13 March, 2012On 23 February NUMSA held its first ever Political Commission attended by President Jacob Zuma, COSATU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and SACP CC Member Charles Setsebi. Whilst President Zuma was received with a rousing welcome, with song and dance in a beautiful marquee draped in red and yellow at the NUMSA building in Johannesburg's Bree Street, this was a very serious affair.

12 March, 2012Vowing to actively campaign for job security and workers' rights, Dave Oliver, AMWU National Secretary stands for election as Secretary of Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).

20 March, 2012Kyrgyz authorities rush to adopt the new, degraded Labour Code without proper consultation with social partners. IMF and ICEM send a letter of protest to the prime minister of Kyrgyzstan.

20 March, 2012The IMF and its Swedish and Finnish affiliates assess project advances in Lima, Peru and discuss the future organization of IndustriALL Global Union in Peru.

19 March, 2012On March 14, 2012 the National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously passed Industrial Relations Act (IRA) 2012.

19 March, 2012ICEM affiliates and new independent unions debate Arab Spring and union rights at a regional conference in Beirut.

10 October, 2011In an attempt to enlist shipbuilding workers in Thailand IMF representative met the local union leaders of a large shipbuilding facility in Thailand.

10 October, 2011Unions from around the world, including IMF affiliates, participated in the ILO Workers' Symposium on Policies and Regulations to Combat Precarious Employment on October 4-7, 2011. The Symposium produced a set of recommendations on measures that the ILO should take to reduce precarious work and improve conditions for precarious workers.

6 October, 20112,200 employees in Termini Imerese and 900 Irisbus employees in Avellino risk losing their jobs if Fiat follows through with its decision to close the two plants in southern Italy.

6 October, 2011At the end of last week workers of the Gerdau plant in Cota, Colombia decided to form their own union. They made a formal demand to the Minister of Labour and informed Gerdau of their intention to start bargaining a collective agreement. The management responded with hostility.