Bangladesh ratifies key ILO Conventions on safety and gender equality following long union campaign

More than a decade after the Rana Plaza tragedy in 2013, unions in Bangladesh and the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council have continued to push for comprehensive reforms to make workplaces safe and to hold employers and brands accountable. IndustriALL and its Bangladeshi affiliates have worked to strengthen the country’s labour inspection system, update OSH legislation and advocate for the ratification of ILO Conventions 155, 187 and 190.

“This achievement belongs to the workers who have demanded safety and dignity for years. Now the challenge is to make sure these conventions are implemented so that every woman and every worker can work without fear,”

says Nazma Akhter, IndsutriAILL Executive Committee member and president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation (SGSF).

Following the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety in 2013, IndustriALL, UNI Global Union and global brands established the Bangladesh Accord the same year and the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Sustainability Council (RSC) in 2020. The RSC has continued the work of the Accord, ensuring that factory safety remains a legally binding obligation and that workers can report safety concerns through an independent complaints mechanism.

Gender-based violence and harassment: building respect and equality

With women making up the majority of the garment workforce, unions have fought to make workplaces free from abuse and discrimination. Together with affiliates, IndustriALL has promoted the creation of anti-harassment committees, gender-sensitive grievance procedures and training for workers and supervisors. Global framework agreements with major brands like H&M and Inditex have reinforced these commitments and strengthened accountability across supplier factories.

“Ratification must be followed by action. We will continue to monitor progress and ensure these international standards bring real improvements to workers’ lives,”

says Babul Akhter, general secretary of the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council.

During a visit to Bangladesh in May 2025, IndustriALL representatives met with affiliates and senior government officials, including the Labour and Employment Adviser and the Chief Adviser’s Special Envoy for International Affairs. The delegation called for effective implementation of labour reforms, improved OSH standards and decent wages for all workers.

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary, says:

“These ratifications are the result of persistent campaigning by trade unions and the solidarity of workers in Bangladesh and worldwide. Binding commitments, strong unions and social dialogue are what drive real change.”

Photo: May Day celebrations, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2025

IndustriALL demands accountability for attack on PGFTU headquarters

Israeli occupation forces raided and vandalized the PGFTU headquarters in Nablus, smashing offices, breaking doors, and destroying electronic equipment across key departments, including the general secretariat, legal affairs and services. The building was reportedly turned into a military interrogation centre.

The assault breaches ILO Convention 98, which guarantees the right to organize and engage in collective bargaining, rights that Israel, as a signatory, is obligated to uphold. It represents a deliberate attempt to paralyze union work and intimidate members, and a gross violation of international labour standards and human rights.

Says IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Atle Høie:

"IndustriALL Global Union stands in full solidarity with the PGFTU and all Palestinian workers in the face of a grave and unprecedented assault on trade union and human rights. We demand an immediate end to all attacks on Palestinian trade unions and workers, and full accountability for those responsible.
“The international community must intensify pressure on Israel to comply with international law and uphold human and trade union rights. In the face of brutal repression and occupation, we stand firmly with the PGFTU and the Palestinian workers it represents.”

Photo credit: PGFTU

Fire in Bangladesh’s garment factory claims 16 lives

On 14 October, a deadly fire engulfed a garment factory and chemical warehouse in Dhaka’s Mirpur area, claiming lives of sixteen workers and injuring several others. It took almost 27 hours for the rescue effort to put out the fire. According to news reports, the victims could not escape from toxic fumes as the roof door was locked, indicating serious lapses in fire safety measures.

Since the Rana Plaza tragedy, in 2013, several steps have been implemented under the leadership of global and national trade unions to improve building safety standards in RMG industry in Bangladesh. This included the establishing of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh in 2013 to implement health and safety inspections and remediation monitoring, safety training and safety complaints handling functions.

According to the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, the affected establishments are not covered by the inspections and remediation program implemented by the RMG Sustainability Council in Bangladesh. RSC, which is a national tripartite body carrying forward the workplace safety programmes of the Accord in Bangladesh and is closely monitoring the situation, has also confirmed that the factory involved in this incident does not fall under the purview of the RSC’s safety oversight programme.

Expressing condolences to the victims and their families, IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie says:

“The fire incident in Mirpur is a clear reminder of how workers’ safety remains at risk in Bangladesh’s RMG factories which fall outside of any regulatory, monitoring or inspection mechanisms. This underscores the importance of legally binding instruments, like the Accord and RSC, to ensure worker health and safety in the textile and garment industry. We need more garment brands to enter these agreements to strengthen safety standards and commit to protecting every worker.”

The second fire incident occurred on 16 October in a garment factory named Adams Caps and Textile Limited in Chattogram Export Processing Zone. According to media reports, no casualties have been reported so far. Fire Alarms went off when the fire broke out, allowing workers to safely leave the building.

Corporate research essential to confront global capital in South East Asia

The session, held on 9 October, addressed one of the key challenges in worker organizing and trade union campaigns—opaque corporate information. Without access to reliable financial data, unions face significant obstacles in effective collective bargaining.

In the training, trade unionists learned systematic strategic corporate research skills, such as understanding different legal entities of companies and related stakeholders, online available investigation tools, and building basic supply chain maps and trace links of each process.

The participants also learned how to use the Open Supply Hub to access corporate information such as production facilities, suppliers and customers. Basic analysis of financial statements, annual reports and investor relations webpages were done.

Misa Norigami, corporate research of the Center for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), said:

“Supply chain and corporate research can be very complex, especially when it comes to identifying the layers of actors and structures involved. Therefore, any investigations should be strategic. We need greater corporate transparency and better data access for people and unions. This is also why SOMO has a pro bono helpdesk, called The Counter, which unions are welcome to contact when they encounter difficulties during their investigations.”

At the end of meeting, the trade unionists agreed that more cooperation between trade unionists and corporate researchers is needed to map the supply chain of multinational companies and track the movement of products and services.

IndustriALL South East Asia regional secretary, Ramon Certeza, said:

“Corporate research is a critical skill that is much needed to build union power against growing corporate influence. Without sufficient information we cannot do proper strategic organizing plan and formulate organizing strategy. At the same time, we must leverage international standards and legal instruments to protect workers' rights.”

Taming the Congolese paradox in the battery supply chain

The Congolese paradox has resulted in one of the world’s lowest GDP per capita figures despite mineral exports worth billions annually, with over 70 per cent of the population living below the poverty line and millions displaced by violence in the resource-rich eastern provinces.

More than 120 participants from trade unions affiliated to IndustriALL, artisanal small-scale mining co-operatives, non-governmental organizations and community groups gathered at a conference in Kolwezi on 9 October to plot a collaborative assault on human and workers’ rights violations in the DRC’s critical raw materials supply chain.

The DRC is a treasure trove of battery essentials: copper, cobalt, tantalum, lithium and more, all destined for electric vehicles. These are extracted by multinational corporations such as Glencore’s Kamoto Copper Company and Mutanda mine and China Molybdenum’s Tenke Fungurume Mining, alongside artisanal miners that produce 30 per cent of the country’s cobalt.

The conference urged the creation of a forum for engagement on these minerals, intensified trade-union organizing, the formalization of artisanal mining, sustained discussions with multinationals and tripartite dialogue with the government to align interests along the battery supply chain.

Spotlight fell on an IndustriALL study, “Exploring the DRC cobalt value chain: challenges, opportunities and stakeholder engagement,” presented by Theodore Kamwimbi of the Centre for Transformative Regulation of Work at the University of the Western Cape. It dissected mining operations and workers’ rights at Kamoto, Metalkor RTR, the Lualaba Copper Smelter and Sicomines. Subcontractors at Kamoto flouted labour laws, sparking strikes; bribery of inspectors has surfaced at the smelter; Sicomines unions have walked out over bargaining woes and Metalkor has conducted unfair dismissals. The report noted a dip in child labour but bemoaned weak enforcement of labour laws.

Antoine Kasongo, Fair Cobalt Alliance, country director said:

“More needs to be done to combat human rights violations and non-compliance with national and international standards for the benefit of the artisanal mining community.”

He called for awareness campaigns and training on health, safety, eradicating child labour and local industrialization.

Davidzo Muchawaya, labour-sector lead at the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), unpacked the IRMA standard’s nuts and bolts and the audit underway at Tenke Fungurume — the first by IRMA of a Chinese multinational.

“Supply chains span the globe these days,” reflected Constantin Grund, FES country director for the DRC, “but for the manual labourer at the beginning of the supply chain, nothing really changes, even though entire product lines could not be manufactured without them. We need fairness for everyone involved in the manufacturing of a product, especially those blue-collar workers who shed sweat and tears.”

Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL director for mining and diamonds concurred:

“Key players must form alliances over the critical raw materials supply chain to safeguard workers’ rights, hold multinationals to account and secure remedies for communities and workers when violations occur.”

Ukrainian unions: workers can’t bear full safety burden

Against this backdrop, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union held a joint meeting on 14 October 2025, bringing together Ukrainian affiliated unions, government officials, International Labour Organization, Ukrainian members of Parliament, European Union, employer representatives and safety experts to discuss wartime working conditions and legislative changes, including Ukrainian Draft Law No. 10147 “On the safety and health of workers at work.”

Mykhailo Volynets, chair of the Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine (NPGU) and national centre KVPU (KVPU) and Valeriy Matov, chair of nuclear workers’ union Atomprofspilka, said martial law has curtailed collective bargaining, extended working hours and restricted strikes. They warned that the draft law would shift safety responsibility from employers to workers, impose a 25 per cent threshold for union representation (at plant level) and erode protection when people are already working under bombardment and stress.

“While the invasion continues to devastate lives, Ukrainian workers put all the efforts in mines, energy plants and production facilities to keep the country running. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the workers of Ukraine. For occupational health and safety (OHS) workers have rights and employers have duties. Any law that pushes risks onto workers cannot be accepted as it would violate fundamental workers’ rights,” said Kemal Özkan, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

The specialist from ILO’s workers’ bureau ACTRAV, Gocha Aleksandria, reminded participants that occupational health and safety is a fundamental right at work, recognized in the 2022 International Labour Conference. “No worker or workplace should be left unprotected,” he said, calling for prevention, participation and dialogue to guide reform.

From the European Commission, Jan-Willem Ebeling, explained that the EU framework directive clearly makes employers responsible for preventing risks, providing training and consulting workers. The directive sets minimum standards that cannot reduce existing protection and relies on tripartite cooperation and strong labour inspection.

Elena Crasta, senior advisor at the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), said reforms must comply with EU law and include real consultation. “ETUC has already raised concerns with the European Commission,” she said. “The government must honour its commitments to social dialogue and EU alignment or risk setbacks to integration.”

Union representatives shared the harsh realities of working in wartime. Dmytro Zelenyi from NPGU miners’ union described flooded, bomb-damaged shafts where people still work. Valeriy Matov said nuclear workers face life-threatening conditions with limited funding. Karina Plakhova, of the Trade Union of Aircraft and Machine Building Workers, warned that enterprise relocations create new hazards and limit union oversight. Bohdan Overkovsky, chair of the Metallurgists and Miners’ Union, said unions continue inspections and support despite destroyed infrastructure.

Representing employers, Oleksandr Turov, head of trade union relations at DTEK, a major Ukrainian energy company and one of the country’s largest private-sector employers, said constructive relations with unions are vital for stability and safety but cautioned that any legal change “must be agreed between employers and unions.”

The Ukrainian unions have analysed the Draft Law No. 10147 ‘On the safety and health of workers at work’, and have appealed to the ILO, EU and Ukranian Parliament for intervention. 14 unions united to present a common position.

Commenting on this show of unity, Isabelle Barthès, industriAll Europe deputy general secretary declared:

“We stand in full solidarity with Ukrainian workers. Health and safety is a trade-union priority: prevention and employer accountability are non-negotiable, social partners must be involved. This is why we will ensure that your voices are heard by the EU institutions and will continue to advocate for alignment with EU standards.”

A joint statement by 14 Ukrainian trade unions-affiliated to IndustriALL and industriAll Europe-presented by Yarema Zhugaevich chair of the Aircraft builders’ union, calls on the Verkhovna Rada to reject draft law No. 10147 in its current form, involve unions, the ILO and EU experts in revisions and ensure compliance with international standards. It warns that adopting the bill would undermine social dialogue, lower safety standards and jeopardise Ukraine’s EU accession.

“This last blow fits a broader pattern of chipping away at collective rights. Your unity is your strength and our mandate. IndustriALL will deliver this message directly to parliamentarians and institutions.”

Özkan concluded.

IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll Europe call on the Ukrainian government to uphold the international standards for occupational health and safety, restore the quality of social dialogue and prevent any rollback of worker protection. Ukrainian workers have kept the country’s industries alive through war and they must not now be made to carry employers’ legal duties for safety.

Photo: Atomprofspilka

Indonesia: seven Freeport workers killed at a landslide at Grasberg

Over the past decade, trade unions have repeatedly reported mine accidents and violations of workers’ rights at Freeport’s Grasberg mine in Central Papua. In 2017, the company dismissed 4,220 mine workers, including members of IndustriALL Global Union, triggering violent clashes that resulted in nine deaths following the termination of health insurance coverage.

In a letter to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, IndustriALL General Secretary Atle Høie urged the company to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the sudden landslide at the Grasberg Block Cave. He emphasized that trade unions must be included in the investigation process and called for the strengthening of the occupational safety and health committee and management system.

“Freeport should also engage trade unions in implementing corrective and preventive actions, ensuring that accidents like this one will not be repeated and that mine workers' safety is guaranteed. It is also important that the temporary closure of the Grasberg Block Cave does not affect workers' wages,”

said Atle Høie.

IndustriALL extends its deep condolences to all victims and their families, and stands its solidarity with the mine workers, particularly members of CEMWU and FPE, traumatized by the accident.

IndustriALL will stand shoulder to shoulder with Indonesian affiliates to improve occupational safety and health in mining and continue the campaign for ratification of ILO Convention 176.

Photo: Panorama from high up at Grasberg gold and copper mine West Papua indonesia.

Credit: Richard Jones, Flickr

Europe’s responsibility in the textile industry: a push for stronger due diligence

IndustriALL Global Union and IndustriAll Europe, togeher with members of the European Parliament and trade unionists from Türkiye, Cambodia and Indonesia, spent a day in Brussels highlighting the urgent need for stronger European due diligence legislation to protect textile workers around the world. The day’s events, spanning debates, high-level meetings and public mobilization, underscored one key message: Europe must deliver on its promises to ensure fair, safe, and sustainable working conditions in global supply chains.

Says IndustriALL textile and garment director Christina Hajagos Clausen:

"Behind every T-shirt made for European consumers are workers fighting for their most basic rights. Our message to EU leaders is simple: voluntary measures are not enough. We need legally binding agreements that make brands responsible for the people who make their profits. Europe has both the power and the duty to ensure that sustainability starts with respect for workers’ rights.”

The day began with a breakfast debate in the European Parliament, co-hosted by industriAll Europe and MEP Saskia Bricmont, co-chair of the Parliament’s Sustainable Textile Working Group. Participants discussed the ongoing challenges facing textile workers in countries such as Indonesia, Cambodia, and Türkiye, where labour rights violations remain widespread.

Speakers stressed the urgency of robust due diligence obligations for European companies, particularly in light of ongoing negotiations around the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The debate served as an important opportunity to engage directly with MEPs, parliamentary staff and European Commission officials on the need to safeguard workers’ rights throughout textile supply chains.

Meetings with the European External Action Service (EEAS)

Later in the morning trade unionists from Türkiye, Cambodia and Indonesia met with officials from the European External Action Service to discuss labour rights in Türkiye, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

In talks with Gabriel Munuera-Vinals from the Türkiye division, the delegation raised the dire conditions faced by textile and refugee workers, emphasising that sustainability cannot be achieved without freedom of association and the protection of fundamental labour rights.

Discussions with Leila Fernandez-Stembridge, head of the South-East Asia division, focused on regional developments and cooperation on labour rights. IndustriAll Europe highlighted the legally binding TAFTAC agreement in Cambodia, a landmark accord between trade unions and employers supported by 12 major brands, as a positive example of social dialogue. The delegation also drew attention to Indonesia’s new labour law and its impact on textile workers and trade unions.

Engagement with the European Commission

In the afternoon, the delegation from industriALL Global and industriAll Europe met with two key units of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW).

Unit G1, responsible for Business Conduct, discussed the upcoming EU regulation on forced labour and the Commission’s efforts to implement it. IndustriAll Europe reiterated that the textile sector remains at particularly high risk for labour rights abuses and expressed its willingness to contribute to the expert group overseeing the new rules.

Meanwhile, Unit F3 presented the EU’s Sustainable Textile Strategy, with exchanges focusing on the realities of textile workers’ lives — including the urgent need for living wages in Cambodia and Indonesia.

Evening demonstration: standing in solidarity

The day concluded with an evening demonstration organized by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), bringing together trade unions, parliamentarians and NGOs. The mobilization called on EU policymakers to reject the proposed Sustainability Omnibus deregulation and to strengthen, rather than weaken, sustainability and labour protections.

Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll Europe general secretary, says:

“Textile workers worldwide are counting on Europe to stand up for fairness, dignity, and justice. Europe must adopt laws that truly protect workers along supply chains – not create loopholes that allow exploitation to continue. Weak due diligence is not an option; only strong, enforceable rules can ensure that European action benefits people, not multinationals.

“Our action day in Brussels shows a united movement determined to resist deregulation and demand an ambitious due diligence framework that fully respects workers’ rights.”

IndustriALL welcomes Gaza ceasefire, calls for lasting peace based on justice and rights

The global union movement has repeatedly condemned the devastating toll of the violence — thousands of lives lost, hostages held, families displaced, workplaces destroyed, and entire communities deprived of safety and livelihoods.

“Workers and their families have borne the brunt of this conflict,”

says Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary.

“A ceasefire is the first, important step, but it must lead to genuine peace, grounded in justice, international law and respect for human rights. Israeli forces must immediately evacuate all occupied areas, and humanitarian access must be opened without any blockage. We cannot rebuild lives or economies on the ruins of violence.”

IndustriALL calls on all parties to ensure that the ceasefire is fully implemented and accompanied by immediate humanitarian access, protection of civilians, and support for reconstruction efforts that prioritise decent work, equality, and social justice.

The global union federation also urges the international community to intensify diplomatic efforts towards a sustainable political two-state solution in line with UN Security Council Resolutions 338 and 242, based on the 1967 borders and the mutual recognition of the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace, self-determination, and dignity.

“Trade unions will continue to stand for peace, democracy and rights and against the exploitation, hatred, and despair that fuel war,”

adds Atle Høie.

Sydney Congress: white-collar voices

“At the Congress, we must emphasize the importance of integrating white-collar workers into every pillar of IndustriALL Global Union’s strategy, as they are present across all areas, from just transition to equality and beyond. Their rights need to be fully recognized and we must identify concrete ways to support them. IndustriALL must adapt its strategies to reflect the diversity of the situations of white-collar workers and respond to the specific expectations of each country. It is a significant challenge, but one that I am confident the IndustriALL white-collar sector is ready to meet. In every country, the number of white-collar workers continues to grow and they all face similar challenges,” Corinne Schewin, CFE-CGC, co-chair of IndustriALL white-collar workers’ sector.

Organizing white-collar workers remains the top priority. Many unions, particularly those that have traditionally represented blue-collar workers, often struggle to fully understand the concerns of white-collar employees. Conversely, many white-collar workers have little knowledge of, or connection to, trade unions. An IndustriAll Europe research indicates that one of the main reasons white-collar workers do not join a union is simply that they are unfamiliar with it and have never been approached.

Constanze Kraetsch shared examples of IG Metall successful strategies for reaching out to and building trust with white-collar employees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in a car manufacturer, the union began hosting online “coffee breaks” for white-collar workers, which proved so effective that they have continued ever since.

These bi-monthly meetings combined informal conversation, technical updates and presentations from work council representatives on industry trends and evolution of the company. The sessions were carefully prepared and well attended. Word-of-mouth helped them grow and white-collar workers soon felt they were missing out if they did not take part. Over time, white-collar workers became more comfortable engaging with the union and the work council members.

In another company, with only white-collar workers, the union and members of the work council organized short 20-minute lunchtime meetings, where they discussed workplace issues and surveyed employees about their satisfaction at work.

Patrick Tay Tack from United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) and IndustriALL white collar workers’ sector co-chair, said: “Understanding the concerns of white-collar workers before starting to organizing them is key.”

In Singapore, where they make up two-thirds of the workforce, unions can represent them through collective agreements. Within the tripartite framework, a Professionals, Managers and Executives (PME) Taskforce was set up in 2020 to strengthen employment and employability. Surveying over 10,000 PMEs, employers and stakeholders, it found job insecurity to be the main concern, with calls for stronger support in employment and training.

Building on these findings NTUC has developed several targeted programmes to support white-collar workers. These include a mentorship ecosystem and the NTUC executive mentorship programme, designed to assist white-collar employees at different stages of their careers. Mentors who are industry professionals share best practice and career advice. The mentors can participate in the NTUC mentors’ network keep abreast of industry trends and the evolving expectations of white-collar workers.

Agnes Ama Agamasu, from the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU), stressed the need for targeted strategies to engage women in STEM and young white-collar workers. She highlighted peer-to-peer organising as the most effective way to reach young professionals, with young leaders sharing their experiences as unionists to inspire others. Social media also plays a key role in generating interest and encouraging participation.

For women in STEM, unions must provide support through initiatives like training scholarships and women’s committees, which offer networking, leadership development.

IndustriALL has developed training modules to help organizers design and implement strategic organizing campaigns for white-collar workers. Supported by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), these training programmes have already equipped numerous organisers and leaders across South-East Asia and Latin America, with organizing campaigns in progress.

“Over the past two years, our focus has been on better equipping our affiliates to organise white-collar workers. We have seen significant progress during this period, following a time of limited activity. The Congress should help us build on this new momentum and enable our affiliates to intensify their efforts to organize these workers, who, in certain countries, already represent an important minority, if not the majority, of the workforce in the manufacturing industry,”

said Christine Olivier, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

Another priority was equipping unions to address white-collar workers’ mental health, especially in light of new risks from automation and AI.

Finally, participants discussed the need to strengthen unions’ capacity to negotiate on industrial and skills policies and just transition plans. This involves sharing good practices and skills forecasts. The aim is to support unions on two levels of action: at the national and tripartite level (for industrial and STEM policies) and at the company level (for transition planning).

Unions attending the Congress will coordinate to raise all these issues during the sessions. A roadmap will be developed to guide white-collar work throughout the next Congress period.