7 September, 2011Civil society organisations in Malawi want to see government action on demands that can be addressed immediately, as a show of commitment to reform otherwise they will go ahead with a planned protest on September 21st. There is growing impatience that little progress has been made by government to address demands despite the UN facilitated dialogue, for which civil society cancelled protest actions planned for August 17th.

7 September, 2011The General Secretary of the National Engineering Workers Union (NEWU) has been elected as the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) at the 7th Congress that was held in Bulawayo on the 19th and 20th August 2011. Despite a tumultuous congress with contestations on several issues, Comrade Japhet Moyo enjoyed wide support to take this position.

19 September, 2011The first joint shipbuilding/shipbreaking conference of IMF and EMF is seen as a positive and successful experience by the participants. Both organisations will try and explore opportunities for further international cooperation and solidarity in this field.

16 September, 2011On 18-20 June 2012, a new global union federation will see daylight at a Founding Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. But what shall the new International be called? Now you have the chance to make a proposal.

16 September, 2011Joint IMF-ICEM-ITGLWF working groups make progress on the Statutes and Action Plan for the new global union federation at the meetings on August 30-31 in Geneva.

16 September, 2011Three Finnish union organizations hold negotiations with the Technology Industries' employers' organisation in close coordination. The wage rise goal is four per cent at the minimum.

6 September, 2011On September 1 approximately 100 independent and democratic unions and groups took part in two mass-based actions in Mexico City: the "national day of indignant Mexicans" and a rally outside the lower house of congress.

14 September, 2011A first-of-a-kind collective agreement took root in Germany's solar energy manufacturing industry on 1 September. It was then that a labour contract took effect between IG Metall and three subsidiaries of Bosch in the state of Thuringia, making it the first collective agreement in Germany's solar power industry.

13 September, 2011TVT is a television channel run by the ABC Metalworkers Union, affiliated to the CNM/CUT. TVT is the first trade union television channel in Brazil.

13 September, 2011Organizing new workers is never easy but in the United States it's tougher than most places. Participants at an Alcoa Global Unions meeting got to experience first- hand the challenges facing the US unions. The attendees from unions in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Brazil, Suriname, and United Kingdom, took part in an organizing drive assisting the United Steelworkers (USW) as part of their activities. The target company Traco is a subsidiary of Alcoa and employs around 450 workers. Incidentally "Here we go again" was the title of union busting materials Alcoa used in one of its plants and seems apt to use during this organizing drive.