29 May, 2006
ICEM’s Latin America/Caribbean Regional Coordinating Committee meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, on 18 and 19 May, discussed and took action on two pressing matters involving ICEM sectors in South America.
The Committee resolved, considering the steps taken by the Bolivian people to institute a process of nationalisation of certain natural resources, to call on the governments and companies involved to be coherent in a wise and prudent response so that the rights of workers in these enterprises are not adversely affected.
Regarding the dispute between Argentina and Uruguay and the construction of two paper mills on the Uruguay side of the Uruguay River, the ICEM’s Committee vowed to put pressure on both governments to immediately resolve the matter. The resolution stated that it was important that the opinions of trade unionists be considered in the combined US$1.7 billion projects by Metsä-Botnia AB of Finland and Grupo Empresarial Ence of Spain.
The resolution also said “it was advisable not to ignore contributions made by those at the international level” in this debate. “In our double role as workers and trade unionists, we have to make sure, as we have done in the past, that control mechanisms exist which guarantee ecological and environmental sustainability for our people,” ICEM’s Latin America/Caribbean Committee declared.
To read the resolution (in Spanish), click here.