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<img height="28" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="20" />
Time to Deliver &ndash; XVI International AIDS Conference 
 
The 16th International AIDS Conference was held in Toronto from 14 to 18 August. Over 20,000 scientists, politicians and activists participated in the event. The labour movement was well represented, highlighting the impact of HIV and AIDS on the workplace and outlining the role of workers in fighting the pandemic. 
 
Prior to the Conference, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) organised a two-day labour forum with the support of the ILO. The forum convened union representatives from all over the world who expressed their support for intensifying the involvement of trade unionists and unions and to build strong coalitions with civil society organisations. On the occasion of the labour forum the CLC released a new report &ldquo;Labour Fights AIDS&rdquo; which demonstrates that unions are at the fore in the global fight against AIDS 
 
Apart from its involvement in satellite meetings, skills-building workshops and other activities, the ILO also set up a workplace action centre for advice and information exchange. The main purpose of the centre was to offer practical help in developing policies and setting up programmes related to the workplace. 
 
The ICEM abstract written for the Conference was accepted for a poster exhibition. The ICEM was also invited to speak on &ldquo;The importance of social dialogue and workers&rsquo; participation in public/private partnerships&rdquo; at a Satellite Meeting Session with the theme &ldquo;From the workplace to the community &ndash; Co-investment to access prevention, treatment and care in public/private partnerships&rdquo;. 
 
Several broader trends emerged from the Conference. Although still inadequate, treatment is becoming more available. However, those on antiretrovirals (ARVs) remain infected and require treatment indefinitely. This requires a re-emphasis on prevention. Despite many years of research at huge cost, a vaccine has not yet been found. 
 
Also noted is that prevention techniques away from consent-requiring condom use focus on female protection to empower women to take control. 
 
(Sources: EI Newsletter on EFA and HIV/AIDS, ILO Press Release, CLC Press Release, The Economist, 19 August 2006) 
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2nd Global Fund Partnership Forum 
 
More than 400 participants from 118 countries attended a lively Global Fund Partnership Forum in Durban, South Africa, 1 - 3 July. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the major source of assistance in the worldwide fight against these diseases. 
 
The Global Fund Partnership Forum meets every two years and brings together a broad group of stakeholders. While its purpose is to inform stakeholders about progress and challenges, its major aim is to provide those who do not have a direct voice on the Global Fund Board the opportunity to give their opinions. The Forum was preceded by ten skills-building workshops. 
 
While a wide range of organisations attended, unfortunately labour presence was low with only the ICEM sending a representative. Representation of the business sector was also proportionately low. 
 
A wide range of issues were discussed. The hottest debates were centred on the operations of the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs). Issues raised included the following: 
<ul>
 <li>Need for the independence of the CCM from any specific stakeholder, including government, and possible creation of an independent secretariat for the CCM. </li>
 <li>Constitutions and by-laws developed by stakeholders should guide the operations of the CCM. These should include mechanisms to improve feedback and support constituency consultations. </li>
 <li>The Chairperson of the CCM and principle recipient of funding from the Global Fund should preferably not be from the same constituency. There should be a conflict of interest policy in place to deal with this situation. </li>
 <li>The chair of the CCM should be rotated among the stakeholders. </li>
 <li>Concerns were also raised about the utilisation of Technical Assistance from other countries and regions which could undermine the ownership and leadership of the national stakeholders. </li>
 <li>The Global Fund should explore the potential for the consolidation and harmonisation of CCMs and National AIDS Commissions in each individual country. </li>
 <li>Problems with Local Fund Agents (LFA) were also identified. </li>
 <li>The current LFA model does not accommodate different situations that countries have. </li>
 <li>The LFAs were often seen as spies rather than partners to assist projects. </li>
 <li>Quality of work of LFAs has not been good across the board and sometime their skills were inadequate for the roles they had to play. </li>
</ul>
Overall assessments of the operations were that often proposals were very ambitious, but work plans were weak; recipients lacked capacity to implement the programmes. There are very different levels of human and technical resources available in countries. CCMs were often weak and delays in procurement and suppliers weakened the projects. Overall, the status of the national health system was an integral factor in the success of the projects. 
 
The operations and dimensions of Global Fund grants are potentially huge in national AIDS initiatives. Currently, the voice of the Labour Movement is not being heard in the CCMs, which determine the application for funds and the way in which the funds are used. More information on the Global Fund is available at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org">http://www.theglobalfund.org</a>. Reports from the Partnership Meeting will soon be available at <a href="http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/about/forum/2006">http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/about/forum/2006</a>. 
 
(Source: own report) 
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Global Fund Donors Meet 
 
After the Forum, representatives of more than twenty donor countries met in Durban for a mid-term review of the first replenishment period 2006-7. Governments are the major source of funding and constant replenishment is required to finance the grants approved in the different funding rounds. The Fund has, so far, received sufficient pledges to cover the costs of Phase 2 renewals for Rounds 1 to 5, but is short of funding for the cost of Round 6 for which proposals were submitted by 3 August, and for Round 7, which is anticipated to be launched next year. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 61, 5 July 2006 &ndash; GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>) 
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Top Pharma Companies Fail to Address Industry Best Practices on HIV/AIDS 
 
In the spotlight of the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, the Interfaith Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) released a comprehensive study evaluating the pharmaceutical industry&rsquo;s efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the neglected diseases that often accompany the virus. 
The ICCR report &ldquo;Benchmarking AIDS: Evaluating pharmaceutical company responses to the public health crisis in emerging markets&rdquo; highlights the large disparities between industry best practice and the actions of 15 leading pharmaceutical companies. Two major problems were identified: a failure to develop new medicines that also address neglected diseases and a lack of access for poor patients to the existing medicines. 
(Source: ICCR Press Release, 14 August &ndash; <a href="http://www.iccr.org">www.iccr.org</a>)
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G8 HIV/AIDS Renewing its Commitment to Tackle HIV/AIDS 
 
Trade unions welcomed the renewed commitment made by the G8 meeting in St. Petersburg to tackle HIV/AIDS and to create a regular monitoring of its work. This reflects a call made during a year-long campaign by trade unions for Summit leaders to create a reporting framework to ensure progress on fighting the pandemic. 
Fulfilling existing promises is more important than making new ones because the G8 has, so far, failed to review any progress on its own promise, made in 2005 at Gleneagles, for universal access to treatment by 2010. 
 
According to a report published by the World AIDS Campaign (WAC &ndash; <a href="http://www.worldaidscampaign.org">www.worldaidscampaign.org</a>) ahead of the Summit, only a fraction of the G8&rsquo;s commitments on health have been taken up over the past five years by the leading economies of the world. According to WAC, accountability on past promises must top the agenda. 
(Sources: Global Unions Press Release, 19 July 2006 and WAC Press Release, 14 July 2006) 
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Ghana: Business Joins the Fight Against HIV/AIDS 
 
The Ghana Business Coalition against HIV/AIDS was launched in Accra on 25 July. The private sector in Ghana has been slow in responding to HIV/AIDS. 
 
At the launch in Accra, the country&rsquo;s Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, stated that the price of doing nothing at workplaces can be significantly higher than the cost of addressing the epidemic and managing it through workplace programmes, education, advocacy and peer counselling. The Business Coalition will serve as a coordinating body for the private sector response to the epidemic. 
 
(Source: Accra Mail, 26 July) 
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News from GUFs: HIV/AIDS Workshops during the ITF Congress 
 
The International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) has intensified its commitment to fight the pandemic, especially among transport workers who, due to their working conditions and mobility, are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. 
 
The ITF&rsquo;s new HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Dr Asif Altaf, runs the international&rsquo;s global programme. During the 41st ITF Congress in Durban, two workshops on HIV/AIDS and transport workers were organised. The high attendance and active participation was a good reflection of the commitment and dedication of ITF affiliates to protect transport workers and their families. Without the active involvement of transport workers, and their unions, it is impossible to develop an effective response to the pandemic. 
At the Congress, the documentary &ldquo;Highway of Hope&rdquo; was launched. It highlights the seriousness of the HIV/AIDS crisis affecting transport workers on the Northern Corridor &ndash; the strategic highway connecting Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. 
(Source: ITF HIV/AIDS update 4, 15 August) 
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Kenya HIV/AIDS Patients to Get New ARV Drug 
 
Kenya is to receive the first shipment of a new HIV/AIDS drug that could help patients whose treatment with first-line ARVs has failed. Abbott Laboratories manufactures the drug, Kaletra, which is available in the US for USD 9,000 per patient per year. The cost in Kenya will be USD 500, following price concessions by Abbott. 
Unlike other ARVs, Kaletra does not require refrigeration, which means it can easily be transported to remote areas. The international humanitarian organisation Medicins sans Fronti&egrave;res is importing the initial shipment.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 11/12

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At a parliamentary session of South Korea&rsquo;s National Assembly last week, the government, along with the ruling Uri Party, vowed that approval of the so-called irregular workers&rsquo; bill will be a priority. The measure was temporarily stopped in the Assembly by procedural manoeuvres last April by the Democratic Labor Party and the Grand National Party. 
 
The legislation, on the government&rsquo;s agenda now for two years, would grant all temporary workers permanent status after two years. But the bill is opposed by South Korea&rsquo;s two labour federations because the necessary safeguards and protections do not exist in the proposed legislation. The bill would create a massive pool of temporary workers for the benefit of businesses. Both the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) say the bill does nothing to defend the basic rights of contract and agency workers and, as it now stands, threatens permanent jobs with a flood of two-year temporary jobs. 
 
The KCTU withdrew from South Korea&rsquo;s Tripartite Commission over workplace governance issues last April because of the irregular workers&rsquo; bill. The federation has since re-joined the official state commission, which has conducted social discussions lately on the legislation. The Tripartite Commission also has on its agenda some 40 other labour reform measures, including a single negotiations vehicle for multi-union workplaces and cutting company salaries to trade union leaders. 
<img height="145" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse.jpg" width="102" alt="" />
The government and Uri Party leaders say they will push ahead with the reform measures even if agreement is not reached in the Tripartite Commission. 
 
Leaders of both KCTU and FKTU met with ILO Director-General Juan Somavia on 26 August in Seoul on the irregular workers&rsquo; bill and other contentious labour problems. The federations are seeking ILO support to help resolve the issues fairly. The occasion for the meeting with Somavia was the ILO&rsquo;s Asian Regional Meeting, which was held last week in Busan, South Korea&rsquo;s largest port city.

South Korea’s Irregular Workers’ Bill Again Before Parliament

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A strike by glass workers in New Zealand enters its second week today. About a dozen night-shift workers at Pilkington Glass in the Auckland suburb of Mt. Wellington began the strike late on 30 August. They were joined by the plant&rsquo;s 50 other workers the next morning. 
 
The glass workers are represented by ICEM affiliate Engineering, Printing &amp; Manufacturing Union (EPMU). Workers are seeking the standard 5% contained in nearly all EPMU-negotiated collective agreements, but Pilkington, now a subsidiary of Nippon Sheet Glass, is offering only 4%. Union members are also seeking an increase in the daily shift allowance from NZ$3.25 to NZ$10.00. 
<img height="152" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0608EPMUALittle.jpg" width="100" alt="" /> 
EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little
&ldquo;(Workers) claims are quite modest &ndash; nothing more than the going rate,&rdquo; stated EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little. &ldquo;The company says it can&rsquo;t afford it, but the New Zealand operation made a NZ$14 million net profit in the year up to March 2005, with a global profit of more than NZ$600 million.&rdquo; 
 
The 60 glass workers started industrial action during the week of 7 August when they conducted two stop-work actions. The next week saw EPMU members begin a ban on all overtime work.

Pilkington Glass Workers in New Zealand Strike for 5% Pay Gains

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The ICEM has put its weight behind an effort by its Ivory Coast affiliate, SYNASEG, to get local company CIE, the country&rsquo;s electricity operator and subsidiary of the Bouygues Group, to stop its union-busting campaign, and to enter into a meaningful dialogue with the union. 
 
The problems between the union and CIE started in August 2005, after SYNASEG decided to support a national electric sector reform that was proposed by the government then. The government failed to carry out its own plan, and, instead, renewed CIE &ndash; and Bouygues&rsquo; &ndash; contract for a further 15 years. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/IvorycoastFlag.gif" width="100" />
Shortly after that, CIE started its systematic and vindictive campaign to silence SYNASEG. As part of that, the company refused to engage in social dialogue, devised several delaying tactics, obstructed trade union freedoms, and abused the system of dues check-off by withholding fees and used the funds to favour third parties. The company also set up a Mutual Investment Fund, to which employees contribute but do not receive the benefits. 
 
ICEM sent a message to all its affiliated trade unions last week, seeking messages of support be sent to SYNASEG on the occasion of their strike, which was originally targeted for 23-25 October. The strike was first postponed by one week because of state-requested mediation efforts. Talks on Friday, 27 October, in the presence of Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo produced an agreement to resume negotiations until the issues are favourably resolved.

ICEM affiliate in Ivory Coast Gets Presidential Commitment to Resolve Work Issues

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The two Spanish ICEM affiliates in the oil and gas sector, FIA-UGT and FITEQA-CC.OO., jointly issued a call for a two-day general strike of all gas and petrol station workers, set for 7-8 November. In total, the strike would affect 41,500 workers, spread over some 8,700 petrol stations across Spain. 
 
The unions are protesting against a series of bad working conditions. Workers often work extra hours just in order to cope financially; they earn only &euro;800-900 euros a month, before taxes. They also face &ldquo;excessive rotation and temporary work,&rdquo; including shift and weekend work. Other issues include dangerous working conditions, specifically regarding frequent robberies, and the fact that workers are expected to perform extra shop duties without extra pay. 
<img height="80" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/SpainFIAUGT.jpg" width="80" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="81" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/SpainFITEQA.jpg" width="100" />
UGT and CC.OO. want a new three-year collective agreement to include a substantial salary increase and a reduction in average working hours. The unions say their demands are very reasonable, certainly given the current profits by the multinationals that control the distribution sector. 
 
And they remain open to negotiations with the employers. A meeting last week, however, failed to bring parties closer to an agreement. The unions and employers are meeting again tomorrow, in a last attempt to avoid a strike. Hopes are not that high though, since negotiations for this sector have been stalled since March.

Spanish Petrol Station Workers Threaten Two-Day Strike

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The Austrian national labour centre &Ouml;GB has been asking, as part of an ongoing reform process, the opinion of its members on how they see their union and what they expect from it. Questions range from, &ldquo;Are you satisfied with your union?&rdquo; to &ldquo;What benefits are you getting/needing from the union?&rdquo; and &ldquo;What do you think should be our priorities?&rdquo; 
 
Both ICEM affiliates in Austria, the Gewerkschaft der Chemiearbeiter (GdC) and the Gewerkschaft Metall-Textil-Nahrung (GMTN), took an active part in the &Ouml;GB poll, seeking to highlight a number of issues that they feel are particularly important. 
<img height="44" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/AustriaGdc.jpg" width="43" align="middle" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="62" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/AUSTRIAgmt.gif" width="145" align="middle" alt="" />
To that effect, a joint statement was released, co-signed by another Austrian union, Gewerkschaft Bau-Holz (GBH), with whom the two unions have been operating jointly as &ldquo;pro.ge.&rdquo; (Pro.ge stands for short for &ldquo;Produktionsgewerkschaften in den Bereichen Produktion, Technik und nahe Dienstleistungen.&rdquo;) 
 
According to the three organisations, there is a need to organise differently the work done by trade unions in Austria, as the playing field has changed. The world-wide activities of multinational corporations, as well as the ever changing employer-employee relationships are cited as part of that. 
 
In their joint statement, emphasis was placed on the need to support workers in all forms of atypical work, on the urgency in getting more women involved in trade union work, and on the necessity to cooperate more strongly on the international level, with other trade unions and members of civil society.

Austrian Affiliates Take ÖGB Debate to Global Level

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A little-noticed, but monumental vote in the Canada&rsquo;s House of Commons on 25 October was won by the Canadian labour movement. Hundreds of trade unionists, including members from ICEM affiliates Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada and the United Steelworkers (USW), flooded the Parliament in Ottawa to assure passage on this historic vote. 
 
The vote came on the second reading of a &ldquo;private member&rsquo;s bill&rdquo; to ban, under the Canadian labour code, replacement workers or scabs during strikes and lockouts. Labour law in Canada is generally regulated by the provinces. But when an industry such as telecommunications, mining, or transportation crosses provincial lines, the Canadian national code takes effect. 
 
The second-reading vote passed by an overwhelming margin, 167-101, with all New Democratic Party and Bloc Qu&eacute;b&eacute;cois parliamentarians voting in favour. The fact that most members of the Liberal Party, and even a few Conservatives voted for the measure, Bill C-257, is a tribute to the trade unionists who moved this legislation forward. 
<img height="83" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/canadacep.gif" width="100" align="middle" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="66" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/USAUSW.jpg" width="120" align="middle" alt="" />
A scab ban across Canada&rsquo;s federally-supervised work areas had been attempted over 10 times before, the latest in April 2005 when it was defeated by 12 votes. What&rsquo;s more, Bill C-257 is a &ldquo;private member&rsquo;s bill,&rdquo; introduced by a Bloc Qu&eacute;b&eacute;cois delegate, and such bills traditionally are extremely hard to pass in Canada&rsquo;s legislative system. 
 
If passed, a federal scab ban law would impose a C$1,000-a-day fine on employers who utilise replacement workers during labour disputes. Efforts to pass the bill have been boosted by two provincial statutes that ban replacement workers, one on the books in Quebec since 1977, the other enacted in British Colombia in 1993. Research shows that not only the length of strikes and lockouts in these two provinces has been shortened compared to the average, but that neither capital investment nor job creation has been hindered by the laws. 
 
&ldquo;There is an understanding among the majority of Members in Parliament that this proposed ban on replacement workers &ndash; scabs &ndash; is a modern and enlightened method of reducing the length and impact of labour disputes, whether they be strikes or lockouts,&rdquo; said USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann, an ICEM Vice President. 
<img height="169" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0605KenNeumann.jpg" width="150" alt="" />
ICEM Vice President Ken Neumann
&ldquo;Our union represents 15,000 Canadians working in the federal jurisdiction,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;This legislation is important for those workers and employers directly, and will become a fair and balanced model for provincial jurisdictions that do not have it in their labour codes.&rdquo; 
 
At the CEP&rsquo;s Convention a week before the 25 October second-reading passage, delegates were lined up to take on lobbying assignments in the final push for passage. Those efforts, and the efforts of all Canadian trade unionists, paid off in the 167-101 vote. 
 
&ldquo;Canadians who work under the federal labour code are now a little closer to the fairness and balance that exists in labour relations in Quebec and in British Columbia,&rdquo; said Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) President Ken Georgetti. The CLC, which headed the lobbying effort, maintains that scab labour is an outdated practice that does more harm than good.

Historic Scab Ban Legislation Making Way Through Canada’s Parliament

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The Seventh National Convention of ICEM affiliate Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada was held 15-19 October in Vancouver, British Colombia province, and Dave Coles was selected by acclamation as president of the union. 
 
He succeeds Brian Payne, ICEM Vice President, who has served in that capacity since 2000. After 28 years service to the CEP, and before that, ten years as a shop-floor activist in a British Colombia paper mill, Payne retired effective at the close of the convention. 
<img height="208" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0610Canada2.JPG" width="300" />
New CEP President Dave Coles (at right), with Finnish Paperiliitto President Jouko Ahonen, ICEM's Paper Sector Chairman
Over 1,000 delegates and alternates moved fervently to adopt a resolution that will significantly boost the union&rsquo;s organising fund. They also debated fiercely the Canadian military&rsquo;s involvement in Afghanistan, a situation which has left over 70 Canadian soldiers and diplomats dead. 
In a softer but equally passionate testimony, delegates expressed their emotions and thanks to Payne for his leadership at CEP, particularly by forging unity and consensus among the union&rsquo;s 150,000 members in forest products, oil and gas, media, and telecommunications sectors. Payne&rsquo;s resolve to protect the interests of CEP members, from defence resources to pattern-bargaining, was lauded. His effort to bring a successful 14-year pay equity battle to closure at Bell Canada telephone was also recognised. 
<img height="200" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0610Canada3.JPG" width="300" />
Retiring CEP President Brian Payne and his wife Verna
Coles has been CEP&rsquo;s Western Region Vice President. He began his union career in the early 1970s at a pulp mill in British Columbia and has over 30 years of labour and community activism, including work as a CEP organiser in both Alberta and British Colombia provinces.
&ldquo;Thanks to the debate and direction provided at this convention,&rdquo; Coles said at the close of it, &ldquo;we head into the next two years resolved to build an effective, dynamic union. We will make progress through collective bargaining and rise to new levels of social unionism.&rdquo; 
 
Ga&eacute;tan M&eacute;nard, a National Representative who began his union career in 1984 at Local 11, Masson, Quebec, was elected CEP Secretary-Treasurer.

Dave Coles Succeeds Retiring Brain Payne as President of Canada’s CEP

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Nigerian oil workers&rsquo; unions again are spearheading the call for security, as well as meeting the challenges inherent in oil and gas production in a developing country. Two weeks ago, the unions PENGASSAN and NUPENG conducted a three-day workshop in Ibadan, Oyo State, to train union members to the multi-faceted changes taking hold in Nigeria&rsquo;s oil and gas fields. 
 
Those changes include outsourcing, reliance on fixed-term employment, privatisation of government assets, and de-unionisation. The government&rsquo;s inability to deal effectively with the Niger Delta&rsquo;s natural resources is also cause for great concern. 
<img height="116" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/NigeriaNupeng.gif" width="112" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="105" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/NigeriaPengassan.JPG" width="100" />
The workshops produced a long list of necessary reforms that would help remove corruption from government agencies and bring economic opportunities to the indigenous peoples of the Niger River Delta. 
 
&ldquo;The kidnapping and killing of workers in the Niger Delta Region continues to pose serious threats to the security of our members and other workers in the region,&rdquo; said PENGASSAN President Peter Esele. &ldquo;The vandalizing of oil pipelines by economic saboteurs has continued to keep our refineries without crude, leaving the entire nation to depend on imported petroleum products.&rdquo; 
 
The workshops also painted a critical picture of the Nigerian government, from the Oil and Gas Committee Report that has brought on privatisation and casualisation to its handling of the kidnappings and killings so common in the Delta this year.
The conference was held during a three-week period in which seven foreign nationals, all employed in the oil industry, had been kidnapped by an unknown youth militia group. The seven were abducted on 3 October from an ExxonMobil residential compound in Eseakpan, southern Akwa Iborn State, which is used to house contract workers. The seven were released more than a fortnight later following negotiations between the industry and group. 
<img height="101" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMOil.JPG" width="100" />
Esele pledged to the trade unionists in attendance that the unions would act as a legitimate &ldquo;pressure group,&rdquo; and that &ldquo;no stone will be left unturned in our efforts&rdquo; to bring economic dignity and opportunities to Nigerian citizens. 
 
In a separate trade union gathering occurring in Akwa Iborn State at the same time, the quarterly meeting of PENGASSAN&rsquo;s Producers&rsquo; Forum called on the Nigerian national assembly to amend the statutes governing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The body says the commission has failed to address the development needs of citizens in the region. 
 
The Producers&rsquo; Forum suggests that the 3% funding of the NDDC that comes from oil prospecting companies should be directly used by the communities in which these firms operate. The forum proposed that monitoring of such projects be undertaken by the National Petroleum Investment Agency. These recommendations, as part of a seven-point action plan, were passed on to PENGASSAN&rsquo;s national secretariat.

Nigerian Oil Workers’ Unions Offer Common Sense Reforms

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ICEM affiliate, National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), again called for an absolute zero level of tolerance on health and safety incidences inside South Africa&rsquo;s mining industry. 
 
That message again had to be delivered following a pair of seismic events, which caused death on 23 October at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s TauTona gold mine near Carletonville, South Africa. The tremors brought cave-ins and resulted in the deaths of five miners, who were working some 2,700 metres underground in one of the world&rsquo;s deepest mines. 
The NUM questions why miners are even working in an environment so hazardous. AngloGold&rsquo;s TauTona mine had already seen the deaths of another five miners, with ten others severely injured, earlier this year in similar rock falls. Tremors struck the mine southwest of Johannesburg in separate occurrences in January and February. In July 2005, two more miners were killed at TauTona when a tremor caused a rock slide. 
<img height="103" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/SouthafricaNUM.gif" width="100" />
The two 23 October tremors, which struck near a production seam nearly three kilometres inside the earth, occurred 25 minutes apart, and registered magnitudes of 1.9 and 2.3 on the Richter scale. The resulting rock slides also injured two other miners, one seriously. 
 
South African Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjea questioned the logic of miners working so deep in such environments. &ldquo;In view of an industry-accepted target of zero fatalities, gold mines are the worst performers,&rdquo; she said, in a statement on the most recent TauTona tragedy. 
 
AngloGold produced 120,000 ounces of gold from TauTona in fiscal quarter ending in June 2006. That figure represents 8.5% of the company&rsquo;s total global gold production.

Earth Tremors Bring Death in AngloGold’s South African TauTona Mine

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