20 March, 2012Kyrgyz authorities rush to adopt the new, degraded Labour Code without proper consultation with social partners. IMF and ICEM send a letter of protest to the prime minister of Kyrgyzstan.

20 March, 2012The IMF and its Swedish and Finnish affiliates assess project advances in Lima, Peru and discuss the future organization of IndustriALL Global Union in Peru.

19 March, 2012On March 14, 2012 the National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously passed Industrial Relations Act (IRA) 2012.

19 March, 2012ICEM affiliates and new independent unions debate Arab Spring and union rights at a regional conference in Beirut.

13 March, 2012Crowds of protesters were in the streets in Spain to protest new labour laws making it easier for employers to get rid of employees and block their demands for wage increases. Union organized demonstrations pave the way to the all-national strike planned for March 29.

3 April, 2012Italian workers reach an agreement with Alcoa to keep their enterprise in Sardinia open for one more year. Workers hope that a new owner will acquire and re-launch the site.

3 April, 2012IMF affiliates UTRAMMICOL and FETRAMECOL and unions affiliated to the ICEM have agreed to create a single National Manufacturing Industry Union in Colombia.

3 April, 2012Benteler workers in Russia win the strike over recognition of their union. On April 2 the administration of the plant issued an official statement accepting negotiations with the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA).

3 April, 2012Despite a ban on sandblasting announced by many brands some time ago, according to a recent report, sandblasting is still used in the production of artificially worn-out jeans. Large factories in poor countries continue using the deadly technique notorious for its health risks to workers.

3 April, 20128,000 unionists and supporters rally in Alma, Quebec, on behalf of 780 Rio Tinto locked-out members of the United Steelworkers.