Industrial Gases Conference

1. Industrial Gases Conference Blankenberge, 14-15 December 2005 Michael Wolters, ICEM Industry Officer

2. Industrial Gases Companies Company structure of the big players Global industrial gases business 2004 Workers representatives rights in the EU EWC-Communication model : LINDE Building a network for trade unionists

3. 1. L‘Air Liquide S.A. Headquarter:75, Quai d‘Orsay, 75007 Paris, France Sales (2004): US$ 12.789 billion - Ind. Gas. 88 % - Welding 5 % - Engineering 3 % - Other 4 % Employees: 35,900 (+ 12%) Operations in more than 70 countries Net income: US$ 1.0605 billion Net profit: 8.3 % One year sales growth: 21.4 % One year income growth: 16.4 % Return on Equity: 14.5 %

4. 2. Praxair Inc. • Headquarter: 39 Old Rigdebury Road, Danbury, CT, 06810-5113, United States • Sales (2004): US$ 6.594 billionGases 93 % Surfaces technologies 7 % • Employees: 27,020 (+6,2%) • Operations in 40 countries • Net income: US$ 697 million • Net profit: 10.6 % • One year sales growth: 17.5 % • One year income growth: 19.1 % • Return on Equity:19.3 %

5. Headquarter:Abraham-Lincoln-Strasse 21, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany Sales (2004): US$ 12.8502 billion Gas & Engineering 57 % Material Handling 36 % Employees: 41,383 (+11.3 %) Operations in 35 countries Net income: US$373.7 million Net profit: 2.9 % One year sales growth: 13.9 % One year income growth: 75.7 % Return on Equity: 6.8 % 3. Linde AG

6. 4. Air Products and Chemicals Inc. • Headquarter: 7201 Hamilton Boulevard, Allentown, PA 18195-1501, USA • Sales(9/2005): US$8.144 billion Ind. Gases 72 % Chemicals 23 % Equipment 5 % • Employees: 19,900 (+7,6 %) • Operations in over 30 countries • Net income: US$711.7 million • Net profit: 8.7 % • One year sales growth: 9.9 % • One year income growth: 17.8 % • Return on Equity: 15.6 %

7. Headquarter: Chertsey Road, Windlesham GU20 6HJ, UK Sales (9/2005): US$8.116 billion incl. BOCEdwards, Gist, Afrox Employees: 43,383 (+2.5 %) Operations in more than 50 countries Net income: US$478.4 million Net profit: 6.8 % One year sales growth: 13.9 % One year income growth: 31.3 % Return on Equity: 15.8 % 5. The BOC Group plc

8. 2004 Sales were 12.5 % over those of 2003 Consultants are anticipating a global growth of around 7 % in 2005 External reasons for the growth: Demand pull from China (steel and petrochemical sector) Weak US$, especially for American based companies Acquisitions, e.g. Messer Group Higher natural gas prices Despite the many external effects, there will be a strong growth in the industrial gases business during 2005 and 2006 The 7 major industrial gases companies have about 75 % of the market - the rest is being served by 4,000 to 5,000 smaller companies Global Gases Business 2004

9. In Europe: New hydrogen projects New ASU capacity Growth in medical homecare Strong growth in the steel, chemical and petrochemical sector; (evident shift of operations to Eastern Europe or Asia) Fast growth in glass, pulp & paper and food sector Xenon as an anaesthetic Worldwide: Several major projects in the Middle East and in Asia (China) Construction and main building in Europe. Demand on gas-to-liquids projects (GTL) Increasing demand on oxygen and hydrogen Forecast for the next 5 years

10. Workers rights in Europe – a comparison Source: ETUCO

11. Workers rights in Europe – a comparison

12. Workers rights in Europe – a comparison

13. Workers rights in Europe – a comparison

14. Trade unions and workers reps in Europe

15. Trade unions and workers reps in Europe red = trade union repsblue= workers reps

16. Trade unions and workers reps in Europe

17. Trade unions and workers reps in Europe

18. Trade unions and workers reps in Europe

19. Collective Bargaining in Europe http://education.etui-rehs.org/en/resources/ewc/workrepguide.cfm

20. EWC-Communication model : LINDE • EWC decided to improve its communication via a project. • Information about the different workers representatives rights • Information about the different labour and industrial relations • Collecting ideas, how to improve the communication between the countries

21. Use of Quickplace:platform for regularly information and standardised reports EWC Executive Committee:boost the dynamic of this progress Focus of EWC on specific issues:issues are collected throughout the whole year and then a few are selected, with the delegates having time to collect information for these topics Country reports:delegates agreed on a standard questionnaire for the country report and are prepared to send it out before or between the meetings EWC-Communication model : LINDE Flow of information between workers’ representatives at Linde Gas

22. Requirements for successful networks: A common social basic Trust – give and take Openness for new ideas Organisational and technical tools The social basic is not replaceable by technique! How a union network works

23. Start of a network: Use your internal structures Talk to someone else who may be interested Find real topics to work on in a network Invite to a start-up workshop Collect on the workshop topics all participants want to work on How a union network works

24. Successful networks are useful for each participant, even in a private way are motivating runs by the engagement of everybody are open for new ideas have the support of the trade unions How a union network works