Namibia: Union protest sloppy safety standards at Skorpion Zinc mine 15 January, 2018Hundreds of workers from IndustriALL affiliate, the Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN), from the Rosh Pinah branch, demonstrated against worsening health and safety standards at the Skorpion Zinc Mine, about 600 km from Windhoek, earlier this month.
Workers win recognition at Furukawa company in the Philippines12 January, 2018Workers at Furukawa Automotive System Incorporated have won a major victory as the certification election held 9-10 January this year resulted in a landslide in favour of having a union at their workplace.
3,000 white-collar paper workers in Finland to strike 12 January, 2018***UPDATE*** On Monday 15 January, IndustriALL Global Union's Finnish affilaite, Pro, scored a victory after steadfast resistance from its members. Both trade union Pro and employers’ association, Finnish Forest Industries, approved the mediation proposal of the National Conciliator for the paper sector’s white-collar employees to increase salaries, and all strike actions were immediately cancelled. Pro succeeded in securing a pay rise for workers and resisted employers' demands to weaken the industry-wide collective agreement.
Hunger strike at Volkswagen plant in India 12 January, 201811 union representatives of the Volkswagen Employees’ Union in Pune, India, have gone on hunger strike, protesting against the employer's plans to introduce a new remuneration scheme that includes a performance-related wage component.
German metalworkers’ union launches mass strikes for wage rise and reduced hours11 January, 2018IG Metall commences mass strikes ahead of bargaining round with employers’ federation Gesamtmetall.
Drawn-out dispute at Australian mine 11 January, 2018Indian-owned Griffin Coal is involved in a two-year long dispute with IndustriALL Australian affiliate AMWU at the Collie coal mine in Perth. The maintenance workforce has been on strike for 20 weeks, in response to Griffin Coal’s complete opposition to negotiate an agreement.
Unions outraged over LafargeHolcim’s sudden u-turn on global commitments10 January, 2018Global and national unions representing LafargeHolcim workers worldwide express their outrage over the company’s unilateral decision to back down from its signature of a global framework agreement designed to build positive industrial relations throughout the company.
South Korea: Prominent union leader Lee Young-joo detained after protest9 January, 2018IndustriALL Global Union has written to the Korean government to protest the arrest of former Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) general secretary Lee Young-joo.
Iran: Workers demand democracy and freedom against poverty, corruption and repression5 January, 2018With the demonstrations starting on 28 December 2017, Iran faces widespread protests against the rising cost of living. The protests quickly spread to many cities as people raised their voices against poverty, corruption and embezzlement by officials, and brutal political repression.
Albanian oil workers win unpaid wages after strike action4 January, 2018Workers at an oil refinery in Ballsh in southwest Albania took action to demand two months of unpaid wages and insurance, as well as 13 months of wages missing from previous years’ settlements.
