USA: Tesla management illegally fired union members, stifled workers Right to Freedom of Association, finds NLRB
25 March 2021: The National Labour Relations Board has held Tesla management guilty of repeated violations of workers’ Right to Freedom of Association while ruling on a 2017 case wherein the management fired workers for engaging in union. It has ordered the reinstatement of the dismissed worker. Tesla has been infamous for its CEO Elon Musk’s bullying of workers and their union rights. had hit news during the lockdown when it opened its factory in defiance of the government circular of shutting all non-essential work after which most of its workers had reported COVID positive.
Italy: Amazon workers strike work against inhumane working conditions
22 March 2021: Delivery workers of Amazon and third party logistics operator companies went on a 24-hour strike on 22 March 2021 against the inhuman working conditions at Amazon warehouses. Amazon’s delivery systems rely on 40,000 workers in Italy. These workers had to work during the COVID triggered lockdown without proper health and safety measures. Workers have seen an unprecedented surge in their work since the lockdown as the e-commerce industry is growing, with goods sold online in 2020 rising by a record 31% to 23.4 billion euros.
Australia: Gig workers register major victory, Hungry Panda agrees to workers demands
16 March 2021: Food delivery workers in Australia have registered a big win after a 6-week long strike. Hungry Panda has agreed to workers demands including pay increases, insurance and the reinstatement of two sacked riders who protested over pay cuts. It has further agreed to obtaining insurance for riders in the event of injury or death, and a commitment to continued negotiations with the union and riders on other matters such as the rider rating system and safety.
South Korea: Government ratifies ILO Conventions under workers’ pressure
5 March 2021: After decade long indefatigable efforts of workers and their unions the government has finally ratified 3 significant ILO Conventions – the Convention on Freedom of Association (C87), the Convention on Right to Organize and the Collective Bargaining (C98) and Convention on Forced Labour (C29) will require the South Korean government to take steps reforming its labour laws and protect workers’ rights.
