Global Union News from IndustriALL

Demonstrating the power of dialogue, a strong trade union and enabling legislation, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in South Africa has successfully averted the loss of 849 jobs.

Trade union rights are rapidly deteriorating in Kazakhstan. On 21 January, police in Aktau arrested two union leaders from the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (CNTUK). The CNTUK was recently dissolved by authorities.

The founding conference of the IndustriALL Japan Liaison Council (IndustriALL-JLC) was held on 8 December 2016.

The Donglian Fashion Sommilito Sramik Union has signed a collective agreement with the company, ending years of union oppression.

IndustriALL affiliates in Mexico are protesting against rising petrol prices, announced on 1 January. Action started the following day around the country, and unions say they will continue until the government backtracks.

By Valter Sanches, General Secretary, IndustriALL Global Union

In the course of a couple of days, the government of Turkey has imposed decrees citing threats against national security, effectively banning thousands of workers from their legitimate right to strike.

On 19 January IndustriALL Global Union and its Indian affiliate Pragatisheel Cement Sharamik Sangh’s (PCSS) met with management of ACC Jamul Cement Works, owned by world leading cement producer LafargeHolcim. After the meeting the PCSS activists organized an impressive rally of cement workers followed by a public meeting near the plant.

Precarious work and health and safety topped the list of concerns at a meeting of IndustriALL Global Union affiliates at LafargeHolcim cement plants in India from 16-17 January 2017.

IndustriALL Global Union together with Uni Global Union has launched an online campaign calling on the government of Bangladesh to immediately and unconditionally release garment trade union leaders detained in recent weeks.

IndustriALL Global Union is demanding the reinstatement of a union leader after she was illegally sacked for her trade union activities at an automotive supplier in Hungary.

A Dutch trade unionist will be in court on 19 January, demanding that his dismissal after 31 years from the oil company NAM, in which Shell and Esso own 50 per cent respectively, be overturned. He was dismissed with immediate effect in October last year after being falsely accused of having spread sensitive information relating to the company's pension scheme.

Half a million textile, garment, and footwear workers in Italy are on a general strike today, 13 January, demanding the renewal of the national labour contracts. A demonstration was held in Florence, coinciding with one of Italy’s major fashion events, Pitti Uomo.

Failure to pay workers in Yemen has made Norwegian oil company, DNO, a target of a trade union campaign.

IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliate in Trinidad and Tobago, has won a hard-fought battle for a pay rise, after 5,000 oil workers threatened strike action against state oil company Petrotrin. 

IndustriALL Global Union expresses its outrage  over the dissolution of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (CNTUK).

On 9 January the authorities opened a criminal case against Larisa Kharkova, president of the International trade union confederation affiliate Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (CNTUK). She is accused of large-scale misappropriate use and embezzlement of union funds.

At least five workers have died in a fire onboard an LPG container ship at the Gadani shipbreaking yard in Pakistan on 9 January, in yet another deadly incident at the yard. Despite scores of fatalities at Gadani in the last few months, no measures have been taken to improve safety.

2016 was another momentous year for IndustriALL Global Union. Four years after the organization was founded in Copenhagen, IndustriALL held it’s second Congress in October in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was attended by some 1,400 trade union members from more than 100 countries.  

Oil workers in Turkey were forced to call off a press conference and demonstration against plans to restructure Turkish Petroleum, following a ban by the Government.