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Two US ICEM affiliates—USWA and PACE—have been jointly working on legislative and member mobilization projects for several years. The two unions have now officially consummated that bond by entering into a formal strategic alliance with each other. The cooperative bond “recognizes that it is in each union’s mutual interest to coordinate their activities and share with each other the knowledge, techniques and experiences each has gained in areas in which they excel.”

US Unions USWA, PACE Form Strategic Accord

An announcement by the Canadian government to sell off its remaining 19% stake in Petro-Canada was denounced by the country’s leading energy union, Communications, Energy, Paperworkers of Canada. The Calgary-based company was established in 1975 to promote domestic supply of oil and gas and as a counter to the US-based oil giants. Petrocan is involved in Arctic gas, oil sands in western provinces, exploration and production of eastern seacoast reserves. It also operates a chain of petrol stations across Canada. “Canadians want and need a role in our oil and gas industry, and now is not the time to sell off Canada’s station,” said CEP President Brian Payne. “There are more than six million Canadians who drive up to Petro Canada regularly, believing that this company in part belongs to them. I can’t think of a better way to alienate Petro Canada’s loyal customers than by selling out.”

CEP Resisting Canadian Petro-Canada Sell-Off

IGBCE in Germany has warned employers in the chemical industry not to deviate from their social responsibilities in bargaining that begins in April for 580,000 chemical workers. Emphasizing that only some employers are stating the industry needs to “catch its breath” free of any wage increases, IGBCE said in a statement it would not change directions in upcoming talks. The union maintains that only through meaningful increases can the consumer economy in Germany improve.

German IGBCE Warns Chemical Industry Ahead of Bargaining

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has ruled that a shareholder resolution offered by PACE Union must be submitted to shareholders of DuPont on the chemical firm’s 2004 Proxy Statement. The resolution urges DuPont’s board of directors to adopt, implement and enforce a company-wide human rights policy based on the ILO’s Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

PACE of US Will Bring DuPont Resolution to AGM

Three major mine accidents occurred in China last week, killing 28 workers. A methane gas explosion at a coal mine in Guizhou Province killed 19, while at an unlicensed coal mine in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, a broken cable caused a fire killing six miners. On 12 July, an accident at a fluorite mine near Qingyuan, Guangdong Province, killed three miners.

Mine Accidents in China Kill 28

Also in the North American rubber sector, the USWA has filed a US labour board charge against German rubber manufacturer Continental Tire. The charge is over the firm’s intent to close a tyre plant in Mayfield, Kentucky, by year-end that would cost 800 steelworkers their jobs. The union contends the announcement of the closure was timed to coincide with a 22-24 July unionization vote at a nearby Continental tyre plant in Mount Vernon, Illinois, thus serving to discourage workers there from voting for USWA representation. The USWA has obtained internal documents verifying Continental’s anti-union bias, including plans to manipulate financial statements, and will present the evidence in its case before the US National Labor Relations Board.

USWA Protests Continental Tyre’s Plant Closure in US

An eight-day strike by the Electric Power Workers Trade Union of Serbia ended 5 August with guaranteed assurances that union rights and full employment levels will be maintained at state-run EPS as it prepares for restructuring into five separate enterprises. The strike by 1,250 workers at EPS’s Kostolac Mine and a thermal power plant in Kostolac won guaranteed employment at the five new companies for a four-year period, as well as an excellent redundancy package for any workers laid off thereafter. According to Power Workers Trade Union President Milan Kovacevic, another crucial aspect of the agreement is a provision that EPS must reassess in three years whether the separation to five business entities is justified before finalization of the process occurs. The restructuring of EPS will not begin until the five labour agreements of the new businesses are completed with the union. 
 
 
Correction: In ICEM’s 17 August InBrief, at Serbia’s state-run electric company called EPS, the number of separate companies that the firm has broken into is 23, not five as written. The eight-day strike by 1,250 workers occurred at one of those companies now splitting into five units. ICEM affiliate Electric Power Workers Trade Union won job security assurances through the strike that occurred at part of two companies, firms connected with the Kostolac Mine and thermal power plant.

Eight-Day Strike in Serbia Protects Union Rights

Punishing workers who took part in a 20-day strike at LG Caltex refinery in South Korea is now the agenda of management. ICEM affiliate Korean Chemical & Textile Workers’ Federation ended the strike 6 August but when 200 workers returned to their jobs the following Monday, 9 August, they were denied entrance and told they would be recalled on an individual basis. 
LG Caltex, a joint venture between the Korean LG Group and US supermajor ChevronTexaco, is seeking disciplinary action against some 70 strike leaders of KCTF. In addition, the government had issued arrest warrants for dozens of KCTF union officers.

LG Caltex Punishes Workers Who Struck in Korea

Paperworkers in the UK represented by Graphic Printing & Media Union (GPMU) are on the verge of industrial action following a breakdown in talks with the Confederation of Paper Industry companies. The ICEM affiliate sent notices to some 12,000 members that industrial action could commence after 26 August if progress is not made in talks. Union workers in the paper sector voted for possible industrial action last June. GPMU has rejected a proposal by the industry for a 2.85% pay increase.

Paper Dispute in UK Threatens Entire Industry

A bitter diamond-mining strike in Botswana erupted last week when workers angered by a company take-it-or-leave-it pay offer defied union leadership and struck Debswana, the Botswana diamond monopoly run as a joint venture between DeBeers and the government of the southern African nation. 
ICEM affiliate Botswana Mining Workers’ Union (BMWU) was pushed to the defensive as the company used a prior legal ruling to suspend union matters by charging 32 branch and national officers with contempt of court. Some 2,000 workers among 6,000 miners at four highly profitable Debswana operations struck 23 August over a pay and bonus offer that fell far inferior to one given supervisors. 
According to the BMWU, the workers walked because the inferior pay/bonus offer was pulled from the table after rejection, and also due to an industrial court ruling barring a strike, a clear sign that the justice system was one-sided. The BMWU was attempting to put together a settlement that would end the strike and halt the harsh court action by Debswana and the government at the weekend.

Botswana’s Miners Strike Debswana

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