10 enero, 2012Mining giant Rio Tinto Alcan locked out union workers at its Alma smelter in Quebec from January 1, when the union contract expired.

2 diciembre, 2011Unions in Bulgaria organized a nationwide protest action on November 30 in response to the government's announced austerity measures. The Government later backed down from pensions cuts.

16 diciembre, 2011Amid mounting international pressure against GEA the IMF and EMF joined the picket line at GEA's subsidiary in Turkey on December 16 to address locked-out workers and show solidarity with their struggle.

15 diciembre, 2011After 94 days of strike an agreement was signed in Jakarta on December 14 between PT Freeport Indonesia Workers' Union (SP KEP SPSI) and the Indonesian subsidiary of US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan.

12 diciembre, 2011IMF's British affiliate Unite has warned car maker BMW that it could face industrial action in 2012 unless it reverses plans to close its pension scheme to new starters and use a legal loop-hole to deny agency staff equal pay.

12 diciembre, 2011National Executive Members of the National Engineering Workers Union (NEWU) and the Zimbabwe Metal Energy and Allied Workers Union (ZMEAWU) met in November 2011 to evaluate progress towards a merger and the level of cooperation that they have achieved.

12 diciembre, 2011TUICO has taken up the challenge to organise workers in the informal sector.

9 diciembre, 2011In a unanimous vote, IMF Central Committee decides to convene an extraordinary Congress in June 2012 to create a new global union for industrial workers.

20 diciembre, 2011On December 17, 2011, workers at the IKEA-owned Swedwood plant in Danville, USA, voted for their first collective bargaining agreement which will go into effect on January 1, 2012.

21 noviembre, 2011As part of the project to strengthen unity among IMF affiliates in Chile, a national evaluation seminar has set objectives for 2012.