13 September, 2011Organizing new workers is never easy but in the United States it's tougher than most places. Participants at an Alcoa Global Unions meeting got to experience first- hand the challenges facing the US unions. The attendees from unions in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Brazil, Suriname, and United Kingdom, took part in an organizing drive assisting the United Steelworkers (USW) as part of their activities. The target company Traco is a subsidiary of Alcoa and employs around 450 workers. Incidentally "Here we go again" was the title of union busting materials Alcoa used in one of its plants and seems apt to use during this organizing drive.
17 August, 2011Swiss trade union UNIA has achieved significant steps in the campaign to save the jobs of 470 workers at Swissmetal, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. The first victory was ensuring all staff received salary payments for the month of July. This was achieved through pressure on Switzerland's Secretary of State for the Economy, and on the cantonal governments of Soleure and Berne.
17 August, 2011The ICEM affiliate in Georgia, the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers' Trade Union, is again bringing dignity and job rights to steelworkers in the Central Asian country. On 2 August, after formally submitting grievances over extreme sub-standard work conditions before the managing director of Euroasian Steels LLC in Kutaisi, the company agreed to recognise the union as voice for 400 workers, and begin a process to correct problems.
27 July, 2011The IMF Africa office was honoured to receive the IMF President Berthold Huber on the 11 July 2011.
26 July, 2011The International Metalworkers Federation condemns the violence that the Malawi government unleashed during civil society demonstrations, which has left 19 people dead and scores more injured.
25 July, 2011The 55-week lockout by US manufacturing and technology company Honeywell Inc. on 228 unionized workers appears to be over. The United Steelworkers (USW) Local 7-669 in Metropolis, Illinois, and the US company came to tentative terms for a new three year contract on July 20, which likely sets in motion a return to work for USW members beginning on August 15 if union members ratify the tentative accord next week.
14 June, 201211 employees were killed and several sustained serious burn injuries in a major explosion on June 13, 2012 at RINL Visakhapatnam steel plant, Andhra Pradesh, India.
12 June, 2012The successful organizing of steel workers in India, the epic struggle of Hanjin workers and an interveiw with Koichiro Nishihara-san, President of IMF-JC and JAW, are all featured in the latest issue of Metal Asia-Pacific, produced by the IMF South Asia office.
6 June, 2012Report finds that in 2011, at least 76 workers died directly as a result of their trade union activities - in addition to those killed during the repression of the Arab Spring protests.
11 October, 2011On 6 October, leaders of Indonesian FSP-KEP (SPSI), the Trade Union of Chemical, Energy, and Mine Workers (CEMWU), officially extended a 30-day strike at the world's largest gold and third largest copper mine one more month -- until 15 November.
