NASHVILLE, TENN.-IMERYS, the ceramics and construction materials multinational, has just given itself a new name and image. But it already risks seeing them tarnished by an international dispute over its anti-union stance in the USA.

In Brussels today, the American Imerys workers' union joined with Belgian unions and a global trade union federation in launching a world campaign to win full trade union rights throughout Imerys' operations.

The Belgian Frere family is a major investor in Imerys, and the unions insist the Frere group must intervene to ensure that Imerys' American plants immediately cease anti-union practices that are not tolerated in Europe.

Known until recently as Imetal, the company claims to be the world leader in refractory raw materials, paper pigments, white pigments and high-purity graphite.

The U.S. Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers union (PACE) is fighting Imerys's anti-union campaigns at its Georgia and Alabama plants. The restructuring that led to the formation of Imerys last year included the merger of unionized and non-unionized production plants in the USA. PACE now wants the chance to represent workers throughout the newly merged Imerys operation there, but the company has hired professional "union-busters" to discourage union organizing, and is blocking all attempts to plebiscite its workers on whether they wish to be represented by the union.

At the global level, PACE is affiliated to the 20-million-strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM).

ICEM Belgian affiliate, the Centrale Generale-FGTB/ Algemene Centrale-ABVV, also has declared its full support for the American trade unionists. At the Centrale Generale headquarters in Brussels today, the following statement was issued by Michel Nollet, president, Belgian General Labour Federation (FGTB/ABVV); Paul Lootens, general secretary of the Centrale Generale; Fred Higgs, ICEM general secretary; and Joe Drexler, special projects director of PACE:

[statement begins]

Keith Fulbright (at far right), Imerys worker and Union supporter, speaks at press conference in Brussels. Seated left to right are Fred Higgs, ICEM General Secretary, Michel Nolet of FGTB, and Paul Lootens of La Centrale Generale.

"The FGTB, Centrale Generale, ICEM and PACE condemn the continued refusal of the American management of Imerys to permit a free and fair determination of its U.S. employees' wishes concerning trade union representation.

"We note that PACE has charged Imerys with seven serious violations of U.S. labor law. The U.S. National Labor Relations Board currently is investigating the accusations, which could lead to prosecutions. In particular, PACE charges that the employer has threatened and harassed pro-union employees because of their activities, and that the company has financed and otherwise supported an anti-union campaign group known as the "A-team."

"We also note that Imerys has hired professional "union-busters" to advise it on methods of pressuring its employees to reject trade union representation. Methods employed by the company include meetings that employees are obliged to attend and where anti-union videos are screened. Among other things, these videos equate trade unionism with the mafia. Employees are not permitted to ask questions at these meetings.

"Twenty-three percent of the shares in Imerys are in the hands of the Frere group's financial holding company. It is wholly unacceptable that Belgian shareholders should support a company involved in anti-union practices.

"We call upon Imerys to agree, without further delay, to a "card-check" procedure in order to determine whether the majority of its U.S. work force wishes to be represented by PACE. If a majority does wish to be so represented, we call upon Imerys to recognize PACE for collective bargaining purposes immediately. We insist that Imerys management should maintain an attitude of neutrality throughout this procedure and during any subsequent union elections, and should not seek in any way to pressure or intimidate its employees concerning this matter.

"We further call upon the Frere family and their financial holding company to ensure that Imerys, in which they are major investors, fully respects human rights, including trade union rights, throughout its worldwide operations."

[end of statement]

Imerys is headquartered in France. Trade unions there have pledged full support for the campaign, as have unions in Britain, where Imerys has major manufacturing operations.

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A video about Imerys' union-busting campaign in the U.S. is available on request, as is the text of an ICEM interview with an American Imerys production worker.