English

Español

Français

Aerospace

Automotive

Base metals

Chemical, pharmaceutical and bio-science

Energy

Glass, cement, ceramic and associated industries

ICT, electrical and electronics

Mechanical Engineering

Mining and DGOJP

Pulp and paper

Rubber

Shipbuilding and shipbreaking

Textile, garment, shoes, leather and textile services

Sectors

Action Plan 2025-2029

Action on textile and garment industry

Clean up shipbreaking

Ratify ILO C176

United for a just future - time to pay up!

Disinvest from Myanmar

Campaigns

Global Framework Agreements

Union building

White-collar workers

Health & safety

Industry 4.0

Women

Youth

LGBTQI+

Gender, equality, diversity and inclusion (GEDI)

Just Transition

Organizing with industriALL

What we do

Affiliates

Statutes

Elected Officials

Executive Committee

Geneva head office

South East Asia

Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus

Latin America and the Caribbean

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Regional offices

About us

Global worker No1 2022

Global worker No2 2022

Publications

Resources

Press

The IMF has affiliates in 100 countries. Click on any country below to learn about affiliated organisations.

IMF Affiliates

Dear President Lee Myung-bak, I am writing to express my deep concern over the mass arrests of workers and members of the Korean Metal Workers' Union who took part in a sit-in strike at the Ssangyong Motor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi province.I have been shocked to witness your government's brutal response to this legitimate industrial dispute, specifically, the dropping of corrosive chemicals from helicopters, brutal attacks from taser guns that have inflicted life threatening injuries and the denial of access to food, water and even basic medical treatment for the injured. Violating human rights by denying their citizens food, water, medicine is unacceptable behavior from the state in any situation.  I strongly urge you to: immediately release all imprisoned union leaders and Ssangyong workers; drop all charges (criminal and civil) against individuals and organisations involved in the strike; and take a role in ensuring good faith, genuine negotiations towards guaranteeing the KMWU Ssangyong Motor members employment security.Sincerely,

Release all jailed Ssangyong strikers immediately!

PROTEST LETTER TEXT (to send)

Alexei Etmanov, the leader of the Ford-Vsevelozhsk trade union and co-chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) has been the target of two brutal attacks on November 8 and 13, 2008. An anonymous caller following the first assault contacted the union and warned Etmanov to stop his union activities or &quot;we will take away your life,&quot; the caller said. No one has been charged for the crimes. Other members of the ITUA have been assaulted, including the leaders of the local ITUA of Taganrog automobile plant, Alexei Gramm and Sergei Brizgalov. Those incidents were not investigated either. The International Metalworkers´ Federation is carrying out a campaign to protect the leaders of ITUA, demanding that the Russian authorities conduct a complete investigation of all cases of the assaults and to punish the guilty ones - both those that took part and those who ordered the crimes to be committed.

Demand authorities conduct a complete investigation into all cases of violence and threats of violence against trade unionists in Russia.

Help Stop the Violence Against Russian Unionists!

Dear Mr. Chaika, I am deeply alarmed by attacks and threats made to trade union leaders and activists in Russia. I am gravely concerned about the authorities&#039; indifference to violations of fundamental human and labour rights and the failure to act promptly and effectively to ensure these rights are fully upheld and protected against any such attack.I urge you to apply all your efforts in order to carry out an immediate, unbiased and transparent investigation into the attacks against  Alexei Etmanov, the leader of the Ford-Vsevelozhsk trade union and co-chairman of the Interregional Trade Union of Autoworkers (ITUA) and the leaders of the local ITUA of Taganrog automobile plan Alexei Gramm and Sergei Bryzgalov, as well as the death threats made to Vladimir Lesik, vice chair person of the ITUA union at Ford-Vsevelozhsk plant.Sincerely,

Violation of trade union rights in Russia

Text of the protest letter

All workers should enjoy equal rights. Yet workers throughout the world continue to be subject to discrimination, resulting in many being denied their right to join a union. Discrimination also means that women and young workers are over-represented in precarious employment.IMF activities focus on assisting affiliates to develop specific organising strategies to improve unionisation rates among women, migrant workers and young workers. Strategies focus particularly on electronics production workers and workers in EPZ, areas where young women and migrant workers predominate, labour rights are abused and trade unionism is repressed.Women&#039;s representation at all levels of trade union organisation is still too low. IMF has taken steps towards improving the level of participation within the organisation and will continue to work with affiliates to assist them to remove barriers to women&#039;s representation in their unions.

Equal rights

Workers in the world&#039;s iron and steel industry are severely affected by the cyclical nature of this sector. Through trade union strength at national and international levels this department advances workers' rights. In order to do this we facilitate meetings, undertake research and challenge companies who fail to recognise that trade unions often hold the solution to workplace problems. Rob Johnston, <a href="mailto:rjohnston@imfmetal.org">rjohnston@imfmetal.org</a>, is director for this sector.

Iron, steel and non-ferrous metals

This department deals with a wide range of companies, for example producers of consumer electronics and computer hardware and software. Companies include GE, Philips, Siemens, Infineon and Intel. The department aims to develop trade union strategies for the sector and improving and strengthening the information exchange in transnational companies. Jenny Holdcroft, <a href="mailto:jholdcroft@imfmetal.org">jholdcroft@imfmetal.org</a>, is director for this sector.

Electrical and electronics

The Aerospace department aims to coordinate affiliates' policy in the sector and to develop a common strategy for unions to address developments and challenges in the industry. The work is carried out through a Steering Committee. There is also close cooperation with the European Metalworkers' Federation and its Aerospace working group.Jenny Holdcroft, <a href="mailto:jholdcroft@imfmetal.org">jholdcroft@imfmetal.org</a>, is director for aerospace.

The IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean has been located in Montevideo, Uruguay, since March 2008. It represents trade unions in many Latin American countries in the metalworking, mining, automotive, steel, electrical and electronics, aerospace, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering sectors. The IMF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean represents affiliates in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Curaçao,  Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela. The regional office team provides advice and education services on trade union issues and organises sector activities and meetings for members of affiliated unions in the metalworking and related industries with a view to contributing to the development of international trade union policy and international solidarity, promoting the involvement of unions in trade agreements and analysing trade union structures in order to improve them so they are able to meet the challenges they face today.In addition, the office channel&#039;s international experience on labour and trade union rights to trade union leaders during disputes with multinational companies and governments.The regional office also implements projects and activities in cooperation with trade unions, especially in the automotive, mining and metalworking sectors.The regional office has staff for financial administration, education and projects, the organisation of conferences and meetings and communications and press. The regional office has been previously located in Caracas, Venezuela; San Jose, Costa Rica; Mexico City and Santiago, Chile.The Regional Officer is Jorge Almeida, an Argentinean national, a trade union leader in the automotive industry from a young age and specialist in the area of trade union education.The regional office has a quarterly publication called Mundo Metal, which reports on the activities, programmes and projects of the IMF and its affiliates and discusses issues of regional importance.

Mexico: A few days away from the second anniversary of the accident at Mine 8, Pasta de Conchos, owned by Industrial Minera México (IMMSA), the Pasta de Conchos family begins a new stage in the battle to recover the bodies of the miners who died on 19 February 2006.The Pasta de Conchos Family, which includes 615 immediate relatives of the 65 trapped miners, 63 of whom still remain in the mine, issued a press release setting out the next steps in the regional, national and international campaign. The campaign is calling for "A Lifeline For the Coal Miners and their Families."The families have decided to camp out for an indefinite period in front of the mine and the corporate offices of Grupo México, who they say "is responsible for the death of our relatives, and the ones who have most to gain from leaving their remains in the mine".   The main demands of the families are: recovery of the bodies, accompanied by a guarantee that such an operation will be carried out under the best possible safety conditions; that IMMSA should declare itself to be a "Socially Irresponsible Company", in the light of its negligence at Mine 8, Pasta de Conchos; and that the Mexican government and IMMSA management, including Germán Larrea Mota Velasco, are held responsible.The campaign is targeting working families in Mexico and the rest of the world; civil society organisations; trade unions and workers organisations committed to protecting the safety and life of their members and their families; socially responsible companies that have shown some sensitivity about the outrageous negligence displayed by the company and the complicity of government at Pasta de Conchos; and international human rights organisations, and churches and religious denominations that are concerned for social justice and the common good.The Pasta de Conchos Family invite all people to join the protests and resistance and provide "A Lifeline for the coal miners and their families". The campaign begins with the following actions on or around the second anniversary:<ul><li>An international tour to make contacts with trade unions, human rights organisations, miners, the business world and the media;</li><li>Strengthening of links and definition of joint action strategies with already established international networks;</li><li>Meetings with European parliamentarians, church representatives and companies;</li><li>Dialogue with international human rights organisations; Peaceful national and international solidarity protests; Ecumenical days of prayer;</li><li>Celebration of Communion on 19 February outside IMMSA installations at 12:00 (midday) at Campos Eliseos 400, Colonia Polanco;</li><li>A march on 19 February at 5 p.m. from the Monument to the Revolution to Zócalo, where a memorial event will be held in support of the inherent humanitarian right of all human beings to bury their dead, in accordance with their beliefs and customs.</li></ul>Various international organisations are supporting the campaign of the Pasta de Conchos families, including the IMF. Among its most recent initiatives was offering to the Mexican government the services of a group of mining experts to conduct a study and coordinate the recovery of the bodies. The government has not yet contacted the experts to organise a plan of work. We hope it will soon take the necessary steps to obtain the assistance of these experts.

A Lifeline For the Coal Miners and their Families" is the name of the campaign organised by the families of the miners who died two years ago at Pasta de Conchos. The campaign demands that the bodies are recovered.

Archive

About IndustriALL

Follow us

Contact us