With the easing of the country’s lockdown and with mineworkers returning to work, tests are showing that more workers have the coronavirus. On 24 May, AngloGold Ashanti said when they tested 650 workers at Mponeng gold mine in Gauteng Province, 164 tested positive for Covid-19.

Unions in Indonesia have sent a protest letter to the government after a circular was issued, saying that if employers are unable to pay the religious allowance during the coronavirus crisis, it can be paid by instalments or deferred to a date agreed by both employers and workers.

The CGU and ITUC calls on the government of India to respect its obligations under international labour standards and ensure that Sates which have suspended its labour laws immediately reverse these measures.

Global unions have joined forces for a gender equal new normal in a series of webinars addressing women workers in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. The first one took place on 19 May and discussed women workers in the frontlines.

IndustriALL Global Union raised a number of questions ahead of Shell’s online AGM, held yesterday. Shell’s responses show the company remains unwilling to engage with unions at a global level.

Workers at two Nissan auto plants in Barcelona are on indefinite strike due to a lack of clarity about the future of Nissan operations in Spain.

IndustriALL South East Asia office and Cambodian affiliates have joined forces in an online campaign, creating awareness on ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment and Convention 183 on maternity protection.

At Volkswagen’s plant in Kaluga, Russia, workers who voluntarily resign are offered five to six months wages. IndustriALL affiliate ITUWA, is advising members to wait until an official process to reduce jobs is in place, as it would be more beneficial for the workers.

Workers at Basra Gas Company, a joint venture where Shell holds a major stake, launched a protest on 18 May over the company’s failure to pay salaries. Around 5,000 workers seconded from South Gas Company (SGC) to Basra Gas Company (BGC) have yet to receive their salaries.

Soy Sros, a local union leader at Superl Cambodia, has been arrested and imprisoned for a post on social media criticising the suspension of union members, including a pregnant woman, during the coronavirus crisis.

Management at the Gartex factory, which produces ready-made clothes, is failing to apply labour laws and regulations and is violating collective agreements signed with IndustriALL affiliate Fédération Générale du Textile, de l'Habillement, Chaussure et Cuir (FGTHCC-UGT).

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU) supports a deal made by the National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry to register small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs). The deals provides capacity to make 14 million masks and will help thousands of small companies to survive during the pandemic.

On May 17, International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT), the Council of Global Unions, a group of independent trade union organizations that represent over 200 million workers around the world, reaffirm our commitment to building respect and dignity for all workers. We believe every worker is entitled to work free from discrimination and violence regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics.

Even during the best of times, going on strike can be difficult. Even more so after your local area is hit by tornados and the Covid-19 outbreak. But despite all the obstacles, in April, members of UAW Local 1407 stood united and fought for a fair contract at Cummins Filtration in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Some Indian states are using coronavirus as a pretext to attack working conditions. Many have increased the working day to 12 hours, while others have suspended or provided exemptions to labour law.

The pharmaceutical industry is working intensively towards finding a treatment for COVID-19 or a vaccine against the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2. Their work in this time of crisis makes this group of IndustriALL affiliates and members even more important for all of us.

IndustriALL affiliate IWFM has signed a framework for action with employers and ACT brands producing in the country, aiming to protect garment workers from the devastating impacts of the pandemic.

Unions in Nigeria are vowing to challenge attempts by oil and gas companies to use the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to retrench workers and promote precarious working conditions.

IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum Workers (NUPENG) is seeking justice for its member, Chibuisi Chikezie Okameme, who was shot dead while at work by a police officer on Covid-19 enforcement patrol in Abia State on 5 April.

As operations in Peru’s mines continue despite a state of emergency, the National Miners’ and Metalworkers’ Union (FNTMMSP) says 252 miners have contracted the disease and one has died.