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With widespread workers rights’ violations and low union participation, IndustriALL, a global union umbrella organization, has been warily looking at the increase in battery demand during the next ten years. No surprise that IndustriALL and affiliates have started developing a strategy for workers along the supply chain. The question is can they make positive changes for the people who often do the work in a world were the non-tax paying rich rig the political, legal and social systems against them?
On 28 and 29 June, IndustriALL affiliates joined a workshop to discuss the next steps in developing a strategy on battery supply chains. With the demand for electric cars rapidly increasing, the project will focus on the auto industry. Organized workers are common of course at many auto manufacturers, but it decreases down the supply line. The further you get from the end product the smaller health and safety protections are in play. IndustriALL says its global networks will be central to the work, with increased cooperation between the different sector networks along the supply chain. Continue reading
Covid – Commerce NIST Grant of $153 million to National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology – NIST – has made two awards totaling $153 million to the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL). The awards were announced yesterday by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the NIIMBL annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
NIIMBL* will work to increase the shelf life and reduce the amount of refrigeration required for messenger RNA vaccines, boost capabilities for rapid production of antigens used in testing and screening for new variants and develop novel technologies for detecting counterfeit vaccines, among other things. Continue reading →