Increasing trade union strength globally is crucial to represent workers effectively in sectoral policy, collective bargaining and workplace organising activities.
Thirteen participants from BWI affiliates in East Africa sub region met in Nairobi on the 5th to 7th November, 2014 to carry out an evaluation of LO-Norway project as well as deliberate on vocational training and technical education in the construction sector.
The BWI had a strong team of construction trade union leaders from Namibia, Uganda, Panama, Brazil, India, Fiji, Germany and Italy, well prepared for this two day intensive ILO Global Dialogue Forum on Decent Work in infrastructure and the construction industry.
Thirty three (33) participants among them Jasmin Redzepovic Assistant Education Secretary BWI headquarters, Garikanai Shoko Project coordinator and Kivale Said East Africa Project Coordinator together with FNV regional Consultants Annie Francis and Hope Kabuchu met at Hillpark hotel, Nairobi, Kenya from 13th to 17th MARCH, 2016 with the objectives of assessing the achievements and results of 2015 project activities.
On Thursday forest certification organisations from all over the world came together in Geneva for the General Assembly of the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).
A BWI delegation attended the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) and Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue Conference on 28 July 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This morning a number of workers held a picket at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur where the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is currently holding its board meeting.
With the creation of the Workers' Trade Union of Faber-Castell in Peru a new step is given towards the genuine social dialogue and labour relations between the German multinational and its workers at the facilities of the city of Lima, Peru.
The economic changes that has been implemented in this Caribbean island by decision of its Government and its people are facing the challenge of the large-scale arrival of multinational companies.
A statement of last January 8th, sent to the Regional Office of the Building and Wood Worker´s International (BWI) from its subsidiary in Argentina, Ceramic Workers' Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA), reports that the Trade Union if Workers of the Company Ceramica San Lorenzo, belonging to the Plant Azul began a few days ago a total labor strike since the Etex Group fired a "hundred" workers.
In the context of updating the Cuban Economic Model an even larger number of multinational companies can invest in various sectors of the economy of this Caribbean island as a joint venture or by maintaining complete control of the enterprise.
The BWI and the Ceramic Workers' Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA) has filed a complaint against Etex Group under the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
BWI affiliate Ethiopia Industrial Federation of Construction & Wood (EIFCWMC) successfully mainstreamed and integrated HIV and AIDS issues into trade union work and managed to set up HIV/AIDS fund at some workplaces.
In 2018 Russia will host the FIFA World Cup in eleven cities Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Sochi, Kaliningrad, Nizhniy Novgorod, Volgograd, Rostov on Don, Samara, Saransk, and Yekaterinburg.
In the final stretch to finish the preparatory work for the Olympic 2016, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016, workers are struggling to assert their rights - as payment of the contracts termination, bus passes and others – in three of the works planned for the event.
In 2014, the BWI conducted a fact-finding mission to Moscow as part of its Global Sports Campaign Decent Work noting that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup. At that time, BWI representatives visited 2018 World Cup stadium “Luzhniki”.
At least two workers have lost their lives due to the inhuman work pressure at construction sites for the Winter Olympic Games 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
An article published by the British newspaper The Guardian, on March 2nd , 2016, shows concern about the possible increase in the number of cases of slavery-like working conditions in Brazil due to not only the suspension of the Dirty List, instrument that implement business restriction to companies benefited directly or indirectly from slavery-like working conditions; but also the proximity to the Olympic games.
Earlier this month, leaders of BWI affiliates in Sweden was awarded for their hard-work on ensuring better working and living conditions for workers in the construction sector in relation to international mega-sports events.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International, BWI, attended to meeting of the Regional Standing Committee on Conditions and Work Environment in the Construction Industry of Rio de Janeiro, the CPR (in Portuguese), on October 12, 2015, in order to bring to the attention of the members of the Occupational Health and Safety Protocol for 2016 Olympics.
On the 12th of November 2015 the construction union SGIP in Macedonia signed an Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese multinational Sinohydro, Granit AD Skopje, Ilinden AD Struga, Transmet Ltd. Skopje, GIM AD Skopje and Victoria Invest from Albania, committing to implement measures on health and safety at work, as well as labour related issues in accordance with the labour regulations of the Republic of Macedonia.
This year, the Union of Workers in the Construction and Allied Industries from El Salvador (SOICSCES) leads the trade union struggle to Health and Safety at the workplace to the national radio.
Continuing the celebration of April 28th, the date intended to remember and pay tribute to workers who have been victims of occupational accidents, occupational diseases, disability and death because of their work activities, this year 2014, affiliated unions of the Building and Wood Workers` International (BWI) raised their voices to perform specific actions together with its affiliates.
DANMU organised a joint safety committee meeting, oath, awareness, new workers registration on DBOCWWB, Two Minutes Silent and Candle Light Vigil on DLF Capital Green City Project, L&T-ECC (Division) Workers to commemorate the IWMD.
On the occasion of the International Workers Memorial Day, the Occupational Safety and Health Directorate of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Policy of the Republic of Serbia awarded the Trade Union of Workers in Construction, Industry of Building Materials of Serbia, SGIGM, for its efforts and dedication in addressing health and safety issues at work place in the construction industry.
The BWI together with IndustriAll Global Union at the International Asbestos Conference in Vienna, attended by representatives from Trade Unions from 41 countries, the International Trade Union Confederation, the International Union of Foodworkers, IUF, the International Labour Organisation, the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) and the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), issued the following declaration on 7 May 2014.
Taking into consideration fatal construction site accidents in Tamil Nadu like the recent building collapse at Chennai, India, which resulted in the heavy loss of human lives, President of TKTMS and former General Secretary of TCWF, continues to establish alliances to ensure safe worksites for construction workers.
A labor accident took place at the plant of Holcim, Nobsa subsidiary, Colombia, resulting in the tragic death of Brother Armando Martinez, a worker who was hired by the subcontractor FESA, which supplies workers to this multinational.
Please see here in English, Spanish and French the first issue of the new International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) health and safety e-news publication.
On 24th December 2014, an accident at the Neelam Jhelum Hydro Power Project under the authority of Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in the Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzzafarabad killed a Chinese engineer and five Pakistani workers and also resulted in numerous injuries. The provincial Government has ordered an inquiry.
“Lessons are not being learned in Bangladesh - again the use sub-standard material, structural deficiencies and neglecting health and safety standards took away 8 precious lives and left 46 injured” said Shahidul Alam, BSBWWF General Secretary while expressing his outrage and disappointment.
On April 7, one day prior to the Asia Pacific Regional Conference that was held in Manila, Philippines, members of the BWI affiliates in the Philippines - All Labour Union (ALU) and the National Union of Building and Construction Workers (NUBCW) conducted a lightning picket at Suites construction in Bonifacio Global City.
The Italian construction unions affiliated to the BWI have prepared a flyer on accidents, asbestos and occupational diseases for action on the 28th of April.
The Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Issues, Directorate for Occupational Health and Safety of the Republic of Serbia has organized in cooperation with social partners a competition for giving National awards in the field of occupational health and safety.
Organizations affiliated to the Building and Wood Workers` International (BWI), took part of the “II Trade Union Meeting for the Unity of action on the construction sector workers" held in La Habana, Cuba, as part of celebration of April 28th: International Workers Memorial Day.
The Building and Wood Workers` International (BWI), through its members in Latin America and the Caribbean, reacted on the International Workers' Memorial Day and the International Day of Health and Safety at Work.
Thanks to a joint effort of the Argentinean Building Workers Union (UOCRA), a BWI member, with the Argentinean Chamber of Construction (CAMARCO), the Superintendency of Occupational Risks (SRT) and the Union of Occupational Insurers (UART), it was approved the Resolution 1642-1609 which created the Quadripartite Commission of Construction nationwide.
The Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 has informed the Building and Wood Workers‘ International (BWI) that they have partially incorporated the BWI OHS Protocol as their policies.
The 100,000 trade union health and safety representatives in UK workplaces are a major contributing factor to reducing injuries and ill-health at work, according to a new report by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
At least 28 are dead and a further 108 injured after an under-construction flyover collapsed onto a congested market in northern Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal State in the afternoon of Thursday 31 March 2016.
Very often, unscrupulous companies use the cheapest form of labour available to cut production costs, even at the risk of endangering the lives of children who work the longest hours and are the worst paid of all workers.
Climate change affects all of us, not only as consumers but also as workers. The construction, building materials, forestry, and wood industry, employing around 200 million workers, play an important role in contributing to and reducing CO2 emissions. Deforestation is the second largest source of carbon in the atmosphere.
Trade unionists in many countries continue to face imprisonment, dismissal and discrimination, while legal obstacles to trade union organizing and collective bargaining are being used to deny millions of workers their rights.
There are 17.1 million migrant workers across Africa, 44.5 million in North America, 6.7 million in Central and South America, 58.3 million in Asia and Oceania, and 64.1 million in Europe. In all of these regions at least 10 to 15 per cent are irregular migrants.
The youth for all BWI regions represented at the Festival in Germany have taken this opportunity to hold an half day global conference where they discussed about their future in BWI.
The first BWI youth Festival attended by 370 young workers from all over the world has been opened by the BWI President Klaus Wiesehügel who remembered that thirty years ago he was attending at the same venue to a summer school of young trade unionist from Europe to find solution on how to revive the trade union movement in Western Europe.
Today, women workers in the BWI sectors throughout the world face enormous challenges. Women workers are often in precarious forms of work and are often paid less than their male counterparts with very little social benefits. Women workers face continuous sexual harassment and employment discrimination. Women workers have limited access to skills training and job advancement. In times of economic crisis, women workers are the first to be terminated.
Rebuilding our societies according to sustainability criteria will be a well-needed economic injection with many social benefits very important for trade union members. Rebuilding our societies according to economic sustainability will lower unemployment.
"We want to ensure all children have access to education and schooling and to improve the wages of adult workers by strengthening trade unions. If you share BWI’s vision of a child labour free world, participate in the Child Learn Marathon on 14 June 2015 in Schimmert Netherlands," says Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) who supports the event.
Runners who want to support a good cause on Sunday, June 14th are welcome in the South Limburg Schimmert Netherlands, near the German and the Belgian border.
Building and wood workers can become leading in the transition needed stop climate change, while at the same time creating millions of new jobs around that planet.
The Russian forestry sector is the largest in the world and has huge potential for development, job creation and replacement of imported goods with domestic products.
As world leaders gathers in Paris for the UN Climate conference, people all over the world have taken action to demand their governments to do more to stop climate change.
As of yesterday, both the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) delegation were opposing language in paragraph 2 supported by a number of nations, calling for a “just transition”.
In a keynote address before COP21 trade union participants, Per-Olof Sjöö, President of the BWI, called for unity and a consensus based approach to create a just transition to a lower carbon economy.
Governments at the Paris climate summit are putting the future of climate action at risk by removing a commitment to human rights and “Just Transition” to a low carbon future from the mandate for action in the Summit’s conclusions.
The floods that hit Chennai and other parts of south India has killed more than 300 people since last month and over 1.8 million people have been displaced.
The people of Cerattepe, a small district in the Turkish Artvin province by the Black Sea, are struggling to stop their land from being destroyed by a mining company — the Turkish Cengiz Holding that wants to use the land to mine gold, silver and copper.
Civil Servants’ Union of Agriculture, Forestry, Husbandry and Environment (TARIM ORMAN-IS) organised a one-day environment panel called “Climate Change and Its Impacts” with the contributions of Cankaya Municipality, one of the biggest municipality in Ankara, on 5th March 2016
Runners who want to support a good cause on Sunday, June 14th are welcome in the South Limburg Schimmert Netherlands, near the German and the Belgian border.
The recent earthquake that hit Nepal on 25th April 2015 has been one of the worst earthquakes in last eight decades and claimed close to 8,500 lives and also resulted in thousands of injuries and widespread damage to houses and buildings.
"The issue of child labour continues to underline the close linkage between child labour and lack of access to quality education for children and decent work for adults." says Ambet Yuson, General Secretary of the BWI.
Amman the capital city of Jordan received on 13th September, 35 women and young workers from BWI Africa and Middle East affiliates for a capacity building session on Campaigning.
In the frame of the SEE unions' campaign, the BWI affiliate in Macedonia the Union of Civil Engineering, Industry and Planning, SGIP, organised its event “Skilled Women”.
“Working as a welder in a construction company where the majority of workers are men is a big challenge for me,” said Melody Lavarez, Chair of the Pinay Tradeswomen.
"We are convinced that trade unions can organise women into trade unions, promote women to leadership positions and empower women to fight for a gender fair society where the work of women and men are equally valued," says Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the BWI.
On International Women’s Day: End violence against all women, regardless of migration status
This International Women’s Day, March 8th, is celebrated during a period of intense global movement of migrants and refugees — and corresponding levels of racial and xenophobic hostility as well as inspiring acts of generous humanity.
We are from the construction and civil engineering senior staff association (CCESSA) here in Nigeria, based on this year International Women’s day on empowering women to take leadership role in the union, we want to dwell on some few points as the followings.
The Autonomous Trade Union of Road Maintenance Workers of Serbia, ATURMW, initiated a round table on the topic "Law on Public Procurement in the Light of the New EU Directive on Public Procurement" to be adopted during the second quarter of 2017.
It is estimated that 30% of the world's area is covered by forests - around 4 billion ha, with around half of that area found in only 5 countries: Russia, Brazil, Canada, the USA and China.
"Protests helped make this country great, and openness has long been a tradition. I would urge both the people and Government of this country to cherish that legacy,” stated the UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai after his visit to South Korea last week.
As trade ministers from 12 Asia-Pacific nations gather to sign off on the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) on Thursday the 4th of February in Auckland (New Zealand), thousands of concerned citizens will voice their opposition to this undemocratic corporate trade and investment deal.
Due the importance that the Building and Wood Worker´s International (BWI) gives to the recent conflicts in various countries resulted of the restructuring that Etex Group has carried out since 2013, we published a note of the representatives of Etex Group in Europe at the meeting of the European Works Council.
Migrant construction workers building the Khalifa International Stadium for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have been subjected to a range of exploitative practices including forced labour according to a report from Amnesty International.
107 union representatives and shop stewards gathered in Antalya, Turkey, to learn and share experiences on how to organise new members to fight for better working conditions – especially for rural forest workers and migrants who work in precarious employment.
A partner organisation of the BWI, the Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN) in Myanmar, is celebrating a significant victory in the fight for migrant workers rights in the Thai seafood industry.
In December, the BWI affiliates from Russia and Tajikistan – the Russian Construction Buidling Materials Workers Union and the Building Workers Union of Tajikistan – signed an agreement to strengthen their cooperation to protect the rights of Tajik migrant workers in the preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
For two days in Cairo, representatives of the BWI affiliates from Egypt, Tunisia, Palestine, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands met to strategise on how to ensure the rights of migrants and refugees.
The BWI has learned of the tragic death of at least 23 forestry workers today in South Africa who were the unfortunate victims of a tragic road accident on their way to work.
As an initiative of UOCRA’s National Programme for Health and Safety Training, 25 women from union branches around the country participated in an intensive training course.
The BWI is pleased to confirm the international theme for the upcoming 28 April 2016, International Workers’ Memorial Day, “Strong laws. Strong enforcement. Strong unions.”
Under the theme ”Building women and youth power” 40 young and women trade unionists from the BWI affiliated unions in Central Asia and Southeast Europe gathered for a seminar and training focused on organizing and campaigning in Belgrade, Serbia on the 3-6th of April.
Within the BWI Project for South East Europe, the Autonomous Trade Union of Road Maintenance Workers of Serbia has organised training during 2015 for licenses for professional work on occupational health and safety.
Hundreds of thousands of workers and young people in France have taken to the streets to protest a government reform to alter the 35-hour workweek make it easier to hire and fire workers.
IndustriALL Global Union is teaming up with sister organizations, the Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) and the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW), to launch an online petition calling on LafargeHolcim to respect workers’ rights and improve health and safety jointly with the trade unions.
Today FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino announced that it would, “create an oversight body with independent members to ensure decent working conditions at FIFA World Cup stadiums.”
With affiliates from more than thirty countries running activities this April 28th, the Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) sets a high bar for other global union federations!
The Italian unions Feneal Uil, Filca Cisl and Cgil Fillea representing Italcementi cement workers, have announced a strike in response to the industrial plan proposed by the government, which may result in 415 dismissals this year and further 250 redundancies in 2017.
A total of 11 workers have died in the construction for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro over a period of three years, according to information gathered by members of the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and state labour inspectors.
The trade union of workers at Faber Castell in Lima, Peru, signed their first collective bargaining agreement with the management of the German multinational on 26th of April 2016.
The Nepalese government last July began its ”free ticket, free visa” scheme that obligates employers from countries of destination to bear the costs for visa processing and air ticket to hire workers from Nepal – which until now most often has been borne by migrant workers themselves.
The BWI expresses its strong support to the strike that has been sustained for more than 10 days by its affiliate Ceramic Workers' Union of the Republic of Argentina (FOCRA) in Plant Azul – a plant of the company Cerámica San Lorenzo, which belongs to the Belgian Etex Group.
Marking the 28th of April, the youth and women section of the Independent Trade Union of Forestry, Wood and Paper of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SSSPDPBIH, participated in the thematic round table on “Prevention of hazards and health and safety at work".
On 1 May the Filipino Construction Mutual Aid Organisation, a Doha-based community organization that represents building and construction workers, joined more than 600 trade unionists from the Federation of Free Workers for a May Day celebration at the Liwasang Bonifacio monument in Manila, Philippines.
The Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions (KFCITU) and other federations affiliated to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) celebrated May Day by holding rallies across South Korea.
The Turkish construction workers' union YOL-IS have led an intense campaign to organize the growing numbers of subcontracted road workers in the country.
SGIP, Trade Union of Civil Engineering, Industry for Construction Materials and Projection of Republic of Macedonia, continues to work on campaigns for health and safety at work as the most important segments in the scope of construction and building materials industry.
On the occasion of International Workers' Memorial Day, representatives of the Trade Union of Workers in Construction and Building Materials of Serbia (SGIGM), visited workers at the factory “Zmaj” in the town of Smederevo.
Today, UNI accompanied by the BWI and other Global Union Federations located in the Geneva area presented a letter of solidarity to the Peruvian consulate in Geneva to support Orhan Akman.
Three months to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Regional Superintendence of Labour and Employment of the State of Rio de Janeiro (SRTE / RJ), agency of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), has interdictedpartially the preparatory works for the Olympics to be held in August this year in the city of Rio de Janeiro-RJ.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) welcomes yesterday’s decision by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in siding with workers at Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), a subsidiary of BILT Graphic Paper Products Limited in their long fight for recognition of their union, the Sabah Timber Industries Employees Union (STIEU).
The water supply, jobs and rich forest in the Turkish district Cerattepe by the Black Sea is being thretened by a mining company seeking to exploit the land for gold, silver and copper.
“Together we grow” was the theme at the congress of the Swedish forestry, wood and graphical workers’ union—GS – that was held this past weekend in the city of Västerås.
Trade Unions associated with Ravaksur, the umbrella organization of the Labour Unions in Suriname, organized a protest manifestation on Paramaribo, capital of this country. C-47 and PWO, two BWI affiliates were among the major organizers of the manifestation.
An agreement was reached on Wednesday 18 May between the Cambodian Labour Minister and Qatar’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, that Cambodia will send up to 33,000 workers to Qatar.
“Green jobs in construction gives a significant chance for a higher inclusion and participation of women in this sector, which is traditionally seen as male dominated.
Commemorating the World Day Against Child Labour, BWI General Secretary, Ambet Yuson called upon “All stakeholders to ensure that no child labour is used in the extraction, processing and supply of stone.”
On Thursday 19 May, 51 Burmese workers from a wood processing factory were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly and causing public disorder after police prevented them from marching in the Takton township, outside Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw.
Now that the Sabah High Court has adjourned its decision regarding the SFI/BILT judicial review case until 27th June, SFI/BILT should withdraw the proceedings preventing the recognition of the Sabah Timber Industries Employees Union (STIEU) to maintain their forest certification, according to the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI).
Mega sporting events have the potential to help catalyze greater respect for human rights and international labour standards, and each major sporting event has the potential to bring lasting positive social impacts.
About 40 union leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro on 16 and 17 June to evaluate the strategies of the Campaign for Decent Work Towards and Beyond the 2016 Rio Olympics held during the preparation for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
BWI Asia Pacific’s Regional Conference (20-22 June 2016), titled ‘Decent Work in Mega Sports Events’, has highlighted issues regarding health and safety, migrant workers’ rights and the difficulties of subcontracting.
Last week, a delegation consisting of representatives of BWI affiliates from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Sweden and Finland, along with BWI’s affiliate in South Korea KFCITU, conducted a site visit of construction project sites related to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games.
On 27 July 2016, the Sabah High Court dismissed a judicial review case that had been filed by SFI/BILT, stating that the Minister had discharged his duty appropriately in compliance with the obligations of the Department of Industrial Relations.
Swedish unions and sports organisations have signed an agreement to ensure safe and decent working conditions for all workers involved in sports events.
The June 2016 conference, titled “Building the Successor Generation”, brought together 40 young women unionists from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, focusing on questions of women’s political visibility and equality in the workplace.
Six workers (including three Chinese engineers) were killed and least 20 others were severely injured in a major accident at the Tarbela Extension Project (Phase IV), a dam project in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The 11th biennial Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF 11), titled "Building New Solidarities: Working for Inclusive, Just and Equal Alternatives in Asia and Europe" was held between 4-6 July 2016 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
On Thursday 14 June 2016, 167 construction workers rallied in front of the office of their employer, Stages and Design Construction (SDC), demanding regular employment and an end to union busting.
In recent years the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a major point of departure for thousands of migrants leaving India - each year close to 200,000 workers leave this state alone - for work in foreign destinations, particularly the Gulf region.
On Wednesday 6 July over 20,000 members of the Korean Construction Workers’ Union (KCWU, an affiliate of the BWI affiliated Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions (KFCITU) stopped work, holding a rally in the Seoul City Square to support their 18 demands to the government.
Public Utility Workers’ Union – PUWU of Ghana TUC and its national women committee successfully held their 11th and 3rd Quadrennial Delegates Conference at PSWU Center in Kumasi Ghana from July 10th to 12th 2016.
Public Utility Workers’ Union – PUWU of Ghana TUC and its national women committee successfully held their 11th and 3rd Quadrennial Delegates Conference at PSWU Center in Kumasi Ghana from July 10th to 12th 2016.
Members of the Sabah Timber Industries Employees Union (STIEU) working at one of Malaysia’s largest timber companies, Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), have struggled for decades to have their union recognised.
On the morning of July 24, in Gangneung, South Korea an accident occurred at the construction site of the Ice Arene which is to serve as the venue for the Figure Staking and Short Track competitions for the upcoming 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Global union leaders will be in court in Seoul on Tuesday the 26th of July to witness the latest in a series of unjust show trials of South Korean union leaders.
A tragic accident occurred on Sunday 24 July 2016 in Lahore, Pakistan, when a crane struck a passing rickshaw, killing four civilians and injuring a further ten.
The ceremony “Lives lost at the worksites of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: Tribute to Workers” will be hosted on the 28th of July at 11am at the courtyard of Fiocruz, in Manguinhos-RJ
Members of the Sabah Timber Industries Employees Union (STIEU) working at one of Malaysia's largest timber companies, Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), have struggled for decades to have their union recognised.
Last week, on July the first hearing in the appellate court for the 15 tower crane trade unionists who earlier this year were sentenced for “blackmailing” and “obstruction of business” for engaging in collective bargaining negotiations took place.
Trade unions and labour organisations are appealing to the Malaysian Government to protect workers from litigious employers determined to prevent union recognition and frustrate the collective bargaining process, union leaders stated at a press conference today in Subang Jaya.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International Asia-Pacific has joined 94 other civil society groups saying NO to investors suing states in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement.
The collapse of a 13th floor slab on a construction site on 29 July 2016 at Pune, Maharashtra State (India) has left nine workers dead and another five injured.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says it is committed to build a better world through sport. Just like FIFA, IOC is an independent, non-profit international organization.
On the 5th of August a 40 years old construction worker in St Petersburg was seriously injured after he fell from 4 meters height during construction work at the World Cup Stadium.
On July 28th, 2016, trade unions from all over Brazil and researchers gathered to pay tribute to the families of workers who have become victims of fatal accidents or serious injury in the works of the Olympics 2016.
The Cambodian migrant workers who were cheated of their salaries when planting trees in the forests of Sweden in 2014 will finally get their just compensation.
In a landmark decision the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) International Board of Directors have chosen to disassociate from Malaysian timber company Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) and their Indian parent Ballapur Industries Limited (BILT) due to repeated violations of the workers’ rights of members of the Sabah Timber Industry Employees Union (STIEU).
FIFA, the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI), and the Russian Construction Workers Union (RBWU) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in ensuring decent and safe working conditions for the construction and renovation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ stadiums.
The 4th Global Power Trade Union Congress, that was held in Chicago, United States last week has passed resolutions to support two of BWI’s global campaigns, the ‘Stop the Attacks on Korean Unions” and the ‘Red Card for FIFA’ campaign.
On Wednesday September 7 a new hearing will be held in the Korean appellate court for the 15 leaders of the tower crane operators division of the Korean Construction Workers' Union (KCWU).
In a show of widespread solidarity across India around 150 million workers, including many BWI affiliates, organised a nationwide strike on 2 September 2016.
Representatives from the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) visited a work site of the Bahrain Steel Company on the 29th of August as part of their occupational safety and health campaign targeting migrant workers.
On Tuesday 1,200 members of the Korean Construction Workers’ Union held a rally in front of the South Gyeonggi Police Office against unjustifiable investigations of the union.
On Thursday the 8th of September the Seoul District Court sentenced Lee Jong-hwa, the president of Korean Plant Construction Workers’ Union (KPCWU), to six months in prison. He was charged with “traffic obstruction” during a peaceful protest against a regressive labour reform on the 17th of November last year which gathered 100,000 people on the streets of Seoul.
Almost two years after receiving a complaint lodged jointly by the ITUC and the BWI regarding three state-owned Fijian forestry companies, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have decided not to disassociate the firms, turning a blind eye to their anti-union behaviour. A joint letter from BWI and ITUC takes issue with many aspects of FSC's decision not to disassociate the Fijian forestry firms.
The 11th BWI Regional Committee Meeting held in Panama City on September 28th discussed, among other issues, on the political, economic and trade union regional situation emphasizing the situation experienced by different democracies in the region with the atypical case of parliamentary coup against Brazilian President: Dilma Rousseff and accusations against former President: Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva. Other topics discussed were the economic slowdown affecting the construction industry and the recent peace process started between the FARC and the Government of Colombia.
On 8-9th of September 2016, women trade union leaders from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Ukraine came to together to participate in the first BWI Sub Regional Women’s Conference “Value Women’s Work”.
As Related activity to the BWI Africa and Middle East 3rd Regional Conference, 22 delegates from selected BWI African affiliates attended to a Communications and Campaigns Training workshop in Maputo Mozambique from 12th to 14th September 2016.
Affiliates from Africa and Middle East called for a meeting in Maputo, Mozambique for young workers representatives on 12 September, 2016 to explore and bring forth innovations to Trade Unions in BWI industries.
The capital city of Mozambique Maputo hosted on 12 September, women from Africa and Middle East with a good representation of women from the Middle East for the Region Committee meeting chaired by Edna Opoku Boakye.
Maputo Bridge and the Accompanying Roads Project, a trunk highway extending from Maputo, capital of Mozambique, to the border of South Africa, is about 187km long.
On the morning of 19 September 2016 the Chief Judge in the Appellate Court accepted the union’s application for bail for the last two remaining KCWU (the Korean Construction Workers Union, affiliated to BWI’s South Korean affiliate the Korean Federation of Construction Industry Trade Unions) tower crane operators.
For years, the Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) and other Global Union Federations (GUF), organizations who promotes human rights worldwide, organizations of the United Nations and the Inter-American system expressed their rejection of killings, disappearances, intimidation and persecution of trade unions leaders, social and human rights activists, who were victims of violence for nearly six decades in Colombia.
Almost two years after receiving a complaint lodged jointly by the ITUC and the BWI regarding three state-owned Fijian forestry companies, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) have decided not to disassociate the firms, turning a blind eye to their anti-union behaviour.
The 11th BWI Regional Committee Meeting held in Panama City on September 28th discussed, among other issues, on the political, economic and trade union regional situation emphasizing the situation experienced by different democracies in the region.
“Young people are one of the focus group of training and organization of BWI sectors. However, unfortunately, it is also the young people who often face problems at workplace due to poor working conditions and precarious employment.
Skanska is one of the largest multinational construction companies in the world – a company with good reputation that claims to take social responsibility.
One worker died and another was injured in two accidents that occurred during the dismantling of the temporary structures of the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2016 that took place this August and September.
In an outpouring of support, workers from across the Asia-Pacific region have signalled their deep solidarity with the 55 Carlton United Breweries (CUB) workers, posing for photos with the ‘Bitter Victorians’ logo and sharing them across social media with #CUB55 hashtag.
BWI's “Value Women’s Work” campaign bring together women amongst unions to advocate for greater gender equality and fair value for women’s work both inside and outside of the work place as well as within trade unions.
After almost a year of waiting the National Labour Relations Commission (NLRC) has decided in favour of 26-year-old migrant worker Rafael Alejo Ambrad, who stopped working after being permanently debilitated.
BWI’s Australian partner union the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) is calling on the Turnbull Government to take health and safety for construction workers more seriously after three fatalities have shaken the industry.
We, the workforce representatives of LafargeHolcim, representing workers from North America, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia, gathered in Hyeres and discussed our common issues, goals and needs.
Last week 37 Filipino workers in Qatar finally got their up to 6-months delayed wages paid out by their employer – the international engineering company Mercury Engineering Qatar.
International sporting organizations must take their responsibility to stop human rights abuses around mega sports events, the Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova told.
The 35-member BWI delegation consisting of trade union leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, Ecuador, Panama, Sweden, and Switzerland and headed by Per-Olof Sjöö, president of the BWI pushed for the Decent Work Agenda during Habitat III.
Charges of criminal blackmail that were laid against two officials from BWI partner union in Australia the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) are a waste of court time and resources and should be struck out immediately, a Victorian Magistrates Court has heard.
"We only want to improve our working conditions and remunerations", this is what 1,000 workers on strike at Alto Maipo Project in Chile tell to the press and the company CNM-HOCHTIEF.
The Energy Workers Union of Zimbabwe (ZEWU) a BWI affiliate in Southern Africa held its 4th women’s conference in the tourist resort town of Kariba from 21-22 October 2016.
A high-level delegation of global union leaders is joining demonstrations taking place tomorrow in South Korea to protest against the brutal crackdown on democratic rights and the criminalisation of trade union activity.
Last week up to one million people joined the protests in Seoul calling for the immediate release of imprisoned trade union leaders and resignation of Park Geun Hye.
Delegates at the Third Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency International Conference have expressed their concern at the unequivocal rise in the use of asbestos throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
15 November 2016 - The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), the organisation responsible for delivering the infrastructure required for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar™, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI).
Amidst considerable global uncertainty, COP22 focused on implementation and finance issues such as the Adaptation Fund and the principle national approach to climate change, Nationally Determined Contributions.
The 2016 Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) was held from 8-12 December in Dhaka (Bangladesh), the first such forum take place since the adoption of last year’s UN Sustainable Development Goals.
On December 11th 2016, nearly 500 construction workers of Haitian nationality were honored by the Trade Union of Workers in the Civil Construction of Porto Alegre (STICC-POA).
The Building Construction Civil Engineering and Allied Workers Union (BCCEAWU) of Malawi held its fifth quadrennial congress on 8 January 2017 in the city of Blantyre. This is the first time in the history of BCCEAWU that a female president is elected.
Global trade unions represented by IndustriALL Global Union and Building and Wood Worker's International (BWI) met with representatives of LafargeHolcim on 23 January 2017 to launch the process for developing a Global Framework Agreement.
There were more than a hundred people marching in the streets of Rose-Hill in the afternoon of Sunday 5 February to shout their rage at a government that did not move a little finger to relieve the workers.
Thousands of protesting Workers on Thursday 9 February called on the Federal Government to create policies that would reduce the suffering of Nigerians and also provide food on their tables.
BWI signed an International Framework Agreement (IFA) with Veidekke ASA, Norway’s largest construction company, on 24 January 2017 renewing its commitment to labour standards and human rights.
After more than 10 days on strike, the dispute for better working conditions continues in Chile. The large multinational company Hochtief still maintains its anti-union practices at the mega Hydroelectric Project Alto Maipo, in San José de Maipo, Chile.
The seminar began with a discussion on how trade and investment agreements have evolved from the WTO era to the new generation of agreements, and the threats those agreements present to workers and their rights, as trade union members, as citizens, and as political movements.
Members of the Sabah Timber Industries Employees Union (STIEU) are unsurprised that their employer, Sabah Forest Industries (SFI), has been stripped of another certification label for their continued refusal to recognise the union.
Despite the severe political crisis in South Korea, trade union repression continues. The Pohang Branch Court has issued warranties of custody for the three union officials, and the three union leaders are now under arrest.
In celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day, the BWI is highlighting one of the most persistent human right violations in our contemporary world: Gender-based-violence (GBV).
Discrimination against women has become the order of the day in so many work places globally. Women are subjected to abuses of various kinds either directly or indirectly and this has to stop by making our voices heard.
"This initial value is to help our brothers in Haiti," it was the first statement made by the president of STICC (Workers Union from the Construction Industries of Porto Alegre/ Brazil), Gelson Santana, when it was delivered almost USD 2.000 (about 115,000 gourdes, local currency) to the Haitian FENATCO (National Federation of Construction Workers) in Port-au-Prince.
Tens of thousands of Argentine workers took the streets of this country against the neoliberal policies promoted by the right-wing government of President Mauricio Macri
To mark the International Women’s Day and strengthen women workers participation in the trade union movement, a number of BWI affiliated unions carried out events on 8th March 2017.
The 1st Africa and Middle East Regional Presidium met in Cairo, Egypt on 8 – 10 March 2017 officiated by the Regional President Thamsanqa Piet Matosa, the members of the Presidium were warmly welcomed by one of the two Regional Vice President Abdel Monem El Gamal, President of the host union, the General Trade Union of Building & Wood Workers – GTUBWW.
Workers at Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) in Sipitang, Sabah have been picketing for eight days now, demanding action on unpaid wages, health and safety and union recognition. They have not yet received their wages from last month and their employer retirement contributions have gone unpaid since November 2016.
BWI contributed to the recently published ILO Report titled ‘Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the World of Work: Trade Union Perspectives and Action’.
Johannesburg in South Africa and the Cradle Moon Lakeside Lodge hosted from 6 to 7 March the evaluation and redesigning workshop of the BWI-Union to Union – SBTF trade union development project for Africa.
Workers at Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) are elated, after their almost two week-long picket has now resulted in all workers being paid their back wages this morning. Members of the Sabah Timber Industry Employees Union (STIEU) have endured baking tropical heat and have survived off donations and collective goodwill and solidarity, demonstrating to SFI that they will not back down.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) has followed with big concern the legislative initiatives promoted by the Brazilian Government in labor relations and social security.
BWI affiliates in India have strongly petitioned the Indian Government to support the listing of Chrysotile Asbestos in the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
BWI’s affiliate in South Korea condemned the accident and called for the implementation of fundamental measures to prevent future tragedies. Below is the translation of the official statement form the KFCITU.
TWU wishes to create avenue for social dialogue between workers and management around OHS issues for union activists and Companies Management at MELGREP Company Limited in Tema Ghana.
UTBTPBSP in Gabon will have a Work place Campaign on health and safety to create avenue for social dialogue between workers and management around OHS issues.
Construction and Building Material Workers’ union (CBMWU) of Ghana will hold a public awareness in Accra on unions contribution on peace keeping and development for trade unions members and activists and large public.
The Associated Labor Unions Committee on Women (ANCW) members gathered on 8 March 2017 in Diliman, Quezon City to commemorate the International Women’s Day with the theme, “Developing Women Trade Union Leadership in Responding to Gender-based Violence”.
On November 5th , 2015, Brazil was shocked to hear the news on the collapse of the Fundão dam, at the Germano plant in the city of Mariana, state of Minas Gerais. The dam was the responsibility of the company Samarco whose owners are the Brazilian Vale S.A. and the Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton.
IndustriALL Global Union and Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) attended the annual shareholders meeting of LafargeHolcim on 3 May 2017, demanding tangible progress in negotiations of the Global Framework Agreement (GFA).
Han Sang Gyun, President of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), is the recipient of the annual Febe Velasquez Trade Union Award, awarded in absentia at the FNV Congress
In the small town of Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district (Tamil Nadu State, India) the TKTMS union mobilised around 800 union members to extend solidarity with the victims of the Cheyyar building collapse.
For the first time, the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) commemorated International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) in Qatar by supporting the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA) 2nd National OSH Conference and participating in various site-level activities to raise awareness on safety and health.
April 30 2018 - On the eve of May Day in Doha, close to 200 participants attended the BWI “Community Leaders Forum on Workers’ Welfare in the Construction and Allied Sectors” in Doha, Qatar.
On 5 June 2018, the Swiss National Compact Point (NCP) responsible for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises concluded its follow-up on the BWI complaint against FIFA that focused on the 2020 World Cup Games in Qatar.
A new report from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) finds evidence of widespread exploitation of both women, men, and children in forced labour.
Less than two months after coming into power, the new Malaysian Government is preparing to resume raids on undocumented migrant workers on 1 July 2018.
On the 21st of June, the Trade Union of Workers in the Civil Construction of Porto Alegre (STICC POA) organized a public debate under the theme "The new Migration Law and the world of work: Humanitarian perspectives in a context of class struggle"
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has dropped all charges against Tola Moeun, the director of the Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights in Cambodia and a former BWI project coordinator.
The BWI is launching the “Decade One Magazine” marking the first ten years of BWI’s work on mega-sporting events. The report describes the struggle of the BWI and its member unions to improve the conditions for workers employed at mega sporting events during the past ten years.
Construction workers in the Dominican Republic is fighting a legislative initiative that would cut their social security and leave thousands of retired workers without a pension.
While Chinese corporations spend billions in Africa unions on the continent are demanding respect for worker rights. An interview with BWI's Regional Representative for Africa and Middle East, Crecentia Mofokeng.
The annual meeting of the BWI Africa Chinese network that was held in Nairobi from 22nd to 26th July 2018 brought together 38 participants from 20 unions and 14 countries in Africa organizing in Chinese multinational companies (MNCs).
Hundreds of members of the Nagkaisa! Coalition, including members of BWI affiliate the Free Federation of Workers (FFW), have rallied outside the Philippines Senate in Manila on Tuesday 6 July, demanding the swift implementation of legislation to end contractualisation.
A cross-sector Youth Summit held in Manila this week has helped to cement the struggles of young workers at the centre of the fight for global justice, according to the BWI.
On the 9th of August about 700 people gathered in Santiago, Chile, to protest against the Young Statute – a new annex to the labour law which limits the rights of young workers between 18 and 24 years old.
The Building and Wood Workers’ International has been informed by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Qatar that a 23-year old Nepalese man was killed yesterday morning, the 14th of August, while working on the project site of Al Wakram Stadium, one of the facilities for the 2022 World Cup games.
Migrant workers building the Imperial Pacific casino and resort on the island of Saipan, which is part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, have suffered abuses such as unpaid wages, severe injuries, and retaliation.
Yesterday 4 September, the Government of Qatar announced that it would enact legislation---Law No. 13 of 2018--that ends requirements for exit permits from employers for at least 1.5 million migrant workers.
At an event organized by the Institute for Human Rights and Business in Tokyo on 10 September, BWI’s general secretary Ambet Yuson highlighted some of the knowledge learned from the BWI’s Sports-Migration nexus campaign to strengthen the rights of workers in mega-sports events.
On 6-7 September, over 80 women from 21 countries around Europe came together in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to discuss trade union strategies to ensure gender equality and fight against gender based-violence and campaign towards pay equity.
Ivana Dimitrova was told that she was “too cute to work in a construction company” when she applied for a job at a construction company in Macedonia eight years ago. Her persistence paid off. Today she is in charge of the largest construction project in Macedonia and oversees a workforce of 700 workers. She is also the President of the local trade union organization with 2,000 members.
On 12 September a BWI delegation led by BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson met with the new Malaysian Minister of Human Resources, M Kula Segaran, leading to a major breakthrough on the 30 year struggle of workers at Sabah Forest Industries (SFI) for union recognition.
The British BBC News has released a video about the alarming prevalence of mental illness among men in the construction industry in the United Kingdom.
In 2016 the Israeli tower crane operator Keti Karolov got fired after refusing to continue working in stormy weather. Now, a court has ruled the dismissal illegal and that her employer violated safety rules.
