Systematic repression in Belarus23 March, 2023This month, both the ILO Governing Body and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have made strong statements on the human rights situation in Belarus, calling on the government to stop persecuting those involved in independent trade unions in the country.
Global unions meet representatives of Myanmar National Unity Government 16 June, 2023On 14 June, IndustriALL Global Union, ITUC and BWI met with Myo Min, union minister for the Ministry of Human Rights for the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar and vowed to continue to support the fight for a return of democracy in the country. The NUG is the democratically elected government that was overthrown in the military coup of February 2021.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s worst countries for workers 5 July, 2023The recently published ITUC Global Rights Index 2023, which ranks countries based on the status of workers’ rights, reveals a grim picture of the situation for workers in South Asian countries. While Nepal and Sri Lanka witness regular and systematic violations of workers’ rights respectively, Bangladesh has been ranked as one of the worst countries in the world for workers.
Minera Panama is violating workers’ rights10 May, 2023Minera Panama, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, is pursuing a policy that violates the fundamental right to organize and bargain collectively. IndustriALL is urging Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals to ensure respect for the right to freedom of association at its copper mine in Panama.
IndustriALL trade union network at Klabin and Suzano sheds light on violations10 October, 2024Two giant companies of the pulp and paper industry, Klabin and Suzano employ a combined approximately 75,000 people, the vast majority in Brazil. IndustriALL affiliated unions in Brazil brought 45 worker leaders from throughout the companies’ operations together in São Paulo on 8-9 October. The list of human and trade union rights, and environmental violations reported from throughout Brazil runs totally in contrast to both companies’ public commitments.
Manager physically assaults workers at Yura factory in Serbia 1 October, 2024A South Korean manager at Yura’s Leskovac factory in Serbia, physically assaulted three female workers during the first shift on 27 September. The victims, employed in seated preparation roles due to medical conditions developed while working at Yura, were initially subjected to verbal abuse before he kicked their chairs and threw one at them. One worker sustained injuries and another lost consciousness, requiring hospital treatment.
IndustriALL calls for immediate peace in Middle East 25 October, 2024IndustriALL Global Union expresses its outrage over the military escalation in the Middle East. The escalation comes at an enormous human cost and raises fears of a full-blown regional war. IndustriALL is once again reiterating its call for a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian and all other conflicts in the region through peaceful means, diplomacy and dialogue.
Unionist nine-month jail ordeal expose workers’ rights violations in Madagascar 6 June, 2023After a presidential pardon, jailed unionist Sento Chang has been released after nine months in Madagascar’s Antanimora prison, one of the worst prisons in the world according to Human Rights Watch. Sento was jailed for posting the outcome of union negotiations on social media. Unions from Madagascar participating at the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, are challenging the sentencing and jailing, and calling upon the island nation’s government to stop repeatedly violating workers’ rights.
Deplorable working conditions at textile and garment factories in South Africa 25 January, 2024In December last year labour inspectors from the department of employment and labour visited textile and garment factories in Mandeni in KwaZulu Natal Province, about 80 km from Durban, and were shocked by the deplorable working conditions that they witnessed.
Kazakhstan must respect workers’ right to strike 29 January, 2024Around 500 workers in Kazakhstan’s oil industry have been on strike since December last year. They now face dismissals, interrogation and intimidation.
