On July 15, the Bangladesh Parliament passed legislation amending the Bangladesh Labor Law of 2006. In doing so, the Parliament changed 87 sections of the existing law. Many of those changes were not substantive and fail to address the concerns raised by workers' rights advocates. In our view, the changes made by the Bangladesh government did not bring the country’s labor law into compliance with ILO fundamental rights, conventions and standards. Indeed, unions and workers' rights advocates worked to fix the portions of the proposed law that actually weaken, rather than strengthen, protections for workers.

The Pulitzer Center is hosting a discussion next Monday by Journalist Stephen Franklin on his project Death Stalks Colombia's Unions.

Space is limited, so RSVP to rsvp@pulitzercenter.org—specify in subject line: July 22 event.

The Economic Policy Institute’s (EPI) Robert Scott has issued a report on the early results of the U.S.-Korea trade agreement (often called KORUS).  It’s not good for U.S. workers, who have already lost about 40,000 jobs because of the increasing trade deficit with Korea. 

For the past few days, representatives from more than 300 diverse international organizations gathered at the United Nations in New York to tackle these critical questions, begin building connections across borders and discuss and develop strategies for bringing these issues to the forefront of the international development agenda.

For the past 20 years, Martínez, head of communications with the Honduran federation of agro-industrial unions, FESTAGRO, has hosted a daily radio show called "Trade Unionist on Air," which features discussions about labor and human rights, including an opportunity for agricultural workers to call in and ask about abusive workplaces, labor standards and rights violations.

With the world closely watching for news on the health of former South African president and legendary anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, this year’s July 18 Mandela Day ceremonies take on special significance.

The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists  (CBTU), TransAfrica and the South African Embassy will host a Mandela Day celebration at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church at 1518 M St., N.W., in Washington, D.C., from 7 to 9 p.m. EDT.

In a move that went almost unnoticed by American media last week, the president of the Ohio-based Farm Labor Organizing Committee, Baldemar Velásquez, stepped foot in a prison for the second time in four days, this time in southeastern Mexico on July 4. He had been arrested for civil disobedience at a Moral Monday protest in Raleigh, N.C. on July 1.  

Labor and student activists protested outside the Bipartisan Policy Center in downtown Washington, D.C., to highlight the hypocrisy of a corporate public relations spectacle led by the Gap and Walmart. The retail giants announced today yet another toothless voluntary private regulation scheme for the garment industry in Bangladesh. More than 1,800 workers have died in preventable factory fires and collapses since 2005. In response, workers and their allies recently negotiated an innovative and enforceable agreement to improve safety and rights for these workers. Since May 15, 80 companies have signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. 

On Saturday, the AFL-CIO joined a coalition led by the United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) in an international day of action to pressure Walmart and Gap to stop the use of unsafe factories that have killed more than 1,800 workers in Bangladesh since 2005. To date, the two corporate giants have refused to sign on to a legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh that would go a long way toward making workers in Bangladesh safer.

This Saturday, June 29, Students Against Sweatshops will lead a coalition of groups and individuals in an international day of action to pressure Walmart and Gap to stop the use of unsafe factories that have killed more than 1,800 workers in Bangladesh since 2005. To date, the two corporate giants have refused to sign on to an Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh that would go a long way toward making workers in Bangladesh safer. The accord would require independent inspections by trained fire safety experts, mandatory repairs and a central role for workers and unions.