isocr's blog

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.

If this story sounds familiar, it's because it has happened before.

Four women workers have been dismissed from SF Trade in Izmir, Turkey, for organizing a union at the leather and textile company.

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On 6 July, the Zimbabwean government arrested 13 nurses at the Harare hospital. They were protesting their deteriorating pay and working conditions. Those nurses have since been released on bail -- but have been dismissed from their jobs. With the inflation rate hovering around 1000%, the cost of living has risen so rapidly that public sector salaries are now almost worthless.

Ryanair is known to be hostile to trade unions and this has been proven once again in the Czech Republic.

A union for cabin crew workers on the airline was recently registered there and the company was duly informed of this.

The new union asked to meet with management.

But just one day after telling Ryanair that a union now existed, three union leaders -- Matteo Pizzolato, Andrea Schiraldi, and Izhar Arcos Poveda -- were sacked.

We have received an urgent update from the Education International -- please read on
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Despite international solidarity, human and trade union rights abuses continue in the Philippines. The red-tagging and vilification campaign targeting members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers is escalating, with support from the Department of Education of the Duterte regime.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) reports renewed attacks on its members.

Erlan Baltabay, a leader of the Independent Oil and Energy Workers' Union in Kazakhstan, has been in prison since 16 October 2019.

The government of Kazakhstan has been the focus of a major international protest campaign which has the support of 5,252 trade unionists so far.

But the authorities are now attempting to fabricate another case against Erlan in order to keep him in jail, even though his first sentence was due to end next month.