 |
 |
 | |
| Home | Voice of Electricity workers | Press Release | Resolutions | Feedback | About Us | |||
JULY-SEPTEMBER, 2002VOL. 3
NO.3 ON 25TH May 2002, the International Energy and Mines Organisation (IEMO) held its executive Bureau meeting in London. Participants: A. Scargill, F. Duteil, A. Simon and J.P. Escoffier (IEMO), A. Ghanes (Mines- Algeria), B. Refaai(Mines-Egypt), D. Cohen, A. Barrier, S.Terrier(FNME-CGT, France), Swadesh Dev Roye (CITU- India), V. Kachkine (Nuclear-Russia). Guests : L. Zitouni (OASMMECA), M. Clerc (“Right to Energy”), S. Bischler (OFS- Norway). Apologies : Algeria (Oil), Benin, Libya (Oil), Ukraine (Mines). IEMO General Secretary, Alain Simon, presented his report. The main outlines are as follows. Firstly, this event was an occasion for paying tribute to the struggle of the British miners with their union, the NUM, against liberalisation and the privatisation of the local industry, that was orchestrated by Margaret Thatcher in 1984-85. Today, it is important to recall, that in order to conquer the world of work, Thatcher first had to break the NUM, which was the symbol of trade union struggle in Britain and the world. Many people at the time did not appreciate the extent of the attack against British miners and did not see that Thatcher was preparing a new kind of economy to multinationals with a weakened trade union movement- the scars are still visible today. Life itself has confirmed that the IEMO’s analysis at that time were correct- the real aim of the attack against British miners was to privatise their industry. The hard battle against the British miners had – and will continue to have – huge implications for the whole of the trade union movement in Britain and throughout the world. One of the consequences was the loss of members throughout the world trade union movement and another was the loss of credibility of national and international unions. This has enabled employers and financial oligarchies to impose liberalisation and globalization of the economy at world level. The IEMO Bureau also emphasised the historic role of the NUM in the founding of the IEMO, which came into being during the difficult period of the 1984-85 strike, which highlighted the need to unite the international miners and energy workers’ trade union movement in the face of employers’ unity. The IEMO Bureau paid tribute to the memory of deceased trade union leaders, who contributed in a remarkable way to the founding of our organisation: Augustin Dufresne of the French CGT Miners Union, Franck Cave of the British NUM, Fouad Darahem of the Egyptian Miners Union, Simon Antal of the Hungarian Miners Union and the and Manual Nevado Madrid of the Spanish CC.OO. Miners Union. The IEMO wished very best health and long life to IEMO pioneers, thereby saluting notably: Francois Duteil, then General Secretary of the French CGT Energy Workers Union and Denis Cohen, his deputy, Barry Swan from Australia, Madhukhar Pandhe from India, MikailSrebny from the USSR, Gunther Wolf from the GDR, Vladimir Polednik from Tchecoslovakia, Mohamed Bedreddine and abdelkader Ghanes from Algeria, Peter Heathfield, then General Secretary of the British NUM and of course, Arthur Scargill, President of the British NUM and Co-President of the IEMO. Thus, the IEMO, was the first international trade union organisation to bring together member organisations of the WFTU and the ICFTU and also ones without any international affiliation. It was also the first organisation that was independent of the two political blocks of the cold war. The IEMO Bureau also analysed unity of the international trade union movement in today’s economical and political context, in order to counter in the best possible way the damaging effects of liberalism, full privatisation and globalization, which is not the kind that the world of work wants. The Bureau agreed to hold the next IEMO Congress in India in November 2002. This congress will provide an opportunity for having a major debate on the international economic, political and industrial and social situation and for taking stock of events in recent years. The world has changed a lot, but not necessarily in line with the interests of workers in our sectors – energy is still a major issue for multinationals and developed countries. The privatisation of this sector remains one of the priorities of international institutions that are subjected to pressures from big financial and energy lobbies. Energy is one of the essential elements in North-South relations. 11 September 2001 radically changed the world situation and enabled the United States to hit the most disadvantaged peoples with complete impunity. The North consumes a lot of energy and considers that its needs are going to increase. The South has big oil and gas reserves and want their energy raw materials to have a fair price- the price they get today is far from one that would make real development possible. This therefore leads to regular tensions around these producer countries. With the above problem in mind, the Bureau unanimously adopted the following resolution: “The International Energy and Mines Organisation Executive Bureau Meeting in London 25 May 2002 records concern at the increasing growth and influence of trans-national companies (TNCs), the market economy and global capitalism. In particular at a time when every human being has a right to energy, we condemn the increasing concentration of energy into a small number of trans-national energy companies – a policy which leaves the majority of the world’s population without energy or with insufficient energy. The IEMO not only reaffirms the need for an integrated energy policy but demands the right of all workers for basic human and trade union rights. In particular we demand: 1. The right to work and an end to unemployment. 2. A right to energy for every human being on this planet. 3. The right to decent affordable housing for all working men and women. 4. The right to establish and maintain free and independent trade unions- free from interference by governments or TNCs with trade unions which have the unfettered right to strike in furtherance of their terms and conditions and their standard of life. 5. An end to inequality and injustice- particularly in the under developed world and the writing off of third world debt. The IEMO expresses its concern that we live in a world which is continually being threatened by war. We condemn the United States of America and its NATO allies for its unlawful threats against independent nations such as Iraq, Iran, Korea and Cuba, and call for an immediate cessation of the bombing of Iraq. The IEMO unequivocally condemns the State of Israel for its continued unlawful fascist occupation of lands which belong to the people of Palestine and demand an immediate withdrawal in line with United Nations’ Resolutions from all the territories illegally occupied by Israel since 1967. The IEMO views with deep concern the deteriorating situation in the Indian sub continent and call upon all concerned to condemn acts of terrorism, at the same time call upon both India and Pakistan to negotiate a peaceful solution to the area of disagreement, particularly in the area of in and around Kashmir. The IEMO condemns the continued occupation by Turkey of the North of Cyprus and calls for an immediate withdrawal and the restoration to the people of Cyprus of self determination. The IEMO expresses concern at the growth of fascism and the Far Right and re-affirms its total opposition to racism and fascism in all its forms. We will do everything and anything to combat racism or fascism wherever and whenever it raises its ugly head. The IEMO re-affirms its commitment to assist energy, mining and chemical unions and their members involved in struggle and assure all workers that we will continue to support them in struggle anywhere in the world. As a first step towards a unified international organisation for energy, mining and chemical workers, we call on all IEMO affiliated unions to attend our congress in India on 15/16/17 November 2002. We also extend a cordial invitation to all other energy, mining and chemical unions to attend our Congress in the capacity of observers with a right to speak. It is in the spirit of co-operation and in the spirit of determination to put right centuries of injustice that we want to see the Congress in India be a spring board towards the restoration of trade union rights of workers which have seen them taken away, and to the implementation of trade union rights for workers who have never as yet enjoyed any such rights.” The IEMO Bureau ratified requests to join our organisation. The following are thus new IEMO members: ● Algeria : National Union Sonelgaz ●Armenia : Electricity and nuclear workers union,Electrosydicat. ●Democratic Congo: Mines and Energy Union, UTEA ●India: Electricity Employees Federation ●Jordan: Miners Union ●Jordan : General Union of Oil and Chemical Workers
|
| Copyright © 2002 - 2004 Electricity Employees Federation of India. All Rights Reserved. |
 |
