ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industries

The ICEM was holding on 28-29 October its World Conference for the Rubber Industries in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Over a hundred unionists from more than 20 countries met to formulate the workers' responses to the challenges of an industry where a handful of large global actors try to impose their rule.

The meeting was chaired by Leo Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers of America. He was assisted by ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs and the newly appointed ICEM Chemical and Process Industry Officer Marc Welters. The conference unanimously re-elected Leo Gerard as Chairman of the ICEM Rubber Industries Section for the next four year period.

The ICEM presence in the country coincided with the historic election of a trade unionist, Lula, as President of Brazil. After two days of intense work characterized by a very friendly and militant atmosphere enhanced by the Brazilian host unions, the Conference adopted the following Conclusions and Action Plan:


ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industries
Sao Paulo, Brazil
October 28-29, 2002

Conclusions and Action Plan


The unions gathered together in the ICEM Second World Conference for the Rubber Industries, meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil on October 28-29, 2002

Acknowledge the growing concentration of power and wealth in the global rubber and tire industry and the dominating role by a small number of multinational corporations in the sector;

Express our deep concern about and opposition to the escalating race to the bottom driven by globalization that is having dire consequences on workers in our industry worldwide;

Reiterate the age-old trade union adage that an injury to one is an injury to all, that in this era of globalization that this principle must be applied effectively across borders, and express our commitment to support workers attempting to exercise their rights to organize trade unions and engage in collective bargaining who need our solidarity no matter in what country they reside;

Express our concern about the growing number of plant closures in the industry and the resulting loss of employment and urge that future global agreements in the industry include provisions for advance discussion and negotiations with union representatives on plant closures and ways to mitigate the impact of such closures on workers and their communities;

Recognize that occupational health, safety and environmental (OHSE) issues are a vital concern to rubber workers and their communities worldwide, believe that OHSE issues can be adequately addressed only by a strong global union movement where workers are empowered at the worksite, and urge the creation of cross-border networks of OHSE union activists in the rubber and tire sector to share information and take collective action to decrease health and safety problems;

Applauds those unions and their members that have forged cross-border union networks in the industry and that have taken solidarity action on behalf of workers in other countries;

Strongly encourages the strengthening of existing ICEM global union networks and the development of new global union networks in all of the major rubber and tire companies, with the understanding that those unions with significant membership in those companies must commit to undertake the leadership and administration of those networks to make them a functioning reality;

Endorses the conclusions of the ICEM Goodyear Global Union Network steering committee to pursue an ICEM global agreement with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. that addresses OHSE issues and workers' rights to organize trade unions and engage in collective bargaining, among other issues, and urges all Goodyear unions to educate and mobilize their membership in support of this goal;

Applauds the signing of the ICEM global agreement with Freudenberg and the ICEM's ongoing efforts to ensure that the company adheres to its commitments at all its operation worldwide, and encourages the formation of a global union network at Freudenberg which will develop a strategic approach to ensure the agreement can be monitored and enforced at the company's operations;

Welcomes the offer by French trade unions to initiate a global union network at Michelin; we approve the Italian unions of Pirelli to launch and coordinate a global union network

Recognize the vital role of women in our unions and in our industry, resolve to address the concerns of our women members in our collective bargaining and other day-to-day union work, vigorously promote women in union leadership positions, and fully involve women in our global union networks;

Calls on all ICEM affiliates in the rubber sector to conduct comprehensive education programs with their rank-and-file membership about the conclusions of this conference and the ongoing work of the ICEM in this sector, and encourages them to participate in coordinated actions to support these goals.