Amid rising media hysteria about ‘home grown’ terrorism, the Australian government is pushing ahead with its drive for war in Iraq and Syria. The conflict in Iraq and Syria has been a disaster for workers. Unions fight for a more equitable and just society. Internationally, unions are opposing this new […]
Monthly Archives: September 2014
27 posts
Earlier this week, a massive explosion ripped through the Nanyang Export Fireworks Factory, located in the city of Liling in southern Hunan province, China, killing 13 workers and injuring over 30. The cause of this explosion is not known but it is suspected to be due to lax work safety […]
Many industries are now globalised. Sometimes it is one company that operates in many different countries, sometimes there are many companies interconnected in a web of sub-contracting arrangements. The situations may be different but the outcome for workers is the same. We face continued attacks on our ability to organise […]
The super exploitation of migrant workers by capitalists in Malaysia has been well documented over the last few years. A new report by Verite’ details the extent of forced labour that is present in the sub contracting supply chains of a wide cross-section of household electronics brands. The investigation found […]
The Australian government this week managed to sink even lower in formulating new repressive laws against asylum seekers. The Australian government agreed to pay the Cambodian government to accept Australian asylum seekers from the Nauru concentration camp. Cambodia is a known violator of human rights. In a separate move, the […]
As previously reported, workers are under a lot of pressure in Turkey with workers at the pharmaceutical manufacturer Deva Holding facing continual dismissals for being union members. There are now 24 workers who have been sacked. There is an international campaign supporting the rights of these workers. A new report […]
As reported previously, while political prisoners like Somyot continue to languish in jail, the wave of repression by the military continues. Amnesty International has released a report card for the human rights abuses for the first 100 days after the military coup. This week, more people were arrested for commemorating […]
Following the very successful international day of action by Cambodian workers in their quest to achieve a US$ 177/month minimum wage, eight major fashion brands have stated that they are prepared to pay more for clothes made in Cambodia. While this is a step forward, workers will need to be […]
Hundreds of police launched theatrical raids on Muslim homes in Brisbane and Sydney, see here and here, on the pretext of preventing terroristic attacks. One person has been charged on dubious evidence. The raids are intended to generate public fear, quash criticism for Australia’s renewed war on Iraq and justify […]
Up to 100,000 Cambodian workers held rallies to demand an increase in the minimum wage from US$100 to US$177 a month. Five workers were killed at demonstrations in January 2014 in Phnom Penh. Cambodian activists are preparing for another day of action on 12 October. Eight major fashion brands have […]