Flogging and imprisonment sentences for workers of AzarAb Industries annulled
As previously reported, Branch 106 of the Arak Criminal Court sentenced over 40 AzarAb Industries workers in City of Arak each to one year in prison, 74 lashes, and one month of forced labour under in the name of “community…
Anti-worker legislation delayed in Ukraine following mass protests
In a series of warning protests on 30 June, trade unions from all sectors, including education, mobilised against proposed changes in labour law violating freedom of association, the right to organise, and the right to collective bargaining. Trade union activists…
Ukraine: Unions take to the streets to contest renewed legislative attack on trade union rights and worker protections
Trade unions in Ukraine, including the IUF-affiliated Agro-Industrial Workers’ Union of Ukraine (AIWU Ukraine) held protests in the capital Kyiv and across the country on June 30 to demand the withdrawal of proposed new laws which would radically undermine trade…
Mine collapse kills more than 160 workers in Myanmar
The jade mine is located in a remote area of northern Myanmar. It is believed that the mine collapsed after heavy rainfall. Mine workers, while collecting precious stones, were swept away by a strong stream of mud and water. Jade…
Layoffs at the Société des casinos du Québec: CUPE will honour the collective agreements
At a time when it was informing the public that activities at the four casinos in the province would be gradually resuming, the Société des casinos du Québec (SCQ) has announced layoffs of 2,250 employees across the province. CUPE represents…
Union mobilises to prevent shutdown of public education
Brazil: Union mobilises to prevent shutdown of public education The Brazilian National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE) is mobilizing to prevent the shutdown of public basic education in January 2021 due to lack of funding. This Thursday, CNTE is calling…
Unions join campaign to stop EU-Mercosur ‘free trade agreement’
Trade union centers in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands are among the initial endorsers of a campaign to stop the disastrous trade agreement now being promoted for signature (after twenty years of negotiations) between the EU and the 4 Latin…
Facing challenges in the ICT, electrical and electronics sector
While some segments of ICT EE industry, like consumer electronics, aviation and automotive have seen massive dismissals of workers, the demand for semiconductors and devices related to data centres and next generation of high-speed communication network system like 5G, is…
Post-COVID school reopening is government’s chance to set provincial health and safety standards
CUPE is urging the Ontario government to use school reopenings as an opportunity to set province-wide standards for a range of measures that will promote safer classrooms for students and staff, and help stop the spread of COVID-19 in schools. “Come September,…
Trade unions win court battle on school re-opening
Zimbabwe: Trade unions win court battle on school re-opening The Government of Zimbabwe announced that schools would reopen, already for examinations in late June and move forward in steps in the following weeks to re-open schools despite risks of an…
Germany: NGG says voluntarism has failed, demands strict regulation and enforcement to tackle abusive conditions behind coronavirus outbreaks in meat processing
New coronavirus hotspots have erupted in Germany’s meat processing plants, spotlighting again the massive abuse of subcontracted migrant labour on which the industry depends. More than 1,500 workers have been infected with COVID-19 at the giant Tönnies plant (over 6,500…
Unions in Africa campaign for ratification of ILO C190
“Workers must be part of creating a solution to end gender-based violence in the world of work by creating a space to end unacceptable behaviours and a culture of silence to create change in the workplace. We need to create…
Nan McFadgen: Underfunding brings Nova Scotia’s child care system to brink of collapse
The following letter to the editor by CUPE NS President Nan McFadgen was published by the Chronicle Herald on June 19, 2020. The Nova Scotia government announced to the citizens of this province that it would ensure child care centres and family day…
essential findings for inclusive education
The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) Inclusion and Education: All Means All was launched today. The report comes at a crucial moment, with the global Covid-19 outbreak causing a major education crisis, particularly for the most vulnerable. The…
A call for urgent action: 74 lashes and one year jail for 42 AzarAb Industries workers in Iran
Branch 106 of the Arak Criminal Court has sentenced 42 AzarAb Industries workers in Arak each to one year in prison, 74 lashes, and one month of forced labour under the guise of “community service”. The “crime” of these workers…
Maldives: TEAM leads fight to stop new attacks on employment and workplace rights
The IUF-affiliated TEAM (Tourism Association of Maldives) has been actively mobilizing to defeat proposed changes to employment law which would weaken the country’s few existing worker protections at a time of crisis and set back the fight for basic rights…
Government of India must take swift measures to prevent another Bhopal disaster
India has recently witnessed a number of industrial accidents, a toxic gas leak at LG polymers, an explosion in a chemical factory at Dahej, a boiler explosion in Tamil Nadu, a toxic gas leak in a paper mill Chhattisgarh, a…
Kenney puts patients at risk with blood-for-money scheme
A bill before the Alberta Legislature will put Alberta’s blood collection system in peril by allowing private interests to ship plasma out of the province and country. CUPE, who represents employees at Canadian Blood Services, says the Kenney government is giving for-profit…
essential findings for inclusive education
The 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM Report) Inclusion and Education: All Means All was launched today. The report comes at a crucial moment, with the global Covid-19 outbreak causing a major education crisis, particularly for the most vulnerable. The…
Sugar workers hold stoppages and protests over unpaid wages at Haft Tapeh in Iran as coronavirus spreads
Since June 11, hundreds of workers have been holding work stoppages and daily protests at the governor’s office in Shush to demand wages and social security benefits not paid since March at the giant Haft Tapeh sugar cane growing and…
ITUC calls out ten worst countries for workers
Governments and employers have restricted the rights of workers through violations of collective bargaining and the right to strike, excluded workers from unions by impeding the registration of unions in the number of countries. According to the findings of the…
Extending CERB is the right move
CUPE says the federal government’s decision to extend the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) by eight weeks is the right one and will help workers in Canada weather the economic storm caused by COVID-19. The decision will allow CERB recipients…
Statement | World Refugee Day 2020
COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities and structural inequities of our societies. The most vulnerable, amongst them refugee and displaced populations, have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown measures. In terms of health, it is difficult, if…
C190 and R206: tools for reshaping the world of work
June 21, 2020 is the first anniversary of the International Labour Conference’s adoption of Convention 190 (C190) and Recommendation 206 (R206) on violence and harassment in the world of work. While countries such as Uruguay, Argentina and Fiji have announced…
Indian cement unions decide on joint action
With the assistance of IndustriALL, union leaders developed a number of demands of the government and Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA), to improve health and safety, end the extensive use of precarious workers and underpayment of wages and arrears. India is…
CUPE celebrates Frontline Pride | Canadian Union of Public Employees
For Pride 2020, CUPE calls on employers and governments to end conversion practices, build safer spaces, and support LGBTQ2+ grassroots groups dealing with Covid-19. We celebrate the resilience and activism of our LGBTQ2+ members and allies. CUPE represents frontline workers whose…
Seven pillars of union plan to reopen schools and education institutions
The Bahrain Teachers’ Association has made proposals regarding the reopening of schools and education institutions for the next academic year, 2020-2021, stressing seven measures to be taken. The school environment, the curriculum, scheduling, transport, teaching and assessment methods, applying standards,…
It’s time to ratify and implement the Migrant Workers Convention!
The COVID-19 pandemic has ruthlessly exposed the corporate food system’s reliance on extended, fragile chains of migrant labour. But for many governments and international agencies like the United Nations’ FAO and WHO, the harsh, even life-threatening conditions under which migrants…
Coal India unions call for strike to oppose privatization
Trade unions and workers of Coal India Ltd (CIL) and the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), among the biggest public sector companies in the world, are seriously concerned over the government’s decision to auction coal blocks on 18 June to…
Municipal workers donate $5,000 to Shuswap area charities coping with COVID-19
Municipal workers from Salmon Arm, Enderby, Sicamous and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District are donating $5,000 to local charities dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. CUPE 1908, representing over 180 workers in the Shuswap region, are making the donations to help…