International unions

Trade union struggles outside the UK

Italian government partly bans strike

The General Strike called for 17 November by the leaders of Italy’s two most powerful union confederations, CGIL and UIL, in protest against the budget of the government of Giorgia Meloni, was declared unlawful in transport beyond four hours. Never before in the history of the Italian republic has such a general strike had the law used against it in this way. Transport minister Matteo Salvini cited a 1990 law restricting strikes from “damaging the economy unduly in times of crisis”. But for the working class worse was to come. Their union leaders decided to comply and reduce the transport...

Bangladesh workers still in battle

The government-appointed body responsible for setting the minimum wage in Bangladesh’s garment industry has agreed to raise it 56% on 1 December. That sounds good, particularly when the garment bosses proposed 25%. In fact, workers are outraged. The previous minimum of 8,300 Taka (£61) a month was a dire poverty wage, and one long eroded by inflation. The last increase was in 2018. As we reported last week, workers and unions have been staging militant strikes and protests for 23,000 Taka. Following the announcement of the new minimum wage protests have surged again. Four workers have been...

Bangladesh garment workers resist

As we went to press on 7 November, Bangladesh’s wage board was due to set a new figure for the minimum wage in the country’s garment industry. The week before saw a virtual uprising by the country’s garment workers, with hundreds of thousands on strike, militant mass demonstrations and a factory in industrial city Gazipur burned. Two deaths of workers have been reported, one of them of garment industry electrician Russel Hawlader, confirmed shot by the police. Bangladesh is the world’s second largest “ready made garments” exporter after China, and the sector accounts for 80% of its export...

UAW strike wins gains

The United Auto Workers (UAW) strikes in the US look close to ending, with major concessions won by the union. Strikes were suspended on Monday 30 October. The UAW had taken six weeks of action (starting 15 September), which was spread to include, eventually, around 35,000 of the UAW’s estimated 146,000 membership in the three affected companies, Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (Fiat-Chrysler-PSA). Major steps came in late October towards contract agreements, with union president Shawn Fain announcing tentative deals at Stellantis, Ford and, finally, on 30 Oct, GM. These are set to...

UAW strike makes progress

The US United Auto Workers (UAW) dispute rages on with Ford, General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (who subsumed Chysler). Strikes started on 15 September. The strikes remain highly targeted, with the union leadership dictating the strategy of which shops can enter the fold, and when, resulting still in only small fraction of the union membership being out on strike. Longer term, this could damage democracy in the union. Short term, the strike is having tangible, positive impacts. This last week saw a breakthrough tentative agreement with GM; the inclusion of electric vehicle (EV) battery...

Palestinian trade unions say: stop arming Israel!

This statement, reposted from X/Twitter , has been signed by numerous Palestinian trade unions. The banner picture of the Twitter account promoting this statement calls to "boycott the Histadrut", the mainstream Israeli union federation. We disagree with this call , and note that the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions has bilateral relations with Histadrut (although it supports a boycott of Israel in general, and describes its relationship with Histadrut as "one of unequals"). Nevertheless, we believe it is important to amplify voices from workers' organisations from Palestine, in...

Ukraine’s labour movement defiant

As I walked around Kyiv last month on a beautiful, sunny morning, I began to notice the scaffolding in the city’s squares. I asked Tristan Masat what was going on. Tristan runs the Solidarity Center office in Kyiv, representing the American trade union movement. He told me that they were statues, covered up to protect them from bomb damage. Later, near Tristan’s offices, I saw an exposed statue with no protection around it. It was the graffiti-covered statue of a Red Army general on a horse. No one I asked could remember his name. Later had lunch with an activist in a small Georgian cafe. We...

US auto workers' strike spreads

The UAW (United Auto Workers) strikes in the United States continue into their second week, and have now spread from 3 to 20 states, with 38 parts distribution centres now added to the mix. Despite being highly profitable outlets, most of these 38 centres are small shops, and so their introduction only adds another 5000 workers to the strike; 18,000 total in a union with over 140,000 autoworkers in the three affected companies; Ford, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis (who subsumed Chrysler). Although the UAW has yet to flex its full might, progress has been made, the most in negotiations...

UAW: a fight for the working class

Let me thank the UAW for standing up not only for your own members, but for the working class of this country. The fight you are waging here is not just about decent wages and working conditions and pensions in the automobile industry. It is a fight to take on corporate greed, and tell the people on top this country belongs to all of us, not just a few. There is a reason why a recent Gallup poll had 75% of Americans supporting the UAW. They are sick and tired of an economy in which the rich get richer while working families struggle and the most desperate sleep out on the streets. What this...

Biden, Trump, Starmer, and strikes

The next US Presidential Election is thirteen months away, and the winner will be either Joe Biden or Donald Trump, unless unforeseen circumstances cause one or the other or even both to drop out. This “choice” is deeply unpopular, with approval ratings for both candidates currently stuck at the low 40% mark. Far more popular than either Trump or Biden in America today are trade unions. They are said to enjoy 67% approval ratings among the public at large, and 90% among under-30s. There’s also high support for unions striking, whether it be film and television writers or United Auto Workers...

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