IUF: The food, farm, hotels and more global union

12/08/2026

Workers at contract manufacturer Maker’s Pride in London, Kentucky, have been fighting for union representation for more than two years.

After an aggressive union-busting campaign, a US Federal Administrative Law Judge found that the company violated workers’ rights and that its conduct prevented workers from exercising their rights in a free and fair election.

The judge ordered a new election, reinstatement and back pay for four workers unlawfully discharged for their union support, and other remedies.

Instead of letting workers vote again, Maker’s Pride is appealing the decision.

Workers are not giving up. Neither should we.

The IUF is urging affiliates and allies to stand with the workers. Sign the BCTGM petition and tell Maker's Pride: Drop the appeal. Let the workers vote.

👉 https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/let-makers-pride-employees-vote?source=direct_link&

The right to join a union is not a favour. It is a fundamental right.

09/08/2026

Every year on August 9, the world marks the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, recognizing the rights, cultures and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and raising awareness of the challenges they continue to face. Established by the United Nations in 1994, the day commemorates the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982 and promotes international cooperation on issues affecting Indigenous Peoples.

For the IUF, the day provides an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to advancing the rights of Indigenous and First Nation peoples and strengthening the voice and representation of Indigenous workers throughout the international trade union movement.

At its 28th Congress in 2023, the IUF adopted a resolution recognizing that the history of imperialism, colonialism, war and slavery has displaced Indigenous and First Nation peoples from their lands, ravaged their cultures and traditional knowledge, devastated their health and livelihoods, and ruptured their relationship to the environment. The resolution commits IUF affiliates to strengthen their efforts to protect the rights of Indigenous and First Nation peoples, fight racism, ethnicism and discrimination, support Indigenous and First Nation leadership within unions, and protect and advance the rights, interests and livelihoods of Indigenous workers, farmers, fisherfolk and their communities.

To mark this year’s observance, IUF affiliates from around the world will gather online on August 10 for “Indigenous justice is worker justice: A global virtual gathering.”

Take a moment and learn more now at the link below.

Indigenous justice is worker justice Published: 09/08/2026 Every year on August 9, the world marks the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, recognizing the rights, cultures and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and raising awareness of the challenges they continue to face. Establ...

21/07/2026

On the eve of the FIFA World Cup, hotel workers in New York City won an eight-year agreement that delivers historic gains across wages, healthcare, pensions, and workplace protections.

The new contract won by UNITE HERE’s Local 6 Hotel and Gaming Trades Council is one of the clearest examples in recent years of what strong unions can accomplish in an expensive city where working-class people are increasingly squeezed by housing, healthcare, and childcare costs.

“This contract is not just a win for HTC members, but a win that raises the standards for working people everywhere,” said Rich Maroko, President of the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council. “With enhanced worker protections—particularly against the threat of AI and technological threats—this contract will deliver life-changing financial stability to the 30,000 hotel workers who are the backbone of the hospitality industry.”

New York hotel workers win a long-term industry-wide agreement to increase financial and job security Image courtesy of The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO Published: 21/07/2026 On the eve of the FIFA World Cup, hotel workers in New York City have won an eight-year agreement that delivers h...

13/07/2026

Gender equality is both a human right and at the heart of the ILO’s mandate. The conclusions on the ILO Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work, adopted at the 114th International Labour Conference, clearly reaffirm this principle.

In an evolving world of work marked by global challenges, ILO constituents have agreed that a transformative agenda for gender equality is central to decent work for all, and an imperative for social justice and economic necessity.

Read more now at the link below.

ILO Gender Equality Agenda: A workers’ victory Image credit: ILO Published: 09/07/2026 Gender equality is both a human right and at the heart of the ILO’s mandate. The conclusions on the ILO Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work, adopted at the 114th International Labour...

02/07/2026

Pride 2026: Pride in my Union, Pride at Work

Despite growing attacks on rights in many countries, LGBTI workers and their allies refuse to be silenced.

To mark month, members of the IUF LGBTI Workers and Allies Committee are featured alongside other Global Union LGBTI activists on the Council of Global Unions’ LGBTI workers website: https://lgbtiworkers.org/

The “Pride in Unions” series celebrates the diversity of LGBTI workers and highlights the struggle for inclusion, representation and equality in the workplace and within trade unions.

Gisele Adão, Vice Chair of the IUF LGBTI Workers and Allies Committee and member of IUF-affiliate SINTIACR in , reflects on the progress achieved through collective action at her workplace: “We don’t just hold up placards. We defend. A director at the gate, a lawyer at the table, support when a colleague needs it.”

Marvelous Tawomhera of IUF-affiliate ZCHWU in talks about the importance of from allies and the support received by the union's LGBTI committee: “All members subscribe equally to the financial growth of the union despite their sexual preferences and orientation therefore no one is above the other when it comes to equality, let us respect the rights of the LGBTI members.”

Read their interviews and explore the full “Pride in Unions” series now at the links below:

🏳️‍🌈 https://lgbtiworkers.org/

🏳️‍🌈 Pride 2026: "Grassroots trade unions make change possible," Gisele Adão | LGBTI workers: https://lgbtiworkers.org/resources/news/pride-2026-grassroots-trade-unions-make-change-possible-gisele-ado?id=16602&lang=en

🏳️‍🌈 Pride 2026: “Let’s support those who are struggling to come out,” Marvellous Tawomhera | LGBTI workers: https://lgbtiworkers.org/resources/news/pride-2026-lets-support-those-who-are-struggling-to-come-out-marvellous-tawomhera?id=16594&lang=en

29/06/2026

More than 300 workers mobilized in Montevideo on June 23, 2026 to demand answers from over the future of the Cympay maltery in Paysandú, which has remained closed since March, leaving the entire workforce on unemployment insurance.

Read more now at the link below.

AB InBev workers in Uruguay mobilize over uncertainty at closed maltery Photo credit: Rel UITA Published: 29/06/2026 More than 300 workers mobilized in Montevideo on June 23, 2026 to demand answers from Ambev over the future of the Cympay maltery in Paysandú, which has remained closed since March, ...

23/06/2026

After six weeks of determined strike action and workplace mobilization, IUF affiliate Fellesforbundet has secured a significant victory for hospitality workers across Norway.

Following lengthy mediation, Fellesforbundet and the employer association NHO Reiseliv accepted a proposal from the National Mediator on May 28, 2026, bringing an end to a dispute that involved workers throughout the hotel and restaurant sector.

The agreement:

🔸Delivers substantial wage improvements for low-paid workers;
🔸Strengthens recognition of skills and qualifications; and
🔸Secures a breakthrough on one of the union’s key demands: Advance payment of sick pay.

This outcome is the result of the remarkable commitment and solidarity shown by thousands of workers who remained united throughout more than six weeks of industrial action.

By standing together, workers demonstrated the power of collective action and secured meaningful improvements to their wages and working conditions.

Norway: Hospitality workers win major victory after six-week strike Published: 18/06/2026 After six weeks of determined strike action and workplace mobilization, IUF affiliate Fellesforbundet has secured a significant victory for hospitality workers across Norway. Following lengthy mediation, Felles...

15/06/2026

Child labour is not inevitable. It is the result of poverty, inequality, weak labour protections, inadequate social protection, and the denial of workers’ rights. Wherever workers are able to organize, bargain collectively, secure living wages and defend decent working conditions, child labour declines. Trade unions remain one of the most effective forces in preventing child labour and breaking the cycle of poverty that sustains it.

Read more now in a statement from the IUF for the World Day Against Child Labour 2026

https://www.iuf.org/news/world-day-against-child-labour-2026-commitments-must-become-action/

World Day Against Child Labour 2026: Commitments must become action Image courtesy of the International Labour Organization. Published: 15/06/2026 On 12 June, trade unions around the world mark the World Day Against Child Labour. Across the sectors represented by the IUF—from agriculture and food ...

12/06/2026

🤝 EFFAT and the IUF: The food, farm, hotels and more global union concluded a productive joint meeting yesterday, bringing together affiliates to exchange on key developments and priorities in the contract catering industry.

Throughout the day, discussions focused on strengthening trade unions, including through organising strategies, transnational agreements, and the role of European Works Councils. Participants also explored how public procurement can be a powerful tool to improve working conditions and wages, with valuable contributions from the ETUC and FoodServiceEurope.

🌍 The meeting further addressed major transformations affecting the sector, including digitalisation and AI, and their impact on workers at European and global level, with insights from the European Trade Union Institute - ETUI.

✊ The strong participation and exchanges reaffirmed our shared commitment to solidarity, cooperation, and building stronger unions to defend workers’ rights.

Thank you to all speakers and participants for their valuable contributions!

12/06/2026

PSI - Public Services International and the IUF express their deep concern over the continued attacks on trade union rights facing their affiliate, the National Autonomous Union of Public Administration Personnel (SNAPAP), in Algeria.

SNAPAP’s National Congress was scheduled to take place on April 10-12, 2026 at the Safir Hotel in Algiers. The repeated requests for authorization since 2024 remained unanswered by the Algerian authorities. The administration refused to receive the union’s final request, submitted through a bailiff on March 10, 2026, making it impossible for the Congress to proceed.

The blocking of the Congress is a serious violation of trade union democracy; this latest obstruction forms part of a broader pattern of repression against independent trade unionism in Algeria.

Algeria: PSI and IUF condemn blocking of SNAPAP Congress SNAPAP's sixth Congress would have been held in April. The slogan says, "Serving workers, never those in power." Published: 11/06/2026 Public Services International (PSI) and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Ca...