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Brazilian metalworkers announce global action against General Motors’ threats
Leaders from all of the unions within the Brazilian Metalworkers’ Movement (O movimento Brasil Metalúrgico), uniting all the federations, unions and confederations of metalworkers of Brazil including IndustriALL affiliates CNM/CUT and CNTM/Força Sindical, agreed on a plan of action to…
Massive student rally on climate change
Belgian teacher unions have declared their support for the young people who have been demonstrating in the streets of Belgium – and internationally – every Thursday for nearly a month to demand that decision-makers take urgent measures to tackle climate…
Educators Stage United Statewide Walkout
Submitted on Thu, 02/07/2019 – 10:39am “Why did they march?” A mini-documentary from the Richmond IWW https://wobsouth.info/richmond-va-educators-stage-united-statewide-walkout Thousands of education workers from all around the commonwealth of Virginia descended on the capitol city of Richmond in what was the largest…
African Mining Indaba: decent and sustainable work must be the future of mining in 2050
These are some of the questions that framed debate at the African Mining Indaba and Alternative African Mining Indaba, held in Cape Town 4-7 February. The theme for the Mining Indaba, a forum bringing together thousands of representatives from governments, mining companies…
Timberland workers in the Philippines strike over union busting
Pulido Apparel closed its San Luis facility in Batangas in December blaming financial difficulties. However, less than a month later, Pulido started rehiring workers at the same factory on two-month contracts, while blacklisting union officers and members. The strikers are…
Young Cambodian workers move a step closer to leadership
The young trade unionists from ten national affiliates held the training as a follow-up to the action plan adopted at the regional youth exchange in Malaysia in October 2018. The participants learned more about building youth committees, new organizing approaches,…
Workers at Coca-Cola Indonesia again confirm their confidence in victimized union leaders
Workers at Coca-Cola Indonesia fighting for independent and democratic unions have again confirmed their confidence in union leaders victimized by management. At a general membership meeting on February 5, Lutfi Arifiyanto was re-elected chairman of the independent SBMCC, the union…
IndustriALL urges respect for the self-determination and sovereignty of the Venezuelan people
IndustriALL also rejects the external boycott, which has clear political and economic motives that violate Venezuela’s sovereignty. IndustriALL has called on both the government of Venezuela and the opposition to end the confrontation, and has urged both sides to comply…
ACT labelled “important global initiative” by UK Parliamentary report
Governments around the world are increasingly recognising that ACT is the initiative most likely to deliver living wages to garment workers. The interim report of the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee on the sustainability of UK’s fashion industry is the result…
Turkey ratifies Hong Kong Convention for safe recycling of ships
Turkey is one of the five major ship recycling countries in the world, including Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan, that account for more than 90 per cent of all ship recycling by tonnage. The International Maritime Organization’s Convention enters into…
The new World Bank classroom performance tool does not pass the test
Educators are voicing their concern over a new classroom observation tool from the World Bank which supposedly improves teaching practices. Teach, “a new, easily-available classroom observation tool”, as promoted by the World Bank, was met with skepticism by educators when launched in Washington earlier this week….
Nigerian unions welcome minimum wage progress
04.02.2019 A sustained campaign by unions and threat of strike action has succeeded in pushing the Nigerian National Assembly to approve a new national minimum wage of 30,000 Naira (US$83), when it appeared to be stalling. Nigerian unions, including seven…
key education unions embark in joint action to defend teachers’ conditions
Zimbabwe: key education unions embark in joint action to defend teachers’ conditions Topics in this post: For the first time ever, the two largest teacher unions in Zimbabwe have come together to defend the teaching profession and call for a…
Epic failure: Devlin turns his back on Ontario’s hospital capacity crisis
Today’s initial report from Ontario’s PC government “expert” Reuben Devlin “can only be seen as an epic failure to face the truth about why patients are in the hallways and tub rooms of overcrowded hospitals. Mr. Devlin is turning his…
Black History Month | Canadian Union of Public Employees
Event overview February 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month (also known as African Heritage month). Black History Month is a time for all Canadians to reflect and educate ourselves on the history of enslavement, discrimination, bigotry and criminalization…
ATG Ceylon workers protest repeated rights violations
It follows numerous worker demonstrations in recent days after ATG Ceylon unjustly terminated five employees including union office bearers on 11 January, prompting workers to launch immediate strike action on the same day at the company’s plant in the Katunayake Export Processing Zone. Since…
5 reasons to join a union
31.01.2019 There’s never been a more important time to join a union. As 26 billionaires own as many assets as the poorest 50 per cent of the world’s population, ordinary people are finding it harder to make ends meet. Trade…
CUPE 402 welcomes City of Surrey fitness professionals
CUPE 402 gained 206 new members through a Labour Relations Board (LRB) vote held on Friday, January 25. The vote to join CUPE was successful: fitness professionals will now be members of CUPE 402. The new members work for the City…
The corporatization of post-secondary education
Over the past three decades, governments have cut their financial support to post-secondary education. In turn, universities have opened the door wide open to the money – and influence – of corporations and wealthy donors. CUPE has produced a backgrounder…
Vernon arena workers newest group to join CUPE
Thirteen arena workers in Vernon became members of CUPE 626 in a Labour Relations Board vote held on Friday, January 25. The workers voted unanimously to join CUPE. “We are really pleased to welcome these arena workers to CUPE 626,” said…
Workers at Peel’s Butterfly dementia care project report they are physically and mentally exhausted
With Peel Region expanding its “Butterfly” dementia care project to two more long-term care homes, direct care staff working on the Malton Village pilot site are speaking out publicly for the first time about the challenges they’ve faced to make…
Early Childhood Educators in Nova Scotia feeling “unappreciated and underpaid”
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Nova Scotia (CCPA–NS) released a new report today that provides a snapshot of what it is like for Early Childhood Educators (ECE) to work in the Early Learning and Child Care sector in Nova Scotia. Understanding which…
Union wins agreement at Saint-Gobain subsidiary
30.01.2019 After a twelve-day strike, Turkish union Kristal-İş has signed a collective bargaining agreement with İzocam, which includes major benefits, extra paid leave, increased allowances and a significant wage increase. The acknowledgement of trade union rights for the workers represented…
“We want living wages and collective agreements”
Romania is the biggest textile, garment, leather and footwear producing country in South-East Europe with 250,000 workers in almost 10,000 factories. Salaries are close to the national minimum wage of 2,080 leis (euro440) per month. The government has raised the…
Standing together to remember the victims of the Holocaust
Germany: Standing together to remember the victims of the Holocaust Topics in this post: German education unionists have joined Israeli and Polish colleagues for an educational trip on the occasion of the memorial may for the victims of the Holocaust….
Ireland: Union campaign wins legislative restrictions on zero hour contracts
Thanks to a sustained mobilization by Irish unions including our affiliate SIPTU, new legislation restricts employers from offering contacts with no specified minimum hours and strengthens protection for workers on variable hours, bringing greater protection, security and regularity on working…
Organizing is a priority for Romanian unions
The opening of the meeting was attended by Bogdan Hossu, President of Cartel Alfa Confederation, and Dumitru Costin, President of BNS. Both underlined the devastating impact of the 2011 amendments to labour legislation on workers and trade unions. These amendments…
Talks break down at the University of Saskatchewan
Talks between the University of Saskatchewan and CUPE Local 1975 have further deteriorated after the Employer tabled a proposal to eliminate the Defined Benefit Plan and replace it with an inferior Defined Contribution or Target Benefit Plan. The local has informed…
Will blockchains verify virtue in the value chain?
– By Brian Kohler and Glen Mpufane The lure of the quick technological fix We live in a time when new technologies seem to promise new solutions to old problems. IndustriALL has studied the digitalization of industry and the rise…
CUPE calls for solidarity against Islamophobia, hate and intolerance
On January 29, 2017, six Muslim men were murdered and 19 were injured at a Quebec City mosque while they prayed. This terrorist attack affected many families, friends, neighbours and communities across Canada, leaving us all with a sense of…