LabourStart: Where trade unionists start their day on the net.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2313632/open_sms] Shawna Bader-Blau heads up the Solidarity Center in Washington DC which has for many years been one of the great sources of support for workers around the world trying create and sustain independent, democratic trade unions.  But with the inauguration of Donald Trump earlier this year, all that has come under threat.  In our interview, Shawna discusses what the Solidarity Center does, the new threats it has to face, and how it intends to fight back.  Learn more about the Solidarity Center here [https://www.solidaritycenter.org/] -- and if you can, donate here [https://solidaritycenter.networkforgood.com/projects/86091-solidarity-center].

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2313632/open_sms] The Alberta Federation of Labour and some 25 Alberta unions, representing more than 300,000 workers, recently unveiled the Solidarity Pact, a commitment to collective defence against any attack on workers by public- or private-sector employers. The Solidarity Pact is intended to remain in force indefinitely. "The purpose of the Solidarity Pact is to let employers know that an attack on one union will be viewed as an attack on all unions and that Alberta unions will fight together—all for one, and one for all," McGowan said in a news release announcing the launch of the pact and the Alberta Common Front, as the allied labour organizations are known collectively. In this podcast, we talk to McGowan about the Solidarity Pact, and labour relations in the province with a "Maple MAGA" premier, who's now advocating for a separation referendum.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2313632/open_sms] Dr Debbie Goldman worked for 28 years at the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and is an expert on the subject of call centre workers.  In this short interview we discussed her new book, Disconnected: Call Center Workers Fight for Good Jobs in the Digital Age [https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p088155].  We talked about issues like surveillance in the workplace, how the CWA won impressive victories in defence of call centre workers' rights, and how employers export call centre jobs abroad only to run-up against international trade union solidarity.  We ended with a discussion about whether the much-touted "momentum" of unionisation in the USA in 2024 has continued under Trump -- and how the working class will never stop fighting for its rights.

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2313632/open_sms] Luc Triangle, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), was LabourStart's guest this week on our podcast.   The ITUC represents around 200 million workers in 169 countries and territories and has 340 national affiliates. LabourStart's Eric Lee interviewed Luc about the vicious attacks by the Lukashenko dictatorship in Belarus against trade unionists -- and what the international trade union movement is doing to fight this.  Luc spoke about the upcoming 16 April global day of action.  "We need to fight against this regime," he said. "We will never accept this reality." To learn more about the jailed trade union leaders in Belarus and show your solidarity, check out our online petition here [https://bit.ly/ls-5604].  Learn more about the 16 April 2025 global day of action here [https://www.salidarnast.info/].  Learn more about the ITUC here [https://www.ituc-csi.org/].

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2313632/open_sms] Nilufar Mammadrzayeva is an activist in İşçi Masası (Labor Desk), an alternative Confederation of Trade Unions operating in Azerbaijan.  As she explained to us, "Right now, four of our comrades are facing dire conditions in prison due to their labor rights activism. One of them has already been sentenced to eight years, and the situation is only getting worse." In this interview, we discuss the situation faced by workers and independent trade unions in her country and what the international trade union movement can do to help.  For full coverage of labour news from Azerbaijan on LabourStart, click here [https://www.labourstart.org/news/country.php?country=Azerbaijan&langcode=xx].