Cambodia is one of the main sources of textiles for Europe and North America, and it’s on the front line of the campaign for a living wage in global supply chains. So the forthcoming review of…Read more…
Thailand needs to stop the harassment of workers’ rights advocates
The British-born worker and migrant rights defender Andy Hall is due back in court on Monday 24 August, facing criminal defamation charges for exposing the truth about exploitation of migrant Burmese…Read more…
Iraq’s new labour law: positive but ‘clipped’
Iraq has finally issued a labour law that complies with ILO conventions, up to a point. It is a good day for global justice. The law provides legal protection for organised workers in the private and…Read more…
Taking the fight for workers’ European rights to top bosses
Prime Minister David Cameron has revamped his Business Advisory Group, and their first task will be to advise him on his EU renegotiation strategy ahead of the referendum on Britain’s…Read more…
Using agency temps to replace striking workers will threaten the basic right to strike for all
Two years ago this September, workers at Hovis in Wigan took strike action and won a landmark victory over increasing zero-hours work in their factory, safeguarding an important source of secure…Read more…
5 types of tosh people are talking about the #TubeStrike
The #TubeStrike hashtag today isn’t one for the faint hearted. The Independent have thoughtfully compiled a tutorial for those who’d rather simply block it all out, but I’ve a kind…Read more…
Top tips for introducing night shifts
Last week I wrote a blog about the health effects of working shifts, in particular nights. Well today the TUC has followed up on that with a report on night working and “work-life balance”….Read more…
#TubeStrike: Why I’ll be striking over compulsory all-night shifts
I’m a ticket officer and station assistant on London Underground, and I’ll be taking 24 hour strike action this evening alongside members of my union, TSSA, and unions representing other tube staff,…Read more…
Amnesty makes jailed Iranian teacher union leader a prisoner of conscience
I blogged about the arrest of Iranian teacher union leader Ismail Abdi a month ago, and the bad news is that he’s still in jail (although no longer in solitary confinement for interrogation)….Read more…
US says trade trumps safety
I have blogged here several times about the possible effects on health and safety of the proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States – the Transatlantic Trade…Read more…
Global teacher unions oppose neo-liberal trade & investment agreements
At this week’s Education International (EI) World Congress in Canada, education unions around the globe voted to oppose the new wave of trade and investment agreements that are being negotiated…Read more…
Rättvisa lön: IKEA unveil plan to build a Living Wage
Great news this week for Usdaw members in IKEA, as the Swedish flat pack furniture giant have committed to sign up as a Living Wage employer.Read more…
What can we do about shift work?
There has been a lot of research published in the past few years around the effect of shift work and our health since the World Health Organisation classified night shift work as a probable…Read more…
Solving the IMF’s concerns about stronger unions
I have blogged at Touchstone about this week’s bombshell news from the International Monetary Fund that declining unionisation leads to ballooning inequality (which the IMF accepts is damaging…Read more…
Defending workers’ rights defenders: Andy Hall in Thailand
I’ve blogged several times over the years about the harassment of British workers’ rights advocate Andy Hall, who faces a number of charges – some with terrifying jail terms or…Read more…
At the summit: fans keen to support FIFA reform
The fans got stuck in to our panel at the football Supporters’ Summit today, where the Football Supporters’ Federation had invited the TUC’s Playfair Qatar to talk about FIFA reform…Read more…
Coca-Cola backs global union call for an independent review of FIFA
The global trade union movement’s campaign for workers’ rights to be a key element of mega-sporting events is often obscured by the cesspit that is FIFA. Migrant construction workers…Read more…
Government takes a swipe at Safety Representatives
The Trade Union Bill is a particular worrying Bill with implications for anyone at work. There have been lots of really good blogs on this site about it so I am not going to repeat these. I just want…Read more…
Burma: unions, global brands & NGOs back minimum wage for all
Things are changing in Burma, once a by-word for breaches of ILO core conventions, a no-go country for trade unionists (except for the ones in the military junta’s jails) and home to the…Read more…
Strike figures show there’s no justification for the Trade Union Bill
The official statistics on work days lost to strike action in the UK are out today, and they show an increase in the number of strikes. In all, 788,000 days of industrial action took place in 2014….Read more…