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11 August, 2005ICEM News release No. 8/1998
Trade unions with membership in the Rio Tinto corporation today launched a worldwide network to defend workers' pay and rights within the minerals giant.
The decision came at the end of a three-day conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Organised by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the Johannesburg conference brought together 45 delegates from unions in 14 countries where Rio Tinto is particularly active.
Rio Tinto is the biggest global minerals company. It employs some 51,000 people directly worldwide, and many more through subcontractors. Its anti-union stance in many parts of the world has made it a priority target for ICEM action.
This morning, the Johannesburg conference decided [full text of resolution]:
1. to establish a network of trade unions with membership within Rio Tinto mines and plants. This structure will have the capacity to exchange information rapidly and efficiently on matters such as conditions of work and pay, social and environmental issues. Resources will be allocated to ensure that this structure is sustainable in the long term.
2. to build up a thorough understanding of the company's operations and policies. A database of information will be established which will be shared with the members of the network and with the public at large.
3. to adopt a concerted strategy to ensure that Rio Tinto respects basic human and trade union rights. This concerted strategy is backed by an action programme which will unfold in the coming months. The action programme will be implemented together with other international trade union bodies, community groups, environmentalists, churches and other progressive organisations which recognise the damaging impact of Rio Tinto's operations. One essential part of the action programme is that union action at local level will be backed by the entire network globally.
[end of resolution]
The Johannesburg conference included a meeting with South African President Nelson Mandela yesterday. Heading the ICEM delegation at those talks was former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Rio Tinto is engaged in a particularly aggressive union-busting campaign in Australia, with the support of the current anti-union federal government there.
For more on the Mandela-Hawke talks, see ICEM News release 7/1998.
The decision came at the end of a three-day conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. Organised by the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM), the Johannesburg conference brought together 45 delegates from unions in 14 countries where Rio Tinto is particularly active.
Rio Tinto is the biggest global minerals company. It employs some 51,000 people directly worldwide, and many more through subcontractors. Its anti-union stance in many parts of the world has made it a priority target for ICEM action.
This morning, the Johannesburg conference decided [full text of resolution]:
1. to establish a network of trade unions with membership within Rio Tinto mines and plants. This structure will have the capacity to exchange information rapidly and efficiently on matters such as conditions of work and pay, social and environmental issues. Resources will be allocated to ensure that this structure is sustainable in the long term.
2. to build up a thorough understanding of the company's operations and policies. A database of information will be established which will be shared with the members of the network and with the public at large.
3. to adopt a concerted strategy to ensure that Rio Tinto respects basic human and trade union rights. This concerted strategy is backed by an action programme which will unfold in the coming months. The action programme will be implemented together with other international trade union bodies, community groups, environmentalists, churches and other progressive organisations which recognise the damaging impact of Rio Tinto's operations. One essential part of the action programme is that union action at local level will be backed by the entire network globally.
[end of resolution]
The Johannesburg conference included a meeting with South African President Nelson Mandela yesterday. Heading the ICEM delegation at those talks was former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Rio Tinto is engaged in a particularly aggressive union-busting campaign in Australia, with the support of the current anti-union federal government there.
For more on the Mandela-Hawke talks, see ICEM News release 7/1998.