Yearly Archives: 2014

As previously reported, the issue of job security and the struggle against casualisation and contracting out has become a major issue for all workers in South Korea. Last week, over 20,000 support workers in schools went on strike in a long running battle to be classified as regular workers. They […]

The appalling conditions that migrant workers face in many countries in West Asia have been well documented before (see here, here and here). Following a recent delegation to Qatar, the Building and Wood Worker's International (BWI) global union has come up with a new initiative to overcome government bans on […]

The 25th of November was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Globally, 35% of women and girls experience some physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, while in some countries this figure is as high as 70%. Women workers and unions are fully involved in this […]

The Tokyo Disneyland theme park employs approximately 20,000 workers. It attracts millions of visitors per year. Unfortunately for its workforce, it is anything but a fantasy land. Around 90% of these workers are employed on a casual basis and receive a flat rate of US $9/hr. In addition, working hours […]

On the morning of 16 November 2014 Laurie Burley passed away after a year-long battle with cancer. He will be sadly missed by the union movement and particularly the meatworkers in the retail sector. Since 1989 Laurie was an Organiser with the AMIEU. On behalf of meatworkers in the retail […]

As previously reported, Cambodian workers have been organising under very difficult and repressive conditions. In an important win, the SL Garment Company earlier this week agreed to drop all charges against union leaders and activists. This agreement also included the back paying of US$ 300,000 to all workers who took […]

After the protracted battle against NXP Semiconductors, the battle against casualisation and union busting has shifted to Wyeth Philippines, a food company that is part of the giant Nestle Corporation.  During the middle of this year, Wyeth Philippines retrenched 87 workers who had been active in the fight against contracting […]

As reported previously, since coming to power via a coup, the military junta in Thailand has established a climate of fear in an attempt to defeat opposition to its rule, see here, here and here. This week, five more students were detained by the military for protesting against the coup […]

This week, RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia co-hosted a forum with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Employer Association (BGMEA). The BGMEA has a track record of campaigning against workers right to organise independently at their workplaces and the implementation of internationally recognised Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards. A coalition of […]

In 2009, thousands of workers at the Ssangyong car factory in South Korea occupied their factory in a bid to save their jobs. In spite of their heroic efforts in holding out for 77 days, their struggle was defeated amid a full scale military assault of the factory. The sacked […]