Tobacco workers unite for stronger global coordination amid growing industry challenges

As global tobacco and nicotine production continues to expand, so too do the challenges faced by the workers who sustain this multibillion-dollar industry. Amid mounting pressures - including the intensification of work, widespread precarious employment, and the erosion of social dialogue - tobacco workers around the world are stepping up their efforts to strengthen international solidarity and coordination.

In response to these growing concerns, IUF affiliates representing tobacco workers have decided to rebuild a structured framework for international cooperation. A provisional board of the IUF Tobacco Workers Trade Group has been formed, with delegates nominated by the IUF's regional secretariats. The board held its first online meeting on October 14, 2025, where members discussed priorities and agreed a roadmap for the upcoming International Tobacco Workers Conference, scheduled for 2026. This landmark event will elect a new Board, revise the Rules of the Trade Group, and define strategies to deepen coordination and collective action across transnational tobacco and nicotine corporations.

"The tobacco industry, while recording continuous financial growth, has increasingly relied on production models that burden workers with longer hours, heightened performance demands, and insecure contracts. In many regions, union representation and collective bargaining are under strain, undermining meaningful social dialogue between workers and employers", said Kentaro Urano of Food-Rengo, Japan, Acting President of the Trade Group. "Through renewed global coordination, the IUF Tobacco Workers Trade Group seeks to confront these challenges head-on - defending decent work, fair wages, and fundamental labour rights in an industry that continues to expand at workers' expense."