Union busting at Shints garments in Ethiopia condemned
The Industrial Federation of Textile Leather and Garment Workers Trade Union (IFTLGWTU), affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union, says the management of the garment manufacturer that exports outdoor clothing and sportswear under the US trade policy the African Growth and Opportunity…
“If you really think we’re heroes don’t betray us, by taking away our rights,” say Ontario hospital workers rallying Friday
Hospital workers from across Ontario are rallying today (Friday, July 17) to restore basic workplace rights suspended for months by emergency orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bill 195 continues that suspension of these rights for up to 3 years. Distressed and…
Union works to halt teacher dismissals, resume salary payments, and ensure safety of students and teachers
In Nepal, an education union has highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to new challenges. These include non-payment of teacher salaries by some private school employers, the psychological impact of the lockdown on students, and the challenges of…
Global unions condemn escalating attacks on democracy and worker rights in the Philippines
The IUF and the the international union organizations which make up the Council of Global Unions have condemned the escalating attack on democratic and trade union rights in the Philippines, where the recent adoption of an ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’ grants the…
Government harasses Malaysian union leader after safety concerns aired
On 16 June, Channel 4 News in the UK shockingly revealed the failure of the biggest rubber glove manufacturer in the world, Top Glove, to comply with the social distancing rules imposed by Malaysian authorities. The investigative report also exposed…
CUPE Nova Scotia hosts first ever anti-Black racism panel discussion
A heartfelt, uncomfortable and necessary conversation by CUPE members about their experiences with racism in the workplace and the union. In response to recent events, members of CUPE Nova Scotia’s Human Rights Committee and Division Executive came together to discuss what…
Union seeks social dialogue on pandemic impact on teachers and students
The Portuguese education union, Federaçao Nacional dos Professores, is concerned about teacher professional issues, inequities, lack of social dialogue, and assessment of teachers. In Portugal, teacher workload has soared due to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. That information is…
IUF Europe: New EU guidelines on seasonal workers a step in the right direction but binding measures are urgently needed
The IUF’s European regional organization IUF-EFFAT has consistently demanded greater legal protection for seasonal migrant workers, whose precarious situation has been ruthlessly exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 16, in response to urgent calls for action by unions and…
Successful organizing in Romania | IndustriALL
IndustriALL Global Union’s auto director Georg Leutert reflects on a difficult but successful organizing drive, and what elements are needed for successful transnational cooperation. In October 2019, Leutert, together with a colleague from the Daimler World Works Council and a manager from Daimler,…
New federal investments in sick leave, child care and PPE should be the foundation for permanent, long-term support
CUPE is welcoming last week’s pledge of federal support for paid sick leave, child care, bolstering Canada’s supply of personal protective equipment, and more. On July 16, the federal government announced a $19 billion support package negotiated with the provinces, of…
Union report highlights digital divide for public school students
The Australian Education Union has published a report showing a significant digital gap during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of digital inclusion for public school students. An independent report commissioned by the Australian Education Union (AEU) has revealed the…
Thousands Strike for Black Lives across the U.S.
On July 20, at least 20,000 workers in 160 U.S. cities walked off the job to protest systemic racism, violence and economic inequality. The protest was organized by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of black advocacy groups and…
Gas is the future for the Nigerian economy, say unions
The Federal Government of Nigeria announced on 30 June that the construction of the 614km gas pipeline had begun. The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), both…
Webinar looks at growing threat of privatization
You’re invited to a Canadian Labour Congress webinar about the dangers of privatization and the need to protect and expand public services. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the devastating effects of privatization in our communities, including in long-term care. The pandemic…
The voice of education professionals must be heard on safely reopening schools
Education International’s affiliates in the United States have reasserted the need for public authorities to listen to the voice of educators and their professional organisations when reopening schools and education institutions, and to deliver proper funding for the education sector….
International trade union declaration: ‘We stand in full solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Algeria fighting for trade union and democratic rights’
Nine international trade union organizations including the IUF have joined together in a declaration “to express their full solidarity and support for the ongoing struggle for trade union rights and democratic freedoms in Algeria.” (Click here to view the signed…
Workers protest unpaid wages and retrenchments at South African gold mines
The workers, who include members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliates the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, have been picketing since April for the payment of wages and for the retrenchments to…
Education unionists alarmed about on-going violations of human rights
The number of violations of human rights is rising in Iraq since the beginning of the widespread protests of late 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kurdistan Teachers’ union has denounced the fact that the Iraqi authorities, including in…
United States: SEIU Strike for Black Lives July 20
The IUF-affiliated SEIU has called for a Strike for Black Lives across the United States on July 20, with strikes, walkouts, and worker actions to demand racial and economic justice in society and the workplace, “using our power as a…
Industrial tribunal deals blow to BHP
The legal battle began two years ago when BHP set up its own labour hire companies and got just a handful of employees in Western Australia to vote for two proposed agreements that contained vastly inferior terms to those already…
Care aides at Lynn Valley Care Centre join HEU
Care aides at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver voted to join the Hospital Employees’ Union in a mail-in ballot overseen by B.C.’s Employment Standards Branch and counted last Friday. HEU is CUPE’s BC health care services division, representing most…
The government must pay “new units” teachers and address COVID-19 financial deficit
Trade unionist teachers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have called on the public authorities to respect a promise to pay “new units” teachers since April 2020. Teachers categorised as “new units” in the public or state schools in the…
Defunding private equity | IUF UITA IUL
U.S. private equity funds are currently sitting on close to a trillion dollars in uninvested funds (‘dry powder’) earmarked for leveraged buyouts – taking companies private, loading them with debt, stripping their assets and selling them on. They continue to…
34 Bangladeshi shipbreaking workers reinstated
On 6 July, 17 cutter workers, together with 17 cutter helpers, were told without prior warning by the employer to not come back to the M/S Motalab Steel shipbreaking yard, due to a lack of work. However, there was a…
Majority of NB nursing home workers ratify new agreement
Today, the majority of the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Home Union (NBCNHU) members approved the tentative agreement reached between their bargaining team and the provincial government. Over the last two weeks, the 51 nursing homes represented by the NBCNHU participated in…
Learning from one another; Education International publishes Forward to School
Education International released its publication Forward to School on 13 July. The document is based on the five pillars identified in the EI Guidance on Reopening Schools and Education Institutions released in April. The publication reflects the experience of member…
Stop the attack on workers’ rights in India!
In May, the IUF sounded the alarm on the legislative attack on fundamental workers’ rights in India. The attack continues, and we’ve joined with our sister international federations and the ITUC in an online LabourStart campaign to stop the attack…
Trabajadores de la confección de Avera declaran huelga por suspensión de una compañera
Aicha Dhouioui, who has worked in the company for 26 years, was accused by the company of inciting workers and organizing a meeting without a permit, which the union, IndustriALL Tunisian affiliate Fédération Générale du Textile, de l’Habillement, Chaussure et…
Workers in developmental services get hours cut during COVID-19 pandemic
In the attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19 the Government of Ontario recently introduced restrictions to limit the number of agencies that frontline workers can be actively employed in; however, the government’s actions made workers in developmental services fall…
New EI research launched on COVID-19 education commercialisation
Education International has launched groundbreaking new research which maps the extent of private actors’ influence in education since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research has been commissioned as part of Education International’s Global Response to the Commercialisation and…