· September, 2007

Stories about Labor from September, 2007

Iran:3000 Hungry Workers

  29 September 2007

According[Fa] to Kaargar (means worker), 3000 workers in Haft Tapeh sugar cane factory in Khuzestan province,started a strike on Saturday.The blogger says that workers protested against their poor conditions and chanted slogans such as “Haft Tapeh workers are hungry.”

Egypt: Ramadan Musings

  28 September 2007

It's fair to say the month of Ramadan provides a unique experience for all parties involved, the fasting followed by excessive eating, the excessive eating followed by excessive partying and the scathing eye of everyone around you, writes D B Shobrawy, who brings us the latest from Egyptian blogs this week.

Egypt: Demonstration Planned on Thursday

  26 September 2007

A demonstration will be held in Cairo, Egypt, at 9pm on Friday in protest against the jailing of journalists and in solidarity with the workers on strike, reports Abna Masr (Ar). The demonstration has been called for by opposition movement Kifaya.

Egypt: Workers Strike

  24 September 2007

Hossam Al Hamalawy from Egypt is writing about a workers strike. “After the first day of the strike and sit-in, the picture inside the factory is really amazing. 10,000 people breaking the fast together in Tala’at Harb Sq, located inside the company compound. It’s a scene, which I find no...

Japan: Impatient patients

  22 September 2007

In recent years, harsh criticisms have been focused at hospitals and healthcare workers about the quality of medical care. An example of the target of criticisms was a doctor conducting transplants using diseased kidneys in Ehime. And most recently, a pregnant woman, who lived just a few minutes away from...

Bahrain: No Eating, No Drinking, No Smoking – And No Work?

  21 September 2007

In the Bahraini blogosphere this week we hear from a blogger who wants a job, and a blogger who wishes he didn’t have a job. There's also a student entering her final year, unemployed teachers, and an MP who thinks Muslims shouldn't have to work during Ramadan. One blogger reveals that there are fifteen ways to spell his name. And a 'football widow' tells her story!

Bahrain: Job Hunting

  17 September 2007

Tito84, from Bahrain, is looking for a job and has given us a breakdown of the troubles job hunters face in Bahrain where even educated candidates are offered BD200 ($530) monthly salaries.

Bahrain: Human Trafficking in the Gulf

  17 September 2007

“Human trafficking remains to be one of our biggest crimes in the Gulf, with little to no awareness campaigns or activism revolving around it,” writes Bahraini blogger Esra'a , who links to an alarming video and chilling stories in this post.

China: A Censored Lung Cancer Story

  13 September 2007

Minjian released an exclusive investigative story (as it has been censored by the Propaganda Department) about 4 mysterious deaths from lung cancer (zh). The 4 victims were workers in a pharmacy factory in Chongqin. One of the victims, Zheng, suspected that the cancer was related to chemical leaking as all...

China: Zhujian Delta Worker Band

  13 September 2007

Tang Wei Shan introduces a worker band, Green Band, in Zhujian Delta. The band was started 4 years ago in Shenzhen when two of the members were playing guitars in an open space. Their wish is to have singing tour around Zhujian Delta industrial zone. Their most recent performance was...

Japan: The “Happy Family” Bill

  11 September 2007

At from the inside, looking in, blogger fukamimi writes about a new bill calling for an increase in the number of white collar workers not eligible for overtime pay. In an attempt to overcome its unpopular image, the bill has been named the “Happy Family” Bill on the assumption that...

Barbados: Bajans Being Sidelined?

  11 September 2007

The Chinese Ambassador to Barbados, in an address to the Barbados South Rotary Club, explained that all Chinese workers on the island have work permits. Notes from the Margin thinks that he is missing the point.

Bahrain: More on ‘Duped’ Filmmaker

  6 September 2007

Bahraini blogger Esra'a writes a follow up on the case of a South African film maker who alleges that she was recruited to Bahrain, duped, kidnapped and deported, after her contract with her sponsor fell apart. Blogger Mahmood Al Yousif chimes in.

Barbados: Safety First

  6 September 2007

Living in Barbados is concerned about the lack of enforcement of safety measures on one of the island's construction sites.

Japan: Salaryman Quiz

  4 September 2007

Englishman invites you to guess which one of the salarymen in the photo is dead. It is a difficult question as everyone would look the same after a 20-hours working day…