Yearly Archives: 2013

As previously reported, oil workers in the southern Basra region of Iraq have protested against the government on a range of issues, from non payment of benefits to corruption. The head of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, Mr Hassan Juma’a Awad, has now been charged by the authorities accused […]

Three years ago, workers at the Nanhai Honda automotive plant in China made international news with their successful strike at a major automotive factory. This week workers once again came out to defend and fight for their wages. The workers were unhappy with a pay deal announced by management and […]

The strike by workers at Maruti Suzuki in the Gurgaon industrial zone, adjacent New Delhi, in 2011 was a defining moment for the emerging industrial working class in India. Unfortunately, the workers have faced unrelenting pressure and attacks over this period. There are now over 100 workers who are languishing […]

Unions in Australia have welcomed the news that the Federal Government introduced a bill into Parliament last week to create an independent Agency on asbestos. The Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency will co-ordinate, monitor and report on the implementation of the National Strategic Plan to get rid of asbestos, as […]

In May of 2012, aviation workers took actions against new legislation that banned strikes in essential services like aviation. The Turkish government retaliated by sacking 305 workers. The effort to reinstate these workers became an international campaign. Later in the year, following a Global Day of Action for airline workers, […]

The uprising in Syria is now two years old. The conflict has been brutal and has inflicted massive damage on the civilian population. Working class resistance was active in the early days with many strikes and demonstrations. This has now been weakened by the intensification of the conflict and the […]

At a conference this month, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) sounded the alarm about the growth of new airlines registered in ‘flag of convenience’ countries where regulations are weak or non-existent. This development is part of a constant push by airline companies to cut costs and increase profits. Airline […]

For the past 18 months, members of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association have been on the front line of the global battle against outsourcing. On 27 September 2011, over 2,000 ground staff were evicted from Manila International Airport. Workers were protesting against a management outsourcing scheme that would have stripped […]

A local Sri Lankan garment union, FTZ-GSEU recently organised a demonstration to safeguard workers jobs and entitlements.  In support of this, the global union federation IndustriALL put out a statement against the global ‘race to the bottom’ employed by garment companies. The Federation called on garment workers internationally to come […]

In the last few weeks there has been a spate of industrial action by migrant workers in Malaysia over pay and conditions. Like in the rest of the world, migrant workers in Malaysia can be used as cheaper labour due to their weak bargaining power and insecure residence status. The […]