workshop that included 18 participants from five countries. Participants also came from SP KEP Goodyear Union, Indonesia; National Union of Workers, Australia; National Union of Employees in Companies Manufacturing Rubber Products, Malaysia; Centre of Indian Trade Unions; as well as ICEM-JAF and the ICEM. 
 
In addition to developing ways to network and communicate better, work groups discussed issues such as industrial health and safety, occupational diseases, and training and education programs. 
 
 
Goodyear Pushes to Bust Union in Colombia 
 
Despite extensive efforts over the past months to work with the company to reduce production costs at the Santiago de Cali plant, Goodyear management in Colombia is engaged in a blatant effort to undermine its collective bargaining relationship with the tire workers union SINTRAINCAPLA. 
 
The company unilaterally violated the union contract by hiring temporary workers in the production and maintenance departments. The collective bargaining agreement explicitly prohibits the use of temporary or contract workers unless the company and union agree. 
 
Workers at the plant have already accepted a number of concessions pursuant to collective bargaining negotiations with management aimed at saving jobs and keeping the plant open. 
 
 
Canadian Workers Reject Company Proposal 
 
Members of a Salaberry-De-Valleyfield, Quebec union, already on strike for six months, rejected a five-year contract proposal from Goodyear on November 15. Wage and job security issues were the reasons that members of Steelworker Local 919 overwhelmingly rejected the offer. The 76-member local, mainly office and technical workers at Goodyear&rsquo;s Valleyfield passenger radial facility, have been on strike since April 27, 2000. 
 
Local members have been working without a contract since July 1996. The union and the company have fought within Quebec&rsquo;s labor department over alleged exclusion of certain jobs from unionization. Initially the local was prevented by provincial law from striking, but regained that right earlier this year. 
 
The exclusion of jobs from bargaining units has continued to be an issue during the negotiations. Management&rsquo;s desire to turn union into non-union work, continued layoffs of Local 919 members, and increased use of subcontracting has reduced union employment by about 40% over the past decade. The Communications, Energy &amp; Paperwork Union represent production and maintenance workers at the plant. 
 
 
Indonesian Union Makes Proposal to Company 
 
In November, the SP.KEP Goodyear Indonesia (Chemical, Energy and Mine Workers Union at Goodyear Indonesia) 
 
initiated negotiations with PT. Goodyear Indonesia Tbk. The union is looking to improve wages, working condition and safety for its members. 
 
 
Goodyear Reneges on UK Union Agreement 
 
The company has mounted a major attack on two ICEM-affiliated unions in the United Kingdom. The Transport and General Workers Union and the MSF are battling to protect its members&rsquo; terms and conditions of employment as well as their ability to effectively represent membership. 
 
Goodyear has already announced layoffs (redundancies) of 540 workers at its Wolverhampton facility. More troubling is the way the company is handling the matter. In addition to the redundancy notice, the company has delivered 90 days notice that it is unilaterally canceling the long established employment security and severance payment agreement. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs and Goodyear Network chairman Dick Davis have urged the company to honor its commitments. 
 
The agreement, first signed in 1985, was revised and renegotiated as recently as October 1999. In September 2000, a Goodyear senior vice president promised the workers at Wolverhampton that the company would honor all existing agreements, including the Security of Employment Agreement. 
 
 
Operating Engineers Ratify Contract 
 
Striking workers at Goodyear&rsquo;s chemical plant in Houston, Texas overwhelmingly ratified a new contract in mid-December. The new agreement provides pension improvements and a first-year lump sum wage increase. 
 
Union solidarity was key in fighting Goodyear&rsquo;s demand for concessions on seniority rights, contracting out, health benefit cuts and wage reductions. Members of Local 347 of the International Union of Operating Engineers walked out on October 10 after rejecting the company&rsquo;s proposed new agreement. 
 
International unions representing Goodyear workers in France, Germany, Guatemala, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Australia and the U.S. registered protests with the company and lent support to Local 347. 
 
In early November, the workers rejected by a 2-to-1 margin another company offer that called for contracting out 139 jobs or across-the-board pay cuts. Wages would have automatically been cut by 33%, health care cost would have increased and a number of jobs would have been phased out over a two-year period. 
 
The settlement covers 350 workers at a plant that manufactures emulsion styrene butadiene rubber, a material used in tire production. 
 
 
Anti-Union Tactics in Guatemala 
 
The ICEM reported last year that Goodyear has targeted workers in Guatemala with anti-union practices. Forty-eight production employees, members of STGINSA, at the Guatemala City plant were fired without just cause and two executive committee members of the union were suspended. 
 
The union said the action breaches the collective bargaining agreement, the labor laws of the country and the international labor conventions ratified by the government of Guatemala. Ron Hoover, USWA Goodyear Coordinator in the U.S. urged the company to &ldquo;take the necessary steps to restore the proper integrity to the collective bargaining process (in Guatemala) and protect the company&rsquo;s &ldquo;Good Name.&rdquo; 
 
 
European Unions Stand Up for Goodyear Workers 
 
The IGBCE of Germany and the FCE-CFDT of France have recently written support letters on behalf of Goodyear workers in Wolverhampton, UK, Houston, U.S. and Colombia, South America. The letters were written to Goodyear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Samir Gibara. 
 
Both letters proclaimed support for the Houston workers&rsquo; fight for a new contract and condemned Goodyear&rsquo;s management for undermining negotiations in Colombia, as well as terminating a job security agreement in the U.K. 
 
IGBCE president Hubertus Schmoldt also cited serious problems with Goodyear at its Philippsburg, Germany factory. Schmoldt criticized the company for trying to wreck the collective agreement and for not reinvesting in the facility. 
 
Both unions appealed to the company to take a civilized approach of discussing and negotiating changes with both the workers and their unions. 
 
 
ICEM &amp; FUTINAL Host International Conference 
 
Leaders of 25 unions from Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru Chile and Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and the United States, gathered in Praia Grande, Brazil in November 2000 to participate in a conference hosted by the ICEM and the Latin American United Tire and Rubber Industry Workers Front (FUTINAL). 
 
The tire and rubber worker trade unionists examined trends in the world industry as well as national, regional and global concerns. Measures were adopted that will improve the exchange of information between workers of different global tire companies that operate in the region. 
Several motions were passed that extended solidarity to Goodyear workers in the region. Members Guatemalan Goodyear union STGINSA received a pledge of support from the conference in their battle against the company&rsquo;s anti-union practices. 
 
A resolution condemning Goodyear&rsquo;s union busting attempts in Colombia was passed, as was a motion directed to the Colombian government that denounced death threats by right wing groups to labor leaders. 
 
A motion to offer international solidarity to the Titan Tire workers in Uruguay, members of FUNSA, also passed. This action denounced the recent agreement between Titan and Goodyear that reduces tire production in Uruguay and promotes the imports of Goodyear products. 
In an act designed to strengthen the links between workers across borders, it was decided that an international delegation of rubber workers would visit in early 2001 all the countries of the Americas affiliated with FUTINAL. Next year&rsquo;s conference will be held in Argentina. 
 
 
Goodyear-Pacific Dunlop Announces Restructuring 
 
South Pacific Tyres Ltd. is cutting production at one site and laying off workers at another in Australia. The joint venture of Goodyear and Pacific Dunlop looks to reduce costs and reverse company losses within six months. 
 
Heavy truck production will be halted at the Somerton plant and passenger and light tire production will be reorganized. The company also plans to lay off 500 workers at its Melbourne plant and reduce the product line at that facility. 
 
The National Union of Workers represents workers at these plants. 
 
 
Aircraft Tire Production Resumes in Brazil 
 
After a seven-year hiatus, Goodyear has resumed production of aircraft tires at its Sao Paulo, Brazil facility to meet increased demand. The company manufactured aviation tires at the plant from 1943 until 1992, when it suspended production. 
 
About 30 percent of the tire output will be for the Brazilian market while the rest will be exported to North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and other Latin American countries. 
 
Brazilian airplane manufacturer Embraer-Empresa Brasiliera de Aeronautica, the world&rsquo;s fourth largest producer of airliners and a Goodyear customer since 1969, is building a new domestic plant that the company will supply. 
 
 
Global Goodyear 
 
Goodyear is the world&rsquo;s largest tire company. In addition, it manufactures and markets worldwide several lines of belts, hoses and other rubber products for the transportation industry, as well as various industrial and consumer products. 
 
Goodyear operates 92 plants in 27 countries around the world. Thirty-two plants are located in the US, eight in Canada, 20 in Europe, two in Africa, 13 in Latin America and 17 in Asia. With the addition of its Dunlop tire joint ventures, Goodyear employs more than 100,000. 
 
Last year, Goodyear posted net sales of $12.9 billion and net income was $241.1 million. For the nine months ending September 2000, net sales increased 12%. 
 
Goodyear is the No. 1 tire maker in North America and South America and the largest in Europe. Chairman and CEO, Samir Gibara, earned $1.6 million USD in salary last year and exercised options worth another $216,000 USD during that time. 
 
 
Send Your News! 
 
Global Solidarity is published by the United Steelworkers of America, Five Gateway Center, Pittsburgh, PA. 15222, USA. 
 
If you have news and information for the next issue of Solidarity News, please send it to Don Faulkner by: 
 
Fax + 1 412 562 2520 or 
 
E-mail mailto:dfaulkner@uswa.org

Goodyear network Global Bulletin - English version

AGREEMENT ON TRANSNATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 
 
on the day of November 29, 2002 in Rome, between 
 
Eni SpA 
 
and 
 
FILCEA-Cgil, FEMCA-Cisl, UILCEM-Uil, ICEM 

the following points were agreed on: 
 
1. Introduction 
 
The growing internationalisation of the Eni Group calls for the development of a transnational outlook by the parties involved in this process. 
 
With the European Works Council these parties have already firmly established a positive procedure for information exchange and consultation at European level. At extra-European level, the expansion of Eni makes the topic of socially responsible conduct on the part of the company all the more relevant. 
 
With the signing of a Protocol on Industrial Relations in Rome on 22 June 2001, Eni, Filcea, Femca and Uilcem expressed their intention to conform the development of the Group's activities to fundamental ethical principles based on respect for human rights and social rights as contemplated in international conventions. To this end, the parties, in compliance with their signed commitment to seek adequate procedures for information exchange and periodical consultation with regard to the presence and expansion of Eni throughout the world and to develop a dialogue on the social and economic effects of these operations, have agreed to proceed with the formulation of the present agreement. 
 
 
2. Principles 
 
The signatories agree to the importance of supporting a model of corporate growth that combines the creation of value and innovation with attention to human rights and adequate standards of working conditions and safety, as well as quality of life and eco-compatible development. To this end, they have declared their commitment to work towards the cultivation of working practices capable of promoting economic and social progress. 
 
With the present agreement, Eni confirms its commitment to respect fundamental human and social rights in all the Group&rsquo;s activities and to establish new ways of exchanging information on topics pertaining to industrial relations at world level, for the purpose of improving and promoting good labour practices. 
 
Eni and its companies acknowledge the guiding principles of the &ldquo;Universal Declaration of Human Rights&rdquo; of the United Nations and of the fundamental conventions of the ILO, and declare that they intend to take steps to apply these principles within the context of their activities. 
 
 
In particular, they confirm: 
 
- the right of association and negotiation (ILO conventions nos. 87 and 98). All workers are entitled to belong to trade unions of their choice and to benefit from fundamental union rights; 
 
- prohibition of forced labour (ILO conventions nos. 29 and 105). Forced labour is prohibited; whether it be slavery or work performed by inmates; 
 
- prohibition of child labour (Conventions 138 and 182). Child labour is prohibited, especially in its most strenuous forms, and the right of children to complete their development and education must be safeguarded; 
 
- non-discrimination in employment (Conventions 100 and 111). Workers cannot be discriminated against on account of their race, sex, religious creed, political opinions or social origin. Men and women must receive equal salary treatment for work of equal value, and the principles of equal opportunity must be applied; 
 
- non-discrimination against labour representatives (Convention 135). Labour representatives are not to be subjected to any type of discrimination on account of their activities in representing workers; 
 
- continuing efforts to improve conditions of safety and health at the workplace, including the dissemination of the positive results already achieved within the Group. 
 
 
Eni reiterates its commitment to optimise and apply the Group&rsquo;s principles: 
 
&middot; Business ethics 
 
all Eni&rsquo;s activities at home and abroad must be carried out honestly, with integrity and in compliance with existing laws. 
 
&middot; Respect for stakeholders 
 
Eni respects all stakeholders (employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, communities, business and financial partners, institutions, public organizations, industry associations, trade unions, and others) with whom it deals when carrying out its business activities, in the belief that they represent an important asset for the company. 
 
&middot; Protection of workers and equal opportunities 
 
Eni observes universally accepted labor laws and complies with the &ldquo;core labor standards&rdquo; contemplated in the fundamental conventions of the ILO (International Labor Organization). Therefore the company guarantees freedom of trade union membership and the right to collective bargaining, while it repudiates all forms of forced labor, child labor and discrimination. 
 
Eni also assures equal employment and professional opportunities as well as equal treatment based on merit. 
 
&middot; Enhancement of professional skills 
 
Eni acknowledges and promotes the development of individual employees&rsquo; skills and know-how as well as team work so that individuals can fully express their energy, creativity and potential. 
 
&middot; Respect for diversity 
 
Eni draws inspiration for its business conduct from its respect for the cultures, religions, traditions and ethnic diversity of the communities where it operates and is committed to preserving biological, environmental, social, cultural and economic identities. 
 
&middot; Respect for human rights 
 
Within its sphere of activities, Eni is everywhere committed to supporting the United Nations &ldquo;Universal Declaration of Human Rights&rdquo;. 
 
&middot; Cooperation 
 
Eni actively contributes to the improvement of the quality of life and socio-economic development of the communities where the Group is present. 
 
&middot; Protection of health and safety 
 
Eni guarantees the highest standards of health and safety for its employees and the communities in all the areas of the world where it operates. 
 
&middot; Environmental protection 
 
Eni will pay the utmost attention to the environment and ecosystem affected by its business activities and draws inspiration from the goals contained in international conventions signed by Italy on sustainable development. 
 
 
3. Implementation procedures 
 
3.1. Monitoring and initiatives 
 
To ensure application of the principles and conventions referred to above, Eni undertakes to carry out adequate monitoring activities by means of its own control instruments. In the course of the annual meeting, as indicated under point 3.5, appropriate procedures may be agreed on for the involvement of local trade unions or &ndash; where these do not exist &ndash; of representatives designated by the trade unions signing the present agreement. 
 
When information is received of situations that are out of line with or violate the agreement reached, the parties shall notify each other of the fact in timely fashion. Once the nature of the situation has been determined, Eni shall act to eliminate any anomalies, and inform the union organisations of the initiative. 
 
With regard to activities assigned to contractors, Eni shall formulate suitable guarantees against possible violations within the framework of existing contractual relations. 
 
3.2. Affirmative action 
 
The parties may agree to carry out programs of affirmative action geared towards promoting fundamental human and social rights, together with good work practices; these programs may consist of activities involving information, training and research. 
 
3.3. Information 
 
Eni and the signatory union organisations undertake to propagate the present agreement, by publicising its existence and contents. 
 
3.4. Industrial relations 
 
Within the context of the principles referred to above, the parties acknowledge the importance of developing industrial relations at all levels that take into account the different socio-economic contexts in which the group operates. 
 
In light of the above, Eni and the companies of the Group undertake, within the scope of their responsibilities, to establish a constructive relationship with union organisations and workers&rsquo; representatives appointed on a democratic basis and recognised by international trade unions. 
 
3.5. Annual meeting 
 
In May of each year &ndash; with the purpose of promoting a system of information, consultation and dialogue with the signatory trade unions &ndash; a meeting shall be held involving the national secretariats of the FILCEA, FEMCA and UILCEM, as well as the general secretariat of the ICEM and Eni, with representatives of the competent departments for topics of their concern. 
 
In the course of this meeting, complete information shall be provided on: 
 
&middot; economic-financial topics regarding the ongoing development of Eni at world level; 
 
&middot; current performance and future prospects of the main operating activities, focusing on the most significant geographical areas and the related figures concerning employment; 
 
&middot; ongoing development of the group&rsquo;s industrial relations in the different countries and areas where it operates, with particular attention to potentially critical situations, including the provisions agreed to under point 3.1.; 
 
&middot; the undertaking by Eni of actions and programs of Corporate Social Responsibility, as well as initiatives involving health and safety at the workplace. 
 
 
4. Final provisions 
 
4.1. Practices of industrial relations at local and enterprise levels 
 
The agreement does not replace or represent an obstacle to local practices, with the parties recognising the principle according to which problems that arise between workers and their companies must be resolved at the level closest to the workplace. 
 
4.2. Organisation 
 
Eni undertakes to sustain, within the bounds of normality, the costs for the organisation of the annual meetings contemplated under point 3.5. 
 
4.3. Distribution of information 
 
With the purpose of distributing and exploiting to the fullest possible extent the contents of the agreement, existing communications tools may be utilised, including information networks. 
 
4.4. Duration of the agreement 
 
The present agreement is considered valid for two years, at the end of which it shall be revised and/or confirmed for a similar period. The parties may agree in advance to the modifications or additions to be made to its contents. 
 
4.5. Management 
 
The management of the present agreement is the responsibility of the general secretariats of the FILCEA, FEMCA and UILCEM, as well as the general secretariat of the ICEM and the Eni Personnel Department. 
 
 
 
Eni SpA 
Renato Roffi 
Filcea-Cgil 
Attilio Arseni 
Femca-Cisl 
Sergio Gigli 
 
Uilcem-Uil 
Romano Bellissima 
 
ICEM 
Fred Higgs

Text of the Global Agreement between ICEM and Eni

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The 20-millions strong ICEM and the Italian Trade Unions FILCEA-Cgil, FEMCA-Cisl and UILCEM-Uil signed a global agreement with Italian-based energy multinational, ENI, covering some 70 000 workers worldwide. The signing ceremony took place on 29th November 2002 before three hundred delegates gathered at the ICEM World Energy Conference in Rome. The agreement arises from a Protocol on Industrial Relations entered into between ENI management and Italian trade unions FILCEA, FEMCA and IULCEM in June 2001. This protocol established procedures for dialogue on the socio-economic impact of the company's activities across the globe and respect for human and trade union rights as contained in the ILO Core Conventions. 
 
 

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ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs 
signs Global Agreement with ENI 
Founded in 1953, ENI, is a privatised company in which the Italian government has retained 30% equity. It has operations in oil and gas exploration, production, refining, marketing, engineering and oil field services, electricity generation and in the petrochemicals industries - key sectors for the ICEM. It is the sixth largest energy producer in the world with some seventy operations in sixty seven countries. It is listed on the New York and Milan stock exchanges. It has a market capitalisation of just over sixty seven billion euro. In 2001, the company generated a turnover of 49 billion euro. 
With the present agreement, ENI confirms it's commitment to respecting and implementing fundamental human and social rights as enshrined in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Core Labour Conventions adopted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) viz. the right of workers to organise and bargain, prohibition of forced labour, prohibition of child labour and non-discrimination. In addition, the agreement provides for &quot;continuing efforts to improve&quot; and to &quot;guarantee the highest standards&quot; of health and safety for workers in all of it's global operations. 
 
The Agreement commits the parties to &quot;work towards the cultivation of working practices capable of promoting economic and social progress&quot;. This includes skills development programmes for workers, diversity management and promoting sustainable development goals. As regards contractors, the company undertakes to &quot;formulate suitable guarantees against violations&quot; within the framework of the agreement. Any violations of the terms of the agreement shall be reported and any remedial action undertaken by management will be communicated to the union. The agreement will be communicated throughout all operations using both company and union networks. 
 
To promote on going information exchange and social dialogue, company executives, our Italian affiliates and the ICEM General Secretary shall meet, at company cost, in May each year to discuss socio-economic matters such as financial reports, employment, industrial relations and corporate social responsibility. Provision is also made for the involvement of ICEM-affiliated local unions within the company's operation in such meetings.&nbsp; 
 
Addressing conference delegates after the signing, Massimo Cappelli, manager for industrial relations and productivity stated that the agreement &quot;crowns an achievement in the company's ethics and industrial relations policy&quot;. The agreement commits the company to respecting human and trade union rights in all it's operations. &quot;This agreement takes us another step forward in our drive to improve industrial relations and respect for human and trade union rights across the globe&quot;, said Higgs after signing the agreement.

ICEM signs Global Agreement with Eni

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