MUZ wins wage deal from Lumwana, demands more for Zambian communities3 February, 2026The Mine Workers’ Union of Zambia (MUZ), an IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, has secured a victory in its latest round of collective bargaining with Lumwana Copper Mines, a key subsidiary of Barrick Gold Corporation. The parties finalized an agreement in Lusaka granting unionized workers a 13 per cent wage increase, effective for the year.
Chinese-owned Zimbabwe mine dismisses women after forced HIV tests2 February, 2026The management of a Chinese-owned gold mine in Zimbabwe is facing legal action from the union after subjecting female workers to mandatory HIV testing before summarily dismissing them. The union describes the management’s actions as a flagrant breach of national laws on privacy, equality and non-discrimination.
Social dialogue delivers higher allowances and shift work bonuses in Kyrgyzstan8 January, 2026Effective social dialogue between trade unions, government and social partners has resulted in a major improvement for workers in the Kyrgyz Republic, with daily allowances for work related travel and bonuses for shift (rotational) work has doubled from 1 January 2026.
African trade unions want critical minerals revenues to fund development2 December, 2025On 1 December, trade unions representing millions of African workers in mining, energy and manufacturing industries gathered in Addis Ababa, declared that unless the new African green minerals strategy (AGMS) is radically redesigned around decent work and local value addition, the green boom will simply become the latest chapter in the extraction and export of mineral resources.
50 mineurs au moins tués dans l'effondrement d'un pont au Congo; les syndicats exigent que des mesures soient prises20 November, 2025Le tragique effondrement d'un pont à la mine artisanale de cuivre et de cobalt de Kalando, à Mulondo, dans la province de Lualaba, le 15 novembre 2025, qui a fait au moins 50 morts et des dizaines de blessés ou de disparus, rappelle cruellement les risques et les dangers auxquels s'exposent les travailleurs de l'extraction minière artisanale et à petite échelle (EMAPE)en République démocratique du Congo (RDC).
Taming the Congolese paradox in the battery supply chain15 October, 2025Trade unions and civil society organizations are joining forces to tame the Congolese paradox in the battery supply chain. The paradox is evident in the stark contradiction in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a nation endowed with vast natural resources such as cobalt, copper, coltan and diamonds, which account for much of the global supply needed for electronics and electric vehicles yet plagued by extreme poverty, armed conflict, corruption and human and workers’ rights violations.
Ukrainian unions: workers can’t bear full safety burden14 October, 2025Ukrainian workers continue to show extraordinary resilience, keeping key sectors, of the country’s economy, running under full-scale occupation and invasion. Despite constant danger, destroyed workplaces and scarce resources mining, nuclear and manufacturing workers keep the economy alive. At the same time, a wave of worker-hostile legislation is advancing and social dialogue has stalled.
DRC women artisanal miners face exploitation as unions seek better working conditions9 October, 2025On 7 October, in the noon of a blazing sun, women miners stand in nearly knee-high mud pools processing cobalt from nearby pits at Mutoshi, Kolwezi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s Lualaba Province. This has dire consequences to their health, according to reports.
African trade unions push for HRDD in green minerals surge17 September, 2025As Africa’s critical minerals power the global energy transition, trade unions are pressing for human rights due diligence (HRDD) to ensure that workers benefit from the continent’s rich mineral resources. At a conference in Accra, Ghana, on 2-3 September 2025, hosted by IndustriALL Global Union Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regional office, 90 delegates from 15 countries including trade union leaders, partners and other stakeholders gathered to align global HRDD standards with African realities.
Pakistan: Three workers killed in gas explosion in coal mine28 August, 2025A powerful gas explosion killed three mine workers on 26 August 2025 in northwest Balochistan. The blast, caused by methane gas accumulation, blocked the entrance and suffocated the workers trapped inside. The tragedy highlights the ongoing failure to ensure safe working conditions in the region’s coal mines.
