'Labour Start' Holds Global Solidarity Conference on July 9-11
Participants from more than 50 countries will hear first-hand reports about the struggles of working people around the world at the July 9-11  conference at the  McMaster University’s School of Labor Studies in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The conference is sponsored by Labor Start, the global online labor news service, to promote international labor solidarity.

With the support of its 800 volunteer correspondents across the globe, Labour Start daily publishes links to  hundreds of labor stories in 23 languages. Working closely with national and global union federations, Labour Start  spearheads action campaigns in multiple languages. It has promoted use of new media through its labor web site photo and video of the year contests.

Eric Lee, the founder of Labour Start, says: “ The conference represents a major step forward for Labour Start in particular and for international labor networking in general. We’ve gone beyond the format of the small invitation-only event and are holding an event that is utterly unique, one that includes rank-and-file activists, trade union staffers and senior elected union officers from all over the world.  It promises to be an exciting and important event.”

Steelworkers Ratify 5-Year Agreement with Vale after Long Strike
After a year-long, bitter strike against  the Vale mining company, the second largest in the world, the United Steelworkers  in Canada reached a 5-year agreement with the Brazilian-based company. USW Local 6500 members in Sudbury voted 75 percent in favor of the contract, while Local 6200 members in Port Colborne ratified  the deal by a 74 percent margin.

Under the terms of the agreement, hourly wages will increase  by $2.25 to $2.50 during the life of the contract. There were also improvements in  the Defined Benefit Pension Plan. The negotiators included the nickel bonus program that will allow employees to earn up to $15,000 annually in addition to their regular earnings.

“Our members have spoken and I believe everyone respects the decisions they have made in extremely difficult circumstances,” said Wayne Fraser, the USW’s District Director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Local 6200 President Wayne  Rae  added: “We congratulate our members for the determination, spirit and solidarity they demonstrated over the last year in their unprecedented struggle against this huge multinational corporation.”

Italian Journalists Strike over Berlusconi Law
Most Italian newspapers and news bulletins closed  down for the day as journalists went on strike over government plans to restrict reporting based on material gained from police wiretaps.  The issue has galvanized opposition to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at a time when he faces a split in  his center-right coalition and a fight to pass a 25 billion euro austerity package aimed at shoring up Italy’s strained public finances.

The government says the wiretap law is needed to protect the privacy of individuals from arbitrary investigation, but critics say it will hamper both the fight against organized crime and weaken reporting on corruption. The bill, due to be voted on in parliament July 29, would tighten conditions under which magistrates can order a wiretap and ban newspapers from using transcripts until preliminary investigations are complete, something which can take years.

FNSI, the main Italian journalists’ union, said the legislation would “severely limit the right of citizens to know how investigations were proceeding, imposing serious limitations on the free circulation of information.” The wiretap issue has sparked widespread protests and deepened the open animosity between Prime Minister Berlusconi and his nominal ally, Gianfranco  Fini, Speaker of the lower House.

Indonesia’s Replica Jersey Workers Want A Pay Raise
The jerseys worn by Dutch fans at the Sunday, July 11 final, in Johannesburg, will be orange, but Spain’s red may better describe the feelings of  replica soccer kit  workers trying to raise wages in Indonesian factories. The workers in a garment factory near  the capital, Jakarta,  are making the Dutch, English and Australian replica shirts and ties for only $5 a day. Labor activists are trying to double their wages,

Nike, Inc. has contracted production of some of its World Cup jerseys to Jakarta garment manufacturer PT Tuntex. That is where  factory workers earn the basic wage of 1.1 million  repiah ($121,50) a month. They work eight- or nine-hour shifts, six days a week

In a press statement, Nike  said it was committed to working with factories that provide a “fair environment.”  It said: “Nike believes that local wage settings is best done by negotiations between workers, labor representatives, employers and the government.”

Organizing Electrolux Workers in Thailand
Officials of IF Metall and the President of the Electrolux Union in Sweden have met with TEAM,  a Thai affiliate of the International Metal Workers’ Federation, on a mission to assist in organizing Electrolux plants in Rayong, Thailand. Mission members have met the top management of two  Electrolux companies and expressed their need to organize the plants under TEAM.

The workers’ representatives were said to be receptive to the idea of forming a union. Ulf Carlson, the Swedish Electrolux union president,  said the company in Sweden was highly unionized. He also emphasized that  relations between the union and the company were “positive.”

IF Metall International Secretary Erik Andersson emphasized that “IF Metall will actively engage in organizing Swedish companies around the world, and this is definitely going to be a big challenge for the union." International Metal Workers’ Federation represents the collective interests of 25 million metal workers from  more than 200 unions in 100 countries.

Striking Banana Workers in Panama  Hold Four Police as Hostages
The banana workers of Panama continued their strike on July 9, while still holding four police as hostages in the western province of Bocas del Toro.  One of the policemen was shot in the arm and another was  hit in the leg, according to a government  spokesman.

 The strikers want to exchange the four policemen for the workers detained last Thursday in a clash with the police, when one person was killed  and 100 were injured. About 4,000 banana workers and 3,000 independent producers staged the strike  for higher salaries and for their dissatisfaction with some restrictive laws.

A local government official estimated that losses, because of the strikes and rioting, could reach $5 million for this sector of the economy. More than 300,000 boxes of bananas had not been exported, and heavy losses had been sustained by many companies and stores. The government has issued a curfew from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., local time, in an effort to quell the violence and looting.