Inditex and Next refuse to back groundbreaking agreement to improve conditions for Cambodian garment workers22 July, 2025After years of negotiations and collective efforts, global garment brands Inditex and Next have so far declined to sign a landmark agreement that would support collective bargaining for better wages and working conditions for Cambodian garment workers, despite having helped develop the initiative and publicly committing to responsible business practices.
Unions push to close South East Asia's gender pay gap22 July, 2025Twenty women and men trade union leaders from South East Asia made a clear commitment to take action to reduce the considerable gender pay gap in the region.
South East Asia sees surge in trade union youth movements8 July, 2025Since the adoption of the IndustriALL Global Union 2021-2025 Action Plan, the secretariat has been actively driving its transformative agenda, strengthening youth empowerment through enhanced structural arrangements.
How Next abandons its workers 24 June, 2025Next is proving not to live up to its fundamental promises when it comes to workers’ rights. From refusing to sign a landmark agreement to improve wages in Cambodia, to abandoning Sri Lankan workers by text and continuing business in Myanmar despite documented risks of grave human rights abuses under the military junta, Next consistently puts profit over people. Even its UK retail staff are denied a living wage, dismissed as “not breadwinners” by the company’s CEO.
South East Asia: Building youth power and more youth structures21 May, 2025Young union leaders from South East Asia are strengthing youth power and building more youth structures through strategic planning and collective action. From 16-19 May, 22 young activists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam gathered in Manila for the second year of the FES IndustriALL South East Asia youth leadership academy.
Global brands urged to support fair wages for Cambodian garment workers 10 February, 2025IndustriALL Global Union is calling on brands and retailers sourcing from Cambodia to sign the Agreement to Support Collectively Bargained Wages in the Garment, Textile, Footwear and Travel Goods Industry in Cambodia, in a bid to improve wages and working conditions for the country’s garment workers.
Fighting anti-union legislations in South East Asia28 January, 2025Trade unionists from South East Asia gathered virtually on 22 January to exchange updates on labour law reform and commit to opposing anti-union legislation threatening workers' rights. 50 unionists from IndustriALL affiliates in Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines and Thailand shared updates.
Establishing supply chain industrial relations through trade union networks 31 October, 2024On 21-22 October, IndustriALL Global Union organized two trade union network meetings with affiliated unions from garment and footwear multinational manufacturers Crystal International Group and POU CHEN Corporation. Crystal Group is one of the largest clothing manufacturers while POU CHEN is the largest footwear manufacturer in the world. Both companies supply for major apparel and footwear fashion brands like Nike, Adidas, Asics, New Balance, M&S, PUMA, H&M, Next, Fast Retailing and VF Corporations.
South East Asia youth calls for integration in union training17 September, 2024Young unionists from South East Asia met in Manila,14 September, and called on trade unions to recognize youth as catalyst for change and provide a 20 percent youth quota in routine union training.
Forging a robust safety and health movement in South East Asia21 June, 2024Developing a strategic and coordinated action plan aimed at leveraging the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) framework to improve health and safety conditions at workplaces and enhance union power in South East Asia was a pivotal item on the agenda at an OSH online workshop held on 19 June with 60 trade union representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand and the Philippines.
