28 July, 2011The global International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) family last week congratulated the victory by South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) to block Brazilian mining group Vale's efforts to invest in the country, and to operate elsewhere in the region.
28 July, 2011In a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, an agency of the United States Federal Government, workers at Swedwood's operation in Danville Virginia voted to be represented by IMF and Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) affiliate, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW).
4 July, 2011About 170,000 workers, the vast majority of whom are members of the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) embarked on a nationwide strike in the engineering sector on 4 July after a deadlock in wage negotiations. The strike action which brought Johannesburg to a standstill, was also carried out in other major cities nation wide.
2 July, 2011The twenty percent wage increase that has been awarded to workers in the engineering, iron and steel industry has been welcomed with mixed feelings. Some union members think the twenty percent is a job well done as it meet the mandate given to the National Engineering Workers Union (NEWU), that the negotiators may not accept anything less than a twenty percent increase. For others, a much higher increase was needed as the new wage minimum still means that workers of the lowest grade get half of what is required to earn at the level of the poverty datum line.
5 June, 2012At the latest meeting of the OECD Steel Committee workers' representatives voiced concerns over the sustainability of the steel industry when major suppliers such as Rio Tinto continue to abuse workers' rights and ignore public warnings.
14 June, 2012A new global union to fight for human rights of working people will be founded on June 19 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
14 June, 2012IMF, ICEM and ITGLWF call on affiliates to cast their votes for Rio Tinto in the Greenwash Gold awards, being held to shine a light on companies sponsoring the Olympics 2012 while at the same time damaging the environment and communities.
14 June, 2012G20 leaders must urgently rethink policies and back job-centred growth, demands unions, after a new poll commissioned by the ITUC shows that only one in ten in G20 countries believe austerity will work.
13 June, 2012Panel discussion on Protection Contracts and Freedom of Association in Mexico packs a full house at the International Labour Organization. Union representatives call for union building, solidarity, and direct action against the government and employers.
11 June, 2012Addressing the plenary of the International Labour Conference, Said Iqbal, the leader of IMF affiliate FSPMI, proposed that the ILC take action to improve wages and reduce precarious work.
