isocr's blog

On 25 July last year, leaders of the Jordanian teachers union were jailed. The Education International, uniting teachers from all over the world, launched a global protest including an online campaign on LabourStart. On 23 August, the teachers' leaders were freed from jail -- because Jordanian law allowed them to be held for just 30 days.

Four months later, things have gotten much worse.

On 31 December, the Amman Magistrate's Court authorised the dissolution of the teachers union, and the detention of all 13 union board members for a year.

All over the world, working people are suffering due to the global pandemic and economic crisis. Many have lost their jobs. Many businesses are failing.

But not all these problems are being caused by Covid.

We've received an appeal for help from workers in Ukraine who have not received their wages for more than three YEARS.

And the business that employs them - KVARSYT - is state-owned.

According to Ukraine's constitution, every worker must be paid for their work.

Kyrgyzstan is a small, mountainous and landlocked country in Central Asia. Fewer than seven million people live there. It is rarely mentioned on global news platforms.

On 26 October, death threats were sent to all 15 members of the Executive Committee of FECODE, the Colombian Federation of Education Workers (Federación Colombiana de Educadores), as well as to the President of the Trade Union Confederation CUT and former teacher and FECODE leader. The threats took the form of a funeral wreath with the words 'rest in peace'. Sixteen candles and 16 obituary notices with the name of each targeted union leader were also delivered to the home of Carlos Rivas, FECODE’s Secretary for legal affairs.

In the last couple of months, Belarus has experienced rigged elections, mass protests, and severe violence carried out by the security forces.

Union leaders, members of the Belarusian Independent Trade Union (BITU), have been arrested and imprisoned for participating in protests and strike action.

In partnership with the Federation of Garment Workers Myanmar.

After the VIP 1 and 2 factory unions demanded Covid-19 safety measures inside the factory, the factory dismissed all union members in both factories and the VIP 2 factory union president was stabbed by company thugs. It is a clear, brutal case of union-busting. The factories make sporting goods for Mizuno, CCM, Evil Bikes, and Pivot Cycles. Despite months of direct outreach from the unions, the brands have refused to intervene or mediate whatsoever.

Once again, a company has taken advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to attack workers' rights.

This time, it's coal miners in Colombia who have had to go on strike.

Workers at the Cerrejón coal mine are in the middle of bitter dispute with three multinational mining companies, Anglo American, BHP and Glencore.

When the pandemic broke out back in February the union, in good faith, withdrew its list of demands and suspended collective bargaining negotiations.

The Cambodian government is clamping down on freedom of association and expression in order to silence trade unionists, as workers resist the economic downturn and repression.

Global unions need our support to free Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), and Sor Saknika, president of the Cambodian Informal Labourers' Association (CILA).

Rong Chhun was arrested on 31 July for incitement to commit felony for comments he made. He recently led pickets in garment factory closures and urged the government to make human rights improvements.

Around the world, some governments and companies are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to attack working people and their unions.

In Indonesia, the government has introduced an "Omnibus Bill on Job Creation" which, according to the unions, will reduce wages, remove entitlements and erode workers' rights in the country.

The government of President Joko Widodo is arguing that this bill rewrites 79 existing laws in order to allow greater foreign direct investment, support economic growth and create job opportunities for Indonesians.

In Jordan, the teachers' union had concerns about the way the government was handling the coronavirus crisis.

The government's response was to arrest leading members of the union, raid the union offices and shut the union down for the next two years.

Riot police were then deployed to break up peaceful demonstrations by teachers denouncing the crackdown on trade union rights.