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<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief.gif" width="100"/>
Glaverbel glass workers in Belgium waged a strike last week over the company’s indiscriminate restructuring plans. Workers in the mirror and double-glass department, an area targeted for 42 job cuts, initiated the strike on 16 March at the Zeebrugge flat glass plant and a day later, all 300 workers walked out, shutting the plant. 
Led by Belgian trade union ABVV-FGTB, industrial action happened, in part, because of the manner in which sackings were carried out by Glaverbel, a subsidiary of Japanese Asahi Glass. An ABVV-FGTB representative said managers were targeting some workers who have workplace injuries or other medical problems for some of the 42 job cuts. 
 
The union has been concerned that the restructuring has taken too many jobs from the Seapane SV plant, and Glaverbel eventually will have to resort to contract labour to fill production needs. Management and the workers, represented by ABVV-FGTB, met today in attempts to resolve differences.

Strike by Glaverbel Glass Workers in Belgium

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Workers represented by ICEM Jordanian affiliate, General Trade Union of Petrol and Chemical Workers’ Union, began a legal strike at the state-owned Jordan Petroleum Refinery Co. on 8 March. Some 3,500 workers struck in order to get the company to implement a signed agreement that was agreed to by workers and management. 
 
The agreement calls for wage increases, housing loans and post-retirement health insurance, but the government has failed to put those and other work terms into effect. The union had put forward the demands in 2003 and they were subsequently agreed upon. The strike is at Jordan’s only oil refinery, the 100,000 barrel-per-day Zarqa refinery. Jordan must import all crude oil supplies, and production at the refinery is crucial for domestic purposes.

Jordanian Oil Workers Strike

You have a job and you are pregnant, or would like to become pregnant in the near future. What does this all involve with regard to your job? And what situations will you be faced with once you have become a mother? This brochure offers you a summary of what you may expect from month to month and also explains your rights and obligations. 
 
If you have any questions after having read this folder, you may want to consult the more detailed Dutch brochure “<a href="http://www.arbobondgenoten.nl/arbothem/zwangerschap/zwangerschapsbrochure.pdf ">Alles over zwangerschap en werk</a>” (Everything about work and pregnancy). 
<img height="25" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/womenlogo.jpg" width="20"/> 
Before you get pregnant 
 
You should always be careful if you work with hazardous substances. Many people do not realise this. Some substances, such as carcinogenic and so-called reprotoxic substances, cause extra fertility risks in men as well as women, or they may harm the unborn child. 
 
There are many professions that may involve handling hazardous substances. For example, if you work in the cleaning sector or in a laboratory, but also if you are a painter, nurse, pharmacist's assistant or if you work with certain pesticides. Every employer should draw up a list of risks that employees may be exposed to in their job, also if it involves these hazardous substances. Ask your employer for this list and read about the risks. 
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The first month 
 
You are only just pregnant. Most women often do not even know for certain whether or not they are pregnant, let alone that they take it into account when doing their job. Even at this early stage in pregnancy, it is important to be cautious when you work with hazardous substances. If you need to handle them, then it is advisable to notify your employer without delay that you are pregnant. 
In consultation with your employer you can determine whether you can be given other tasks, or discuss other ways to protect your unborn child. If you work with animals or laboratory animals you should be extra aware. And be alert to any risk of exposure to radiation. 
 
Studies into the effects of computer exposure have not yet shown that this poses a risk for pregnant women and/or their unborn child. 
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The second month 
 
If you are pregnant and involved in a job selection procedure, you are not obliged to report pregnancy. Neither is the employer allowed to ask. 
 
Be careful with vibrations and shocks. They may give you back problems and are also bad for the child that you are carrying. You should avoid working under extremely hot or cold temperatures, for example in a cold-storage room. This will burden your body and your unborn child too much. We definitely advise against working in depressurised situations, for example diving. The difference in pressure may harm the unborn child. 
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The third month 
 
Now there is less risk that something could go wrong with your pregnancy. For many women, the 12th week of pregnancy is the right moment to inform their employer and colleagues. As soon as you have notified your employer, you are legally entitled to extra protection during pregnancy in situations that require this. 
In addition, you should be given an opportunity to visit your midwife or gynaecologist, also during working hours. Ask the midwife for a pregnancy statement with the estimated date of birth. Your employer needs this statement to notify the UWV, the Institute for Employee Benefit Schemes, so that he will receive an allowance to cover your replacement and you can take maternity leave without loss of pay. 
 
Other things that you need to be extra careful with: do not lift heavy objects (less than 10 kg each time) and ensure that you are not exposed to sound levels that exceed 80 dB(A). 
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The fourth month 
 
When you are pregnant, you are entitled to 16 weeks of maternity leave. (In Dutch this is called zwangerschapsverlof, before giving birth, and bevallingsverlof, after the baby is born.) 
You can take up this leave from six to four weeks, respectively, before the estimated date of birth. Once the baby is born, you are still legally entitled to another ten to twelve weeks, respectively, of maternity leave (bevallingsverlof). Please note that multiple births do not extend your entitlement to leave. 
 
Refer to the booklet with the collective agreement on terms and conditions of employment (CAO-boekje) for the exact arrangements in your branch of business or company. 
If you intend to resume work after the baby has been born and want to make use of childcare facilities, you may want to have your baby registered now. There could be waiting lists, so the sooner you get registered the sooner you may get a place. Ask your employer and your partner's employer about the options for a financial contribution towards childcare. 
 
Your pregnancy may cause health problems for which you need to visit a medical practitioner or a paramedic such as a physiotherapist or a physician (GP or specialist). Appointments usually take place during working hours. Check what arrangements have been made in the collective agreement. 
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The fifth month 
 
It is never healthy to work long hours under stress or time pressure, also called work-related stress. When you are pregnant you should take extra care of yourself. In stressful situations your body produces all kinds of extra hormones that may affect you and your unborn child. 
Discuss these situations with your superior and consult whether your tasks can be arranged differently, or whether your working hours and breaks can be adapted, by inserting an extra break or working fewer shifts, for example. 
You are not obliged to work night shifts during pregnancy. You are entitled to extra breaks when you are pregnant and up to six months after giving birth. If you work eight hours a day, then you are allowed to take a maximum break of one-hour extra on full pay. The employer should give you the opportunity to take this break. 
 
In the event of sickness, you can report sick in the usual way. You should notify your employer if your sickness is pregnancy-related, for example high blood pressure or pelvic instability. In this way, he can apply for an allowance to cover your replacement. You will be paid your salary in full. 
If you are on unemployment benefit (WW-uitkering) or occupational disablement benefit (WAO-uitkering) you should notify the UWV. From the twentieth pregnancy week onwards, women who frequently used to lift heavy weights during their job are only allowed to lift a maximum of five kilograms, ten times a day. 
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The sixth month 
 
Discuss with your superior how replacement will be arranged while you are on maternity leave. It will be good for both you and your colleagues that adequate replacement is arranged, so that your colleagues do not need to work extra hard. This is also a good time to consider how you may want to combine working and looking after your child in the future. 
If you have a partner, discuss with your partner how you would like to handle the new situation. Are you both going to work part time? Structurally or temporarily? You have the right to work part time. Your employer will need to come with substantiated arguments for rejecting your request. 
 
With regard to the work situation, you will need to take into account that you retain more fluid during pregnancy. As a result you may get RSI-related complaints such as pain, stiffness and a tingling feeling in your neck, shoulders, arms and/or fingers. Especially highly repetitive jobs such as cash register operator, goods packer, and assembly and VDU work may cause such complaints. 
Discuss with your superior the possibility of adapted work if you experience these complaints. Make sure that you do not constantly sit in the same position while performing your tasks. It is advisable to change your position every now and then and to have frequent breaks. Always contact the company doctor if you experience serious complaints. 
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The seventh month 
 
From the thirtieth week onwards it is not advisable to lift weights of five kilograms or over, more than five times a day. Furthermore, during the final three months of pregnancy your employer can no longer oblige you to squat on the ground, to kneel or bend down or to operate pedals while standing up. 
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The eighth month 
 
You need to notify your employer at least three weeks before your maternity leave starts. This will leave him little time to arrange your replacement, so try to inform your employer sooner if you already know when you want to stop work and start maternity leave. 
Consider once more the financial consequences of this (temporary) interruption of work. Pay will be continued, but some components, for example extra income from overtime, may not be paid. By considering the financial impact at an early stage, you will not be unpleasantly taken by surprise. 
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The ninth month 
 
The last month before giving birth is dedicated to maternity leave. Your belly will be getting in the way a bit and you will need some well-deserved rest. Enjoy your maternity leave! 
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Birth 
 
When the baby has been born you need to inform your employer who, in turn, can notify the UWV. On the basis of this notification the UWV will determine on what date your maternity leave should end. Your partner will be entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof) if the baby is born on a working day. On the days following childbirth your partner will be entitled to birth leave (kraamverlof). 
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The first month of parenthood 
 
You will now need to get used to being a parent. Fortunately, you will still be on maternity leave so that you do not need to think about going back to work. Together with you partner you can start thinking about how you are going to handle the period after maternity leave. 
One option is to take parental leave (ouderschapsverlof), for which you will need to meet a number of criteria. The actual provision can be found in the detailed brochure. Depending on what you have in mind, you may both want to take a shorter or longer period of part-time leave to look after your child. 
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The second month of parenthood 
 
The second period of maternity leave (in Dutch this is called bevallingsverlof) starts on the first day after the baby is born and lasts at least ten consecutive weeks. If you continued working for a longer period before giving birth and have taken less than six weeks of maternity leave, you may add this time to the period of leave after the baby is born. This means that you still do not need to resume work this month. 
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The third month of parenthood 
 
The end of maternity leave is approaching. Some women will resume work in the course of this month. It may happen that you cannot fully resume work immediately as a result of complications during pregnancy and/or giving birth. Discuss this as soon as possible with your superior, so that a suitable solution can be found and temporary replacement can be arranged. The possibilities can be determined in consultation with the company doctor. 
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The fourth month of parenthood 
 
Depending on your physical condition you will have resumed work. If you are breastfeeding, you may need to express milk during working hours. Your employer is obliged to create a number of facilities such as a separate room, where you can sit without being disturbed, and a refrigerator to keep the milk in. Your have the right to spend a maximum of 25% of your working time to express milk or feed your child. 
If you prefer, you can also go home to feed the child during working hours. When breastfeeding, try to ensure that you avoid handling hazardous substances as much as possible. Furthermore, you should not be exposed to radioactive radiation and lead compounds if you work in a laboratory, for example. Always contact the company doctor if you are in doubt as to what to do. 
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The fifth month of parenthood and onwards 
 
By now you will be getting used to combining work and looking after your child. However, sometimes an unexpected situation may arise; for example, if the childcare centre rings that your child has become ill. You or your partner may need to collect your child from the nursery. This is considered an emergency situation and you are entitled to emergency leave (calamiteitenverlof). 
Should your child remain ill for longer, then you can make use of your entitlement to short-term care leave (kortdurend zorgverlof). If necessary, arrangements have also been made for long-term care leave (langdurig zorgverlof). 
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More information? 
 
In this folder we have given you a summary of general information about working before and after pregnancy. If you need more information, you can download FNV Bondgenoten's Dutch brochure Alles over werk en zwangerschap from <a href="http://www.fnvbondgenoten.nl">www.fnvbondgenoten.nl</a>. Members can also obtain this brochure free of charge by contacting telephone number 0900 9690 (only from within the Netherlands - € 0.10 a minute). If you are not yet a member, you can join the union by ringing this number, too. 
 
If you need more copies of this summary, you can order these by telephone. 
 
FNV Bondgenoten is the largest trade union in the market sector. It has over 466,000 members in the industrial sector, the iron and steel industry/light engineering industry, in the trade, transport, services, and agricultural sectors, and the general and technical support services sector. FNV Bondgenoten has concluded about 700 collective agreements in these sectors.

FNV Bondgenoten Brochure: Work & Pregnancy - From Month to Month

23 March 2006 
 
Tony Burke, Assistance General Secretary 
Willie Wallace, Amicus Aberdeen Branch 
Ben Richards, International Officer 
Amicus 
35 King Street 
Convent Garden 
London WC2E 8JG 
 
 
Dear Brothers Burke, Wallace, and Richards, 
 
For two weeks now, the ICEM has been following the labour dispute brought on by the American company, International Paper Co., at the Inverurie Paper Mill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, against trade union members of Amicus. We note on 10 March, workers voted by a four-to-one margin to take industrial action, and that the first wave of strike action will occur today, 23 March. 
 
We also know that management has been intransigent at the bargaining table, particular on the issue of wage increases for 2006 and 2007. It is our understanding that paperworkers at this mill had to forego parts of their weekly pay over the past few years in order to contribute to a gap in the company’s pension scheme. 
 
Now, International Paper is demanding that workers take a pay freeze for 2006, and take a miniscule one-off payment for 2007. With average 2006 pay increases in the British paper sector averaging nearly 2.5%, we find it deplorable that management would present such a pay offer, and further, we can only surmise that International Paper Co. is attempting to gain a competitive advantage in UK’s paper sector. 
 
Amicus and its members at the Inverurie Paper Mill have the full support of the 20-million-member ICEM in this struggle for a fair and just pay award. We have, and will continue to alert our 389 global trade union affiliates of your justifiable industrial actions at the Inverurie Mill, and we convey to Amicus and its members at this paper facility the Solidarity and Unity of the ICEM’s global family of trade unions. 
 
Please keep us informed of events in this dispute, and do not hesitate to call on the ICEM for any further assistance we can provide. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
Fred Higgs 
General Secretary

ICEM letter in support of workers at International Paper mill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

<a href="http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1582&L2=1&L3=106">OUTSOURCING GROWS UP</a> 
 
Written in early 2005 by two partners of the McKinsey’s London office, this article shows that the ICEM views on contract and agency labour are beginning to be accepted by influential Management Consultants. 
 
According to the article, the main objective of the first companies using outsourcing, was purely to reduce costs. That has changed somewhat. It is now generally accepted that companies also use contract and agency labour to improve their operational performance. 
 
The authors’ research shows that, in spite of this change, few companies changed the way they make their deals. They also say that that “up to 50% of outsourcing arrangements fail to deliver the expected value”. 
 
Examples are given of companies experiencing severe problems during the operation of the contract, due to the fact that they did not have a clear strategy at the beginning of the process. Towards the end, the article argues to work with all the internal stakeholders that will be affected by the move, including union representatives. 
The article can be found here: 
<a href="http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1582&L2=1&L3=106">http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/ 
article_page.aspx?ar=1582&L2=1&L3=106</a>

Useful Background Articles on Contract and Agency Labour

BAE, Kang-wook 
President 
Korean Chemical and Textile Workers Federation (KCTF) 
Third floor, Woosung Building 
94-14 Yeongdeungpo-dong 7-ga 
Yeongdeungpo 
Seoul 150-037 
SOUTH KOREA 
 
by fax: + 82-2-26.32.47.55 
by e-mail: <a href="mailto:kctfim@hanmail.net">kctfim@hanmail.net</a> 

Dear Sisters and Brothers of KCTF-KCTU in Korea, 
 
We are informed by the ICEM that your union has been, since 2004, the victim of an anti-union repression by GS Caltex, and that you now have decided to launch a boycott campaign against GS Caltex products in Korea. This letter is meant to offer our union’s support and encouragement in your courageous fight against the unfair labor practices by GS Caltex. 
 
We understand that some 30 union leaders at GS Caltex have been dismissed in August 2004 and that eight have faced criminal charges for carrying out their legitimate union duties. It is clear that GS Caltex wanted to punish these dedicated trade unionists, as well as the KCFT-KCTU itself, for its trade union actions. This behavior by the company is abhorrent and far from what can and should be expected in developed and civilized nations. GS Caltex needs to start bargaining in good-faith. 
 
It is also deplorable that the South Korean Government has collaborated with the management of GS Caltex by assisting in the suppression of reasonable union demands through dispatching anti-riot police units and arresting union members. 
 
We salute KCFT-KCTU for undertaking this brave struggle in defense of basic trade union rights, particularly the fight for freedom of association. Please know that the members and leaders of our union stand firmly with you in your pursuit of justice and dignity. 
 
Fraternally, 
 
 
(Name) 
(Title) 
(Union)

Model Letter of Support to KCTF

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
ICEM affiliate, the Korean Chemical and Textile Workers’ Federation (KCTF), and its national centre, KCTU, decided to launch a boycott against the products of GS Caltex (formerly LG-Caltex) in Korea. GS Caltex is a joint venture between Chevron and Korean GS Holding, operating mainly on the oil refinery sector. 
The decision to call for a boycott, which was taken earlier this month, comes after years of fruitless negotiations with the company. The origin of the dispute goes back to July 2004, when the GS Caltex union went on strike after negotiations had broken down with the company. Main issues included the union’s demand for a five-day, 40-hour work-week and their call for the non-discrimination of contract workers. 
<img height="100" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMoil2.JPG" width="100"/>
Union demands were not only met by an unwilling employer, but also by riot police, sent in by the Korean government, which brutally suppressed the striking workers. After a 20-day strike, the company, while still refusing to give in to any of the union’s demands, displayed its ruthlessness by retaliating against returning workers by selecting, at the gate and with police assistance, who could enter and who could not. 
The company dismissed nearly all union officials. It also harassed families of workers with warnings of dismissal. In addition, eight trade union representatives were arrested and sentenced to two or three years in prison. In total, 650 workers were disciplined with a three-month work suspension. 
In support of the boycott, Brother Bae, President of KCFT, went on hunger strike for an indefinite period on 1 April.

Korean KCTF Calls for Korean Boycott of GS Caltex

<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/InBrief 1.gif" width="100"/>
Turkish ICEM affiliate Cimse-Is (Cement, Ceramics, Pottery and Glass industry Workers' Union) announced this week its plan to start a series of strikes at 43 different cement plants throughout Turkey. 
The decision by the union’s Executive Board follows the failure of negotiations with the Turkish employers’ organisation, which had started on March 17. Both parties were unable to reach a consensus, despite various efforts by the union. Actions will start at 23 plants on May Day, with an additional 20 plants being struck as of May 8.

Strikes Announced at 43 Different Cement Plants in Turkey

Paperworkers at International Paper (IP) Co.’s Inverurie Mill in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, voted by a three-to-one margin to accept a new two-year accord. The vote is a union victory, preventing the US-based paper giant from imposing harsh and unnecessary contract measures. 
ICEM affiliate Amicus, which successfully negotiated the agreement, credited the solid resolve of workers at the printing and writing papers mill, as well as the ICEM’s IP Global Workers’ Network with the win. 
After a series of industrial actions, which included four 4-hour strikes from 23 March to 6 April, International Paper moved from a pay freeze to agreeing to 2% wage increases, both in 2006 and 2007. The company also backed away from a proposal, inserted late into the negotiations, to only grant the 2% pay hike after workers ratified the agreement, with the 2007 raise kicking in a year later. Amicus succeeded in getting the 2006 pay raise backdated to the standard 1 January, with another 2% awarded on 1 January 2007. 
<img height="131" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ICEMpaper3.jpg" width="129"/>
“Our membership did a magnificent job in standing up to one of the biggest pulp and paper groups in the world,” said Amicus Assistant General Secretary Tony Burke. “We had instant solidarity throughout the world, not only from unions at other International Paper mills, but from paperworkers’ unions everywhere.” Burke added that Inverurie Mill workers were “energised” by such support, and that the industrial actions carved “fierce resistance” among workers, with 40 more workers electing to join the union during the dispute. 
International Paper agreed to the non-concessionary terms on 11 April, two days before workers were set to escalate the dispute into an 8-hour strike. The vote was counted by Amicus in Aberdeenshire today. 
 
Throughout the month-long industrial dispute, Amicus was publicly calling for outside mediation to bring the two parties together but IP management refused, preferring a “negotiations-by-ultimatum” style. Managers finally gave up that approach in day-long talks on 11 April, with the UK’s Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) participating. 
 
“We appreciate the effort the ICEM put forward, as well as the efforts of all affiliated trade unions that showed such strong support,” said Burke. “The wage package, with it now backdated to January 1st, is a good result and it runs roughly in line with the current inflation rate in the UK.” 
 
Upon hearing the bargaining result, ICEM General Secretary Fred Higgs congratulated Amicus and its membership at the Inverurie Mill. “The credit belongs with the workers and with their Union,” he said. “They stood strong and the ICEM is proud to have played a role in this successful outcome.” 
 
For more background information on this dispute: 
 
<a href="/?id=112&doc=1747&la=EN" type="internal">Eight-Hour Strike Next Week at International Paper’s Scottish Mill</a> (ICEM InBrief - 6 April 2006)

UK’s Amicus Union Triumphs in International Paper Settlement

<img height="45" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/FinlandFlag.gif" width="80"/>
In Finland on 1 May, a new policy takes effect that will no longer restrict the free movement of labour from the new EU Member States. Over the past two years, since the addition of ten new countries into the EU, Finnish control mechanisms have been put in place through a subscriber liability law. The legislation now makes it harder to abuse foreign workers, and also puts meaningful stops to the grey economy. 
 
Companies are now obligated to investigate the handling of taxation, social security payments and work practices of their subcontractors. The Finnish government will also seek to tighten control over foreign agency labour through a new policy that requires foreign workers from EU states to register at an employment bureau within two weeks of arrival. Finnish trade unions have fully endorsed the policy changes. 
<img height="42" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/USAFlag.gif" width="80"/>
In the United States on May Day, a day that bosses in the late 19th century stripped of significance so that American workers would not have the same Labour Day, immigrant workers will wage a general strike as well as a consumer strike. The strikes are further protests against restrictive measures against immigrants that have surfaced in the US Congress. 
The day will vividly illustrate not only the jobs that immigrants fill in America, but also the purchasing power they have in the marketplace. Leading up to the twin strikes, businesses and companies in several large US cities have fired thousands of migrant workers who participated in marches in March and April. 
<img height="52" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/Belgium.gif" width="80"/>
In Belgium on 1 May, trade unionist Paul Lootens and historians Marie-Louise De Roeck and Julie Urbain will unveil their new book, Tutti Cadaveri: The Trial of the Catastrophe at the Bois du Cazier in Marcinelle. The book depicts the aftermath of Belgium’s worst mining tragedy in history, a fire that raged inside a coal mine near the Wallonian town of Marcinelle, killing 262 miners. 
<img height="134" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/paullootens.jpg" width="120"/>
The tragedy occurred on 8 August 1956 and the book marks the 50th anniversary of the devastating loss of so many lives. The book’s title, Tutti Cadaveri, comes from an Italian rescuer who, after surfacing from the mine, said, “All corpses.” 
The book is available from Aden Publishers for €22 and can be ordered from Aden by contacting editionsaden@skynet.be, or calling +32 2534 46 61. The ICEM will bring further attention to the 50th Anniversary events as the August date draws closer. 
<img height="49" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/GermanyFlag.gif" width="80"/>
On Monday, 1 May, German IGBCE President Hubertus Schmoldt will deliver a major speech in Osnabrück on some fundamental issues affecting Germany and its trade unions, including joblessness, health reform and an energy policy. 
<img height="136" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/hubertusschmoldt.jpg" width="100" alt=""/>
The trade union leader will warn against the notion that the German economy can be strengthened by lowering wages, or through increasing the number of hours in the work week. IGBCE also calls for minimum standards, including wage levels, to be maintained for all sectors of the economy. 
<img height="53" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/ArgentinaFLAG.gif" width="80"/>
From Argentina on May Day comes a greeting from ICEM affiliate SUTNA. The union reminds us of the origins of International Workers’ Day—the fight for an eight-hour workday in the US city of Chicago, which produced a mass general strike that was met by brutal repression and then execution of those leading the strike by the state. “SUTNA salutes, on the occasion of this International Workers’ Day, all workers who continue the excellent work that was started by the martyrs of Chicago.” 
<img height="53" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/PakistanFlag.gif" width="80"/>
The All Pakistan Trade Union Federation, which has organised huge May Day rallies for Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Rawalpindi/Islamabad and Quetta, sends this message: “The growing economic might of multinationals and transnational corporations, and the imposition of policies of globalisation, have led to an unprecedented large-scale offensive against the democratic and social achievements of working people, and against the trade union movement.” 
<img height="40" alt="" src="/sites/default/files/migration/icem/AzerbaijanFLAG.gif" width="80"/>
And from Azerbaijan, Jahangir Aliyev, chairman of the Oil and Gas Industry Workers Trade Union (OGWU), expresses “health, happiness and great progress for the welfare of all labour people.”

May Day Actions, Greetings from Around the World

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