On the seven-year anniversary of a deadly Bangladesh factory fire that killed 112 mostly young, female garment workers and injured more than 200 others, progress made by workers to improve their workplaces is threatened by the country’s crackdown on their right to...
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Worker Rights Lawyers Connect with Allies, Map Next Steps
“There is a human rights crisis around the world—that’s why we are intensifying our work in recognizing the role labor plays in holding government’s accountable and promoting dignity and equality at work,” said Sandra Coliver from the Open Society Foundation, opening...
Worker Rights Lawyers Share Successes, Strategies
The ability of workers to freely form unions is such a fundamental human right that the United Nations (UN) holds countries accountable for violating those rights, according to Lance Compa, senior lecturer in labor law at Cornell University. “Even countries that have...
New Radio Show in Jordan Showcases Worker Issues
Callers to a recent radio show about taxi workers in Jordan had many questions, including: Why are taxi drivers classified as independent contractors rather than as employees who are eligible for better wages and benefits? Why do Jordan’s laws prohibit taxi drivers...
Women Worker Rights Leaders Share Hope for Future
Dynamic women worker rights leaders from across the globe offered a vision for hope, resilience and movement toward an economy and society that works for people and the planet yesterday at the event, “Building Power: Women’s Leadership in the Fight for Justice,...
Zimbabwe: Abductions Targeting Worker Rights Defenders
Doctors in Harare are protesting the abduction and disappearance of the acting president of the Zimbabwean Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), Peter Magombeyi. His disappearance is part of a pattern of violence against civil society defenders in the country,...
Lesotho Plan Has All Elements to End GBV at Work
A new worker-centered, precedent-setting program will comprehensively address the rampant gender-based violence and harassment denying thousands of women garment workers a safe and dignified workplace in Lesotho. The program, established by two negotiated and...
Solidarity Center Mourns Loss of Longtime Colleague, Friend Lyuba Frenkel
The Solidarity Center is deeply saddened by the death of our colleague and friend, Lyuba Frenkel, senior program officer for Europe and Central Asia, who succumbed July 30 after a brave battle with brain cancer. Over Lyuba’s 26-year career with the Solidarity Center,...
MAY DAY 2019: STANDING UP FOR WORKER RIGHTS ACROSS THE GLOBE
From Haiti to Kenya, Nepal and Palestine, hundreds of thousands of workers and their families celebrated International Workers Day last week, honoring the dignity of work and the accomplishments of the labor movement in defending human rights, job stability, fair...
Colombia Palm Workers Win Landmark Agreement
Some 750 palm workers at Colombia’s largest plantation yesterday signed a landmark agreement with their employer, Indupalma, culminating a years-long effort in which many workers risked their lives to achieve decent wages and safe working conditions. The workers...
Sri Lanka Garment Workers Stand up for Their Rights
Just outside Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport, where more than 2 million tourists start their vacations each year, a different reality unfolds in the Katunayake export processing zone (EPZ). There, thousands of garment workers take their places in...
Solidarity Center Loses Tenacious Advocate Lisa McGowan
The Solidarity Center is mourning the loss of our colleague, sister and friend, Lisa McGowan, who succumbed to cancer November 24, 2018. Lisa was a deeply passionate advocate for the marginalized, channeling boundless energy and true heart into her lifelong campaign...
Working for Peace in Nigeria: New Report
A new Solidarity Center report, “Working for Peace in North-East Nigeria: A Challenge for Nigerian Trade Unions,” outlines the devastating toll of Boko Haram violence on people living in northeast Nigeria, in particular on civil servants and their families, and how...
Worker Rights Attacks Part of Human Rights Crackdown
Human rights activists around the world celebrated the recent release from prison of two union leaders in Kazakhstan who were convicted of bogus criminal charges after participating in a peaceful workers’ protest against the forced closure of the country’s main...
Migrant Workers & Children Exploited in Kazakhstan
Workers who migrate from Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan for jobs often do not receive their wages, are forced to work in unsafe and abusive conditions and even are kidnapped and held against their will in forced labor, according to a new report. “Invisible and Exploited in...
Workers, Civil Society Urge Consultation on AGOA
Click here to read what civil society has to say about AGOA. The goal of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and similar U.S. trade preference programs and agreements should be to reduce income inequality and increase good jobs, say worker rights...
‘They Have Forgotten the Lessons of Rana Plaza’
Following the Rana Plaza collapse in which 1,134 garment workers were killed and thousands more injured in Bangladesh, the horror of the incident spurred international action and resulted in significant safety improvements in many of the country’s 3,000 garment...
Bangladesh Garment Workers Stand up for Rights at Work
Five years after the deadly Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, workers and union activists say despite the massive demand from workers for union representation to achieve safe workplaces, worker-organizers must face down threats, harassment and violence to...
Women Farm Workers: Achieving Justice on the Job
Women farm laborers are among the most exploited workers around the world—forced to endure long days in harsh conditions, paid subsistence wages and often subject to physical and psychological violence on the job. Yet they are standing up for their rights and...
Women in Morocco, Tunisia Highlight GBV at Work
Women union activists and their allies in Morocco and Tunisia celebrated International Women’s Day this week with events that highlighted the need for a global standard to address gender-based (GBV) violence at work. “Violence is escalating dramatically. Without an...