THE MEETING that was held on October 7, 1999, at the headquarters of the FNCB CFDT in Paris, between Joe Drexler, representing PACE, Peter Schmitt, representing ICEM, Josette Méhat, representing the FNCB CFDT, and CFDT representatives to the Imerys France Group Committee permitted an open exchange and a genuine understanding of the situation with which the workers of E.C.C. and Georgia Marble are confronted.

The FNCB CFDT sends today, to the workers of E.C.C. and Georgia Marble (and tomorrow, throughout the Imerys group), its full support and commits itself, from today forward, to undertake such actions as are necessary in order to resume tomorrow the dialogue that existed before the merger with E.C.C., between the workers of Georgia Marble and the management of Imetal (the company that adopted the name Imerys on September 22, 1999).

It was agreed that the representatives of the CFDT will intervene through the Group Committee of Imerys, which meets at the start of November in Paris, in order to question management on its established practices in the United States and to inform the entire workforce at French facilities, by handbilling and postering.

It was decided that, faced with the unacceptable situation of a company that recognizes the union in France and fights the union in the U.S.A., the FNCB CFDT will mobilize its union teams, in order to compel the management of the company to immediately ease its clearly anti-union and anti-democratic actions.

Please accept brothers and sisters of PACE, workers of E.C.C. and Georgia Marble, our expressions of labor solidarity.

CFDT Representatives
Group Committee
Imerys France