On 29th September 2010 the main trade unions in Spain , CCOO and UGT , called a general strike to express their opposition to the austerity measures taken by the Government and their proposals to reduce the rights of workers.
The UNI Europa Professionals and Managers’ Conference meeting in Nyon, Switzerland, sends its solidarity and support to the 52 P&M workers at the multinational e-commerce company, Privalia, in Italy, who are undertaking industrial action after being threatened with redundancy.
Privalia, a Spanish fashion e-commerce outlet, had announced that it would cut 52 of its 118 employees in Italy so that the company could ‘centralise its activities’. This deadline of Friday 7 March 2014 passed without the workers being fired, but the threat of redundancy still stands.
The women’s wing of Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union commemorated the 103rd International Women Day on 9 March 2014 at Katunayake free trade zone by organizing a march for women’s rights and dignity. This involved participation from over 1000 members and included a 3 Km march.
Banners, placards and protestors demanded social justice and dignity for working women. Additionally, the rally included songs and folk dances from Tamil, Muslim, Burgher and Sinhalese cultures.
On International Women’s Day 2014, members of the Retail Commerce and Clothing Industries General Union (RCCIGU), the Building Management and Security Workers General Union (BMSWGU) and the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) marched from Hong Kong Central to the Central Government Office. Marchers chanted loudly for “women-friendly working hours and women-friendly working environment” as they donned sad masks and held placards representing different jobs.
UNI MLC Boleh!
UNI MLC together with its affiliate in the media-broadcast sector, TV3 Employees Union, has in less than 2 years set out a plan to conclude the first UNI MEI global agreement with Media Prima and to grow unions in Malaysia.
Today, UNI MLC has helped formed at least 5 new unions in the country in 3 TV stations and their next steps are to clinch union recognition and initiate collective bargaining.
The Bangladesh Accord has published the first reports detailing the results of factory inspections in Bangladesh. The reports set out details of the current building safety standards in the first garment factories to be inspected, and identify necessary steps required to improve these standards.
The Accord for Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed on 13 May 2013, in response to the Rana Plaza factory building collapse on 24 April 2013, which resulted in the deaths of 1,133 workers.
Unite’s Jim Kendall is to become the new President of UNI Europa Professionals and Managers following elections at the group’s annual conference in Nyon, Switzerland.
Kendall, who serves as Chair of Unite’s Finance and Legal section in the United Kingdom, will serve a three year term and replaces outgoing President Martin Jefflen of Unionen.
The Presidency vote rounded off a successful opening day at the UNI Europa P&M Conference, which included sessions on the Future World of Work as well as the upcoming UNI World Congress in Cape Town.
By the end of last week the profit statements of NZ’s five largest banks had all been reported, showing a record six-monthly high of $2.882 billion, 10% (or $244 million) higher than the previous six months. The total profits of the five biggest NZ banks – ANZ, ASB, BNZ, Kiwibank and Westpac – came to $5.482 billion in the year 2013.
FIRST Union retail and finance secretary Maxine Gay has been vocal of these “sky-high” profits, and calling for workers to receive a fair share of those profits in bargaining this year.
6 months after the launch of the newest sector in UNI Apro, the UNI Apro MEI held its first committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 4 March 2014.
UNI SLAC Women’s Committee organized a Health Camp to mark the International Women’s Day (IWD) in Jaffna, Sri Lanka on 9th March 2014.
The Health Camp was organized to help women who suffered hardships during the three-decade long civil war in Sri Lanka, targeting in particular the women who live in internally-displaced camps in and around Jaffna.
