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The second issue of the ICEM e-bulletin on HIV/AIDS is here. At the beginning of this issue we would like to draw your attention to the new ICEM website <a href="http://www.icem.org">www.icem.org</a>. Visit the website and click on HIV/AIDS. You will find the latest articles from ICEM sources. Links lead you to important HIV/AIDS sites of intergovernmental organisations and other Global Union Federations. 
You can also find useful materials such as the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work or the HIV/AIDS Mining Tool Kit produced by the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group, as well as the Annual Report of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the statistical updates on the pandemic published by UNAIDS. 
To introduce the subject of HIV/AIDS and the workplace, the ICEM has developed Power Point Presentations, which can be accessed through the website. There are versions for the regions Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Latin America as well as a global generic version. Download and use them for your own awareness and prevention activities. 
 
We reiterate our call from the first issue of the e-bulletin. To spread the information on new agreements and campaigns and to build on best practices, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to <a href="mailto:hiv.aids@icem.org">hiv.aids@icem.org</a>. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a>&nbsp;and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;:&nbsp; 
<a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;doc=1479 ">www.icem.org/index.php?id=72&amp;doc=1479 </a> 
 
 
ICEM-JAF Asia and Pacific Seminar Focuses on HIV/AIDS 
 
The Asia and Pacific Seminar held in Tokyo on 27 October in conjunction with the 30th anniversary of ICEM-JAF, the coordinating body of ICEM affiliates in Japan, focussed on HIV/AIDS and the workplace. In his opening address, Kiyoshi Ochiai, the Chairperson of ICEM-JAF and the ICEM Asia and Pacific Region, stressed the increasing relevance of the topic for the region and the need for increasing workplace activities by unions.
After an introduction by ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, the Global HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Hans Schwass, gave a power point presentation and facilitated the session, which included country reports and presentations by Japanese organisations of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), such as PEOPLE Tokyo (Positive Living and Community Empowerment), the NGO-TU Forum on PLWHA collaboration and JaNP+ (Japanese Network of PLWHA). 
 
Trade union leaders from 14 countries and a large number of Japanese participants responded well to the message to intensify work on HIV/AIDS in the workplace and to increase awareness and prevention campaigns. The very timely seminar laid the foundation for the expansion of ICEM&rsquo;s work in the Asia and Pacific region. 
 
 
New Lafarge Global Agreement Contains HIV/AIDS Clause 
 
The ICEM jointly with the IFBWW, the Global Union Federation for building and woodworkers, signed its twelfth global agreement with a multinational company. 
The agreement with the French-based building materials manufacturer Lafarge on corporate social responsibility and international industrial relations cites the ILO&rsquo;s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the ILO&rsquo;s Tripartite Declaration of Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, the United Nation&rsquo;s Global Compact and the OECD&rsquo;s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. It contains a clause on HIV/AIDS committing the signatories to raise awareness and initiate prevention programmes in compliance with the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. 
 
 
WHO/Global Union Meeting Welcomes Universal Access 
 
In a historic first meeting in Geneva on 6 and 7 October, WHO/AIDS representatives from field offices in Africa and from the Head Office and trade union leaders from six sub-Saharan African countries together with representatives from Global Unions discussed the unions&rsquo; support for expanded access to treatment. Although the 3x5 Initiative had brought treatment to one million people by June 2005, the goal of the Initiative of three million by the end of 2005 will not be reached. 
The WHO recognises the role unions can play in scaling up treatment and achieving universal access. Meetings are planned at national levels in the six countries to develop sustaining partnerships between trade unions, WHO/AIDS, UNAIDS and ILOAIDS. 
 
 
COSATU Slams Government&rsquo;s Response to HIV/AIDS
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has renewed its attack on President Thabo Mbeki and Health Minister Tshabalala-Msimang for failing to provide leadership in addressing the country&rsquo;s HIV/AIDS pandemic. Speaking at the Treatment Action Campaign&rsquo;s (TAC) annual conference, COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said that &ldquo;denialism&rdquo; meant the effects of HIV/AIDS were all too often ignored. 
The trade union federation has long been a supporter of TAC&rsquo;s campaign to force the government to roll out antiretroviral treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. &ldquo;We are sitting by while the biggest threat to our nation since apartheid is ruining our families and our communities,&rdquo; said Vavi. 
 
According to TAC, about 10,000 people were receiving antiretroviral treatment at public health facilities. This meant that government had failed to reach its own (already low) target of 53,000 people. It is estimated that for every 10 people who needed antiretroviral treatment, only one was getting it through the public sector and another one through the private sector. 
 
(Source: Business Day, Johannesburg, 26 September 2005) 
 
 
Global Fund Approves Fifth Round of Grants 
 
At its eleventh board meeting in Geneva on 28-30 September, the Global Fund board approved 26 Round 5 grants in 20 countries that will cost US$382 million over the first two years, and provisionally approved, subject to sufficient funding being received next year, a further 37 grants that will cost US$344 million over the first two years. In total, these 63 &quot;immediately approved&quot; plus &quot;provisionally approved&quot; proposals will cost US$726 million over the first two years, and US$1.8 billion over five years. (The Fund approves proposals for five years but initially only commits funds for the first two years). 
 
The reason that some of the grants were only provisionally approved is that the Fund is short of cash (see article in e-bulletin No. 1); this, in turn, is because 2005 is the first year in which substantial amounts of money need to be spent on renewal of grants from earlier Rounds that have reached the end of their first two years. 
Grants that have only been provisionally approved will be formally approved in 2006 when sufficient donor pledges are received. However, any grants provisionally approved for which insufficient pledges have been received by the end of June 2006 will become &quot;un-approved.&quot; Of the 63 grants to be eventually approved, AIDS grants account for 40% of funding while tuberculosis and malaria grants account for 27% each with the remaining funding dedicated to strengthen health systems. Africa receives 66% of the new funding. 
 
The board made no decision as to when Round 6 will take place. 
 
(Source: Global Fund Press Release of 30 September and Global Fund Observer Newsletter, Issue 51 of 3 October 2005) 
 
The GFO is an independent source of news, analysis and commentary about the Global Fund. The Newsletter is provided free of charge; to receive it send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org">receive-gfo-newsletter@aidspan.org</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 2

Requesting solidarity from the ICEM 
If you are requesting solidarity from the ICEM, take a look at this checklist so that we can give you the best help we can. 
 
Is there an international dimension?
Before contacting the ICEM your union needs to make a decision whether the problem you are facing or anticipating has an international dimension. 
 
This could be the case if: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>The company you are having problems with is a MNC or has clients abroad </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>The problem you are facing involves the violation of a fundamental principle e.g. the right to organize or bargain </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>The problem you are facing involves an issue that you think the ICEM has particular expertise in e.g. health, safety or the environment </div>
 </li>
</ul>
Give early notice
If it is anticipated that a dispute will arise send complete background information to ICEM, before the crisis begins. 
Too often requests for action are made after the conflict is so advanced that possibilities for effective international intervention are limited. In principle, the ICEM should be informed of any serious problem in any company or subsidiary and related problems with governments. Such information may be useful to other affiliates. 
 
Provide complete information on the company and the dispute
Tell us as much as you know about the company. Where possible, this should include: 
<ul>
 <li>
 <div>Full name of the company or subsidiary </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Name and title of senior managers in the dispute </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Full address, telephone, fax numbers and email addresses of these managers </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>If the company is a subsidiary tell us anything you know about the precise relationship with the parent company. Is it a wholly-owned subsidiary, a franchise, a joint venture or does it have another relationship with the parent company? </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>What does the company produce? </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Who are its major suppliers? </div>
 </li>
 <li>
 <div>Who are its major customers? </div>
 </li>
</ul>
Tell us everything you know about the dispute. This should include: 
<ul>
 <li>Number of employees and how many are engaged in the conflict? </li>
 <li>What is the background to the conflict? </li>
</ul>
It is of particular importance that ICEM is provided with accurate and full information. If an intervention is made and some aspect of the information is wrong or incomplete, it is likely to undermine the credibility of the trade union and the ICEM. If, for example, during a dispute, a company has found to be in violation of the law, but the union has also been found at fault, both pieces of information must be supplied and explained. 
 
Even if information is accurate, it may not be of much use if it is not well documented. Data must contain details that are convincing and make a conflict come alive to trade unionists in another country. The same good practice for trade union work at home, posing and answering all the right questions starting with who, what, where, when, why. 
 
Equally important to the information provided is the speed in which things can get done. For instance, If fax numbers or email addresses of the company or in some cases government departments can be provided action can sometimes be taken almost instantly. As some actions will be urgent, this may improve the chances for success. 
 
Indicate what do you want the ICEM and its affiliates to do?&nbsp;
Solidarity actions may require a variety of tactics. What works in one situation may not work in another. It is important to have a clear idea of what you think will be effective. In general, ICEM affiliates are more likely to respond forcefully to requests for intervention when the dispute concerns basic trade union principles such as the right to organise, than if it is over a collective bargaining dispute that is not an issue of fundamental rights. 
 
Make regular reports of developments
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of solidarity actions and to keep unions that provide assistance fully informed at all stages, the ICEM must receive regular reports from the union requesting the intervention. The ICEM needs to be informed promptly to any significant changes or escalation in any dispute. The ICEM must know if and when a dispute has been resolved, and should be advised of the terms of settlement. Win or lose, solidarity partners in other countries should be thanked for their help. 
 
Appoint a coordinator 
 
It is good practice to designate a single person or contact point in your union to coordinate communications with the ICEM concerning a dispute and to make all communications as efficient and direct as possible. 

Responding to requests 
If you are responding to a call for solidarity from ICEM, look at this checklist first so that coordinated action can best be developed. 
 
Respond on a routine basis
The most frequent request for solidarity is a request for a letter, fax or email message. In many situations, the timely arrival of a sizeable number of protest or support messages can have a positive impact. 
 
Try to meet specific requests 
There may be times when your union will be the only good source for specific information on a particular company or subsidiary in your country. The ICEM may receive many requests from affiliates for information on trade union organisations within a MNC for example. Sometimes the ICEM will not have that information on file. In other cases, one affiliate may ask the ICEM to transmit a request to another affiliate in the company&rsquo;s home country for intervention. 
While it is not always possible to meet such requests, the ICEM must be able to report back as to what, if any, action is being taken. Thus it is imperative that affiliates being asked respond in one manner or another. 
 
Advise the ICEM on what it can do to facilitate your responses to requests for Solidarity Actions
If you need assistance in responding to a request for solidarity action just contact the relevant ICEM industrial officer. You may need to provide more information to get an update on the dispute, or you may need assistance with language or preparing letters or publications. 
 
Send copies of messages, and information on any other action taken, to the ICEM
This helps the ICEM provide updated information on actions, and to evaluate the status of a specific action. This also includes forwarding press releases. 
This checklist is an adapted version of a checklist produced in the ICFTU publication&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

ICEM Solidarity Checklist

1. Denmark &ndash; Paternity Leave 
 
In 2002, new and extended rules for maternity leave were introduced in Denmark. The family has 52 weeks available that can be shared between father and mother. The official figures from Statistics Denmark show that 46,447 fathers went on paternity leave in 2004, the highest ever. It is an increase of 6% over the year before. On average, fathers took 3.6 weeks of paternity leave, a new record in Denmark. 
 
The problem for women who make use of the new and extended maternity leave is that they often return to a job inferior to the one they had before taking leave. A survey shows that 30% of the women who had maternity leave by the new rules find that it has adverse effects on their careers. Only 4% of the men have similar experiences. 
The United Federation of Danish Workers is working on a survey to determine cultural and structural barriers that prevent fathers from having a longer period of parental leave. The survey investigates how workplace culture and traditional roles in the family have an influence when men decide to have paternity leave. For more information on the survey please contact the Department for Equality and Family Policy, c/o <a href="mailto:Marianne.bruun@3f.dk">Marianne.bruun@3f.dk</a>. 
 
 
2. Brazil &ndash; Government launches Gender Equality Program 
 
The Brazilian federal government launched a gender equality program on 22 September to boost the promotion of equality between women and men. The program is based on partnership between UNIFEM (UN Women&rsquo;s Development Fund) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 
The program will grant pro-equality seals for the development of programs to benefit women. The seal is geared to promote company best practices. To start with, the program is geared to public enterprises and will be open to private companies at a later date. 
 
 
3. Brazil &ndash; FETIESC and the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Meeting 
 
FETIESC, the Santa Catarina Federation, was a promoter of the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Feminist meeting held from 9-12 October in Sao Paulo. The main theme of the meeting was Feminism and Democracy. One panel discussed, in addition, Feminism &ndash; Present and Future. 
Four dialogues went into the relationship between feminism and racism, ethnocentricity, youth and lesbianism. These meetings have been continuing since the 1980s and have served to create a Latin American and Caribbean network. 
 
In addition, FETIESC carried out a workshop on 6 October on Women&rsquo;s Communication and Expression. 
 
 
4. Canada &ndash; CEP 6th Women&rsquo;s Conference 
 
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union of Canada held its 6th Women&rsquo;s Conference from 16-18 October 2005 in the maritime province of New Brunswick. The conference theme was &ldquo;Our Time, Our Terms, Women March On.&rdquo; 
The conference had workshop sessions on equity, pay equity and women in solidarity in Canada and abroad. Caucuses were also held on young workers, regional caucuses, aboriginal people, people of colour, gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered workers, and people with disabilities. 
The conference was held against the background of the women&rsquo;s world march and the women&rsquo;s global charter for humanity. The women&rsquo;s charter is a proposal to build a world where exploitation, oppression, intolerance and exclusion no longer exist and where integrity, diversity and the rights and freedoms of all are respected. The core values for this vision of the world are equality, freedom, solidarity, justice and peace. These, too, were the CEP conference themes. 
The last day of the conference coincided with the arrival of the women&rsquo;s charter quilt in Burkina Faso after it went around the world. 
 
 
5. Germany &ndash; Gender and the 3rd IGBCE Congress 
 
IGBCE women presented motions to the 3rd IGBCE Congress held 9-14 October 2005 on work-life balance and gender and health. Some German companies have best practices to share, the so-called chemical triangle in Leuna, the Mapa Company and Tesa. 
The chemical triangle around Leuna is expecting a labour shortage in the coming years, which means that even employers are keen on developing work-life balance. It is, however, as a rule easier for large-scale companies to develop work-life balance arrangements than for small and medium-sized companies, which is why IGBCE organized a project on good practice for small and medium-sized companies, including Mapa in Northern Germany. 
The focus there was on part-time work. Most people are interested in working part-time in order to be able to look after children and elderly parents. Not all part-timers are happy, however, and many earn less, work more intensely, and are not involved in company life. 
The project will continue discussing these obstacles and developing solutions. Tesa organized one workshop and will soon have another on job and family because of the experience that young families have to walk a tightrope between children and career. The workshops are geared to boosting acceptance for alternatives on the part of management as well as the employees. 
 
IGBCE will continue its work on gender and health. 
 
 
6. ICEM-IUF Workshop on Women and Work 
 
A workshop on women and work was held in the framework of the ICEM-IUF Southeast Europe project in Crikvenica, Croatia, from 10-12 October 2005. The workshop focused on bullying, sexual harassment and equal pay. The women agreed to do research on pay issues in their jobs and to find out what women and men earn in eight specific occupations. 
The meeting was one more in the series to build a women&rsquo;s network in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. 
 
 
7. Multi GUF Training on Equal Pay 
 
Public Services International (PSI), with the support of FNV Netherlands, sponsored training for all Global Union Federations (GUFs) from 5-7 October 2005 in Montevideo, Uruguay, on equal pay and job evaluation.
The training was provided by Daina Green, an expert from Canada on equal pay and job evaluation. The point is to organize job evaluations that avoid gender bias. The idea is first to minimize gender bias and maximize awareness of the potential problems. Organisations can and will adapt to the systems that fit their needs. For more information see 
<a href="http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/publications/volume1-en.asp">www.chrc-ccdp.ca/publications/volume1-en.asp</a>. 
 
This work will prove useful to ICEM in its work on equal pay for work of equal value in the pharmaceuticals industry. Some employers, particularly in Brazil, have already expressed an interest in it. 
 
 
8. UN Population Fund UNFPA State of the World Population 2005 
 
Resolute action to end discrimination against women and lower their fertility rates is the key to meeting the ambitious goal of halving world poverty by 2015, according to the UNFPA report released in October. The report titled The Promise of Equality: Gender Equity, Reproductive Health and the Millennium Development Goals noted that despite new laws and programs to improve the lot of the world&rsquo;s poorest women, &ldquo;the pace of change is far too slow.&rdquo; 
The report urged world leaders to fulfil promises made to the world&rsquo;s women and young people as part of poverty reduction goals agreed five years ago and reaffirmed at a UN summit last month. &ldquo;Investing in women and girls makes sound economic and social sense,&rdquo; according to the report which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the UN charter that enshrined gender equality. 
In the field of education, the study noted that today, 600 million women are illiterate as compared to 320 million men. The report indicates that reproductive-health problems, including HIV/AIDS, are the leading cause of death and illness among women between the ages of 15 and 44. It made the case that secondary education for women and girls had been shown to translate into improved economic prospects, better reproductive health, improved AIDS awareness and more enlightened attitudes toward practices such as female genital mutilation. 
For more information see <a href="http://www.unfpa.org">www.unfpa.org</a>. 
 
 
9. Uruguay &ndash; CUOPYC Cleaning Cooperative 
 
The Uruguay Paper Workers&rsquo; Union (CUOPYC) has set up a cleaning cooperative to provide employment for women and daughters of union members, as well as single mothers. This means a new role for the union since it is now involved in creating jobs instead of looking after existing jobs. 
The FANAPEL paper company proposed using the cooperative&rsquo;s services to replace the contract that had expired with the company. Thirteen women, who up to then had no stable income, were provided with cleaning jobs. Very little employment is available for women in Juan Lacaze, the site of FANAPEL, and even less jobs for women who left school early. 
The women are between the ages of 18 and 35. They were trained not only in industrial cleaning processes but also in tools to enable their industrial cooperative to stand on its own feet. This enterprise is made up of 13 women, it is a cooperative, and it is lead by a trade union. 
 
 
10. United States &ndash; Where are the Women on TV? 
 
On US news networks, women only represent 14% of guests on influential Sunday morning talk shows. This is one of the findings of a new report by the White House Project. The study also found that more than half of the talk shows did not even include one single woman. Since 2001, the number of women in talk shows has gone up only slightly, from 11% to now 14. 
Why does it matter? It should be a concern because people draw conclusions about real life from what they see on television. When they see no women in positions of power, they assume that women are not credible in these positions. If no women speak on TV about national security or arms control, the assumption is that women are not qualified to speak on theses issues and there are no female experts in these fields. 
The lack of women on influential political shows also matters because of what media call &ldquo;agenda setting.&rdquo; It means that whatever is discussed on these shows is designated as important, and the people doing the talking are recognized as influential. A lack of female voices allows the agenda to be set to exclude them and their issues. 
<hr />
&bull; For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a>&nbsp;or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: <a href="/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=1478">www.icem.org/index.php?id=71&amp;doc=1478</a> 
 
&bull; To add a colleague or a friend to this distribution list, send her or his e-mail address to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>, mentioning &quot;Add to ICEM women's news list&quot; in the subject line. 
 
To unsubscribe from the ICEM news list, send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:carol.bruce@icem.org">carol.bruce@icem.org</a>, mentioning &quot;Unsubscribe ICEM women's news list&quot; in the subject line.

ICEM Women’s bulletin No. 6 – November 2005

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief1.gif" width="138" />
The ICFTU&rsquo;s Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations was released 18 October, covering the year 2004. 
<img height="135" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0510ICFTUSurvey2005.jpg" width="100" />
The union confederation of national labour centers found a total of 145 murders of trade union leaders in 2004, 16 higher than in 2003. And again in 2004, Colombia leads the world with 99 killings of union leaders. 
The report, which documents over 700 violent attacks on trade union leaders in 136 countries, can be found at <a href="http://www.icftu.org/survey2005">www.icftu.org/survey2005</a>.

99 Colombian Trade Unionists Murdered in 2004, Says ICFTU

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief1.gif" width="138" />
Spanish affiliate FITEQA-CCOO conducted a meeting 24-26 October in Brazil of workers employed for Repsol YPF, the world&rsquo;s tenth largest private oil company headquartered in Spain. 
The meeting, coordinated by FITEQA-CCOO&rsquo;s Isidor Boix and Helio Seidel of FUP Brazil, served as a start for making concrete improvements for workers of Repsol in Latin America. A second such meeting will be held next year in Argentina, the country with the second highest number of Repsol employees after Spain. 
The conclusions of the meeting can be found <a href="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/0511conclusionesBrazil.pdf">here</a> (in Spanish and Portuguese only).

Spanish Union Aids Repsol Networking in South America

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="138" />
Croatian ICEM affiliate Autonomous Trade Union in Power Industry, Chemistry and Non-Metal Industry (EKN) has a merger agreement in place with another powerful union in the Balkan country. 
On 19 October, EKN&rsquo;s Main Committee and the committee of the Metalworkers&rsquo; Trade Union of Croatia (SMH) signed a declaration of intent to merge to create the Confederation of the Trade Union of Metal and Chemical Industries.
The two unions will hold concurrent congresses in 2006 to formalize the merger, and a two-year process is proposed to coordinate the merger of affiliated unions into the new trade union, which will be independent and free from political party association.

ICEM Affiliate in Croatia to Merge with Metalworkers Union

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief1.gif" width="138" />
The ICEM has issued an urgent Circular to all affiliates for solidarity action on behalf of a branch of the Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) of Canada concerning a five-month strike at a plant of Invista, a global chemicals company owned by US-based Koch Industries.
The Circular can be found at <a href="/?id=155&amp;doc=1464">/?id=155&amp;doc=1464</a>&nbsp;and will be available in all statutory languages by clicking the respective language at the top-left of the homepage. ICEM has provided two model letters, one to the CEP local union as a sign of support, the other a protest letter to management in the US.

Urgent Action Needed in Support of Striking Canadian Union

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief1.gif" width="138" />
A strike by Energy and Petroleum Workers&rsquo; Union (CGTM) of Mauritania continues against contracting firm El Majabaat El Koubra Tours (MKT). The two sides were before the Labour Inspectorate of Mauritania on 27 October in efforts to settle the 14-day strike, but recommendations put forward by the ministry were rejected by MKT. 
The company, a transport and logistics provider for Australian exploration and development company Woodside Petroleum, sacked 16 workers earlier in October after it signed a protocol agreement with the union that included a first of November date for union elections. Ten of the 16 workers were to stand for union election
&nbsp;

Mediation Fails to Resolve Contractor Strike in Mauritania

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="138" />
Belgian affiliate FGTB-ABVV was joined by two other trade unions 28 October in a second general strike against government plans to raise the nation&rsquo;s voluntary early retirement age from 58 to 60. 
<img height="234" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0510DemoBXL1.jpg" width="350" />
The center-left governing coalition led by Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has conceded to several demands put forward by FGTB-ABVV over end of career issues and adequate funding of social security. But the age for early retirement is still outstanding. 
<img height="234" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0510DemoBXL2.jpg" width="350" />
A 7 October strike that did not include formal endorsement of Christian union CSC-ACV and the Liberals CGSLB-ACLVB paralyzed the nation of ten million, and the two unions decided to join FGTB-ABVV in the 28 October action.

Second Belgian General Strike Aimed at Retaining Early Retirement

<img height="55" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief1.gif" width="138" />
Thousands of trade unionists &mdash; including many members of ICEM Ukrainian affiliates &mdash; marched on the country&rsquo;s Rada, or Parliament, 20 October to protest neo-liberal policies contained in the government&rsquo;s 2006 draft budget. 
The picketing, led by Ukrainian Trade Union Federation (FTUU) Chairman Alexander Yurkin, involved a wide range of other Ukrainian trade unions and depicts the mass concern by Ukrainians over a proposed budget that would strip away social safeguards, including decreased funding to the country&rsquo;s coal sector. 
Trade union leaders backed by workers demand that the minimum wage be made equal to Ukraine&rsquo;s subsistence level and then increased next year, and that social security spending be increased. Lawmakers voted by 306 to 77 to reject the draft budget on the day of the protest, and the Ukrainian parliament has instructed that an adjusted budget be submitted to the Rada on the first day of November.

Ukrainian Trade Unions Lead Fight to Protect Social Standards

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