Read this article in:
14 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 29/2003
T he following was issued by the ICEM Global Network of Rio Tinto Workers at its conference in Salt Lake City, Utah:
Sixty delegates to the ICEM's Global Union Network of Rio Tinto Workers reiterated its call to the giant mining and energy company to enact an enforceable Global Framework Agreement with the ICEM and its affiliates. Meeting 23-24 September in the US city of Salt Lake City, Utah, delegates from 16 trade unions also condemned the company's actions at nearby Kennecott Copper that saw Rio Tinto sack 120 United Steelworkers of America (USWA) members and other trade unionists following an eight-month contract dispute.
The conference was the fourth for the Rio Tinto Network, and it produced a statement of Solidarity as well as a letter of protest to Rio Tinto Chief Executive Leigh Clifford over the retaliatory layoffs of USWA members and local union officers two days after a USWA local and other unions ratified a contract this past June.
The Solidarity statement pledged the Network to unite in efforts to achieve a workable Global Agreement with the company to ensure human and labour rights are upheld wherever Rio Tinto has operations. The statement also called attention to the firm's illegal and immoral actions in Zimbabwe where workers were sacked for exercising their basic labour rights.
The conference also saw a torch passing as ICEM President John Maitland, CFMEU of Australia, stepped down as chairman of the Network and Terry Bonds, USWA District 12 director, representing USWA members in southwestern US states, was elected. Bonds called the two-day meeting successful and said the Solidarity statement "will send a strong message to Rio Tinto's executives that the Labor Organizations of the Network will be relentless in our pursuit of justice and dignity for workers wherever Rio Tinto operates.
"Until basic human rights, labor rights and environmental and community issues are addressed in an honorable and meaningful fashion, we will continue to confront Rio Tinto and show up wherever they go," added Bonds.
Delegates attending this biennial meeting of the Network represent or are Rio Tinto workers from eight countries, including: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Sweden, US and Zimbabwe.
Sixty delegates to the ICEM's Global Union Network of Rio Tinto Workers reiterated its call to the giant mining and energy company to enact an enforceable Global Framework Agreement with the ICEM and its affiliates. Meeting 23-24 September in the US city of Salt Lake City, Utah, delegates from 16 trade unions also condemned the company's actions at nearby Kennecott Copper that saw Rio Tinto sack 120 United Steelworkers of America (USWA) members and other trade unionists following an eight-month contract dispute.
The conference was the fourth for the Rio Tinto Network, and it produced a statement of Solidarity as well as a letter of protest to Rio Tinto Chief Executive Leigh Clifford over the retaliatory layoffs of USWA members and local union officers two days after a USWA local and other unions ratified a contract this past June.
The Solidarity statement pledged the Network to unite in efforts to achieve a workable Global Agreement with the company to ensure human and labour rights are upheld wherever Rio Tinto has operations. The statement also called attention to the firm's illegal and immoral actions in Zimbabwe where workers were sacked for exercising their basic labour rights.
The conference also saw a torch passing as ICEM President John Maitland, CFMEU of Australia, stepped down as chairman of the Network and Terry Bonds, USWA District 12 director, representing USWA members in southwestern US states, was elected. Bonds called the two-day meeting successful and said the Solidarity statement "will send a strong message to Rio Tinto's executives that the Labor Organizations of the Network will be relentless in our pursuit of justice and dignity for workers wherever Rio Tinto operates.
"Until basic human rights, labor rights and environmental and community issues are addressed in an honorable and meaningful fashion, we will continue to confront Rio Tinto and show up wherever they go," added Bonds.
Delegates attending this biennial meeting of the Network represent or are Rio Tinto workers from eight countries, including: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, South Africa, Sweden, US and Zimbabwe.