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A coalition of Hong Kong trade unions and NGOs is organising a series of actions around 13 September shareholder meeting of Hong Kong GP Battery Ltd, taking up the case of several hundred Chinese workers who suffer from serious cadmium-related health problems. 
 
The company in question, Gold Peak Industrial Holding (GP), which employs the workers, operates several battery-producing factories Guangdong province, and sells the batteries, under different brand names world-wide. 
<img height="67" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ChinaFLAG.gif" width="100" />
Back in 2004, workers at the company had to engage in strike action to overcome GP&rsquo;s refusal to carry out health tests. Workers were insistent on being tested after they learned about the dangers of working with cadmium, a toxic chemical, which can cause kidney failures and acute physical pain. Unaware of the dangerous consequences of working with the chemical, workers at the plants had been working with the toxic product with barely any protection. 
 
Official results of the tests indicated that ten workers were suffering from cadmium poisoning and that at least 400 others had abnormally high levels of cadmium. Most of them are women. Victims suffer from severe aches and pains, headaches and hair loss. The ten workers diagnosed with the cadmium poisoning were in a much worse condition. 
 
Three workers at a GP plant in Hong Kong have in the meantime also been diagnosed with cadmium poisoning, with another 21 having excessive cadmium levels. More recent reports mention a GP factory in Hunan province, where a subcontractor produces batteries using substandard health and safety measures. 
 
In spite of all this, workers did not get appropriate treatment, nor were they awarded compensation. Worse still, workers from China, in September 2004, have been threatened for being responsible for &ldquo;criminal responsibilities,&rdquo; should they complain to the central authority in Beijing. Furthermore, many workers have complained about the insulting arrangement under which health tests take place, where women are forced to undress and take showers under surveillance of unidentified people. 
 
A compensation fund, finally established in 2005, so far has only provided assistance to 4% of the 400 workers. The company seems to be much more interested in bringing organisations who talk about the scandal to court, as it currently does in Hong Kong, then to provide the affected workers fair and decent compensation, as is requested by these organisations.

Chinese Gold Peak Workers Suffer from Cadmium Poisoning

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Rubber workers in the US, members of ICEM affiliate United Steelworkers (USW), expressed their displeasure with Continental AG at a pair of rallies in recent weeks. Union members protested the manner in which the German tyre-maker closed a factory in Charlotte, state of North Carolina, last spring. 
 
One rally occurred on 4 September in Charlotte, and then another one when USW members converged on the International Tire Exhibition and Conference in Akron, state of Ohio, protesting Continental&rsquo;s anti-worker practices. The company was an exhibitor at the trade fair. 
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Continental was cited by the US National Labor Relations Board with violations of the country&rsquo;s labour law when it refused collective bargaining with the USW over a new contract for 800 workers in Charlotte. The USW had attempted to reach a new labour agreement and keep the Charlotte plant open by offering the company US$16 million in cost-savings. But the company refused to consider the proposal and used 1 May as the date to announce all tyre production would cease at the plant. 
 
In early August, the USW formally called on the US State Department to initiate an investigation over alleged breaches of work practices under guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). &ldquo;The conduct of this German company and its apparent belief that it can violate US laws and (OECD) Guidelines with impunity is shocking,&rdquo; wrote USW President Leo Gerard to the US OECD National Contact Point (NCP). &ldquo;The full force of the US Government, including NCP intervention, should be brought to bear.&rdquo;

US Steelworkers Protest Continental Tyre’s Labour Policies

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ICEM affiliate FNV Bondgenoten has called attention to the continued high incidence rate of safety negligence in the chemicals industry in The Netherlands. In an article published in the union&rsquo;s magazine, &ldquo;Kadermagazine,&rdquo; Bondgenoten says the rate in the current annual report of the Labour Inspectorate is the same as it was in 2003. 
 
&ldquo;Since 2003, the Inspectorate has found a high level on incidents after FNV Bondgenoten revealed as much in a thorough survey of shop stewards&rdquo; inside the chemicals industry, stated the union&rsquo;s Egbert Schellenberg. The report was submitted to Parliament. Schellenberg said that there already had been vast concern among union members in 2003. &ldquo;Now, nothing has changed. When will something be done?&rdquo; he asked. 
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The survey by FNV Bondgenoten finds that an incident involving a dangerous substance occurs nearly once every day, on average. And a quarter of safety incidents involve casualties of one form or another. The union says that many occurrences happen during maintenance periods, with injuries due to inhaling fumes of dangerous substances or from burns. 
 
Schellenberg says that employers in the chemicals industry must shoulder the responsibility and respond in a manner that reduces injuries and illnesses. He also says that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment must also play a role in reducing the incidence rate in the chemicals industry. 
 
FNV Bondgenoten has scheduled a social dialogue session with the ministry on 21 September to discuss this serious concern.

Safety in Netherlands Chemicals Industry Not Improving, Bondgenoten Reveals

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Belgian ICEM affiliate La Centrale G&eacute;n&eacute;rale / de Algemene Centrale, together with its national centre FGTB/ABVV organised a series of actions on 13 September in Belgium at the occasion of its second &ldquo;Day on the Rights of Temporary Agency Workers.&rdquo; 
 
About 300.000 copies of the &lsquo;Interim Times,&rsquo; a special free &ldquo;newspaper&rdquo; dedicated to the issue of agency labour, were distributed at train stations throughout the country. The Francophone version of newspaper is available online on the union&rsquo;s site <a href="http://www.accg.be/sec/be-fr/ser/inte/news/20060913%20Interim%20Times%20FR.pdf">here</a>. For the Flemish (Dutch language) version, click <a href="http://www.accg.be/sec/be-du/ser/inte/news/20060913%20Interim%20Times%20NL.pdf">here</a>. 
<img height="90" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Belgiumaccg.jpg" width="80" align="middle" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="44" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Belgiumfgtb.jpg" width="130" align="middle" />
Among other things, the paper contains a series of personal stories, revealing a large number of problems related to agency labour. These include obvious insecure job situations and the often all too vague promises for permanent work &ldquo;later on.&rdquo; Possibly less obvious, but equally omnipresent, are several other problems, such as the difficulty to fight for one&rsquo;s rights, which opens the door for abuse, or simply not being able to get a loan from a bank. 
 
The &ldquo;Interim Times&rdquo; paper was also available on many shop floors, where meetings were held by health and safety committees or company councils to discuss the issue of agency labour. The FGTB wanted all relevant bodies to talk to their managements about the problems connected to agency labour. 
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The FGTB warns that temporary agency work tends to replace more and more permanent jobs. The union also observes many legal violations in the sector. Under Belgian law, temporary agency labour can only be used in three circumstances: when a worker with a permanent contract needs to be replaced temporarily; in case of a temporary increase of the work volume at a company; or when extraordinary work needs to be performed. 
 
However, there is an ongoing discussion on the subject of a &ldquo;fourth category,&rdquo; which would allow employers to also use temporary agency workers as an &ldquo;in-flow&rdquo; method. The FGTB&rsquo;s position is clear in this: there is to be no agreement as long as there are no guarantees towards permanent employment and towards solid trade union verification. The FGTB also rejects the idea of temporary agency work in the public sector. 
 
On the occasion of the day of action, the FGTB encouraged all its members to consider a few key questions: does the company inform the workers&rsquo; representatives and/or company councils adequately on its use of agency labour? Does management stick to the rules in those cases where it needs to have an agreement from the workers representatives on agency labour? Is agency labour only used for temporary work, as required by law?

Agency Labour Day in Belgium

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Total said it will, between 2006 and 2012, close down several production lines at two different petrochemical sites in France: the TotalPetroChemicals Carling plant in the Lorraine region and the Gonfreville site in Normandy. This announcement by the company, which will result in the loss of another 300 jobs, comes only three months after the Arkema spin off, which already led to a serious reduction in the number of jobs at Total. 
 
In a press communiqu&eacute;, ICEM affiliated FCE-CFDT called the restructuring exercise &ldquo;purely defensive.&rdquo; The company will take a &euro;300 million charge to end the production of Styrene - a colourless toxic liquid used to make, among other products, polymers and rubber - at Carling, with a partial transfer of production to the Gonfreville site. Another &euro;80 million charge on the company&rsquo;s books will go towards a better exchange of products between the two sites. 
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Not only does the union find it difficult to see the economic logic of the plan, it also warns against the environmental dangers for both workers and general public, as Total will have to start traversing France by train to get extra benzene and styrene from one plant to another. 
 
The union calls for an independent expert to look into the social and environmental risks. It will also approach the industry minister to present an alternative industrial project.

Total Announces It Will Do Away with another 300 Jobs in France

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French ICEM affiliate CGT Verre et C&eacute;ramique calls for a day of action on 9 October, following the withdrawal by MEDEF, the French employers&rsquo; association, from the &lsquo;hazardous jobs&rsquo; dialogue in the glass and ceramics sector. 
 
A 2003 French law calls for negotiations on the recognition of &lsquo;hazardous jobs&rsquo; to be finished by 31 December 2006. Ongoing negotiations between unions and employers so far have not yielded results. Worse still, MEDEF has now decided to leave the bargaining table, stating it will push back the whole effort until after the elections of 2007. According to the CGT, this is clearly an attempt to postpone discussions indefinitely, and therefore unacceptable. 
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The CGT Verre et C&eacute;ramique wants to keep the early retirement age at 55 and considers the recognition of &lsquo;hazardous jobs&rsquo; in the glass and ceramics industries to be one of its priorities. Several studies have indicated a critical reduction in workers&rsquo; life expectancies when operating in hazardous environments. 
 
The CGT calls upon its members to organise, together with the other professional Federations of the CGT, as well as with other unions in France, actions necessary on 9 October, ranging from petitions to strikes.

‘Hazardous Jobs’ Action Day in the French Glass and Ceramics Sector

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Some 7,000 demonstrators marched through Paris on 12 September, with many more demonstrating in other cities throughout France, all responding to a joint call for action by French unions CGT, FO, CGC, and CFTC. 
 
The manifestations, held to protest the government sponsored merger between state-owned Gaz de France (GDF) and privately-held Suez, came a week after the CGT and FO unions held a referendum among workers at GDF. The referendum, at which 60% of all 53,000 GDF workers took part, showed a very clear hostility towards the merger plans, with 94% voting against the privatisation idea. 
<img height="99" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMgas.JPG" width="100" alt="" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; <img height="99" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/ICEMelectricity4.JPG.JPG" width="100" alt="" />
The State of France currently holds an 80% stake in GdF, with a current law setting a minimum of 70%. The merger would automatically reduce the state&rsquo;s stake in GDF to about 34%. 
 
Whereas CGT, FO, CGC, and CFTC would prefer closer cooperation between Electricit&eacute; de France (EDF) and GDF, the FCE-CFDT union forwarded its own proposal to the government on 13 September. Equally opposed to the privatisation of GDF, FCE-CFDT sees possible advantages in developing partnerships between Suez and GDF. The union&rsquo;s increased cooperation project would, however, keep GDF in the public sector. 
 
The French government finds itself more and more isolated, with an increasing number of individuals and organisations joining the anti-privatisation call. French Labour representatives, currently in opposition, are also fiercely contesting the privatisation plan at the special parliamentary session on the subject.

Protests in France against Gaz de France – Suez Merger

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The ICEM has a new Norwegian affiliate, the result of a merger between oil and gas union NOPEF and chemicals union Norsk Kjemisk. On 4 September in Oslo, the two unions officially merged during a day-long joint Congress to form Industri Energi. 
 
The merged union, with a combined membership of&nbsp;45,000 members, will have its headquarters in Oslo. 
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NOPEF President Leif Sande was elected Industri Energi&rsquo;s first president, while Liv Undheim, former Deputy President of Norsk Kjemisk, won election as Vice President. After a long and successful career as Norsk Kjemisk President, Olav Stoylen took a well deserved retirement, effective with the 4 September Congress. 
 
The union marriage marks the second such merger this year among Norway&rsquo;s trade unions. Last January, ICEM affiliate Fellesforbundet took in the Norwegian Graphical Workers&rsquo; Union, creating one big union for the pulp, paper, graphical and cardboard industry.

Industri Energi the Result of NOPEF, Norsk Kjemisk Merger in Norway

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Despite a compromised wage proposal by the union, ICEM affiliate Oilfield Workers&rsquo; Trade Union (OWTU) and Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s state oil company, Petrotrin, are no closer to an agreement on a new three-year contract, dating from 2005 to 2008. 
 
The two sides, however, with assistance from the Labour Ministry, continued intense negotiations through last week. 
 
Some 1,500 OWTU members at the company&rsquo;s lone refinery carried out another wave of industrial actions in the nine-month dispute, staging short work stoppages on 7 and 8 September. The action effectively shut production at the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, and was the fourth such industrial action taken by OWTU members at the refinery since last March. 
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On 5 September, refinery workers marched on Petrotrin&rsquo;s main offices in Pointe-a-Pierre. They were joined by many of the 3,500 other members employed at Petrotrin, who also await updated labour agreements. 
 
In bargaining in early September, OWTU lowered its wage demands from 32% over three years, but Petrotrin has not moved upward from its 10% proposal. OWTU is attempting to negotiate fair and equitable settlements in five labour agreements, covering 5,000 workers. 
 
The credit ratings agency Moody&rsquo;s, meanwhile, has placed Petrotrin&rsquo;s foreign currency issue rating under review for possible downgrade due to the labour dispute. The review will &ldquo;assess the company&rsquo;s operations and debt servicing capabilities in light of its current labour unrest and the highly uncertain dynamics of labour negotiations,&rdquo; said Moody&rsquo;s in a statement. Roughly a quarter of refined output from the former Texaco refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre is for domestic use, with the remainder exported to eastern Caribbean islands, South America, and the east coast of the US.

Dispute in Trinidad and Tobago’s Oil Industry Continues

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Over 200 trade union leaders and activists throughout Zimbabwe were arrested last week, on 12 and 13 September 2006. A large number of them were treated in an extremely violent way by the police forces while in detention. 
 
Victims include the three top leaders of the national centre Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). ZCTU President Lovemore Matombo and Secretary General Wellington Chibebe were so brutally assaulted that they could not stand up afterwards. First Vice President Lucia Matibenga could no longer walk. She was, as were others, severely beaten on the soles of her feet. 
<img height="146" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/0609ZCTU3.jpg" width="125" alt="" /> 
 
ZCTU General Secretary Wellington Chibebe
After being ill-treated at the Matapi Police station in Mbare on 13 September, the three top leaders were refused immediate medical attention. They were released later on bail. Speaking from his hospital bed, Brother Chibebe told the press afterwards he had been unconscious for over half a day. Police from Matapi later simply denied that the arrested were assaulted. 
 
Reportedly, their physical shape was such that senior police authorities refused to take them in custody at Harare&rsquo;s Central Police Station. Comrade Chibebe has a broken arm. Both he and Comrade Matombo suffered cranial/facial bruising and other head injuries. Many other arrested trade unionists equally suffered from the police violence, having their heads bashed against prison walls and being stamped and kicked in the head. 
<img height="111" alt="" src="/wp-content/uploads/articles/Zimbabwe20ZCTU.gif" width="107" />
Police reports from last week suggest that the trade unionists could be charged under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), a commonly used law to deter trade union activists in Zimbabwe. 
Ruling party Zanu PF militia had started the repression last week by intimidating and blocking union marchers in many cities, including in Harare. The ZCTU&rsquo;s demonstration was against the country&rsquo;s inflation rate of 1,000 %, in demand of higher incomes, lower taxes and better access to antiretroviral drugs needed to fight HIV/AIDS. 
 
Some 256 ZCTU activists were arrested in total, in at least 16 cities. ZCTU offices were blockaded and sealed by the army and police forces. Meanwhile, the union leaders vow to continue their protest.

Bloody Repression against Trade Union Leaders in Zimbabwe

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