Despite numerous challenges confronting young workers in South East Asia during Covid-19 pandemic, IndustriALL Global Union’s youth continues to highlight and amplify young workers’ voices in the region.

Inditex, the leading multinational company in the garment industry that owns Zara and other high street brands, and IndustriALL Global Union, will together support the global garment industry to recover from the crisis created by the pandemic.

Thousands of workers have taken strike action in Iran’s South Pars gas fields, protesting the late payment of wages and poor working conditions.

IndustriALL Global Union invites expression of interest to undertake a study “Trade and Industrial Policy: Implications for development and international labour standards” based on the attached terms of reference. 

Over a number of years, management at Shints ETP Garments built cordial industrial relations with the union at the factory at Bole Lemi industrial park in Addis Ababa. Unfortunately, recent changes in management have seen the introduction of union busting tactics that are pushing back the gains.

Carbones del Cerrejón Limited Colombia (Cerrejón) announced a change in work shifts that will lead to the loss of 1,200 jobs. The Sintracarbón trade union has condemned the coal-mining company for not consulting workers first, and for violating the current collective employment agreement.

IndustriALL Global Union’s Japanese affiliates have won a 100 per cent increase in the employment adjustment subsidy (EAS), protecting the welfare of Japanese workers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysian union leader N. Gopalkishnam has faced government harassment since airing safety concerns in a report for Channel 4 News in the UK. He believes the government should focus instead on taking serious steps to ensure the safety and health of workers in factories exporting personal protective equipment.

In an industrial complex in Cugir, Romania, that used to house weapons factories, German auto giant Daimler is operating a transmission plant called Star Transmission. A large majority of the workers wanted to join a union, while local management tried to prevent it. 

Nigerian unions are optimistic that the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline, whose construction is underway, will contribute to the country’s industrialization and economic development efforts.

In October 2019, Mauritian unions won a great victory when new labour law amendments were introduced after years of struggle. But employers have used the pandemic to push back.

United in their demand for safety and union rights during the pandemic, around 80 trade union leaders in the pulp and paper industry from around 20 countries met online to analyse impacts, approaches and responses from around the world to the impact of Covid-19 on the sector.

IndustriALL affiliates in Madagascar, Syndicalisme et Vie Sociétés (SVS) and Sendika Kristanina Malagasy (SEKRIMA) have partnered with the Canadian Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) to carry out joint campaigns to stop the spread of the coronavirus among vulnerable communities and assist in creating community resilience.

In the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, cosmetics and jewelry producer Unique-Yanbal in Peru, has dismissed 600 workers, nearly all women.

IndustriALL affiliate BMCGTWF’s proactive intervention has ensured the reinstatement of 34 workers at the M/S Motalab Steel shipbreaking yard in Bangladesh.

IndustriALL’s affiliate CFMEU Mining and Energy welcomes the decision by the Australian Fair Work Commission that BHP’s two enterprise agreements covering the mining giant’s in-house labour hire workforce cannot be approved.

18 picketing workers were arrested in Orkney on 13 July for protesting non-payment of wages and retrenchments at Kopanang and Tau Lekoa gold mines, as well as West Gold Plant. They were charged for violating Covid-19 lockdown regulations and released after two days.

Global union federations, Including IndustriALL Global Union, have unequivocally condemned the approval of Anti-Terrorism Act by the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte on 3 July 2020.

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the aerospace industry hard, and the crisis is expected to last for three to five years. With business deteriorating, companies are announcing extensive restructuring, including laying off ten thousands workers worldwide.

Kamcaine Manufacturing in Myanmar is using the ongoing pandemic as an excuse for union busting in its factory in Yangon, dismissing 57 workers, all members of IndustriALL affiliate IWFM.