Women’s day: a recipe for decent work

Michaela Walsh still remembers how some businessmen would laugh at her when she talked about offering micro loans to people as a way of alleviating poverty. “I had bankers tell me that it wouldn’t be relevant in the banking world, that it would never be profitable business”, recalls Ms Walsh, who started out her career as an intern in Merrill Lynch in the United States before becoming the first woman manager of the company.

Palestine: Israeli raids destroy union’s office in Gaza

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, the poverty rate exceeds 80% according to UNRWA statistics, the rate of unemployment in Gaza is more than 80% and the continued illegal siege of Gaza which has resulted 1.5 million people being denied food, fuel, electricity, essential medical care and freedom of movement (press release of PGFTU).

Germany: public-sector strikes for wage increase

Workers went on strike at German kindergartens and hospitals and on public transport on Thursday, pressing public-sector wage demands ahead of crucial talks later in the day. No buses or trains were running in Frankfurt, Kassel and Offenbach and some nurseries in the south stayed closed.

US: Obama, collective bargaining and the right to strike

You can’t be fired for going out on strike. That’s against the law. But if the boss hires an untrained scab to permanently take your place, he or she does not have to give you your job back when the strike is over. Barack Obama has pledged to protect striking workers (This is a diary from TeamsterPower).