Building strong unions

High Court orders regularization of 370 SAIL Bokaro workers

4 November 2025 at 23:21

In a major win for workers’ rights, the Jharkhand High Court has directed management of the SAIL Bokaro steel plant to regularize 370 long-term contract workers, concluding a legal battle that began in 2006.

Two workers killed and eight injured in Basra oil pipeline fire

4 November 2025 at 01:50

A fire at an oil pipeline in Basra, southern Iraq, has killed two workers and injured eight others following a gas leak at the Burjisiya Zubair 1 pumping station operated by the Basra Oil Company. The incident, which occurred within one of Iraq’s largest oil production areas, was reportedly caused by deteriorated equipment in a complex network of pipelines that require regular maintenance, according to initial union reports.

We are all in for equality: women’s power at the heart of IndustriALL’s global movement

3 November 2025 at 12:06

The day before IndustriALL’s 4th Congress, more than 350 women from every region and sector filled the room with energy, colour and conviction at the Women’s Conference, under the banner “We are all in for equality.”

Mining unions pledge solidarity to confront global capital in a volatile sector

3 November 2025 at 07:25

The mining and diamonds, gems, ornaments, jewellery, and processing (DGOJP) industries, long a cornerstone of global supply chains, are undergoing a deep transformation. Surging demand for battery metals including copper, cobalt, lithium, and nickel fuels the green-energy turn, while rare earths underpin everything from wind turbines to electric vehicles.

Organizing for a just future: workers must shape the change

30 October 2025 at 01:30

In a few days, more than a thousand trade union delegates from every corner of the world will gather in Sydney for IndustriALL Global Union’s 4th Congress. Together, we will set our direction for the next four years under the theme Organizing for a just future.

Court ruling reinstates retrenched workers at ArcelorMittal South Africa

29 October 2025 at 22:13

The South African Labour Court has stopped the retrenchment of over 3,500 workers at ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) and called for fresh consultations with the union.

Ensuring the future of work will require strong unions and global collaboration

28 October 2025 at 12:46

Industry 4.0, automation and the future of work were the focus of recent discussions between representatives of Uruguayan manufacturing unions and Germany’s IG Metall, with those present agreeing that global unity and solidarity would be needed to ensure fairer working conditions in future.

Unions strengthen collaboration across Dow, DuPont and major chemical producers

23 October 2025 at 16:44

Union representatives from the chemical sector came together to discuss shared challenges across the sector, from workplace safety and training to the growing influence of artificial intelligence on industrial jobs.

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

23 October 2025 at 11:15

Bangladesh has become the first country in South Asia to ratify ILO Conventions 190, 155 and 187, addressing violence and harassment, occupational safety and health (OSH), and the promotional framework for OSH. The ratifications come after years of sustained campaigning by IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates, supported by global partners, to secure stronger protections for workers and legally binding safety commitments.

Fire in Bangladesh’s garment factory claims 16 lives

20 October 2025 at 15:24

Last week, Bangladesh witnessed two massive fire incidents in garment factories located in Dhaka and Chattogram, bringing the question of industrial safety, particularly building safety standards in readymade garment sector, back into the spotlight.

Indonesia: seven Freeport workers killed at a landslide at Grasberg

14 October 2025 at 12:47

After a month-long rescue mission, the bodies of seven Indonesian and migrant workers were discovered on 5 October at Freeport-McMoRan’s Grasberg mine. The workers had been trapped underground following a landslide on 8 September, when an estimated 800,000 metric tonnes of mud suddenly flowed into the cave.

Sydney Congress: white-collar voices

9 October 2025 at 16:22

Ahead of the IndustriALL upcoming Sydney Congress, 40 white-collar union delegates met online, 29 September 2025, to strategize on advancing their priorities in the debates.

DRC women artisanal miners face exploitation as unions seek better working conditions

9 October 2025 at 15:53

On 7 October, in the noon of a blazing sun, women miners stand in nearly knee-high mud pools processing cobalt from nearby pits at Mutoshi, Kolwezi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Lualaba Province. This has dire consequences to their health, according to reports.

The other side of lithium: strengthening unions in the battery supply chain

9 October 2025 at 10:07

Given the central role that lithium plays within the global energy agenda, a seminar was held in Antofagasta, Chile, on how to strengthen unions in the lithium sector. The event, which ran on 30 September and 1 October, was attended by leaders of mining unions in Chile and Argentina. It was part of IndustriALL’s strategy to support its affiliates in the battery supply chain, in light of the continuing labour rights violations in the sector.

Building social partnership in Armenia’s mining sector

2 October 2025 at 13:50

With the support of IndustriALL Global Union and the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (CTUA), trade union leaders from Armenia’s mining and metallurgical sector gathered in Kapan, Syunik region, for a two-day round table–seminar on: social partnership at the republican and sectoral levels. Social dialogue and establishing social partnership at the enterprise level. The event took place on 19–20 September 2025.

Organizing and campaigns to revitalize trade unions in Sub-Saharan Africa

2 October 2025 at 11:48

In a transforming world of work, organizing and campaigns are becoming critical strategies for trade union survival. Facing a push back from global and national capital, trade unions are developing strategies that respond to local workplaces and sectoral dynamics.

Ten years of advancing workers’ rights under global framework agreement with H&M

2 October 2025 at 10:13

Since 2015, the global framework agreement with H&M has provided a platform for joint work to safeguard the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining – improving conditions for workers in the factories that form part of the company’s supply chain.

Women trade unionists prepare ground for equality ahead of Sydney

29 September 2025 at 10:03

IndustriALL preparatory women’s conference set the stage for a stronger push on gender equality, women’s rights, participation and representation ahead of the global women’s conference, under the slogan: we are ALL in for equality, and Congress in Sydney this November.

Defending workers’ rights in a time of political turmoil

26 September 2025 at 04:26

Trade unions in the Asia Pacific region are calling for united action to defend human and workers’ rights amid growing political turmoil, escalating geopolitical conflicts, and the rise of right-wing politics.

Kyrgyz unions plan joint organizing work

25 September 2025 at 13:48

On 18 and 19 September, IndustriALL held an organizing workshop for its Kyrgyz affiliates outside the city of Bishkek. The workshop emerged from a strategic plan developed by the Kyrgyz unions to build workplace power through organizing, and unity through joint action, to make their collective bargaining efforts more effective.

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking workers strengthen international cooperation

24 September 2025 at 13:52

The shipbuilding and shipbreaking action group met online on 16 September to build on progress made at last year’s world conference in Glasgow.

More benefits for ArcelorMittal workers in Liberia as union signs collective agreement

22 September 2025 at 07:44

On 10 September, the United Workers Union of Liberia (UWUL), an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, signed its sixth collective bargaining agreement with ArcelorMittal Liberia, marking a significant step towards improving working and living conditions in the country’s mining sector.

South East Asian unions unite for worker safety

17 September 2025 at 10:04

On 11 September 2025, eleven members of the occupational health and safety (OHS) ad hoc committee from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines convened in Phnom Penh to develop a roadmap for a comprehensive safety and health campaign for 2025–2026.

Mental health, a common concern for the network of CMPC workers’ unions

16 September 2025 at 09:39

Mental health emerged as a common concern during the recent online meeting of the CMPC workers’ unions network, which brought together union representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, along with Alejandro Valerio, IndustriALL deputy regional secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean and Tom Grinter, IndustriALL pulp and paper sector director.

IndustriALL women lead push for equality ahead of Congress

10 September 2025 at 18:12

Preparations for IndustriALL women’s conference and November Congress in Sydney are well under way, which will be an assessment of work undertaken to promote gender equality and women’s rights.

Building strong unions

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