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Job cuts caused by the financial meltdown are not uncommon. But in Zambia, mining companies are cutting some jobs and holding others hostage in an attempt to overturn higher taxes and payment of higher royalty fees. And they&rsquo;re citing the economic crisis for the job cuts, and threats of more job cuts have become common. 
 
Zambia&rsquo;s rich copper and cobalt reserves &ndash; as well as other minerals such as iron ore, manganese, and soon uranium &ndash; are primarily owned by companies composed of investor groups. 
 
In April 2008, Zambia government passed mineral royalty increases to 3% from 0.6%. The corporate tax rate increased from 25% to 30%. Since, foreign-based mining companies such as Canada&rsquo;s First Quantum Minerals, India&rsquo;s Vedanta Resouces, and others claim the country must revert to old development pacts when the Zambian Consolidated Copper Mines was divested, or further retrenchments will occur. The royalty and tax issue will be taken up in the courts. 

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The Chamber of Mines denied it was &ldquo;arm-twisting&rdquo; the government over jobs, and said dropping copper prices and the world recession was having an impact. The Zambia Congress of Trade Unions challenged the mining companies to stop using the economic crisis as the excuse for retrenchments. First Quantum, which holds huge cooper assets at Bwana Mkubwa and Kansanshi, and Chinese-based Chambisi Metals, owner of the biggest cobalt mine in Zambia, have recently sacked workers and cited the economic crisis. 
 
President Rupiah Panda, who took over for Levy Mwanawasa following his August death and was elected on 30 October, called on investors with mining stakes to engage in meaningful dialogue with the government and unions in order to prevent retrenchments. Mining investors have tentatively agreed to sit and talk. Meanwhile, Mines and Minerals Development Minister Maxwell Mwale has called for calm in the fierce public debate, falling just short of accusing certain mine industry players of creating panic. 
 
Central to the issue, however, is the question: should massive profits made in the recent past, when copper and mineral prices were at historic highs, have any bearing on jobs now? And Zambians ask: should it not be a matter of social responsibility to keep workers employed even in hard times? Now it is up to the Panda government to strike a social commitment deal with the many stakeholders that hold equity in the country&rsquo;s rich mineral grounds.

Job Cuts in Zambia’s Mining Industry Causing Aggravation

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The General Council of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has called on all Zimbabweans to remove their cash from banks on Wednesday, 3 December. Union heads, leading a march, will present a petition that same day to Gideon Gono, the Governor of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Reserve Bank, which the International Monetary Fund says is bankrupt. 
 
In Zimbabwe, the government imposed a low cash withdrawal limit, and Wednesday&rsquo;s action by the ZCTU in six regions is expected to challenge that authority. The daily withdrawal limit from automatic tellers is now Z$500, equivalent to R1 South African, or &euro;.08. Gono said in a state-run newspaper recently that the low limits will reduce long queues outside banks. 

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The labour protest is meant not only as a stand against a clamp on banking, but it is against a number of larger issues, including Mugabe dictates giving preferential treatment to some shop owners to trade in foreign currencies. The masses in Zimbabweans are excluded from such shops, and regardless, they have little currency and no means to buy food, medicine, or the necessities of basic life, even if those essentials were on Zimbabwe&rsquo;s shelves. 
 
The ZCTU clearly made that point in making its &ldquo;cash availability&rdquo; announcement following its General Council meeting in Masvingo on 25 November. The union federation estimated that thousands of Zimbabweans have died in recent months simply from inability to buy available medicines. 
 
The ICEM extends support to the ZCTU for its heroic efforts aimed at improving life and bringing dignity to the people of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Trade Union Congress Calls for Bank Run, 3 December

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Thousands of oil and gas workers held a rally on Thursday, 19 November, in continuation of strong protests against the decision to privatize the Qadirpur gas fields. The company, Oil &amp; Gas Development Company Ltd., will lose huge assets to foreign investors. The government is expecting to receive between US$3 and US$4 billion, whereas many commentators value the assets at more than US$12 billion.
The most recent rally was led by the OGDCL Labour Union President, Chaudry Mohammad Akram. &ldquo;The Qadirpur gas field is a profit-earning entity, making over US$182 million for the state each year, and its privatization will hurt the national interest,&rdquo; he said. 
 
Hundreds of workers in the Dhodhak oil fields staged a demonstration and blocked the Taunsa Sharif-Dera Ismail Khan road for four hours, while dozens of OGDCL workers from the Qadirpur fields staged hunger strikes, demanding that the government reverse the decision. 

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&ldquo;President Asif Ali Zardari should act upon the mission and policies of Ali Bhutto instead of following the policies of IMF-World Bank and the United States,&rdquo; said Badshah Khan Qaiserani, a manager at the Dhodhak oil and gas fields. 
 
Leader of the opposition political party JI, Liaqat Baloch, assured the demonstrators that political parties would support their cause. &ldquo;We will launch a massive countrywide political move if government fails to withdraw its privatization decision.&rdquo; 
 
The Pakistan Muslim League-N has also strongly opposed the move to privatize. Information Secretary, Ahsan Iqbal, described the Qadirpur gas fields as &ldquo;the spinal cord of the Pakistan economy. The country is already facing an energy crisis, this would further worsen the situation.&rdquo; 
 
Elsewhere in Pakistan, workers from WAPDA Hydro Electric Central Labour Union held a rally, demonstrating against recent price hikes, unemployment and lawlessness.

Workers in Pakistan Unite Against Oil, Gas Privatisation

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A methane gas explosion killed 13 miners and wounded 14 others at the Petrila site of the National Coal Co. in the Jiu valley, Romania. The tragedy occurred 15 November. 
 
Among the dead were four emergency workers who were killed by a second explosion four hours later. They were attempting to rescue survivors, and recover bodies. All rescue activities were put on hold for 48 hours following the second blast. The final miner died of cardiac arrest early last week at a Bucharest hospital. 
 
The mine was shut down for two weeks, and reopened on 27 November. Workers held a memorial service on 18 November. The company paid the wages and seniority bonuses for the mine&rsquo;s 1,490 workers during the two-week shutdown. 

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Romania&rsquo;s worst mining disaster in 28 years, the two Petrila explosions on 15 November had attracted serious attention by the country&rsquo;s President. Both called for tougher scrutiny of safety at Romanian mining sites. &ldquo;This is too big a tragedy not to wonder about the causes,&rdquo; stated President Traian Basescu. &ldquo;The inquiry will determine if all protective measures were taken when the first miners went down the shafts and if the rescuers&rsquo; intervention was done according to the rules,&rdquo; said Varujan Vosganian, Romania&rsquo;s Minister of Economy and Commerce. 
 
Rumours were backed up by relatives that miners had been forced to continue working despite high readings of methane levels six days before the disaster. Smaller gas explosions had occurred in the mine. 
 
Ovidiu Jurca, Vice President of a national trade union bloc, BNS, said, &ldquo;Its criminal negligence to let these people work when the accepted methane gas level has been topped.&rdquo;

Thirteen Dead in Romania Mine Blast

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Fourteen Turkish trade unions, comprising the ICEM Coordinating Committee of Turkey, met in Ankara on 20 November and formulated an ambitious agenda related to union-building activities. 
 
Led by the ICEM Secretariat, Turkey&rsquo;s leading trade union officials agreed to an Organising and Social Dialogue Project, sponsored by the global arm of the Dutch national labour center, FNV Mondiaal; they agreed to launch a cross-border series of solidarity activities with Iraqi unions; and they agreed to begin a campaign on getting Turkey&rsquo;s government to ratify ILO Convention 176, the Safety and Health in Mines Convention. 
 
The meeting was hosted by Tes-İş, the Turkish Energy, Water, and Gas Workers&rsquo; Union, and chaired by Mustafa Kumlu, the union&rsquo;s President, who also serves on the ICEM Executive and is President of Turkish national labour center T&uuml;rk- İş. He addressed the negative effects brought on by the global financial crisis inside Turkey&rsquo;s industrial sectors. 

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Tes-İş President, Mustafa Kumlu
ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda and Chemicals and Rubber Officer Kemal &Ouml;zkan presented the two-year FNV Mondiaal project for Turkey and the necessity for ratification of Convention 176. Later, T&uuml;rkiye Maden-İş, the largest mining union in Turkey, agreed to lead the ratification effort. 
 
The project will consist of eight activities in which 500 trade unionists will come together to begin recruitment exercises, create proper workers&rsquo; representation systems within workplaces, and to develop techniques to establish constructive bargaining and social dialogue practices with employers. 
In Coordinating Committee business, Turkish union leaders decided to establish a technical committee to prepare background information to the full committee. Besides Tes-İş and T&uuml;rkiye Maden-İş, other trade unions participating included: &Ccedil;imse-İş, Cement, Ceramics, Pottery, and Glass Workers&rsquo; Union; Belediye- İş, the Municipal and General Workers&rsquo; Union; Petrol-İş, Oil and Chemical Workers&rsquo; Union; Genel Maden-İş, representing Mine Workers; and Dev Maden-Sen, another union representing Mine Workers. 
 

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Participants at ICEM's Coordinating Committee
 
Also, Lastik-İş, Petroleum and Rubber Workers&rsquo; Union; ESM, or the Energy, Industry, and Mining Union of Public Employees; Sel&uuml;loz-İş, Pulp, Paper and Paper Products Union; Kristal-İş, Glass, Cement, Ceramic and Soil Workers&rsquo; Union; T&uuml;rk-Enerji-Sen, the Energy, Mine, Metal, Petroleum and Chemistry Branch Employees&rsquo; Union; T&uuml;mka-İş, the All Pulp and Paper Workers&rsquo; Union; and T&uuml;rk Tarim Orman-Sen, a Union of agricultural, forestry, and environmental services&rsquo; workers. 
 
The ICEM Secretariat delegation also received commitments from &Ccedil;imse-İş and Kristal-İş to co-host ICEM&rsquo;s 2009 World Conference for the Materials Industry. Also attending the Coordinating Committee meeting was Michael Mersmann, head of the International Department of German affiliated union, IGBCE.

ICEM’s Turkish Coordinating Committee Takes on Dutch Project

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In Victoria, Australia, on 29 November, a state prosecutor dismissed charges against a construction trade union leader who faced six months imprisonment for exercising basic trade union rights. The union leader, Noel Washington, the Senior Vice President for the Construction, Forestry, Mine, Energy Union&rsquo;s (CFMEU) Victoria Branch, was to appear tomorrow, 2 December, in a Melbourne Magistrates Court on charges that he failed to show up for interrogation by a government watchdog agency created by former Prime Minister John Howard. 
 
The criminal charge against Washington was brought by an empowered Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC), which has authority to conduct broad and over-reaching investigations into industrial matters. Washington&rsquo;s alleged crime was that he refused to come before an ABCC inquisition in June on matters that occurred inside a union meeting. 
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Noel Washington
Washington, in his CFMEU capacity, met with workers during a lunch period and off-the-job union meeting in 2007. The ABCC had been demanding an account of comments made in that meeting. 
 
Several trade unions, including the ICEM, registered strong letters of protest at current Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd over the Washington indictment. The unions called on Rudd to publicly refute the &ldquo;errant misuse of power given the ABCC by the Howard government,&rdquo; and called the charges clear breaches of ILO Conventions 87 and 98, the Freedom of Association and Right to Bargain Collectively Conventions. The Building and Woodworkers&rsquo; Union (BWI) also issued a global statement calling on trade unions everywhere to protest the charges against Washington. 
 
The CFMEU says Washington is not alone in defending commonly accepted union rights. Some 100 other building tradesmen have been up on similar charges by the ABCC in the recent past. On 12 September, Washington&rsquo;s first court date, CFMEU held rallies at the courthouse in Geelong and elsewhere across Australia. The union and the Australian Council of Trades Unions (ACTU) had begun airing television ads against ABCC&rsquo;s wide swath of powers in the days just prior to the dismissal. 
 
Fair Work legislation now in Australia&rsquo;s Parliament is expected to strip the agency of its powers, as well as giving agency itself a make-over.

Case Dropped against CFMEU’s Noel Washington, Charged with Defending His Lawful Union Rights

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After a long process of collective organisation and negotiation, ICEM affiliate Sintravidricol of Colombia, together with the workers of Caldas Glass Company, VICAL S.A., achieved a significant victory against Contract and Agency Labour (CAL). The right to organise collectively was established, and the first collective agreement was signed by this group of workers. 
 
It follows a similar collective agreement covering part-time workers achieved with Peldar Glass &ndash; part of Owens-Illinois &ndash; at Zipaquira, Colombia. There, ICEM&rsquo;s Colombia Project successfully combined the federation&rsquo;s global CAL programme, and a Social Dialogue project unique to multinationals operating in Colombia, to bring full-time status for many of Peldar&rsquo;s temporary workers. 
 
The unionisation of the workers at Caldas Glass had been attempted by various groups repeatedly for the past 20 years, notably by Risaralda-CUT. 
The artisan workers at the Caldas Glass Factory make various glass products, using mainly only their hands (and lungs) in their work. At least 80% of the workers in the plant are employed through temporary work contracts, with tose agreements lasting less than a year. 

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Even workers with 15, 20, 30 years of service remain on one-year contracts, and its non uncommon for them to receive wages and social benefits late. Under these conditions, the workers took the brave decision to organise. 
 
The three priorities of the newly organised workers: to end the system of separating workers from their years of service by imposing the yearly contracts; full recognition of the union by Caldas and registry with the Ministry of Social Protection; and labour stability, a key component to achieving a better and more productive workplace. 
 
Impressively, early talks with management indicate that the new union will achieve all three goals. Caldas, as well, will meet with Sintravidricol in a labor-management committee to analyse the problems of workers. The union also has established regular meetings with the president of the company. In addition, the first negotiations achieved scholarships for children of all employees of thirty thousand pesos (US$2,200) each, a productivity bonus, and a salary increase, equivalent to the percentage of the minimum wage increase as ordered by the national government. 
 
The ICEM commends its Colombian affiliate, Sintravidricol, in this very significant achievement.

Hard Fought Victory for Colombian Trade Unionists

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The dismantling of anti-social work laws in Australia has finally begun, a full year after a Labour government replaced the failed economic and social policies of former Prime Minister John Howard. On 25 November, introduction of some 650 pages of rollbacks to Howard&rsquo;s work laws came in Parliament&rsquo;s House of Representatives. Fair Work Australia, replacing Howard&rsquo;s WorkChoices, is now on track toward law as it heads to Australia&rsquo;s Senate in 2009. 
 
House minority leaders promised they would not dilute the package, but a combination of Tory, Family First, and independents have threatened to offer amendments that could bring portions of any final legislation back to the Howard work agenda. Last week, Labour Prime Minister Kevin Rudd warned the Senate not to tamper with the legislation and to pass it with no delay. 
 
The legislation creates a Fair Work Commission that replaces six agencies created by the Howard government that essentially removed regulations concerning workplace governance. Fair Work creates ten national job standards, and it charters collective bargaining as the main tenet in labour-management relations. Individual labour agreements, or AWAs in Howard speak, are still applicable, but only under common law. 

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The legislation spells out workers&rsquo; rights to representation; access to arbitration, even on economic matters; and gives casual workers certain rights. It also establishes a 38-hour workweek, grants four weeks annual leave, and allows the practice of flexible work schedules and conditions to take hold. In addition, it sets out a standard process for regularly raising the minimum wage. 
Most industry groups were passive in issuing any negative comments on MP and Workplace Relations Commissioner Julia Gillard&rsquo;s House introduction. The Australian Mines and Metals Association was a blatant exception, however. Ignoring the toll on production and jobs due to an economic collapse, the association took a low road by saying Fair Work will create &ldquo;turf wars&rdquo; between unions, causing loss of productivity and jobs. 
 
Considering the devastation brought to hundreds of millions by unregulated capital &ndash; notably depicted by Howard&rsquo;s draconian job laws &ndash; the association&rsquo;s comment stands as strong argument that more workplace regulations and better protections are part of the solution toward solid economic footing. 

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President ACTU, Sharon Burrow
Sharon Burrow, President of the Australian Council of Trades Unions (ACTU), the trade union centre that brought all Australian unions together under a single voice to reverse WorkChoices, called the legislation &ldquo;a major achievement but that does not mean the campaign for better rights is over. Unions remain concerned that there are important areas of unfinished business.&rdquo; 
 
The legislation does contain some ambiguity regarding strike rights, as well as practical application of the consultation and arbitration procedures. And a pre-Howard three-strike warning rule before dismissal is not in the current bill. It is replaced by a one-warning rule before lawful dismissal can occur. The dismissal criteria is extended to workers employed in worksites of less than 15 staff, provided they have worked for 12 months. 
 
With Australian Senate approval, the new and improved set of workplace social standards will take effect 1 January 2010.

Parliament in Australia Takes Up ‘Fair Work’ scuttling ‘WorkChoices’

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Mine safety in South Africa was enhanced on 21 November when the country&rsquo;s Parliament passed amendments to the Mine Health and Safety law. The legislation must now go to President Kgalema Motlanthe for his signature before becoming effective. 
 
But South Africa&rsquo;s government is still withholding a presidential audit on health and safety in the mining industry. And ICEM&rsquo;s largest affiliate in Africa wants the report brought into the open. 
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South Africa President, Kgalema Motlanthe
At its National Executive Meeting (NEC) in Vereeniging, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) called for the immediate release of the national audit. &ldquo;The way the report has been held up gives suspicion that it may contain controversial safety details. We believe that the audit will reveal the true status of safety standards in the various mining companies,&rdquo; said NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni. 
 
After months-long lobbying to derail the safety reform bill by the Chamber of Mines, Parliament passed the measure ten days ago. A memorandum attached to the final version of the bill called it &ldquo;premised on the principle that the responsibility for health and safety lies with the employers.&rdquo; 
 
The reform measure includes insistence that mine safety investigations be carried out within ten days of occurrence, and that the reports are issued within 30 days. The reform also contains a criminal liability clause in which company executives can face a five-fold increase in fines and penalties if convicted of responsibility in health and safety accidents or deaths. 
 
Although NUM applauded passage of the stricter safety enforcement, it insists that the Mbeki safety audit must be forthcoming immediately. The audit was commissioned by former president Thabo Mbeki in October 2007, after 3,200 workers were trapped underground at Harmony Gold's Elandsrand mine. Miraculously, they were all rescued. The Mbeki national safety report, despite at least two pronouncements that it would be issued, has still has not been made public. 

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NUM Gen. Sec. Frans Beleni
&quot;The NEC noted with serious concern the escalating number of workers who perish in the line of duty,&rdquo; said the NUM&rsquo;s Baleni. &ldquo;Over 180 mineworkers have died (this year) and thousands others have been injured, while thousands more suffer from respiratory diseases,&quot; he added. He called on the government to &quot;beef up inspectors&rdquo; to ensure that companies operating mines and building sites adhere to proper safety measures.&quot; 
 
Following the Elandsrand accident 14 months ago, the NUM called for an independent safety audit of mines and facilities. The national audit instead was carried out by the inspectorate of the Mines and Energy Department. 
 
More recently, the NUM presented an impact assessment report to a discussion forum on health risks to miners. The NUM proved that the blasting process produces large amounts of dust in both air and water. According to the NUM, this dust causes most miners to suffer for respiratory diseases, such as pulmonary tuberculosis and silicosis, as well as asbestos-related, skin and eye diseases, acute diarrhoea or noise-induced hearing loss. 
 
Meanwhile, the death toll continues to mount in the country&rsquo;s mines. Deaths in recent weeks have included: two miners killed at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s TauTona mine near Carltonville, on 27 and 31 September; a miner killed at Harmony&rsquo;s Elandsrand operation in a cave-in; a miner killed at Gold Fields&rsquo; Driefontain mine following an earth tremor on 16 October; a fatality caused by electrocution from underground machinery at AngloCoal&rsquo;s Greenside Colliery, 19 October; a Northam Platinum employee who died in an underground industrial accident near Thabazimbi on 11 November; and a miner employed by DeBeers at its Finsch mine in the Northern Cape died on 17 November.

South African Parliament Passes Mine Safety Reform; Year-long Safety Audit Still Held-up

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A recently released study by the Human Science Research Council of South Africa&rsquo;s Witwatersrand University reveals that the country&rsquo;s mining industry is becoming more and more reliant on short-term contract workers and casual labour. The survey found, for instance, that over 60% of the platinum mines in the Rustenburg area use non-regular workers in order to avoid accountability and reduce their costs.
Overall nationally in South Africa, 36% of all platinum mines use subcontract labour, with researchers finding that many of the workers come from other southern African countries. That gives employers less direct responsibility in the event of injury or economic liability. 
 
The Witwatersrand study said the number of subcontractors in South Africa&rsquo;s mining sector increased from 90,231 in 2003 to 122,589 in 2005. 

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The study, commissioned by the government&rsquo;s Labour Department, reveals that the trend is growing alarmingly. A spokesperson for the study, Professor Edward Webster, said a lesson can be drawn that the informal economy of three decades ago, which drew workers from the urban poor into unregistered enterprises, has now been replaced by formal enterprises utilizing more and more casual and subcontract workers. 
 
The research also found that most employers surveyed do not adhere to stipulated wage minimums, resulting in exploitation and disempowerment of workers, and threats of dismissals are common if casual workers attempt to align with trade unions. 
 
Labor Department Acting Director-General Les Kettledas told a news agency that the state has adequate laws and policies to prevent exploitation of short-term contract workers, but strategies to implement those policies and laws fall short. He said the aim of commissioning the university&rsquo;s Sociology of Work Programme for the study was to assure corrective measures are implemented. 
 
Kettledas admitted the findings are a reflection of the reality that now exists in the formal sectors.

South African Study Shows Contract Labour ‘Growing Alarmingly’ in Mining

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