Monthly Archives: September 2011

On 19 September 60,000 people turned out in Tokyo for one of the biggest anti-nuclear protests in Japan’s history. It’s six months since the Fukushima nuclear plant accident and the protest is an indication of just how badly people think that accident was handled. Amid continued radiation contamination affecting workers, […]

Three union leaders at the Maruti Suzuki factory in Gurgaon, India were arrested, but they have been released again thanks to worker mobilisation. There have been support rallies by trade unions and by students. Workers in Kolkata marched to Suzuki offices. International solidarity has been significant, most notably by the […]

Under Ghaddafi over a million migrant workers were present in Libya, many from Asian countries. They faced lots of discrimination and faced many barriers in trying to organise. With the uprising against the government over the last few months, the situation for migrant workers has got worse, with many of […]

Amid some signs of political liberalisation, the situation for workers in Burma is as grim as ever. Once again, attempts to form independent trade unions were thwarted by the Burmese Government. In addition to low pay and bad working conditions, Burmese workers are routinely enlisted by the military government into […]

Following on from the major strikes of last year, Bangladeshi garment workers are still fighting to improve their working and living conditions. Last week, hundreds of workers from the National Garment Workers Federation formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club to press for the government to […]

Workers from Suzuki Powertrain India, Suzuki Castings and Suzuki Motor Cycle India started a sit-in strike on 14 September in support of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) Workers. All the factories are located in the Gurgaon – Manesar area in the state of Haryana. The workers demands include the withdrawal of […]

Workers at Philippine Airlines are waging a strong and escalating campaign against their management’s outsourcing plans. Some 2600 termination notices are due to take effect on 30 September for workers in airport services (check in, baggage handling), catering and call centres. Through their union, the Philippine Airlines Employees Association, workers […]

In a blow to labour and human rights activists all around the world, labour activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk was denied bail on the 12th of September. Somyot is in jail for allegedly insulting the Thai king. In addition, the new Thai government, headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of the Pheu […]

Over 1,100 non regular coal miners ended their strike earlier this month after Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd. (BCMCL) and its extraction contractor, the China National Import and Export Corp. (CMC) agreed to their demands. The Coal Mine Miners’ and Workers’ Union was demanding better pay and conditions as well […]

As reported in an earlier story 10,000 miners, at the copper and gold mine, the Grasberg operation of US-based Freeport-McMoRan in West Papua, went on strike in July of this year over pay and union rights. The workers stopped when management agreed to restart talks over pay and conditions. Negotiations […]