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The garment workers of Delta Style in the city of Soligorsk, Southern Belarus, have been attempting to organize a local union within the structure of ICEM-affiliated Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BNP) for some time. The 101 women at the factory have seen their efforts blocked by the local administration repeatedly, according to BNP Chairman Vasili Korabau. 
 
Efforts by the women to achieve trade union recognition began on 29 May 2009, when they conducted three constituent assemblies, each time submitting registration documents to the Soligorsk District Executive. 
 
Local officials, however, rejected the submission on administrative grounds, saying that certain documents were submitted late, or not signed by the correct people. Reacting to the submission for trade union recognition, the local authorities requested details of the trade union meeting, and of those workers present. When this information was given to the local authorities, company management immediately began intimidating those workers named. Workers were brought into the director&rsquo;s office and interrogated and also present for these meetings were others, presumed to be employees of the local authority. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Belarus.png" width="150" height="153" />
This blatant breach of labour rights by the company, teamed with the local government, is appalling and the ICEM condemns such nefarious actions. 
 
The intimidation caused 30 workers to leave the trade union. The Regional Chair of BNP, Natalia Mihnjukevich, attempted to meet with those workers in recent months and was promptly arrested for attempting to organize meetings with the workers. She was then found guilty in a regional court on 27 August, and fined. 
 
This treatment of Mihnjukevich moved those 30 workers who had left the union, to return and re-submit the documents for trade union recognition once again. The submission was again refused, on the grounds that all workers involved in making the request were no longer employed at the factory at the time of consideration. If these grounds for refusal are permitted to stand, the company has the power to relocate one worker during the consideration period, which lasts at least one month. The other main reason for the rejection of trade union recognition was, according to the authorities, that the local had not yet applied to become part of the BNP regional organization. Although the BNP rules require local recognition prior to becoming part of the regional and national union. 
 
The ICEM is requesting that affiliates support BNP and its oppressed workers by taking action. Write a note of protest to the Soligorsk Regional Executive Committee and the JSC Delta Style management <a href="mailto:solret@tut.by">here</a> and <a href="mailto:deltastyl@tut.by">here</a>.&nbsp;

Belarus: Local Government Blocks Women Garment Workers in Organising

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Oppression of the 30,000 technical and professional employees of PEMEX, Mexico&rsquo;s state-owned petroleum company, continued on 22 October when the General Secretary of Local 1 of the National Union of Technical and Professional Petroleum Workers (UNTyPP) was given &ldquo;forced retirement.&rdquo; 
 
The sacking of Mois&eacute;s Flores Salmer&oacute;n of Coatacoalcos, Veracruz State, is a clear attempt to intimidate workers and to block effective organising. He was informed of his &ldquo;retirement&rdquo; by the manager of labour relations of PEMEX, Francisco Javier Ramirez Rodriguez. There was no disciplinary procedure of any kind, and ironically came nine days after the PEMEX CEO appeared before the Mexican House of Deputies on 13 October, and expressed recognition and respect for UNTyPP. 
 
PEMEX white-collar staff of UNTyPP achieved official trade union recognition on 19 December 2009, following several years of struggle. After this successful legal battle, culminating in certification from the Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare office for the Registration of Associations (STPS), members of the new union were informed by company management that in order to retain their jobs, they would be required to sign two documents, one calling for the cancellation of the registration, the other a resignation from the union. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMoil3.JPG.JPG" width="110" height="109" />
Those who refused, along with organisers of the UNTyPP, were fired and violently removed from their workstations by paramilitaries, including the entire National Executive Committee of the union. 
 
A global campaign putting pressure on the Mexican House of Deputies from March 2010 did lead to some reinstatements of those sacked, and to some limited progress in negotiations, although the PEMEX management chooses to conduct dialogue mostly with the corrupt union STPRM, with whom &ldquo;protection contracts&rdquo; have been agreed. 
 
This is the second time that Mois&eacute;s Flores Salmer&oacute;n has been sacked by PEMEX for trade union activity. The first sacking came seven years ago. He was reinstated last year. 
 
Also in Mexico, the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) held a strategy meeting on union building in Mexico City on 13-14 October, seeking ways to jointly build democratic union power in Mexico. The meeting, which included participation by the ICEM, was a follow-up to the <a href="/en/78-ICEM-InBrief/3882-Mexican-Teach-in-Charts-North-American-Union-Solidarity">Mexico Teach-In</a> conference in Toronto, 20 June. The ICEM proposed to carry out action days at Mexican embassies and a tour for Mexican trade unionists in the US and Canada.

Leader of White-Collar PEMEX Union in Mexico Sacked

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Immediately following a 99.9% contract rejection and intent-to-strike vote on 27 October, the union representing copper miners at Chile&rsquo;s Do&ntilde;a Ines de Collahuasi and management called for a five-day government mediation period. If unsuccessful, a strike by 1,550 permanent workers at Collahuasi in northern Chile&rsquo;s Region I could begin late this week. 
 
The 535,000-tonne copper mine, the world&rsquo;s third largest, is 44% owned by Xstrata and 44% by AngloAmerican, with the remaining 12% held by a consortium of Japanese companies led by Mitsui &amp; Co. Collahuasi miners ended a three-year contract just days ago, a contract that came into place after a four-day strike in 2007. 
 
Miners are seeking a 10% wage increase, and a bonus comparable to the one awarded by BHP Billiton (57.5%) and Rio Tinto (30%) at its joint venture Escondida mine in Region II last year. That bonus was US$28,000. Collahuasi management is offering a wage increase of two-to-three percent less than the union&rsquo;s demand, and a bonus of US$19,000. 
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An industry representative involved in the 2007 talks told Reuters there is no question that the company can pay what miners are demanding. A strike could prove costly for mining giants Xstrata and AngloAmerican with the price of copper at record levels. The mine posted net earnings of US$1.56 billion last year. 
 
The strength of a strike by workers represented by Chile&rsquo;s national private-sector miners&rsquo; union federation will largely depend on whether or not contract workers at Collahuasi honour strike lines. They are quite likely to do so, after staging their own week-long blockade of roads in May 2010 that caused the company to declare force majeure. There are some 4,000 contract workers employed by scores of sub-contractors at Collahuasi, which is just finishing the first phase of a US$750 million expansion project. 
 
A strike could also set the template for other unions representing copper miners in Chile, most notably at state-run Codelco&rsquo;s Radomiro Tomic mine in Region II. It is part of the company&rsquo;s largest and most profitable operation &ndash; Codelco Norte &ndash; and the 760 miners at Radomiro Tomic already rejected an inferior offer in September. The collective agreement expires at the end of November. 
 
Radomiro Tomic contributed 23% of Codelco Norte&rsquo;s first-half 2010 net earnings of US$1.28 billion. The Codelco Norte division also includes the Churquicamata and Mina Sur mines, and the three mines produced 440,000 tonnes of copper in the first half of 2010, up from 391,000 tonnes in the same period of 2009.

Xstrata, AngloAmerican Chilean Copper Mine on Verge of Strike

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Austerity cuts in the UK will hit the poorest families many times harder than the richest, as the Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition government makes the poor pay for the financial downturn. 
 
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne&rsquo;s emergency budget of June was found to cut the country&rsquo;s poorest families&rsquo; average income by 21.7%, six times more than the richest. 
 
The Institute of Fiscal Studies&rsquo; analysis of the Cameron government&rsquo;s regressive cuts in social spending conclude clearly that the tax and benefit changes increase the gap between rich and poor in the UK. 
The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) last week criticized the OECD for backing the public spending cuts, and found that backing to be inconsistent with the Organisation&rsquo;s stated objective of prioritizing job growth coming out of the crisis. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1010.austerity.lead_.art_.jpg" width="120" height="158" />
TUAC points to estimates that the cuts will create one million job losses over the next five years, half in the public sector, and a further half-million jobs in the private sector through knock-on effects. 
 
Massive cuts to public spending can only create high unemployment, increase pressure on the poor, damage the economy, and risk a &ldquo;double-dip&rdquo; recession. 
 
Trade unions around the world are outraged by this trend, especially in Europe, of austerity cuts which make the poor pay for the economic crisis. The cuts are completely against the position of the Pittsburgh G20 a year ago, where world leaders pledged to develop action for economic recovery with placed &ldquo;quality employment at the heart of the recovery.&rdquo; 
 
At the same time as working people in the UK are being hit hard by Prime Minister David Cameron&rsquo;s austerity cuts, figures were released last week indicating that the average boardroom executive has seen their salary rise 55% over the last year. The top chief executives in Britain earned &pound;4.9million last year, 200 times the average wage. The third highest-paid CEO of a UK company was Mick Davis of mining giant Xstrata, earning &pound;26.9million last year. Total earnings of the top 100 UK companies fell by 1.5% during the first half of the crisis. 
 
&ldquo;These mega-pay rises blow away any claim that we are all in this together,&rdquo; stated TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.

Tory Cuts in UK to Hit Poor the Hardest

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The Canadian Auto Workers&rsquo; (CAW) Union last week made a strong statement that it will no longer tolerate employers&rsquo; efforts to drive down wages and work terms as a continued response to the economic crisis. Under the banner &ldquo;Auto Parts Workers United: Enough is Enough!&rdquo; the union on 27 October held 100 lunch-hour workplace demonstrations at worksites in the province of Ontario. 
 
The Day of Action kicked off a CAW campaign for renewed militancy to resist wage cuts, resist slashing of pensions, reject two-tier wage schemes, and to protest any outsourcing of auto-parts production work. The CAW represents 21,000 auto-parts workers, and last week&rsquo;s demonstrations made it clear that the 40,000 non-union workers in Canada&rsquo;s auto-supply sector &ndash; workers with no one fighting for them &ndash; are welcome to participate in the CAW&rsquo;s campaign. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1010.caw_.speaker.jpg" width="241" height="160" />
Angus MacDonald, President of CAW Local 1256, at Oakville Automodular
Accepting &ldquo;downward pressure to live another day doesn&rsquo;t work,&rdquo; CAW President Ken Lewenza told one noon-time rally of 100 workers at Burlington Technologies, a maker of aluminum die castings for the auto industry. &ldquo;All it is doing is making the race to the bottom a lot quicker.&rdquo; 
 
The union is pledging to strengthen its defenses by conducting sit-down strikes and plant occupations when plants are endangered, and to create &ldquo;flying squads&rdquo; to follow outsourced work, as well as assisting CAW local unions that face contract concessions. In addition, CAW promises that its members will refuse to handle &ldquo;hot cargo&rdquo; from plants in which workers are on strike. 
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1010.caw_.2.JPG" width="217" height="142" />
Part of the campaign will also be aimed at the provincial government in Ontario. Pressure will be exerted in order to pass fair labour legislation, including the prohibition on use of scabs during strikes and adoption of a law to level the playing field for workers seeking to unionise. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s so difficult about putting in a law to allow workers to join a union without reprisal?&rdquo; asked Lewenza. The union&rsquo;s out-reach effort to non-union plants will include unorganized workers at giant auto-parts maker Magna. 
 
Some of the plants that witnessed last week&rsquo;s vocal demonstrations included operations of Lear, Cooper Standard, Ventra Plastics, AG Simpson. Guelph CPK Interiors, Brampton Benteler Automotive, Martinrea Fabco, Ingersoll Autrans, Oakville Automodular, Legatt &amp; Platt, Tora Investments, Reiter Automotive, Woodbridge Foam, Tecumseh Engineering, Integram Seating, and TRW. 
 
The CAW says that 21,000 auto-parts jobs were lost in Canada between the fall of 2008 and the spring of 2009.

Canadian Auto Parts Workers Hold Day of Action

In April 2010, ICEM SSARO unanimously adopted a resolution to oppose the investment in Africa by Vale, the multinational mining giant of Brazil. The purpose was to prevent a global decline in mining labour standards due to the anti-union practices of Vale, throughout the world and particularly in Canada where the company forced over 3,500 miners on strike. 
 
ICEM SSARO also took note that Vale had established a partnership with African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) of South Africa to assist Vale in developing new mines and smelters on the African continent. 
 
Despite representations to the contrary made by Vale and ARM, there is little evidence that Vale has changed its attitudes and behaviour. Even after settling two year-long strikes in Canada, when the United Steelworkers agreed to accept some significant concessions, Vale boasted that it had won a power struggle, instead of trying to rebuild the strained relationship with its employees. Vale refused to settle a third strike in Voisey&rsquo;s Bay, Canada, and is demanding that the largely aboriginal workers accept lower standards than what was agreed at the other sites. 
 
Recently, the ICEM and International Metal Workers (IMF) met with Vale officials in Geneva at the request of the company. Vale called for continued social dialogue with the two global trade union federations. The ICEM and IMF stated that social dialogue can only proceed if Vale demonstrates a willingness to change its policies and practices toward trade unions. 
 
So far, there is no evidence that Vale has changed its policies and practices. 
 
SSARO trade unions in South Africa, Zambia, Liberia and Guinea have been in the forefront of opposing Vale&rsquo;s expansion in Africa and that of its surrogate, ARM. These trade unions have stated clearly that complete respect for trade union, community and environmental rights is a fundamental condition that multinational mining companies must meet to gain access to Africa&rsquo;s riches. Vale has not met this condition. 
 
SSARO hereby reaffirms its opposition to Vale investment in Africa. SSARO affiliates will continue to educate its governments and it citizens of the dangers of allowing Vale to operate in their respective countries and will oppose all Vale investments in Africa and those of its surrogates until Vale demonstrates a willingness to drop its anti-union behaviour. 
 
ICEM SSARO also stressed the critical importance of involving and working more closely with Brazilian trade unions in the effort to stop Vale&rsquo;s export of anti-union practices and to strengthen the position of trade unions wherever Vale operates.

Vale Resolution -- SSARO

Forty trade union leaders representing the ICEM, the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF), and the International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITGLWF) met on 20-21 September in Bad M&uuml;nder, Germany. This was the first meeting of a joint task force set up by the decision-making bodies of the three Global Union Federations (GUFs). 
 
The ICEM&rsquo;s task force was established at its 2007 Congress in Bangkok in order to examine a new organizational structure for the three industrial GUFs. The joint task force in Bad M&uuml;nder this week was asked to look at the political project, structures, finances, and a possible timeline for uniting the 55 million workers represented by the three organizations into a unified Global Union Federation.
<img alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/1009BadMunder1.jpg" width="290" height="265" />
&nbsp;Trade union leaders of ICEM, IMF, ITGLWF in Bad M&uuml;nder 
 

Task force members from five continents acknowledged the rationale of the unifying process to create a united voice of the industrial workers of the world, and a strong counter-power to major multinational corporations. Unions want to underline the role of manufacturing industry as the locomotive of national economies and as a creator of good quality jobs with decent working conditions and trade union rights. 
 
The meeting decided to set up a working group to look at the financial questions and to start drafting the statutes for a new organization for a continued discussion on decision-making, regional, and sectoral structures. The task force will report back to the statutory bodies of the three federations, and will meet again in the beginning of December in Geneva.

ICEM, IMF, ITGLWF Bodies Meet to Shape New Industrial Global Union

Legal experts of the International Commission for Labour Rights (ICLR) yesterday announced their next step in the campaign for legal recognition of the leadership of the National Miners and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM), known as Los Mineros. The ICLR will file a brief to the Mexican Supreme Court in the case of Los Mineros, in which a ruling is pending over recognition of democratically elected General Secretary Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez Urrutia. 
 
Legal recognition, or toma de nota, for Napole&oacute;n G&oacute;mez was first withdrawn by the Mexican Labour Secretariat in 2006. After the decision was overturned in court early 2008, G&oacute;mez was re-elected to serve another term by a May 2008 Los Mineros Convention. On 24 June 2008, the Mexican Labour Secretariat once again denied the toma de nota to G&oacute;mez, on the grounds that his election was not in accordance with the constitution of the trade union. 
 
It is unacceptable for the Mexican state to interfere in the internal workings of democratic independent trade unions such as Los Mineros, removing their right to autonomy. The Court&rsquo;s decision in this case will set a vitally important precedent on the freedom of Mexicans to freely exercise their right of association and to organise, outlined in ILO Convention 87. 
 
The move was formally announced at a press conference yesterday, 21 September, in Mexico City, organised by Los Mineros. The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers&rsquo; Unions (ICEM) and the International Metalworkers&rsquo; Federation (IMF) fully support this latest development, as part of the overall campaign for labour rights in Mexico. 
 
&quot;We will maintain pressure on the Calder&oacute;n government until our joint affiliate Los Mineros achieves justice&quot;, stated ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina. 
 
The brief to be filed by the ICLR is supported by a strong network of human and labour rights organisations around the world, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), the European Association of Lawyers for Democracy &amp; World Human Rights (ELDH), the International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR), the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), and the Canadian Association of Labour Lawyers (CALL-ACAMS), among many others. 
 
View the brief and prior ICLR report <a href="http://www.laborcommission.org/reports.htm">here</a>. 
 
The ICEM is a Geneva-based Global union Federation covering 467 national trade unions in 132 countries. The IMF, also Geneva-based, consists of 200 trade union affiliates in 100 countries. 
 
For further information, contact Tom Grinter, ICEM Communications Office, <a href="mailto:tom.grinter@icem.org">tom.grinter@icem.org</a>, +41 22 304 1853, +41796934499 or Anita Gardner, IMF Communications, <a href="mailto:agardner@imfmetal.org">agardner@imfmetal.org</a>, +41 22 308 5032.

Prominent Legal Experts Call on Mexican Supreme Court to Respect Mineworkers’ Autonomy

Despite two full days of bargaining between ICEM affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), and the New Tyre Manufacturing Employers&rsquo; Industry Association (NTMEIA) on 16-17 September, no accord was reached to end the three-week old strike. Some 6,000 rubber workers have been on strike at six tyre factories operated by four employers since 29 August. 
 
Today in Port Elizabeth, 4,000 NUMSA members from tyre plants in the Eastern Cape will march in protest of rapt division among employers in this year&rsquo;s wage talks. They will present a petition to management at the plant gates of Bridgestone-Firestone in Port Elizabeth this afternoon.
The 20-million-member International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine, and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), based in Geneva,&nbsp;continues its support&nbsp;for striking rubber workers in South Africa, and endorses today's mobilisation in Port Elizabeth.&nbsp; 
 
In last week&rsquo;s talks guided by an independent mediator in Port Elizabeth, management of the Japanese-based company continued to deviate widely from the wage offers put forth by other tyre companies associated with the NTMEIA. While Continental, Goodyear, and Apollo-Dunlop of India placed on the table a three-year package containing wage increases of 9%, 7.5%, and 7.5%, Bridgestone-Firestone&rsquo;s offer was 7%, 5%, and 5%. 
 
Rubber workers of NUMSA are willing to accept a three-year pact, but their wage expectations are 9% in each of the three years. In addition, they seek a modernized wage module that will lift the salaries of workers who have been stuck at minimum levels for as long as 10 to 15 years. 
 
Another key issue at the bargaining table revolves around the use of labour brokers. Although the NTMEIA will not agree to a ban, it has conceded to pay contributions for short-term and temporary workers into the Provident Fund, as well as make retirement and medical payments for them. The South African tyre industry employs about 1,000 such workers. 
 
Also last week in South Africa, 70,000 NUMSA members across the country returned to their jobs at fuel retail outlets and auto component shops. On 14 September, NUMSA convened a special National Executive Committee meeting, where eight of nine regional structures of the union agreed to accept terms of the Retail Industry Motor Association and the Fuel Retailers&rsquo; Association, ending strikes that began on 1 September. 
 
The three-year contract for filling station attendants includes wage gains of 10%, 9%, and 8%, while auto-parts workers will receive 9%, 8%, and 8%. NUMSA did achieve a solid breakthrough regarding labour brokers, particularly in these sectors in which several employers are totally reliant on staff provided by outside hire firms. 
 
The agreement calls for all labour brokers to be registered by one of two certifying agencies, and all staff of labour brokers must receive minimum rates of pay inside the two industries as well as getting the same benefits and condition of employment. In addition, the negotiated settlement calls for the gradual phase-out of labour brokers, with a cut to 35% of current levels by the year 2013.
For further information, contact Dick Blin, ICEM Information&nbsp;Officer, <a href="mailto:dick.blin@icem.org">dick.blin@icem.org</a>, or +41 22 304 1842 (office), +41 79 734 8994 (mobile).&nbsp;

ICEM Continues Support for South African Tyre Strike

<img src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief100.jpg" width="100" height="39" alt="" />
US President Barack Obama has named United Steelworkers (USW) President Leo Gerard to the President&rsquo;s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations. The committee is a private sector initiative established by the US Congress in 1974 to ensure that US trade policy and trade negotiating objectives adequately reflect US commercial and economic interests. 
 
&ldquo;I am grateful to President Obama for the confidence he has shown in me, and I pledge to work closely with the Administration to help resolve some of the issues we face in maintaining a fair trading system among nations,&rdquo; said Gerard. The appointment was made on 15 September.
<img src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/USAUSW.jpg" width="110" height="60" alt="" />
The USW under Gerard&rsquo;s stewardship has been stalwart in protecting American jobs in the face of unfair trade advantages. Only last week, Gerard testified both before a House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee on legislation aimed at addressing China&rsquo;s unfair trade advantages because of its currency undervaluation, and before the US Federal Trade Commission on dumping of coated paper products into the US by China and Indonesia.

Obama Names USW’s Leo Gerard to American Trade Policy Panel

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