9 February, 2012Commencing on a series of public hearings across Australia in February, the Howe Inquiry is examining the impact of insecure jobs on the workplace and the community having already received over 500 submissions.

9 February, 2012The Indonesian Constitution Court rules that outsourcing is against workers' rights as enshrined in the Constitution and, elsewhere in Indonesia, workers stage mass protests to successfully defend minimum wage increase decision.

9 February, 2012Mitsubishi Motors announces NedCar plant closure in the Netherlands. IMF Dutch affiliate FNV Bondgenoten mobilizes for survival of the only Mitsubishi plant in Western Europe.

12 January, 2012Berne Declaration and Greenpeace launch the Public Eye Awards, a project where the public votes for the companies with the worst corporate practices in 2011.

12 January, 2012A delegation of locked-out workers from Cooper Tire in the USA meets Serbian union leaders to discuss common approaches and mutual support when dealing with the company.

11 January, 2012IMF calls on governments to accelerate incentives for manufacturing industries, in particular steel, as an effective means to boost the prosperity of economies in the face of uncertain conditions for steelworkers in 2012.

11 January, 2012The German and French trade unions affiliated to the IMF make a joint statement on the industrial future in Europe. They appeal to the French and German governments and the European Commission to strengthen the industrial base and secure employment in the European industry.

10 January, 2012Mining giant Rio Tinto Alcan locked out union workers at its Alma smelter in Quebec from January 1, when the union contract expired.

20 December, 2011On December 17, 2011, workers at the IKEA-owned Swedwood plant in Danville, USA, voted for their first collective bargaining agreement which will go into effect on January 1, 2012.

19 January, 2012Workers fired for joining the Turkish metal union, Birlesik Metal-IS finally won justice after a three year long, bitter and intense struggle that exposed the country's debilitated legal system as much as the company's anti-union behavior.