Improving working conditions is critical to bringing sustainable long-term growth to Bangladesh – this is the key finding of a major new report by the ILO examining the country’s garment industry.

The report, Bangladesh: Seeking better employment conditions for better socioeconomic outcomes, says unregulated growth in the garment industry has resulted in poor conditions in the majority of workplaces and has led to some of the worst industrial disasters in history.

It is not everyday that trade unionists rub shoulders with royalty, but that's precisely what happened when Petra Wadström was announced as the Gold Medal winner of the Polhem Prize.

His Royal Highness, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden presented the Polhem Prize and a cheque for SEK 250,000 to the inventor at a glittering awards ceremony in the tunnels of Norra Länken (the North link), a 4 km long tunnel connecting the highway with Värtahamnen, one of Stockholm's harbours.

Global unions are strongly backing calls by the Philippines government for urgent action on climate change following the recent Typhoon that cost thousands of lives in the Southeast Asian country.

Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the nation earlier this month causing widespread devastation. According to the United Nations, around 11 million people have been affected, up to ten thousand may have died, and many more have been left homeless.