French court holds Yves Rocher accountable for workers’ rights violations in Türkiye

The case concerns the dismissal of more than 130 workers between 2018 and 2019 after they joined the Petrol-Is union to challenge poor working conditions, systematic discrimination against women and reports of sexist and sexual violence in the workplace.

The complaint was brought by ActionAid France, Sherpa, Petrol-Is and 81 former employees. After years of determined legal action, the court has now confirmed that the parent company failed to adequately identify and address risks to workers’ rights in its Turkish operations.

A historic step forward under the Duty of Vigilance Law

In its judgment, the court concluded that the Yves Rocher Group did not meet the requirements of the French Duty of Vigilance Law of 27 March 2017, which obliges large companies to identify and prevent human rights violations linked to their global operations.

The court found that the group should have identified the risk of serious labour rights violations within its Turkish subsidiary. By excluding the subsidiary from its vigilance plan and failing to take appropriate measures to prevent anti-union practices, the company did not fulfil its legal obligations.

Importantly, the ruling established that workers were dismissed in 2018 and 2019 in order to prevent the presence of a trade union and avoid collective bargaining. The court also found that the company had not properly assessed the risk of violations of trade union freedom in its 2017 and 2018 vigilance plans, despite having access to information indicating these risks.

This is the first time that a French company has been found liable under the Duty of Vigilance Law for human rights violations linked to its activities abroad. The decision sends a strong message that multinational companies must respect fundamental workers’ rights throughout their global operations.

Workers’ persistence leads to justice

The case is the result of years of persistence by the dismissed workers and their union. After being fired for organising, many workers continued their fight for justice, including through more than 300 days of protest outside the factory.

Their determination, supported by trade unions and civil society organisations, has now led to a historic court ruling confirming that the violations they faced were linked to anti-union practices.

Although most workers had previously signed a settlement agreement with the Turkish subsidiary in 2019, the court’s recognition of the company’s responsibility represents an important victory for those who brought the case.

Compensation and recognition

The court ordered the Yves Rocher Group to pay damages of €8,000 each to six former workers — Nimet Göksu, Nazim Sancak, Erdin Günaydın, Nejdet Mengübeti, Ersan Alasulu and Sedat Ordu — consisting of €5,000 (US$5,800) for moral damages and €3,000 (US$3,400) for economic damages.

The union Petrol-Is was awarded €40,000 (US$46,000) in damages, while Sherpa and ActionAid France received symbolic compensation of €1 (US$1) each.

In addition, the company must pay €1,000 (US$1,000) in legal costs to each of the six workers, as well as to Sherpa, ActionAid France and Petrol-Is.

The judgment is provisionally enforceable, meaning that it remains applicable even if an appeal is lodged.

A strong signal for corporate accountability

“The ruling represents an important milestone for corporate accountability. By confirming that multinational companies can be held responsible for labour rights violations linked to their operations abroad, the judgment strengthens the role of due diligence legislation as a tool to protect workers.

“For trade unions and workers, the decision shows that persistence can lead to results and that legal mechanisms such as the Duty of Vigilance Law can help ensure that companies respect fundamental rights throughout their global operations”

said Judith Kirton-Darling, industriAll Europe’s general secretary.

Said IndustriALL assistant general secretary Kemal Özkan:

“We salute the determination and solidarity of the Flormar workers and their years of steadfast struggle. This case demonstrates that worker resistance is essential to defending freedom of association. We welcome the French judiciary’s landmark verdict confirming that Yves Rocher violated fundamental workers’ rights. Using human rights due diligence through binding legislation is a central strategy for IndustriALL and an essential instrument for workers around the world.

“While the court has delivered justice for individual rights violations, union recognition and the right to collective bargaining are still not in place. We call on Yves Rocher to recognize Petrol-Is as the bargaining unit so that such serious abuses never happen again.”

5 ways to make gender transformation at work a reality

Gender inequality at work is not accidental. It is built into structures, who makes the rules, who they were designed for, and who gets left out. Changing that is what gender transformation means. Here are five ways to make it happen.

1. Recognize that “treating everyone the same” is not the same as equality

Most workplaces would say they treat men and women equally. But equal treatment is not the same as equal outcomes, especially when the rules were written with one group in mind.

Take safety equipment. For decades, protective gear was designed for the average male body. Women had to make do with a kit that did not fit and faced higher injury rates as a result. The rule was “the same” for everyone. The outcome was not.

Gender transformation means going further than acknowledging this problem. It means changing the rules themselves, involving women in writing them, challenging assumptions about who certain jobs are for and making sure safety, pay and promotion systems work for everyone. 

A good test for any workplace policy: who was this designed for, and who does it leave out?

2. Count the work that nobody counts

Before and after the paid working day, most women work a second shift. Cooking, cleaning, raising children, caring for elderly parents, work that keeps families and communities going, but that does not appear in any payslip or GDP figure.

Globally, women do 76.2 per cent of all unpaid care work, more than three times as much as men, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). An estimated 708 million women are outside the paid workforce entirely because of care responsibilities, compared to 40 million men. At the current pace of change, the ILO calculates it will take 210 years to close that gap.

This matters for workers because care responsibilities follow women into the workplace, shaping which jobs they can take, which hours they can work and how far they can progress. Real gender equality means recognizing this work, redistributing it more fairly and building workplaces that account for it: through parental leave that fathers actually use, affordable childcare and flexible working that does not derail careers.

3. Close the pay gap and make employers prove they have

Women earn around 20 per cent less than men globally. The United Nations puts it plainly: for every dollar a man earns, a woman earns 77 cents, for work of equal value. Mothers are hit hardest: wages fall with each additional child, while fathers often see theirs rise.

Part of the gap comes from outright discrimination. But much of it reflects something deeper: jobs done mainly by women are valued less than equivalent jobs done mainly by men. A care worker earns a fraction of what a security guard earns, despite comparable skills and responsibility.

Closing the gap starts with making it visible. Employers should be required to publish salary data broken down by gender and role, so that gaps cannot be hidden. Workers and unions can then use that data to challenge unfair pay, in negotiations, in the courts and in public. IndustriALL’s Pay Equity Toolkit is a free, practical guide developed specifically to help trade unions tackle the gender pay gap, from raising awareness to negotiating pay transparency with employers.

4. Change the institution, not just the rules

Policies only go so far. Lasting change requires changing the culture of organizations, including trade unions themselves. As Professor Akua Opokua Britwum, one of Africa’s leading feminist scholars, has argued at IndustriALL’s women’s committee meeting in Cape Town, June 2023: 

“you could put 100 per cent women in union leadership and still have a union that fails women workers, if the structures and culture remain unchanged.”

IF Metall, the Swedish metalworkers’ union, wrote feminist principles into its founding statutes, the French union CGTintroduced equal gender representation on its leadership committee in 1999. ELA in Spain ran an anonymous survey across its entire membership in 2017 asking honest questions about discrimination and bias within the union itself, 95 per cent of members responded. The results were uncomfortable. They acted on them anyway.

Men are part of this too. A workplace that expects women to carry all the care at home, and all the advocacy for equality at work, is not a feminist workplace, it is an exhausted one. Unions and employers that have engaged men directly, through training, through honest conversations about how gender norms harm men too, have made more lasting progress.

5. Know your rights and demand they are enforced

Workers have more rights than many realize, and those rights exist because previous generations fought for them. On gender equality at work, some of the most important protections come from international standards set by the ILO.

The Violence and Harassment Convention (C190) establishes that every worker has the right to a workplace free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence. The Equal Remuneration Convention (C100) sets out the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. These are not aspirational goals, they are binding standards in countries that have ratified them.

The problem is often enforcement. Rights on paper mean little without pressure to implement them. That pressure comes from organized workers, in unions, in campaigns and in workplaces. IndustriALL has developed a train the trainers toolkit on C190, available in more than a dozen languages, to help affiliates put the convention into practice. 

IndustriALL’s 2025 feminist resolution, adopted by IndustriALL affiliates, sets out a full agenda: from equal pay and safe workplaces to care work, climate justice and the fight against rising authoritarianism. It makes clear that gender justice is not a side issue for the labour movement. It is the labour movement.”

“Gender transformation will not come without a fight. The tools, the frameworks and the solidarity are there. The question is whether we use them with determination and shared purpose,” said Chirstina Olivier, IndustriALL assistant general secretary.

Women trade union leaders speaking and leading at the IndustriALL Women's Conference, Sydney 2025 — gender transformation in action
Women trade union leaders from across the globe at the IndustriALL Women’s Conference, Sydney, November 2025. @IndustriALL

No justice for women without union rights

The demands, brought by IndustriALL and fellow global union federations, centre on access to justice for women in the world of work, a right blocked for millions by discriminatory laws, underfunded institutions and structural barriers to decision-making.

Justice is inseparable from union rights

Access to justice cannot be separated from the right to organize. Freedom of association and collective bargaining must be enforced for all workers, in supply chains, in the informal economy, for migrant workers and across public and private sectors. Across global supply chains, women are overrepresented in the most precarious jobs, often with no union coverage and no access to grievance mechanisms. Governments must act to stop the persecution of women trade union leaders and make justice affordable through legal aid and fee waivers.

End the gender pay gap — with enforcement, not promises

Closing the gender pay gap requires ratifying and implementing ILO Conventions 100 and 111, establishing minimum living wages through collective bargaining or statutory processes, introducing pay transparency laws and revaluing feminised occupations. Enforcement must be backed by strengthened labour inspection, accessible complaints procedures and full salary data transparency in public and private sectors.

Ratify C190 — and make it real

Governments must ratify and implement ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206, enacting comprehensive strategies that prohibit all forms of gender-based violence and harassment across the entire world of work, including domestic violence and femicide. Reporting mechanisms must be safe, confidential and gender-responsive, with full protection from retaliation. Trade unions must be involved in designing, monitoring and enforcing these policies.

Care, digitalization and decent work

Labour legislation must be extended to workers in precarious and informal employment. The state’s primary responsibility for care provision must be recognized, with public investment in care and the redistribution of unpaid care work.

On digitalization, a gender perspective must be mainstreamed in policy decisions on artificial intelligence and platform work, and the digital gender divide must be closed.

Says IndustriALL assistant generla secretary Christina Olivier:

“As negotiations continue in New York, the CSW70 agreed conclusions must deliver concrete, enforceable commitments. Access to justice for women sustains peace and democracy and governments must act accordingly.”

Full statement

“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.”