Monthly Archives: October 2017

Following on from the ground breaking victory earlier this year by the Anganwadi workers in and around New Dehli, many other similar rural health workers have been taking action to increase their wages and better their conditions. In Odisha state in Eastern India, this week the state government has promised […]

This week, Jeepney drivers staged a two day strike in the Metro Manila area to protest against oil price increases, increasingly strict franchising and regularisation guidelines, and ever multiplying government fees. Another issue has been the government’s plan to modernise the fleet which, according to the Jeepney drivers will only […]

Last week, the two biggest Palestinian political factions, announced that they signed an initial unity agreement. This deal was announced by both sides as ‘a declaration of the end to division and a return to national Palestinian unity’. While this is a positive steps, there are many big issues to […]

Every year, millions of workers either die, get injured or suffer major illnesses because of unsafe workplaces. Unions fight for safety at work. At the end of this month in Melbourne, Australia, a major conference will be held by trade unionists and labour activists to talk about how best to […]

Earlier this month, well-known labour activist and former political prisoner Mohammad Jarahi died of cancer. Mohammad Jarahi was 59 years of age and had been a long time member of the Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Workers’ Organisations, which fought for the establishment of independent worker organisations in Iran. […]

The Philippines government, headed by President Duterte, is looking to legalise further exploitation of workers via two new bills, the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (TRAIN) and the Alternative Work Arrangement Bill (Senate Bill 1571). Labour centres claim that the new tax bill will favour the rich and […]

While the dispute that saw over 700 ground crew workers walk out in protest against Swissport Canada’s attempts to contract out and casualise its workforce may be over, other issues remain. It has been revealed that the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) is in support of the privatisation of Toronto […]

Dockworkers in Indonesia employed by the global stevedoring company, International Container Terminal Services (ICTS), are in a protracted struggle over wages and conditions. The company is forcing its workforce into working long and unsafe overtime in order to earn a living wage because their basic salary is totally inadequate. The […]

This week, two separate cases has highlighted the level of repression that now exists in Thailand. Sulak Sivaraksa, a renowned Buddhist and academic, is facing possible Lese Majeste charges for a comment over an elephant duel that is alleged to have happened in 1593. In the industrial belt of the […]

In late 2013, just six months after the horrific disaster at Rana Plaza, a fire engulfed the Aswad Composite Mills textile mill in Gazipur, Bangladesh. At least seven workers were killed and over 50 injured. It is now over four years since this horrific industrial incident and families and survivors […]