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Health and safety

IndustriAll demands strong international health and safety standards and empowering workers' rights to:
  -  know about hazards;
  -  refuse or stop unsafe work; and
  -  participate in health and safety decision making.
Workers' rights, employers' responsibilities, and good laws, equal healthy and safe workplaces!

Contact person:

Brian Kohler
email: [email protected]
Tel. +41 22 304 18 49
Fax: +41 22 304 1841

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Timeline

April 28 - International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers

Text of the Agreement with ArcelorMittal on OHS

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.

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.

IndustriALL leadership reaffirms solidarity with Pakistani workers

12 May 2025 at 16:16

Workers’ rights are under severe attack in Pakistan as the country debates labour law reforms. Trade unions in the country have been vehemently opposing the proposed anti-worker changes to labour law and have held several joint protests across the country in this regard. During a visit to Pakistan in the first week of May, IndustriALL leadership extended solidarity and support to workers and unions for their relentless struggle to safeguard workers’ rights. 

United struggle key to advancing workers’ rights

8 May 2025 at 17:30

Workers in Bangladesh face mounting challenges, from poverty wages and unsafe conditions to attacks on union rights. During a visit last week, IndustriALL leadership reaffirmed solidarity with workers, urging unions to stand united in the fight for living wages, safe workplaces, and the right to organize. As labour reforms and international standards are debated, the call for a worker-led push for justice is more urgent than ever.

5 reasons to join a union

8 May 2025 at 17:00

There’s never been a more important time to join a union. According to Oxfam, the richest 1 per cent of the global population now own 45.6 per cent of the world's wealth, while the poorest 50 per cent hold just 0.75 per cent. Trade unions fight for working people so they get a fairer share of profits, that in turn leads to a healthy economy and stable society. So what do they offer? 

Indian unions call for increased fight against precarious work

5 May 2025 at 12:26

Last week, on 28 April, at IndustriALL’s India Council meeting, affiliated unions discussed challenges facing the trade union movement in the country, including the continued rise of precarious employment, the impending implementation of anti-worker labour laws and the exclusion of unions from national-level discussions on the energy transition.

Indonesian unions launch OSH alarm centre

30 April 2025 at 09:26

In conjunction with the International workers’ memorial day (28 April), IndustriALL Indonesia council launched the first occupational safety and health (OSH) alarm centre in Jakarta.

The right to refuse unsafe work is still denied to too many

28 April 2025 at 10:02

The right to refuse unsafe work without fear of retaliation is enshrined in ILO Convention 155. Yet in some of the world’s most hazardous industries, like mining and shipbreaking, this right is still far from reality. This year on 28 April, the World day for safety and health at work, IndustriALL reaffirms that workers’ health and safety cannot be left in the hands of the employers – workers must be able to ensure their safety through joint health and safety committees, and by exercising the right to refuse work they know to be unsafe.

Legally binding Accord delivers safer workplaces

23 April 2025 at 15:10

24 April marks the anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history. Over 1,100 workers, most of them women, lost their lives when the building housing several garment factories collapsed in 2013.

ICT and electronics unions debate the way forward in uncertain times

17 April 2025 at 16:10

The sector is going through turbulent times with growing global instability, technological disruption and increasing corporate consolidation. This was discussed by over 30 trade union representatives attending the online steering committee meeting of the ICT, electrical and electronics sector, organized by IndustriALL Global Union.

Nuclear renaissance raises worker and safety issues

27 March 2025 at 13:47

In the context of growing geopolitical instability, energy transformation and social pressure to accelerate decarbonisation, the International nuclear workers’ union network (INWUN), coordinated by IndustriALL Global Union, held its global meeting in Tokyo, Japan, on 25 March.

IndustriALL calls for stronger protections for women garment workers at UNCSW69

18 March 2025 at 16:59

Trade unions, industry leaders and activists met at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW69) Forum to push for legally binding agreements that protect women workers in the textile and garment industry. Hosted by IndustriALL Global Union, the event shed light on the ongoing struggles of garment workers, particularly women, and the urgent need for greater corporate accountability in global supply chains.

A call for a gender-transformative social contract at Beijing+30

7 March 2025 at 09:18

Ahead of next week’s 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69/Beijing+30) global unions are calling for a gender-transformative new social contract, stressing the urgent need for action to protect gender equality and workers' rights worldwide.

Organizing and union building in the India's cement sector

5 March 2025 at 15:42

A two-day workshop was organized for unions in the cement sector in Mumbai, India, on 26–27 February 2025. The key issues discussed during the presentations and discussions were the rising number of precarious workers, which has increased to 83 per cent. The recruitment of permanent workers has been halted for the past ten years, with no new hires to replace retiring employees. Organizing contract workers remains a significant challenge, leading to a weakening of unions due to the declining density of members.

Stronger enforcement of EU Ship Recycling Regulation is needed

3 March 2025 at 09:55

The European Commission’s recent evaluation of the EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SRR) has once again highlighted the urgent need for stricter enforcement to prevent hazardous working conditions and environmental damage in global shipbreaking yards.

Mobilize for gender equality

27 February 2025 at 09:18

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, turning 30 this year, has been key in driving a new women’s rights and a gender equality agenda. However, the UN highlights that despite significant strides, progress on gender equality, the rights and empowerment of all women and girls remain slow.

Binding agreements are key to progress

20 February 2025 at 11:54

IndustriALL’s delegation at the 2025 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector in Paris earlier this month underscored the growing consensus that voluntary commitments are failing workers; legally binding agreements are the way forward. Trade unions at the forum, brand representatives and other stakeholders discussed the pressing need for accountability, mandatory due diligence and the role of collective action in ensuring responsible business practices.

Safety lapses persist at SN Corporation shipbreaking yard

11 February 2025 at 10:26

On 3 February, a cutter man was injured in a fire at SN Corporation's shipbreaking yard in Chattogram, Bangladesh.

Critical transition minerals key to African development

6 February 2025 at 14:27

Discussions on the potential of critical transition minerals in anchoring Africa’s economic development and industrialization were amongst the most topical issues discussed at the Mining Indaba in Cape Town, 3-6 February. 

A step towards safer workplaces in the leather and tanneries industry

4 February 2025 at 11:05

What is the vision for safer workplaces in the leather and tannery industry? Best practices from around the world were discussed at a workshop in Turin on 27 and 28 January. 

15 coal miners killed in Pakistan

14 January 2025 at 13:25

In the first two weeks of 2025, 15 miners have been killed in Pakistan’s coalfields. The absence of adequate safety mechanisms are behind the grim start of the year for the country’s miners.

Moroccan unions tackle health and safety in the textile sector

5 December 2024 at 16:47

A recent wave of fatal accidents in Morocco’s textile and garment sector has shed light on difficult  working conditions and a lack of health and safety measures. IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliate, SNTHC-CDT, are leading efforts to address these issues, with an optimistic meeting with the Ministry of Labour, marking a step toward long-term solutions.

Safety lapses in Pakistan’s mines continue to claim workers’ lives

5 November 2024 at 07:32

The situation in Pakistan’s mine is still deplorable. In the last week of October, at least five workers were killed owing to safety lapses in the mining areas of Balochistan.

Raising awareness of EIS in Bangladesh

22 October 2024 at 08:49

The employment injury scheme (EIS) is a social protection programme in Bangladesh which includes compensation for medical treatment and rehabilitation services, as well as income loss caused by occupational injuries and disease. Together with the International Labour Organisation and GIZ, IndustriALL Global Union held a series of awareness raising workshops on EIS for affiliates in Bangladesh.

Building material workers win key gains for decent work and just transition

10 October 2024 at 11:34

Representatives for workers, governments and employers embraced transformative measures to reshape the future of the building materials industry, including cement, forging a sustainable path which harmonizes economic growth with environmental viability and social justice.

©2025 – industriALL