RadioLabourCanada

After the 2020 elections in Hong Kong, 47 pro-democracy activists were arrested. Two weeks ago fourteen activists who pleaded guilty were convicted. Carol Ng, chair of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) has been jailed without bail for three years. A RadioLabour interview with the executive director of the Hong Kong Labor Rights Monitor, Christopher Siu-tat Mung. RadioLabour is th...

Labour Leaders are meeting at the conference of the International Labour Organization  in Geneva to discuss issues such as social justice, decent work and biological hazards. Canada has joined the ILO's Global Coalition for Social Justice which will hold its inaugural meeting at the conference. Unions in Canada are represented at the ILO by the Canadian Labour Congress. RadioLabour is the internat...

A UK court has allowed former Wikileaks editor Julian Assange to further appeal his extradition to the United States. The US government has charged him under its Espionage Act of 1917 which includes execution and severe solitary confinement. The International Federation of Journalists has been fighting to have Assange released from the UK's Belmarsh prison where he has been held for the past five...

The global union IndustriALL has been helping workers at the Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz plants in the traditionally anti-union south of the United States. The workers at Volkswagen won their union with the UAW. The Mercedes-Benz workers are voting. Right-to-work laws have been introduced in Alberta. In Canada IndustriALL represents unions such as Unifor and the Teamsters. RadioLabour is the inte...

With four billion people going to the polls this year the international labour movement has started a global campaign to support democracy against authoritarianism and fascism.  A special focus on the elections for the European Parliament and in the United States. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on labour union events around the world with a focus on un...

In 2020 the United Conservative government in Alberta introduced the country's first Right-to-Work legislation which restricted how unions worked, even restricting their charitable contributions. But the Alberta Federation of Labour has been fighting Bill 32 with success. Its "Everything is Core" strategy provides lessons for labour in other provinces. A RadioLabour interview with AFL president Gi...

Public banks are banks owned by public institutions such as government agencies. But not all are pro-public banks that finance vital public services or enterprises. Thomas Marois, the director of the Public Banking Project at McMaster University explains why labour organizations should support and lobby for pro-public banks. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It repo...

The International Transport Workers Federation has established a global network, called Rights4Workers, to support gig workers such as food deliverers. In Canada the ITF represents unions such as Unifor. A RadioLabour interview with the ITF's Young Transport Workers and Future of Work Officer, Baker Khundakji. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on labour u...

The International Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution will be conducting a conference in Montreal April 23-29, 2024. The intergovernmental body is working on the creation of a global treaty on plastics. Labour will be represented at the conference by Public Services International. The PSI represents more than 30 million workers in 154 countries. In Canada it represents unions such as the Ca...

Thirty-two years ago the Westray mine in Pictou county, Nova Scotia, exploded killing 26 miners. Ten years later the United Steelworkers, other labour organizations and individuals were able to get a federal Westray Law enacted which can help workers today. A memorial held on Tuesday March 26, 2024, was attended by members of the Westray Families Group, Rev. Glen Matheson, Canadian Labour Congress...

After 42 years the magazine of quality labour journalism, Our Times, is closing. In a special webinar organized by the Toronto Workers' History Project (TWHP) labour media activists and historians discussed the closing of the magazine, the state of labour journalism in Canada and what may come next. The webinar was moderated by Frank Saptel and included presentations by Ron Verzuh, Derek Blackadde...

The forestry sector in BC supports 44,000 direct jobs and close to 100,000 more indirect jobs. Since 2001, the industry has seen a 45 per cent drop in employment. Unions in the province recently held a conference to plan how to respond to the crisis. Comments by Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor's western regional director and Scott Lunny, director of United Steelworkers District 3 (Western Canada). RadioL...

The international labour movement has started a global campaign to protect democracy. This RadioLabour report features comments by Luc Triangle, the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation which represents the Canadian Labour Congress at the world level. It also includes a presentation about democracy in the US by the president of the AFL-CIO, Liz Shuler. RadioLabour is th...

The United Nations has released a report decrying the world crisis in education: a shortage of millions of trained teachers, low pay for educators, inadequate teaching facilities and more. A RadioLabour report featuring comments by the general-secretary of Education International, David Edwards. EI's affiliate in Canada is the Canadian Teachers' Federation. RadioLabour is the international labour...

February 20 is the International Day for Social Justice. This year the International Labour Organization used the day to inaugurate a Global Coalition for Social Justice. Canada has joined the coalition as has the International Trade Union Confederation. One of the ITUC's affiliates is the Canadian Labour Congress. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on lab...

February is Black History month in Canada and the United States. About 1.5 million Canadians report being Black. They need their history, culture and experiences in the workplace better understood. Why are Black people leaving the teaching profession? What is anti-Black racism? A RadioLabour interview with the president of the Ontario Teacher' Federation of Ontario, Karen Brown. RadioLabour is the...

As the federal government opened its 2024 parliamentary session Unifor called for faster implementation of anti-scab legislation in the federal jurisdiction plus the need to reform Employment Insurance and why Canada needs to adopt effective industrial strategies. A RadioLabour interview with the president of Unifor, Lana Payne. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It...

January 24 was the International Day for Education. The global union federation Education International used the day to mark the one year anniversary of its 'Go Public! Fund Education!' campaign with a special webinar. EI is represented in Canada by the Canadian Teachers' Federation.   RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on labour union events around the wo...

Artificial computer intelligence has been predicted to destroy millions of jobs. However, with a union, workers can negotiate how it is applied. Comments by the General Secretary of UNI Global Union Christy Hoffman. UNI represents members of CUPE, Unifor and other Canadian unions at the world level. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on labour union events...

The rise of fascism in the United States and other countries needs to be confronted by unions and other progressive organizations. A special RadioLabour programme about the difference between authoritarianism and fascism. Plus the LabourStart Report about union events. And singing: "All You Fascists Are Bound to Lose."   RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports...

Unions at the UN's COP28 climate change conference held in Dubai, UAE, from November 30 to December 12, 2023 were disappointed in how the conference handled the topic of a fair transition for workers. One of the unionists who presented labour's final comments at the conference was DJ Pohl. Pohl is a member of the British Columbia General Employees' Union - the BCGEU. She represented NUPGE - Canada...

Featuring Dr. Salama Abu Zaiter, the president of the General Trade Union of Health Workers in Gaza and Avital Shapira, the director of International Relations for Israel's Histadrut. Included is a report from Euan Gibb, the regional assistant and multinationals organiser for Public Services International in Brazil and comments by the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederatio...

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) has elected a new leadership team with Laura Walton (CUPE) as president, Ahmed Gaid (UFCW) as secretary treasurer and Jackie Taylor (USW) as executive vice president. The OFL is Canada's largest provincial labour federation with more than one million members in 54 unions. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on labour u...

Two union organizers working with the Solidarity Center in the US and around the world talk about the lessons they've learned on how to organize platform workers. RadioLabour is the international labour movement's radio service. It reports on labour union events around the world with a focus on unions in the developing world. It partners with rabble to provide coverage of news of interest to Canad...

The International Accord On Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment industries was negotiated by the international labour movement after the Rana Plaza disaster which killed 1,134 mainly young women garment workers and injured more than 2,500. The Accord was extended on November 1, 2023. More than 200 major clothing brands have signed the agreement. However, Walmart in the US and Canadian Tir...