Monthly Archives: December 2013

This year has seen an intensification of the class struggle in South Korea with many long and bitter struggles. This week, the leaders of the heroic Ssangyong factory occupation were fined over US$ 4.4 million dollars for their actions in 2009. This is clearly an attempt to destroy the union […]

As reported last week, Palestinian workers are resisting and organising under very harsh conditions. For radio interview, click here. With unfortunate regularity, Palestinians are also killed. Palestinians who are routinely rounded up by Israeli forces and ‘administratively detained’ are also continuing their hunger strikes in a bid to win their […]

As reported previously, life for migrant workers in Qatar, is not very different from the other Gulf countries in the region where low pay, long days, dangerous worksites and no unions allowed are the standard. A recent delegation by the global union federation ITUC to Qatar once again found that […]

With the social conflict pausing for the King’s birthday holiday, the issues behind the recent social upheavals have not been resolved. The anti government alliance is a reactionary movement that is actively trying to force a new military coup. At this stage it is unlikely because the present ‘Red Shirt’ […]

The recent focus on Bangladesh and the many disasters in the garment industry there has allowed for some attention to be paid to other major industries in that country. The estimated 200 leather/tannery factories of the Hazaribagh neighbourhood of Dhaka have long been identified as a ‘fire free’ zone for […]

The Southern Initiative on Globalisation and Trade Union Rights (SIGTUR) is a network of unions from countries in the southern hemisphere. It recently held its 10th Congress in the western Australian city of Perth. At the conference topics like work intensification, the growth of insecure employment, and health and safety […]

Last week, a leaking oil pipeline in the eastern port city of Quingdao exploded as workers were trying to fix it, killing at least 55 people. The disaster was blamed on poor planning and poor maintenance of the network. Local authorities responded swiftly to the explosion, and police have now […]

This week at Asia Ban Asbestos’ annual meeting, Bangladesh Ban Asbestos Network (B-BAN) was launched. Asbestos use is widespread in Asia, leading to the death of thousands of workers and their families. A major conference in Laos brought together unions and government officials to discuss how best to phase out […]

As reported last week, the fight against union busting at the Ansell plant in Sri Lanka continues with growing international solidarity. To support the striking workers and make sure that they are not starved back to work, the global federation IndustriAll has created a strike fund for these workers. Ansell […]

With support from Australia Asia Worker Links (AAWL), earlier this month the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) passed two motions calling for the immediate release of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk and against Thailand’s Article 112, see below. These were adopted by the international sub-committee of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) […]