Lima climate talks a bitter disappointment19 December, 2014There was a bitterly disappointing end to the 20th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP20) on 13 December in Lima, Peru. After two weeks of intensive negotiations, the ambition to hold temperature rises to 2C all but vanished and trade unions' demands for a Just Transition to a sustainable future were ignored.
Malaysian and Indonesian unions continue their fight to stop precarious work22 December, 2014Last week, during national unity meetings in Indonesia and Malaysia, IndustriALL Global Union affiliates from both countries took stock of their action against precarious work. Each victory gained by unions continues to be challenged by employers.
Rio Tinto far from ethical8 January, 2015As the debate on whether to reopen the controversial Panguna copper mine in Papua New Guinea intensifies, local communities must be aware that mining operator Rio Tinto’s bad behaviour is not a thing of the past.
High time for Holcim and Lafarge to respect workers’ rights8 January, 2015In 2014 the top two cement producers in the world, Holcim and Lafarge, announced their merger to be completed by mid-2015. The new company would employ some 130,000 workers and have a turnover of Euro 35 billion.
Indonesia: another fatality at the Grasberg mine29 January, 2015A mine worker was killed on 24 January at Rio Tinto's minority-owned mine in Papua, Indonesia. This brings the death toll at the mine over the last two years to a staggering 39.
Philippine unions unite for year ahead27 January, 2015IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliates in the Philippines committed to building unity and sustainable trade unions during an annual evaluation and planning meeting this month.
2,000 Polish miners protest against plans to close mines15 January, 2015Approximately 2,000 coal miners in Silesia, southern Poland were joined by their families and local residents in underground protests on 8 January against government plans to close four mines in the region. The mines all belong to the state-owned Kompania Weglowa S.A., Europe’s largest coal producer.
Union takes legal action against anti-union SQM3 February, 2015The National Confederation of Metalworkers (CONSTRAMET) / Industriall Chile, has taken further legal action against SQM Industrial S.A. and SQM Nitratos S.A. for violating workers’ basic rights. In response, the company has taken reprisals against its employees and continues to employ anti-trade union practices.
Safety first? Another fatality at Rio Tinto4 February, 2015A worker was killed at Rio Tinto’s mining operations in Madagascar on 28 January, less than a week after a fatality at Rio Tinto’s minority-owned mine in Indonesia.
Union busting attempt suspected at Lesotho Johnson Controls 10 February, 2015Lesotho Johnson Controls has unfairly dismissed 50 workers at the end of January 2015, all of whom are members of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the National Union of Textile (Nutex), raising concerns that trade union rights as well as labour rights are being violated.
