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<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39" />
Some 60,000 trade union members of five Romanian union confederations manifested in Bucharest&rsquo;s Victoriei Square on 19 May, demanding that the government not implement its planned cuts on public-sector wages, pensions, and social services. 
 
Trade unions, civil society groups, and doctors, teachers, and ordinary citizens promise a general strike that could begin tomorrow, 31 May, if the center-right government of Prime Minister Emil Boc moves ahead with its plan to cut public-sector pay by 25%, pensions and unemployment benefits by 15%, and public services by 15% on 1 June. 
 
The cuts were made in a letter of intent to the US-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a US$20 billion loan from the IMF and the EU in order to balance the country&rsquo;s budget. Prior to the 19 May manifestation, the IMF made public its concern against such drastic cuts, expressing a preference for a balance between public curtailments and new revenue sources such as taxes. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.romania.public.jpg" width="250" height="188" />
19 May Manifestation in Victoriei Square
Trade unions are calling for a system of progressive taxation, with the right to retain a decent job, the right to education opportunities, and the right to retire in dignity without fear of dire poverty. The trade union confederations propose that Romanian government ministries cut their bureaucracies. 
 
The government&rsquo;s austerity programme includes a 15% cut in child and child-rearing allowances. Currently, women workers receive 85% of their pre-maternity average pay after childbirth. The government&rsquo;s proposed cuts would slash that to 60%. In an already understaffed national medical system in which doctors earn average monthly pay of only &euro;350, the cuts would mean another 10% of doctors would leave Romania for countries that have higher salaries. Education has already been affected. Some 15,000 teachers will be sacked this year because of the austerity plan. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.romania.public.2.jpg" width="250" height="188" />
For ICEM affiliated trade unions in the public sector, including FSLI-Petrom at the state oil company, Chimie-Petrochimie Lazar Edeleanu, Chimie-Petrochimie CSI, and Centrala Nationala Minera Federation, the cuts could be devastating since some 80,000 public-sector jobs would be lost, and there is sure to be a spin-off effect into private sector employment. 
 
The five labour confederations resisting the government&rsquo;s wide-ranging social cuts comprise unions in the mining, metallurgical, chemicals, agriculture, textile, transportation, and education sectors. They include the Fratia National Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CNSLR-Fratia), the Cartel Alfa National Trade Union Confederation (CNS Cartel Alfa), the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), the Meridian National Trade union Confederation, and the Democratic Trade Union Confederation of Romania (CSDR). 
 
The trade union confederations have already declared 19 May as a historic day of national solidarity against injustice in the central European country, and vow that any attempt by the government to impose its terms will bring the nation to its biggest social crisis of the past 20 years.

Proposed Austerity Cuts Bring Mass Protests Inside Romania

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A wage agreement will likely will be signed today giving 5,800 miners and metalworkers in Georgia a minimum 15% pay increase, backdated to 1 May. For those working shifts at the Zestafoni Ferroalloys plant and Georgian Manganese mines, a further 7% was won on top of the 15%. 
 
That was assured on Friday, 28 May, when one of the Georgian shareholders of the two enterprises signed off on the increase. The managing directors of the manganese processing plant and mines are expected to sign the wage portion of the contract today in Zestafoni with leaders of the ICEM affiliate, Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Georgia, Imereti Region branch. 
 
A further agreement covering paid holiday leave, sick leave, a joint contributory pension plan, and other workplace conditions is expected to be consummated in the very near future. The union, with valuable assistance from the national labour centre, Georgian Trade Unions Confederation (GTUC), as well through ICEM intervention, won recognition in mid-May after strikes and public activities in the previous weeks. (See earlier ICEM report <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3777-Free-Trade-Union-Recognised-for-Miners-Metalworkers-of-Georgia">here</a>.) 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.georgia.2.JPG" width="280" height="210" />
The boost to salaries is fair and just, since pay at the Zestafoni Ferroalloys plant and manganese mines in Chiatura is extremely low. Miners had earned an average monthly wage of GEL (lari) 450, or US$238, &euro;192. The average monthly salary inside the ferroalloy plant, where 2,200 of the 5,800 workers are employed, is GEL 562, or US$298, &euro;240. 
 
As often happens when such struggles for democratic trade union representation and workplace improvements become public and are successful, industrial workers in other Georgian enterprises also are seeking representation. Both GTUC and the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Trade Union of Georgia are currently working with employees in steel and other industrial enterprises for recognition, wage improvements, and workplace rights. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the federation and its Georgian trade union affiliate on its accomplishments at Zestafoni and Chiatura, and pledges continued resources and a global presence as the unions better the working lives of all Georgian industrial workers.

Georgian Miners, Metalworkers Get Long Overdue Pay Rises

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The ICEM is coordinating with other Global Union Federations, the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation, and UNI, as well as with North American affiliates Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada and the United Steelworkers (USW), and the Solidarity Centre in Mexico, to conduct a teach-in event in Toronto, aimed at raising solidarity with and understanding of the struggle by democratic trade unions in Mexico. The event will be held on 20 June, as part of the Peoples&rsquo; Forum events around the G8 and G20 summits. It is an open event. View the agenda <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Mexico%20Forum%20-%20Agenda%20-%20Public%20_EN_.pdf">here</a>. 
 
Entitled the &ldquo;Conference on Building Solidarity with the Democratic Labour Movement in Mexico,&rdquo; the forum is targeted at making an impact in both Mexico and Canada, following Mexican President Felipe Calder&oacute;n&rsquo;s recent visit to the Canadian Parliament, and the continued anti-union strategy of the Mexican government. 
 
The ICEM Executive Committee last week issued a resolution against mining giant Grupo M&eacute;xico and the Calder&oacute;n government following unprovoked violence by federal police against workers in the city of L&aacute;zaro C&aacute;rdenas in the Michoac&aacute;n region. Read the complete resolution <a href="/index.php?id=5&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=3795">here</a>. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.mexico.teachin.jpg" width="267" height="346" />
This latest attack is an attack on the autonomy of the National Miners&rsquo; and Metalworkers&rsquo; Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM), also known as Los Mineros. The violence follows the arrest of Mario Garc&iacute;a Ort&iacute;z, Los Mineros&rsquo; special delegate for the State of Michoac&aacute;n, also the Alternative General Secretary of the union and President of the recent Convention of the union. When a delegation of Section 271 went to the police station to ask the reason for the arrest, they found Ort&iacute;z in the process of being released. Without provocation, the police ordered the mineworkers to lie on the street, and then brutally beat the union members. 
 
Mario Ort&iacute;z was seriously injured in the attack and hospitalised. Following the attack, the Section 271 members were detained by police, only being released when their 3,000 fellow Section 271 members stopped work at the ArcelorMittal steel facility in protest. 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s governing body last week demanded that the Calder&oacute;n government respect the democratic decision of the recent Los Mineros Congress, which re-elected Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez as General Secretary. G&oacute;mez is forced to lead the union from exile in Canada, as the Mexican government and Grupo M&eacute;xico continue sham legal processes against him. The treatment of Los Mineros official Juan Linares acts as stark reminder of what Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez risks facing if he returns to his country. Juan Linares was arrested in September 2008 at an airport on his return from Canada, where he was a guest at a Canadian labour conference. 
 
&ldquo;ICEM affiliates in Canada and the US have put fourth extraordinary efforts assisting our sisters and brothers in Mexico to stand up against a repressive government and some ruthless employers,&rdquo; stated Joe Drexler, ICEM Director of Industry and Corporate Affairs and Coordinator for the ICEM North American Region. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.los_.mineros.violence.jpg" width="220" height="148" />
(Photo: International Metalworkers Federation)
Mexican union leaders from different sectors will share experiences of repression and their fight for decent work, under the four following agenda items: Legal &amp; Political Framework of the Labour Movement Crisis; The Mexican Labour Movement in Crisis; Organizing Strategies in Response to the Crisis; Solidarity Strategies in Response to the Crisis. 
 
The event will take place at 89 Chestnut St., Chestnut Residence Hotel, University of Toronto, 2nd floor. Registration is at 08h30am. For more information, write to <a href="mailto:mbeauregard@cep.ca">mbeauregard@cep.ca</a>. 
 
There was positive news at Johnson Controls in the Mexican state of Puebla this weekend, when a long-fought struggle came to fruition. Johnson Controls officially recognizing the SNTMMSRM as the representative trade union of its employees, ending its relationship with a yellow union. 
 
Management was brought to the table just three days after a work stoppage, as the union timed a strike to stop production just before shipments to key customers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Chrysler, Nissan, and Volkswagen. Johnson Controls was at risk of large fines if supplier contracts were not met. The settlement also sees 80 contract and agency workers given full employment by the American-based company. The US Solidarity Centre in Mexico reports that international pressure was vitally important in reaching this settlement, serving as a clear indication of the need to continue the overall campaign.

Mexico ‘Teach-In’ Organised to Build Trade Union Solidarity

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In September 2007, the ICEM and the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) jointly signed a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with Belgian-based Umicore, a chemicals, metals technology, and catalysts systems company. This GFA moved ahead with several activities of late. 
 
Following a joint mission to Shanghai, China, in March 2009, another joint mission was accomplished early this year to S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil. The ICEM and IMF were represented there by Luc Triangle from the Belgium Union ACV-CSC METEA, who took the lead in signing the GFA back in 2007. He was accompanied by Jef Peeters, Secretary of Umicore&rsquo;s European Works Council (EWC). The company was represented by Guy Ethier, Senior Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety, and Mark Dolfyn, Human Resources and Development Director. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.umicore.jpg" width="269" height="195" />
From left, the Umicore Monitoring Committee, Noel Van Den Bossche, Mark Dolfyn, ICEM&rsquo;s Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Umicore CEO Marc Grynberg, Luc Triangle, Jef Peeters, and Umicore&rsquo;s Geert Bens and Guy Ethier 
Local union leaders and company managers were also present at the meetings. 
 
Umicore&rsquo;s business in Brazil spiraled with acquisition of the Precious Metals Group from the Finnish-American group OMG in 2003. The three Brazilian Umicore operations are former OMG plants, with one located in Guarulhos that employs 450 staff. 
 
The programme of the joint visit covered consultation with trade union delegates over a detailed agenda, and it involved several participants. The delegation also received detailed information on the Guarulhos site regarding performance, production, demographics, gender/age, types of contracts, staff turnover, training and education, local staff survey results, health and safety, environmental issues, social policies, working conditions, social dialogue, relationship with trade unions, and activities with the local communities. 
 
During the different meetings with local and corporate managers, the different chapters of this reporting were used to discuss situations at Guarulhos. 
 
At the end of the visit, both parties expressed their appreciation. The European trade unionists concluded the meeting with proposals to improve functioning of the Health and Safety Committee, to increase the awareness of the GFA&rsquo;s content for all workers, inclusive of further training. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.umicore.2.JPG" width="250" height="179" />
Discussions in S&atilde;o Paulo with representatives from Umicore&rsquo;s three operations in Brazil
Following this mission to Brazil, the GFA&rsquo;s Monitoring Committee met in Brussels on 23 April. The ICEM was represented by Kemal &Ouml;zkan, Rubber and Chemicals Industries Officer, while Luc Triangle of Belgium ACV-CSC METEA was present on behalf of IMF. Both Jef Peeters and Noel Van Den Bossche represented the EWC of Umicore. The company delegation was headed by CEO Marc Grynberg, Senior Vice President Guy Ethier, and Mark Dolfyn and Geert Bens. 
 
The meeting heard and discussed a presentation on the annual sustainable development report, the external verification report, an evaluation of the Guarulhos mission, a preview on new sustainable development objectives for 2011-2015, Umicore&rsquo;s new Sustainable Procurement Approach, planning and financing of future site visits, and the mandated review of the GFA. 
 
Grynberg commented openly on the formulation of the next level of sustainable development objectives, which still needs to be approved by the company&rsquo;s Board of Directors and will become part of the &ldquo;Vision 2015&rdquo; communication tool for all employees. According to the CEO, the new objectives will be clustered around three themes: Great Place to Work, which includes safety and industrial hygiene; Eco Efficiency; and Stakeholder Engagement, which includes achieving a sustainable supply chain management. 
 
As a new approach, Umicore&rsquo;s Purchase &amp; Transportation Department reviewed the work that has been done, starting in 2008, to prepare the company&rsquo;s &ldquo;Sustainable Procurement Charter.&rdquo; This approach identifies suppliers who are at risk and sets out the evaluation process. The roll-out of the new Sustainable Procurement Charter will start soon, and will be incorporated in the new sustainable development objectives. The results of the supplier evaluation will be used for further improvements in practices of the supply chain. 
 
Commented &Ouml;zkan on the visit and the Monitoring Committee meeting: &quot;This is an important way forward for Umicore, particularly in comparing the time when we first signed the GFA and in developing and sharing the sustainable development practices of the company. New sustainable development objectives and the Sustainable Procurement Charter will enrich the implementation of the agreement. We offer our full cooperation.&rdquo;

Global Agreement with Belgian Umicore Takes Bold Steps Ahead

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A historic event took place early this month in the northern Iraq region of Kurdistan: the region&rsquo;s two labour federations, traditional tied to Kurdistan&rsquo;s two political parties, merged, creating a single voice for workers in northern Iraq. 
 
The new federation is called the Kurdistan United Workers&rsquo; Union, and consolidates the Kurdistan Workers&rsquo; Union and the General Workers and Crafts Syndicate Union. The merger was first reported ten days ago on the website of UK&rsquo;s Trades Union Council (TUC). Hangam Abdullah Khan and Yassin Aziz Ali are to serve as co-Presidents. 
 
&ldquo;When we were two federations, we spoke with two voices,&rdquo; stated Hangam Abdullah Khan. &ldquo;Now it is working people who will benefit from us having one voice.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.kurdistan.jpg" width="274" height="206" />
Added Yassin Aziz Ali, &ldquo;With this new union, we have high hopes. We hope to have an increasing membership, women in leadership positions in the union, and more campaigning power, especially on our top priority &ndash; new progressive labour laws in the Kurdistan region and across federal Iraq, and on social security, too.&rdquo; 
 
The new trade union federation, according to the TUC site, is 95% merged and is in a one-year transitional state. Despite that, it already has a President for Women &ndash; Nazanin Tariq Ali. 
 
The ICEM congratulates the leaders of the former union federations for coming together in the best interests of not just Kurdish workers, but for setting an example throughout Iraq.

The Two Trade Union Federations in Iraqi Kurdistan Unite, Merge

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The ICEM Executive Committee, on the second day of its annual deliberations 27 May, denounced Iraq&rsquo;s government for continued failure to enact a draft labour law, as well as numerous and current prohibitions against trade union activities. 
 
The resolution noted continued adherence to a Saddam Hussein decree that bans trade unions in the public sector, which includes the oil, gas, and electric power industries, and continued imposition of Decree 8750, imposed by the occupation forces in August 2005. That draconian decree, equally restriction on trade union rights as the Saddam one, grants government the power to take over unions at will and forbids trade unions from holding any assets or collecting subscriptions from workers. 
 
The resolution also addresses the forced removals of trade union leaders from their work in the oil, gas, and related sectors, and condemns the most recent imposition by the government in restricting trade unionists from travelling outside the country. In that, the Supreme Ministerial Committee on Supervising the Implementation of the Governing Council Resolution No. 3-2005 must issue approval to those trade unionists seeking to travel or those invited outside of Iraq. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1005.excom_.JPG" width="311" height="207" />
ICEM Executive Committee
&ldquo;The ICEM Executive Committee condemns all of these Iraqi government acts against trade unions,&rdquo; states the resolution. &ldquo;We salute the bravery of our Iraqi brothers and sisters who continue to organise, represent and protect workers despite these attacks and a background of continued and escalating violence in the society at large. 
 
&ldquo;We are appalled that seven years after the fall of Saddam Hussein&rsquo;s regime, workers in Iraq are still without legislative protection of their fundamental rights at work.&rdquo; 
 
(The complete resolution can be found in English <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/IraqExecResolution27May2010.pdf">here</a>, and in Arabic <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/1006.iraqresolution.ec.pdf">here</a>.) 
 
The resolution notes the fact that trade unions inside Iraq have mounted a campaign for a globally-recognised labour law, complete with a website (found <a href="http://www.iraqitradeunions.org/cgi-bin/campaign1.cgi">here</a>) and encourages all trade unionists everywhere to visit the site and register your support for a fair and just labour law inside Iraq. The ICEM strongly supports the campaign and the website.

ICEM Executive Condemns Repressive Union Actions by Iraq

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Rio Tinto Zimbabwe Ltd. (RioZim), operator of the Renco Gold Mine in Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Masvingo province, has maliciously taken revenge on members of the Associated Mine Workers&rsquo; of Zimbabwe (AMWZ) immediately after the end of a five-day national mine strike in mid-May. The company has discharged 70 miners, suspended 370, and given a total of 760 of Renco&rsquo;s 1,000 workers final warnings for taking part in the strike. 
 
Management&rsquo;s disciplinary actions come despite the fact that all strikers at Renco returned to work within the mandatory 24-hour period after Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Labour Ministry stopped the strike with a &ldquo;show-cause&rdquo; order on 14 May. 
 
&ldquo;Our concern now is that other mining enterprises will use this as a precedent to fire workers who took strike action,&rdquo; said AMWZ President Tinago Ruzive. &ldquo;In fact, as soon as we received the order, we informed all strikers to return to their jobs and we were successful in communicating this.&rdquo; 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Zimbabwe.png" width="250" height="115" />
(A 17 May ICEM briefing on the strike&rsquo;s end can be found <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3779-Zimbabwe-Mine-Strike-Suspended-by-Decree-of-Labour-Ministry">here</a>.) Ruzive and the AMWZ attempted to meet with Renco management over the unfair disciplinary measures, but management refused the meeting. The union must now take the matter to a labour court. 
 
The &ldquo;show-cause&rdquo; order called for a 20 May hearing on the pay strike in Harare. But the Labour Ministry cancelled that hearing and no new date has been scheduled. Some 20,000 miners struck 45 different mining companies affiliated to the Chamber of Mines in mid-May over non-payment of wage adjustments made in an arbitration award last year. 
 
Mining companies affiliated to the chamber have also neglected to remit contributions to the Mining Industry Pension Fund, monies owed to the National Employment Council for the Mining Industry, and to the AMWZ for subscriptions, a further cause of miners taking legal strike action after the AMWZ issued the mandatory 14-day strike notice in late April. 
 
RioZim is the country&rsquo;s largest resource company listed on Zimbabwe&rsquo;s bourse. Besides the Zenco Gold Mine, its assets include 22% of the Murowa diamond mine (with Rio Tinto Group holding 78%), the Empress nickel refinery in Kadoma, which processes matte from Botswana, and 50% of the Senga coal fields in Gokwe North.

Rio Tinto Sacks 70, Suspends 370 Following Zimbabwe Mine Strike

The ICEM condemns the brutal and unprovoked attack by Mexican Federal Police on members of the National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers (SNTMMSSRM) in the city of L&aacute;zaro C&aacute;rdenas, Michoac&aacute;n on May 23. According to the Union and press reports, police fired on, detained and brutally beat some 20 union members, including the Union&rsquo;s Special Delegate for the State of Michoac&aacute;n, Mario Garc&iacute;a Ort&iacute;z. 
 
The ICEM views this as a direct attack on the autonomy of the SNTMMSSRM, especially considering that Mario Garc&iacute;a Ort&iacute;z is the Alternate Secretary General of the Union and served as President of the Union&rsquo;s 36th Ordinary General Convention, held May 3-5 in Mexico City, at which representatives of the ICEM and its US and Canadian affiliates were present. 
 
This attack reminds us that two members of the SNTMMSSRM were killed and over a hundred injured in another attack by federal and state police in the same city on April 20, 2006. Despite a clear finding of state responsibility by the National Human Rights Commission, no one has been prosecuted for these killings. 
 
The ICEM calls on the Mexican Federal Government to: 
 
● grant legal acknowledgement (toma de nota) to Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez and should recognize the results of the Union&rsquo;s 36th General Ordinary Convention, held in May 2010 
 
● support the inter-party agreement in the Chamber of Deputies (Punto de Acuerdo) of 28 April 2010 regarding the strikes at Cananea and other Grupo M&eacute;xico mines, and should enter into good faith negotiations with the Union. 
 
● drop the baseless criminal charges against Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez and other union leaders, all of which have been dismissed by the courts, and withdraw its appeals of these dismissals. 
 
● immediately release Juan Linares Montufar, President of the Union&rsquo;s Vigilance and Justice Commission, from prison. 
 
● comply with repeated court orders to lift the freeze imposed on the Union&rsquo;s bank accounts. 
 
● investigate and prosecute the persons responsible for the murders of four union members since 2006 and the latest attack on workers in L&aacute;zaro C&aacute;rdenas.

RESOLUTION in Support of National Union of Mine, Metal, Steel and Related Workers of Mexico

Noting that: 
 
Since Vale, the second largest mining company in the world, acquired nickel miner Inco in 2006, there has been a downward spiral in labor relations globally. 
 
In 2009 labor negotiations with USW, Vale claimed they needed deep concessions despite $13.2 billion (USD) net profit in 2008 and generous compensation for top execs. 
 
3,500 USW members responded by going on strike in mid-July. Since USW struck Vale, the company has hired replacement workers in an attempt to operate the facilities without the striking workers. 
 
Vale has refused to negotiate in good faith since the strike began. When they did meet with the USW, Vale has remained completely inflexible and unwilling to reach a fair and equitable settlement. 
 
The ICEM and its affiliates, working together with the IMF, have played an instrumental role in a global campaign for justice at Vale. This has included campaigning on behalf of Brazilian, Indonesian and Canadian Vale workers in their struggles for new labor agreements. 
 
ICEM affiliates in South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Indonesia, Liberia, Zambia and throughout the ICEM Sub-Sahara Region have offered particularly critical support in this campaign. 
 
The global campaign has already improved conditions for workers in Brazil and Indonesia. 
 
The final outcome of this struggle will have implications throughout the global mining industry and beyond. 
 
Affiliates resolve: 
 
We condemn the actions of Vale to refuse to negotiate a fair and just settlement to the dispute in Canada. 
 
We will support the ongoing struggle for justice for workers at Vale, including the struggle for fair new labor agreements in Canada, in every way possible.

Resolution in Support for Struggle for Justice at Vale

The ICEM Executive Committee, meeting in Geneva on 26-27 May 2010, is deeply disturbed by the extraordinary high number of workplace deaths and injuries in recent months, particularly in mining and both upstream and downstream oil and gas industries. This deterioration in safety and health conditions is attributable, the Executive Committee believes, to the rush to maximize profits by corporations in the wake of the financial crisis, and a general disregard to follow best practices in safety and health by these same corporations and, in some cases, governments. 
 
The ICEM points to the 17 May mine explosion in Zonguldak province, Turkey, which killed 30 workers as just one example. The Karadon mine is state-owned, but private contractors without trade union representation and with limited experience on safety matters operate this mine. The ICEM also points to the tragic explosion in May of the Raspadskaya mine in the Kemerovo region of the Russian Federation. Ninety miners perished and although cause of the methane gas explosion remains unknown, the ICEM deplores the coal-mining pay structure in Russia in which monthly salaries are kept extremely low and workers are expected to supplement their pay by reaching high production quotas. 
 
As well, the ICEM condemns Massey Energy in the United States, a company that has viciously avoided union representation while challenging all US federal mine safety citations given the company. Such appeals serve to delay corrective measures needed in Massey&rsquo;s mine. The 5 April explosion inside Massey&rsquo;s Upper Big Branch mine in the state of West Virginia, killing 29 miners, was compounded and made worse by the callousness and arrogance of the company&rsquo;s CEO in the aftermath of the explosion. 
 
In South Africa, where overall, mine safety is improving due to the militancy of the National Union of Mineworkers, the ICEM notes three miners were needlessly killed at AngloGold Ashanti in late April, bringing to over 30 the official death toll thus far in the country&rsquo;s mining industry. The ICEM also cites a recent roof collapse inside the Barapukuria Coal Mine Company in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, which killed and maimed several workers. An improper support system was the cause. Major mining accidents dating back to 2009 have also occurred in Poland, the Ukraine, and India. Also, the ICEM takes notice of continued deaths inside China&rsquo;s vast coal-mining industry and the fact that the death rate increased by 14% in the first quarter of 2010 over the same period in 2009. ICEM strongly believes this increase is due to negligence in safety in pursuit of greater production. 
 
In the oil and gas industries, the same is true. While much is made of the environmental destruction along the United States Gulf coast brought about by the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, which indeed merits attention and the wrath against BP, who is the overall responsible operator, and its contractors, Transocean and Halliburton. Little is made of the fact that 11 offshore workers died and 15 others were severely injured. 
 
In the downstream oil sector as well, a rash of fires and explosions recently in the USA and elsewhere proves that the industry is neglecting correct process safety principles and procedures. 
 
The ICEM calls on the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries to engage the legitimate trade union representatives in correcting systematic deficiencies in safety procedures and methods to minimize this industry&rsquo;s inherent risks. 
 
The ICEM specifically recalls at this time recent and horrific accidents such as the tragic refinery explosion of the Tesoro company at its Anacortes, state of Washington, refinery that killed seven dedicated union members in April 2010, as well as the death of a contract employee in the state of Texas, and very recent fires at ExxonMobil&rsquo;s refinery in the state of Louisiana and a Valero refinery in the state of Tennessee, both seriously injuring workers. The ICEM grieves the death of a Petrobras worker at an onshore oil field in the state of Bahia in May. 
 
The ICEM also recognizes that there have been further workplace deaths in other sectors, many brought on by the expanded utilization of contract workers by companies attempting to decrease direct employment. 
Therefore, the ICEM firstly endorses the hour-long strike actions planned by affiliate Genel Maden-Is of Turkey in the Zonguldak region in the aftermath of the Karadon explosion that will take place on 26 May in protest of the government&rsquo;s general disregard for adherence of global safety standards. 
 
The ICEM also reiterates its campaign for ratification of ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, and pledges to intensify efforts to directly engage governments of resource-rich nations that have not ratified this Convention into doing so. Further, as an integral component of Convention 176, the ICEM insists that trade unions be fully involved in all design, safety methodology, and implementation of safety equipment, as well as fully involved in investigatory work following accidents or malfunctions. 
 
The ICEM pledges it will alert affiliates when there is incidence of mass deaths inside any work facility that is caused by negligence or faulty safety systems. It is the expectation that trade union affiliates will bring attention to these horrific acts to their own governments and inside their own enterprises in order that a new safety consciousness is raised. 
 
It is also the ICEM&rsquo;s expectation that the ILO take immediate action in regard to implementation of ILO Convention 176, focusing on stricter methane gas controls and ventilation systems. ICEM also expects that the ILO will investigate causes of recent negligence in mine safety accidents, namely pay systems that reward maximum productivity to the detriment of safety, and mining enterprises that rely on temporary or short-term contract workers. 
 
The ICEM also calls for ratification and strict adherence to ILO Convention 155, the Occupational Safety and Health Convention; Convention 174, the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents Convention; Convention 162, the Asbestos Convention; Convention 148, the Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise, Ventilation); Convention 136, the Benzene Convention; Convention 170, the Chemicals Convention; Convention 115, the Radiation Protection Convention; Convention 139, the Occupational Cancer Convention; Convention 183, the Maternity Protection Convention; as well as attention to the ILO Guidelines on Health and Safety Management Systems. 
 
Finally, the ICEM calls on other Global Union Federations to join its campaign for better safety and health conditions throughout all industries.

Executive Committee Resolution on Safety in ICEM Sectors

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