“Everybody counts or nobody counts”: meet IndustriALL’s president

“I am a daughter of a single mom. Our money was often not enough until the end of the month.”

That is where her politics begin. Not in a lecture hall, not in a union office, in a household where economic insecurity was a daily reality. She trained as an industrial clerk in a machine building company, joined IG Metall as a young worker and was elected to the youth representative body, then the Works Council.

“Feminism in unions is a practical, daily shift in power”

Before becoming a union official, she spent time in Chicago where she focused on gender studies and worked with a Black civil rights activist and friend of Malcolm X, organizing summer camps for young people from poverty-stricken neighbourhoods.

“This time really shaped my view and sensitivity for racism, for structurally entrenched discrimination, especially against Black people,”

she told Congress.

She returned to Germany, continued her studies in industrial sociology and joined IG Metall as a union official in 1997. In 2023, she became president of IG Metall, the first woman to lead the union in its 132-year history. Two years later, IndustriALL’s affiliates elected her as their president.

She has never separated where she comes from and what she fights for. 

A historic moment and what comes next

The timing of her election is not incidental. At the same Sydney Congress, IndustriALL’s affiliates adopted a landmark feminist resolution, unanimously, with no votes against and no abstentions. For Christiane Benner, the two things belong together.

Christiane Benner at the podium at IndustriALL's 4th Congress, Sydney International Convention Centre, November 2025, pointing toward the audience
Christiane Benner addresses IndustriALL’s 4th Congress, Sydney, 5 November 2025

“For me, the unanimous adoption was a powerful moment of international solidarity. It shows that feminism is no longer a marginal issue, but our common political framework. For IndustriALL, this moment represents a clear decision on the direction we are taking: feminist trade union work is at the heart of our strategy, in trade union organizing, in the negotiation of collective agreements and in our global orientation.”

The resolution calls for feminist principles to be mainstreamed across all of IndustriALL’s work, from Just Transition to global supply chains to collective bargaining. That is a significant commitment. The real question is what it looks like in practice.

“I want to start where strategic decisions are made. We will know that something is changing when women are systematically sitting at these tables and have real decision-making power. Change will be evident when feminist perspectives are a natural part of our work.”

Power is not given

More than two decades of building feminist structures inside IG Metall have taught her one thing above all.

“I have learned that 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. Right-wing movements, organized, funded and growing, are targeting reproductive rights, workplace protections and the legitimacy of feminist politics itself. 

For the women on the front line of that backlash, she is unequivocal.

“You are not alone. This backlash is directed at us because our movement has grown stronger. Don’t be intimidated. Organize, network internationally and stay vocal. Our global trade union movement stands behind every woman who fights for dignity, safety and equality.”

Use your voice

At Congress, speaking to the youngest delegates in the room, she was clear about one more thing: the union youth work that shaped her own trajectory is not optional. It is how movements reproduce themselves.

Christiane Benner listens during the IndustriALL global youth conference, Sydney, November 2025
Christiane Benner at the IndustriALL global youth conference, Sydney, 3 November 2025

Her message to a young woman worker just finding her voice in her union is the same message she would have needed to hear.

“Your voice is effective. If you use it, you can change structures, for yourselves and for future generations.”

From a household where money did not last the month, to the presidency of a global union representing 50 million workers, she is not speaking in abstractions. 

She knows what it takes. And she knows change is possible.

From words to power: feminist trade unionism at the heart of IndustriALL

“This resolution calls us to adopt feminism as a transformative political project. It is a tool to confront the root causes of oppression.”

Her intervention was not procedural. It was directional. As a long-time advocate for feminist trade unionism within IndustriALL, her words reflected years of organizing work from the women’s committee that shaped the resolution and built momentum toward this moment. Feminism, she made clear, is not an accessory theme. It is a political framework for power.

When the vote came, there were no votes against. No abstentions.

This was not a symbolic moment. It was a strategic turning point, a deliberate political decision by IndustriALL affiliates to place feminist trade unionism at the centre of the organization’s agenda.

What happened in Sydney marked a structural shift. Feminism was no longer positioned at the margins of union debate. It was recognized as central to organizing strategies, bargaining priorities and global direction.

The feminist resolution states that feminist trade unionism must be mainstreamed across all areas of IndustriALL’s work, from Just Transition to trade policy, from organizing to global framework agreements, from occupational health and safety to corporate accountability.

This is not an add-on. It defines how the organization moves forward.

Feminism as a transformative political project

If Rose Omamo set the political direction, the first intervention from the floor demonstrated that feminist trade unionism is a collective commitment, including from male leadership.

Etienne Vlok from SACTWU in South Africa, began by naming women leaders across his union structures, presidents, general secretaries and global representatives. It was not a rhetorical gesture. It was recognition of concrete shifts in power.

“I come from a union whose president is a woman. I come from a union whose general secretary is a woman… This makes me proud.”

This expressed pride with purpose. It acknowledged progress while refusing complacency.

“There are now more than 40 per cent women delegates in this congress. But 40 per cent is not equality. It is a foundation to build on.”

As the first speaker in the debate, and as a male trade unionist, his message was clear: feminist transformation is not a women’s issue. It is a union issue. Representation alone is not the goal. Structural equality is.

The resolution reflects this approach. It demands that feminist thinking inform organizing strategies, collective bargaining and union governance.

Women’s leadership must not only be visible but empowered, resourced and embedded in decision-making processes.

Challenging patriarchal union cultures

Several affiliates spoke candidly about internal union dynamics.

Leontine Mbolanomena from FESATI Madagascar was direct:

“We can give quotas. We can give titles to women. But we don’t trust the quotas. They don’t get real responsibilities and make decisions.”

Her words resonated because they addressed an uncomfortable truth. Formal inclusion does not automatically translate into power. Feminist trade unionism requires structural change in decision-making processes, accountability and leadership culture.

Maria Travasson Ramos from CNM CUT Brazil sharpened the political stakes:

“Feminism must be part of our everyday work. Not empty words but a real policy that fights for justice. There can be no strong trade unions without strong feminism.”

This logic runs through the resolution. Feminist principles must shape union structures, policies and campaigns. The aim is not visibility. It is transformation.

Grounded in workplace realities

The debate was rooted in lived experience from sectors where women workers face systemic discrimination and violence.

Rukmini VP from INTWF India explained:

“I have been a witness to routine harassment and discrimination of women employees at the workplace.”

Endang Wahyuningsih from FSP KEP Indonesia connected feminist organizing directly to occupational health and safety:

“Women should not only be in the women’s committee. They must be represented in all committees, especially OHS, where women workers need protection, including protection of their reproductive health and freedom from sexual harassment.”

The resolution expands OHS standards to explicitly include sexual and reproductive health and rights and calls for gender-transformative training across supply chains. It strengthens commitments to institutionalize prevention of gender-based violence and harassment in collective agreements and labour frameworks.

Sujana Purba from FSP2KI Indonesia put it plainly:

“There shouldn’t be any toleration for sexual harassment or discrimination.”

These demands align with the resolution’s call for transparent pay practices and structural mechanisms to eliminate gender-based wage and promotion disparities.

Feminist political economy

One of the most forward-looking aspects of the resolution is its embrace of feminist political economy.

The text links gender justice to global trade regimes, neoliberal restructuring and climate crisis. It calls for a coordinated feminist political economy strategy within IndustriALL to shape trade policies and solidarity responses.

Darius Guerrero from PTGWO in the Philippines articulated this connection clearly:

“We push for a wealth tax and for climate justice so that both are central to the Just Transition we are fighting for.”

The resolution demands a gender Just Transition that incorporates care work and women’s economic agency. It recognizes care work as foundational labour that must be formalized, protected and integrated into collective bargaining and economic policy. This shifts feminist trade unionism beyond representation and into economic restructuring.

Standing firm against backlash

The resolution also addresses the rise of right-wing authoritarianism and anti-feminist backlash. It commits unions to defend civic space and protect women organizers facing repression.

Lamia Safa from SNP-CDT in Morocco framed the broader stakes:

“Liberating women is the liberation of our society.”

In the current global climate, this is not a neutral position. It is a strategic one.

Leadership and institutional ownership

Reflecting after Congress, assistant general secretary Christina Olivier describes the resolution as a defining moment for the organization’s political direction.

“This resolution makes clear that feminism is not a side issue for IndustriALL. It is central to how we organize, how we bargain and how we fight. In the current global climate of inequality and backlash, taking this position is not optional. It is necessary.”

She emphasizes that the unanimous vote sent a strong signal internally and externally:

“Our affiliates have spoken with one voice. Feminist trade unionism is the direction of travel for our movement.”

For leadership, the significance of the resolution lies not only in its adoption, but in what it demands moving forward, concrete changes in organizing strategies, bargaining priorities and institutional culture.

From words to power

The resolution upholds a collective vision of feminist trade unionism that centres the leadership, experiences and rights of women workers in all their diversity.

In Sydney, affiliates did more than adopt a text. They claimed feminism as a central organizing framework for confronting corporate power, climate injustice and economic inequality.

Feminist trade unionism has moved from commitment to strategy at the centre of IndustriALL’s agenda. In doing so, the organization has positioned itself as a forward-looking global union prepared to meet the political challenges of this moment with clarity and conviction.

US tariffs trigger gendered supply chain shock on Lesotho garment industries

For women workers, the fallout is particularly acute, as retrenched workers queue daily at factory gates from 7 am hoping for sporadic shifts while some turn to informal jobs like laundry or street vending. Job losses have plunged households into distress, with some workers struggling to pay for food, school fees, housing, or basics thus worsening food insecurity and reliance on subsistence farming or remittances. Unions describe a gendered supply chain shock, as women face limited alternatives in a patriarchal economy with scarce formal jobs.

Once thriving under the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Lesotho’s garment industry exported jeans, casual wear and garments for major brands like Levi’s, Gap, Walmart, Reebok and others to the US- its main market. Annual exports to the US reached over US$230 million, representing above 45 per cent of the sector’s output and contributing around 20 per cent of Lesotho’s GDP. The industry employed 50,000 workers at peak, with 80–95 per cent women, mostly breadwinners. According to unions, the workers wages were important to a nation plagued by widespread poverty and high unemployment of over 30 per cent with youth unemployment even higher.

The tariffs initially set at 50 per cent, the highest globally at the time, caused immediate chaos. Even after negotiations reduced the rate to 15 per cent which was still higher than the 10 per cent faced by other textile producing countries like Kenya, Eswatini and Ethiopia, buyer uncertainty, order cancellations and hesitation over AGOA’s future led to widespread disruptions. AGOA expired in September and was extended by only a year to 2026. This heightened fears of permanent loss of AGOA benefits. 

Factories have closed, scaled back, or shifted operations to elsewhere. The wave of closures has left Lesotho garment workers with little recourse and no safety net. For example, Ever Unison Garments, which once peaked at over 2,000 workers, shut down temporarily and reopened with just 200 workers while expanding production in lower-tariff Kenya and Eswatini. Tai Yuan Garments closed, affecting 1,500 workers. TZICC Clothing Manufacturers closed with 700 jobs lost. Precious Garments, employing about 4,000 workers and producing for brands like Reebok, Mayor and Fish, has laid off all workers amid buyer reluctance over the short-term AGOA renewal.

Other factories report heavy cuts: Quantum Apparel retrenched over 50 per cent of its workforce. Hippo Knitting which produces for Fabletics dropped from 1,200 to 400 workers. Maseru E-Textiles which manufactures for Perry Ellis placed its 1,000 workers on indefinite leave after retrenching about 200 others.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDUL), warns that over tens of thousands of jobs are at risk potentially up to 40,000 if conditions persist in export-oriented operations. IDUL says many workers face reduced hours, partial wages some as low as one-third normal pay, no work, no pay policies and unpaid leave.

IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, said: 

“As the effects of punitive tariffs on women-headed households in Lesotho take their toll, this underscores how US policy decisions can devastate jobs and distant livelihoods in the Global South, and why trade should be fair for developing countries. Without urgent intervention, Lesotho garment workers risk permanent exclusion from the formal economy.”

ArcelorMittal Shelby strike passes 40 days

The strike began at 11:59 p.m. on 13 January after negotiations failed to produce an agreement. Bargaining had started on 2 September last year, but talks stalled, with the last meeting between the company and the union taking place on 28 January. Since then, no further negotiations have been scheduled.

According to USW International representative Steve Ackerman, this is the longest strike in the history of Local 3057, already surpassing a 2021 dispute that lasted 11 days and concluded with a four-year agreement.

Workers hold the line

From the first hours of the strike, workers have maintained a visible and determined presence outside the Shelby plant along West Main Street. Braving winter temperatures, union members have walked the picket line daily, holding signs, waving to passing motorists and gathering around burn barrels to keep warm.

While on strike, workers in the bargaining unit have forfeited their pay and their health insurance benefits were halted at the end of January. Despite these pressures, the union says solidarity on the picket line and support from the local community have remained strong.

“It is overwhelming to see the support USW Local 3057 is getting from the community It is a shame to see such a good group of hard workers fighting for a fair contract. The union is ready and willing to continue bargaining.”

Steve Ackerman said.

Key issues: schedules, language and health care

The union reports that the main sticking points in negotiations include proposed language changes in the contract, work schedule changes and modifications to health care provisions. For workers, these issues go to the heart of job security, work-life balance and access to affordable medical care.

The Shelby facility is ArcelorMittal’s largest site in Ohio, with another plant located in Marion. As the strike continues, union representatives warn that prolonged disruption could damage the company’s skilled workforce.

“It’s a shame because they are going to lose valuable employees. They probably already have,” Steve Ackerman said.

Call for meaningful negotiations

USW Local 3057 has reiterated its readiness to return to the bargaining table at any time. The union is calling on ArcelorMittal management to resume negotiations in good faith and reach an agreement that respects workers’ contributions and ensures decent working conditions.

For the striking steelworkers in Shelby, the message is clear: after years of producing steel and sustaining the local economy, they are standing united for a contract that reflects their dignity, experience and commitment.

IndustriALL base metals director, Alexander Ivanou, said:

“The determination of the steelworkers in Shelby shows what solidarity truly means. These workers are standing up not only for fair schedules and decent health care, but for dignity and respect at work. ArcelorMittal must return to the bargaining table in good faith and negotiate an agreement that recognizes the skills, commitment and contribution of its workforce. A sustainable future for the plant depends on a fair contract.”

IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie, said:

“A prolonged suspension of collective bargaining at a major facility of a global company such as ArcelorMittal raises serious concerns regarding the effectiveness of social dialogue and industrial relations governance within the group. Respect for collective bargaining and freedom of association are fundamental international labour standards and essential pillars of stable and responsible industrial relations. ArcelorMittal should resume meaningful negotiations in good faith without delay and work toward a fair agreement that recognizes the skills, commitment and contribution of its workforce.”

Photo: Shutterstock

Global union federations call for an immediate cease fire and an end to the military escalation in Iran and the Middle East

These actions represent grave violations of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law and further escalate a conflict whose human cost is borne overwhelmingly by working people.

Workers, civilians, and public institutions must never be targets of military operations. The killing and injuring of students, teachers, and education personnel, and the destruction of protected civilian spaces such as schools and hospitals, is intolerable and must be unequivocally condemned.

The GUFs are also concerned by the subsequent retaliatory attacks by Iran. Escalation will only deepen instability, threaten civilian lives, including migrant workers and transport workers in ports, airports and at sea – who have already been reported killed and injured as violence spreads across the region – a caught in the crossfire, and risk plunging the region into a wider, devastating war.

The global trade union movement stands united in rejecting the use of military force that fuels cycles of violence, and undermines the foundations of peace, justice, and multilateral cooperation. Diplomacy — not armed confrontation—remains the only legitimate path toward security and lasting peace.

As unions representing millions of workers across sectors and continents, we call on the international community to:

The GUFs stand in unwavering solidarity with workers, independent unions, and communities in Iran and throughout the region. Workers’ voices — too often silenced by authoritarian governance and the logic of militarisation — must be heard. The future of Iran, and of the region, must be determined by its people themselves, free from external aggression and internal repression.

We reaffirm our commitment to building a world in which conflicts are resolved through negotiation, multilateralism is strengthened, and all people have the right to live and work in safety, dignity, democracy, and peace.

Signed by:

Young workers drive union agenda in Nepal

The discussions focused on strengthening union unity, aligning national strategies with IndustriALL’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan and Congress outcomes, and transforming workers’ demands into a coherent political agenda capable of addressing precarious work, weak enforcement of labour laws and the growing disconnect between workers’ needs and national policy debates.

Participants raised concerns over limited political engagement on labour rights, weak enforcement of labour laws and persistent gaps between national frameworks and international labour standards. Low union density, particularly among young and precarious workers, was identified as a critical challenge, alongside the need for leadership renewal and a stronger evidence base for organizing. 

Discussions also examined lessons from recent Gen Z-led protests and social movements in Nepal. Participants noted that declining worker morale, rising living costs, food insecurity and erosion of rights have fuelled widespread discontent, particularly among young people. The need for trade unions to connect with younger workers’ concerns was underlined, while offering durable pathways beyond episodic protest.

Group discussions mapped workers’ concerns across employment and job security, wages and social protection, precarious work and occupational safety and health, Just Transition and industrial policy and gender equality. Rising inflation, unsafe workplaces and the rapid expansion of precarious work were highlighted as urgent priorities. 

Participants also raised concerns about energy and industrial transitions proceeding without adequate consultation, retraining, or employment guarantees. Women workers’ demands for equal pay, social protection and structural inclusion within unions featured prominently. These discussions were consolidated into a draft workers’ manifesto to be shared with political parties and union centres. 

As a key outcome, affiliates agreed to establish a national youth committee, each nominating two activists under 32 (with at least one woman) to support inclusive unions, gender equality and leadership development within the Nepal Council.

IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, Ashutosh Bhattacharya, said:

“Young workers are already protesting insecurity, rising prices, and the erosion of rights. Trade unions now have a responsibility to turn that anger into organized power and binding political demands.”

Sri Lankan unions strengthen organizing

The programme began with a youth workshop on 9–10 February, continued with a national council meeting on 11 February and concluded with a women’s workshop on 12–13 February, with discussions centred on the challenges posed by economic restructuring, privatization pressures and increasing restrictions on trade union activity, as well as the need to build stronger, more inclusive unions capable of responding to these mounting threats.

Trade unions in Sri Lanka gathered in Colombo in February for a series of meetings organized by IndustriALL, beginning with a youth workshop on 9–10 February, followed by a national council meeting on 11 February and concluding with a women’s workshop on 12-13 February. The discussions took place amid economic restructuring, privatization pressures and increasing restrictions on trade union activity.

The national council meeting examined how shrinking civic space, through restrictive laws, misuse of security legislation and broad definitions of essential services, is undermining freedom of association, protest and collective bargaining. Participants raised concerns over government interference in social dialogue, including the exclusion of legitimate unions and the use of proxy organizations, alongside weak enforcement of occupational safety and health standards.

Low unionization and limited active participation, particularly in the private sector, were identified as persistent organizing challenges. Youth and women face additional barriers due to issues like job insecurity and increasing informalization. Unsafe working conditions and recent fatal workplace accidents were cited as evidence of the human cost of precarious work and regulatory failure.

The youth workshop highlighted growing frustration among young workers facing short-term contracts, employer intimidation, forced overtime, and weak protections against harassment. Participants developed concrete organizing plans across key sectors. 

During the women’s workshop priority areas that need to be addressed were identified, including mobilizing women workers, promoting leadership, addressing the gender pay gap, tackling gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) and implementation of ILO C190. An action plan was developed, outlining priorities and actions.

Across the three meetings, affiliates agreed on the need to defend civic space through coordinated advocacy, strengthen organizing through inclusive structures and link labour struggles with climate justice and Just Transition debates.

As a key outcome, affiliates agreed to establish national youth and women’s committees, each nominating two activists under 32(with at least one woman) to support inclusive unions, gender equality and leadership development within the Sri Lanka Council.

IndustriALL South Asia regional secretary, Ashutosh Bhattacharya, says:

“Defending civic space is not only about legal rights, it is about whether workers can organize, resist exploitation, and shape their collective future.”

Korean court upholds union action against workplace facial recognition

In its ruling, the court stated that “the removal of facial recognition devices was an unavoidable measure taken by workers to protect their right to informational self-determination and other fundamental rights.” The court further emphasized that facial recognition data constitutes highly sensitive personal information that is irreversible once leaked. It concluded that protecting such rights “does not violate social norms and constitutes a legitimate act as well as lawful trade union activity.”

The devices had been installed in April 2025 by Hyundai Heavy Industries in offices and changing rooms, reportedly to manage subcontracted workers, without prior consultation with the union.

Raising concerns about privacy, data protection and the lack of dialogue, union members removed around 80 devices. The company subsequently suspended 25 union members and officials for five and three weeks, respectively.

The court’s decision follows earlier rulings in favour of the union. In July 2025, the Ulsan District Court dismissed the company’s application for an injunction seeking to halt the removal of the devices. The Ulsan Regional Labour Relations Commission also ruled that the disciplinary measures imposed on union members were unfair.

IndustriALL automotive director, Georg Leutert, said:

“This ruling is a significant victory for workers’ rights and trade union legitimacy. The court has clearly affirmed that workers have the right to defend their privacy and fundamental freedoms in the workplace. Digital technologies, including biometric surveillance, cannot be imposed unilaterally and without consultation. Employers must respect collective bargaining and ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of dignity and fundamental rights.”

The judgment marks an important affirmation of trade union rights and the protection of workers’ personal data in the face of expanding digital surveillance at work. As biometric monitoring technologies become more widespread in industrial workplaces, the ruling underscores that employers must respect workers’ fundamental rights and engage in meaningful consultation with unions.

Responsible exit is the only responsible choice in Myanmar’s war economy

Five years after the military coup, Myanmar is no longer a “high-risk sourcing destination.” It is a war economy.

The garment sector remains one of the junta’s largest sources of hard currency. The World Bank reported US$5.5 billion in garment exports in 2022. Exports remained above US$5 billion in 2023 before falling to US$4.46 billion in 2024. In that same year, Europe alone imported approximately €2.8 billion worth of textile and clothing products from Myanmar, much of it entering duty-free under the EU’s Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme.

These are not neutral trade statistics. They represent large-scale foreign-exchange inflows into a financial system tightly controlled by the military authorities.

State media reports document repeated Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) foreign-exchange allocations to priority imports such as fuel and edible oil. On 2 September 2024, the CBM instructed that up to 75 per cent of foreign currency earned from trade, CMP garment exports, and natural-resource sales could be directed toward fuel and palm-oil imports. As economist Sean Turnell has detailed in The Military, Money, and Myanmar: Breaking the Nexus, post-coup measures have centralized foreign-exchange control through forced currency conversions, multiple exchange rates, restrictions on outward payments and tight control over currency dealers. Export earnings, including those from garments, do not flow freely in such a system. They are captured and redirected.

They help sustain regime priorities.

Myanmar’s military continues aerial bombardments, forced recruitment, arbitrary detention and the systematic destruction of civilian communities. Oil and dual-use fuel imports are indispensable to these operations. When foreign currency is centrally controlled, it becomes part of the machinery that enables repression.

The international community has acknowledged this crisis.

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions under Executive Order 14014 targeting military leaders and military-linked enterprises. The UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) and the European Union have adopted parallel restrictive measures. These sanctions prohibit making funds or economic resources available to designated actors. They are intended to prevent financial support from sustaining the junta.

Yet sanctions cannot achieve their purpose if broader commercial activity continues to generate foreign exchange that enters the same controlled system. When currency is captured and reallocated by the military authorities, continued sourcing risks undermining the objectives of sanctions policy.

In June 2025, the International Labour Organization invoked Article 33 of its Constitution, an extraordinary measure used only in cases of serious and persistent violations. The ILO called on member States to review their relations with Myanmar and ensure they do not contribute, directly or indirectly, to ongoing abuses.

That review must extend to trade preferences.

Myanmar continues to benefit from the EU’s EBA scheme, which grants duty-free market access on the condition of compliance with core human rights and labour conventions. Those conditions are plainly not met. Freedom of association has been dismantled. Independent unions have been outlawed. Trade union leaders face arrest and persecution. Continuing EBA under these circumstances sends a dangerous signal: that systematic violations do not carry meaningful economic consequences.

The EU should immediately initiate suspension of EBA preferences for Myanmar. This is not a measure against workers; it is a measure against a regime that captures trade revenues. Preferential access should not be allowed to strengthen a system that systematically crushes labour rights.

Some brands argue that enhanced human rights due diligence allows them to remain responsibly engaged. But due diligence requires workers to speak freely and organise independently. Those conditions do not exist. Monitoring mechanisms cannot substitute for freedom of association. In the absence of genuine mitigation possibilities, continued sourcing becomes increasingly indefensible.

Where mitigation is impossible, disengagement becomes necessary under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

This does not mean abrupt withdrawal without safeguards. It means responsible exit.

Responsible exit requires advance notice, wage guarantees, severance payments and compensation funds. It requires consultation with legitimate worker representatives, including those in exile. It requires safeguards to prevent factories or contracts from being transferred to military-linked conglomerates.

Responsible exit is not abandonment. It is refusal to remain financially entangled in repression.

Myanmar’s workers have already paid a heavy price for resisting military rule. Many joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. Many have been dismissed, displaced or forced into hiding. They do not ask for cosmetic audits. They ask for international actors to align their economic decisions with their stated commitments to human rights.

In a war economy, neutrality is an illusion.

Trade, sourcing and sanctions policy must be brought into coherence with reality. Continuing business as usual while repression deepens is not a neutral choice. It is a choice that carries responsibility.

The credibility of global labour rights and human rights commitments now depends on whether governments and brands are prepared to act accordingly.

Initiative in Mexico targets industrial homicide after Pasta de Conchos

The disaster at the Pasta de Conchos mine in Coahuila killed 65 Grupo México miners working in high-risk conditions. Workers had repeatedly reported serious safety failures, including inadequate ventilation, methane gas build-up and lack of essential equipment. Although the company insisted the mine was safe, later investigations and testimonies pointed to dangerous conditions. Grupo México denied responsibility from the outset and suspended rescue efforts after five days, leaving 63 miners trapped underground.

MP Jesús Jiménez recently presented a bill to the House of Commons in Mexico to incorporate the concept of “industrial homicide” into the Penal Code, with the aim of holding companies criminally accountable for worker deaths resulting from serious breaches of industrial safety and occupational health regulations. The proposal seeks to establish legal mechanisms to prevent similar industrial tragedies.

The initiative was originally drafted by Napoleón Gómez Urrutia, general secretary of IndustriALL affiliate Los Mineros, to ensure corporate responsibility is not diluted through administrative procedures. Gómez Urrutia has also called for the immediate rescue of the workers, an objective, independent and neutral investigation to determine the causes and punish those responsible with the full force of the law, and — in cases of death — fair and dignified compensation for the families.

Gómez Urrutia explained to Mexican publication La Jornada:

“The aim is to strengthen the legal framework so that the corporate obligation to guarantee safety does not remain a dead letter and that, when negligence leads to death, there are clear criminal consequences. It is about transforming the world of work into a fairer and more dignified one, where the lives of workers are worth more than any profit, gain or financial balance sheet. (…) Pasta de Conchos cannot be forgotten or abandoned.”

IndustriALL General Secretary Atle Høie said:

“Twenty years after the tragic industrial homicide in Pasta de Conchos, Mexico, justice has still not been done for the 65 victims and their families. Grupo México has not assumed its responsibilities and the country has not honoured their sacrifice by creating legislation that guarantees corporate accountability, at least not yet. The new legislation must create safe mining and functioning chains of responsibility. The 65 miners who lost their lives and their families deserve this respect, as do all mining communities in Mexico.”