2 December, 2011The Metalworkers' Union of Piracicaba, affiliated to Força Sindical, has just concluded a new collective agreement with Caterpillar management resulting in improved purchasing power and benefits for workers.
1 December, 2011The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) signed a Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with Petróleo Brasileiro SA, or Petrobras, the world's third largest energy company.
1 December, 2011Hundreds of thousands of workers descended on the streets in Batam in the Indonesian Riau Islands province known for its free trade zone, demanding decent minimum wages. They were met with rubber bullets and tear gas.
1 December, 2011ICEM's Congress in Buenos Aires unanimously approves the creation of a new global union organization in June 2012. Senzeni Zokwana is re-elected President and Manfred Warda General Secretary.
20 December, 2011On December 17, 2011, workers at the IKEA-owned Swedwood plant in Danville, USA, voted for their first collective bargaining agreement which will go into effect on January 1, 2012.
16 December, 2011Amid mounting international pressure against GEA the IMF and EMF joined the picket line at GEA's subsidiary in Turkey on December 16 to address locked-out workers and show solidarity with their struggle.
15 December, 2011After 94 days of strike an agreement was signed in Jakarta on December 14 between PT Freeport Indonesia Workers' Union (SP KEP SPSI) and the Indonesian subsidiary of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan.
12 December, 2011IMF's British affiliate Unite has warned car maker BMW that it could face industrial action in 2012 unless it reverses plans to close its pension scheme to new starters and use a legal loop-hole to deny agency staff equal pay.
12 December, 2011National Executive Members of the National Engineering Workers Union (NEWU) and the Zimbabwe Metal Energy and Allied Workers Union (ZMEAWU) met in November 2011 to evaluate progress towards a merger and the level of cooperation that they have achieved.
