IndustriALL took part in this meeting as part of the Global Union Federations (GUFs), serving as advisors to the workers’ group and contributing actively to the debates and to the negotiation of the final text. The worker delegation was led by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). Additionally, the discussions highlighted occupational safety and health climate risks and their relevance for worker protection.
IndustriALL at the table
During the meeting, the workers’ group defended a broad approach: not only responding to specific extreme weather events, but also recognizing that changing weather patterns create cumulative risks for occupational safety and health. That approach is reflected in the conclusions that were adopted, and it directly addresses ongoing climate risks in health and safety at work.
Strengthening the text: key gains for workers
The amendments put forward by the workers helped strengthen the initial draft in several key areas. The final text gives greater weight to freedom of association, social dialogue and collective bargaining, confirms that OSH protection must apply to all workers, including vulnerable workers and regardless of their employment status and improves the language on exposure thresholds, labour inspection, income protection when work must be stopped, health surveillance and safe return to work after extreme weather events. It also includes issues such as gender perspective, social protection and the need for resilient public infrastructure. With these improvements, occupational safety and health climate risks are more thoroughly addressed for every worker.
At workplace level, the conclusions are clearer on the importance of risk assessments, access to safe drinking water and adequate facilities, the provision of personal protective equipment at no cost and specific measures for workers facing higher risks. They also make progress on two issues that are particularly important for IndustriALL. The first is the need to define clear responsibilities when more than one company operates at the same workplace. This means that the adopted text also covers contract and subcontract workers, as well as value chains, which is highly relevant in industrial sectors where subcontracting is widespread. Furthermore, addressing occupational safety and health climate risks is crucial in these complex environments.
Climate risks inside plants, mines and industrial facilities
The second important point for us was that the text should better reflect the reality of industrial sectors. In energy, mining and manufacturing industries, climate-related risks do not affect only those working outdoors. They also affect workers inside plants and industrial facilities, through accumulated heat, smoke, poor air quality, operational disruptions, emergency work and the increased risk of major industrial accidents when an extreme event affects critical infrastructure or hazardous processes. The fact that the conclusions advance prevention, preparedness, response and recovery in these contexts is an important outcome. Clearly, occupational safety and health must take into account climate risks in these sectors.
Diana Junquera, director of industrial policy, said:
“For IndustriALL, it was essential that this debate reflected the reality of our sectors and of the workers we represent. Climate does not only affect outdoor work: it also changes conditions inside plants, mines and industrial facilities. The adoption of conclusions that strengthen prevention, rights, social dialogue and protection for all workers is a very important step.”
Next steps
The conclusions adopted provide a useful basis for further progress towards stronger national policies and concrete measures in workplaces. IndustriALL will continue working to ensure that these principles are turned into real protection for workers across all our sectors, especially addressing occupational safety and health climate risks as part of our ongoing advocacy.
Advancing gender equality across the garment sector
“Women are at the heart of the garment industry. This policy ensures they are at the heart of our movement too. It gives our affiliates a concrete framework to advance gender equality, from the factory floor to union leadership”
says Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile and garment director.
A vision of equal rights and decent work
The policy sets out a vision of a sector where all workers enjoy equal rights, earn equal pay for work of equal value and are free from violence and harassment.
The policy organizes its commitments around four priority areas.
Workplace safety and ending gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). This means securing safe, healthy and gender-responsive workplaces, eliminating GBVH and promoting gender-responsive occupational health and safety frameworks.
Representation, inclusion and leadership. The policy commits to increasing women’s representation in IndustriALL leadership and affiliate structures and strengthening mentorship and leadership development for young women trade unionists. It also calls for gender-balanced participation across all TGSL structures.
Decent work, social protection and equality. The policy calls for closing the gender pay gap, securing decent work and social protection for informal and migrant women workers and addressing the unequal burden of care. It also commits to integrating gender equality into just transition and future of work agendas.
Solidarity and movement building. This includes advancing collective action in support of TGSL women workers globally and mobilizing thematic experts across regions and sub-sectors to lead gender-transformative work.
From policy to practice
The policy will be implemented through both mainstreaming gender across all sectoral activities and targeted actions to address inequalities directly. This will include campaigns on 8 March, 25 November and 10 December, training for men on gender equalit, and seminars on gender-related issues in the sector.
The TGSL gender expert committee, established in 2021, will advise the TGSL steering committee on annual action plans and review progress on implementation. The secretariat will be responsible for implementing adopted priorities.
Progress will be tracked annually, with each objective linked to short-, medium- or long-term timeframes and clear indicators.
The policy was developed with the support of Mondiaal FNV.
International workers’ memorial day: when work breaks the mind as well as the body
According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) long working hours alone are responsible for around 745,000 deaths each year. At least 70,000 workers die by suicide annually due to work-related factors. Depression and anxiety cost 12 billion working days every year. Burnout affects around one in five workers globally, and psychosocial risks are linked to more than 10 per cent of all cases of heart disease, depression and suicide.
“Psychosocial risks are not a new phenomenon in our sectors, but they are growing. Workers are facing impossible targets, job insecurity and relentless pressure and it is taking lives. The evidence is clear: a strong union presence and collective bargaining are the most effective tools we have. IndustriALL is calling on employers and governments to act through enforceable laws, social dialogue and recognition that mental health is an occupational health issue,”
says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie.
What psychosocial risk looks like in practice
In Ghana’s mining sector, psychosocial risk is highly pronounced. Miners in Obuasi, Tarkwa, and Prestea work under intense physical and psychological pressure, facing hazards underground as well as prolonged mental strain. Poor ventilation, extreme heat, dust, and humidity make underground conditions exhausting, while surface workers and machine operators endure long hours in direct sunlight and operate heavy equipment in peak temperatures. Over time, fatigue, dehydration, and reduced concentration heighten accident risks and place a significant burden on mental health.
Heat stress affects not only the physical body but also psychological well-being. Workers exposed to persistent overheating and production pressures frequently experience increased stress, irritability, and anxiety. Prolonged exposure to these conditions can undermine teamwork, increase conflict, and reduce morale. The International Labour Organization (ILO) recognizes that excessive heat may contribute to cardiovascular strain, kidney disorders, and mental distress.
For many Ghanaian miners, psychosocial risk extends beyond the workplace. Rotational schedules keep workers away from their families for days or weeks at a time, leading to loneliness, family tension and emotional strain. Contract workers face constant uncertainty during periods of significant volatility in gold prices or operational restructuring. For those supporting both nuclear and extended families, income insecurity becomes a heavy psychological burden. In all these, the informal sector face even greater exposure, often without access to adequate safety systems, clean water or union representation.
The union response
A robust and democratic union presence in the workplace provides the most effective protection against psychosocial risks. The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union has led negotiations for collective agreements that address these issues, securing safeguards such as protection against heat stress, access to medical examinations, psychosocial support, and equitable workload distribution.
A fundamental aspect of mining companies’ duty of care is the implementation of straightforward measures to mitigate psychosocial risk. Regular access to clean drinking water, shaded rest areas, work-rest cycles during peak heat hours, temperature monitoring, and confidential mental health counselling are all feasible with sufficient commitment. Supervisors on the other hand require training to identify early signs of burnout, heat-related illness, and emotional distress.
Given that these challenges extend beyond mining and affect other industrial sectors, IndustriALL identifies this issue as integral to its broader mandate of promoting responsible business conduct and human rights due diligence.
What we are calling for
On Workers’ Memorial Day, IndustriALL joins the ITUC in calling for
Strong laws to prevent psychosocial risks at work
The need for the ratification of ILO Conventions 176 and 190
Full involvement of trade unions in workplace health and safety
Decent work including secure jobs, fair pay and manageable workloads
Recognition of mental health conditions as occupational diseases
Concerns over trade union rights at Schindler operations in Türkiye
According to reports from the trade union Türk Metal, several workers who played an active role in organizing have been dismissed in recent months, including experienced employees with long service. These dismissals have reportedly been justified on the grounds of downsizing, despite indications that recruitment has continued at the same time.
There are also allegations that workers have been subjected to pressure and intimidation aimed at discouraging union membership. Reports suggest that workers have been warned of possible negative consequences should they maintain their union affiliation.
These developments are of particular concern given that collective bargaining negotiations began in February 2026. A stable environment based on trust and good faith is essential to ensure that negotiations can proceed meaningfully and that workers are able to exercise their rights without fear.
International standards and corporate responsibilityare violated
If confirmed, such practices would be inconsistent with internationally recognized standards on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, including those set out in International Labour Organization Conventions 87 and 98.
They would also raise concerns under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, which set out the responsibility of companies to respect fundamental labour rights and prevent adverse impacts in their operations.
Schindler has made public commitments in this area through its Code of Conduct, Human Rights Policy and participation in the UN Global Compact. The company has also identified freedom of association and collective bargaining as salient human rights risks in its own reporting, making the reported situation particularly concerning.
Unionsdemand action
In response to these developments, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union have written to Schindler, calling on the company to ensure full respect for trade union rights at its operations in Türkiye and to guarantee that collective bargaining can take place in a constructive and good faith environment.
“A stable environment based on good faith is essential for meaningful negotiations. Any actions that undermine workers’ ability to freely organize and bargain collectively risk damaging not only the process, but the long-term sustainability of industrial relations,”
said Atle Høie, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary.
“The situation described raises serious concerns about the implementation of the company’s own commitments. Companies must ensure that their operations fully respect workers rights, collective bargaining rights and the right to organise. Any form of pressure or intimidation is an attack on trade union rights and we stand firmly against this,”
said Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll European Trade Union general secretary.
The unions have requested clarification from the company on the situation and the measures being taken to ensure respect for workers’ rights. They have also reiterated their willingness to engage constructively with Schindler at all levels.
ILO puts decent work at the centre of AI in manufacturing
This meeting was initiated by IndustriALL with a clear objective: to open an international tripartite space on an issue that is already transforming production, employment and working conditions.
To this end, the workers’ group brought together affiliates and trade union experts from Argentina, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Sweden and the USA, all representing different sectors of the manufacturing industries, together with the participation of industriAll Europe as advisers, bringing concrete experience of how AI is already entering workplaces.
Throughout the week, the workers’ group defended one central idea: AI cannot be addressed only as a matter of innovation or competitiveness. It is also a question of rights, health and safety, work organization, social protection, equality, privacy, collective bargaining and the distribution of the benefits of technological progress. This perspective is reflected in the conclusions that were ultimately adopted. The text recognizes that AI is already transforming manufacturing at different speeds and in uneven ways across countries, industries, enterprises and workers and that its effects on employment, work organization, wages, work intensity, privacy and data protection must be addressed through policy action and social dialogue.
One of the most important outcomes is that the conclusions place the discussion within the ILO’s human-centred approach. The text states that AI must contribute to decent work, productivity and a just transition and must not develop outside those objectives. It also reaffirms that the fundamental principles and rights at work remain fully applicable in the age of artificial intelligence, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, non-discrimination and occupational safety and health.
The conclusions also consolidate the central role of social dialogue. They recognize that freedom of association and collective bargaining are essential to shaping the AI, digitalization and employment policies that will define the future of manufacturing. They also establish that workers must be informed, involved and consulted in a timely manner when AI systems likely to affect them are introduced.
In the area of training and reskilling, the adopted text strengthens the idea that skills development is a shared and continuous responsibility of governments, employers and workers. It includes references to technical and vocational education and training, lifelong learning, digital literacy and the link between education and access to quality jobs. This provides a useful basis for continuing to defend training as a right rather than an individual burden.
Another relevant advance is social protection. The conclusions refer to rights-based social protection systems and to universal access to adequate, comprehensive and sustainable protection for workers in all types of employment. They also recognize the need to strengthen labour administration and labour inspection, which is fundamental to ensuring the practical implementation of standards.
The final text also includes important references to privacy and data protection, to new OHS risks and to the need for the benefits of technological progress to be broadly shared. In other words, productivity is not presented as an end in itself, but as linked to wages, working conditions and employment.
The conclusions also reaffirm the existing international normative framework, including the ILO declaration on fundamental principles and rights at work, the centenary declaration, the tripartite declaration of principles concerning multinational enterprises, the guidelines for a Just Transition and the ILO code of practice on the protection of workers’ personal data. This explicit reference to the existing body of norms is important because it places the discussion on AI within a broader architecture of rights and corporate responsibility, including across the supply chain.
This meeting now leaves a concrete basis for further developing this agenda in coming years. The adopted conclusions task the ILO Office with strengthening data collection, action-oriented research and the dissemination of good practices and case studies, including collective agreements, on the impact of artificial intelligence in the manufacturing industry. They also foresee greater exchange of experience across countries and sectors, as well as stronger capacity building and technical assistance for constituents.
For IndustriALL, this is an important step. We have succeeded in securing an ILO text that recognizes that artificial intelligence in manufacturing must be addressed through decent work, labour rights, social dialogue, training, social protection and a broad sharing of the benefits of technological progress. At a time when the transformation is moving very quickly, these conclusions open up a future work agenda that will allow trade unions to continue advancing AI governance that places workers at the center.
Kan Matsuzaki IndustriALL assistant general secretary said:
“These conclusions are a very important step because they allow us to move towards governance frameworks for artificial intelligence where, in many countries, regulation remains insufficient or non-existent. Technological transformation must not be allowed to outpace regulation, workers’ protection or social dialogue; it must be governed in a way that guarantees decent work and secures a just transition.
Thirteen years on: the Accord that changed an industry
It was not an accident but the outcome of an industry that had spent decades treating workers’ safety as someone else’s problem. It was also, ultimately, a turning point.
Built from the rubble
Three weeks after the collapse, IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union sat down with international garment brands. What they negotiated had never existed in the industry before: a legally binding agreement holding brands directly accountable for safety in their supply chains.
The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety came into force in May 2013, signed by 43 brands from 13 countries. Its logic was straightforward and radical at the same time — that brands profiting from cheap labour in faraway factories could no longer outsource responsibility for what happened inside them.
What followed has been measurable, documented change. Over 48,000 factory inspections have been carried out so far, checking compliance with fire, electrical, boiler and structural safety standards. The remediation rate stands at 81 per cent. More than 2.5 million workers have been trained in workplace safety, including gender-based violence prevention. Over 1,831 complaints have been successfully resolved through enforceable grievance mechanisms. Around 12,632 workers now serve on factory safety committees in Bangladesh.
The path has not always been smooth. Legal challenges from factory owners threatened the Accord’s ability to operate in Bangladesh. Negotiations to renew the agreement were protracted and at times precarious. Some brands dragged their feet, and others left. But the framework held and it expanded.
From Bangladesh to the world
In November 2023, brands and trade unions renewed their commitments under a new International Accord. The agreement extended the model to Pakistan, where 351 factories were inspected by March 2026. Across both programmes, the International Accord now counts 297 brand signatories, covering around 2.5 million workers in Bangladesh alone.
The Accord also demonstrated something beyond its own borders: that binding, independently administered, transparent agreements deliver results where voluntary codes and self-regulation do not. That lesson shaped the global push for mandatory human rights due diligence legislation, culminating in the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in 2024.
The current International Accord runs until the end of 2026. Renegotiations are coming, and IndustriALL Global Union is clear that the next iteration must build on what has been achieved — not retreat from it. IndustriALL and its Bangladeshi affiliates are now working on its proposals to ensure that the scope of coverage and complaint mechanism are expanded. Trade unions also want to ensure that the governance structure works effectively.
Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie:
“Thirteen years ago, 1,134 workers died in a building that should never have been occupied. What was built in response, through years of campaigning, negotiation and organized worker power, has saved lives and changed what the industry considered possible. The question now is whether brands will honour that by committing to a stronger Accord, or whether they will treat the renegotiation as an opportunity to water it down.
“For IndustriALL Global Union, the answer is not in doubt. The workers who make the world’s clothes deserve no less than what the Accord at its best has always promised: safety, accountability and a voice.”
ILO faces unprecedented financial crisis — workers’ rights hang in the balance
A crisis not of the ILO’s making
ILO director-general Gilbert Houngbo has described the situation as “serious” and “unprecedented in recent decades,” warning that it is “already affecting our ability to meet the expectations of our constituents.”
The cause is straightforward: member states are not paying what they owe. Arrears from several member states now total more than 260 million Swiss francs (US$295 million), approximately a third of the organisation’s biennial budget, pushing it into a serious liquidity crunch. According to reports, the United States, the ILO’s largest contributor providing 22 per cent of its regular funding, owes more than 173 million francs. China, Germany and others are also behind on payments.
Reform — but not retreat
The ILO has responded with a structural reform built around three pillars: reorganizing headquarters and reprioritizing its 2026–27 programme of work; reinforcing field capacity by reviewing regional structures and decentralising development cooperation; and consolidating support services and establishing a new global service centre.
But reform requires resources. According to internal documents reported by Reuters, without sufficient funding the ILO could be forced to cut up to 295 positions, around eight per cent of its global workforce. Gilbert Houngbo has confirmed that the organization has had to shut down some 50 projects in the United States and lay off around 200 staff as a direct result of the funding shortfall.
The ILO has also published a risk register and a live tracker showing which member states have paid their contributions and what remains outstanding — a public accountability tool that makes the problem impossible to ignore.
Why this matters for IndustriALL affiliates
The ILO is the only tripartite global body where unions sit alongside governments and employers to set binding international labour standards. Those standards — on freedom of association, collective bargaining, forced labour, child labour, occupational safety and health — underpin the legal frameworks that IndustriALL affiliates rely on every day.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie is unequivocal:
“The ILO is the cornerstone of the international system that protects workers’ rights. A funding crisis of this scale is not just a bureaucratic problem — it puts at risk the standards, the oversight and the technical support that workers in every sector and every country depend on. We call on all governments to honour their commitments and pay their dues without delay.”
A diminished ILO means weaker standard-setting, less support for ratification and implementation of conventions, and reduced capacity to hold governments and employers to account. At a time when human rights due diligence frameworks are under political attack and multilateralism is being eroded, a financially crippled ILO is the last thing workers can afford.
What unions must do
The fix is simple, even if the politics are not: governments must pay what they owe.
IndustriALL calls on all affiliated unions to raise this issue urgently with their governments. Demand that your government pays its assessed contributions to the ILO in full and on time. The ILO’s ability to function — to protect workers, to set standards, to provide technical assistance — depends on it.
Class action lawsuit for South African coal miners
The South African coal miners class action lawsuit focuses on lung diseases such as coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, silicosis, tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease whose conditions have long been associated with coal mining. For most workers, the consequences have been devastating and include the loss of employment, permanent disability and premature death. In the coal towns of Mpumalanga, dust has settled for decades on roofs, roads and lungs, leaving a legacy of illness that stretches across generations. Notably, the South African coal miners class action lawsuit seeks justice for those impacted by these diseases.
Fight for health and safety
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, argues that the lawsuit by human rights lawyer Richard Spoor, is important to workers and coal mining affected communities. The union says the case exposes a pattern of corporate negligence in which workers were left unprotected from hazardous dust levels, inadequate ventilation and weak enforcement of occupational health and safety standards. Also, South African coal miners’ rights are at the center of this class action lawsuit, which is raising urgent questions about corporate responsibility.
The NUM says the class action is more than a lawsuit. But a demand that the law be enforced and that companies be held to account. Further, that the talk on ensuring compliance on human rights due diligence principles and guidelines across the supply chains becomes something real for the workers and communities who are affected by coal mining. For many, the stakes in the South African coal miners class action lawsuit could not be higher.
“For decades, mineworkers and their communities have carried the burden. This is about dignity and safety and ending the idea that workers must suffer so others may profit,”
said Masibulele Naki, NUM’s national secretary for health and safety. This sense of injustice has become a driving force behind the class action lawsuit involving South African coal miners.
Coal mining has left a trail of respiratory disease, contaminated water and environmental decay. NUM argues that mining companies must now answer for the harm and engage directly with workers and communities whose lives have been affected by their operations. To illustrate, the South African coal miners class action lawsuit highlights these long-standing issues.
Demand for accountability
The union is urging government to strengthen oversight, enforce compliance and ensure that regulatory failures are not repeated. Moreover, the South African coal miners class action lawsuit calls on authorities to protect vulnerable mineworkers and their families.
“Health and safety start with workers and communities but more importantly mining companies owe these two groups a duty of care, and that is why unions must back this class action,”
said Emmanuel Adjei Danso, IndustriALL director for mining and energy.
In short, all eyes are on the ongoing South African coal miners class action lawsuit as it aims to establish accountability and offer hope for lasting change.
Unions fight for Ekapa workers as mud rush mine faces liquidation
On 17 March, South Africa’s Northern Cape High Court extended Ekapa Minerals’ provisional liquidation rather than granting a final order, postponing the matter to 30 October. The delay follows a challenge by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), which argued that business rescue would preserve more than 1,000 jobs. Liquidation will only cost jobs and harm workers.
NUMSA, affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, said Ekapa has mishandled its finances and violated workers’ rights. Around 400 workers have not been paid since November 2025 and are unable to access the Unemployment Insurance Fund. Attempts to secure TERS support have been met with little cooperation from the employer, the union said. In February, 196 workers were retrenched. Workers have since been granted access to 50 per cent of their pension savings — a short-term measure at best.
The union also accuses Ekapa of violating labour legislation, including the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Proposals to retrain and upskill workers were rejected by the company.
Mud rush reflects deeper patterns of neglect
The mud rush that killed five mineworkers has cast a shadow over Ekapa’s liquidation and raised serious questions about the company’s adherence to safety protocols. NUMSA says the deaths reveal a deeper pattern of neglect by a company unable or unwilling to invest in managing increasingly unstable geological conditions.
The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMRE) has taken a cautious and slow approach. Following the mud rush, inspectors issued directives halting operations in affected sections and demanded geotechnical assessments and compliance reports. An investigation was launched into whether Ekapa had followed mandatory codes of practice on rock engineering and underground stability.
But unions argue that the DMRE’s interventions are reactive rather than preventive. Oversight tightened only after fatalities and operational collapse, leaving workers exposed.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy conducted an oversight visit to Kimberley, meeting workers, unions and local authorities. MPs expressed concern about unpaid wages, the liquidation process, and the adequacy of safety systems prior to the mud rush. They want the DMRE to strengthen enforcement and to clarify whether business rescue could offer a safer, and better deal to workers than liquidation.
Managing geotechnical shifts
Diamond mining in Kimberley’s ageing mines is increasingly vulnerable to geotechnical instability. As underground mines deepen and intersect with old mines, the risk of mud rushes, rockfalls and sudden ground movement rises. Mining specialists point to several measures that could mitigate such risks. They want the DMRE to strengthen enforcement and clarify whether business rescue would offer workers a better deal than liquidation. Mud rushes often originate from flooding which can be controlled by improved drainage to reduce sudden inflows of water. Further,backfilling with material stabilises the rock mass and reduces collapse risk.
Andile Zitho, NUMSA regional secretary for the Northern Cape and Free State said:
“The postponement shows the court is seeing through the employer’s tactics and this opens the door to a fairer, more sustainable future for Kimberley, Ekapa and its diamond workers.”
Emmanuel Adjei-Danso, IndustriALL director for mining and energy said:
“We applaud NUMSA for defending livelihoods at Ekapa. Liquidation must not be a licence to impoverish workers.”
Update Ekapa mines
“For some people, we are the last hope”: Christiane Benner on unions, the far right and IndustriALL’s mandate
Christiane Benner arrived at IndustriALL’s Geneva headquarters on 25 March 2026 in the middle of a fight. Works council elections were underway across Germany and IG Metall, the union she leads as its first ever woman president, was facing direct competition from the far right on the shop floor.
IndustriALL president Christiane Benner addresses staff during a visit to the Geneva headquarters, 25 March 2026.
Speaking to staff that day, she was direct about the weight of the moment. Workers, she said, were turning to unions precisely because they had nowhere else to turn.
“For some people, we are the last hope.”
That phrase and the responsibility it carries shaped everything that followed.
We followed up with Christiane Benner after her visit to ask what that responsibility demands of IndustriALL, and of union leaders everywhere.
On vision and leadership
You described unions as “the last hope” for many workers. That is a heavy responsibility. How do you carry that, and what does it demand of union leaders globally right now?
When unions are the last hope for many workers, we become de facto defenders of fair treatment, dignity at work and basic economic and social security. We find ourselves taking on larger roles, advocating for sustainable industrial policy, defending workers’ rights across sectors. This means staying close to employees while also playing a political role in society at the same time.
This situation also creates real opportunities. We can rebuild public trust, expand membership in promising industries and among target groups like white-collar workers, women and young employees. We must be more strategic, not just reactive and our decision-making must be worker-centred.
Even though high unemployment and demographic change are causing membership to decline in many countries, including Germany, we are at the same time gaining many new members. That is why we will be successful in the long run. I am firmly convinced of that.
Four years from now, what does success look like for IndustriALL and for the workers we represent?
We are successful when we have breathed new life into solidarity and, as trade unions, form a united front that cannot be divided. We focus not on what divides us, but on what unites us: the fight for workers’ rights, good and safe jobs, social security and democracy in the workplace.
This leads to workers having tangible improvements in their daily lives, everywhere in the world:
prospects for the future with a secure job and social security
higher wages and stronger purchasing power across major industrial sectors
safer workplaces, with measurable reductions in accidents and exposure to hazardous materials
meaningful worker participation in how new technologies such as AI, automation and robotics are implemented
Workers need to feel the difference, real improvements, not only policy wins on paper.
You spoke about the need for leaders who are authentic and able to show how unions make a difference. What does that kind of leadership look like in practice?
Visionary leaders actively shape transformation, from digitalization and automation to ecological change. They maintain close ties with employees, are present on the shop floor and in offices and stay in touch with those working from home. They address concerns early and develop solutions together, such as training for new technologies or the transition to climate-friendly production.
They communicate clearly, explain complex issues in an understandable way and present themselves confidently in public, in politics and in the media. Young workers and women are actively involved. In this way, they build trust, promote renewal and ensure that their union remains, or becomes, a strong voice for decent work.
In short: visionary union leaders are courageous, empathetic, strategic and principled change-makers who mobilize people, actively shape change and make unions fit for the future.
On the far right
You described seeing a diagram mapping the global connections between right-wing movements. What struck you, and what can a global union do to confront this that national unions cannot?
What struck me most was seeing how well-connected and far-reaching Orbán’s network is as a representative of the far right. Fortunately, he has now been voted out of office. But I fear that the right-wing networks will remain.
All trade unions must take a stand against the far right in their respective countries, not just for the sake of opposing them, but because they actively stand against workers’ rights in every aspect of their policies. But we will be stronger if we fight together, pursue a common strategy and build strong networks across borders. A global federation like IndustriALL can provide a platform for this, help coordinate our activities and sharpen our strategies. We can learn from one another and expose their anti-worker record.
Unions also strengthen democracy by making sure it does not end outside the factory gates. In Germany, works council elections are the second biggest democratic elections in the country. This year, right-wing slates largely failed to make inroads, because we stayed close to the people. Making participatory democracy a tangible reality is one of the most effective counters to far-right forces we have.
On organizing
The Sydney Congress action plan puts organizing at the centre. What does organizing look like when it is done right?
When organizing is understood correctly, it puts workers at the centre: we listen to what they care about, what problems they face daily, what motivates them and what they fear. It must be clear that the workers are the union. When organizing is done right, workers themselves make decisions and union staff coach but do not control. A committee of trusted employees leads the organizing effort, talks to colleagues and takes responsibility for moving the campaign forward.
Like this, we build a strong union base in the workplace with many active and engaged members. Employees feel the difference and understand that they can achieve more together if they organize and speak with one voice. This makes solidarity and democracy in the workplace tangible and indispensable. It builds a culture of “we have each other’s backs.”
On women and the backlash
You are the first woman president of IG Metall. You mentioned the backlash against women as part of the broader right-wing agenda. What does this moment mean to you personally, and what does IndustriALL need to do to protect the gains made on gender?
More than two decades of building feminist structures inside IG Metall have taught me one thing above all: it was never easy nor a sure thing. Feminist unions do not arise on their own. They need structures that actually empower women: transparent pay systems, work-life balance, genuine participation and spaces where women can express themselves. And they need the courage to actively change patriarchal patterns. Feminism in unions is a practical, daily shift in power.
This matters especially now. Across the world, the gains women workers have made are under attack. This backlash is directed at us because our movement has grown stronger. We should not be intimidated. We should continue to organize, network internationally and stay vocal. Our global trade union movement stands behind every woman who fights for dignity, safety and equality. It is more important than ever.
The question she left behind
Christiane Benner left Geneva the same day she arrived, heading back to Germany and the front lines of the works council elections. But the question she posed to staff, “what does it mean to be the last hope?” is one that resonates well beyond IG Metall. It sits at the heart of what IndustriALL exists to do: connect the struggles of workers across the world into something larger than any one union can achieve alone. Her visit was a reminder of why that matters and of how much depends on getting it right.
Staff and guests gather at IndustriALL’s Geneva headquarters during a visit by IndustriALL president Christiane Benner, 25 March 2026.
