News From USW: Global DuPont Trade Union Network Launched

BRUSSELS, Belgium--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2006--News From USW: Trade unionists from eight countries, gathering today in Brussels, Belgium, established the ICEM Global Union Network of DuPont workers.

Linking workers employed by DuPont (NYSE:DD) anywhere in the world, this new global trade union network aims to establish efficient co-operation and practical international solidarity between the different trade unions that represent DuPont's workforce in their respective countries. Its main ambitions are the exchange of information and company strategies, useful for collective bargaining, as well as the planning of joint action where necessary.

The unions at this inaugural meeting represent workers from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.

Set up under the auspices of the ICEM, the network will be administered by the United Steelworkers (USW), ICEM largest affiliate in the United States. The network is the ICEM's ninth global company network. ICEM Global Company Networks link, on a worldwide basis, workers and their representatives working for the same multinational company.

DuPont, a key player in the global chemistry industry, employs around 60.000 people world-wide, the majority of which are in the United States. The company is based in Wilmington, Del., US, and operates in over 70 countries. DuPont has a long standing history of industrial problems in the United States, where it continues to bitterly fight against trade union representation.

The first meeting of the Global Union Network of DuPont workers adopted a resolution to guide its work. You can find the resolution here: http://www.icem.org .

In the resolution, a number of key problems are mentioned. These include:

-- the outsourcing of DuPont's human resource functions

-- the growing concern about worker and community exposure to PFOA (C8) from Teflon-related chemicals

-- the lack of full company reporting of accidents

-- company support of union-busting in the United States

-- the lack of a business strategy in Europe regarding DuPont's performance coating business

"After this successful start of the network, we trust that we will be able to reach the vast majority of all DuPont's workers world-wide through the participation from trade unions in all parts of the world," said Michael Wolters, ICEM Chemical and Rubber Industry Officer. "It is only by working together globally that we can match the worldwide operations of multinational companies."

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