Brussels, 16 February 2009 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC and the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) expressed their support today for a shareholder resolution filed at U.S. oil company Chevron. The resolution calls on the company to report on Chevron’s criteria for investment, continued operations in, or withdrawal from specific countries.

Chevron remains the only U.S. company with significant assets in Burma and is in part responsible for the transfer of millions of dollars in royalty payments to Burma’s military regime. It also funds a trade association which lobbies the U.S. federal government and Congress against the imposition of economic sanctions on Burma, despite the regime’s egregious abuse of human rights. Burma has been condemned on numerous occasions by the UN and by the ILO for many abuses, including the repression of trade unions and the ongoing use of forced labour.

The ITUC and ICEM are encouraging investors to support the resolution as a means of advancing the human rights of workers in Burma and, in the interests of shareholders, of protecting the reputation of the company in which they invest.

A similar resolution in 2008 gained significant support from investors. Since 2000, the global trade union movement, including ITUC and ICEM, has called on companies to divest from Burma.

The ICEM is a Global Union Federation representing 467 trade unions in 132 countries. http://www.icem.org

The ITUC represents 170 million workers in 312 affiliated national organisations from 157 countries. http://www.ituc-csi.org http://www.youtube.com/ITUCCSI