News

Regional Secretary: Rodolfo Benítez No. 58 – JUNE– 2008



VOTE OF CONFIDENCE OF UNI AND GLOBAL UNIONS TO FERNANDO LUGO

A significant number of trade union leaders and representatives from Europe , the Southern Cone, the TUCA, and UNI met with the new President of Paraguay, Mr. Fernando Lugo, on June 26 in the afternoon. The trade union delegation was headed by Víctor Báez Mosqueira and Rafael Freire, TUCA General Secretary and TUCA Secretary of Economic Policy, respectively. UNI was represented by Adriana Rosenzvaig, Head of the Graphical Sector, and Rodolfo Benítez, UNI-Americas Regional Secretary, who is currently the Coordinator of GUFs in the Americas . Also present were members of the ILO Office and leaders of national trade union centers of Paraguay . The union representatives expressed their huge expectations regarding President Lugo’s administration and, in particular, the role that the new government should take on in the defense of the rights of workers and their organizations, who have always been left aside from the political decisions that affect them and have been forced to put up with countless injustices and unprecedented violations in the region.

For more information, please contact: rodolfo.benitez@uniglobalunion.org



VENEZUELA : GRAPHICAL WORKERS UNITE UNDER ONE SINGLE FEDERATION

The new federation is called FEUTRAGRAPC (Federación Única de Trabajadores Gráficos, Papelera y Cartón y actividades conexas de Venezuela – Single Federation of Graphical, Paper, Cardboard, and Related Workers of Venezuela). The Federation was established on June 26 in Maracay , Venezuela , with over 190 delegates in attendance. Egle Sánchez was elected President of FEUTRAGRAPC, while Pablo Palacios and Simón Lugano were elected General Secretary and Treasurer, respectively.

Contact: marvin.largaespada@uniglobalunion.org



PANAMANIAN LABOR MINISTER VISITS UNI HEADQUARTERS

In response to an invitation made by the UNI General Secretary, the Minister of Labor and Labor Development of Panama, Lic. Edwin Salamín, visited UNI’s global headquarters on June 12. Mr. Salamín, who chaired the 2008 ILO Annual Conference, came accompanied by labor representatives Rafael Chavarría from Panama and Rojas Vilches from Costa Rica . Mr. Salamin’s visit took place a day after the President of Panama, Martín Torrijos Espino, addressed the ILO Conference. In his address, President Torrijos explained to the delegates that his government will continue to promote tripartism as labor-management negotiation approach, and he assured that he will continue to observe the ILO conventions throughout the country, promoting decent work at all levels and supporting the ILO as the single UN agency specialized in this field.

Contact: rodolfo.benitez@uniglobalunion.org



MEETING OF COMMERCE SECTOR UNIONS IN BUENOS AIRES

On May 27 and 28 of this year, the first of three Meetings of Commerce Sector unions scheduled for this year was held at FAECYS headquarters in Buenos Aires , Argentina . Commerce sector unions from Brazil , Chile , Paraguay , Uruguay and Argentina participated in this meeting. Among the speakers was a business representative of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce. The following topics were addressed: Social Dialogue in the Commerce Sector of the Southern Cone, Framework Agreement with CENCOSUD S.A, and Latin American multinational companies (multilatinas). The deliberations were chaired by UNI-Americas President Rubén Cortina. In the following meetings, the unions will delve into relations with the company, trade union coordination, and the study on the situation of CENCOSUD S.A.

Contact: Eduardo San Román FAECYS eduardosanroman@faecys.org.ar



MEETING WITH ELECTRICITY UNIONS OF CHILE AND BOLIVIA

Meetings with electricity sector unions were held on June 17 (Santiago - Chile) and June 20 (Santa Cruz de la Sierra – Bolivia). Present at these meetings were UNI-Americas President Rubén Cortina (only in Santiago) and UNI-Americas Regional Secretary Rodolfo Benítez along with the Regional Director of the Southern Cone Office and person responsible for the Electricity Sector, Fernando Mc Master. The discussion centered on the current situation of the sector, the achievements made through the UNI-LO/TCO 40059 Project, and the development of an Action Plan regarding the companies operating in the sector in this region.

For more information, please contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



GAMING SECTOR ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER

We are pleased to announce the official launching of the Gaming Sector Electronic Newsletter, a publication prepared by our Argentine affiliate ALEARA for the purpose of sharing news and information about developments in the countries of the region. UNI-Americas celebrates this initiative and gladly reproduces Issue 1 for June 2008.

Source: ALEARA, Contact: soledad.gibelli@aleara.com.ar



CHILE: ONGOING MOBILIZATIONS AGAINST SANTANDER BANK

Defying the law and the cold winter of Santiago, hundreds of workers, mostly women, mobilized actively outside the Bank for two weeks demanding an answer to the union’ list of demands. The union had asked for minimum standards, such as the right to a snack (food), a transportation allowance, and an increase of the base salary, which at present is shamefully US$120, less than the minimum wage paid in Chile. As usual, Santander executives are paying a deaf ear to the workers’ demands, which are supported by the leaders of the Bank Unions’ Confederation.

Source: CSTEBA confederacionbancaria@gmail.com



ARGENTINE YOUTH NETWORK IN THE WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOR

On June 12, the UNI-Americas Argentine Youth Network led by its President, brother Hernán Gómez, along with Márcio Monzane and Colin Medland, both UNI Youth officials, carried out a solidarity action in Moreno, in the Greater Buenos Aires area, to commemorate the World Day against Child Labor. The activity started at 10 a.m. at Father Eduardo Farrel’s parish church, where they distributed informational material about Child Labor and talked with the boys, girls, mothers and fathers present about the importance of educating children and the problem of Child Labor. Additionally, the UNI-Americas Argentine Youth Network made a significant donation of milk, food, school supplies and a refrigerator for the church’s soup kitchen.

Contact: marcio.monzane@uniglobalunion.org





PANAMA: PRE-CANDIDATE PROPOSES SERVICE NATIONALIZATION

Alberto Vallarino, the presidential pre-candidate of the Panamanian Party (PP), stated that the country’s electricity sector should be in the hands of the State in order to guarantee service supply at affordable prices to all Panamanians. He affirmed that the marketing model adopted by the multinational company Unión Eléctrica FENOSA goes against the interests of citizens since it has increased the prices of power supply. He also said that if he becomes president, one of his first measures will be to review the privatization process that led to the elimination of the former Institute of Hydraulic and Energy Resources (IRHE).

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



GRENADA’S GTAWU CELEBRATES ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Grenada Technical and Allied Workers Union, GTAWU, reached a historic milestone celebrating its 50th anniversary on May 25, 2008. In view of such an important event, the union scheduled numerous activities for this celebration, including parades, awards ceremonies and banquets to honor the founders of the union, namely: Derek Knight Q. C., First President; Willis Robinson, 94-year-old founding member; Wilfred Hayes, Fifth President; Hill Akie, Colin Fletcher and Lyle Stephenson (deceased). The Honorable Senator Chester Humphrey, GTAWU President General, welcomed the Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, Honorable Baldwin Spencer, and the 350 local and international guests that attended the 50th anniversary celebration. In his address, he effusively thanked UNI-Americas Regional Secretary Rodolfo Benítez for the donation of commemorative pins for this historic event.

Contact: joanne.defreitas@uniglobalunion.org



SINTETEL BRAZIL YOUTH SEMINAR

On June 7, the union held this seminar to introduce the activities of its Youth Department, clearly showing its open-mindedness to youth participation in the telecommunications sector. About 30 workers, of whom 50% were women, attended the seminar. They adopted a song by the famous Raúl Seixas that goes “A dream dreamt alone is just a dream, but a dream dreamt together is a reality.” The song draws the attention of telecommunications workers to the need to fight more vigorously and more united for their rights, eliminating differences between men and women.

Contact: cenise.monteiro@uniglobalunion.org



MASS PROTEST OF BANEFE WORKERS IN CHILE

Hundreds of workers along with employees and union leaders of other banks marched along the streets of downtown Santiago to communicate to passers-by the reasons for their demonstration. The President of the Federation of Unions of the Santander Group, Claudio Nicoli, explained that “all the company employees, with no exception, are supporting our brothers and sisters in their fair claims; they are asking for a 2 million peso bonus (US$ 4,000) for all workers, which accounts for only a minimum share of the industry’s astronomical profits.”

Source: CSTEBA confederacionbancaria@gmail.com



NICARAGUA: AMERICA MÓVIL OPERATORS DISMISS TRADE UNION LEADERS

The Enrique Schmidt Cuadra Federation, FESC, denounces the repressive and anti-union actions of the transnational company América Móvil, owner of ENITEL and CORRELASA, which dismissed trade unionists for exercising their constitutional right to form a union. The Federation expresses its most unconditional solidarity towards dismissed workers and announces that it will support all actions until the colleagues affected by this intimidating decision are reinstated in their jobs.

Contact: cenise.monteiro@uniglobalunion.org



GUATEMALA: 33 LAYOFFS AT INSTALCOBRA

Cobra S.A. – InstalCobra, the Spanish-owned service and installation company, has announced the layoff of 33 workers. The company provides meter reading, bill distribution, installation and equipment repair services to Empresa Distribuidora de Electricidad de Occidente S.A.— a company controlled by the multinational Unión Eléctrica FENOSA. The reason for the layoffs, the company said, was the shrinking of its operations. However, the workers believe that the reason was that last February they set up a committee and tried to create a union. The committee made a submission to the relevant authorities regarding the company’s failure to maintain good labor relations, violating ILO Convention 87 on freedom of association.

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



MARCH FOR LIFE, PEACE AND FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

On June 10, in Cali, Colombia, the Colombian labor movement set off on a march in several cities and regions of the country in an attempt to position the defense of life, peace and freedom of association nationally and internationally. Positioning these issues at the international level is a vital need for the Colombian people, which is trying to put a stop to the escalation of assassinations of trade union, social, political, intellectual, and artistic leaders, and to fulfill its social and political duties.

See movie of the rally

Contact: Ramiro Arroyave, President of UNEB Colombia ramiroarro@yahoo.com



PROTOCOL OF UNDERSTANDING: GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA – UNION FENOSA

The Nicaraguan government and the Spanish transnational company Unión Eléctrica FENOSA have signed a Protocol of Understanding that formalizes the transfer of 16% of the Managua subsidiary’s stock to the State. The agreement provides for the transfer of 16% of the shares of Unión Eléctrica FENOSA to the Nicaraguan State in exchange for the cancellation of a US$10.2 million debt that the company has with the public sector.

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



NATIONALIZATION OF GAS AND ELECTRICITY COMPANIES

The National Government is persistently encouraging national groups to take over energy sector companies that are currently managed by foreign companies or foreign investment funds. The boost to local capital infusion into privatized companies dates back to 2003-2004, to the first few transactions that allowed the Werthein Group to come into Telecom (48%) and the Dolphin Fund into Transener (50%) and Edenor (65%). In mid 2007, the remaining 50% interest in Transener was bought by Electroingeniería and the state-owned company ENARSA. Another point of reference is the entry of the Eskenazi group (25%) into YPF. The Government encourages the entry of national businesspeople into the gas companies Metrogas, TGS and Gas Natural BAN.

Contact: fernando.mcmaster@uniglobalunion.org



UNION REPORTS “CLOSURE” MOVES IN G4S PANAMÁ

The leaders of the National Union of Security Agency Workers (UNTAS), which represents the largest number of workers of G4S, S.A. (surveillance) and G4S Valores, S.A. (cash-in-transit)—both Panamanian subsidiaries of the English multinational Group4 Securicor—, continue to report moves by these companies ultimately aimed at ignoring the labor rights of their employees and weakening their trade union organization. G4S management has eliminated several job positions, in some cases paying the workers that have been in these positions for years off, and terminated the respective service agreements with its customers with no explanation.

Contact: alberto.barrow@uniglobalunion.org



CONTRIBUTIONS

We encourage our readers to send their comments, suggestions and contributions to the editor of UNI-Info via email mario.sanchez@uniglobalunion.org, by fax ++ (507) 317-0170, and by post to Apartado Postal 0819-06290, Panama, Republic of Panama.