Unions push to close South East Asia's gender pay gap

During the two-day training of trainers on pay equity, organized by IndustriALL and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) on 10–11 July 2025 in the Philippines, selected union leaders, trainers and negotiators from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand shared the challenges they face in obtaining gender pay data and monitoring gender equity policies.


All the countries ratified ILO Convention 100 on Equal Remuneration and have national laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender or sex. Yet, only the Philippines has comprehensive national policies assessing pay equity such as gender equality and women's empowerment plan 2019-2025, gender and development indicators and gender-disaggregated data on wages and employment.  

Cambodian unions rely on labour inspectorate to handle pay discrimination complaints; the absence of a dedicated labour court means lack of enforcement. While Indonesian labour law lacks anti-discrimination clause, authorities and companies are not obliged to provide wage data disaggregated by gender.

Malaysia's ministry of human resources-initiated programmes to narrow wage gaps; on average Malaysian women earned 17.8 per cent less than men for similar work. It is interesting to note that Thai women earn a higher average base wage than men, but their total income is still lower than men if bonuses are included. This phenomenon shows the bonus system is unequal and gender-biased.

Participants expressed their gratitude as they learned more about integrating the principles of gender pay including gender-neutral evaluation, carrying out a gender pay gap report, some language used in valuing jobs and the formula for computing gender pay equity.

Participants developed an action plan to close the gender pay gap in the region:

Philippine senator Risa Hontiveros, said: 

“I always believe that policy should uplift the most vulnerable especially women workers in informal and precarious conditions. That belief has shaped my work in the senate and continues to guide our fight for inclusive, gender-responsive laws. Let’s work together so women workers are empowered, respected and paid what we truly deserve.”

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

“Trade unions in South East Asia have a central role to play in closing the gender pay gap, key is organizing and activism, by pushing for equal pay, advocating inclusive collective bargaining and holding employers accountable to gender equality in the workplace. We aim and commit to work on that path and building the understanding and capacity of our affiliates in the region on the issue of gender pay gap is one bold step forward leading to that direction of achieving pay equity in every workplaces.”

Kenyan court halts Springtech’s unfair dismissals

The decision stems from the dismissal of six workers and the suspension of eleven others at the company’s Mombasa plant, actions the court deemed unlawful and in violation of Kenya’s labour laws and the national constitution which protects freedom of association.
 
The conflict began when six workers joined the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metalworkers (AUKMW), an IndustriALL affiliate. Their dismissals followed swiftly, prompting eleven colleagues to stage a sit-in demanding an explanation from Springtech’s human resources department. Instead of engaging, management accused the protesting workers of “causing disturbance” and reported them to the police, leading to their arrests and suspensions. The AUKMW responded with an urgent court application, challenging the dismissals and suspensions as unlawful union-busting tactics.
 
The Mombasa court ruled in favour of the union, issuing an injunction that “no termination of employment will be allowed” at Springtech pending further legal review. The ruling aligns with the office of the director of public prosecutions, which declined to prosecute the eleven suspended workers. Citing precedent, the prosecutor argued that a “disturbance” must demonstrably threaten public peace to warrant charges. There was no violation during the workers’ peaceful sit-in, which did not disrupt any citizens activities.
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, said: 

“The Amalgamed vs Springtech Kenya Limited case highlights broader tensions in some of Kenya’s industrial sector, where firms often resist unionisation to pay low wages and violate workers’ rights to collective bargaining, and we applaud the AUKMW for standing firm on defending workers’ rights.”

 
Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president and AUKMW general secretary, described the dismissals as “a clear case of intimidation and harassment” aimed at deterring unionization. “This violates workers’ rights to freedom of association under Kenyan law,” she said, vowing to pursue further legal action to protect union members.
 
The ITUC Global Rights Index (2025) listed Kenya as one of the African countries with systematic violations (rating 4) of workers’ rights which means, “The government and/or companies are engaged in serious efforts to crush the collective voice of workers, putting fundamental rights under threat.” This rating is a few steps away from the worst rating of 5+ “where there are no rights guarantees due to a breakdown in the rule of law.”

Springtech Kenya manufactures leaf springs, bolts and nuts, brake pads and linings, trailer parts and other accessories for the automotive industries.
 

What are South Africa’s green jobs?

The research report by the Sam Tambani Institute (SATRI), the research arm of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), mapping potential green jobs in renewable energy value chains and critical transition minerals (CTMs) like lithium, cobalt and nickel offers a detailed examination of the opportunities and challenges found in this shift. 
 
According to the report, the concept of green jobs remains contested. Many workers in South Africa’s mining and energy sectors associate green jobs only with renewable energy, overlooking opportunities in related fields like CTM exploration, processing and refining. Yet the report identifies significant job creation potential in renewable energy, particularly in manufacturing, construction, installation, operation, maintenance and research and development. However, these roles depend on local value addition and the learning of specialized skills. For instance, engineering, technical and scientific expertise are critical for developing green infrastructure and services, while operational management and monitoring skills will ensure efficient adoption of green technologies.
 
The report highlights that the main concern for trade unions is whether green jobs can offset job losses in the coal sector which employs over 90 000 workers. Further, it outlines South Africa’s energy transition questions on how many jobs will be created, whether they will be in regions like Mpumalanga, where coal-dependent communities face unemployment risks? Can coal miners be reskilled for green roles and will their hard-won rights, such as unionization, be preserved in the renewable sector? The report suggests that without clear answers, unions are unclear on how the transition from coal to renewable energy will benefit workers.
 
The report stresses that skills development is key to unlocking green job opportunities. It states that essential skills are in engineering and technical expertise for manufacturing green infrastructure, scientific knowledge for innovation, operational management to facilitate access to green products and monitoring to optimize the use of renewable energy sources. 
 
To attain the skills, targeted training programmes are needed to equip workers, particularly those transitioning from coal-based industries. For CTMs, job creation hinges on local processing and refining, which requires international technical and financial support to build capacity. 
 
The transition also poses challenges for informal workers, who dominate parts of the green economy in the country, argues the report. With South Africa grappling with a 32.9 per cent unemployment rate which is higher at 60.7 per cent for youth aged 15–24 and 35.7 per cent for women, formalizing green jobs is critical. 
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule Ndessomin, said:

“We continue to work with research organizations and partners to build knowledge on trade union policy positions on the green economy and the transition to renewable energy and this report is a contribution towards a just and inclusive transition for workers.”

 
The NUM is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union and the research was supported by the IndustriALL regional office for Sub-Saharan Africa and 3F – the United Federation of Danish Workers.
 

Lithium in the Southern Cone: Tensions and opportunities in the global supply chain

At its presentation, a discussion was held on the situation in the lithium mining sectors in Argentina and Chile, countries that are part of the Lithium Triangle, a key region for the rich reserves of this mineral, which is essential for the manufacture of batteries used in electric vehicles and clean technologies. The research examines relations between workers, companies and governments, with a view to strengthening trade union cooperation and improving social and environmental standards.

The report highlights an increase in lithium production in both countries, despite a loss of global market share to Australia and China, which is also their primary export destination, while downstream industrialisation processes are still in their infancy. In Argentina, the governance framework is fragmented and federalised, while Chile is moving towards a more centralised model with a stronger state presence.

In terms of employment, there is low labour intensity and high levels of outsourcing and wage inequality, although there has been an increase in total employment and women’s participation. Trade union representation is strong but hampered by the difficulties linked to ever more precarious and fragmented contracts.
The implementation of human rights due diligence policies is limited and largely based on voluntary standards. The introduction of stricter regulations in Europe is, however, seen as an opportunity to increase pressure on companies and improve compliance all along the supply chain.

The study was conducted by four researchers from Argentina and Chile with a view to providing IndustriALL affiliates with tools to identify key players and pressure points in a sector that is growing but faced with significant labour and environmental challenges.
Representatives from AOMA (Argentina) and Industrial Chile Constramet participated in the presentation, alongside IndustriALL representatives Laura Carter, deputy regional secretary for Latin America, Georg Leutert, automotive industry director and Diana Junquera, energy and Just Transition director, who said: 

“With this study, our affiliates have access to key information and tools that will enable them to organize more workers along the entire battery supply chain, and especially in lithium mining. Understanding the challenges they face is essential to being able to support them, and it is they who will take ownership of this information and be able to make strategic use of it in their trade union work.”

Latin America’s trade union leaders meet to strengthen the paper sector

Key debates were held with the participation of prominent regional and global leaders from the sector. Prior to this, the Argentinian paper workers’ federation led by its general secretary, Ramón Luque, welcomed the participants to its head office and gave a presentation on the history and work of the federation and the Argentinian workers’ movement. 

One of the main issues addressed during the event was the national government’s relentless attacks on the rights and gains won by the Argentinian trade union movement. The global situation was also examined from a political, economic and sectoral perspective, based on presentations by Luca Baldan of ACV-CSC BIE and Tom Grinter, IndustriALL’s director for the sector.

Regarding gender policies, IndustriALL vice president Lucineide Varjão presented a report on the progress made in the sector. She highlighted the formation of the Regional Network of Women Paper Workers, which held its first meeting in April 2025 and drew up an action plan with the participation of over 40 women leaders, a fact highlighted by the ILO. 

Each country then presented their reports. Several points in common emerged, such as the actions of the main transnationals in the sector, their anti-union practices and attacks on collective bargaining agreements, and how workers are organizing to counter them, both politically and at trade union level through their organizations.

As part of the activities, the leaders took part in a rally at the gate of one of the factories, to support the efforts of the Argentinian paper workers in their negotiations.
The event concluded with the approval of an action plan including strategies such as strengthening the focus on the supply chain, further developing the women’s group and consolidating trade union networks in companies in the sector.

The judicial persecution of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was also denounced.
Cristian Alejandro Valerio, IndustriALL’s deputy regional secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, said:

“In the context of a very difficult regional and global situation on both the labour and political front, I would like to emphasise the commitment of all our regional affiliates in the sector in participating in this key regional event to help continue building trade union power and coordinating joint policies and actions within both company and sectoral networks, to stand up to the attacks by global capital on the rights and gains of paper workers in Latin America and around the world.”

Workers continue to fight after Next’s Sri Lanka factory closure

In response, the union has established a solidarity kitchen at its Katunayake office, providing rations so affected workers can cook for themselves. Branch unions have contributed to sustaining this effort for nearly two months, demonstrating strong worker-to-worker solidarity during this crisis.

At a meeting on 13 July, union members paid tribute to those leading the fight against Next, despite their vulnerable position. They described their campaign’s purpose as preventing others from becoming “another Next worker”, a call for brands, employers and the government to stop unlawful closures and ensure job security in Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Zones.

The union, IndustriALL affiliate Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZ&GSEU), argues that Next’s decision violates Sri Lankan law and breaches the CBA it signed in 2021 and renewed in 2023. According to the union, this is the only CBA currently in force in the country’s entire apparel industry. Union leaders say Next must be held accountable for these actions, especially as Sri Lanka struggles with a severe socio-economic crisis and the impact of US tariff changes hitting the apparel sector.

Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie:

“These workers are showing extraordinary courage and solidarity in the face of exploitation. Next must honour its commitments and respect workers’ rights, including collective bargaining agreements. We call on Next to immediately address this injustice and ensure decent, secure employment for all.”

Sub-Saharan African unions launch online worker-education platform

The platform leverages technological advances in e-learning and open-access messaging apps to deliver cost-effective workers’ education, aiming to strengthen union capacity and improve workplace conditions in industries such as automotive, battery manufacturing, base metals, chemicals, energy, engineering, mining, oil and gas and textile and garments.
 
The forum responds to the digital transformation reshaping workplaces, emphasizing the need for union commitment to e-learning, language accessibility and tailored educational resources relevant to diverse manufacturing sectors. The forum aims to enhance worker empowerment and union resilience across the region’s industries. 
 
Workers require only a smartphone with internet access to participate, sharing experiences and accessing training. A participatory approach will guide the forum, with a survey determining preferred topics, followed by a flexible programme designed around participants’ schedules.
 
“This forum is for anyone involved in helping workers learn about their rights, improve their working and social conditions and organize for change. Whether through union education programmes, as a worker leader, a shop steward, or an active member supporting others informally, your contribution matters!” reads the forum’s pamphlet. 
 
The initiative seeks to address challenges faced by Sub-Saharan African unions, including limited external solidarity with Global North partners, by strengthening innovative training and organizing strategies. Skills development is seen as critical for unions to retain members amid technological and demographic shifts. 
 
Melanie Jules, IFWEA programme manager for the Online Labour Academy, described the forum as “a global effort to promote worker unity and grassroots education through digital tools, emphasizing flexibility and solidarity.” She said the forum’s approach is not academic but practical in ways that included union approaches to lifelong learning and had potential to reach thousands of workers at the factories where discussions will be in small groups such as study circles. Young and women workers would also benefit together with other marginalized workers making a living in the informal economies.
 

“Workers’ education is important in a region facing shrinking civic spaces, digital divides and limited resources. Trade unions need knowledge on how to confront job loses, low wages, unsafe workplaces and gender-based violence and harassment,” 

said Rose Omamo, IndustriALL vice president.
 
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule France Ndessomin, welcomed the platform as a vital step in adapting worker education to the digital era.

“As work evolves, so must our approaches to education to tackle emerging challenges and build trade union power,”

she said. 

Photo: Shutterstock 

Just Transition manifesto: garment workers demand a fair, worker-led shift

The workshop, part of a three-year project supported by the Laudes Foundation, aims to strengthen trade union strategies for a fair and inclusive transition in the garment and textile industries. In a sector that is facing very unique challenges, due to unfair purchasing practices by brands, precarious and informal work and very different levels of social dialogue in different countries it is highly problematic that the transition of workers is not thought along transition strategies.

This coincides with the need for urgent action on adaptation strategies addressing the accelerating impacts of climate change on workers, including heat stress and floods. In that context, unions are demanding that workers’ voices be central in shaping a just, sustainable future.
 
This session focused on shaping the Just Transition manifesto for the textile and garment sector, which will set out clear, collective demands from unions and serve as a framework for workers' participation in the green transition. Scheduled for launch in October, the manifesto is being developed through a broad consultation process with union affiliates.
 
Rahki Sehgal, from ITUC, presented the key demands of the manifesto. She emphasized that a Just Transition must be democratic, transparent and worker-led, with social dialogue at every level.
 
Key demands include:

ITUC project officer, Amalia Hammarlund, said:

“A sustainable future for the sector requires improving working conditions, creating new jobs in recycling and circular economies and ensuring that workers — particularly women — are protected, empowered and included in decision-making.”

Union affiliates echoed these concerns, warning that the climate transition is already worsening existing challenges in the sector. 

They stressed that the transition must not sacrifice workers’ rights or livelihoods. Affiliates called for:

They also emphasized the need for the manifesto to recognize the varying realities across regions, such as differing energy sources, carbon intensities and stages of industrial development. 
 
Participants firmly agreed that workers must have a central role in driving the Just Transition. As one affiliate declared, “Nothing about us without us.” They called for stronger regional engagement, political focus and solidarity to ensure that the green transition works for all — not just for corporations and governments.
 
IndustriALL energy and Just Transition director Diana Junquera-Curiel said:

“Workers must not pay for the green transition. Too often, brands and employers shift the costs of climate action onto workers—through job losses, lower wages, or unsafe conditions. This is unacceptable. The responsibility for a greener economy must be shared fairly by governments, employers, and brands, not placed on those already most vulnerable. We need a democratic industrial transformation—one that puts workers at the center, with strong social dialogue, collective bargaining and protections for all, including informal and migrant workers.”

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

“Transition policies are often designed without taking into consideration the impacts of workers. Sustainability and circularity strategies aimed at making textiles more durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable, are often designed without taking the impact on workers and working conditions into consideration. More dramatically, critical legislation on corporate sustainability due diligence and corporate sustainable reporting that unions fought for have been the target of the EU’s simplification drive. Workers are extremely concerned by these developments and call on governments and brands to prevent a race to the bottom and offer unions a seat at the table for a just and sustainable transition in the textile supply chain.”

 
The Just Transition Manifesto will be a crucial tool to push for fair, worker-centered climate and environmental action in the textile and garment industry, ensuring that workers are protected, empowered and heard in every step of the green transition.

India: millions of workers go on strike to defend workers’ rights

Indian trade unions have been continuously raising concerns against the hostile policies of the central and state governments towards working people of the country. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh state government amended the law to increase the working hours to ten. The ongoing dilution of hard-won workers’ rights, an increasing attack on democratic rights along with growing unemployment, rising cost of living and stagnant wages, have led to massive discontent among working masses.

Sanjay Vadhavkar, IndustriALL executive committee member and general secretary of the Steel, Metal, and Engineering Workers’ Federation of India, says:

“Today's successful strike reflects that the working class in India is totally against the anti-worker and anti-people policies of the present government. Workers will continue to fight until the government withdraws four labour codes and its implementation. Trade unions in the country stand united and we will carry on the struggle to defend workers’ rights.”

Unions carried out a vigorous campaign to mobilize workers before the strike, particularly raising awareness around the anti-worker labour laws. Some of the main demands being pressed by the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions include:

Gautam Mody, IndustriALL executive committee member and convener of Unions United, says:

“When the right to strike is under attack, striking is the only way to show a far-right government and brazen capital our power. That's what we have done today. And if the government doesn't turn the labour codes back, we'll strike again! And again!”

IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie, says:

“IndustriALL stands in complete solidarity with the striking workers in India. We salute the fighting spirit of Indian trade unions who in the face of repression and restriction of democratic rights are continuing the struggle to advance workers’ movement and protect the democratic structures in the country. The unity shown in face of these seriously repressive legal amendments serves as an inspiration to the working-class movement across the world.”

South East Asia sees surge in trade union youth movements

The IndustriALL youth working groups for South East Asia, East Asia and the Pacific were established in 2022. Between 2023 and 2025, national youth committees were formed in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia. In 2024, the IndustriALL Philippines youth committee was revitalized.
 
The burgeoning national youth committees motivated unions in South East Asia to strengthen the capacity of youth leaders and create more federation and factory level youth committees. Three youth meetings have taken place in the region this year.
 
On 21-22 June, Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand (CILT) organized a youth unity camp in Chonburi. The youth plan to set up 10 youth committees at 10 unionized companies and increase the number of youth activists from 22 to 100 by the end of 2025.
 
On 1 June, young unionists from IndustriALL Malaysia council formed an interim national youth committee in Penang, after a national youth meeting. The Malaysian youth decided to organize online training handling domestic inquiry in July and leadership training in September.
 
On 21-22 May, Cambodian youth leaders reported during a youth committee leadership meeting that five union federations established youth committees, along with six factory-level youth committees. They also expressed their plans to form four more federation-level youth committees and to organize labour law study circles within the next year.

The youth meetings in Thailand and Cambodia are supported by Union to Union and IndustriALL Swedish affiliates.
 
Ramo Certeza, IndustriALL South East Asia regional secretary, said:

“The progress of youth work in South East Asia is truly encouraging. It is imperative to collaborate with our affiliates and realize the youth aspiration of the transformative agenda. We should continue to commit our labour and resources in youth empowerment works.”

 Sarah Flores, IndustriALL youth and project officer, said:

“Setting up a youth structure is a proven useful instrument that has not only beneficial outcomes for young workers, but also for the trade unions as it ensures a meaningful participation of young members in their trade union and helps in building their capacity as future leader as well as systematic work on youth topics which can then be in the daily trade union work. In that sense, unions in SEA are demonstrating a strong commitment toward trade union's renewal and search for more representativity.”

 
Youth leaders from South East Asia and other IndustriALL regions will meet at the global youth conference on 2 November in Sydney.