IG Metall action day 21 September17 September, 2026On Monday, 21 September, automotive workers across Germany will take coordinated action at approximately 100 plants and supplier sites. Over 280 actions are planned across IG Metall's local offices under the slogan A future, not sweeping cuts – solidarity is our strongest brand.
OECD complaint filed over Mercedes-Benz labour practices15 September, 2026IndustriALL and the United Auto Workers have filed a formal complaint with Germany's OECD National Contact Point, demanding that the German government facilitate dialogue between Mercedes-Benz and the unions over workers' treatment in Alabama. The complaint alleges Mercedes-Benz has created an unacceptable divide between the labour standards it promotes globally and how it treats workers in its US operations.
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.
Worker death sparks strike at Gafsa Phosphate Company over safety and unpaid bonuses7 September, 2026Workers at the Gafsa Phosphate Company in Tunisia went in strike for three days this week to demand improved health and safety conditions, implementation of previous agreements and payment of bonuses withheld for two years. The strike, which concluded on 3 September, with over 95 percent participation, follows the death of a worker on 22 August due to inadequate health and safety measures. The action was called by the Fédération Générale des Mineurs Tunisiens - FGMT – UGTT, affiliated to Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail UGTT and IndustriALL.
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.
YKK workers denied fundamental rights: brands must take responsibility27 August, 2026For over two years, 670 workers at YKK's Çerkezköy factory in Türkiye have been systematically prevented from exercising their basic right to unionize and bargain collectively. YKK management has used threats, coercion and disciplinary action to crush the union, despite workers' successful organization with Petrol-İş and the union's official recognition from Türkiye's labour ministry.
New due diligence guidelines must put workers and trade unions at the heart 20 August, 2026IndustriAll Europe and IndustriALL Global Union call on the European Commission to put workers, trade unions and social dialogue at the heart of the future guidelines on the implementation ofthe new Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
IF Metall ends industrial action against Tesla after almost three years13 August, 2026"There seems to be no limits to the length Tesla would go to keep unions out of their operations. Unfortunately they have managed to pay their way out in Sweden. At least that has given the former IF Metall members more money in their pocket, but the insecurity of not having a union or a collective agreement still remains," says Atle Høie, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary.
KMWU strike over subcontracted workers’ bargaining rights14 July, 2026On 15 July, the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU), which represents 180,000 members, will walk out in a general strike. The demand is that multinational companies bargain in good faith with the subcontracted workers who keep their factories running.
IndustriALL Executive Committee meets in Geneva amid global turmoil16 June, 2026IndustriALL's Executive Committee met in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11-12 June 2026, against a backdrop of deepening geopolitical instability. The wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran, a multilateral trading system under attack were among the threats to the working class raised. Within that landscape, IndustriALL welcomed a landmark ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) confirming that the right to strike is protected under international law.
