20 May, 2011The United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is to hold its 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Durban, South Africa from 28 November to 9 December 2011. This is a government negotiations space where there is limited room for engagement by civil society. However, civil society and organised labour is working hard to raise awareness on climate change issues and ensure that their voices are heard not only at COP 17 but at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012. The 2012 conference is known as Rio+20, as it is to take place 20 years after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio where the concept of sustainable development was adopted by governments for the first time and which launched key political processes on sustainable development like the COP climate negotiations.
18 May, 2011Birlesik Metal-IS members protest the firings by marching from the factory gates to the company headquarters, a week-long, 219 km march from Duzce to Istanbul.
18 May, 2011Wheels India workers at Ranjangaon, Pune in Maharastra are on strike demanding increased wages, regularization and equal remuneration for contract workers engaged in work of a perennial nature. International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) extends its solidarity to the struggling workers and calls upon the management to negotiate with the workers.
9 May, 2011IMF joins Mexican Miners' Union's call for better health and safety at mines in Mexico and punishment of companies and government authorities after 14 die in a coal mine explosion in Mexico on May 3.
24 January, 2012Over 150,000 workers came out on the streets of Norway to protest against the imposition of a new EU directive on temporary agency workers. The directive can undermine collective agreements by permitting temporary contracts which currently have to be agreed with the unions.
24 January, 2012In January Fair Labor Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending sweatshop conditions in factories worldwide, announced Apple was admitted as a "Participating Company". That means that Apple promises to clean its supply chains from labour abuses during the coming two years. While welcoming this move GoodElectronics promises to watch closely whether the membership means Apple takes action on key problems.
24 January, 2012Italian metalworkers' unions Fim-Cisl and Fiom-Cgil say the official EU report on arms exports is flawed, incomplete and too late. They are among the promoters of the Arms Control Network Rete Italiana per il Disarmo, one of the signatories of a critical appeal against lax European arms export control.
9 February, 2012Finnish-German telecom equipment maker Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) said on February 7 a previously announced global restructuring plan would entail 2,900 job cuts in Germany and 1,200 in Finland.
9 February, 2012The Confederation of Japan Automobile Workers' Unions (JAW) meets with the independent union STUHM and the International Metalworkers' Federation in Mexico and reiterates its expectation for fair and free union elections at Honda Mexico consistent with ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
