Across South Asian countries labour laws are facing increased attacks undermining workers’ rights including freedom of association and collective bargaining. IndustriALL South Asia affiliates call for building national and international solidarity to protect workers’ rights.

As 2020 draws to an end, IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches reflects on one of most challenging years for mankind in many decades.

The Homebased Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) have signed a MoU with the regional government’s labour department to register homebased workers. The process will help thousands of workers to receive social protection benefits in the future. 

After four months of negotiations, IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU), settled a wage agreement in the garment industry on 8 December.

44 Goodyear Indonesia workers returned to the protest line in Bogor city, demanding that the company reinstate all 44 workers in accordance to the advice of the city Manpower office, provide back pay since 22 June and year-end bonus.

100 Moroccan mine workers have spent the past week 700 metres underground, occupying the Jebel Aouam mine near M’rirt in Khénifra province. Another 200 workers are protesting above ground.

Sanofi workers’ unions from all regions, affiliated with IndustriALL Global Union, united this week to call on the leading pharmaceutical company to stop stripping back and cutting jobs.

The pandemic has brought a sharp drop in oil and gas prices, heavily impacting the oil and gas dependent MENA countries. IndustriALL affiliates in the energy sector met virtually on 30 November to discuss the impact of and approaches and responses to Covid-19, as well as how they tackle the energy transition that is taking place in the region.

Workers at Empresa Minera Los Quenuales, a subsidiary of Glencore Finance Bermuda Ltd in Peru, launched an indefinite strike on 1 December over labour violations, mainly related to health and safety during the pandemic.

On 30 November, trade unionists around the world joined a global day of action for the Philippines, holding protests in the streets and at Philippine embassies, calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to end the repression and killing of trade unionists. The Philippine government responded by arresting six trade unionists and a journalist on 10 December.

Workers at Nexperia Philippines have achieved a breakthrough in their collective bargaining after hundreds of workers held a silent protest, staged a noise barrage at the canteen and wore red shirts to work.

Over 50 union leaders and activists from 45 affiliates in eleven Eastern European and Central Asian countries met to discuss challenges, victories and union experiences during the pandemic.

A workshop on 8-9 December brought together participants from IndustriALL’s three Turkish affiliates in the metal sector, Türk Metal, Özçelik-İş and Birleşik metal-İş, as well as from the US, France, Italy and Germany, to discuss using global framework agreements and other international instruments as tools for organizing. 

IndustriALL Global Union’s Middle East and North Africa region met online on 10 December to take stock after a challenging year. Many of the issues faced in the region - high unemployment, conflict, and a poor economic outlook - have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On 8 December, more than 150 union leaders from the base metal, energy and automotive sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean completed a series of seminars and working groups as part of a project run by IndustriALL and Union to Union.

Today, on 10 December, we celebrate International Human Rights Day, but even after four months of struggle for freedom and democracy, most Belarusians cannot fully enjoy this day.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), is campaigning for an end to sexual harassment and violence at the workplace. As part of this campaign the union is providing support to members affected by gender-based violence.

Increasing industrial accidents, health and safety risks, lack of relevant information, precarious work, digitalisation in production and building union networks were some of the key issues discussed at the South Asia chemical and pharmaceutical unions meeting on 27 November.

The IndustriALL Global Union Anglo American global network agreed to continue engaging with the multinational mining company on a framework for global dialogue to deal with critical issues and challenges affecting mineworkers at its global operations.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) successfully applied to the national industrial arbitrator to force Shell to agree to bargaining on the Prelude offshore platform.