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The on-and-off recognition by US-based Ross International of joint representation by ICEM affiliate Sintravidricol at three of its Colombian metal moulding plants is on again after a 23-day strike by union members. With intervention from Colombia&rsquo;s Ministry of Social Protection, Ross agreed to recognise the union at three of five plants at a common bargaining table. 
 
The company agreed to that once before, in October 2007, but changed course the very next month by walking away from talks. Local management cited US owner Larry Ross&rsquo;s unwillingness to sign any union agreement. That caused the strike, which began late in November at the three worksites, Moldes Medellin Ltda., Andes International Tooling, and Andes Cast Foundry Metals.
<img height="92" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Colombia.png" width="200" />
Ross opened the latter two plants in 2004, along with two other enterprises, and staffed the operations with contract workers. That was the direct result of staff at Moldes Medillin organising with Sintravidricol, the leading glass workers&rsquo; union of Colombia. With support and assistance from the ICEM and the United Steelworkers and its Flint/Glass Division in the US, Sintravidricol successfully brought the union message to the contract workers in the new plants. 
 
Following last month&rsquo;s company acquiescence to a four-year labour agreement at the three plants, all workers previously on fixed-term contracts became full-time staff. And that included a majority of the 240 workers at the three plants. Additionally, equal rights and conditions will exist between all workers. Union rights were won, with strict provisions outlining union representation and union activities. 
<img height="188" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0712Sintravidrico1.jpg" width="250" />
Talks froze at Ross in November 2007
The company also agreed to withdraw all court actions against the union and workers. Sintravidricol called the December 2007 agreement an achievement of the basic objectives that launched the international campaign some three years ago. &ldquo;This is due not only to the unity and capacity for struggle of the union, but also the enormous international support, which resulted in this conflict becoming a problem for the central government, with international repercussions,&rdquo; said Sintravidricol in a statement. 
 
The ICEM heralds the persistence of our Colombian affiliate, as well as workers and leaders in Sintravidricol&rsquo;s Sabaneta and LaEstrella regional structures. The on-again, off-again bargaining table developments at Ross in Colombia in late 2007 can be found <a href="/en/?id=78&amp;doc=2450&amp;la=EN">here</a> and <a href="/en/?id=78&amp;doc=2496&amp;la=EN">here</a>.

Persistence Pays Off for Ross Glass Workers’ in Colombia

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During the July-August 2007 sector-wide tyre strike by 6,000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), 150 contract workers defied bosses at one of the producers &ndash; Goodyear &ndash; and joined NUMSA on picket lines. The ICEM-affiliated union then successfully defended the contract workers in court cases, while their rights after the American company challenged their right to strike. 
 
Those 150 contract workers have been rewarded for making their stand during that strike. As a result of language won by NUMSA regarding labour brokers, the contract workers are now former contract workers, as of this year. That means they have job security, medical assistance, and they are covered by the Tyre Industry&rsquo;s Provident Fund.
<img height="100" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMrubber.JPG" width="100" alt="" />
And they are also full-fledged union members of NUMSA. 
 
Contract workers at Goodyear&rsquo;s 800-worker Uitenhage tyre-making plant near Port Elizabeth have pressed hard for entitlement to legitimate job rights. In April 2006, a strike by 300 contract workers was narrowly averted when NUMSA members at the auto, truck, industrial tyre plant threatened to join the strike. They won concessions from Goodyear and contract employers then. 
 
NUMSA News, the union&rsquo;s monthly journal, credits the contract workers for &ldquo;their discipline over the last five years and the fact that they have appreciated all efforts that NUMSA undertook for them.&rdquo; 
<img height="60" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/SouthAfricaFlag.gif" width="100" alt="" />
The NUMSA industry-wide strike last year achieved first-year wage gains of 8%, and 7.5% for both the second and third years. Contract workers employed by Goodyear&rsquo;s labour brokers took keen interest to know that NUMSA also won skill-based development training, five months maternity leave, 15-day annual leave, and a 10.5% contribution increase by employers to the Provident Fund.
NUMSA also reports that 21 contract workers at Dunlop-Apollo Tyre&rsquo;s production plant in Durban &ndash; another plant struck last year &ndash; won permanent job rights, effective early in 2008. The ICEM commends NUMSA for these important achievements, as well as salutes contract workers in South Africa&rsquo;s rubber industry for standing up to assert their rights.

2007 South African Tyre Strike Pays off for Contract Workers at Goodyear

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A lockout by Canadian petroleum company Petro-Canada will hit the two-month mark on 17 January, with no talks occurring between the company and the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) Union since the start of the lockout. The lockout of 267 union members at an oil refinery in Montr&eacute;al, Qu&eacute;bec, is an attempt to reverse Petro-Canada&rsquo;s own pattern-setting energy bargaining established at a company refinery in Edmonton, Alberta, on 13 May 2007. 
 
The ICEM-affiliated CEP and Petro-Canada there agreed to a three-year contract for 300 workers. Since May 2007, the CEP has signed labour accords with other companies set by the Petro-Canada/Edmonton agreement, including Petro-Canada operations in Ontario province. The CEP established Petro-Canada as the lead company in its National Energy and Chemical Bargaining Programme for 2007-2008, nearly one year ago. 
<img height="225" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0801CanadaPetro.jpg" width="380" />
Managers at the Point-aux-Trembles refinery in the east end of Montr&eacute;al are insisting on a six-year labour agreement, and they seek contract revisions that will reduce health and safety personnel. The company also seeks to erode workers&rsquo; rights concerning scheduling and assignments, and wants an accelerated training and progression system in which job safety will be jeopardised. Petro-Canada is attempting to operate the refinery during the lockout with 130 managers and scabs, contrary to Quebec&rsquo;s labour law. 
 
In 2007, under CEP staffing, the refinery experienced an average production increase to 130,000 barrels-per-day, from 105,000 b/d in 2006. In a statement immediately following the 17 November lockout, Petro-Canada said the lockout was necessary because the refinery was in a &ldquo;constant state of standby&rdquo; from the labour talks. The company later admitted it had been training managers since September 2007 to run the facility, apparently anticipating the lockout. 
<img height="266" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0801Canada2.jpg" width="200" alt="" />
Local 175 rally, 9 January
&ldquo;Running an oil refinery requires highly specialised skills and dedicated safety training,&rdquo; said CEP President Dave Coles, who joined workers on picket lines and in a mass meeting on 9 January. CEP Local 175 &ldquo;members are on the front lines of the fight to protect pattern bargaining, which is at the very foundation of our union,&rdquo; added Coles. 
 
In a protest in front of the refinery on 21 December, the CEP issued a warning to the Montr&eacute;al community that 130 managers cannot adequately replace 260 skilled workers in a safe and hazard-free manner. The ICEM has joined the CEP in calling for support to the locked-out workers of Local 175, and on calling on Canada&rsquo;s third largest oil company to adhere to terms it had initially negotiated in the current pattern settlement.

Canadian Petrol Refinery Lockout Nears 2-Month Mark

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Aquarius Platinum was flagged first for breaking the trust to jointly improve safety in South Africa&rsquo;s mines. The company boasted to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange that it had won a clean bill-of-health from the nation&rsquo;s Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) at two of its South African mines. It had not. 
 
&ldquo;I would like to state categorically that the DME has not yet cleared any SA mine as part of the audit process,&rdquo; said the DME, referring to a President Mbeki-commissioned safety audit of all South African mines following the near-tragedy at Harmony Gold on 3 October 2007 when 3,200 miners were trapped for up to 38 hours. 
<img height="60" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/SouthAfricaFlag.gif" width="100" />
&ldquo;Claims by the company that it has received a &lsquo;clean bill-of-health&rsquo; or that it has &lsquo;passed&rsquo; the &lsquo;Presidential Audit&rsquo; are thus unfounded,&rdquo; the DME said in the statement to refute Aquarius Platinum&rsquo;s claim to capital markets. 
 
In the middle of last week&rsquo;s controversy, which the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) aptly dubbed, &lsquo;Tell No Lies, Claim No Easy Victories,&rsquo; a contract worker was killed at Marikana, one of the mines in the Bushveld belt of North West Province that Aquarius claimed was DME certified. That death occurred on 8 January. A company spokesman, contacted 10 January by Mining Weekly, said the company would stand by its stock market statement.
<img height="142" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0610NUMFransBaleni1.jpg" width="100" />
&nbsp;NUM Gen. Sec. Frans Baleni 
 

The NUM was quick to denounce Aquarius for the false boast, calling it &ldquo;a reflection of how playful the industry is when dealing with the lives of people.&rdquo; NUM General Secretary Frans Baleni said the company must be more sensitive and to refrain from such deviant behaviour. Baleni said NUM does not &ldquo;have the slightest doubt that the audits are going to produce something contrary&rdquo; at Aquarius mines. 
 
Aquarius Platinum operates the Kroondal, Marikana, and Everest platinum mines in South Africa, and is a joint venture partner in the Mimosa platinum mine in Zimbabwe. It also operates a chromite ore tailings treatment plant near Kroondal. Based in Australia, the 12-year-old company saw 300% income growth between 2005 and 2006, as well experiencing a sales growth of nearly 100% in that period. Impala Platinum controls a sizeable minority stake in Aquarius.

Aquarius Platinum: Integrity on Mine Safety Broken in South Africa

Contract and Agency Labour, a global phenomenon &hellip; 
 
Throughout the entire one-day global ICEM conference on contract and agency labour, which took place just prior to the start of the three-day-long 4th ICEM World Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, speaker after speaker confirmed that the phenomenon of contract and agency labour (CAL) - and of many other forms of precarious employment - is vastly, and rapidly, increasing throughout the whole world. Particularly often mentioned was the continuing trend of using non-permanent, and non-protected, labour in developing countries. 
 
Welcomed by ICEM General Secretary, Manfred Warda, as well as by Vesna Rodic, FES Resident Director, and chaired by Brother Sjaiful from FSP KEP Indonesia, the almost 300 participants at the third global ICEM conference on contract and agency labour heard contributions and presentations by trade unionists from all corners of the world. With little to no exceptions, they all, albeit to varying degrees, mentioned their own problems with contract labour, agency labour and, on a wider level, the wide-ranging difficulties associated with the lack of a (good) employment relationship. 
 
CAL itself is known under a wide range of different names, including temporary work, self employed work, informal work or outsourced work, casual or contingent work, all terms that are used, in one way or another, to describe a fundamental change in the relationship between the workers and employers. 
<img height="60" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/GermanyFES1.jpg" width="121" />
What has been changing primarily are the previous &ldquo;normal&rdquo; relationships between employers and workers. For a large segment of the world&rsquo;s workforce, this relationship has become one of a &lsquo;much lesser&rsquo; quality. For many others, such the increasing contingent of &ldquo;self-employed&rdquo; workers, it has changed from an employment relationship to a commercial relationship, with the worker taking all the risks. As a result, many of the protections that workers have fought for, often over a very long time, such as social protection or anti-discrimination rules, are simply lost. 
 
This point was emphasised by, among others, Jim Baker, coordinator of the Global Union Council, who referred to the Philadelphia declaration of 1944 which says that labour is not a commodity. Labour can therefore not be sold as any other market product. He also described the situation of fear that many CAL workers are living in. Where workers do not have any rights, they are afraid. Protesting can have serious consequences under those circumstances. 
 
Individual contracts were also mentioned by Jim Baker, a practice widespread in Australia, among other countries. Another point made was on the value of industry and national bargaining, certainly where guarantees for contract and agency labour workers are needed. 
 
Equally mentioned was the need for unions to emphasise the positive aspects of having a good and satisfied &ndash; which, in most cases, means a unionised, but also permanent &ndash; workforce. It is possibly one of the best arguments against CAL labour, and certainly one that unions should make. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
Christine Nathan, representing the ILO, talked about how, particularly in Asia, governments are willing to discuss the issue of CAL. However, they only want to do this when the end result is likely to be a set of voluntary guidelines, which they then can ignore. 
 
She further mentioned the fact that, in many countries, the labour situation has become so extremely complicated, with sub-sub-sub contractors and other complicated forms of work relationships, that, even where law makers want to legislate, they find it very difficult to do so. 
 
Nathan was just one of the speakers who picked up on the &ldquo;seven-headed monster&rdquo; image. Through that comparison, spokespersons indicated that it appears to be so that whatever we do, whatever solution we find for whatever problem, another problem seems to resurge, with employers being very creative in finding new ways to avoid responsibilities. 
&hellip;.throughout all regions and continents&hellip; 
 
In Asia, contract and agency work was reported to have been increasing in virtually all sectors and all countries. One particular example given was the Indian mining and diamond sector, where almost all workers work on CAL contracts. Thailand and Korea were cited as examples of other Asian countries where CAL work is omnipresent. 
 
Africa was described as the globalisation&rsquo;s playing ground, with increasing investment, for example in the mining sector, bringing - besides possibilities for organising - mainly across-the-board problems caused by investors who seem to think anything is possible on the continent. The example was given by a representative from Tanzania, where gold company Barrick dismissed close to 1.800 contract and agency miners after failed negotiations on the respect of ILO core labour standards. Standards which are clearly included in Tanzanian labour law. 
 
In almost all countries, women were said to disproportionately suffer from the CAL phenomenon, a point raised by many that spoke, including Evgenia Esenina, chair of the ICEM women&rsquo;s committee. She also spoke of the fact that women, as they are more often unemployed, are more often forced to accept lower quality jobs. 
 
Poverty, a situation which, in many countries, appears to be the direct result of precarious work, was also said to affect women more than men. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
Migrants were frequently mentioned as another category of workers confronted with the worst excesses of CAL. In numerous countries, migrants have to combine two &ndash; or even three &ndash; precarious jobs, just in order to survive. Many have a sad story to tell and it is no secret that they are often discriminated. As CAL workers, they are, in addition, frequently fired for belonging to a union, they often face an almost total lack of health and safety protections, and/or have little to no social benefits. 
 
The above-mentioned CAL related problems all come on top of another main reason why employers claim they want to need contract and agency labour: it is easy to terminate the workforce. 
 
CAL difficulties are by no means limited to the non-OECD countries. Problems in North America and Europe were also talked about. Contract and agency labour is heavily used in those regions as well, albeit not always at the same level. 
 
In the context of North America, the problem of &lsquo;permatemps&rsquo; was mentioned - a problem by no means limited to this region. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
US unions, in spite of the fact that they do not exactly work under the easiest of circumstances, also made some progress, including limited progress on the rights to information for contract workers. 
 
In Japan, since the 1990&rsquo;s, limitations on the use of agency labour have been removed. One third of the total workforce in Japan is said to be working in precarious work situations. One typical result has been an increase in average working hours. Another one has been the polarisation of the labour force. Through their national trade union centre, Japanese unions are currently campaigning on CAL issues as one of their key priorities. One successfully used tactic is to establish union subdivisions that concentrate on CAL workers. 
 
In Europe, an estimated average of 4 to 5 percent is working as a contract or agency worker, varying from rather low percentages in the Nordic countries to 33% in Spain. A call was therefore made on the European trade union federations to get involved more in the discussions on this issue. 
 
Agency workers were said to be also increasingly used outside of the &ldquo;more traditionally outsourced&rdquo; sectors, such as cleaning, catering, security, agriculture or construction. In many of the ICEM sectors, for example the energy or the chemical sector, CAL work in core workplaces is ubiquitous. 
&hellip; not all is bad, however &hellip;. 
 
The conference also heard from various participants about cases where unions and trade unionists have been able to fight back. 
 
Until 4 years ago in Brazil, there were three CAL workers for each Petrobras permanent worker. At the time, there was an average of three lethal accidents per month. Today, after years of negotiations &ndash; where it helped that the Lula government was supportive &ndash; the Petrobras CAL ratio is 1 permanent Petrobras worker for every 1.5 CAL worker. 
 
In Chile, a new law, &rdquo;Ley 20123&rdquo;, was passed recently. On the one hand, the law makes it easier now for companies in Chile to outsource work. On the other hand, however, it also gives CAL workers a much better protection than before, including in the area of pension rights and health and safety security, areas where the company where the work is actually done is now clearly responsible. An agency is also being set up, with wide ranging powers, to make sure that the rules and regulations for all CAL workers are applied. 
 
Contract work in Chile can only be used in certain cases, such as to replace workers on holiday, or workers on sick leave. The law forbids using contract labour in case of a strike. Unfortunately, bringing the law into practice has not always been easy so far. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
Similar limitations on the use of contract and agency labour exist in many countries, all around the world. The same can be said, unfortunately, for the non-respect of many of these rules. 
 
In Uruguay &ndash; another example of a country with a new government &ndash; a bill for a law on outsourcing, drafted by the trade unions, was recently adopted by the government. 
 
In Africa, for example in South Africa, several unions have been able to organise CAL workers. In this region, as well as in many others, there is a clear and direct link between union successes and union strength. 
 
Equally in Africa, Mauritius was presented as a country where the law covers CAL workers and where all workers are, in addition, covered by national collective bargaining. However, recent political powers want to change all that, and deregulate. 
 
In Europe, progress has been made through pressure on governments and companies. Agreements on CAL have been entered into collective bargaining agreements as well, including, for example, in the UK and in Denmark. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
From Finland came the example of how a campaign on a Taiwanese company failed as the union didn&rsquo;t take the 40% CAL workers into account, and, as a result, didn&rsquo;t get sufficient support for its actions. The union learned from it, and managed to get CAL workers involved in its disputes and collective bargaining after that. 
 
The EU Directive on fixed-time work already says that fixed-term workers have the same right as regular workers. On agency work, there is still no directive on agency labour, in spite of years of trying. 
 
In Central Europe, for example in Croatia and Macedonia, laws do exist to make sure that contract or agency workers are not used to the detriment of the permanent workforce. However, collective bargaining agreements and laws are all too often violated in the region. 
 
In Macedonia, following an SIER campaign, workers now have the right to be informed on what is going to happen at their workplace in relation to contract labour. This includes the right to be informed about any upcoming outsourcing plans. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
New forms of employment, including contract and agency labour, are also making headway in Eastern Europe. One consistent problem quoted there is that regulation in this area simply does not exist. Russia, Ukraine and Moldova were said to be among the countries were CAL work is being used the most. 
 
In Russia, for example, private employment agencies noted an increase in demand of around 10 percent a year recently. The latest development is that it is the Russian-owned companies that are now calling on agency labour, where it was mainly foreign companies that made use of CAL labour before. 
 
Hassan J&rsquo;Aama, President of new ICEM affiliate IFOU (Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions) spoke on the difficult situation for workers in Iraq. He mentioned not only the overall security situation, but also the distressing fact that several former anti-union laws in Iraq have not been changed since the fall of the previous regime. Both the occupation forces and the Iraqi government were particularly blamed for not abolishing Decree 150, which bans unions in public enterprises, including in the oil sector. 
 
As a result of this continuing anti-union legislation, many Iraqi unions find it very difficult to organise, something which helps explaining why employers in Iraq are using contract labour almost everywhere. Iraqi contract workers, as they do in many other places, often work for a minimum wage, or less, without much protection of any labour code or any real pension rights. 
&hellip; some conclusions &hellip; 
 
One overall conclusion is the clear need for the ICEM to continue and intensify its campaign. Various campaign strategies were emphasised, including on one of the primary goals of the campaign, i.e. to make sure that employers do not sign any contracts with a third party that could affect the employment status of their direct employees, prior to consulting with the employees&rsquo; union representatives. 
 
The importance of networking was highlighted, as was the need of sharing information at a global scale. The exchanging of good examples was mentioned as being very useful. Good examples were those where unions are successful in dealing with the CAL problem, be it in avoiding contract and agency labour, or in finding ways to work with it. 
 
Most participants agreed that trade unions, in the majority of countries, will not be able to get CAL to disappear. Nor do they want that necessarily to happen. Some union members simply prefer short-term contracts. 
 
However, we need to make sure that CAL workers do get the same rights as permanent workers. This includes social protection benefits, pensions, health coverage, and other social benefits. And, obviously, it also includes equal pay for equal work, as part of the struggle for equal rights in general. 
<img height="71" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/CALhorse50.jpg" width="50" />
Also stressed at the meeting was the importance of establishing legal guidelines and regulations on contract and agency labour, preferably at national level. The principles from the ILO Recommendation 198 (the Employment Relationship Recommendation) are an important tool in all this &ndash; a recommendation that still needs to be ratified by a many countries. 
 
One other unambiguous observation, mentioned throughout the meeting - in spite of the fact that this was an ICEM conference, with mainly ICEM participants - was that the phenomenon is not only a global one, but also one affecting nearly all sectors and industries. It was made clear that the ICEM is already cooperating, under the umbrella of the Global Unions Council, with the other Global Union Federations, looking at issues in regard to the employment relationship. The leadership role that the ICEM is taking in this effort needs to be continued, and strengthened. 
 
Finally, it was said by many that unions need to be open to CAL workers. In too many countries, CAL workers have been facing resentment by other trade union members, as they are perceived as the enemy. Setting up unions, or union divisions, for CAL workers, or &ndash; by many the preferred option &ndash; simply bringing CAL workers into the normal union structures, is seen as a very important and needed accomplishment.

ICEM Contract and Agency labour Conference

&ldquo;We, the representatives of coalmine workers from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Columbia, France, Germany, Mongolia, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom and India, having met in Kolkata India, 14th &ndash; 16th December 2007 make the following declaration: 
<img height="109" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMminingsector6.jpg" width="100" alt="" />
1. We note from the proud history of militant and long drawn struggle by coalminers&rsquo; unions throughout the world, that when coalminers stand strong and determined significant gains have been made in the areas of safety and health, in conditions of employment and, in many cases, within the political structures of Countries. We, the attendees of this Conference, pledge to do all in our power, to strengthen and continue that proud tradition. 
2. While we recognize that our members work in one of the most hazardous industries on earth, we refuse to accept that the appalling toll of death, injury and disease that prevails in the coal mining industry can be permitted to continue. 
3. As a first step, we demand that all countries not only take the necessary steps to ratify ILO Convention C176, but that they also take urgent action to ensure that the commitments continued in the Convention are put into practice. 
4. Acknowledging that ratification of the Convention alone will not make mines safer we call on the ILO and the United Nations, to further strengthen the regime in place to ensure that ratifying Countries are in fact complying with the commitments contained in the Convention, and to seriously consider a programme of audits and inspections. 
5. This Conference rejects the siren song of the privatization of State assets where it is nothing more than an excuse to replace the secure employment of workers engaged in those State enterprises, with the insecurity of employment by companies whose only interest is that of maximizing profit and investor returns. 
 
To allow the exploitation of a State&rsquo;s non-renewable resources for the sole purpose of profit by coal companies and major corporations, and to leave the employment of workers and the welfare of their families to the vagaries of the so-called &ldquo;free market&rdquo; is inexcusable, unwarranted and unacceptable. Conference particularly offers common cause to the Indian coal mining unions in their struggle to stop the privatization of the Indian coal industry. 
6. This Conference notes the disproportionate blame being laid at the feet of the Coal Industry and the burning of coal as a contributor to the current climate change crisis confronting the planet. It is convenient for many to single out coal for strident criticism, while neglecting other significant sources of global greenhouse gas emissions. Any skepticism concerning the validity of the genesis of climate change must be tempered by the reality of the threat that exists to the continuation of large sections of the international coal mining industry, as the industry is targeted by its critics. 
7. The coal industry must respond to this challenge, and conference calls on both Governments and Companies &ndash; in particular those that operate in the rich developed nations (Companies whose principal purpose for exploiting coal reserves is the generation of profit) &ndash; to properly fund research into and establish practical applications of clean coal technology. 
8. This funding must be significant, not merely token, and can easily be afforded by Companies which are making record profits as a consequence of the current unprecedented resources boom being fuelled by the rapid expansion of the economies of developing nations. 
9. This Conference notes the growing trend in almost every Country represented here, of coal industry employers, both State owned and private to engage contract and casual labour in preference to permanent employees, and we express our strident condemnation of this practice. &ldquo;Outsourcing&rdquo; &ldquo;Contracting&rdquo; and &ldquo;Casualisation&rdquo; not only pose a direct threat to the secure employment of permanent employees, but exposes the outsourced and causal workers to reduced wages and conditions lower safety standards, diminished employment security and serious difficulties in accessing basic trade union rights to organize and collectively bargain. 
10. We the delegates, declare this, the first International Coalminers&rsquo; Conference, to have been an outstanding success. We express our sincere appreciation to our Indian Trade Union colleagues for their hospitality and professionalism in hosting and staging this event. 
11. We have been afforded a remarkable opportunity to share the experiences, the knowledge, the comradeship and the solidarity of coalminers from around the World. We call on our National Unions and our International Organisations to support an ongoing role for this Conference. 
 
Irrespective of our politics, our race, creed, colour, or our international affiliations, we are all coalminers and we wish to be afforded the chance to meet and discuss coalminer&rsquo;s issues and to seek solutions to coalminer&rsquo;s problems and concerns. Conference respectfully requests that national and international unions represented here, give serious and favourable consideration to the continued operation of the original preparatory committee to oversee progress on the matters raised in this Declaration, and to be responsible for convening a second International Coalminers&rsquo; Conference at an appropriate time in the future.&rdquo;

Coal Conference Declaration, Kolkata, India

<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
Global Union/World Bank Consultations
The ITUC and four Global Union Federations (EI, ICEM, ITF and PSI) were invited to consultations on HIV/AIDS with the World Bank on 10 and 11 December. 
 
The objectives of the consultations were to identify complementarities between worker organisations and World Bank involvement in HIV/AIDS in Africa and to draft sector-specific action plans. 
 
The World Bank Group consists of the IBRD (middle-income countries loan facility), IDA (soft loan and grant facility for low-income countries) and IFC (commercial loan window, which has its own AIDS programme &ndash; IFC Against AIDS, Protecting People and Profitability and which published the HIV/AIDS Guide for the Mining Sector). 
 
Since 1986, and with the operation of the Africa Multi-Country AIDS Program (MAP) from 2000, about USD 2.6 billion have been committed. MAP alone committed some 1.5 billion since 2000 in 30 countries and five sub-regional projects. World Bank funds are usually channelled through the national HIV/AIDS coordinating body. 
 
50% of MAP funds were earmarked for NGOs. According to the MAP 2000-2006 publication The Africa Multi-Country AIDS Program 2000-2006, available at <a href="http://www.worldbank.org">www.worldbank.org</a>, 41,000 organisations in 25 countries benefited. More than 2.2 million workers were reached with workplace programmes. 
 
The World Bank continues its commitment to fight HIV/AIDS and has developed a new Agenda for Action 2007-2011. One of the objectives is to scale-up targeted multi-sectoral responses. Thus, the sector-specific meetings focused on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in key sectors which include mining and energy &ndash; also ICEM key sectors. The ICEM will continue its work with the World Bank and include capacity building and knowledge sharing and generation for unions in infrastructure projects financed by the World Bank. 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
VCT Counsellors&rsquo; Training for ICEM Affiliates 
The low uptake of voluntary counselling and testing was a reason for the ICEM to focus on the training of counsellors from its own affiliates. With a grant from a major pharmaceutical company, training courses were held in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania with participants from all ICEM affiliates in these countries. 
 
In cooperation with professional service providers 40 VCT counsellors were trained in the course of 2007. The ICEM will monitor their deployment and work in 2008 in order to assess the impact of unionists in the up-scaling of VCT.
<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
Global Fund Round 8 Proposals 
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is scheduled to issue its call for proposals for Round 8 on 1 March 2008. From that date, applicants will have 120 days to prepare and submit their proposals. 
 
Although this seems a fair amount of time, the demanding proposal form and complicated procedures may require more time. There is no reason to start the process now. For unions that means getting membership on Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM) to make sure that workplace projects are included in proposals to the Global Fund. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Observer Issue 82, 7 December 2007. GFO is a free service of Aidspan <a href="http://www.aidspan.org">www.aidspan.org</a>. To receive GFO, send an email to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
Zambia: Women and AIDS
Domestic violence and poverty are preventing many Zambian women from accessing AIDS drugs, thus undermining the government&rsquo;s ambitious treatment programme. 
 
About 16% of adults in Zambia are HIV-positive and, in urban areas, the prevalence rate exceeds 20%, with infection rates higher among women. The government provides antiretroviral drugs free of charge. 
 
A report by New York-based Human Rights Watch attributes the inadequate treatment of women to fear of violence from husbands which prevents women from getting tested. In other cases, women are left without financial means for transportation and a proper diet after divorce or death of their husbands leaves them destitute as property is seized by the husband&rsquo;s family. 
 
(Source: Associated Press, 18 December 2007) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
Nigerian Ministry Develops HIV/AIDS Workplace Policy
The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development recently developed a policy that provides a framework for addressing HIV/AIDS in the workplace. The policy seeks to protect the rights of HIV-positive workers, as well as to foster a safe and healthy work environment for employees with a zero tolerance to psychological abuse, stigma and discrimination. 
 
HIV/AIDS should be treated as any other chronic illness in the workplace in terms of employee benefits, including health and life insurance, disability benefits and leave of absence. 
 
(Source: Daily Trust, 17 December 2007) 
<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
Bono&rsquo;s Brand
In January 2006, Bono, the Irish rock star, launched Product Red, to raise money for HIV/AIDS work in Africa. So far Red, which licenses its logo to brands including Apple, Motorola, Armani, Gap, Converse and American Express, has donated USD 50 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. 
 
While this is more than a lot of countries have contributed to the Global Fund, growth of Red has slowed down as few new companies have signed up and as the products are only available in a limited number of countries. 
 
(Source: Financial Times, 1-2 December 2007)
<img height="35" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Aids20ribbon.jpg" width="25" />
News from the Global Union Programme and Global Unions
In its most recent HIV/AIDS updates (nos. 34 and 35 of 1 and 15 December) the International Transport Workers&rsquo; Federation (ITF) <a href="http://www.itfglobal.org">www.itfglobal.org</a> reports, among others, on its Latin American regional HIV/AIDS workshop, which focused on developing a prevention culture to control the epidemic; on the implementation of a workplace HIV/AIDS programme by the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers&rsquo; Union and on programmes in India.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin

The Global Union Federation ICEM today commends the Liberian Supreme Court's 21 December to certify the Firestone Agriculture Workers' Union of Liberia (FAWUL)&nbsp;as bargaining representative for workers at Firestone Rubber Plantation in Harbel. ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda called the decision start to &quot;ardent reconciliation that will finally give workers the fairness and equity they deserve.&quot;
The ICEM agrees with a statement on the Supreme Court's decision issued by the US-based United Steelworkers (USW), a union that has supported plantation workers at Firestone in&nbsp;organising their democratic and responsive Labour Union. &quot;The legal decision in favor of FAWUL signals a new day in Liberia,&quot; said USW President Leo Gerard and&nbsp;International Vice President&nbsp;Fred Redmond. The ICEM also joins the USW in calling on Bridgestone/Firestone management to begin earnest engagement with FAWUL in collective negotiations.
<img height="129" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Liberia.png" width="280" />
In early July, a sizeable majority of some 5,000 plantation workers voted for FAWUL, which is now an ICEM&nbsp;affiliate. Liberia's Labour Ministry supervised the election, and a Special Elections Committee monitored the balloting.
On 10 December, after delays in certifying FAWUL, ICEM's Warda wrote Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: &quot;In the name of Free Trade Unions worldwide, we call on you to use your influence inside the Liberian government to recognise the legitimacy of the Firestone Agriculture Workers' Union. We insist that you certify the elected leaders of FAWUL, and ensure that local management at the Firestone plantation&nbsp;engages in full and meaningful collective negotiations with this union.&quot;
The ICEM welcomes the 21 December Supreme Court decision in Liberia, and, together with the USW and&nbsp;other worldwide unions,&nbsp;will continue to stand with the USW&nbsp;in aiding and assisting the&nbsp;FAWUL.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;

ICEM Welcomes Liberia&#039;s Certification of Legitimate Firestone Union

<img height="31" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/womenlogo.jpg" width="25" />
ICEM Women&rsquo;s World Conference Decides on 7-Point Programme 
 
The ICEM Women&rsquo;s World Conference was held on 17 and 18 November 2007 in Bangkok. Some 150 women from all continents listened to presentations and worked on their priorities in working groups. Women from Burma, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe presented their work in crisis situations and the fight for peace. All presentations are available in the original languages from ICEM. 
 
One special highlight was the presence of Hashemiyya Muhsin Hussein, President of the Electricity Workers&rsquo; Union for the Basra region, Iraq. In an interview conducted by ITUC she said among other things that, &ldquo;There is a great deal of women working in this sector. During the war between Iran and Iraq, the men left for the front and so women replaced them on a wide scale, which is why there are so many of them now&hellip; 
 
People write slogans on the walls of the markets and other public places against women, against women who work and against women who do not wear the veil. The simple fact of working is dangerous for a woman. But many women have no alternative, because of their financial difficulties. Yes, the fact that I am a woman has made things very difficult as well, but I didn&rsquo;t want to give up and so I fought for this position, even though I received death threats against myself and even against my son.&rdquo; Hashemiyya was elected to the ICEM Executive and women&rsquo;s committee. 
 
One other focus for the conference was work-life balance. The topic was introduced by women representing ICEM affiliates in Japan. Maternity protection was one of the priorities decided on for continuing work. 
 
One example of work in connection with hazardous substances and the dangers they represent for maternity as well as babyproofing the workplace was presented by Margreet Pasman from the Netherlands. FNV Bondgenoten has made folders available on these themes, and they can be accessed from ICEM or Margreet. Gender perspectives on women&rsquo;s health were presented by Edeltraud Gl&auml;nzer from Germany, and work on bullying, violence, HIV/AIDS and abortion was explained by sisters from Brazil. 
 
A publication on maternity protection with different case studies from all continents is available in English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish from ICEM. 
 
A session was held and facilitated by Ramona Parra from FITEQA-CCOO, Spain, to have an exchange with women from Europe. The conclusion was that more work has to be done in cooperation between EMCEF and ICEM. 
 
The conclusions from the conference work fed into the 7 points that were decided for ICEM&rsquo;s future work. The points are as follows: 
 
1. Do research and exchange information on best practices of maternity protection. Information on paternity leave is particularly interesting. 
2. Provide information and guides on how to bargain for paternity leave and work-life balance. 
3. General work must continue on maternity protection and work-life balance. 
4. Strengthen ICEM&rsquo;s work on informal workers, migrant workers and contract and agency workers, especially since a majority of these tend to be women. 
5. Build alliances with NGO&rsquo;s and civil society in order to change mentalities and expand gender equality. 
6. Expand women&rsquo;s leadership training and broaden women&rsquo;s leadership. 
7. Work will continue on Burma, Colombia, Iraq, Nepal, Palestine, Zimbabwe and all others where fights are on-going for human and trade union rights. 
 
The women&rsquo;s conference confirmed Evgenia Esenina as chair of the women&rsquo;s committee and vice-president of ICEM and elected Angeline Chitambo from ZEEWU, Zimbabwe, as vice-chair and ICEM vice-president. 
 
ICEM Congress was held from 22 to 24 November. A record number of women attended the Congress, although some delegations from developed countries were notable in their absence of women delegates. Some examples were very encouraging, however, such as Spain, Sweden, South Africa and Brazil among others. Japan must be lauded for including more women in their Congress delegation each time. Congress passed a motion on women&rsquo;s participation. The ICEM women&rsquo;s committee will be monitoring its implementation. 
 
On the last day of Congress Elena Guti&eacute;rrez, Sitrapequia Costa Rica, called for a minute of silence in memory of the many thousands of women worldwide who have died as a result of violence. This commemoration took place on the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, explained below.
PLEASE FORWARD TO ICEM ANY INDUSTRIAL CONFLICT WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF WOMEN&rsquo;S INVOLVEMENT THAT YOU FEEL SHOULD BE HIGHLIGHTED BY ICEM ON THE OCCASION OF 8 MACH 2008, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN&rsquo;S DAY. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/womenlogo.jpg" width="25" />
ICEM Colombia Committee Organises Gender Workshop 
 
On 18 July the ICEM Colombia Committee organised a workshop on gender in Bogot&aacute; with 70 men and women participants. The group worked on the construction of patriarchy and the different attributions associated with women and men as well as maternity and paternity. The participants analysed the theory of gender and discussed socialization, abortion and quotas in government in groups. 
 
There were some prejudices such as the idea that gender only refers to women or that gender divides trade unions or that gender is a distraction from the class struggle. There are differences in concepts between gender, feminism and women&rsquo;s movements, and it is important to understand these differences. 
 
Some of the men participants felt threatened in their power position. Since the seminar was mixed, men and women together, the women participated less than the men. ICEM Colombia considers this work to be fundamental and women and men must be involved at all levels of debate. 
<img height="31" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/womenlogo.jpg" width="25" />
ITUC Seminar on Diversity, Racism and Xenophobia 
 
The ITUC held a seminar on diversity, racism and xenophobia from 4 to 7 December in Geneva. This is a topic that has very strong gender perspectives. Migrant women are generally over-represented in low-skilled employment. 
 
The World Bank reports that women make up about 50% of the migrant population worldwide. The UN calculated in 2006 that about 190 million people live outside their country of origin. 
 
The meeting deplored the fact that racism seems to be on the rise worldwide and that racist policies can be used for electoral gain. ITUC will be developing activities to lead up to the conference in 2009 to follow up the 2001 Conference on racism held in Durban, South Africa.
<img height="31" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/womenlogo.jpg" width="25" />
Resources 
 
<a href="http://www.ccoo.es/webCCOO/temp/recursos/1/44630.pdf">Good Practice Guide for Non-Sexist Language in Collective Bargaining</a> (in Spanish)&nbsp; 
 
<a href="http://www.uso.es">For an explanation of equality plans in Spain&nbsp; 
</a> 
<a href="http://www.un.org/womenwatch">United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getPage.asp?page=latestPeriods">For a look at the urban informal economy in UN Habitat</a>
<a href="http://www.homeworkersww.org.uk">HomeWorkers Worldwide</a>
<a href="http://www.lo.no/lobasen/Content/122971/14-06-LO-magasin-eneglsk-skjerm.pdf">For a publication on Women in the South</a> 
 
<a href="http://www.all-together.org">Men and equality and work-life balance</a>

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 27

The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) commends Turkish trade union affiliate Petrol-Is and management Fresenius Medical Care for signing a collective bargaining agreement today, 18 December, for workers at Novamed. The ICEM salutes the 300 workers of Novamed, a manufacturer of bloodline and kidney dialysis equipment, for their stand in becoming the first unionised workforce within the Antalya Free Trade Zone of Turkey. 
 
A three-year initial labour agreement was signed today in Istanbul between Petrol-Is and Novamed that ends a historic strike by 84 of the workers in Mersin, Antalya. The strike, which will stand as a test of courage for fairness and dignity on the job, began on 26 September 2006. 
<img height="215" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0709Novamed2.jpg" width="300" />
The (no longer) striking workers at Novamed
&quot;The ICEM is extremely proud to have played a major role in bringing a negotiated settlement that ends this long struggle,&quot; said General Secretary Manfred Warda. &quot;We especially commend the workers of Novamed, union leaders of Petrol-Is, and management of Fresenius in Germany and Novamed in Turkey for bringing resolve to issues that caused the strike. 
 
The settlement will bring the 84 strikers, 82 of whom are women, back to the job, and will grant all workers a wage increase of 5% for the first year, and of 4% for the second and third year of the agreement. It also brings a social package that includes a payment for each of two religious holidays in Turkey, as well as productivity and attendance bonuses for workers. All the striking workers will return to work on the 2nd of January 2008. 
<img height="174" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0709Novamed1.jpg" width="232" />
The ICEM recognises the work and cooperation done by the European Mine, Chemical, Energy Workers' Federation (EMCEF) and by ICEM&rsquo;s German affiliate IGBCE in helping to bring about the settlement. The ICEM also recognises the important role played by other trade unions, as well as by many women's groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others inside Turkey who shared steadfast support with the strikers. Warda paid special tribute to Petrol-Is President Mustafa Oztaskin and other leaders of the union for their efforts. 
 
&quot;This is a victory that the entire family of ICEM unions globally can be proud of,&quot; he said. &quot;The solidarity and support by many made it happen. We now extend to workers and managers alike at Novamed for a long and mutually beneficial relationship in this workplace.&quot; 
 
The strike drew worldwide interest following concerted action by the ICEM on 8 March 2007, International Women's Day, in which hundreds of trade unions and individuals rallied to the defence of workers. Following a meeting in Germany by ICEM, EMCEF, and IGBCE with corporate officials in late September 2007, negotiations began in Turkey, and after two sessions in October and November, the negotiations were concluded with an agreement on 18 December 2007.

447-Day Long Strike Ends with First Trade Union Inside Turkey&#039;s Antalya Free Trade Zone

Archive

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Aquarius Platinum: Integrity on Mine Safety Broken in South Africa

ICEM Contract and Agency labour Conference

Coal Conference Declaration, Kolkata, India

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin

ICEM Welcomes Liberia's Certification of Legitimate Firestone Union

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN 27

447-Day Long Strike Ends with First Trade Union Inside Turkey's Antalya Free Trade Zone

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