Building strong unions

Collective agreements at Renault Morocco

16 December 2025 at 15:05

Last week, Renault Morocco signed three collective agreements in Casablanca and Tangier with the unions affiliated to IndustriALL -Syndicat Nationale des Industries de la Métallurgie et Electromécanique - SNIME-CDT La Confédération démocratique du travail (CDT) and Fédération Nationale de la Métallurgie et des Industries Synthétiques Métallurgiques et Electroniques - FNMISME - UMT Union marocaine du travail (UMT).

Kenyan court upholds trade union rights

11 December 2025 at 09:49

In a ruling that reinforces constitutional protections for trade union activity, Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court has ordered the immediate reinstatement of 11 workers at Springtech Kenya Limited, a manufacturing firm, who were suspended without pay after refusing to renounce membership of the Amalgamated Union of Kenya Metal Workers (AUKMW), an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union.

The 16 days of action are over but our fight isn’t

10 December 2025 at 15:43

As the 16 days of activism come to a close, I am always struck by the powerful work we’ve seen taken by our affiliates around the world. These 16 days are not a symbolic gesture within our movement, they turn awareness into action that actually changes workplaces.

Pushing for gender transformative agenda in South East Asia

8 December 2025 at 14:44

Women union leaders in South East Asia are advancing a gender-transformative agenda through legislative advocacy, social dialogue, and awareness campaigns. This commitment was further strengthened at the South East Asia regional forum of women toward gender-responsive actions and campaigns, held on 24–25 November in Jakarta, where twenty-five women union leaders from across the region pledged to conduct regular gender mapping, build alliances and networks with other trade unions, disseminate information on Convention 190 through study circles, and campaign to end digital violence against women and girls.

Six months after entry into force, the HKC still is not being implemented

8 December 2025 at 10:08

Shipbreaking has often been described as the most dangerous job in the world and IndustriALL has long campaigned for the ratification of the Hong Kong Convention (HKC) as the most practical first step to clean up the industry. Supported by affiliates, together we maintained pressure on governments, ship owners, financiers and other industry stakeholders to promote the Convention. Despite these efforts and despite formal ratification not one of the major ship recycling nations has fully implemented the Convention in practice.

Rubber and tyre workers discuss the future of the sector in the Americas

3 December 2025 at 09:50

Trade unions from Latin America, the United States, Canada and Mexico are working on a joint strategy in response to local, regional and global challenges. From 24 to 26 November, the International Trade Union Conference to defend the gains in the rubber and tyre sector was held in San Luis de Potosi, Mexico, providing a crucial opportunity to discuss the changes in the sector and strengthen coordination between the unions in the region.

Historic win for Italy’s metal workers

26 November 2025 at 15:37

Last week Italy’s metal workers secured a major victory as the unions Fim, Fiom and Uilm, all affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, signed the renewed National Collective Labour Agreement (NCLA) with Federmeccanica and Assistal after four days of continuous and intense negotiations. The agreement covers more than 1.5 million workers across the country and guarantees a €205(US$ 237.17) increase on minimum contractual salaries over four years, which the unions say is essential to protecting wages amid rising living costs and economic uncertainty.

UNiTE: IndustriALL calls affiliates to action during the 16 days of activism

24 November 2025 at 16:27

From 25 November to 10 December, IndustriALL joins the United Nations’ UNiTE campaign for the 16 Days of Activism, this year under the theme: “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls.”Every woman and girl in our industries, in our unions and across our societies has the right to live, organize and work without violence, offline or online. This is non-negotiable. Digital spaces have become as central to work as the factory floor, yet they have also become a frontline for misogyny, harassment and attacks on women trade unionists, activists and leaders.

IAM union members ratify new Boeing contract after 15-week strike

21 November 2025 at 20:45

Workers at IAM District 837 in St. Louis, USA, have ratified a new five-year agreement with Boeing, ending a nearly 15-week strike that drew national attention, not only for its duration, but for the unusual bipartisan support it received in one of the more conservative states in the United States.

NUMSA signs wage deal, calls for policy response to protect auto sector

21 November 2025 at 13:23

On 14 November, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union and the country’s largest manufacturing union, concluded a three-year wage settlement with the Automobile Manufacturers Employers’ Organisation (AMEO), averting a strike that had loomed after months of deadlock.

At least 50 miners killed in Congo bridge collapse; unions demand action

20 November 2025 at 17:00

The tragic bridge collapse at the Kalando artisanal copper and cobalt mine in Mulondo, Lualaba province, on 15November 2025, which claimed at least 50 lives and left dozens injured or missing, is a heartbreaking reminder of the deadly risks and hazardous conditions faced by artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

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 strong unions

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