Asia Pacific unions tackle low wages in the garment sector7 May, 2026Asia Pacific is the engine of global garment and textile production and home to some of its most exploited workers. The region accounts for around 60 per cent of global exports of garments, textiles and footwear and employs more than 40 million workers. Yet for the workers stitching the clothes that fill the shelves of global brands, wages have remained structurally low.
Thirteen years on: the Accord that changed an industry23 April, 2026On 24 April 2013, garment workers in Dhaka arrived for another shift at Rana Plaza. The cracks in the walls had been visible the day before. Workers raised the alarm and were told the building was safe. Within hours, all eight floors had collapsed, killing 1,134 people, most of them women, and injuring thousands more.
Unions fight for Ekapa workers as mud rush mine faces liquidation22 April, 2026The Kimberley diamond mine where five miners died in a mud rush in February is now facing liquidation. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa is challenging the process in court, arguing that workers who have already lost colleagues, and in many cases their wages, must not be abandoned.
Malaysian workers vote for union — Boeing fights back21 April, 2026Workers at Boeing Composites Malaysia (BCM) voted overwhelmingly to join a union in December 2025, but the company is refusing to accept the result and has taken the case to court in an attempt to overturn it.
ACT report shows progress and gaps in brands’ purchasing practices16 April, 2026A new report from ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation), the agreement between global brands and retailers and IndustriALL Global Union, shows progress in how signatory brands are approaching purchasing practices, while also identifying significant gaps between corporate commitments and supplier experience on the ground.
Yaoundé’s thin harvest: WTO ministers meeting delivers little gains for Africa2 April, 2026The World Trade Organization (WTO)’s 14th Ministerial Conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, 26-30 March ended with little to show for four days of intense bargaining. Ministers adopted two decisions on the integration of small economies into the multilateral trading system and on strengthening special and differential treatment in sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade.
Due diligence needs trade union participation2 April, 2026Trade unionists from across Pakistan met in Lahore on 28-29 March to discuss human rights due diligence and its role in global supply chains. Exchanges focused on how binding frameworks can deliver real outcomes for workers.
BP locks out nearly 1,000 refinery workers in illegal labour dispute1 April, 2026Nearly 1,000 members of United Steelworkers (USW), an IndustriALL affiliate, have been illegally locked out of BP's Whiting, Indiana refinery in what the union is calling a flagrant act of unfair labour practice. IndustriALL and the USW have condemned the move and demand that the company return to the bargaining table immediately.
Turning due diligence laws into real results for workers30 March, 2026A new centre dedicated to making human rights due diligence laws deliver real results for workers was launched in Berlin on 26 March, bringing together trade unions, companies, policymakers and practitioners for a day of debate on how binding regulation can shift power to workers in global supply chains.
From law to action: New centre to strengthen workers’ rights through human rights due diligence laws25 March, 2026On 26 March 2026, global trade unions, responsible employers and representatives of the German government will gather in Berlin to launch the Competence Centre for Human Rights Due Diligence. The new centre will partner with unions and companies to secure workers' rights across global value chains and corporate operations – in sectors as diverse as garment, technology and critical minerals.
