Apparel Factories Are Busting Unions—A Labor Expert Explains What Brands Should Be Doing To Stop Them

The fashion industry is shrinking, and countless workers are losing jobs. But declining sales aren’t the only force behind payroll cuts: Brands and retailers, as well as factories manufacturing for large companies, …

“Free trade” agreements and the pandemic

“Especially since they started proliferating in the 1990s, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have met with strong opposition from social movements, labor, and civil society organizations because of the threat they …

YOUTH &COVID-19: IMPACTS ON JOBS, EDUCATION, RIGHTS AND MENTAL WELL-BEING

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our lives. Even before the onset of the crisis, the social and economic integration of young people was an ongoing challenge. Now, …

New guidance for protecting migrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic

Migrant workers are a crucial part of the global workforce, accounting for 3.5 per cent of the world’s population, according to IOM. Worldwide, micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises, rely on them, including …

As the Global Economy Melts Down, Human Trafficking Is Booming

“The COVID-19 pandemic is making the world worse in lots of ways. One of the more unexpected ways is that the already difficult task of ending modern slavery is even …

New Draft of the UN Treaty on TNCs and OBEs

OEIGWG Chair-Rapporteur second revised draft LBI on TNCs and OBEs with respect to Human Rights: ‘Legally Binding Instrument to Regulate, in International Human Rights Law, the Activities of Transnational Corporations …

Union busting & unfair dismissals: Garment workers during COVID-19

“As the COVID-19 pandemic struck and retail stores shut down, many global brands responded by cancelling billions worth of orders, passing the financial burden of the disruption to the most …

Convention on worst forms of child labour receives universal ratification

Formally known as Convention No. 182, the treaty, adopted two decades ago, achieved universal ratification on Tuesday, making it the most rapidly ratified Convention in the UN agency’s 101-year history. “Universal …

UN expert welcomes landmark protection for online assembly

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association has hailed as groundbreaking an authoritative new interpretation that the right to peaceful assembly extends to …

Uber’s Achilles Heel: The Rule of Law

“As courts all over the world are holding Uber accountable on charges of infringements of workers’ rights, Bama Athreya provides insights into the larger issue of a fundamental conflict between …