June 25, 2012
By Harry Kelber
A newly-formed global federation of industrial unions will be a force with the muscle to take on giant international corporations on behalf of workers, the president of the United Steelworkers (USW), Leo Gerard, said on June 19. The coalition, known as IndustriALL Global Union, is being formed by a group of 1,200 trade union representatives. It joins together three former global labor groups: the International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF), the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions ((ICEM) and the International Textiles, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF).
“The creation of this massive coalition is a victory for working people across the globe,” said USW President Gerard. “Our solidarity is not limited by borders, language barriers or cultural differences.” It is still not clear how IndustriALL will operate or how it will reach down to the level of union members.
IndustriALL will represent 50 million workers in 140 countries
