The Collective Voices podcast from the International Trade Union Confederation puts workers centre stage. These are the voices of a global movement - real people, real struggles, real victories. Discover how trade unions worldwide are transforming workplaces from the ground up.
EP05 (EN) - WDDW 2026 - Platform Workers' Rights_ Organizing for Decent Work
For World Day for Decent Work, we meet Melba Tampakan, aunion organiser from the Philippines who applied for a platform job herself to understand what riders really face.
She tells us what's behind the number on the screen, how riders went from feeling alone to building their own association, and why flexibility should never mean insecurity.
11 Sept 2026
EP04 (EN) - If the economy is growing, why are we still broke?
The economy is growing. Company profits are rising. Billionaires are getting richer. So why are so many workers falling behind?
ITUC General Secretary Luc Triangle unpacks one of the biggest questions facing workers today: Who really benefits when the economy grows? If you've ever wondered why life feels harder despite record wealth, this conversation is for you. How can we change things? As Luc explains, that starts with the fight for democracy.
🔗 See the ITUC’s campaign here: https://www.ituc-csi.org/fordemocracy (https://www.ituc-csi.org/fordemocracy)
3 Aug 2026
EP03 (EN) The ITUC Global Rights Index 2026 – rights, rankings & reality
What is the worst country in the world for working people? And how do we even measure that?In our new episode, we sit down with ITUC legal researcher Loredana Carta – who has spent the past decade building the Global Rights Index – to go through the receipts on workers' rights worldwide.The Index covers 170 countries and tracks violations of the rights to organise, strike, and bargain collectively. From the 10 worst countries to why the right to strike is under attack almost everywhere – this is the data that holds governments accountable.Read the full report: https://www.ituc-csi.org/global-rights-index?lang=en (https://www.ituc-csi.org/global-rights-index?lang=en)
26 May 2026
EP02 (EN) - UBER, DELIVEROO, AND YOU!
Think platform work doesn't affect you?
Think again.
The conditions being normalised in the gig economy are spreading to every sector. This fight is bigger than any one app or industry.
In this episode of Collective Voices, we ask Monica Tepfer, legal officer at the ITUC, to break down one of the biggest labour rights battles happening right now.
In June 2026, the International Labour Organization (ILO) will vote on whether to adopt the first-ever binding global standards for platform workers, covering everything from algorithmic transparency and misclassification to gender-based violence and the right to organise.
It could be a turning point.
This episode covers:
→ How platform companies built a business model around avoiding labour law
→ Why "flexibility" is a myth designed to strip away rights
→ The gender pay gap and harassment crisis hidden inside gig work
→ What a strong ILO convention would actually look like
→ What you can do right now, whether you're a platform worker or not
📄 Read the ITUC Factsheets on the myths and realities of platform work – and get the campaign toolkit to help challenge the narrative: https://www.ituc-csi.org/campaign-toolkit-platform-convention
Listen, share, and keep fighting for a world where everyone has the right to decent work.
Audio excerpts courtesy of the International Transport Workers’ Federation.
5 May 2026
Regularización de migrantes en España
¿Qué implica realmente la regularización de personas migrantes? En este episodio, analizamos cómo esta medida puede cambiar la vida de cientos de miles de trabajadores y por qué es una cuestión de derechos, dignidad y justicia. Con la participación de José Antonio Moreno Díaz de Comisiones Obreras, exploramos el papel clave de los sindicatos en esta lucha y lo que significa para el futuro del trabajo.
Descubre más sobre los derechos de las personas trabajadoras migrantes:www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
3 Mar 2026
Back to Basics EP7 - The Right to Strike
Strikes aren't just drama – they're one of the most powerful tools workers have. Paapa Danquah, Director of the Human and Trade Union Rights department at the ITUC, joins host Stefania Cîrlea to explain why the right to strike is protected and how it's changed the game throughout history. When all else fails, this is how workers make themselves heard.
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
24 Feb 2026
Back to Basics EP6 - The Right to Occupational Safety & Health
Your job shouldn't be a threat to your health, full stop. Host Stefania Cîrlea and Zuzanna Muskat-Gorska, lawyer in the Human and Trade Union Rights department at the ITUC, breaks down why safe workplaces are a right, not a privilege, and what you can do when your employer isn't protecting you. Because coming home safe should be the bare minimum.
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
17 Feb 2026
Back to Basics EP5 - Freedom from Discrimination
Discrimination at work isn't just unfair – it's literally illegal, and it's time we act like it. Maria Tsirantonaki from the Equalities department at the ITUC joins host Stefania Cîrlea to talk about how we build workplaces where everyone actually gets a fair shot. Equal rights aren't optional, they're non-negotiable.
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
10 Feb 2026
Back to Basics EP4 - Freedom from Forced Labour
Forced labour isn't just a history lesson – it's happening right now, and it's closer than you think. Jeroen Beirnaert, the ITUC's Political Director, walks host Stefania Cîrlea through what modern forced labour actually looks like and why fighting it matters for everyone. This one's heavy but essential.
(www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper )
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
3 Feb 2026
Back to Basics EP3 - Collective Bargaining
Negotiating alone? That's playing on hard mode. Monica Tepfer, lawyer in the Human and Trade Union Rights department at the ITUC, joins host Stefania Cîrlea to explain how collective bargaining turns “pretty please” into actual demands that employers have to take seriously. This is how workers go from hoping for change to making it happen.
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
27 Jan 2026
Back to Basics EP2 - Freedom of Association & the Right to Organise
Your boss can't stop you from teaming up with your coworkers – that's literally a human right. Host Stefania Cîrlea and Ira Rachmawati from the Human and Trade Union Rights department at the ITUC breaks down why freedom of association is the foundation of everything else.
Find out more about your rights at work:www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
20 Jan 2026
Back to Basics EP1 - Why join a union?
Think unions are just an old folks’ thing? Think again. We're sitting down with Todd Brogan, Director of Organising at the ITUC, to talk about why collective power hits different when you're trying to survive in today's economy. Spoiler: it's about way more than just pay cheques.
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
13 Jan 2026
Back to Basics EP0 - Pilot: Welcome to Back to Basics
Ever wondered why work feels... off? Your host Stefania Cîrlea breaks down the labour rights that actually matter to your working life. Join us as we decode the workplace game and figure out how to level the playing field.
Find out more about your rights at work:
www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper (www.ituc-csi.org/back-to-basics-action-paper)
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