19 July, 2011The National Engineering Workers Union (NEWU) held its 7th special congress under the theme 27 Years of Uniting, Educating and Fighting for Workers Rights on 24 and 25 June 2011 in Kwe Kwe. The special congress called for unity within the union as well as nationally and internationally to further strengthen the struggle of workers.
19 August, 2011A ten per cent wage increase will be implemented at the Vyshnevogorsky mining and processing plant in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in November 2011. The union cancelled the public action scheduled for August 18. Earlier the workers had demanded a 30 per cent wage increase.
19 August, 2011The agreement with the company also includes a one-off payment for union members, employment contracts for temporary workers and company contributions to the cost of school materials for the children of union members.
19 August, 2011On Sunday, August 7, 45,000 Verizon workers on the US East Coast, represented by the IMF affiliate Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), went on strike. The company attempts to force massive concessions from the unions, and make them give up gains they had won over many years of struggle and negotiation in previous contract fights.
17 August, 2011An unbroken chain of solidarity and staunch resolve by all 157 members of Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Local 2228 staved off contract concessions in Canada recently. On 8 August, union members ratified a three-year agreement with Sandvik Materials Technology Canada, a subsidiary of Swedish industrial giant Sandvik AB, with an 80.6% vote, ending a successful strike that began on 13 July.
16 August, 2011A new report launched by ArcelorMittal, European Metalworkers' Federation, United Steelworkers, and the International Metalworkers' Federation reviews how unions and management have been working together globally to deliver better safety results for ArcelorMittal. The report called "Together for Safety, Global Agreement, Local Impact", chronicles the work undertaken since signing the Steel industries first ever global agreement on Health and Safety.
28 July, 2011The global International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) family last week congratulated the victory by South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to block Brazilian mining group Vale's efforts to invest in the country, and to operate elsewhere in the region.
28 July, 2011In a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, an agency of the United States Federal Government, workers at Swedwood's operation in Danville Virginia voted to be represented by IMF and Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) affiliate, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW).
15 August, 2011After a strong and resolute campaign nearly 70 BMW warehouse workers in Southern California, USA got their contracts renewed for another half year. The workers, members of Teamsters Local 495 got their jobs back through an active campaign involving International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and IMF affiliates Unite the Union in the UK and IG Metall in Germany. An important role was played by the BMW European Works Council.
24 January, 2011Four workers were killed in a fatal explosion at Mak Corporation shipbreaking yard in Sitakunda, Chittagong, Bangladesh. IMF calls on the government of Bangladesh to ensure that those responsible be brought to justice.
