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With a Trade Union and Human Rights Conference scheduled for Kathmandu this weekend, 10-12 September, the 20-million-member ICEM has again protested loudly to the King of Nepal over actions taken by royal police to suppress free assembly and free speech in the Himalayan kingdom. 
 
In a letter today to King Gyanendra, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs specifically referred to harsh actions by police yesterday and Sunday. Police used tear gas and brute force in the country&rsquo;s capital to break up a march of political and Trade Union leaders, who were calling for full restoration of fundamental political liberties in Nepal. Some 400 leaders of Nepal&rsquo;s seven political parties as well as leaders of Trade Unions, including ICEM affiliates, were arrested over the two days. In addition, 65 protesters on Monday were hospitalized due to unnecessary force by the royal administration on 5 September. 
 
&ldquo;It has become obvious to the ICEM that King Guyanendra of Nepal is using an anti-corruption task force to repress political liberties and restrict universally accepted principles of free speech and free assembly,&rdquo; said Higgs. &ldquo;It also is obvious that this device is being used to restrict Trade Union activity.&rdquo; 
 
In his letter, Higgs cited a statement by the king on April 30, 2005, lifting the state of emergency and authoritarian rule that Guyanendra had imposed on 1 February. &ldquo;But you left in place a powerful anti-corruption panel and continued to ban free speech, assembly&mdash;most notably Trade Union meetings&mdash;and protests. It has become apparent to the ICEM and to the world that your lifting of authoritarian rule was not genuine, but rather a ruse to the outside world while still retaining a ban on free and democratic participation, particularly by trade unions.&rdquo; 
 
Higgs pointed out that the ICEM, representing 420 chemical, energy, mining and other unions in 125 countries, will participate fully in the 10-12 September conference in Kathmandu aimed at producing an agenda toward restoration of full democracy. The conference, sponsored by national trade union centers and others in Nepal, is backed by global trade union confederations and will draw 1,500 participants. 
 
At last May&rsquo;s Annual Executive Council meeting of the ICEM, global trade union leaders condemned King Gyanendra&rsquo;s &ldquo;irrational and unacceptable acts of denial to democratic rights and liberties.&rdquo; The Global Union Federation&rsquo;s Exectutive produced a resolution calling for five specific actions in Nepal: 
 
&bull; Immediate restoration of democratic governing principals and acceptance of a representative, parliamentary system, and release of all detainees; 
 
&bull; Withdrawal of censorship on media and guarantee of freedom of association and information; 
 
&bull; For the G-7 governments, the EU, India, and the rest of the International Community, to focus on the problem of liberty and democracy in Nepal and to use political and economic influence to bring about peace and a return to full democracy; 
 
&bull; For all civil societies of the World to mobilize and engage every possible means to wage campaigns and protests against the oppression of basic human rights in Nepal; 
 
&bull; For strenuous work, together with Global Union Federations and other Trade Unions of the World to support Trade Unions in Nepal through assistance in union building and other measures until full democracy and complete compliance with international labour standards, particularly freedom of association, are rediscovered in Nepal.

ICEM Again Calls for End to Nepalese Repression

The ICEM today, 12 September, signed its first Global Framework Agreement in the Materials Sector&mdash;a social responsibility code of behaviour with French-based Lafarge, a building materials manufacturer. The agreement was signed in Paris jointly with the global union federation International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW), and the World Federation of Building and Woodworkers Unions (WFBWU), a Christian labour federation. 
 
The Global Agreement marks ICEM&rsquo;s twelfth such international code of standards contract with a multinational enterprise, and the second that has been jointly signed with another global union federation. 
 
&ldquo;We welcome Lafarge&rsquo;s commitment to uphold high principles of social responsibility in all global operations, whether it&rsquo;s on workers&rsquo; rights, union recognition, environment, health and safety, or other recognised international work standards,&rdquo; stated ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs. 
 
IFBWW General Secretary Anita Normark also welcomed the commitment of Lafarge to apply international labour standards at all worksites worldwide. &ldquo;The value added of the agreement with Lafarge must be seen, that the three federations have a global network of trade unions which are able to monitor the agreement,&rdquo; said Normark. 
 
&ldquo;Lafarge is convinced that there can be no sustainable economic success without progress in the fields of social responsibility and environmental protection,&rdquo; said Christian Herrault, the company&rsquo;s Executive Vice President for Human Resources and Organisation. &ldquo;Consequently, this broader vision which goes beyond economic factors to embrace human, labour and environmental aspects has been built into our programmes underpinning performance and managerial processes.&rdquo; 
 
Herrault added that Lafarge &ldquo;has consistently valued the central role played by its workforce within the company and signature of this agreement represents a further step forward in our ongoing dialogue with staff.&rdquo; 
 
The agreement cites the International Labour Organization&rsquo;s (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the ILO&rsquo;s Tripartite Declaration of Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, the United Nations Global Compact, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development&rsquo;s (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 
 
The agreement states in its preamble: &ldquo;Lafarge considers respect for workers&rsquo; rights to be a crucial element in sustainable development&rdquo; and the 172-year-old company &ldquo;will seek to use the services of those trading partners, subcontractors and suppliers, which recognise and implement principles&rdquo; contained in the Global Agreement. 
 
Those principals include: 
&bull; No forced labour; 
&bull; No discrimination in employment; 
&bull; No use of child labour; 
&bull; Freedom of association and right of workers to collective bargaining; 
&bull; Living wages paid at least at the level of national legislation or collective agreements, as applied in the industry/sector concerned; 
&bull; Working hours comply with relevant national legislation, national agreements and industry/sector standards; 
&bull; Safe and healthy work environment in accordance with ILO Convention 156 and ILO Guidelines for Occupational Health Management Systems; and 
&bull; Development of Skills Training for all workers in cooperation with trade unions. 
 
The Lafarge Global Agreement establishes a review process group composed of representatives from company management and the signatory trade union federations that will meet at least annually for review and implementation of the principles in all Lafarge worksites. 
 
Lafarge employs 77,000 workers in 75 countries. The company is the worldwide leader in building materials; number two producer of aggregates and concrete; and the world&rsquo;s number three producer of gypsum. 
 
The ICEM has 420 affiliated trade unions in 125 countries, encompassing 20 million workers. The IFWBB has 10.5 million members in 281 trade unions, also in 125 countries. The WFBWU represents 1.5 million workers affiliated to 55 Christian unions in 41 countries.

ICEM Signs Global Agreement with French-based Lafarge

The 20-million-member ICEM, the dominate global union federation of the mining sector, is calling on Botswana President Festus Mogae to raise an olive branch to the country&rsquo;s Mine Workers&rsquo; Union (BMWU) and to 461 mineworkers at diamond-rich Debswana who were fired one year ago. 
 
The ICEM is calling on President Mogae to meet and begin concerted social dialogue with the Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) and leaders of its affiliates to correct a rapidly eroding labour climate in the southern African nation. The ICEM has also called upon DeBeers, joint-venture partner with the government in Debswana, to step in to do its part to resolve the festering dispute. 
 
In a 3 October letter to DeBeers Managing Director Gary Ralfe, ICEM's Fred Higgs wrote, &ldquo;Some 461 workers have been fired, many forcibly evicted from company-owned housing, their children denied entrance to company-subsidized schools, themselves, in many cases, blackballed from other employment, and now Debswana managers appear to be on a destructive and lethal course against a free and democratic trade union,&rdquo; referring here to the company&rsquo;s refusal now to recognize ICEM-affiliated BMWU even though the government has certified the union. 
 
In August 2004, some 500 of Debswana&rsquo;s 7,000 employees struck over a severe pay disparity. In the days leading up to the strike, the government had declared any potential strike an illegal one, using powers it had gained only months before through labour reform legislation. 
 
In asking DeBeer&rsquo;s Managing Director Gary Ralfe to involve himself directly in a &ldquo;true spirit of fairness and compassion,&rdquo; Higgs commented on the inherent unfairness and damage an enterprise such as Debswana can have on the social and political landscape of Botswana: &ldquo;The shaping of law in a free and democratic society comes through judicial interpretations. Last year&rsquo;s Industrial Court decision, and then Debswana&rsquo;s harsh and retaliatory subsequently taken against leaders and trade union members of BMWU, has left a perilous situation on all industrial relations in Botswana.&rdquo; 
 
The ICEM, with over 400 affiliates in 125 countries, calls on President Mogae of Botswana to respond to trade union leaders&rsquo; petitions for a different path regarding labour relations in the country, and for constructive dialogue to begin. The ICEM calls on DeBeers to assert itself over the enterprise&rsquo;s refusal to recognize BMWU, and to reinstate the 461 in an act of reconciliation and a constructive future.

ICEM Calls on Both Botswana Government and DeBeers to Halt Mining Grudge

ICEM and its Thai affiliate EGAT-LU welcomed a report, passed by a 50-3 vote, from the nation&rsquo;s Senate that opposes privatising the national Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). The report was sent to the ruling government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra calling for reforms to its plan to privatise 25% of the utility. Part of the report says that the entire electric distribution system must be excluded from sale because of its importance to citizens of Thailand. One senator opposing the government&rsquo;s plan said the privatisation of EGAT would allow some ten wealthy families to own Thailand&rsquo;s most profitable state enterprise. The government, however, has now revoked the statutory laws for the state run utility in anticipation of listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and that order has been sent to the King of Thailand for Royal decrees.

Thai Senate report opposes electric privatisation

French unions geared up for late summer and autumn general strikes by partially shutting some gas and electric operations last week. The protest is in opposition to government posting 22% of Gaz de France&rsquo;s (GdF) shares in an initial public offering. Five unions&mdash;including FCECFDT and FO&mdash;took strike action 20 June in response to GdF&rsquo;s initial privatisation. The one-day strike crippled underground gas supplies at Gournay and Manosque, and at three nuclear and coal-powered electric generating sites. Last week&rsquo;s strike actions could well be a prelude to bigger strikes in October when the French government expects to place shares of the much larger state-operated &Eacute;lectricit&eacute; de France on bourses.

French unions shut down operations in gas and electricity sector

The fight over privatisation of Thailand&rsquo;s electric utility EGAT has seen further aggressiveness by both the government and management. Threats of discipline were made to union members of ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU as they prepared to assemble for the one-year anniversary of resistance on 23 February. EGAT management then overtly interfered in EGAT-LU&rsquo;s internal activities on 3 March by directly challenging leadership at the union&rsquo;s annual national meeting. EGAT bosses put forward a small group of workers demanding the union support public listing of EGAT. The government also announced 3 March that an initial public offering to raise US$783 million would occur in October.

Government Playing Hard in Thai Electric Privatisation

ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU continues to be repressed by Thailand's government and management of public utility Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). On 28 April at the union's extraordinary meeting at EGAT headquarters in Nonthaburi, the company broke precedent by denying hundreds of union members and EGAT-LU use of a meeting room and sound system. The meeting was moved outside and a key issue was an EGAT freeze on a scheduled 15% annual wage adjustment. Other public sector workers received the increase. The government and utility are pushing privatisation of an initial 25% and that process escalated recently when the State Enterprise Policy Committee approved corporatisation of the utility.

Thai Government Repressing Electric Union over Privatisation

New address for ICEM 
 
54bis route des Acacias 
1227 Geneva, Switzerland 
 
Tel: +41-22-304-1840 
Fax: +41-22-304-1841
&nbsp;

ICEM - where we are

Despite Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declaring the 6 February election victory of his Thai Rak Thai Party a mandate for the privatisation of electric utility EGAT, ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU will continue to resist. The government went through the motions to conduct a survey among EGAT's 27,000 workers that offered 18 restructuring options with most centring on different forms of privatising the utility. EGAT-LU sent a letter to the Energy Ministry demanding a stop to the survey and again asking that a national referendum be held to keep the power sector as part of the public infrastructure.

Opposition to Thai Government’s Electric Privatisation

Another ICEM affiliate in Turkey is continuing its fight against privatisation in a courtroom in Ankara. Petrol-Is presented its case 2 March to again block privatisation of oil-refining company Tupras by the Turkish Privatisation Authority that now is seeking to sell a 14.8% stake. The authority holds 66% of Tupras, while 34% is publicly traded. Last year Petrol-Is convinced a court to halt the sale of the 66% stake to a joint venture composed of German Efremov-Kautschuk GmbH, a subsidiary of Russian Tatneft, and Turkish holding company Zorlu, a home textiles and home electronics company. Tupras operates four refineries and a petrochemical plant in Turkey.

Turkish Oil Union Fights Privatisation in Court Room

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