CANADA: On January 31, 2011 members of the IMF affiliate the United Steelworkers at the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine in Labrador, Canada have ratified a new five year collective agreement, ending a hard 18-month strike against Brazilian mining multinational Vale.

Members of United Steelworkers Local 9508 voted 88 per cent in favour of the tentative deal reached by their negotiating team and Vale representatives. The results of the vote were released on February 1, after voting in a number of communities held over the last several days.

The received approval ends a bitter strike started after Vale purchased all mining assets of Canadian-based Inco in 2006 and tried to roll back living conditions and terms of employment for 3,500 steelworkers in Voisey’s Bay/Goose Bay, Labrador, and in Ontario.

The Eastern Canadian agreement came following intense pressure placed on Vale from a special provincial Industrial Inquiry Commission. That independent inquiry issued recommended solutions to end the strike early in January. View an ICEM report on the inquiry here.

The company has been operating nickel, copper, and cobalt mining and processing operations with scab replacement workers. On January 22, a leak from a retention pond in Voisey’s Bay went undetected for eight hours, causing a processing plant there to stop production for nearly five days. On the last day of that shut-down, Vale managers called Local 9508’s bargaining committee into talks and the two sides and with the aid of mediator Bill Wells struck a compromise deal.

The new contract begins on February 1, 2011 and expires in January 2016. A back-to-work protocol was also adopted in which all striking workers will be recalled to their jobs within a maximum of seven weeks. Workers returning will receive an immediate C$2,000 retention bonus and another such C$2,000 bonus after completing seven days of work orientation and training.

USW Local 9508 achieved adequate wage increases, retained cost-of-living increases, and won excellent language regarding contracting-out practices. A compromise was made on a production bonus, the so-called nickel bonus. Although still achievable, several Vale-demanded components were added such as cash flow return on site investment and overall operational efficiency that are generally out of workers’ hands.

The union’s contracting-out language was expanded positively to prevent Vale from using outside contractors for the purpose of reducing full-time staff. Other details of the agreement are on the USW website.

The International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), Geneva-based Global Union Federations, have supported Canadian steelworkers in the long-running Vale disputes in Newfoundland/Labrador and Ontario, congratulate the members of Local 9508 for their resilience, as well as USW District Six in Canada for exemplary worker representation in facing off with an extremely adversarial mining house.

GLOBAL: The Mumbai Port Trust Dock and General Employees Union (MPTDGEU) released their new film "Into the Graveyard" in January. The 20 minute documentary on shipbreaking by V. Rane and Sinatra S. Dinz has been submitted to the EMF Unions in Motion film festival in connection to the EMF Congress in June 2011.

The Alang Shipbreaking yard in India is the largest in the world, producing 30 per cent of India’s steel. MPTDGEU, the union that has made a huge effort to achieve workers’ rights and social justice in the shipbreaking yards of Mumbai and Alang in India have produced a gripping documentary on the daily struggle of the workers.

Scrapping ships is one of the most work-intensive and dangerous jobs there is and probably the worst for metalworkers around the world. In Alang, 194 workers lost their lives in the shipbreaking yards in the last two years alone.

"Into the Graveyard" has been submitted to "Unions in Motion" and can be viewed on YouTube at:
Part One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGDZiWwF_V0
Part Two http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb_WSTmhQ14

The "Unions in Motion" film festival is coming up on June 10 to 11, at Landschaftspark Nord in Duisburg, Germany, the event is in connection with European Metalworkers’ Federation’s Congress. The festival will screen a variety of short films and feature films related to trade unions and will also offer workshops on how trade unions can produce films..

The overall theme of the film event is the ‘future of manufacturing in Europe’ showing trade union films from the metal, textile and chemical industries from around the world. The theme will also incorporate ‘Trade unions using audiovisual tools to illustrate the challenges of a changing society and industry as well as the need to safeguard jobs and a future for all workers.’ All films will be translated into English and German.

To register: [email protected]
Detailed programming is in preparation and contributions to the film festival can be sent to Caroline Jacobsson (http://www.emf-fem.org/Contact/Staff/Jacobsson-Caroline) or to Eddy Stam (http://www.emf-fem.org/Contact/Staff/Stam-Eddy)

ITALY: The Italian union affiliated to the IMF, FIOM-CGIL, held an eight hour national strike of metalworkers on January 28, 2011 in defence of the National Collective Agreement and for the protection of workers’ rights.

In Milan, tens of thousands of workers took part in the strike, along with workers in 18 other locations around Italy, including Turin where a controversial agreement was reached days earlier at a Fiat plant.

The national strike was in response to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne’s attempts to undermine the rights and working conditions of workers through collective agreements that fall outside of the National Collective Agreement that have been reached at two Fiat plants under the threat of plant closures and job losses if not accepted.

On January 14, 2011, 5,500 workers at the Fiat plant at Mirafiori in Turin voted 54 per cent for and 46 per cent against a new separate agreement that expands the use of paid overtime, adds new shifts, reduces breaks and limits strikes during full production periods.

At the end of December 2010, another agreement, the first in Italy to be drafted outside of national bargaining rules, was reached with 4,600 workers at Fiat’s Pomigliano plant near Naples when workers voted 63 per cent for and 37 per cent against the increase in flexibility in return for unspecified promises of investment and job security.

These new agreements were signed by all trade unions represented at the two sites, including IMF affiliated FIM-CISL, except FIOM-CGIL.

FIM-CISL stated it respected the vote of the majority of workers by signing the agreements at Fiat, adding, "In the Pomigliano and Mirafiori plants "agreements of concession" have been reached in exchange for the guarantee of investments in production and employment. Fim and Uilm, in front of workers, their families and their local communities, menaced by the loss of thousands of jobs (between Fiat and suppliers), let the sense of responsibility prevail."

FIOM-CGIL, who refused to sign the agreement claiming it was tantamount to "blackmail", will now be deprived of representation at the factory, denying workers their choice of union.

According to press reports, the Italian Labour Minister Maurizio Sacconi welcomed the results and said after the vote in Mirafiori, "I hope there will be many more such accords."

The likelihood of these agreements spreading to other workplaces and further undermining the National Collective Agreement is why FIOM-CGIL called for the national strike. "This general strike is a fundamental step to reclaim the National Contract and protection of workers’ rights in all workplaces," writes FIOM-CGIL in their call for support.

MALAYSIA: January 27, 2011 was a victorious day in the long struggle of the Malaysian electronics workers to join a union of their choice. An historic milestone was reached when ST Microelectronics workers, a majority of them women workers, voted in favour to join the newly formed Electronics Industry Workers’ Union (Southern Region).

The journey to this struggle started on the August 2, 2010, when the union served claim for recognition at this electronics transnational corporation (TNC) which is located in the coastal town of Muar, where many other electronics TNCs have established manufacturing operation for a long time.

The management, instead of recognizing the union, sought to challenge its membership status. In the pending period the management resorted to all forms of anti-union tactics, including attempts to register a company controlled in-house union.

With concerted assistance from the International Metalworkers’ Federation, the union foiled the company’s attempts, thus paving the way for the workers to vote for union representation. Out of a workforce of about 2700 workers, slightly more than 1700 turned up to vote, with the union succeeding in securing 57 per cent of votes in favour of the union.

IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina wrote  to the CEO of this company and received an assurance that the company would respect local labour laws and practices and ensure workers’ rights are respected.

On the morning of the balloting, the police and local authorities attempted to disrupt the union from gathering outside the factory where balloting was conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources. IMF Regional Representative Arunasalam intervened and met the company’s Human Resources Director, and following that the pressure from the police and local authorities reduced.

The results of the balloting were announced at 12:30am on January 28 and the union leaders who had waited since early morning hugged each other and jumped in joy. Mohd Salleh, the main coordinator of the union, expressed thanks and appreciation to the IMF for assisting in securing trade union rights in this company. He said that without IMF’s assistance the union could have faced severe setbacks in its quest to represent the workers. He stressed, that since majority of the workers have voted in favour of the union, the company should recognise the union without any further delay.

MEXICO: Four members of the Mexican Miners’ Union on strike at Gammon Gold’s mine in El Cubo, Guanajuato were violently and illegally detained at 5.30am on January 26, 2011.

Juan Andrés Villa Licea, president of the union’s local strike committee, his nephew Juan Diego Villa Licea, and Martín Reina Cruces and Jorge Ramón Monsiváis Ortega were removed from their houses with no clothes or shoes at dawn by the police and are detained at a local jail.

The arrests are in response to false allegations of "plundering" made by the Canadian transnational company of the workers who are on an effective strike protected by law.

"We considered this one more an aggression against the right to the strike, that is a constitutional right in Mexico," stated the Mexican Miners’ Union in a statement about the violent arrests and detention released on the same day.

Two days earlier, Manny Armenta, a United Steelworkers (USW) sub-district director in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was arrested while on his way to meet with attorneys for the Mexican Miners’ Union. The USW has been supporting the mineworkers who have waged a nearly four-year strike against Grupo Mexico at Cananea in Mexico’s northern state of Sonora.

On January 24 a customs officer stopped Armenta’s car, which is leased by the union, accusing him of driving a stolen vehicle. Armenta presented documentation to no avail. After searching the vehicle with dogs, the officer attempted to extort a "fine" of 185,000 pesos (about US$15,000). When Armenta refused to pay he was arrested, detained overnight, and released early January 25 after posting a bond of 80,000 pesos (about US$7,750).

In stark contrast, although Mexican courts have issued 20 warrants for Germán Larrea the owner of Grupo Mexico, who again failed to show up in court a week ago, the government has never been able to arrest him.

The International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM), International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and UNI Global Union have called on their affiliates to take action in support of the Mexican Miners’ Union and the other independent unions in Mexico this February.

Calling for trade union rights in Mexico, the global days of action are taking place from February 14 to 19, which coincide with the fifth anniversary of the deaths of 65 miners at the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster on February 19, 2006.

In support of these global action days, IMF, ICEM, ITF and UNI have released posters, leaflets and background materials in English, Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese, which are all available on the IMF website at: www.imfmetal.org/mexico2011This February 14 to 19, trade union organizations around the world are calling on the Mexican government to:

1. Hold employer and government officials accountable for the Pasta de Conchos mine explosion that killed 65 miners on February 19, 2006,
2. Abolish systemic violations of workers’ freedom of association, including employer-dominated "protection contracts" and interference in union elections,
3. End the use of force-by the state or private parties-to repress workers’ legitimate demands for democratic unions, better wages and working conditions, and good health and safety conditions, and
4. End the campaign of political persecution against the Mexican Miner’s Union and the Mexican Electrical Workers’ Union.

SOUTH AFRICA: As provided by the International Framework Agreement (IFA) signed by Belgian based Non-Ferrous metal group Unicore with the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) in 2007, IMF and ICEM held  an annual Umicore plant visit in South Africa this year.

Considering recent issues between local management and trade unions in the Port Elisabeth plants, the visit by the IMF and ICEM representatives resulted in a positive and constructive evaluation and has assisted workers in resolving some outstanding issues.

After visits to China in 2009 and Brazil in 2010, Umicore South Africa hosted the visit this year. Participants included Luc Triangle representing the IMF from ACV-CSC METEA Belgium, Kemal Özkan from ICEM, Peter Kamm, Chairman of the European Works Council of Umicore, and local trade unions, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union (CEPPWAWU), and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA). From Umicore Ignace De Ruijter, Senior Vice President HR, Guy Ethier, Senior Vice President EHS and Mark Dolfyn, Director HR Development participated in the visit.

The mission resulted in a number of concrete results. The mission concluded that local communication on a number of issues, including recruitment procedure, structure of employment, integration of both plants, and training and education, should be further advanced and would benefit from greater engagement by both parties. By doing this, the results are in line with the objectives of the IFA to create mutually beneficial relations an dialogie between all the partners.

The IMF and ICEM representatives were impressed by the excellent work of the local trade unions CEPPWAWU and NUMSA and also recognized that local and corporate management played a crucial part in creating a basis for better social dialogue within the company for the future. This visit will be evaluated in April 2011 at the next IFA Monitoring Committee with management. The GUF’s are ready to renew the IFA in September 2011.

The local and international trade union delegation also visited a social project financed by the local company called ‘UMICARE’. The programme, while small, enables the children involved with the extremely valuable opportunity to go to school and improve their chances for a better life.

CANADA: On January 29 thousands of Canadian trade unionists will rally in Hamilton, Ontario to support 900 members of the IMF affiliate United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1005 locked out by U.S. Steel and to protect conditions for 9,000 retirees.

On November 7, 2010 U.S. Steel locked out the 900 workers at its steel mills in Hamilton after the union refused to submit for vote a renewal contract with drastic cuts forced through by the company.

The previous labour agreement expired last summer and since then the transnational tried to impose different concessions on the union including closing the plan of defined benefits for new comers, ending pension indexing for 9,000 retirees, and different cuts slashing 80 per cent of the value of cost-of-living adjustments for active workers and the elimination of two weeks vacation time.

The manifestation, organized by the Ontario Federation of Labour (CLC), will start at 13h00 on Saturday, 29 January, at Hamilton City Hall, 71 Main Street West, where trade unionists and supporters will march through the streets of the city.

The ten-week lockout is the latest affront by a multinational to the Investment Canada Act. When U.S. Steel received Canadian government approval to buy Ontario-based steelmaker Stelco three years ago, it pledged to maintain job and production levels. But within a year, it had levied layoffs on USW members at both of Stelco’s mills, in Hamilton and Nanticoke, Ontario, and began supplying Canadian customers with products made in its U.S. mills.

At a union meeting on 8 December, when a motion was put forward to put the company’s proposals to a vote, a full 90 per cent of Local 1005’s members defeated it.

The union already has received overwhelming support from Canadian unions, including the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Union.

The International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) delivered a joint message of solidarity to the USW local 1005 accusing the transnational of "trampling not only the rule of law in Canada, but more importantly the lives and livelihoods of ordinary workers and retirees".

SWITZERLAND: IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina is part of the delegation of trade union leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland from January 26 to 30, 2011, and joins all unions in demanding that jobs not deficits be the priority.

The delegation is arguing that policymakers must stay focused on stimulating enough economic demand to achieve full employment. The ultimate solution to government budget deficits is more employment, higher wages and hence increased tax revenue.

"We need to stop the axis of austerity comprised of conservative politicians, business commentators, and the bond markets," said International Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Sharan Burrow, who leads the trade union delegation in Davos.

• The unions are also advocating:
  upholding labour rights and expanding collective bargaining;
  raising minimum wages and enhancing social protection;
  reregulating international finance and creating a financial transactions tax;
  investing in physical and social infrastructure;
  creating green jobs by combating climate change;
  returning the G-20 to an agenda of jobs and growth; and
  reviving the Millennium Development Goals.

IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina participated in a panel discussion on the state of global manufacturing on January 26, together with Ministers of Industry of Canada and South Africa, and the Chief Executive Officers of Magna International and Essar Group.

"Industrial trade unions want to make the case for the manufacturing industry as the locomotive of national economies. Ensuring conditions for the industry to thrive and create new jobs both in both industrialized and developing countries is in the interest of governments, companies and trade unions," said Raina.

"But the jobs have to be good quality jobs, with decent wages, social protection and the right to join a union. High unemployment, low wages and precarious work have led to unrest in a number of countries, and this is bound to spread. Governments and business have to urgently address the justified concerns of angry citizens," commented Raina.

EGYPT: On January 25, tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators protest in Cairo, as in many other Egyptian cities including Alexandria, Aswan, Mahallah, Ismailiya. The International Metalworkers’ Federation condemns police repression against peaceful demonstrators.

Unauthorized by the Egyptian authorities, these protests, joined by many independent trade unionists, face massive police presence and in some cases are heavily repressed. As in Tunisia, protesters demand social and political reforms, blaming corruption, poverty, high prices and police brutality.

The IMF condemns the use of tear gas and violence against demonstrators and calls for the immediate release of the people arrested. The IMF also condemns the censorship of some means of communication in Egypt.

"The Egyptian people who were peacefully expressing their legitimate rights to social justice and freedom of expression have to be listened to and their concerns taken into account," said IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

INDONESIA: IMF affiliates, FSPMI and Lomenik, participated in three workshops under an International Labour Organization (ILO) Bureau of Workers (ACTRAV) project in January 2011 to gain knowledge and skills on organizing strategies for Export Processing Zones (EPZ) in Indonesia. The workshops were held in Medan in North Sumatra, Puncak in Java, and Batam in the Riau Islands, which is a short distance from Singapore. The workshops in Medan and Batam trained potential organizers to undertake voluntary organizing. The leadership of both the affiliates participated in a strategic planning meeting in Puncak.

Confidence building and motivation acted as a catalyst for the participants to engage in actively organizing the largely electronics supply chain companies located in EPZs which are spread around the country. The participants also learnt basic industrial mapping in the locations where they work, so as to carry out active organizing through the formation of voluntary organizing committees in the locations where EPZ workers are employed. The participants also learnt about ILO conventions and the local labour laws to understand their rights to organize.

It is a widely known fact that EPZs around the world employ large workforces of mostly women where trade union and workers’ right are often denied or violated by the companies, which are mostly transnational corporations (TNCs). EPZs in Indonesia are no exception to such violations of rights and exploitation of workers. The top leadership of the two affiliates came out with a joint plan to organize these workers.

FSPMI President Said Iqbal and Lomenik President Eduard Marpaung stressed the urgent need for active organizing and empowerment of EPZ workers. IMF regional representative Arunasalam called upon the unions to make organizing a top priority given the present nature of employment, exploitation of the workforce and employers resistance in EPZs.