Human rights due diligence is not possible in Myanmar1 May, 2023More than two years after the military coup in Myanmar, the situation for the people, and the workers, is getting worse. May Day is a day when we raise our voices for workers’ rights and against violations – human rights due diligence is not possible under Myanmar’s military dictatorship and companies must plan a responsible exit from the country.
Due diligence legislation must be strong to protect workers - the EU can help make this happen 27 April, 2023Meeting with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), trade union leaders from the textile and garment sector in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and Tunisia called for mandatory and strong due diligence legislation and Europe’s support to prevent a tragedy like the Rana Plaza disaster from ever happening again.
Fighting for decent work in the global minerals industry26 April, 2023Climate change calls for a historic transition to a low-carbon economy. Phasing out fossil fuels in favour of green energy is a major feature of that climate action, estimated to require ten times more electric vehicles and battery storage. This in turn depends on a consistent supply of minerals including cobalt, lithium, nickel and graphite, as the component elements of digital devices, screens and systems.
Labour needs a stronger position in UN binding treaty 20 April, 2023Negotiations on a binding UN business and human rights treaty are already nine years in the making, with more rounds are to come. After the latest negotiations in October last year, global unions have provided written input stressing an increased prominence of labour rights and a strong liability mechanism.
Stop repression in Eswatini 6 April, 2023Trade unions and civil society organizations call for national dialogue on democratic reforms in Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, amid repression by the police and state security.
The work to keep garment factories safe must continue4 April, 202324 April marks the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, an industrial homicide that killed more than 1,100 people and injured many more. The tragedy served as a turning point for the textile and garment industry as out of the rubble, the Bangladesh Accord was created. Unions were able to turn tragedy into a historic agreement to make garment factories safer.
Organizing along a changing minerals value chain4 April, 2023The increased demand for critical metals and minerals needed for a clean energy transition to a low carbon future has motivated many multinational mining companies to diversify their operations, providing opportunities for unions to organize in the global value chains which now include converging industrial sectors in the automotive, energy, mining, and oil and gas.
Systematic repression in Belarus23 March, 2023This month, both the ILO Governing Body and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have made strong statements on the human rights situation in Belarus, calling on the government to stop persecuting those involved in independent trade unions in the country.
Laboratorios SMA SAC in Peru intensifies union busting23 March, 2023Peru-based company Laboratorios SMA SAC has sent a pre-termination notice to its union’s general secretary. In response, IndustriALL is calling on the company’s multinational buyers to intervene to stop the union busting, retract the pre-termination notice and negotiate in good faith to resolve outstanding issues.
Continued repression against union activists in Belarus8 March, 2023Authorities in Belarus continue to crack down on what is left of the independent union movement in the country. In the last week, several activists have been arrested on trumped up charges in an attempt to stop the movement for a democratic country.
