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Following coordinated discussions today between the 20-million-member ICEM, and affiliated trade unions Transport &amp; General Workers Union (TGWU) of the UK and F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Force Ouvri&egrave;re (FO) Mat&eacute;riaux, C&eacute;ramique, and Thermique of France, global strategies have been developed related to the economic devastation planned by Imerys to the Cornwall region of the UK. 
 
Meeting in Brussels, home to the ICEM, representatives of the three labour organisations vowed to organise all unions globally which represent workers of the French-based building products company. They will bring attention to the company&rsquo;s adverse labour relations, as well as to their practice of forced redundancies in the face of massive profits. 
<img height="69" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/UKTGWU.gif" width="125" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="67" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/FranceFO.jpg" width="112" />
Imerys is targeting some 610 jobs to be made redundant late next year in Cornwall, Devon, Lee Moor and St Austell in the South West of England, cuts that will effectively end generations of family-sustaining industrial jobs in the region. TGWU delegates at the meeting noted that Imerys not only failed to offer economic alternatives to the lost jobs, but also offers little in the way of redundancy packages. 
 
French trade union leaders, at recent European Works Council (EWC) meetings, voiced deep opposition to the UK job cuts, as well as to company redundancies made earlier this year at plants in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, and at Lixhe, near Vis&egrave; in Belgium. Today, they expressed their commitment for the global strategies against Imerys. 
 
FO&rsquo;s Dominique Guelfucci, Federal Secretary for the Materials and Ceramics section, and FO&rsquo;s Serge Gonzales, secretary of Imerys&rsquo; EWC, are ready to make a visit to the Cornwall area to address union members there. 
 
&ldquo;We will assist the Imerys workers of the UK to assure that what they are fighting for becomes a reality,&rdquo; stated Guelfucci. Added Gonzales, &ldquo;We are prepared to illuminate the anti-social attitudes of Imerys. We see clearly that the company&rsquo;s agenda is not with workers and that solidarity is urgently needed.&rdquo; 
 
One immediate strategy resolved at today&rsquo;s meeting is to form a global network of trade unions representing Imerys&rsquo; workers worldwide. 
 
Said ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs, &ldquo;We sincerely hope that Imerys absorbs the ever-increasing expressions of solidarity that will now take hold and moves to negotiate an equitable resolution for the workers and the communities in which they live.&rdquo; 
 
Higgs said it is also paramount that Imerys stops its increasing use of contract workers in the Cornwall region in order that permanent jobs are retained. 
 
Higgs added that the mining operations of Imerys and its predecessor, English China Clay, have literally left deep scars on the landscape. &ldquo;If they hope to capitalise on the sale of land for other, non-industrial purposes, it is perfectly logical that Imerys makes commitments to the workers, who otherwise might be made redundant for jobs, on land reclamation projects.&rdquo; 
 
&ldquo;We welcome the initiatives from the meeting today,&rdquo; stated Jennie Formby, TGWU National Secretary. &ldquo;Imerys has failed to negotiate meaningfully with the unions on redundancies. It also has been extremely callous in its regard for the livelihoods of workers, as well as to the communities of the South West as a whole.&rdquo; 
 
Delegates at the meeting also noted Imerys&rsquo; anti-worker attitudes at a USA plant in the state of Alabama as a reason why a global network of unionised workers is necessary. 
 
The ICEM is a Global Union Federation, representing 379 trade unions in 123 countries.

ICEM, UK, French Unions Draw Up Strategies Against Imerys

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 
As you may be aware at the May meeting of our Executive Committee, I announced my decision to retire from my position as General Secretary of the ICEM as of the end of December 2006. This decision was taken on health grounds. 
In response the Executive Committee mandated the Presidium to appoint an Acting General Secretary to cover this position from January 1st 2007 up to our Congress in November 2007. At yesterday&rsquo;s meeting of the Presidium, Manfred Warda was unanimously appointed to fill this position of Acting General Secretary.
<img height="209" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0610ICEMpresidium6.jpg" width="300" /> 
 
From left to right: Manfred Warda, ICEM President Senzeni Zokwana and Fred Higgs
Manfred is currently the International Officer of IGBCE, our German affiliate, and has had extensive involvement with the ICEM Executive and Presidium activities since our merger Congress in1995. Prior to this, for many years Manfred was deeply involved with the work of the Miners International Federation. Clearly Manfred&rsquo;s experience in the international trade union movement makes him an ideal candidate to fulfil the demanding role he will be undertaking as Acting General Secretary of the ICEM. 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the support, comradeship and assistance given to me during my period as General Secretary. I am sure this support will continued to be provided to Manfred. 
I would like to end by saying how proud I am to have been a leader of this great federation and to wish each of you, and the ICEM, every success for the future. 
Yours fraternally, 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM Letter to Affiliates on New Acting General Secretary

The ICEM teamed up with its UK affiliate Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), resulting in justice for two trade union leaders who were dismissed two years ago by Thai Industrial Gases (TIG), the Thai operations of BOC, a British-based global industrial gases company.
The two key leaders were reinstated after a series of negotiation sessions conducted by Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary, when in Bangkok in late August. These negotiations with regional management of BOC were made possible by the prior insistence of Peter Booth, TGWU National Secretary for Manufacturing. TGWU, along with BOC&rsquo;s head office in the UK, demanded that such negotiations take place. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<img height="86" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/icem-logo.jpg" width="100" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<img height="83" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/UKTGWU.gif" width="150" />&nbsp;
The ICEM and TGWU intervention also guaranteed that ICEM affiliate Petroleum &amp; Chemical Workers&rsquo; Federation of Thailand (PCFT) will be fully recognised as bargaining representative for some 800 TIG workers at ten worksites in Thailand. 
 
One of the TIG union leaders, Chatree Jarusuwanwong, was back on the job effective 18 September, while the other, Chatchai Paiyasen, will return 1 October. Both will receive nearly two years&rsquo; of back-pay for the period they were dismissed. 
 
The two were sacked on 15 December 2004 for carrying out trade union activities. Two months earlier, after TIG workers formed their union following unilateral benefit cuts by the company, a manager of the subsidiary had confiscated official certification papers issued by the Thai Labour Ministry. The two union leaders were fired because they had pressed for the right of collective bargaining, something managers had promised but never delivered. 
ICEM&rsquo;s Fred Higgs intervened directly in the matter while in Bangkok. By then, TIG managers had the unfair dismissals tied up in the Thai courts system. Months before Higgs&rsquo; visit, ICEM had alerted TGWU, who brought the issue before senior British managers of BOC. 
<img height="67" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ThailandFlag.gif" width="100" />
Higgs began dialogue with TIG managers, as well as with a Southeast Asia regional manager of BOC. The result was a promise to review the case. The decision to reverse the unfair dismissals and award back-pay came early this week. 
 
&ldquo;This is an excellent example of what can be achieved through global solidarity with our affiliates,&rdquo; said Higgs. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re extremely grateful to the TGWU and to Peter Booth for their efforts. It made the difference.&rdquo; 
 
Higgs also noted that one of the demands made to BOC management was that the two Thai union leaders be allowed to continue their legitimate trade union activity. 
 
Brothers Paiyasen and Jarusuwanwong expressed their gratitude to the ICEM and TGWU. In a joint statement, they said, &ldquo;With this victory, we are determined to work hard to develop the trade union movement so that we can do more to help other sisters and brothers who still struggle for their right to organise.&rdquo; 
 
Noting that they had been off their jobs for some 654 days, they added, &ldquo;Working with the ICEM and the British TGWU, we felt their efforts achieved a positive change. Before we met the ICEM and TGWU, we were desperate in our fight for reinstatement. This active communication and coordination really made a difference.&rdquo;

ICEM, TGWU Intervene To Achieve Justice at Thai Industries Gases Company

ICEM WOMEN’S BULLETIN N° 15

<img height="40" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="100" alt="" />
ICEM affiliate Federatia Sindicatelor Libere si Independente din Industria Petroliera (FSLI Petrom) informed the ICEM that the situation on the Orizont Oil rig in Iran has gone back to normal. As reported earlier, a dangerous situation had arisen on 22 August 2006, when Iranian gunboats fired at an oil rig and held 26 workers hostage, of which 19 were Romanian nationals, all affiliated to FSLI Petrom. 
 
The attack was connected to a commercial dispute between GPS, the Romanian company that owns the oil rig, and a contracting firm from the United Arab Emirates, which, in turn, had subcontracted work to a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company. More details can be found in the ICEM News release from 23 August 2006: Condemnation Towards Iran on Attacking Romanian Oil Rig. 
<img height="62" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/RomaniaPetrom.jpg" width="150" alt="" />
According to FSLI Petrom, the crew shifts are now running normal again and workers on the rig are again free to communicate and move about. The 19 Romanian workers that were briefly held hostage have all been able to return home safely. Their replacements were issued with Iranian visas without any problem. 
 
In their message to the ICEM, FSLI Petrom expresses its thanks for the solidarity by ICEM affiliates. The ICEM issued a circular to all its affiliates at the end of August, calling for solidarity messages. According to the union, the messages of support &ldquo;encouraged and supported the prompt reactions of both the trade union and of the Romanian authorities in order to make this situation to go to normal.&rdquo;

Thank You from Romania

<img height="40" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="100" alt="" />
Representatives of the Union Nationale des Travailleurs du Congo (UNTC), one of the major national trade union federations in Congo, decided at their 5th Congress in July on a major change in Federation&rsquo;s sectoral structures. 
 
One consequence of this decision, which brought down the number of industrial federations from 21 to 14, is the merger of ICEM affiliate FENAMICO (F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Nationale des Travailleurs des Mines du Congo) with its sister metal federation, to from the new F&eacute;d&eacute;ration Nationale des Travailleurs des Mines et de la Metallurgie (FNTMM). Crispin Ngeleka Mulumba was elected as its new General Secretary.

FENAMICO, Mining Affiliate in Congo, Merges with Metal Federation

<img height="40" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="100" />
Following a fire in the first and second generation stations of the El-Missaub electrical heat generation station, the Federation of Works Councils Unions of Iraq (FWCUI) calls for improved safety equipment at the facility. Two workers needed to be taken to a hospital as they suffered from suffocation after trying to extinguish the fire. 
 
The union is asking the administration of the station for increased safety measures, such as supplying the different units with personal fire protection devices, organising training on safety issues and repairing broken down safety equipment. The union also points towards the non-existence of insurance for workers in case they become the victim of an industrial accident.

Fire In Iraq’s el-Missuab Power Generation Station.

<img height="40" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="100" />
According to information received by the ICEM, last week saw the arrest of Javanmir Poradi, the head of the Electrical and Metal Workers&rsquo; Trade Association, in the western city of Kermanshah in Iran. He was reportedly released again yesterday evening. Given the regular and persistent ill-treatment of labour activists in Iran, Brother Moradi&rsquo;s disappearance was very concerning for his family. No information was available on Monday as to his treatment in detention. 
 
Iranian security forces allegedly told brother Poradi, on 12 September, to report to their offices the next day. Whereas his family was initially told on Wednesday that he was taken to the public prosecutor&rsquo;s house, this office later stated it did not have information as to his whereabouts. He is said to have been arrested for &ldquo;organising a May Day rally&rdquo; this year. 
 
Four other labour activists, from the Shaho and Kurdistan textile factories in the city of Sanandaj, were also arrested earlier last week, in relation to a planned protest against a number of dismissals. The four were badly treated while in detention, before being released.

One More Arrest and Ill-treatment of a Labour Activist in Iran

<img height="40" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="100" />
The ICEM has sent a letter to the Unilever headquarters to protest the planned illegal closure of the Hindustan Lever's Mumbai factory. Hindustan Lever, a subsidiary of Unilever, sold its plant in Mumbai in July 2005 to another company, Bon Ltd. Two months later, the new owner made an application to the local government to close the factory. 
 
Hindustan Lever had apparently hoped it could use the proposed sale to not only take advantage of tax concessions, but also to avoid its legal obligation to negotiate with the trade union, the Hindustan Lever Employees' Union (HLEU), which is an affiliate of the IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations). A recent High Court decision has now clearly established, again, that this transfer is against Indian law. 
<img height="66" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/IndiaFlag.gif" width="100" />
With this legal victory, HLEU members at the plant continue their struggle against the illegal transfer and closure, stronger then ever before, and supported by many Indian and international trade unions. In the ICEM letter, the Global Union Federation calls on the company to enter into immediate and fair negotiations with the HLEU. 
 
More information on the dispute, including the possibility to send a message to the company, can be found on the IUF&rsquo;s web-site <a href="http://www.iufdocuments.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&amp;uid=default&amp;ID=3697&amp;view_records=1&amp;ww=1&amp;en=1">here</a>.

Protest Against Hindustan Lever Plant Closure in Mumbai

<img height="40" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/InBrief201.gif" width="100" alt="" />
Facing tremendous pressure to refrain from taking action, the Korean Power Plant Industry Union (KPPIU), which represents around 3,000 members at five power plants that belong to the Korea Electric Power Corporation, or KEPCO, went on strike for 15 hours on 4 September 2006. 
 
The strike was a response to the unwillingness of KEPCO management to negotiate such issues as better working conditions, the rotation system, the expansion of the scope of trade union work and the reinstatement of fired colleagues. The trade union action followed a decision by the National Labour Relations Commission, a day earlier, to call for government arbitration over the labour dispute. 
<img height="100" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMelectricity3.JPG.JPG" width="100" alt="" />
Both the company and the government took a very antagonistic stand towards the workers. Neither party was open to any negotiation whatsoever, administrative actions against strikers were announced, and the government warned against taking part in what it called an &ldquo;illegal strike.&rdquo; Reportedly, the government even had 3,500 emergency substitutes ready, just in case. 
 
Workers returned to work late Monday afternoon, as the government intervened to halt the strike, with union executives under threat of arrest. However, in the end, negotiations between labour representatives and the managements of the power plants resumed later the same day.

Short Strike by Korean Power Workers

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