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

55 Episodes

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Hong Kong: "There is no freedom of association"

2026-10-0109:52

This week we interviewed Christopher Mung about the current situation in Hong Kong following the sentencing of union leader Lee Cheuk-yan. Christopher is the executive director of the Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor and was previously chief executive of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions. We spoke about the attempts by the state to crush the once-vibrant trade union movement in Hong Kong, the ongoing resistance by workers, and the international campaign demanding the rele...

Europe: Interview with Mark Bergfeld, Director of Property Services at UNI Europa

2026-09-1413:12

We chatted today with Mark about the two groups of workers represented by UNI Europa's Property Services department -- security guards and cleaners. (UNI Europa represents 7 million workers in 272 national trade unions in 50 countries.) Mark explained some of the issues that these workers face and the challenge of organising them into unions. When asked about union density in these sectors, he threw out the astounding statistic that in Belgium, over 80% of these workers are unioni...

South Korea: Interview with Chanyoung Heo, Kuehne+Nagel Korea Labour Union

2026-09-1016:27

Chanyoung is leader of a small union in Korea that represents workers at Kuehne+Nagel, a German-owned logistics company. For 20 years, industrial relations at the company were good. Now they aren't. What happened? Why did the workers vote overwhelmingly to go on strike? Listen to the podcast to learn more, including about the company's new manager, imported from Europe, who told the union that he did not feel bound by a collective bargaining agreement which he did not ...

Interview with Sean Sweeney, coordinator of Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED)

2026-09-0308:42

Sean Sweeney is the founder and coordinator of a global network of trade unionists who are trying change the way we deal with the global climate crisis. Instead of failed neo-liberal solutions, TUED is pushing for 'public pathways' to confront the climate emergency. In November, Sean will be in Turkey for COP 31, the People's Climate Summit and TUED's own Inter-Regional Meeting. (He explains that these terms mean, as many of you may not know about COP 31.). LabourStart will be the...

Kenya: Interview with Joseph Ndiritu Karobia, General Secretary of the Public Transport Operators Union (PUTON)

2026-09-0211:26

Joe's union has managed to win a couple of legal battles ensuring that drivers working in Kenya's informal sector have rights. But employers are resisting and the struggle is not yet won. Joe tells us about some of the challenges that his members face including 16 hour work days -- and regular bribes to the police. Learn more about workers' struggles in Kenya here. Support the show

#box-pro-ellipsis-179099282051482{-webkit-line-clamp:2;}LabourStart: Where trade unionists start their day on the net.

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