LabourStart: Where trade unionists start their day on the net.

The International Labour Organisation estimate that 70% of the world's workforce is now vulnerable to extreme heat.  How is this affecting workers?  What can unions do?  We interviewed Stirling Smith, a trade union educator who has worked in many countries, and especially south Asia. He lived in India for four years where he worked for the ILO. He is active now in the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre. Support the show

In the last three weeks, two high-level delegations of trade union leaders from around the world were blocked by Israeli authorities from entering the Occupied Palestinian Territories (West Bank).  The general secretaries of two global union federations -- Ambet Yuson from Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) and David Edwards from the Education International (EI) -- were there, leading the delegations.  BWI and EI's affiliated unions have a total of 45,000,000 members and these include affiliates in both Israel and Palestine.   This week we interviewed Ambet and David together and heard their stories -- why they were going to Palestine, who invited them, what they were going to do there, and how they faced hours of interrogation and false accusations before being sent back into Jordan.  The interview ended on a determined note from both leaders to continue to fight for the rights of all workers and to show our solidarity wherever and whenever it's needed.Learn more about EI's experience at the Israeli/Jordanian border here.  And read about BWI's experience a week later here.  LabourStart's full coverage of Palestinian labour news can be found here.Support the show

Tomorrow (23 January) will see trade unionists and other citizens of Minneapolis shutting the city down in protest at the actions of Donald Trump's ICE thugs.  People won't go to work, they won't shop, their kids won't go to school.  Chelsie will be in the thick of it and in this short interview we talked about what's happening in Minneapolis, the role of the unions and her thoughts on how people elsewhere in the world might show their solidarity.  It's an inspiring story and deserves a large listenership -- please share this widely!Check out the website of the Minneapolis labor unions here.Support the show

In this short interview, we talked with Pamela, who is the IFJ's head of communications, about the IFJ's recent report on the number of journalists killed around the world in 2025 (128 that we know about). We discussed why this number keeps going up, the role of ongoing wars, the problem of impunity, what the IFJ and its affiliated unions are doing and what ordinary people around the world can do. Here are some useful links:IFJ safety fundIFJ UN Convention Q and AIFJ web siteSupport the show

With the run-up to Christmas, retail workers are preparing to face a tsunami of abuse and even violence.  Unions representing shop workers in dozens of countries where Christmas is celebrated are campaigning to protect workers from over-stressed shoppers.Here's our take on Christmas shopping - and a very merry and kind Christmas from all of us at LabourStart!Support the show

"60 seconds on ..." is a new podcast series hosted by LabourStart and aims to provide the international trade union movement with bite-size nuggets of information about important campaigns and news.  In today's episode, we focus on Lee Cheuk-yan, the jailed leader of the Hong Kong Trade Union Confederation, whose trial starts next month.  To learn more about the International Trade Union Confederation's campaign in solidarity with Lee, click here.Support the show

Professor Yiran Zhang is a prominent emerging voice in the field of labor and employment law, focusing on how care work is governed at the complicated intersection of informal labor markets, the welfare state, and the household. At Cornell’s ILR School, where she is also an Associate Faculty Member at Cornell Law School, she examines the rapidly shifting terrain of U.S. care-subsidy programs and what these changes mean for workers, families, and the law.Her scholarship, which spans top journals including Boston University Law Review, Indiana Law Journal, and Stanford Law & Policy Review, explores fundamental questions about gender, caregiving, and the very boundaries of what society counts as “work.”In this interview, Professor Zhang discusses her current research, the rise of paid family caregiving, and the new forms of worker organizing emerging in home-care labor. She closes with powerful reflections on why care workers, often overlooked, are central to the future of the labor movement.The interview was conducted by Joanne Lee, a LabourStart intern.Support the show

Pawel Rudzki has not worked for the Albert Heijn supermarket chain for some two months now. An exemplary worker, never late, with a spotless record, he was bullied and lied about, given warnings he could not reply to -- and then summarily sacked. His union, the FNV, together with UNI Global Union, has been campaigning for his reinstatement.  It's the subject of a major campaign on LabourStart - click here to learn more and show your support.  In this interview, Pawel tells his story in his own words -- and ends with a message about the importance of solidarity.Support the show

Today we spoke with Amalie Hilde Tofte from the trade union Styrke in Norway.  They're the sponsors of the annual Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights.  (LabourStart was a recipient a few years back.). Amalie told us about the background to the prize, some of the winners in recent years, and how one applies. We even learned who Arthur Svensson was.  Details about the prize, including the nominations form, are here.Support the show

This week, we talked with two leaders of the Sindikat kontrole letenja (SKL), the union representing Serbian air traffic controllers, who have been dismissed after their security clearances were revoked based on a vague "negative opinion from the security services." Both played key roles in this year’s lawful and successful strike.  In this interview we discussed how the Serbian government launched a coordinated attack on the two union leaders and why, and how trade unionists across Europe and around the world can show their solidarity and bring pressure to bear on the Serbian government.  Learn more about what happened and sign up to support the campaign - click here.Support the show

Solong is the general secretary of the United Textile Employees Union in Lesotho -- a union currently involved in a major struggle for workers' rights and dignity at Quantum Apparel.  In this interview, he tells us about a whole series of abusive (and illegal) practices at the company, including forced over-time, short-term contracts and union-busting.  To learn more, and to show your support for the workers, check out the LabourStart campaign.Support the show

Chris, who's based in Washington, D.C., is the founder of the Labor Radio and Podcasting Network. With around 200 members, the network shows the very widespread adoption of podcasting by activists in the trade union movement.  We asked Chris about audience size, impact, and how unions and activists can start their own shows.  Listeners are encouraged to visit the network's website and to consider coming to one of its regular weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 13:00 (US Eastern Time).  Support the show

This week we talked with Paul Finch at a particularly interesting moment.  His union, the largest in the Canadian province of British Columbia, is on strike.  The employer in this case, the provincial government, is a social democratic party -- the NDP.  Paul explains why the union is on strike and their strategy to win.  He even broke the news to us that just a few minutes before the interview began, the union had shut down large numbers of public liquor and cannabis stores, having held back during the first few weeks of the strike.  Things are heating up in British Columbia and LabourStart will continue to provide coverage of the struggle there.Support the show

Shawna Bader-Blau heads up the Solidarity Center in Washington DC which has for many years been one of the great sources of support for workers around the world trying create and sustain independent, democratic trade unions.  But with the inauguration of Donald Trump earlier this year, all that has come under threat.  In our interview, Shawna discusses what the Solidarity Center does, the new threats it has to face, and how it intends to fight back.  Learn more about the Solidarity Center here -- and if you can, donate here.Support the show

The Alberta Federation of Labour and some 25 Alberta unions, representing more than 300,000 workers, recently unveiled the Solidarity Pact, a commitment to collective defence against any attack on workers by public- or private-sector employers. The Solidarity Pact is intended to remain in force indefinitely."The purpose of the Solidarity Pact is to let employers know that an attack on one union will be viewed as an attack on all unions and that Alberta unions will fight together—all for one, and one for all," McGowan said in a news release announcing the launch of the pact and the Alberta Common Front, as the allied labour organizations are known collectively.In this podcast, we talk to McGowan about the Solidarity Pact, and labour relations in the province with a "Maple MAGA" premier, who's now advocating for a separation referendum.Support the show

Dr Debbie Goldman worked for 28 years at the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and is an expert on the subject of call centre workers.  In this short interview we discussed her new book, Disconnected: Call Center Workers Fight for Good Jobs in the Digital Age.  We talked about issues like surveillance in the workplace, how the CWA won impressive victories in defence of call centre workers' rights, and how employers export call centre jobs abroad only to run-up against international trade union solidarity.  We ended with a discussion about whether the much-touted "momentum" of unionisation in the USA in 2024 has continued under Trump -- and how the working class will never stop fighting for its rights.Support the show

Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), was LabourStart's guest this week on our podcast.   The ITUC represents around 200 million workers in 169 countries and territories and has 340 national affiliates.LabourStart's Eric Lee interviewed Luc about the vicious attacks by the Lukashenko dictatorship in Belarus against trade unionists -- and what the international trade union movement is doing to fight this.  Luc spoke about the upcoming 16 April global day of action.  "We need to fight against this regime," he said. "We will never accept this reality."To learn more about the jailed trade union leaders in Belarus and show your solidarity, check out our online petition here.  Learn more about the 16 April 2025 global day of action here.  Learn more about the ITUC here.Support the show

Nilufar Mammadrzayeva is an activist in İşçi Masası (Labor Desk), an alternative Confederation of Trade Unions operating in Azerbaijan.  As she explained to us, "Right now, four of our comrades are facing dire conditions in prison due to their labor rights activism. One of them has already been sentenced to eight years, and the situation is only getting worse." In this interview, we discuss the situation faced by workers and independent trade unions in her country and what the international trade union movement can do to help.  For full coverage of labour news from Azerbaijan on LabourStart, click here.Support the show

This week, LabourStart's Pat Bulmer interviews Mark Hancock, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees -- the largest union in the country.  Mark was asked to speak about the union's recently-adopted "Montreal Declaration" which was drafted in response to US President Donald Trump's threats against Canada.“The declaration acknowledges the formidable contribution that the labour movement has made to building what makes us proudest to be Canadian: our public health care, public education, and so many more cherished public services. The declaration also sets out CUPE’s demands for a worker-focused response to the existential crisis posed by Donald Trump’s assault on Canadian workers,” the union explains.Support the show

LabourStart's podcast this week is - unfortunately - about Belarus, which is probably the worst place in Europe to be a trade unionist.  We are now coming up on the 3rd anniversary of the mass arrests of Belarusian trade union leaders and the crushing of the country's independent and democratic unions.  Liza tells us why this happened, the role of the Ukraine war and Putin, and what we can do to help free the jailed union leaders and force the regime in Belarus to respect workers' rights -- and human rights in general.Support the show

This week's LabourStart interview is with Kıvanç Eliaçık from DISK, one of Turkey's national trade union centres.  We talked about workers' rights in Turkey, the role played by LabourStart and global unions, what individuals can do to help -- and about the central role that workers in struggle are playing in all this.  We also discussed a new LabourStart campaign being launched this week in support of striking workers at Telus, in Izmir.  A must-listen podcast this week, in our view.Support the show

This week's LabourStart podcast is a short interview with Daniel Blackburn, who runs the International Centre for Trade Union Rights (ICTUR), based in London.  Daniel spoke with us about ICTUR's history, the journal it produces (International Union Rights), the incredible reference book they publish on trade unions of the world, and even their wall map of workers' rights around the globe.  ICTUR is not well-known enough in the trade union movement but we think that after you hear what Daniel has to say you'll want to know more -- visit the ICTUR website here.Support the show

The LabourStart Podcast this week -- our first in 2025 -- is an interview with two Canadian writers who've written an important new book about one of the country's largest trade unions.Stephanie Ross is an associate professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., and founding president of the Canadian Association for Work and Labour Studies. Larry Savage is a professor in the Department of Labour Studies at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.LabourStart’s Pat Bulmer interviewed them about their book, Shifting Gears, which examines the evolution of one of Canada’s largest unions. Today, it’s known as Unifor, but it started out as the Canadian wing of the United Auto Workers before breaking away to become the Canadian Auto Workers.The authors particularly examine the union’s evolving - and controversial - role in Canadian politics.Ross and Savage are also co-authors of Building a Better World: An Introduction to the Labour Movement in Canada and co-editors of Public Sector Unions in the Age of Austerity, Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada, and Labour under Attack: Anti-Unionism in Canada.Support the show

This week we interviewed Tamar Ansiani, who in addition to being a striker (one of over 4,000) at the Swedish-owned Evolution Gaming in Georgia, is also a vice president of LABOR, a Georgian trade union.  Tamar spoke about the reasons for the strike, the importance of international solidarity and much more in this short interview.  To learn more about the struggle at Evolution Gaming -- and to show your solidarity with the workers -- click here.To donate money to the strikers (via UNI Global Union), click here.To follow all the latest labour news from Georgia, including latest developments with the Evolution strike, click here.To help build support for the striking workers, please share this podcast widely in your union.  Thank you!Support the show

"We were dying," says Sultana Hossain, describing the conditions that led thousands of Amazon employees in New York City to begin organising into a trade union.  Initially, their union was independent and had no backing from anyone else -- and yet the workers were able to force an election in the workplace, win a majority and inspire millions of workers with their story.  Click here to learn more about that union and its amazing story.For full coverage of workers' struggles at Amazon around the world, check out LabourStart's Amazon stories.Support the show

China Steel Express (CSE), the most profitable subsidiary of Taiwan's largest state-owned enterprise, China Steel Corporation (CSC), has long exploited Taiwanese seafarers through illegal fixed-term contracts. Recently, CSE replaced Taiwanese seafarers with Chinese crew. As a result, more than 300 seafarers lost their jobs. In July, CSE abruptly cut the insurance of over 100 seafarers to force more of the workers out of jobs. To defend their labour rights, the CSE Union held a strike vote. Out of 487 members, 371 (76%) supported the strike. This strong support shows their determination to protect their right to work and marks the first strike in Taiwan's maritime history. We interviewed Carlos Ching-Hung Wang, the president of the CSE Union, who explained to us why the workers are on strike -- and what you can do to help.  The interview is in Chinese and English and is very short.To support the campaign, click here.Support the show

An interview with Judith Kirton-Darling, general secretary of IndustriAll Europe, about the ongoing fight of Liberty Steel workers in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in the face of catastrophic job losses.  Judith talks about the background to the struggle, including latest developments, including a walk out this morning by Liberty Steel workers in Hungary, and the importance of solidarity messages sent through the LabourStart online campaign. Support the show

This week we interviewed Srđan from Radnicki Glas (Workers Voice) in Serbia.  The group is very involved with the ongoing campaign at the Yura factories in Serbia -- which is the subject of a LabourStart ActNOW campaign.  (Click here to learn more.)  We talked about unions and workers in general in Serbia and the specific issues faced by workers at the South Korean-owned Yura factories, which are suppliers to major European auto companies.  Srđan explained the background to strikes that took place in June, what the union is doing now, and how listeners to the podcast can help.Support the show

We spoke with David Edwards just three weeks before the opening of the congress of the Education International, which unites trade unions of teachers and other educational professionals.  The EI is one of the biggest global unions -- it has 383 member organisations, representing more than 32 million people in 178 countries and territories -- and faces immense challenges.  We spoke about the EI's current Go Public! campaign which has been fighting to get governments to invest in public education and hire more teachers.  But we also discussed the challenges teachers and their unions face every day in countries like Iran and Afghanistan.  We concluded with a discussion about the rise of the far Right, which is a concern for all teachers' unions.  And at the end of the interview -- this was unscripted, really -- David spoke briefly about the work the EI has done with LabourStart.Support the show

Less than 24 hours after the results of the first round of the French legislative elections were known, and with the threat of a far Right government for the first time since Vichy, we interviewed Judith Kirton-Darling.  Judith is General Secretary of IndustriAll Europe, which represents 7 million working men and women united within 200 national trade union affiliates in 39 European countries. We discussed a range of issues including the threat of the far Right, what Europe's unions are expecting from the newly-elected European Parliament, and IndustriAll's campaign for good industrial jobs.  Learn more about IndustriAll Europe on their website, here.Support the show

Earlier this month there were giant protests across Argentina following the attempts by the country's new president, Javier Gerardo Milei, to impose his dystopian vision on the country.  Milei's government is cracking down on workers' rights, downsizing and privatising much of the public sector, and triggering a huge increase in unemployment and poverty -- especially child poverty.  This statement by the International Trade Union Confederation paints a bleak picture of Argentina under Milei.This week, we spoke with Macarena Grimalt Fernandes, the international secretary of APOC (La Asociación del Personal de los Organismos de Control), which is affiliated to Public Services International (PSI).  Macarena explained the proposed new legislation -- which has not yet passed -- and how unions across Argentina have united to fight it.  When asked to tell us about international solidarity, she talked about the demonstrations that took place in Latin America and elsewhere at the same time as the protests in Argentina.  When asked if she was optimistic or pessimistic about her country's future, Macarena insisted she needed to be an optimist -- otherwise she'd never get out of bed in the morning.  That's a sentiment that we can all understand.Support the show

This week, we spoke with Esther Lynch, the General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).  The ETUC represents 45 million members from 93 trade union organisations in 41 European countries, plus 10 European Trade Union Federations.In a wide-ranging discussion, we spoke about the upcoming European elections and why they matter for unions and working people.  The European unions have come up with a joint list of 12 key commitments and they have gotten some -- but not all -- of the party groups across Europe to support them.  (You can download a copy of the ETUC's election manifesto in dozens of European languages here.)Esther spoke about what unions want, including changing the European Union's rules to make things work better for workers.  She emphasised that working people have nothing to gain by voting for the far Right -- which is expected to do well in the June elections."Everywhere I go I get pushback," she said when I asked her about her recent meetings in Ukraine, and whether all European trade unionists shared the same view. While not uncritical of the Ukrainian government, she emphasised union solidarity with the trade unions in that embattled country.The interview concluded with what Esther sees as the biggest challenge for European unions: building union power.  She spoke about a Trade Union Renewal Group which she set up when she first took up her current role.  She wants to improve the quality of public debate, especially for young people, and to move beyond sound bites and half sentences.The interview ended with Esther's concerns about cyber-social risks -- including the right to disconnect, the problem with "ethical stress", and much more.To learn more about the ETUC and its work, visit their website.Support the show

Khaing Zar is President of the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) and Treasurer of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM).  Forced into exile following the military coup d'etat in February 2021, she is a leading spokesperson for the embattled trade unions of her country, which have now been effectively banned and driven underground.In this interview, we discussed what's currently happening with workers and their unions in Myanmar, the Arthur Svennsson prize for trade union rights which she was recently awarded, and what we can all do to help the workers and trade unions of Myanmar in their fight for democracy.Support the show

This week we interviewed Jan Willem Goudriaan, General Secretary of the European Public Service Union (EPSU).  EPSU brings together trade unions from across Europe. It influences the policies and decisions of employers, governments and European institutions that affect public service workers, their families and communities. It mobilises for action and change and is committed to achieving another, social Europe.EPSU represents 8 million public service workers across Europe and is the European region of the global public services federation PSI and is also a member of the European Trade Union Confederation.In this interview we talked with Jan Willem about the fight against fascism in Europe today, solidarity with Ukraine, the struggle to support the embattled unions in Belarus, and finally the danger of a return to austerity in Europe.Support the show

Luc Triangle is the new general secretary of the global labour movement's peak body, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).  The ITUC represents 191 million workers united in 340 affiliated national trade union centres around the globe.We spoke with Luc about the ITUC's new "For Democracy" campaign, about the globally-recognised "right to strike" which is now before the International Court of Justice, and about the major challenges facing him as ITUC general secretary.Learn more about the ITUC here.Support the show

Rebecca Owens is a proud flight attendant and active member of AFA (Association of Flight Attendants)-CWA Council 30 in Anchorage, Alaska. She has stepped up as her union is in contract negotiations at Alaska Airlines by helping to organize informational pickets, volunteering to go on camera to share the stories of her union brothers, sisters and siblings and making sure her colleagues participated in their recent strike vote. She is also working with the Alaska State AFL-CIO to get paid sick leave on Alaska's ballot to benefit her co-workers. Rebecca also recently accepted the role of Mobilization Chair for flight attendants at the airport.Flight attendants at Alaska and other airlines around the world are expected to spend a good portion of their job working for free. We asked Rebecca about that, the state of negotiations and other current issues at her airline and in the industry.Support the show

Darren is an Amazon worker and Amanda is a senior organiser for the GMB union in the UK.  Together, they tell a story of low pay, union busting and an atmosphere of fear at Amazon -- but also a story of courage, solidarity and hope as workers unite and take on one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world.  Learn more about the fight of Amazon's workers in the UK on LabourStart's UK news page and also on the GMB website about the  Amazon campaign.Support the show

When Bea Bruske was a teenager she found herself walking a picket line for many months -- a strike prolonged unnecessarily because her employer had hired scabs.  Today she's the President of the Canadian Labour Congress and is leading the fight for anti-scab legislation.  A bill now making its way through the Canadian federal parliament will ban scabs in the federal sector, covering a million workers, but she's hoping for even more down the line.  LabourStart's Pat Bulmer conducted the interview.Support the show

The textile workers at Egypt's state-owned Mahalla factory have a history they can be proud of -- their strikes helped to bring down the Mubarak dictatorship.  In March 2024, when the Egyptian government decided to exclude them from a minimum wage equal to US $120 (per month - before taxes), they rose up in protest, led by women workers.  Having won some of their demands, they returned to work -- but two of the activists remain in the hands of the state security services.  At the request of the Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services (CTUWS) LabourStart launched a campaign in support of these workers -- you can sign up here.  This week we talked with Ahmad Badawy, an Egyptian trade union activist, who explained what happened -- and who tells us the kind of support the courageous women workers of Mahalla need today from the international labour movement.Support the show

Australia under its new Labor government is seeing a huge revival of the trade union movement with new "closing loopholes" laws that strengthen workers' rights.  At the centre of the struggle is Sally McManus and the Australian trade union movement.  Sally is a fighter and is often quoted saying: "I believe in the rule of law where the law is fair and the law is right, but when it’s unjust I don’t think there’s a problem with breaking it." Fighting words from a genuine trade union militant.  Listen to our short interview with her.Support the show

Colombia used to be described as the most dangerous place on earth to be a trade unionist.  Sadly, that is still the case.  But as Nick MacWilliam from the UK-based, trade union-backed Justice for Colombia explains, things are getting better.  Colombia now has a progressive president, supported by the unions, and Nick -- who has just returned form Colombia  -- brings us a message of hope.  For much more news and information about workers and their unions in Colombia, check out LabourStart's Colombia news page.Support the show

Kazem is in charge of international relations at Free Them Now, which was set up in 2005 to build international support for jailed workers in Iran.  News from Free Them Now can be found on LabourStart's Iran page.Support the show

Marc Belanger was doing labour education and union organising online back in the 1980s.  That's NOT a typo -- he established SoliNet (Solidarity Network) for Canada's largest union, CUPE, nearly 40 years ago.  He went on to run the International Labour Organisation's training centre in Turin, Italy and now is back in Canada, where he founded and runs Radio Labour.  In this interview with LabourStart's Eric Lee, Marc talks about what he calls "activist podcasting" and gives us a preview of his next challenge - helping trade unionists around the world acquire a working knowledge of English.Support the show

We spoke with Carolina about the situation in Panama where the government has been attacking the construction workers' union, accusing the union leaders of 'terrorism' and closing off their bank accounts.  The union and BWI have mobilised global support, including a LabourStart campaign -- and the government is feeling the pressure.  For details, visit https://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=5376Support the show

We interviewed Olesia about the situation of Ukraine's workers and their unions.  While she was speaking to us in Kyiv, she reported that a Russian missile attack was taking place at the same time.  Olesia's message to the workers and trade unions of the world is essential listening - please share this widely!To learn more about the situation of workers and their unions in Ukraine, check out https://www.labourstart.org/news/country.php?country=Ukraine&langcode=enTo support this podcast, please donate if you can: https://www.labourstart.org/pico/?en/donateSupport the show

Support the show

In this conversation with LabourStart's Eric Lee, Liza talks about the past, present and future of the trade unions in Belarus.Support the show