Following on from the mass murder of workers in the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh in late April, international unions and labour groups have pressured companies to sign on to a binding agreement that includes worker representation. Some major companies like Walmart, Gap and Just Jeans refuse to sign and […]
Yearly Archives: 2013
328 posts
The global race to the bottom has claimed more lives in the garment industry. This week in the city of Bhiwandi, Maharastra state, dubbed the ‘Manchester of India’ for its concentration of power loom factories, a garment factory collapsed after heavy rains. At least six workers have been killed and […]
The mass protests in Egypt over the last week and the overthrowing of the Egyptian President by the military has implications for workers all across North Africa and West Asia. Workers in Egypt have been central players in these protests, and solidarity has come from as far away as South […]
In an obvious union busting move, the global snack food giant Mondelez has abruptly closed its factory in Beirut, Lebanon, intending to move operations to a non unionised factory in nearby Egypt. Mondelez has a history of suppressing workers’ right to organise. There is an ongoing international campaign linking these […]
A new law passed this week by the Parliament of Indonesia is reminiscent of laws that existed under the era of General Soeharto when unions and worker organisations were tightly controlled. This is a worrying development especially considering the growing strength of the workers movement in Indonesia over the last […]
The National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme proudly celebrates the 50th anniversary of the presentation of the Yirrkala Bark Petitions to the Federal […]
While the recent government crackdown on nationwide protests has succeeded in halting mass protests, demonstrators are still defying the government with smaller demonstrations. It is apparent that the government has now begun targeting protest organisers with arrests in a number of cities and the revelation that it is checking social […]
As previously reported, conditions for migrant workers are continuing to deteriorate in a number of Gulf state countries. The vulnerable state of workers in these countries, given that they are not allowed to join unions, has attracted a lot of attention from global unions. Currently the situation is especially bleak […]
The global food and beverage company PepsiCo has a history of anti union activities. India is only one of many countries where workers have been targeted over the years by PepsiCo for attempting to unionise. More recently, in 2008, workers in Chennai had to fight a month long lockout to […]
In another sad blow to the workers movement in Iran, trade union activist Mr. Afshin Osanlou died while in prison in Rajai-Shahr Prison after suffering a heart attack. It was not the first time Mr. Osanlou had been jailed. In 2011 he was sentenced to five years in prison on […]