Solidarity

Sub-Saharan African unions launch online worker-education platform

10 July 2025 at 16:52

Seventy participants from IndustriALL affiliates across 17 Sub-Saharan African countries launched an online worker-educators forum, a joint initiative with the International Federation of Workers Education Associations (IFWEA), on 1 July.

Just Transition manifesto: garment workers demand a fair, worker-led shift

10 July 2025 at 16:19

Workers must not be forced to bear the costs of the green transition. That was the resounding message from the third workshop on decent jobs and social protection for a Just Transition in the textile and garment supply chain, held on 7 July, by the ITUC’s Just Transition and Climate department, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union.

India: millions of workers go on strike to defend workers’ rights

9 July 2025 at 17:27

Today, millions of workers across India—from both formal and informal sectors and from rural and urban areas—went on strike and took to the streets to defend their rights, which have been severely undermined under the current right-wing government.The countrywide general strike was called by the Joint Platform of Central Trade Unions in India, along with sectoral and independent federations and farmers’ organizations to intensify the fight against the government’s anti-labour policies.

South East Asia sees surge in trade union youth movements

8 July 2025 at 13:49

Since the adoption of the IndustriALL Global Union 2021-2025 Action Plan, the secretariat has been actively driving its transformative agenda, strengthening youth empowerment through enhanced structural arrangements.

India: Over 40 killed in factory explosion

4 July 2025 at 14:49

On 30 June, a massive fire broke out at a pharmaceutical unit of Sigachi Industries in India, leaving more than 40 workers dead and injuring over 30 others. Many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition and DNA samples had to be collected to identify the victims. Media reports indicate that some workers are still missing as authorities continue to clear debris at the site. Approximately 143 workers were present in the factory when fire engulfed the building.

Alang workers, industry and global allies unite for Hong Kong Convention

3 July 2025 at 15:46

In a display of unity, workers, government, industry and global organizations came together to mark the historic entry into force of the Hong Kong Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC) on 26 June 2025. To commemorate this milestone, a tripartite meeting and workers’ rally were held on 29 June in Alang, India—home to some of the world’s largest ship recycling yards led by the Alang Sosiya Ship Recycling and General Workers’ Association (ASSRGWA), reaffirming their shared commitment to fair and effective implementation of the Convention.

Union fury erupts over forced Mothae Mine layoffs

3 July 2025 at 12:02

The Independent Democratic Union of Lesotho (IDUL) is strongly objecting to the forced leave of 400 workers at Mothae Diamond Mine in Lesotho.

Workers need binding corporate HRDD laws

26 June 2025 at 15:56

IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union are pushing back against proposed revisions to key EU sustainability laws, warning that the changes could undermine vital protections for workers. In an open letter, IndustriALL Global Union and industriAll European Trade Union are calling on lawmakers to resist pressure to weaken corporate human rights due diligence rules.

Milestone for shipbreaking workers as global Convention comes into force

26 June 2025 at 14:45

Today, 26 June, marks the entry into force of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (HKC), a landmark step for workers in what is often called the world’s most dangerous industry.

How Next abandons its workers

24 June 2025 at 09:16

Next is proving not to live up to its fundamental promises when it comes to workers’ rights. From refusing to sign a landmark agreement to improve wages in Cambodia, to abandoning Sri Lankan workers by text and continuing business in Myanmar despite documented risks of grave human rights abuses under the military junta, Next consistently puts profit over people. Even its UK retail staff are denied a living wage, dismissed as “not breadwinners” by the company’s CEO.

Landmark protections mark 2025 International Labour Conference

17 June 2025 at 16:59

Over 5,400 delegates from governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations across 187 ILO member states met for the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), on 2-13 June in Geneva. The meeting concluded with significant progress on global labour standards, including the adoption of a groundbreaking new convention on biological hazards in the workplace.

India: garment workers defy illegal closure

17 June 2025 at 12:59

On 9 June, Celebrity Fashions Limited (CFL), a garment manufacturing company in India, illegally shut down its factory in Avadi, Tamil Nadu, unlawfully terminating 560 workers overnight. After several rounds of negotiations, managements and workers have reached an agreement, but the struggle for closure compensation continues.

Digel workers in Türkiye fight union busting

17 June 2025 at 07:35

For more than 150 days, workers sacked from Digel, a German menswear company operating in the Aegean Free Zone in Gaziemir, Izmir, have picketed against union busting.

Calls to save jobs as Goodyear Tyres retrenches 907 workers in South Africa

13 June 2025 at 11:39

Over 900 workers and thousands more along supply chains and related industries, including service providers, will lose jobs when tyre manufacturer Goodyear shuts down its 78-year-old plant in Kariega in the Eastern Cape province in December.

ArcelorMittal workers in Quebec win strong five-year deal

12 June 2025 at 15:51

In a significant win for unionized workers, members of United Steelworkers/Syndicat des Métallos, five local unions representing 2,500 employees across ArcelorMittal’s operations in Northern Quebec have ratified a new five-year collective agreement, last month. The deal, which covers workers at the mine, concentrator, railway, port, pellet plant and office, marks one of the most substantial labour agreements in the region’s recent history, securing major advancements in wages, pensions, working conditions and benefits.

Making human rights due diligence legislation work for unions

10 June 2025 at 11:41

Trade unionists across South East Asia recognized the vital role of human rights due diligence (HRDD) legislations in safeguarding workers’ rights, committing to actively participating in the process, making the legislation work for unions.

UGT, CCOO and ELA call for historic strike at Iberdrola tomorrow

5 June 2025 at 17:41

Tomorrow, on 6 June, more than 9,500 Iberdrola employees across Spain are set to join the first-ever strike in 126 years in the company. IndustriALL affiliates UGT, CCOO and ELA have called the strike in response to the stalled collective bargaining negotiations and the company's refusal to guarantee workers' purchasing power.

Strategic push for gender equality at IndustriALL’s 4th Congress

5 June 2025 at 11:56

IndustriALL’s Women’s Committee met online on 26–27 May to start preparations for IndustriALL women’s conference and Congress in Sydney in November. It provided an opportunity to assess progress and evaluate systemic challenges.

ILO sets decent work standards for recycling through tripartite deal

4 June 2025 at 11:52

After years of union advocacy and an intense week of negotiations held from 5-9 May, in Geneva, the ILO published the policy guidelines for the promotion of decent work in recycling. The document, adopted by representatives of governments, employers and trade unions, will be submitted for consideration to the ILO Governing Body at its 355th session in November 2025.

Glencore faces global scrutiny over ESG failures

3 June 2025 at 14:30

On 28 May a delegation comprising trade union representatives, NGOs, Indigenous leaders and affected community members from Colombia, Canada, South Africa and Switzerland convened at Glencore's annual general meeting (AGM) in Zug, Switzerland. Their unified demand: Glencore must address its persistent environmental, social and governance (ESG) shortcomings and engage in meaningful global social dialogue.

Human rights due diligence: an imperative for critical raw materials in the Global South

2 June 2025 at 09:24

The global transition to renewable energy systems has intensified demand for critical raw materials like lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper, particularly from resource-rich regions in the Global South. This surge underscores the urgent need for robust human rights due diligence (HRDD) in mining operations, as emphasized during a webinar on 22 May.

Health, safety, and Just Transition top the agenda at MENA oil and gas trade union meeting

27 May 2025 at 15:58

On 27-29 April, the IndustriALL Global Union MENA oil and gas union network met in Istanbul, Türkiye, with the participation of unions from Iraq, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine and Türkiye.

Tunisia’s Parliament approves disputed labour law

27 May 2025 at 10:46

On 21 May, Tunisia’s Parliament passed a new law regulating employment contracts and restricting subcontracting. The law, referred to as the “subcontracting law,” introduces penalties, including potential imprisonment, for those hiring through outsourcing arrangements. It also replaces fixed-term contracts with open-ended ones, while allowing some exceptions. The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) reveals numerous shortcomings and loopholes in the new text and warns of repercussions on workers.

From Belarus to biohazards: unions demand action at ILC

27 May 2025 at 05:56

The 187 member states of the International Labour Organization meet every year in June at the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland. This year’s ILC starts on 2 June and will address possible new international standards on the protection of workers against biological hazards in the working environment and decent work in the platform economy.

South Africa: Women miners stripped naked at Kopanang gold mine

22 May 2025 at 17:32

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is condemning the dehumanising body searches that women miners are being subjected to daily at Kopanang gold mine - about 170 km southeast of Johannesburg.

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