24 May, 2011Progress in the metalworkers' confederation affiliated to Força Sindical in Brazil - a woman is elected leader of the confederation for the first time.

23 May, 2011Russian Duma passes the bill banning precarious work in the first reading. Second and third readings are to follow.

31 May, 2011Threats against workers trying to join the National Miners' and Metalworkers' Union of Mexico at the La Platosa mine spark international outcry.

28 May, 2011Over 3,000 riot police were sent to break up the sit-in protest of 500 workers at South Korean auto parts producer Yoosung Enterprise factory in Asan. According to a report received by the Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU) this is part of a general union busting strategy applied by the company.

24 May, 2011The International Metalworkers' Federation launches IMF TV, a new platform for reporting on activities to support the struggle of metalworkers around the world.

11 June, 2010IMF Executive Committee establishes task force to explore merger process with ICEM and ITGLWF and discusses how to cooperate not compete in union building work.

10 June, 2010IMF calls on Philippines President-elect Aquino to keep his pre-election promise to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of murders of trade union and human rights activists in the Philippines, including of the latest victim Edward Panganiban, an independent labour leader shot dead on June 3, 2010.

10 June, 2010European unions urge Johnson Controls to respect the rights of workers to affiliate to the union of their choice at the Johnson Controls FINSA plant in Puebla, Mexico.

10 June, 2010101 trade unionists were murdered in 2009 - an increase of 30 per cent over the previous year, documents the ITUC's Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights.

10 June, 2010FES publishes "Networking and a Two-track Strategy" a new paper on the role of global networking and trade union interaction in the light of the current financial and economic crisis.