GLOBAL: In the last two months IMF affiliates in Europe and the Americas took a range of actions in support of the Mexican Miners' Union's struggle for union independence.

In Mexico, the country's largest mining company, Grupo México, and the Mexican government, first under President Vicente Fox, and now under President Felipe Calderón, have systematically and repeatedly violated Mexican law and international standards to crush the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico (SNTMMSRM).

The IMF and its affiliates are calling on the Mexican government to:

• release all union funds illegally seized by the government;
• lift all charges still pending against Napoleón Gómez Urrutia and other members of the SNTMMSRM;
• prosecute in a court of law, immediately and transparently, all those responsible in the corruption of documents and facts; and
• investigate Grupo México's involvement in the  murder of Reynaldo Hernández González and the detention and torture of 20 SNTMMSRM members in Nacozari, Sonora.

As part of its ongoing solidarity efforts to support the union, on April 23, 2008 the IMF released "An Injury to One: The Mexican Miners' struggle for union independence", a White Paper and an 18 minute DVD documenting the abuse of human and trade union rights in Mexico. Following the release of the materials, trade unions around the world took a range of actions to continue to show their support to the Mexican Miners' Union.

Argentina:

In Argentina, IMF affiliates wrote to the national Congress denouncing the situation in Mexico. With the support of several Members of Congress the issue is now on the agenda of Congress for consideration.

Brazil:

In Brazil, CNM-CUT published the IMF White Paper and DVD on its website and publications. In addition the union sent copies of the White Paper and letters to the members of parliament calling on them to take up the issue with the Mexican ambassador. The union also sent press releases to the local press about these actions.

EMF:

In Europe the European Metalworkers' Federation urged MEP Erika Mann to raise the issue at the Lima summit. A copy of the EMF's letter is published on the IMF website

IMF:

Internationally, on April 23, 2008 the IMF launched "An Injury to One: The Mexican Miners' struggle for union independence", a White Paper and an 18 minute DVD documenting the abuse of human and trade union rights in Mexico in conjunction with the Mexican Miners' Union. The IMF showed the DVD at the Geneva Labour Film night on May 1^st and has published the materials on the IMF website and circulated copies to IMF affiliates. In addition, the IMF sent letters to EU Commissioners and EU Member of Parliament urging them to raise this issue at EU/LAC Summit in Peru. The letters are published on the IMF website.

Germany:

In Germany, IG Metal wrote to the Foreign Minister and members of the Foreign Office requesting that the Government look into the situation in Mexico and raise the issue with the Mexican Government.

Mexico:

The Mexican Miners' Union held a press conference on April 23, calling for an end to the repression against the Miners' Union in honour of the two year anniversary of the murder of two striking steelworkers gunned down by Mexican security forces in Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico.

Spain:

In Spain, the Federación Minerometalúrgica de Comisiones Obreras (FMCO) organised a petition gathering signatures from workers calling for the recovery of the bodies of the miners buried in Pasta de Conches.

Peru:

In Peru, at the Peoples' Summit from May 13 – 16, which was held in parallel to the V Summit Meeting of European Union (EU) and ALC Heads of State and Government, the National Women Miners' Central of Peru (CNMM) and the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union Of Mexico (SNTMMSRM) publicised the repression and persecution of Mexican miners. The documentary film "An Injury to One" was shown and copies of the IMF White Paper were distributed. For more information click here.

United Kingdom:

In the UK an Early Day Motion in support of Napoleon Gomez and the Mexican Miners' Union was introduced to Parliament with the support 38 Members of Parliament. In addition, Community wrote to Foreign Secretary David Miliband, copied to Prime Minster Gordon Brown, calling on the UK Government to raise its concerns about the situation in Mexico with the Mexican Government.   A copy of the early day motion is published on the IMF website.

USA and Canada:

In the U.S. the United Steelworkers held meetings with the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, met with the Mexican ambassadors and sent the delegations to Mexico for press conference on April 23. A USW delegation also attended the Mexican Miners' Union's congress and 12 USW women of steel members went on a mission to Cananea in support of the striking workers.
On May 13, the USW also announced the creation of a web site to disseminate information about the business practices of Grupo Mexico. The web page, which can be found at http://www.therecordspeaksforitself.com/, hosts links to a number of resources that will educate the public about Grupo Mexico's conduct regarding its workers both at home and abroad, as well as the environment and the way the company conduct its business. 

CZECH REPUBLIC:  Trade union members will be gathering in front of the prime minister’s office in Prague on May 28, June 2 and June 9 to protest against the current neo-liberal reform agenda sweeping the Czech Republic. In particular the protest meetings will focus on the reform of the pension system, which include prolonging the pension age to 65 with no regard to the working condition of difference categories of workers. The meetings will also discuss the negative effects of current reforms and the decline of real salaries in the sphere of education and public sector.

The protest actions, organised by the trade union centre CMKOS and its industrial branches, including IMF-affiliated OS KOVO, follow on from a similar gathering of members on May 21 in protest of the proposed reforms of the healthcare system and the possible irreversible effects of privatisation.

The CMKOS Executive Board has also declared a one hour All Confederation Warning Strike that will take place on June 24.

The unions warn that the present Czech government, fully in accord with the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organisation policies, is for full liberalization, deregulation and ultimately privatization of the public service sector, giving preference of single market rules over social and trade union rights.

In a declaration calling for support for the action, the CMKOS Executive Board states, "Besides being responsible for reduction of real salaries in education, health service and public sphere the Government plans an attack on the Labour Code and trade union rights." 

The IMF sent a letter expressing solidarity to its affiliate OS KOVO.

PERU: In February 2008, the  National Confederation of Women Miners of Peru (CNMM) informed the IMF about an accident involving two contract workers with the Casapalca Mining Company. It seemed the accident was serious but the state of health and whereabouts of the workers remained unknown.

The CNMM therefore asked the Peruvian government to conduct a detailed investigation into the accident and find out their names, state of health, the causes of the accident and the company’s responsibilities.

After more than two months, the investigation has obtained positive results. It obliged Casapalca S.A. to provide the identities of the workers (Alfredo Casas Orihuela and Leonoj Ever Poma Huaroc) and the names of the contractors involved (Minera Ramírez S.A.C. and Cía. Minera Londres S.A.). It was then possible to obtain the identity documents and addresses of the workers and apply pressure on the companies to provide health care and insurance for work accidents.

At the end of March, the Ombudsman formally intervened in the investigation and visits were made to the homes of the two workers. The wife of Alfredo Casas said that her husband was undergoing rehabilitation in the town of Huancayo and that the contractor, Minera Londres (same owner as Casapalca Mining Company) had paid all due health and financial benefits and promised to continue to employ the worker in a new job (as his injuries were less serious).

The wife of Leonoj Ever Poma Huaroc said that her husband was undergoing intensive rehabilitation therapy to recover from trauma of his lower extremities and forearm. She said that the contractor, Minera Londres, was covering the costs of his stay in Lima and paying health and financial benefits.

The CNMM believes that the investigation forced Casapalca to acknowledge its responsibility for the accident. The case has been taken up by the Joint Provincial Prosecutor in Huarochirí, where the investigation is taking place, who will attempt to clarify the causes of the accident and determine the responsibilities of the companies involved.

The Casapalca mine is located in the Lima hills, more than 3,800 metres above sea level, and mines silver, zinc, lead and copper deposits.

The agreement on a pay rise took the following form:

1. 15% for 32% of employees;
2. 18.3% for 12% of employees;
3. 18% for 28% of employees;
4. 16.7% for 28% of employees.

The union, which organised a series of two-hour strikes, asked for a 15% pay increase (the entry wage is around 390 dollars and the average gross wage is 500 dollars). The company offered 12%.

Thanks to the network formed at the IMF meeting of the World Council of Workers of Tenaris Group in October 2007 the unions organising Tenaris workers in Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Italy held a solidarity action in support of the Tenaris Rumania workers’ fight. This action included writing to the management at their respective plants informing them of the situation of workers at Tenaris in Rumania.

The union, through its president, Rus Alexandru, thanks unions in the Tenaris network for their solidarity and support during the negotiations. He also offers his own union’s solidarity for all actions that seek to promote the welfare of workers.

Tenaris Silcotub Zalau has 1,080 employees, including 833 manual workers. The union has 670 members.

PERU: Social movements and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) organised a Peoples' Summit in Lima, Peru, 13-16 May, in parallel to the V Summit Meeting of European Union (EU) and ALC Heads of State and Government, the most important decision making organisation shared by governments of the two regions.

One of the Peoples' Summit objectives was to promote debate about the power of transnational companies. The CNMM and the SNTMMSRM brought the repression and persecution of Mexican miners by Grupo Mexico and the government of President Felipe Calderón to the attention of participants and public opinion.

Both organisations participated in the seminar on Mining and Human Rights, in which Jorge Campos, SNTMMSRM adviser and representative, spoke about the mining dispute, showed the documentary film, "An Injury to One" and distributed 100 copies of the White Paper of the same name, published by the IMF.

Participation in the Peoples' Summit was very important because it allowed the Mexican miners' union to spread the word about the dispute to other national, Latin American and European social movements and political leaders. Further publicity was gained through interviews with the Latin American, United States and Spanish media.

In addition, the President of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade, Helmuth Markov, promised he would apply pressure on the company by setting in motion any consultation and monitoring mechanisms on trade that might exist between Grupo Mexico and European Union companies and member states.

Solidarity was also promised by communities affected by the mining company in the Moquegua and Tacna areas of Peru, where Southern Peru, a Grupo Mexico subsidiary, has operations. The Colombian senator, Piedad Córdova, promised to study the possibility of supporting and speaking out about the dispute.

Members of the Parliamentary delegation of the Confederal Group of the European United Left at the People's Summit promised to support and monitor the request for condemnation of Grupo Mexico presented to the European Union by the SNTMMSRM and the IMF.

Prior to the Summit, the IMF wrote to members of the European delegation participating in the summit, alerting them to the issue and providing an update on the situation of the Mexican miners.

SOUTH AFRICA: The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) called on the union’s local and regional structures to convene special meetings yesterday (May 19) as xenophobic attacks on African immigrants in Johannesburg claimed 10 lives in an inferno of fire, leaving hundreds injured and thousands of foreigners destitute.

The violence against immigrants started in Alexandre last week and quickly spread to many other areas of the city of Johannesburg. Some immigrants were burned and others beaten to death. Numsa also fears that industrial workplaces are threatened as the attacks could turn into a humanitarian crisis and an angry destruction of the country’s resources.

In a country where forty per cent of all citizens are unemployed, it is thought that many South African’s blame foreigners for criminal behavior and for taking their jobs. South Africa had the highest crime rate in the world with more than fifty murders a day.

President Thabo Mbeki announced that a panel had been set up to look into the xenophobia attacks, a move welcomed by Numsa.

 "Government, labour, civil society organisations and business should immediately get their act together if these wanton attacks and utter devastation of property were to be nipped in the bud," said the union.

Numsa rejects the notion that these attacks were the work of isolated criminals arguing instead that socio-economic realities and morally decadent business interests must be considered to be part of deep root causes among others.

The International Metalworkers’ Federation also called on the xenophobic violence to end. "Such massive unemployment is a structural problem of a capitalist system that cares little about the poor, wherever they are from or live. The South African government’s failure to deliver services in poor communities where most immigrants live has placed poor African immigrants and poor South Africans in competition with each other. Blaming foreigners and launching violent attacks on those living in South Africa will benefit no one except the capitalist class," said IMF general secretary Marcello Malentacchi.

The major outbreak of violence has shaken the country and Numsa will launch a campaign to educate metalworkers against the dangers of criminalizing illegal aliens and portraying other African immigrants as undesirable people.

ZIMBABWE: Wellington Chibebe, General Secretary of Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), and Lovemore Matombo, ZCTU President, have been arrested and denied bail in connection with speeches made by them on May Day.

Raymond Majongwe, the General Secretary of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and a member of the General Council of the ZCTU, was apprehended by the police at the High Court of Zimbabwe on May 15 while attending the bail hearing of Matombo and Chibebe. At this time, no charges against Majongwe have been made public.

Chibebe and Matombo are charged with inciting people to rise up against the government and spreading falsehoods about the current political crisis after they told workers gathered at Dzivarasekwa Stadium on May 1 that people were being killed during the current wave of political violence in the country.

The two ZCTU leaders were arrested after they presented themselves to the police on Thursday, May 8 where they were initially interrogated for more than six hours before charges were laid against them. They had turned themselves over to the police after armed forces raided their residences searching for them.
Chibebe and Matombo are currently being held at Harare Remand Prison.
 
The recent arrests are the latest attack on unionists and civil society following Presidential elections held on March 29 where Robert Mugabe was defeated by the opposition’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Since that time the Zimbabwean government has launched a violent crackdown on trade unionists, activists and Zimbabwean civilians.

Last month, Southern African trade unions, including affiliates of the International Metalworkers’ Federation, carried out a successful solidarity effort to block a shipment of Chinese weapons and munitions headed for Zimbabwe.

Japhet Moyo, General Secretary of the National Engineering Workers’ Union (NEWU), an IMF affiliate said, “there is no doubt that Zimbabwe is now a police state, where freedom of citizens is not guaranteed. International Labour Standards and ratified conventions are completely ignored [by the government] in pursuit of political power,” Moyo said, adding, “poverty is stalking the nation while total repression is intensified to cow any dissent."

TURKEY: Six workers were reinstated at an auto parts plant in Turkey on May 9 after weeks of negotiations by Birleşik Metal-Is with the local management and solidarity support from abroad.

The six workers we dismissed on April 2 in the midst of a struggle to ensure Birlesik's legitimacy to continue as the union representing the workers at the site. Under Turkish law, unions must seek authorisation every two years to continue as the representative union at a work site. Affiliated to the IMF, Birleşik were facing attacks by local management at Bosal who were pressuring workers to resign from their union and join another union.

On April 5, the crucial day for authorization, Birleşik was able to prove they had more than 51 per cent of the workers unionised at the site, thereby regaining the right for collective bargaining with the company for another two years.

Despite gaining recognition at the site, management resisted reinstating the six dismissed workers. In reaction on May 6 the workers slowed production down to 20 per cent and continued to fight for the workers reinstatement.

On May 9, after numerous meetings and letters of support from other unions, the European Metalworkers' Federation and the International Metalworkers' Federation, the company agreed to reinstate all six workers.

"This very hard, painful and antagonistic process had a strong impact on Bosal workers. They had a chance to understand the importance of solidarity and unity first among themselves and second internationally," said the union. The union also sent thanks to those that sent solidarity support to the workers.

MEXICO: The National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union Of Mexico (SNTMMSRM) re-elected Napoleón Gómez Urrutia as the union's General Secretary for another six year term at its 35th Ordinary General Assembly.

Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, who will be in office until 2014, participated in the closing session by video conference. He said that "the miners will advance, we shall be triumphant, we shall win this war because we have shown that we value loyalty and unity and because we are in the right." He said that the leaders of the union will promote a law that criminalizes negligence and irresponsibility in the field of safety in the mining and metalworking sectors. "Not one more death because of negligence", said Gómez Urrutia. "How can Grupo Mexico make millions of dollars but are not capable of investing one or two million dollars in ensuring safety and industrial hygiene in its mines?" he asked.

He also asked: "What does this government owe to a company that does not respect the law? And furthermore, why are they afraid that I will return to Mexico? Perhaps they have something on their conscience." He ended by saying "let us continue our struggle, fighting and resisting."

The union expressed its appreciation of "the very valuable support of international organisations such as the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF), the United Steelworkers Union of the United States and Canada, the United States AFL-CIO and the Labour MPs of the British Parliament."

Among other decisions, the assembly decided to resign from the Congreso del Trabajo union central, because the central has shown little interest and given little support during the mining disputes. The union explained that the "organisation does not observe its declared social objective of defending the working class, does not promote unity and solidarity and does not defend either trade union autonomy or the most basic rights and principles of the working class."

FINLAND: In April 2008 the Finnish Metalworkers’ Union , the Union of Salaried Employees and the Union of Professional Engineers in Finland called on Nokia to step forward and become the first Finnish company to sign an International Framework Agreement. The announcement was made at a press conference following the presenation of a new research report documenting precarious working conditions at a Nokia plant in Reynosa, Mexico.

The report was prepared by the Mexican organisation Cilas (Centro de Investigación Laboral y Asesoria Sindical) at the request of the Finnish trade unions and the Solidarity Centre of Finnish Trade Unions SASK. The report is available in Spanish and  Finnish languages and examines how Nokia’s currently applied Ethical Code of Conduct principles are implemented at the company’s cell phone plant in Reynosa.

The Finnish unions have serious concerns over  the fact that since the ethical codes are developed without unions’ participation and no personnel is involved in the enforcement of the codes, they are neither binding employers nor monitoring the situation with their implementation.

The report exposes some troubling practices used at the plant in Reynosa, particularly unions are concerned that 35 per cent of the labour force working for the company is employed through the labour agencies Manpower and Adecco. The workers employed through the agencies get lower wages and have poorer benefits than their colleagues doing the same jobs, but directly contracted by the plant. More than half of the workforce does not know about the collective labour agreement concluded at their entrteprise. No employees were involved in its negotiation and it appeared as a result of an agreement between the management of the company and the undemocratically appointed workers’ representative.

In 2002, the Finnish unions, who are affiliates of the International Metalworkers’ Federation, made their first attempt and proposed to Nokia to start negotiations for an International Framework Agreement, however so far Nokia has not shown interest. This time, nevertheless, the Finnish unions believe the company will be more interested in starting IFA negotiations because it would positively reflect on Nokia’s image.