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Global Labour Forum to be organised at International AIDS Conference 
 
As Canada prepares itself to host the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto, 13-18 August, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact and effectiveness of HIV/AIDS policies and actions on workers and workplace at national and international levels. The review will form the foundation of a Global Labour Forum on HIV/AIDS organised by the CLC in conjunction with the Conference. 
 
The Canadian HIV/AIDS Labour Fund, launched by the CLC, works closely with unions that actively promote the rights of workers to fair treatment and provide workplace-based information on protection against the disease and prevention of its spread. Canadian unions, in cooperation with the Canadian International Development Agency, pioneer innovative and gender-sensitive AIDS prevention and advocacy campaigns in a number of developing countries. 
 
(Source: CLC Press Release) 
 
Information on the International AIDS Conference can be accessed at <a href="http://www.aids2006.org">www.aids2006.org</a>. 
 
Second Line ARVs Too Costly for Patients Warns MSF
Now that first-line treatment has come down to less than US$200 per patient per year, concern is rising that an increasing number of HIV patients does not respond to first-line treatment anymore and has to move to second-line drugs, which are much more expensive and therefore harder to access. 
 
Taking the example of Kenya, the international humanitarian organisation M&eacute;decins sans Fronti&egrave;res (MSF) says that for second-line drugs it has to pay US$ 1,400 per patient per year. In a clinic in South Africa, MSF is treating 58 patients on second-line drugs at the same cost as 550 on first-line drugs. 
 
Expanding relatively affordable first-line treatment will inevitably lead to a higher demand for more expensive second-line treatment in the years to come. Failing to switch from first-line treatment, which has become ineffective due to side effects and growing drug resistance, to second-line drugs is a death sentence for the patient. 
 
According to MSF, part of the problem lies in the continuing insistence of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on adherence to strict patent protection, as well as cumbersome regulations that developing countries have to follow to take advantage of concessions. 
In early 2005, the WTO&rsquo;s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) was implemented in India and other developing countries that had not yet granted full pharmaceutical patents. This widespread patent protection is stifling the production of much-needed cheaper generics, which are as effective. 
 
(Source: The East African, Nairobi, posted on <a href="http://www.allafrica.com">www.allafrica.com</a>&nbsp;on 4 January) 
 
Half of Companies See Future AIDS Impact 
 
Companies around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about AIDS, with 46% now expecting some impact in the next five years, as compared to 37% in the same study a year ago. The survey was released on 11 January by the Global Health Initiative of the World Economic Forum prior to the meeting of the WEF in Davos, Switzerland. 
Although nearly half of the almost 11,000 corporate leaders in 117 countries surveyed recognised that HIV/AIDS would hurt their business in future, only 9% had conducted a quantitative risk assessment. Furthermore, it is only in regions where HIV prevalence exceeds 20% that the majority of firms have formal HIV/AIDS policies in place. Where the incidence is lower only a small proportion of companies have enacted policies. 
 
(Source: WEF-GHI website. The survey entitled, &ldquo;Business and HIV/AIDS: A Healthier Partnership?&rdquo; can be accessed at <a href="http://www.weforum.org">www.weforum.org</a>) 
 
Once-a-Day AIDS Pill Shows Promise 
 
A once-a-day AIDS treatment, the first of its kind, has been jointly developed by multinational drug firms Gilead and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and could soon outrun three-times-a-day regimens. According to research published in the latest New England Journal of Medicine, the manufacturers found the new drug especially effective in suppressing HIV viral loads and having fewer side effects than commonly used antiretrovirals. It is hoped to obtain approval by the end of 2006. 
 
No cost of the treatment is yet available. AIDS treatment activists have demanded that the drug be marketed at an affordable price for developing countries where simplified regimens are most needed. 
 
(Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, posted on <a href="http://www.allafrica.com">www.allafrica.com</a>&nbsp;on 20 January) 
 
China: Number of People Living with HIV/AIDS Down 
 
Figures jointly released by China&rsquo;s Ministry of Health, the WHO and UNAIDS on 25 January, estimated the number of people living with HIV/AIDS at 630,000 in 2005, down form an estimate of 840,000 in 2003. This is not a success story in prevention but rather due to errors in estimates of people getting infected by blood donations in previous years. 
The survey therefore cautioned against complacency, saying the figure was still rising and the virus is spreading from high-risk groups to the general population. Experts have warned that China&rsquo;s increasingly mobile population faces a broader risk as more infections occur through drug injection and sexual contact. 
 
(Source: Reuters World Report, 25 January) 
 
UNGASS Review 
 
This year, the United Nations General Assembly will undertake a comprehensive review of the progress made in achieving the targets agreed by member states at the 2001 General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) on HIV/AIDS, and set in place the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. The review will take place during a high-level meeting at the UN Head Office in New York from 31 May to 2 June. 
 
Update from ILOAIDS 
 
You can access news from around the world on HIV/AIDS and the world of work on the ILOAIDS website <a href="http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/aids/index.htm">http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/trav/ 
aids/index.htm</a>&nbsp;and click on News from around the world or go directly to <a href="http://www.newsnow.co.uk/clients/ilo/results.html?keyword=AIDS">http://www.newsnow.co.uk/clients/ilo/results.html?keyword=AIDS</a>&nbsp; 
 
Under Core Documents on the ILOAIDS website, you find the ILO Code of Practice and the Education and Training Manual implementing the ILO Code of Practice and the world of work. 

REMINDER TO ICEM AFFILIATES 
 
This is your newsletter &ndash; contribute to it! 
 
ICEM affiliates are already engaged in a wide range of activities, some have formal agreements with companies; others run education and awareness programmes at the workplace. To spread the information on new agreements and campaigns and to build on best practices, affiliates and project coordinators are invited to send news and information to hiv.aids@icem.org. Any feedback on the format and contents of the e-bulletin is also welcome. 
 
This ICEM HIV-AIDS Newsletter &ndash; How to Subscribe or Translate? 
 
To subscribe to the e-bulletin, send an email to <a href="mailto:press@icem.org">press@icem.org</a>. Please put &ldquo;subscribe ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin&rdquo; in the subject line. 
 
Unfortunately, the e-bulletin can only be published in English. For a free automated (non-ICEM) translation of this HIV-AIDS bulletin into other languages, you may want to try <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr">http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/language_tools">http://www.google.com/language_tools</a> and insert the following URL into the window &ldquo;Translate a Web page&ldquo;: 
<a href="/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1634">/index.php?id=72&amp;la=EN&amp;doc=1634</a>.

ICEM HIV/AIDS e-bulletin - No. 5

<img height="61" alt="" src="" width="125" />
The ICEM learned today that one of the two top leaders of the Nepalese trade union federation GEFONT was released from police custody in Kathmandu. 
<img height="129" alt="" src="" width="100" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <img height="127" alt="" src="" width="111" /> 
Left: Chairman Mukunda Neupane (released) 
Right: Gefont's Secretary General Binod Shrestha 
(still&nbsp;under arrest) 
Chairman Mukanda Neupane was released Tuesday evening, 24 January, but GEFONT Secretary-General Binod Shrestha was still being detained. Both had been arrested early on 19 January. Also released were two trade union leaders of another trade union federation, NTUC, as well as a number of pro-democracy political leaders. 
 
Upon his release, Brother Neupane thanked the international community&mdash;particularly the global trade union family&mdash;for its strong support, and urged the people of Nepal to continue efforts to bring democracy to the Himalayan country. Neupane, however, also expressed dismay that other detainees, including Brother Shrestha, are still being held. 
 
Further information can be found at the GEFONT website: <a href="http://www.gefont.org">http://www.gefont.org</a>.

GEFONT Chairman Mukanda Neupane Released in Nepal

Another mining disaster happened 10 January in South Africa at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s TauTona gold mine near Carletonville, just outside of Johannesburg.
A rock slide caused by an earth tremor killed three workers, and injured five others, two of them seriously. An investigation into the accident is being jointly conducted by the Ministry of Minerals and Energy, ICEM affiliate National Union of Mineworkers, and AngloGold Ashanti South African Mines. 
<img height="103" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A similar earth tremor at the TauTona Mine last July killed two miners, while a rock fall at AngloGold&rsquo;s Mponeny Mine in South Africa in October also killed two miners.

Earth Tremor Kills Three at AngloGold South African Mine

The worst Romanian mining catastrophe in 20 years occurred on 14 January when a methane gas explosion occurred at the Anina Mine in the southwestern part of the country.
Seven miners were killed and five seriously injured by the blast at the 200-year-old mine owned by state-run Benat Mining Co. The mine was scheduled to be closed in October 2006, but Romanian President Traian Basescu&mdash;upon visiting the site a day after the disaster&mdash;ordered immediate closure.
<img height="67" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Records show that some 1,000 miners have died at the Anina Mine since it opened in 1792, with the worst tragedy happening in 1920 when 270 miners perished from an underground explosion.

Gas Blast in Romanian Colliery Closes 214-Year-Old Mine

<img height="100" src="" width="100" alt="" />
A 17-day strike by some 28,000 contract workers of Chilean state-run copper producer Codelco ended over the weekend.
Contract workers did not receive the bonus payment they were seeking, but did achieve a pre-agreement to end the strike for alternative financial compensation and improvements in working conditions. Codelco&rsquo;s contract workers are unionised and are members of divisional unions aligned with the Copper Workers Federation (FTC). 
The non-ICEM-affiliated FTC&rsquo;s strike actions centered at Codelco&rsquo;s El Teniente mining area and at the company&rsquo;s Andina Division. Codelco is the world&rsquo;s largest producer of copper. The strike caused copper prices to hit a record high on 19 January.

Contract Workers End Strike at Chile’s Codelco Mines

Miners at a uranium mine in Namibia won a 2006 salary agreement from R&ouml;ssing Uranium after interrupting work for four hours on 10 January to deliver a petition to company management.
<img height="66" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Some 450 miners of the R&ouml;ssing Branch of ICEM affiliate Mineworkers&rsquo; Union of Namibia won an 8% pay hike from the mining concern that is 68.6% owned by Rio Tinto, plus a one-off bonus of N$1,000 and substantial housing allowances. When senior managers at the mine where unavailable to accept the petition at the mine&rsquo;s main entrance, miners boarded buses to Swakopmund, some 70 kilometers away, to present the petition to senior management.
Rio Tinto announced in December that it was investing US$112 million in R&ouml;ssing Uranium, a move that would extend the life of the mine from 2009 to 2016.

Rio Tinto Miners in Namibia Win Pay Gains

<img height="40" src="" width="100" alt="" />
Five subcontractors at a Taiyo Oil Co. refinery in Imabari, Japan were burned to death 17 January inside a 100,000 kiloliter oil storage tank. An explosion and fire occurred when two contractors were preparing the tank for cleaning.
Investigators are looking at safety management practices of the two contractors, Taiyo Techno Service and Fukasaki-Gumi, and suspicion of negligence on their part.
The Taiyo Oil Workers&rsquo; Union, affiliated with JEC Rengo, is monitoring in the investigation. The union represents refinery workers at the 120,000 barrel-per-day Taiyo refinery, but not contract workers. Two other contract workers were injured in the blast and subsequent fire.

Contract Workers Killed at Japanese Oil Refinery

French affiliate FCE-CFDT has condemned Swiss chemicals and pharmaceutical company Novartis for installing a special telephone line in plants so workers can whistle-blow on one another.
<img height="99" src="" width="100" alt="" />
The union said such a practice abuses the company&rsquo;s own code of conduct, and creates a sour climate for employee morale. The central committee of workers for Novartis&rsquo;s French enterprises, along with the FCE-CFDT and CGT-FO, have taken legal action in the city of Nanterre.
In spite of laws and regulations preventing such practices, certain multinationals, including Novartis, do no hesitate to transgress these laws and regulations in order to arrive at methods that are perceived to be accountability measures, stated the FCE-CFDT.

French Affiliate Protests Novartis’ Whistle-Blowing Tactics

<img height="99" alt="" src="" width="100" />
CEP members at a Stora Enso paper mill in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, will vote tomorrow and Wednesday, 24 and 25 January, on a company contract proposal. Rejection likely will mean 660 members of CEP Local 972 will face a lockout effective 26 January. 
Following eight days of non-stop bargaining that ended late on 18 January, Local 972 members met with union leaders on 21 January to review proposed terms, which includes job losses, contracting out provisions and changes in seniority procedures.
Stora Enso issued the mandatory 48-hour lockout notice on 30 December, and has had its only Canadian pulp and paper mill closed since 23 December, with nearly all workers on layoff status

Canadian Stora Enso Workers to Vote on Contract

The Communications, Energy, Paperworkers (CEP) of Canada on 16 January conducted 14 separate demonstrations across the North American country to protest the jobs crisis in the forest industries sector. Last week&rsquo;s actions came seven days before Canadians go to the polls in national elections today.
The protests were aimed at demanding government aid for stricken communities, as well as government subsidies tied to maintaining and creating jobs in forest products sectors.
&nbsp;<img height="131" alt="" src="" width="92" /> 
 
CEP President Brian Payne
&ldquo;These jobs and communities are worth fighting for, and it&rsquo;s about time the politicians joined our fight,&rdquo; stated CEP President Brian Payne. Some 7,600 jobs have been lost due to shutdowns and cutbacks in the past year in Canada, and 40,000 over the past five years.

Canadian CEP Union Calls for National Action Over Forest Sector Jobs

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