Ford union representatives and their national and international colleagues spent two days debating possible ways of safeguarding jobs at the Ford Sollers joint venture in Russia, and their response to the potential closure of other Ford plants, after the company announced a review of  its strategy in the country.

Workers fear that the Ford-Sollers plant in Vsevolozhsk, Leningrad region, Russia, will close, at a cost of more than 1,000 jobs. Their trade unions have launched a campaign against the closure of the plant and called for support from global allies. The works council at Ford Vsevolozhsk, comprised of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate the Interregional Trade Union "Workers Association" (ITUWA) and the local Ford trade union organization, issued a joint statement on 15 February.

The inspectors from the Far Eastern Regional Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia (SUR FERO) visited the 1990-built, Russian-flagged tanker Argo. The tanker was being under cargo handling operations at the Nakhodka oil loading port. The seafarers wanted to become the SUR's members following the conversations with its reps.

You can read Statement of PERC Youth Committee in support of the ITUC-PERC Executive Committee decision to recommend for the ITUC General Council to suspend Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan (FPRK) membership.

Repression and violent physical attacks against leaders and activists of the independent trade unions in Kazakhstan continue unabated. 
On 25 September 2018, a trumped-up criminal case was brought against Erlan Baltabai, leader of the Fuel and Energy Workers' Union, affiliated with the banned Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KNPRK). 

The crew members of the container ship "Wilson Ghent" (the flag of Malta, IMO: 9150236) are satisfied with the working conditions in general, but are concerned about  retirement related issues, including early retirement. The seafarers told about their concerns the Inspectors of the SUR Baltic Territorial  Organization (BTO) during their visiting the "Wilson Ghent".

The Supreme Court of Russia overruled the verdict of the Saint Petersburg city court which on 10 January ruled to liquidate the Interregional Trade Union Workers’ Association (ITUWA), an affiliate of the Confederation of Labour of Russia (KTR) and the IndustriALL Global Union.

The Arthur Svensson International Prize for Trade Union Rights this 2018 is awarded to the Independent Trade Unions of Kazakhstan, represented by Larisa Kharkova, Nurbek Kushakbaev and Amin Eleusinov. Trade Union leaders and activists of Kazakhstan face severe repression in due to their involvement with trade unions rights, and the rights of the working people in their country.

Ships flying flags of convenience are the frequent visitors at the Port of Nakhodka. But only few of them have the ITF collective agreement securing social and labour rights of seafarers.

In the mid-20th century, freedom of association was internationally recognized as a basic human right and a fundamental principle of the International Labour Organization. Laws making it mandatory for employers to recognize workers’ unions and negotiate with them were perhaps the key factor in advancing employer-employee dialogue and decreasing violent trade conflicts. Today, workers’ rights to form trade unions and to engage in collective bargaining are rarely challenged openly but often ignored in practice. Just as before, employees trying to exercise this right are likely to face government pressure, legal barriers of all types and retaliation ranging from dismissals to physical attacks.