Twenty two public sector trade unionists in Turkey have now been released on bail after 289 days of prison. About 100 unionists were arrested on February 19 2012 in police raids that targeted members and leaders of public sector union KESK. Last year saw an increased repression against Turkish unionists including those in essential services such as aviation.  Thirty trade unionists from nine European countries travelled to Ankara to demonstrate their solidarity and support to the defendants on 10 April.  Read the statement of Education International here, and the International Transport Federation here.  For solidarity, click here.

Following on from major campaigns against precarious employment over the last 2 years, and achieving some victories, workers in Indonesia are facing some serious counterattacks by government and employers. Last week in Aceh province, northern Sumatra, Rusli, Wahyu, Ismed Rizal and Amir were all arrested over alleged illegal trade union activities. These arrests, in conjunction with sackings, are a clear attempt by the state and employers to defeat the workers movement.

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) trade union centre is inviting trade unionists from all around the world to their 29th International Solidarity Affair (ISA).

This solidarity tour will run between April 24 and May 2, 2013, and will consist of an exposure program to the mining and for-export plantation communities in Southern Mindanao, in the south of Philippines. Guests will also participate in May Day activities in Manila.

Click here for more details and registration. 

Hundreds of workers at the world’s third largest port in Hong Kong have been on strike for over a week demanding a 20% pay rise. They are mostly hired by a sub contractor, but the owner of the port, Hutchison International Terminals, and the Hong Kong government, are claiming that such a wage rise would make the terminal port uncompetitive with rivals in the region. This is the same language that is used against workers everywhere in the region as employers try to pit workers against workers in a race to the bottom. Port workers though are staying strong amid attempts to declare the strike illegal. For solidarity, click here.

Mining companies in China take advantage of the lax enforcement of health and safety laws, and this has cost workers once again. This week’s disaster in the mountains of Tibet was only the latest incident to affect mine workers. It is estimated that 83 gold mine workers were killed when a massive landslide buried their camp. The miners were poor migrants from other regions of China and were working in an isolated region at 4,600 metres of altitude. 

The workers who were dismissed in 2009 from the Ssangyong motor company have struggled on many fronts against their company, with some union members spending years in jail. The workers set up a protest camp to symbolise their ongoing struggle for justice. Unfortunately, they have faced massive resistance, and just in the last few days their protest camp was forcibly removed by the police. Click here for video.

30 March is ‘Land Day’ in Palestine. It is the anniversary of the 1976 General Strike against a massive land grab by Israel. The event was once again marked both in Palestine and internationally.

This year, this event has been held under heightened tensions because of the continued mass protests against the treatment of thousands of imprisoned Palestinians. Arafat Jaradat and Maysara Abuhamdia are two Palestinians that have recently died in Israeli jails. Two more Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in demonstrations following these deaths.

Australia Asia Worker Links (AAWL) has for the last 30 years helped to facilitate links and organising among trade unions and worker organisations in the Asia Pacific region. With the continuing globalisation of capitalism, the need for worker organisations to also organise and take action internationally is becoming ever more urgent, with increasing calls to initiate such actions, see here and here. What ways are the most effective strategies for workers to organise globally is also another area of research. AAWL will be hosting a meeting, titled ‘The global picketline’, on the issue of how best to organise internationally.

international industrial action and solidarity workshop with local and international activists
6pm wednesday 3 april 2013
room 2, trades hall, lygon street, carlton - all welcome
download leaflet

After more than two months of aerial protests atop an electricity pylon, Mr Jae-ju Kim, President of the Jeonbuk Local taxi branch, came down last week after the employers agreed to recognise the workers union and allow it office space. In another development, after years of hard campaigning, cleaners from a number of university campuses in Seoul have managed to win a provisional collective agreement that will give workers significant improvements on pay and conditions. While these are important wins, other workers struggles, such as the dismissed Ssangyong workers, continue amid stonewalling from companies.