News

Catastrophe in Chile

In the early morning on Saturday 27^th February 2010, an earthquake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale and a subsequent tsunami, hit 6 Chilean regions with tremendous harshness, covering an extension of 1000 kilometres and mainly affecting coast areas of the national territory, which were practically devastated by huge waves which produced the complete destruction of towns, leaving a wake of destruction and death. So far, 452 deaths have been recorded, near 100 missing people have been reported and the economic losses rise to an amount of 33 million dollars. UNI’s affiliates took action immediately by sending solidarity messages to the Chilean affiliates and a solidarity campaign at a global level was started. UNI Americas opened an account in the name of Raul Requena Martínez (the only option due to UNI’s lack of a legal registered name in Chile), at the Banco Estado de Chile, number 29560023780, Branch Santiago - Lyon, Swift BECHCLRM, in order to receive solidarity contributions which will help in the reconstruction campaign. On April 5^th and 6^th the Regional Secretary Raul Requena and President Ruben Cortina will visit Santiago to hold a meeting with the Liaison Committee in order to coordinate an action plan of solidarity help. They will also visit the town of Lloca, one of the most devastated by the cataclysm.

Contact: raul.requena@uniglobalunion.org

Reinforcing the Decent Work Program in Colombia

Bogota. Colombian UNI’s affiliates carried out a seminar on February 25^th and 26^th, as a part of the specialised training program on the defence of labour and union rights, in the framework of reinforcing the Agenda on Decent Work which will be carried out in that country by the Global Union Federations and the National Union Centrals. The event was attended by specialists of the National School of Union Training (ENS), who offered a deeper perspective on aspects as instruments of communication, social networks, and protection mechanisms of union and labour rights. The activity forms part of the “Campaign Free from Fear” which UNI has developed in those countries in which union and labour rights are permanently violated. The event concluded with a Declaration demanding the clarification of the death of Leonidas Gómez Rozo, leader of the finance sector whose death occurred two years ago.

Contact: marvin.largaespada@uniglobalunion.org

Reinforcing and organising more unions in Guatemala

Guatemala. As a part of the program of Training of Specialists in Labour and Union Law, and the campaign “Free from Fear” UNI Americas is implementing in Colombia and Guatemala, on the days March 2nd and 3rd, a Seminar was carried out which counted with the participation of 22 union leaders. The program of this seminar was aimed at dealing with subjects like: national and international mechanisms to make the labour and union rights be respected; creation of social networks by means of the use of the Internet, and Decent Work. The seminar concluded with an action plan to be developed during 2010 that deals with the issue of sensitisation on union rights and the necessity of strengthening and creating unions in the places where they lack one.

Contact: marvin.largaespada@uniglobalunion.org

International Women’s Day - “Break the Circle”

In commemoration of the International Women’s Day, UNI launched a new video for its campaign “Break the Circle” against violence. The video depicts the factors which contribute to labour violence. It is the second part of the series. Watch video.

Commemorative messages were received from the following organisations, SUTEP Argentina, UNI Americas Post & Logistics and Telecom ATSA Argentina FETIGESP/CONATIG Brazil SIES El Salvador UNI Graphics Americas SINTETEL Brazil MSICG Guatemalan Indigenous and rural workers union movement.

Contact: briceida.gonzalez@uniglobalunion.org



UNI Women’s publishes bulletin number 4, March 2010

• Breaking through for women’s representation.
• CONTRACS speaks about domestic worker’s health at the National Council of Health.
• Advices to organise women in unions.
• Women’s demonstration in Bern, Switzerland.
• Telemarketing: the access door to labour market.
• UNI-Apro Women breaking through for equality!
• Women in SYNACOM
• X National Congress of FATERYH Women and XVI National Meeting of Women workers at buildings.
• Creation of UNI women’s network in Colombia.
• Bank workers make the opening of the Carnival at São Paulo downtown: celebration of the extension of the maternity permit.
• FEBACI women, Burkina Faso.

Contact: briceida.gonzalez@uniglobalunion.org



“Breaking Through”: UNI Americas Staff promote REC agreements

Panama. With the aim of improving its procedures and services, UNI Americas’ Staff held a meeting on March 9th and 10th 2010 at Panama headquarters to carry out a detailed evaluation of the planning and the political results achieved during the 11^th UNI Americas Executive Regional Committee taken place on February 16^th and 17^th in Montevideo, Uruguay. The analysis was focused in the priorities and objectives of the Program “Breaking Through in the Americas” and in the tasks that the regional office as well as the sectors must carry out. At the same time, the present situation of UNI and UNI Americas were examined, and also the challenges for 2010. A new strategy for organisation was adopted, an also methods for optimising services to affiliates as well as the results of management. In the end, objectives and tasks to be carried out were established in relation to the next UNI Americas Women’s Regional Committee which must take place in Cartagena, Colombia in April, 2011.

Contact: raul.requena@uniglobalunion.org



Launching of world campaign for Global Agreements with multinationals HSBC and Santander

São Paulo. Unions of UNI Finance, representing 20 Latin American countries, North America, Europe and Asia, held a meeting on March 17th in São Paulo, Brazil, to start a new global campaign aimed at improving the lives of hundreds of thousand bank workers. It is a global initiative to create alliances and fight for a Global Agreement with two giants of multinational banking: HSBC and Santander. As these banks go through a process of expansion in countries where the corporate culture and the legal environment do not respect human rights and/or the right to free association, it becomes more and more important to ensure the application and respect towards this rights in all their dimensions. The UNI Finance Global Campaign has developed as a result of the bank’s behaviour and the double standards they practice by denying some workers the exercise of these rights.

Contact: marcio.monzane@uniglobalunion.org



Historical reform to health care system in USA

Washington. With a very narrow margin, the House of Representatives of the USA passed the USA Health reform (with 219 votes against 212), on the night of March 22^nd, 2010. This historical reform to the health care system will in a short term enable near 95% of US citizens to have an adequate health insurance, by incorporating 32 million Americans to the system and controlling the excessive costs presently prevailing in relation to health in the country. This reform promoted by President Barack Obama since the beginning of his term of office, is the result of a fight carried out by the American people, leaded by unions affiliated to UNI and the whole labour movement in that country. UNI Americas congratulated all its affiliates in the USA by the progress achieved by this measure and also, with great respect congratulated Barack Obama who declared:” this is not the success of any government, it is the victory of the American people which has been developing a change from the base”

Contact: raul.requena@uniglobalunion.org



International Day against racism and xenophobia

Brussels, March 22nd 2010. In the International Day Against Racism and Xenophobia the ITUC takes the opportunity to remember that racism and xenophobia constitute serious violations to human rights, and to urge governments, employers and unions throughout the world to promote respect for diversity and multicultural interaction, to actively fight against discrimination based on ethnic grounds, nationality or skin colour, and to be extra vigilant in these times of world economic crisis in which a breeding ground for extreme unfettered expressions of racism and social exclusion is generated, as well as promoting a struggle for a deeper social tolerance in this regard. Racism, discrimination and xenophobia, allow slavery to still persist in Western Africa, where some castes are still being enslaved by their traditional masters and lords, and where new variants, like work in conditions of subjection to servitude and human trafficking are hastily spreading due to uninhibited globalisation.

Source: CSI http://www.ituc-csi.org/-home-.html?lang=es

Contact: alberto.barrow@uniglobalunion.org

Multinational unfulfills agreement in Colombia

The Union of Electricity Workers of Colombia, SINTRAELECOLO, made a denouncement through a letter delivered to the Vice-Minister of Labour Relations of that country, about the unfulfillment of the compromises taken y the Multinational Gas Natural (Ex Unión Eléctrica FENOSA). These compromises were taken in occasion of the meeting carried out at that Ministry and ratified by the company in December 2009, and had as a main objective to enable the solution to the labour conflict generated inside Electricaribe, company of the group Gas Natural due to the lack of recognition of Conventional Pensions, new contracting, and labour relationships, wage increase, etc, all of which had been denounced by the union before the ILO. However, the company launched a Voluntary Retirement Plan aimed at workers covered by the Collective Agreement and affiliated to the Union, which indicates a clear aggression to the workers and their union. In the face of this situation, and should the company insist on this position, SINTRAELECOL will declare the nullity of the facilitation stage and will request its position to be officialised before the Special Commission for the Handling of Conflicts of the ILO/SCHCILO.

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org

UNI americas Mission to Trinidad and Tobago

Raul Requena, Regional Secretary, carried out a Mission to Trinidad and Tobago from March 21^st to 24^th, and in this occasion he visited the headquarters of the Support Centre of UNI Americas for the Caribbean. During his stay, the arrangements for the extension of the presence of the Support Centre in Trinidad and Tobago were arranged. In the same process, the permanency of Joanne de Freitas as the Coordinator in the Caribbean Area was confirmed, in order to facilitate UNI operations, promote its objectives to reach the goals as well as providing service to the Caribbean affiliates. As a part of the agenda of the Mission, several meetings were held between three local affiliates and the Regional Secretary. Others were celebrated with Trinitarian representatives of key Multinational Companies from the finance sector operating in the Caribbean, in which, as an initiative of the Regional Secretary, issues referred to Global Agreements and cooperation were given treatment. The Mission also paid a brief visit to the Labour Court of Trinidad and Tobago, in which the Judge, an ex General Secretary of the finance sector, held a meeting with a delegation of UNI.

Contact: joanne.defreitas@uniglobalunion.org



Demonstration carried out by Argentine Graphic Workers.

As it had been arranged, on March 18^th, a Plenary of General Secretaries of Union Subsidiaries was carried out at FATIDA’s headquarters in the City of Buenos Aires, summoned to inform on the development of negotiations with the Journalistic-Graphic sector ascribed to the Association of Provincial Journals of the Argentine Republic, and the unbroken negative from their part to recognise the clause in the 79 article of the Collective agreement of the sector (automatic wage indexation according to minimum living wage). The meeting was celebrated with the presence of 25 of the 28 Subsidiaries integrating the Graphic Unions of the provinces affiliated to FATIDA, to discuss the wage negotiation and the agreement, apart from granting salary increases for the period 2010. That same day, in the afternoon, an audience would be held at the National Ministry of Labour, opportunity in which the employers would present their proposals, so the Plenary decided to mobilise to the Ministry’s Headquarters to offer their support with its massive presence to the colleagues who would discuss the issue. When the audience was resumed, the employer’s representatives, adopting a dilatory attitude, declared that they had not been able to consult all the necessary points to improve the proposal, as a result of this, the workers remain in a state of alert and awaiting for their requests to be favourably resolved.

Source: FATIDA www.fatida.com



Unions and FNV reinforce work in Peru

On March 24^th, 25^th and 26^th 2010, union, social organisations and NGOs, held a meeting in Lima to set the first guidelines of the conformation of a Country Program for Peru. The event was carried out with the sponsorship and active participation of the FNV-Moondial under the coordination of Samuel Machacuay, consultant of this international organisation. The first draft of the document depicts the vision and mission of the Country Program., apart from establishing two big areas: Dignified Work and Organisational Development. For each of the results activities, objectives and impacts were established. The participants agreed to meet again in March 3^rd and 4^th 2010 to approve the final document and to launch the Country Program in Peru.

Contact: marvin.largaespada@uniglobalunion.org



UNI Women’s World Committee: on the way to Nagasaki

On March 17^th and 18^th 2010, UNI’s World Women’s Committee held a meeting in Madrid, Spain. This meeting was the last one before the 3^rd UNI’s World Women’s Conference which will take place in Nagasaki on November 6^th and 7^th. The Committee debated on the motions of the agenda and the activities of this event. The Committee Meeting was celebrated in a framework of intense work and a very pleasant group atmosphere. See you in Nagasaki!

Contact: briceida.gonzalez@uniglobalunion.org



UNI americas and the Argentininan Government Sign a Cooperation Agreement

UNI Americas Young Worker’s Network invites everyone who wants to participate in the event and signature of the Collaboration Framework Agreement which will be celebrated between the National Secretary’s Office of Environment and Sustainable Development and UNI Global Union. The activity will take place on April 8^th 2010 at 6pm at the Conference Hall of the Argentine Unique Federation of Commercial Travellers, FUVA, at the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, and will count with the presence of the Regional Secretary of UNI Americas, colleague Raul Requena and the President of UNI Americas colleague Ruben Cortina. General Secretaries of unions affiliated to UNI will also participate as well as the Argentine Network of the UNI Americas Young Worker’s Group. In the framework of the agreements of the Bicentennial Celebration, we hope to count with the presence of the Chief of Cabinet of Ministers, Dr. Anibal Fernández, and the National Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Insurance, Dr. Carlos Tomada.

Source: Argentine UNI americas Young Worker’s Network.



Financial Crisis: European Parliament’s Resolution

Last week on Thursday the European Parliament adopted a resolution “requesting for an international tax to be applied on financial transactions”. The request is included in a long resolution on “the effects of the financial and economic crisis in the developing countries and in the cooperation for development” The complete text of the resolution can be read in the European Parliament’s web site.



Aleara’s Electronic Bulletin

We are very pleased to present the UNI Americas Gaming Electronic Bulleting in charge of Aleara. We deliver our readers the link of this publication entitled “News”, corresponding to March 2010, which you can enter by clicking on the headline of this article.

Contact: Aleara Argentina soledad.gibelli@aleara.com.ar



Contribution

We thank our reader for sending their comments, suggestions and collaboration to the editorship of americas info, through E-mail mario.sanchez@uniglobalunion.org; Fax (507) 317-0170, and/or by mail, to Apartado Postal 0819-06290, El Dorado, Panamá, República de Panamá.