Read this article in:
11 September, 2007
At an ICEM Latin American meeting, several South American unions involved in labour-energy strategies, met in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 29-30 August.
The ICEM invited two other Global Union Federations (GUFs), Public Services International (PSI), and Union Network International (UNI), as well to participate. Unions from the oil, gas, and electricity sectors attended, as did Uruguay’s paperworkers’ union. The major theme across the two days of discussions was discerning differences between a solely Latin-focused social plan and union network, and a more far-reaching, global network of energy and manufacturing unions.
From left to right: Fernando Berasain, coordinadora Mercosur unions, Achim Wachendorfer, FES Mercosur Office, and Manfred Warda, ICEM General Secretary
The ICEM stressed the number of multinationals operating in the region, including ones from Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Russia. “With the high number of progressive changes coming politically in many Latin countries,” said ICEM Gen. Sec. Manfred Warda, “we can expect multinationals to be more open about entering dialogue toward global agreements.” The ICEM already is partner with companies in countries above in global framework agreements.
Warda invited all Latin American trade unions to join the ICEM, or one or another of the GUFs, in order to support the current trend of cooperation among global trade unions and federations. “The ICEM calls on all unions in the region to build a strong movement, not just in Latin America but in energy sectors across the world,” said Warda. “The ICEM asks Latin trade unions not to formally establish a separate organisation, but give support to the existing organisations and strong influence on the global issues that matter, especially energy.”
Trade unions from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela attended the meeting, including representatives from national centres from several countries.
For the ICEM, the conference served to advance a recently started project in Brazil on social dialogue with several multinationals, a project similar to the ICEM project launched in Colombia in 2004. The ICEM also opened the debate on Contract and Agency Labour (CAL). Contributions on this topic came from nearly all participants, and many had positive examples that shed new light on the issue. The union delegates discussed the ICEM’s CAL Project, and agreed that a priority must be on organising contract workers. They also pledged to write letters to respective energy ministers on the dangers of sub-contracting.
And also from the ICEM, Vice President Sergio Novais, Latin America/Caribbean Region chairman of the ICEM, presented a training and leadership programme, which would start with 30 trade union leaders doing a residential course. In between, the 30 would be engaged in an intense, 200-hour training in distance and e-learning, with the union leaders expected to each train 20 other union members.
The formal meeting adopted two resolutions, one on the continuing threats and deaths of Colombian trade unionists. The other one extended support to workers in Peru, who experienced death and destruction from the recent earthquake in the country. The Colombian resolution can be found here. The Peruvian one is here.
The meeting was aided by help from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).