Yearly Archives: 2015

In response to the Indian government’s recent actions in amending labour laws to make it easier to dismiss workers and restrict workers’ rights to organise, a general strike has been called for Wednesday the 2 September. All the major 11 central trade union federations will take part as well as […]

It has been just over four years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in northern Japan highlighted the dangers of nuclear reactors. Workers sent in to clean up the disabled reactor have been continually exposed to hazardous levels of radiation. In addition, in an effort to prevent further explosions, cooling water […]

A massive explosion and fire at a warehouse in the north east industrial city of Tianjin this week has killed at least 100 workers and injured hundreds of others, including local residents. This industrial catastrophe occurred when a storage facility containing hazardous chemicals caught fire, setting a chain reaction. In […]

As reported previously (see here and here) while the ravages of foreign invasion, wars and sectarian politics have led to the death and impoverishment of millions of Iraqis, working class struggles have continued. This week, on the back of a failure of the electricity grid throughout Iraq, millions of people […]

An ongoing low level dispute at the Botany Bay terminal in Sydney turned into a full scale industrial dispute when over a hundred workers were sacked via SMS text messages. A permanent picket line has been established in Sydney, with industrial action happening in the port of Brisbane, as well […]

Secure housing is a major issue for workers around the world, especially in countries where wages are often at or below poverty levels. In Islamabad, last month, local authorities left over 20,000 people homeless after destroying their houses to make way for expensive apartments. The working class communities were not […]

As reported recently, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been undertaking protest actions for a long time over the issues of repression and occupation. One of the tactics used is to undertake a hunger strike. This week the news came out that Mohammed Allaan, a Palestinian lawyer, being detained without […]

The repression that successive Australian government have unleashed on asylum seekers has been well document previously (see here and here). Unfortunately, the litany of human rights abuses keep coming, especially from the two offshore detention camps at Manus Island in PNG, and in Nauru. This week a news report uncovered […]

Sex workers, both males and females, are some of the most exploited layers of the working class with millions facing discrimination, violence, poor pay, terrible working conditions and exposure to diseases on a daily basis. In a significant decision, Amnesty International has become the latest high profile organisation to call […]

At a warehouse owned by the supermarket giant Woolworths in the west of Melbourne, hundreds of workers this week took industrial action to defend their jobs. The issue was one that is common to workers all around the world and that is the casualisation of permanent work. The company had […]