17 agosto, 2011Swiss trade union UNIA has achieved significant steps in the campaign to save the jobs of 470 workers at Swissmetal, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. The first victory was ensuring all staff received salary payments for the month of July. This was achieved through pressure on Switzerland's Secretary of State for the Economy, and on the cantonal governments of Soleure and Berne.

17 agosto, 2011The ICEM affiliate in Georgia, the Metallurgical, Mining, and Chemical Industry Workers' Trade Union, is again bringing dignity and job rights to steelworkers in the Central Asian country. On 2 August, after formally submitting grievances over extreme sub-standard work conditions before the managing director of Euroasian Steels LLC in Kutaisi, the company agreed to recognise the union as voice for 400 workers, and begin a process to correct problems.

15 septiembre, 2011On August 27-28 the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) and the National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada (CAW) held a workshop in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, for union activists from an array of plants in the region.

14 septiembre, 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 septiembre, 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 septiembre, 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.

18 julio, 2011The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has reached an agreement with employers ending the two week strike in the metal and engineering sector involving 170, 000 workers, the vast majority of whom are NUMSA members.

8 agosto, 2011In an attempt to criminalize legitimate trade union work the Felipe Calderon Government started new aggressions against independent trade unions and labour rights protection organizations in Mexico.

2 agosto, 2011On 22nd July, Liberian affiliate, Metal Mechanic Electrical Communications and Allied Workers Union (MMECAWU) won recognition through plant level elections, ending a five year battle for the right to organise No Lemon Liberia, a subsidiary of the multinational of Automotive Management Services.

30 junio, 2011Dramatic developments take place in Korea at Hanjin Heavy Industries shipyard and Yuseong Piston Ring. Private security forces and riot police forced out protesters from the shipyard and the police issued arrest warrants for Yuseong Piston Ring union leaders who in sign of protest have started a hunger strike in the Buddhist Jogye Temple in Seoul.