English

Español

Français

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Action Plan 2021-2025

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

Women

Youth

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

The International Metalworkers&#039; Federation is one of the largest and oldest Global Union Federations. The IMF was created in August 1893 when thirty members from metalworkers unions in eight countries met in a small hotel in Zurich with the aim of creating an International Bureau, thus founding the IMF. These early members laid the foundations for international cooperation between all metalworkers&#039; unions of the world.<h3>Organising workers</h3>Data collected by the Bureau at the time showed that social and economic conditions for metalworkers were extremely difficult. Working hours in Europe ranged from 11.5 to 15 hours a day and wages were very low. Only a small number of metalworkers were organised and the structure of unions at the national level was highly fragmented.From the beginning, solidarity between unions extended further than simply exchanging information and was focused on offering mutual support:<ul><li>Within the first three years, British metalworkers contributed 1,000 marks to the Solingen cutlery-makers out on a protracted strike.  </li><li>Swiss metalworkers contributed 100 Swiss francs to moulders engaged in a harsh struggle in Nuremberg. </li><li>German metalworkers later reciprocated in 1897 when British engineering workers were fighting for the eight-hour day and foundry workers in Denmark demanding higher wages were locked out. </li><li>Everywhere, especially in Germany, funds were raised, establishing a tradition of international solidarity that has significantly strengthened metalworkers&#039; unions to this day.</li></ul><h3>Eight hours work, leisure and sleep</h3>The early 1900&#039;s were characterised by rapid economic growth in international trade and investments. Metalworkers understood the important strategic role that the IMF could play in protecting human and trade union rights. In 1893 the first Congress wrote:<blockquote>&quot;Our endeavour must be to fulfil the slogan of the May Day celebrations: eight hours&#039; work, eight hours&#039; leisure, eight hours&#039; sleep.&quot;</blockquote> In 1904, the different unions, which now included representatives from 11 countries, decided to create the International Metalworkers&#039; Federation (IMF). <h3>The goals of the Federation have always been to:</h3><ul><li>encourage metalworkers&#039; organisations to co-operate on trade union matters; </li><li>support unionisation efforts in countries where trade unions are weak; and </li><li>establish guidelines for effectively implementing solidarity actions during labour disputes.</li></ul>

A tradition of solidarity

The International Metalworkers' Federation boasts more than 200 affiliated unions in 100 countries and represents the interests of 25 million metalworkers worldwide.<h3>Congress</h3>Our key decision-making body is Congress, which meets once every four years and agrees to an <a href="index.cfm?n=673">action programme</a> which sets out the long-term aims and goals of our work. All affiliates have the right to send delegates to Congress.Congress also determines the <a href="../index.cfm?c=20018&amp;ol=2">Rules</a> of the organisation, indicating how the IMF is run.<h3>Committees</h3>The Central Committee meets once every two years and is responsible for all decisions made between Congresses.The Congress elects the President and the General Secretary of the IMF and the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee consists of 25 members, including at least six women, and meets twice a year. All regions in the world are represented in the ExComm.The Finance Committee consists of six members from the Executive Committee, plus the IMF President, Vice President and General Secretary. This Committee makes recommendations about financial planning and examines the IMF annual budget.The Secretariat carries out the decisions made by Congress and the Central Committee. It is managed by the General Secretary. The <a href="index.cfm?n=630">IMF headquarters</a> is located in Geneva, Switzerland, where the activities of the organisation are coordinated through a network of <a href="index.cfm?n=631">regional offices</a>.IMF activities are primarily financed by affiliation fees from its member organisations.

Governing bodies

At our 2005 Congress, we adopted an Action Programme setting out four main areas for action, which include:<ul><li>global structures to meet global challenges</li><li>strategies to engage transnational companies</li><li>solidarity and organising</li><li>a social dimension to economic globalisation</li></ul>In our commitment to creating global structures to meet global challenges, the IMF will: <ul><li>continue to build a global union able to co-ordinate and implement actions at all levels, wherever and whenever they are required;</li><li>continue to work with other Global Union Federations and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD to pursue the interests of its affiliates;</li><li>encourage cooperation and build unity between unions; and</li><li>begin building information networks between affiliates and maintain and effective communications system.</li></ul>As we develop strategies to engage transnational companies, the IMF will:<ul><li><div>continue to focus on building and maintaining solidarity among trade unions and workers across the global production chains of metalworking companies and industries;</div></li><li>strengthen links between unions that represent workers across production chains in transnational corporations through the IMF World Company Councils and sector-based networks and action groups;</li><li>negotiate and implement international framework agreements with transnational corporations;</li><li>find and support other mechanisms that engage transnational corporations.</li></ul>As we strengthen solidarity and capacity to organise, the IMF will: <ul><li>defend and promote collective bargaining, assisting affiliates in bargaining on wages and working conditions, and on outsourcing, job security and other issues associated with corporate restructuring;</li><li>promote union building by co-ordinating and supporting projects as well as providing advice to its affiliates on issues such as organising strategies, unions structures and equal rights;</li><li>promote equal rights, including improving the representation of women in IMF structures;</li><li>protect and promote health and safety at work, including campaigning for a ban on asbestos;</li><li>take international solidarity actions in support of social achievements, workers&#039; rights, organising and collective bargaining; and</li><li>organise the unorganised, particularly of women, young workers and non-manual workers and in export processing zones and small- and medium-sized enterprises.</li></ul>To promote a social dimension to economic globalisation, the IMF will:<ul><li>cooperate with and be part of the social movement against globalisation that favours only the transnational corporations;</li><li>demand that all national governments implement internationally recognised Core Labour Standards, including the right to organise and bargain collectively, and that these rights are included in all trade agreements; and</li><li>fight for sustainable economic development and growth as described in the document Strategies for an alternative economic programme, based on the following four pillars: <ul><li>job creation and purchasing power</li><li>debt cancellation and development assistance</li><li>regulations capital movements</li><li>reform of the global institutions of governance</li></ul></li></ul>

Solidarity and organisation: the foundation of our work

text This page will reload to the protest letter again in 5 seconds

PROTEST LETTER (thanks)

text

PROTEST LETTER (to send)

Visit the IMF website for regular updates on the IMF campaign to end labour rights abuses in Korea or sign up for <a href="../index.cfm?n=669">IMF Action Alerts</a> to be notified of urgent solidarity requests and campaign developments immediately when they arise.This page will reload to the protest letter again in 5 seconds

Thank you for taking ACTION!

Dear President Lee Myung-bak, I am writing to express my deep concern over the mass arrests of workers and members of the Korean Metal Workers' Union who took part in a sit-in strike at the Ssangyong Motor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi province.I have been shocked to witness your government's brutal response to this legitimate industrial dispute, specifically, the dropping of corrosive chemicals from helicopters, brutal attacks from taser guns that have inflicted life threatening injuries and the denial of access to food, water and even basic medical treatment for the injured. Violating human rights by denying their citizens food, water, medicine is unacceptable behavior from the state in any situation.  I strongly urge you to: immediately release all imprisoned union leaders and Ssangyong workers; drop all charges (criminal and civil) against individuals and organisations involved in the strike; and take a role in ensuring good faith, genuine negotiations towards guaranteeing the KMWU Ssangyong Motor members employment security.Sincerely,

Release all jailed Ssangyong strikers immediately!

PROTEST LETTER TEXT (to send)

Alexei Etmanov, the leader of the Ford-Vsevelozhsk trade union and co-chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) has been the target of two brutal attacks on November 8 and 13, 2008. An anonymous caller following the first assault contacted the union and warned Etmanov to stop his union activities or &quot;we will take away your life,&quot; the caller said. No one has been charged for the crimes. Other members of the ITUA have been assaulted, including the leaders of the local ITUA of Taganrog automobile plant, Alexei Gramm and Sergei Brizgalov. Those incidents were not investigated either. The International Metalworkers´ Federation is carrying out a campaign to protect the leaders of ITUA, demanding that the Russian authorities conduct a complete investigation of all cases of the assaults and to punish the guilty ones - both those that took part and those who ordered the crimes to be committed.

Demand authorities conduct a complete investigation into all cases of violence and threats of violence against trade unionists in Russia.

Help Stop the Violence Against Russian Unionists!

Dear Mr. Chaika, I am deeply alarmed by attacks and threats made to trade union leaders and activists in Russia. I am gravely concerned about the authorities&#039; indifference to violations of fundamental human and labour rights and the failure to act promptly and effectively to ensure these rights are fully upheld and protected against any such attack.I urge you to apply all your efforts in order to carry out an immediate, unbiased and transparent investigation into the attacks against  Alexei Etmanov, the leader of the Ford-Vsevelozhsk trade union and co-chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) and the leaders of the local ITUA of Taganrog automobile plan Alexei Gramm and Sergei Bryzgalov, as well as the death threats made to Vladimir Lesik, vice chair person of the ITUA union at Ford-Vsevelozhsk plant.Sincerely,

Violation of trade union rights in Russia

Text of the protest letter

All workers should enjoy equal rights. Yet workers throughout the world continue to be subject to discrimination, resulting in many being denied their right to join a union. Discrimination also means that women and young workers are over-represented in precarious employment.IMF activities focus on assisting affiliates to develop specific organising strategies to improve unionisation rates among women, migrant workers and young workers. Strategies focus particularly on electronics production workers and workers in EPZ, areas where young women and migrant workers predominate, labour rights are abused and trade unionism is repressed.Women&#039;s representation at all levels of trade union organisation is still too low. IMF has taken steps towards improving the level of participation within the organisation and will continue to work with affiliates to assist them to remove barriers to women&#039;s representation in their unions.

Equal rights

Archive

About IndustriALL

Follow us

Contact us