Yearly Archives: 2016

In an example that the ‘Global race to Bottom’ affects workers in every sector, an international campaign by journalists is being waged against Agence France Presse (AFP), one of the major global media groups. The AFP is attempting to seek to take away photographers' copyright in return for no additional […]

Following the attempted military coup of just over a week ago that resulted in the death of over 250 people, the Erdogan government has moved swiftly against all opposition. In addition to arresting the military and police personnel who were involved in the actual coup, the Turkish government has instituted […]

This week, in a strong show of protest to the recent jail sentences handed down to labour leaders, an estimated 100,000 workers took to the streets throughout South Korea. Workers were also protesting against the recent wave of layoffs as well as demanding a higher minimum wage. In a separate […]

This week thousands of workers in the Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal automobile belt defied government bans against protests, to come out and forcefully call for the release of their jailed fellow workers. The workers rallied on the 4th anniversary of the death of a plant manager that occurred in clashes between workers and […]

The struggle by 55 workers in Melbourne, against subcontracting and insecure work is now in its second month. The company, CUB, is part of the SAB Miller group, a global company that employs around 70,000 employees in more than 80 countries, and last year had a net revenue of USA […]

In a welcomed move this week in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 41 people, including the owner of Rana Plaza, were indicted for murder for the death of over 1,100 workers. The collapse of Rana Plaza, which housed five garment factories, in April 2013 highlighted to the world the abysmal conditions that garment […]

This week, Australian industrial investigator, the Fair Work Ombudsman, found against the infrastructure and mining service giant Thiess over its treatment of its migrant workforce. Thiess made the workers, who were employed under a temporary work visa system, sign employment contracts that threatened to sack and deport migrant workers if […]

With massive labour protests in France, the Brexit decision in the UK, the rise of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim parties, and with continuing austerity politics in many countries, the political and social situation in Europe is changing very fast. What do these dynamics mean for the working class in Asia? What […]

This week, the Thai military junta gave a warning to any exiled critic that while they may be outside of Thailand, they can still go after their families. Noppawan “Ploy” Bunluesilp, with her three year old son, was detained by the Thai military for being the wife of journalist Andrew […]

Thousands of coal miners and supporters have been staging ongoing demonstrations and protests in Zonguldak in the north western Black Sea region of Turkey. The miners are opposing plans to privatise the mines, a move that would lead to massive job losses and reduced health and safety conditions due to […]