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In this issue of the ICEM HIV/AIDS newsletter, we report on the changes in the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009, on the sub-regional HIV/AIDS workshop in Abidjan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and on the latest report from PEPFAR.
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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The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project in 2009 
 
While the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project will continue in 2009, the management of the project will undergo some changes. The assignment of the Global Coordinator ended on 31 December 2008. During the transition year 2009, he will work as a part-time consultant. The management of regional and national activities in Africa has been fully transferred to the project office in Johannesburg. 
 
The project team and national coordinators have worked hard to achieve concrete results in HIV/AIDS interventions at the workplace over the past four years. We have seen successes and we have had some disappointments. We must build on our achievements. Some countries and ICEM affiliates have emerged as champions and must lead those who have yet to live up to their commitments. 
 
In some countries, steps forward have been made towards sustainability because the leadership sees HIV/AIDS as a union issue and because working relations have been established with organisations which can give technical and material assistance. 
While it is important to achieve universal access, the fight against the pandemic cannot be won by putting more people on treatment alone. When there are five new HIV infections for every two people put on treatment, the importance of prevention is obvious. We have used the workplace as an entry point for prevention measures, and for our advocacy for voluntary counselling and testing. The ICEM has focused its efforts on the workers, their families, and the larger community. 
 
We will continue to do so in 2009 with national programmes in sub-Saharan African countries and sub-regional workshops in Africa, with funding from the LO/TCO and FNV Mondiaal, and new or expanded projects in India with sponsorship from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. In Tanzania, with the help of the German affiliate IGBCE, in Trinidad and Tobago, with assistance from the Humanity Fund of ICEM&rsquo;s Canadian affiliate CEP, and in Mongolia with the support from Japanese UI Zensen and TPWU of Taiwan, our project work will be expanded. 
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ICEM Sub-regional HIV/AIDS Review Workshop in Abidjan
Unionists from C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mali came together in Abidjan, C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, from 15-17 December 2008 for a sub-regional workshop to review progress in their HIV/AIDS work. Working groups dealt with constraints in their HIV/AIDS work and possible solutions; considered new proposals; discussed the role of women and young workers and argued in favour of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in all union activities; and explored the idea of making HIV/AIDS an organising tool for unions. 
 
Above all, participants discussed future sustainability in view of the expiry of the ICEM HIV/AIDS Project. While funding from employers and national and international organisations, and cooperation with NGOs and faith-based organisations are all important, commitment by union leadership is crucial in the fight against the pandemic. This was demonstrated by the active participation of the General Secretaries of the three ICEM affiliates in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire in the workshop. Unions should also develop technical competence in proposal writing and project management. 
 
Presentations on HIV/AIDS workplace policies, the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work, workers&rsquo; rights and the companies&rsquo; response were made by representatives of government agencies, NGOs and CECI, the business coalition in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire to fight HIV/AIDS. 
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Assessment Missions Completed
As reported in previous e-bulletins, a series of assessment missions was undertaken in all sub-Saharan project countries. These were successfully completed in November and December with missions to Tanzania by the Project Management Assistant, to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by the Coordinator in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, and to C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire by the Global Coordinator. 
 
These assessment missions have become an important tool in the ICEM&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS work. The conclusions of all mission reports reveal the strength and weaknesses in the different countries and allow for more focussed interventions in the 2009 programme. This has also been facilitated by the three sub-regional review workshops. 
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ICEM Affiliates and World AIDS Day
More reports have come in from affiliates on their activities on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2008. SITRAPEQUIA, the union organising petroleum and chemical workers in Costa Rica, organised a day of action with its own flyer and information material from UNAIDS. 
 
In India, World AIDS Day activities were lead by master trainers and peer educators trained under the workplace project of the Indian affiliates and the ICEM, with support from the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Large rallies were organised in Dhanbad, Korba, and Indore on this occasion in India. Exhibitions on HIV/AIDS with photographs, banners and campaign material were also put up. 

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Namibia: Assessment of Chamber of Mines Programme 
The ICEM HIV/AIDS Project funded an assessment of the Occupational Health Education and Awareness Programme (OHEAP) of the Chamber of Mines in Namibia. OHEAP includes a strong HIV/AIDS component. The report, prepared by the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI), was finalised in December 2008. 
 
One of the objectives of this assessment was also to foster more cooperation on HIV/AIDS activities between the Chamber of Mines and ICEM-affiliated Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Namibia (MUN), which also contributed funding towards the assessment. The report shows, among other items, that despite good intentions, HIV/AIDS interventions were often not as effective as it could have been with better communication and more involvement of shop stewards and the union in general. 
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African AIDS Conference 
The 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 3-7 December 2008. The ILO organised sessions with a range of UN, donor, and NGO partners and presented good practices from public and private sector workplaces. 
 
The leader of the ILO delegation, Executive Director of the Social Protection Sector, Assane Diop, emphasised that prevention remains the real tool to respond to the HIV epidemic. &ldquo;There needs to be more access to prevention and treatment,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;We have many examples of how the world of work provides information and delivers a range of services.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM was represented at ICASA by the Coordinator for C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire, Charlotte Nguessan. 
 
(Source: ILO/AIDS website) 

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Latest PEPFAR Results
In 2003, former US President Bush launched the President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The latest report to the US Congress states that US$18.8 billion were provided in HIV/AIDS funding. The report states that more than two million people were put on treatment in the 15 focus countries; that care was supported for more than 10 million people worldwide; and that community outreach programmes, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and condom distribution has prevented millions of new infections. 
 
The US Congress has authorised up to US$48 billion for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria over the next five years. While the PEPFAR Coordinator has been asked to stay on temporarily, it is hoped that the Obama administration will break with the emphasis on abstinence and favour a broader spectrum of HIV prevention strategies. 
 
PEPFAR was conceived as a public/private partnership with buy-ins from the private sector. From the beginning, programmes have tilted towards business, not least because trade unions have yet to assert their role as workplace partners with credible programmes. The report specifically states that &ldquo;PEPFAR also remains dedicated to expanding workplace programs that provide HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.&rdquo; 
With a more favourable political environment in Washington, the ball is now in the unions&rsquo; court. 
 
(Source: Information from Robert E. Lovelace, Consultant to the Global Union AIDS Programme and website <a href="http://www.pepfar.gov">www.pepfar.gov</a> where the report and a fact sheet can be found) 
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TUC Launches Projects to Combat HIV/AIDS
To coincide with World AIDS Day, the UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Congress (TUC) launched two new projects in Africa to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the stigma and discrimination associated with it. TUC Aid &ndash; the development arm of the UK trade unions &ndash; will be assisting the Timber Workers&rsquo; Union in Ghana and the national centre, National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTC), in Uganda. 
 
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, &ldquo;We will help unions in Ghana and Uganda help their members by making the workplace the frontline in the battle against the AIDS pandemic. Workplaces have the infrastructure for training and education campaigns on HIV/AIDS and &ndash; where unions are recognised &ndash; can help to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: TUC Press Release, 28 November 2008) 

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Colombia: Most Vulnerable Fall Through Health System Gaps
Although the Colombian government mandates that private health companies provide essential services, including those related to HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention, many have refused to comply. The UNAIDS Country Coordinator said that companies receive federal funding, but are not using it to do interventions. There is no national HIV prevention strategy or budget to target high-risk groups &ndash; such as men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, and displaced people. 
 
According to UNAIDS estimates, about 170,000 people in Colombia are living with HIV/AIDS. The testing rate is very low. Of the 25,000 people who have tested and found in need of treatment, around 18,000 are currently accessing treatment. 
 
(Source: IRIN, 12 January 2009, as reported in Medical News Today, 15 January) 

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New UNAIDS Executive Director
Michel Sidib&eacute;, previously Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS and an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, was appointed Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. 
 
Accepting his appointment, Mr Sidib&eacute; said, &ldquo;I am indeed honoured to serve UNAIDS. The AIDS epidemic is not over in any part of the world. We have to ensure that there is strong and long term leadership and financial commitment to respond to AIDS that is grounded in evidence and human rights.&rdquo; 
 
(Source: UNAIDS Press Release, 1 December 2008) 

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Global Fund Becomes Autonomous Institution&nbsp; 
 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced that effective 1 January 2009 it will become an administratively autonomous international financing institution, separating from the World Health Organization (WHO). 
 
When the Global Fund was established in 2002, it entered into an Administrative Services Agreement (ASA) with the WHO to provide a range of administrative and financial services to the Global Fund. This arrangement enabled the Global Fund to start operations quickly and to fund programmes delivering life-saving services less than a year after it was established in January 2002. 
 
The arrangement with WHO was intended to be temporary, and in November 2007, the Global Fund Board decided that it should be terminated on 31 December 2008. Becoming administratively autonomous allows the Global Fund greater flexibility as an institution. The Global Fund retains a status as an international institution with privileges and immunities similar to UN organisations that are headquartered in Switzerland. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release, 19 December 2008)&nbsp;
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This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. 
For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
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Or click directly on the links below: 
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Cette traduction est faite automatiquement par un logiciel internet gratuit. L&rsquo;ICEM n&rsquo;assume aucune responsabilit&eacute; &agrave; cet &eacute;gard. Elle est approximative, mais peut n&eacute;anmoins vous donner une id&eacute;e g&eacute;n&eacute;rale du contenu de l&rsquo;article. 
 
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ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin No. 40 January 2009

It was largely due to the efforts of those who suffered and their union representatives that governments, after decades of inaction, finally introduced regulations on the use of and exposure to asbestos. But asbestos is still around and there are those who continue to tout it as the &ldquo;magic mineral.&rdquo; While your brake linings and floor tiles may still contain asbestos, most of today's production is now exported to third world countries where weak regulation and enforcement allows people to be fatally exposed to the killer fibres. 
 
WHAT IS ASBESTOS? 
Asbestos is a class of silicate mineral fibre. There are three main asbestos minerals: chrysotile, crocidolite, and amosite. The most common type is chrysotile. 
 
Because of their chemical structure, they form long crystalline fibres of amazing strength and fire resistance which can be recovered from the mineral. Asbestos is used in textiles, cement products, brake linings, filters, roofing tiles, flooring, fillers for plastics and thousands of other products. 
 
While union activists in the 1970&rsquo;s and 80&rsquo;s managed to put the workplace hazards on the front burner and achieved enormous reforms on the job and legislatively, the fact is that asbestos is still in use. And the concerns initially raised by unionists 30 years ago, while still valid, have been somewhat muted by a well funded industry lobby, at times in sync with our governments. 
 
It is useful for health and safety activists to keep alert on the dangers inherent with the use of asbestos and to keep the focus where it should be: saving our members&rsquo; livelihoods and lives. 
 
There are a multitude of environmental and health related issues surrounding the use of asbestos in society. 
 
ASBESTOS RELATED ISSUES 
 
EXPOSURE LIMITS 
Even though there is no evidence that there is any &ldquo;safe&rdquo; level of exposure, most jurisdictions have enacted limits. Check what applies in your workplace. Workers need to assure themselves, when working with or near asbestos, that exposure limits are not being exceeded; that protective measures are adequate (respirators, clothing, etc.); and, that you are not endangering yourself. In many jurisdictions, you have the right to refuse unsafe work. 
 
SMOKING AND ASBESTOS 
An asbestos worker who smokes will have many times the risk of cancer than a non-smoking asbestos worker; or a non-asbestos exposed smoker, would have. But attempts to deflect the dangers of asbestos by blaming high cancer rates on smoking are irresponsible. The fact is that asbestos workers who have never smoked in their lives die of asbestos related cancers. 
 
BLUE vs WHITE 
There has been some suggestion that only &ldquo;blue&rdquo; (crocidolite) asbestos is a problem and that &ldquo;white&rdquo; (chrysotile) asbestos is relatively safe.. If true, why is asbestos related disease so widespread when crocidolite accounts for only 3% of all asbestos used? 
 
IMMOBILIZED FIBRES 
Industry makes the argument that the fibres are immobilized or bound together in such a way they cannot be released in many asbestos products. But, there are workers who must handle these fibres prior to their incorporation into such products and others who must saw, cut or fasten them in such a way that the fibres may, indeed be released. 
 
FIBRE MODIFICATION 
There is little or no evidence that chemically modifying asbestos fibres renders them safer and the only way to find out is to wait decades for workers to die or get sick. 
 
SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS 
Fibreglass and other synthetic mineral fibres are the main asbestos substitutes. While it may be true that they are safer to work with than asbestos, the best approach for workers is to treat asbestos substitutes with suspicion and handle them with caution. The more similar the substitute is to asbestos, the more likely it is to have similar health effects. 
 
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 
Asbestos provides a good example of the link between occupational and environmental health and safety. Widespread environmental contamination with asbestos in asbestos producing region and near industries which use asbestos may be causing a &ldquo;cancer epidemic in slow motion.&rdquo; 
 
JUST TRANSITION 
Regrettably, the money already spent by some governments propping up this sunset industry could have been used to create a first class Just Transition programme for asbestos workers, their families and the communities that have depended on the asbestos industry. 
 
HOW ASBESTOS KILLS 
Asbestosis is one disease caused by asbestos in the lungs. Some scientists think that when asbestos fibres are inhaled, cells called macrophages attempt to engulf and digest them. The fibres are not easily dissolved by the digestive enzymes, however &ndash; although certain harmful chemical constituents of asbestos may be dissolved enough to be a problem in themselves. As well, the size and shape of asbestos fibres causes some of them to project through the cell wall of the macrophages, allowing these powerful enzymes to leak out and attack surrounding lung tissue. The end result is progressive scarring and damage to the lungs, resulting in loss of elasticity of the lung tissue. Damage can become severe enough to cause disability and death. 
 
Cancer is another consequence of asbestos exposure. Estimates of the number of cancer cases vary widely. Of the cancers that asbestos is known to cause, 80% are lung cancers; 10% are mesotheliomas; and 10% are others such as throat, stomach and intestinal. Although some asbestos cancers are difficult or impossible to distinguish from cancers caused by other agents; mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs or intenstines) is ONLY known to be caused in humans by asbestos. Mesothelioma is 100% fatal. 
 
IF YOU THINK THERE IS ASBESTOS IN YOUR WORKPLACE: 
Demand an immediate workplace Asbestos Survey. Your Joint Health and Safety Committee should lead the effort to identify and map all occurrences of asbestos and should be given all resources required to do the job. Once the asbestos has been identified, the JHSC should develop recommendations to control exposure. There are four generally accepted approaches. In order of preference, they are: 
 
1. Removal of the asbestos material: In all cases, this is the CEP&rsquo;s recommended solution. It is the only way to ensure the hazard is eliminated. Strict procedures must be followed and enforced which means careful planning and attention to the training of all workers and supervisors as well as to the choice of replacement materials. 
 
Of the four accepted approaches to dealing with asbestos, removal is best 
 
2. Encapsulation or sealing of the asbestos material: Coating or impregnating the asbestos material with a bonding agent immobilizes the fibres and reduces their release. Danger still exists, however, because the bonding material may deteriorate or work (cutting, grinding, repairs, etc.) may be performed on the material, creating the potential of fibres being released. Encapsulation should be considered a temporary measure with the objective of removing the asbestos material at some appropriate future date. 
 
3. Enclosure of the asbestos material: If neither removal nor encapsulation is possible within a reasonable time, the next best approach is to separate the asbestos material from the rest of the workplace by some kind of barrier (removable ceilings or walls are not acceptable). Enclosure is not a control measure and should be accepted only as a temporary means of protecting workers until removal can be completed. 
 
4. Asbestos management plan: If any materials cannot immediately be removed completely and safely, a management plan will be required. If any asbestos materials remain in the workplace, even if encapsulated or enclosed, an ongoing system is needed to: 
&bull; Maintain clear identification of the areas where exposure may take place; 
&bull; Educate people what to do if work must take place in or near these areas; 
&bull; Inspect the materials frequently for any changes; 
&bull; Formulate a complete removal strategy as quickly as possible. 
 
There are many lessons to be learned by union activists from the decades of battle which have been waged to protect ourselves and the public from asbestos hazards: 
 
&bull; Legislation and regulation on their own are not a total &ldquo;win&rdquo;. Regulatory solutions, too often, come after a problem becomes a crisis and while we need good laws, we also need better ways of identifying and controlling hazards before the death toll mounts. 
 
&bull; Our memory is too short. Having greatly reduced the uses and abuses of asbestos in the 1980&rsquo;s, too many people lowered their guard, believing the battle had been won. This has created an opportunity for the industry to rewrite history and win a rebirth. 
 
&bull; Scientists and other supposed independent authorities are just as vulnerable to undue influence as anyone when powerful economic forces are at work. 
 
&bull; Finally, the asbestos history reminds us that our best tool for building improved occupational health and safety is sold union activism at the shop floor level. 
 
DON&rsquo;T TAKE YOUR RIGHTS TO THE GRAVE 
If there is any doubt about whether the work is proceeding safely or not, remember that the regulations are a minimum standard. Compliance with regulations may not be sufficient in some cases. Remember, too, that workers in some cases have the right to refuse unsafe work. Don&rsquo;t take your rights to the grave!

ASBESTOS IS A KILLER

(Statement by International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation) Union leaders representing the international labour movement met with Santiago Canton, Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the OAS, in Washington, DC, to urge immediate action on Mexico and investigate gross labour and human rights violations carried out by the Mexican government against the National Miners and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM). 
 
Led by Marcello Malentacchi, general secretary of the International Metalworkers' Federation and Juan Luis Zuniga of the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico, the delegation included: international representatives for the United Auto Workers (UAW) and United Steelworkers (USW); Manfred Warda, general secretary of International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM); Stan Gacek of the AFL-CIO; Victor Baez, general secretary of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA-ITUC); and petitioners Marco Del Toro and Luis Chavez from Del Toro Associates as legal representation to the Mexican miners' union. The high-level delegation put forward recommendations to the commission, among them, urging an immediate call on the Mexican government to:
■ return all frozen funds immediately to the SNTMMSRM, those seized in 2006 and in 2008;
■ lift all charges still pending against Napoleon G&oacute;mez Urrutia and other members of the SNTMMSRM;
■ prosecute in a court of law, immediately and transparently, all those responsible in the corruption of documents and facts; and
■ recognize Napoleon G&oacute;mez as the democratically elected general secretary of the National Mexican Miners and Metalworkers Union.
&quot;This case constitutes an important precedent for this commission which will mark its position on all acts of political persecution which prevent a person from aspiring to adequate defense against the abuse of power by a State,&quot; read the amicus curiae letter submitted by the delegation in support of the complaint filed with the commission by the Mexican miners' union. 
 
&quot;The interference by the administrative authorities in judicial matters has thwarted any possibility of defense with a view to obtaining speedy verdicts in accordance with the law. The guarantee of due process has clearly been overtaken by the bias of the judicial authorities,&quot; the letter read.
The delegation also urged the commission to take immediate &quot;precautionary measures&quot; regarding the government's recent illegal seizure of all union accounts and funds; the government's refusal to officially recognize Napoleon G&oacute;mez Urrutia as elected general secretary of the miners' union; and health and safety issues of miners on strike at three mines owned by Grupo M&eacute;xico, the largest and most powerful mining company in the country. &quot;Precautionary measures&quot; are measures for immediate action that the commission can take if there is a strong indication that irreparable harm may take place.
&quot;Clearly this is of moral and strategic importance to us,&quot; said Stan Gacek, speaking on behalf of the American labour movement. &quot;This is of significant importance to us at the national level, the regional level and the international level, as you can see given the representatives here. We have issues of irreparable harm here and we think that precautionary measures are absolutely critical.&quot;
Commissioner Santiago Canton thanked the delegation for their time and received the recommendations and evidence of human rights violations put forward by the international delegation of trade union leaders.

Trade Unionists Demand Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Action over Mexican SNTMMSRM Abuses

<img height="39" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" />
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has issued its annual call for compilation of all trade union violations occurring country-by-country in 2008. The confederation of national labour centres annually publishes a Survey of Violations of Trade Union Rights, and ICEM affiliates and other trade unions are encouraged to work through their national centres in order to submit information. 
 
The query is a comprehensive two-page questionnaire, covering respective legislation on trade unions and a reporting format for noting violations of trade union rights. 

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ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda
&ldquo;The ITUC&rsquo;s annual survey is a valuable resource that is often overlooked in importance,&rdquo; said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. &ldquo;We encourage trade unions throughout the world to respond to this call.&rdquo; Contact a national labour centre in your country for more information, or e-mail the ITUC&rsquo;s the Labour Rights Department at <a href="mailto:turights@ituc.csi.org">turights@ituc.csi.org</a> to see how you can contribute.

ITUC Issues Alert to Collect Trade Union Violations Occurring in 2008

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The ICEM was saddened to learn comrade Vitaly Ivanovic Butko, Vice-President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), passed away on 4 January 2009. He was 59, and died from complications of an illness. 
 
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda sent a letter of condolence to Ivan Mohnachuk, President of the Russian Independent Coal Employees&rsquo; Union (Rosugleprof). &ldquo;We honour his important role in the establishment of democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. We also remember him as a brilliant leader who made sure that the interests of the mineworkers were not neglected in the difficult years and many struggles of economic transition,&rdquo; stated Warda. That letter is <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Letter%20of%20condolence%20Vitaly%20Butko.pdf">here</a>. 

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Born in the city of Kemerevo, in the major coal mining region of the Kutnetsk Basin, 2,164 miles east of Moscow, Butko worked as a drift miner, a foreman, the trade union convener at the Kuzbas mine, and then as Chair of the Kuzbas Territorial TU Committee of the Coal Industry Workers&rsquo; Union of the USSR. From 1991 until 1998, Budko held the elected position of President of Rosugleprof. In 1998, he headed the Russian Federal Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies in Transportation. Since March 1999, he had worked as Vice President of FNPR. 
 
He will be remembered as an outstanding trade union leader, who dedicated his strength, experience and work to workers&rsquo; struggle.

ICEM Mourns Passing of Russian Trade Union Leader, Vitaly Butko

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Indian Oil Sector Officers&rsquo; Association (OSOA) President Amit Kumar announced the start of a three-day strike on Wednesday, 7 January. Strikers, representing 14 organisations in the OSOA, demand higher wages. The union numbers some 50,000 white-collar workers at hundreds of Indian enterprises. The OSOA is not affiliated to the ICEM. 
 
Three public sector companies, the Indian state oil company ONGC, and refineries were hit and it coincided with a strike by Indians truck drivers, whose own strike began Monday, 5 January. Petroleum Secretary R.S. Pandey conceded that production was being curtailed at Koyali refinery, Panipat refinery, Mathura refinery, and the Haldia refinery. 

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The government took a tough stand, invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) at several locations. The first day of the nationwide strike saw gas supplies to industrial consumers disrupted, and the government arrested two employees under ESMA, and suspending nearly 100 others across the country. OSOA leaders Narendra Goyal and Somesh Ranjan were both arrested in Delhi from their offices. 
 
Representatives of the All India Motor Transport Congress truckers union said their strike would continue despite the arrest of their president, Charan Singh Lohara, and secretary S Venugopal on Friday.

Indian Senior-Level Oil Workers Conduct Three-Day Strike

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Because Brazil&rsquo;s government&rsquo;s refused to cancel an onshore oil and gas licensing round last month, 30,000 workers of Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) took action by striking on 17 December. The strike was coordinated by ICEM-affiliated Federa&ccedil;&atilde;o &Uacute;nica dos Petroleiros (FUP), the National Oil Workers&rsquo; Federation. 
 
Although FUP did not disrupt essential services of state-run Petrobras, it did call on refinery workers in nine states to strike that day. FUP joined with the Rural Landless Workers&rsquo; Movement and several other social groups in mid-December to occupy the reception of the company&rsquo;s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, as well as the Ministry of Energy and Mines building. 
 
The protests were aimed at blocking the government&rsquo;s tenth round of bidding for oil and gas blocks, some 130 exploration tracts, covering 70,000 square kilometers in Sergipe-Alagoas, Amazon, Paran&aacute;, Potiguar, Parecis, Rec&ocirc;ncavo, and San Francisco. The union and its aligned social-group constituency, united under the banner &ldquo;Petroleum Must be Ours,&rdquo; seeks to keep oil and gas revenues inside the national economy, with the money used for social entitlements of all Brazilians. 

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&ldquo;We want Brazil&rsquo;s sovereignty to be preserved after the recent oil discoveries,&rdquo; stated a FUP union leader from Rio de Janeiro. &ldquo;The reserves are strategic and worth trillions of dollars and therefore should be used to improve the quality of life in Brazil and not be given over to foreign companies.&rdquo; 
 
FUP is carrying forth with legal efforts in the form of court injunctions in several jurisdictions to stop the bidding process, a process in which 48 companies were qualified by the government to bid. Those companies include Shell, Hess, Anadarko, and Devon, to name just a few. 
In other news affecting Petrobras, a 28-year-old offshore contract worker and father of one was killed on 4 January when a faulty high-pressure shut-off valve exploded on the company&rsquo;s FPSO P-34 platform. This occurred in the Jubarte field in deep-sea waters off the southwestern state of Espirito Santo. Two other workers were seriously injured. The workers were employed by UTC Engineering. FUP has been highly critical of the state company&rsquo;s safety practices, particularly in its policy of outsourcing strategic work.

Brazil’s Oil Workers Conduct 24-Hour Strike; Seek to Keep Resource Wealth at Home

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PENGASSAN, the ICEM-affiliated senior staff union in Nigeria&rsquo;s oil and gas sector, is on the verge of declaring a full scale strike action nationwide. This follows a seven-day warning strike by the oil and gas labour movement, late 2008, which ended without a satisfactory result. The on-going dispute has pitted PENGASSAN and the management of the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), particularly PEF Executive Secretary Adefunke Kasali. Kasali, who has been attempting to implement new regional policies which victimise workers in certain areas. 
 
&ldquo;The only thing that could avert this strike is for Kasali to drop the unpopular policy,&rdquo; stated a PENGASSAN representative. 
 
PENGASSAN union members hold significant leverage in Nigeria; its members are supervisors at each of the petroleum depots, which transport fuel and diesel throughout the country. The depots are under the control of PEF. 
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A recent action by the other ICEM affiliate in Nigeria&rsquo;s oil and gas industry, NUPENG, included a joint action with PENGASSAN against the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). Together the two unions issued a 21-day ultimatum to the federal government to rescind its decision to appoint a pre-shipment inspector, Cobalt, or risk industrial action. 
The decision to outsource this work to a foreign firm has angered the unions, especially since the pre-shipment inspection function was already being statutorily performed by Nigerian workers of the DPR. According to union statistics, the federal government will pay up to US$87,400 daily for this unneeded service. 
 
An Edo State PENGASSAN chairman insisted that the deployment of Cobalt &quot;to the country's 21 crude oil export terminals amounts to mortgaging the nation's economic heart beat. NUPENG and PENGASSAN, as responsible unions, cannot, therefore, fold their hands to see this essential sector of the nation's economy ravaged at this point in our nation's history.&quot;

Nigerian Oil Workers Move Closer to Strike

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Aqaba, Jordan, was the venue for the second seminar and workshop in 2008 that brought together Iraqi oil workers trade unions with the country&rsquo;s transport and port workers unions. The programme is part of the ICEM&ndash;International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) Oil and Gas Workers&rsquo; Trade Union Alliance. The seminar took place from 16-December 16-20 2008. A first meeting took place in Amman, Jordan, in March. 
 
The aims of the Alliance are to discuss, evaluate, and strengthen cooperation between the two Global Union Federations across the entire oil and gas sectors, and their logistical supply chain. Further aims are to develop strategic policy and enhanced organising abilities to jointly influence major companies in the industry, and to jointly organise mutual support and solidarity in achieving these objectives. Iraq is seen as a key country for such cooperation in the Middle East region. 
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The seminar was supported by the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity of the AFL-CIO, which participated as part of their extensive program of assistance to the Iraqi trade union movement. Facilitators were Jim Catterson of the ICEM, Bilal Malkawi of the ITF &ndash;Arab World, and Mary Ann Forbes, Solidarity Centre Country Program Director in Jordan. 
Also participating in the discussions were three Jordanian trade unions, the Port Workers&rsquo; Union, the Petrochemical Workers&rsquo; Union, and the Mineworkers&rsquo; Union. 
The seminar sessions included interactive presentations, which allowed participants to gain a better understanding of the roles of the ICEM, ITF, and Solidarity Centre, including policies towards Iraq and Iraqi trade unions, as well as sessions where participants split into work groups and then reported back to full plenary sessions of the seminar. 
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Participants took time out from discussing their own problems to discuss the year-long lockout of 260 oil refinery workers at a PetroCanada refinery in Montr&eacute;al, Quebec, and sent a statement of support to the workers condemning the company&rsquo;s behaviour, declaring their full solidarity with their fellow workers in Canada and calling on the company to settle the dispute in line with the CEP National Energy &amp; Chemical Bargaining Pattern Agreement. The lockout has subsequently been settled with an agreement meeting union demands. 
 
In the concluding sessions, participants further developed an action plan to build a network between oil &amp; petrochemicals unions and ports unions to improve communication and coordination nationally, regionally, and globally. They returned to Iraq with plans to develop ongoing contacts at a regional level that will meet as a national group again inside Iraq, probably in Iraqi Kurdistan in a few months time. Another meeting will be held towards the end of 2009, again in Jordan.

ICEM, ITF ‘Well to Wheel’ Seminar held in Aqaba, Jordan

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Some 60,000 South Africans filled Absa Stadium in East London on 10 January for unveiling of the African National Congress&rsquo;s (ANC) 2009 election manifesto. And one of the main pieces of that five-year legislative plan &ndash; contained within a pledge to expand employment &ndash; is regulating the burgeoning number of labour brokers in the country. 
 
The manifesto cites an ANC mandate now to better regulate labour-hire agencies and short-term contract work. It states, &ldquo;to avoid exploitation of workers and ensure decent work for all workers as well as to protect the employment relationship, (the ANC will) introduce laws to regulate contract work, subcontracting, and outsourcing, address the problem of labour brokering, and prohibit certain abusive practices.&rdquo; 
 
The ANC&rsquo;s election platform is strong on labour and work rights, and clearly reflects the influence of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). The platform aims to generate jobs through creation of more labour-intensive production methods, as well as procurement policies that support local jobs. 

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The ANC intends to make the creation of decent work the central focus in all of the party&rsquo;s economic policies. The central points contained in the manifesto call for more public investment in infrastructure projects; expanding public employment; establishing assistance programmes in the fight against poverty; and introduction of a state-funded health insurance system. 
The manifesto was unveiled by ANC President Jacob Zuma, who called it a product of 15 years of ANC experience in governing South Africa. Zuma told those assembled in the stadium that South Africa would work earnestly to find solutions to the African continent&rsquo;s major flashpoints, from Zimbabwe to Somalia to the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
 
Parliamentarian elections in South Africa must be held by April, although no date has yet been set.

Curbing Labour Brokers Main Tenet of ANC Manifesto in South Africa

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