Tenaris shareholders called to account for workers' health and safety

Tenaris Workers' World Council got a minute of silence onto the company's June 2 AGM agenda, in remembrance of the death of Argentinean worker Rodrigo Lopez Amarilla, while also demanding a separate meeting with management to discuss Tenaris' global health and safety policy.

LUXEMBOURG: The Tenaris Workers' World Council hand delivered a letter to a representative of the border of directors and participants in the Tenaris' shareholders meeting on June 2, asking them to join the Council in a minute of silence for Rodrigo Lopez Amarilla and all other Tenaris' workers that have died because of their jobs.

Armed with certification of share holding and copies of the Council's letter and flyer, a representative of the Tenaris Workers' World Council attended the Annual General Meeting on June 2, 2010 in Luxembourg.

Although not an agenda item and despite repeated attempts by the chair to interrupt, the representative explained that the Tenaris Workers' World Council is a network of the International Metalworkers' Federation, and is very concerned about health and safety across the company's operations.

"One of our colleagues has passed away, though his whole life was ahead of him. The IMF and the Tenaris Workers' World Council invites management to discuss its health and safety policy with the Council in a separate meeting, but here, as a point of order, asks to include in the agenda a moment of silence for Rodrigo Lopez Amarilla and all other workers of Tenaris who have died due to accidents that have occurred or illnesses contracted in their workplaces," said the representative, IMF's Hyewon Chong.

Rodrigo Lopez Amarilla, a worker of Tenaris in Campana, died on May 10, 2010 at the age of 24. He was found in a pool of blood with a head injury caused by machinery that was not properly fastened. Rodrigo had been on the job for only four months and was without adequate training for the difficult and dangerous job he was engaged in resulting in the accident that cost him his life.

The Tenaris Workers' World Council, which includes union representatives of Tenaris workers from six countries, is very concern about this death in Campana, Argentina and is seeking a meeting with the company to discuss the its policy on health and safety to see how these terrible situations can be avoided in the future.

Chong reports that the chair of the AGM, Tenaris Director Roberto Bonatti, agreed to the moment of silence, but at the end of the meeting stated his position that, "Tenaris negotiates with unions in different individual countries not other bodies."