Organizing by the IUF-affiliated National Union of Workers in Australia's poultry industry has brought to light the brutal exploitation of migrant workers not only in poultry processing but on many farms producing produce for the country's leading retail chains. As part of its ongoing campaign to defend these vulnerable workers and ensure they are treated fairly, the NUW has entered into an agreement with the independent trade union confederation HKCTU in Hong Kong, one of the sources of migrant labour, with the support of the IUF.

Twin bomb explosions at the outset of a rally for 'Labour, Peace and Democracy' in Ankara, Turkey on Saturday, October 10 have, as we write, officially claimed the lives of 86 people, with hundreds of wounded.  Two trade union organizations, DISK and the public-sector union KESK, were among the rally organizers, which also included professional organizations of doctors and architects. The two union organizations have called for a two-day strike beginning Monday to condemn the attack and allow people to attend the funerals.

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Tunisia's Dialogue Quartet, a grouping made up of the national trade union center UGTT, the national employer confederation, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. Since its establishment in 2013, the Quartet has played a pivotal role in preserving and consolidating the democratic gains of the 2011 uprising.

IUF affiliates gathered in Hammamet, Tunisia, on September 25 to show their solidarity with the people of Tunisia and their struggle to overcome the criminal attacks earlier this year which deliberately targeted democracy and the national economy.

The IUF-affiliated NUWHRAIN set up a Campaign Committee in August after joining the Global Housekeeping Campaign and has won important gains for local union chapters at Sofitel and Holiday Inn in Manila.

Workers in Finland's 3 national trade union centers held strikes and demonstrations on September 18 to show their opposition to the new coalition government's proposed legislative attack on collective bargaining rights.  Some 300,000 workers engaged in worked stoppages, including 10,000 members of the Food Workers Union SEL who held strikes ranging from 15 minutes to 4 days, depending on the company.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has produced a shocking report on working conditions on Assam's tea estates, which provide tea for many of the world's leading companies

The BBC report was highly critical of the Rainforest Alliance, which certifies large parts of the tea industry for global companies like Tata and Unilever

The European Commission has refused to make available the risk assessment report on glyphosate prepared for the European Food Safety Authority. Glyphosate is the world's most widely used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup. The risk assessment will determine Glyphosate's renewed authorization in the European Union. The European pesticide lobby is pressing Europe to follow the United States in increasing allowable glyphosate exposure levels.

Hearings in the Brazilian Senate on August 20 marked a significant escalation in the global campaign to hold McDonald's responsible for abusing its workers. Brazil is one of McDo's most important markets. Workers and union leaders from five continents, elected officials and politicians from around the world gave forceful evidence of how McDonald's business model is harming workers, consumers, governments, suppliers, and competitors.

Representatives of IUF dairy unions, meeting in San Francisco on August 26, highlighted the damaging potential of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement to reduce wages and working conditions and destroy the livelihoods of workers and small producers in the dairy sector. IUF Dairy Division affiliates include unions from 9 of the 12 countries represented in the secretive negotiations.

Union members from six hotels in southern India joined the "Make My Workplace Safe" educational workshop in Bangalore on August 7-8 as part of the IUF Global Housekeeping Campaign.