Union networks take due diligence to the bargaining table19 October, 2026Union networks at Pou Chen, Crystal and Coats are using their cross-border links to write human rights due diligence into collective agreements. This gives workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia a common route to enforce their rights across the same multinational employer.
UniFirst targets union in Nicaragua6 October, 2026US workwear company UniFirst has launched legal proceedings to dissolve the union at its plant in Nicaragua, after 293 members resigned in less than a week and five were dismissed. Workers allege that management pressured them to leave the union. The case comes as US uniform giant Cintas prepares to acquire UniFirst.
Base metals unions adopt Prague declaration1 October, 2026Trade unions from the steel, aluminium, copper, nickel and related metals industries adopted the Prague Declaration on 30 September 2026, insisting that workers must not pay the price of the green transition.
Semiconductor unions set out plan to put workers at the centre of the chip boom23 September, 2026Trade unions representing workers in the semiconductor industry met online on 22 September to share a picture of a sector reshaped by AI demand, geopolitics and massive public subsidies, and agreed on steps to strengthen the IndustriALL semiconductor network.
Energy unions meet in El Salvador to draw up regional roadmap17 September, 2026Trade union delegates from the oil, gas, electricity and nuclear energy sectors gathered in San Salvador for a regional energy sector meeting, with a clear objective: to move beyond exchanging information towards a common trade union strategy. The meeting was hosted by the El Salvador Electrical Industry Union (SIES), marking its 75th anniversary and brought together ten organizations from seven countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico and Suriname.
Global unions unite on KONE-TK Elevator: workers demand guarantees9 September, 2026Around 80 trade union delegates from thirteen countries met on 4 September to coordinate a unified response to KONE's planned acquisition of TK Elevator. The planned merger would create a giant with more than 100,000 workers worldwide — around 45,000 in Europe alone. Unions say workers have been excluded from any meaningful consultation and are demanding guarantees on jobs, sites and working conditions before the deal closes.
IndustriALL mobilizes support for democratic unions in Mexico7 September, 2026Mexico ranks among the world's top ten manufacturing economies. The country attracts significant foreign investment from large multinational companies, particularly in the automotive, aerospace and related supply industries. Yet the situation of the Mexican trade union movement has been a cause for concern. Trade union structures have not always effectively defended workers' rights, including the right to a living wage. This has contributed to significant wage gaps, particularly in sectors like the automotive industry.
Shipbuilding and shipbreaking unions unite on global strategy3 September, 2026Delegates from across the shipbuilding and shipbreaking sectors met in Helsinki on 2 September for IndustriALL Global Union's Shipbuilding-shipbreaking action group meeting. Their imperative was clear: when capital organizes globally, unions must too.
Diamonds are forever, what about the jobs?2 September, 2026Lab-grown stones from China and India are tightening their grip on an industry that has supported regional development for more than half a century. For workers in Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, the resulting slump is personal with retrenchments and closures loom. But this month, unions from six countries united to meet major producers as one force. On 26–27 August in Gaborone, fourteen trade unionists forged a joint strategy. Their message: as the diamond industry faces this transition, workers' rights and jobs must remain non-negotiable.
Turkish unions commit to advancing a gender-transformative agenda27 August, 2026Around 30 trade union leaders, women officers and activists from IndustriALL affiliates in Türkiye met in Istanbul for a national meeting hosted by Petrol-İş and supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). The meeting reaffirmed their commitment to advancing a gender-transformative agenda across workplaces, collective bargaining and trade union structures.
