· January, 2009

Stories about Labor from January, 2009

Czech Republic: Jobless Foreign Laborers

  31 January 2009

The Czech Daily Word writes about the situation with several thousand foreign workers in the Czech Republic, who have lost their jobs and are now stuck in the country: “And according to a friend of mine from the Foreign Ministry, a calculation is being made, as to what is cheaper:...

Protest Video: Dancing Filipina Maids In Hong Kong

  29 January 2009

There are videos of dancing Filipinos which were conceptualized as a component of protest campaigns. Last month Juana Change videos became popular in the Philippines. These videos were used to express opposition to the administration-sponsored legislative bill that would amend the 1987 Constitution. Another video which entertained the public was the protest dance of Filipina migrant workers in Hong Kong

Russia: Notes on the Crisis, Movies

  24 January 2009

Megan Case writes about her trip to Russia: “Our friends had stories of their workplaces downsizing, several had been given an extra “vacation” (without pay) or received a pay cut. There seemed to be fewer cars on the road, which is only good for traffic and the environment, but a...

Russia: Migration Issues

  22 January 2009

Window on Russia writes about a Ryazan Tajik activist's appeal to the Russian media to stop “fanning the flames of ethnic hatred against migrants” and the launch of the Migration-007 magazine, whose goal would be to “'change the stereotypes and myths’ that Russians have about migrants and that migrants have...

Belarus: A Roundup on Politics

  17 January 2009

Belated links to posts on media freedom, entrepreneurs’ protests, and web activism in Belarus, a country with the “100% opposition-free” parliament – at Andrei Khrapavitski's Belarusian American Blog.

Lithuania: Rioting in Vilnius

  17 January 2009

Lituanica reports on the riots in Vilnius: “82 rioters were detained, 15 people were injured. 2 million Litas of damage was done to Seimas. Some of the arrested had knifes, iron bars and Molotov cocktails. The police use tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd of rioters.”

Latvia: Rioting in Riga

  17 January 2009

In his post about the Jan. 13 peaceful protest rally followed by rioting in Latvia's capital, Aleks Tapinsh of All About Latvia wrote that the country's PM had "told the people in his New Year’s Eve address how penguins deal with severe winter - they huddle together to stay warm - the same way as Latvians ought to do when going through the economic turmoil." What happened in Riga Tuesday has thus been labeled by some as the "penguin revolution." Below are some accounts and opinions from the blogosphere.

Russia faces rapid unemployment growth

  13 January 2009

Sean's Russia Blog reports on how unemployment in Russia is rapidly rising, which the government e.g. deals with by increasing the number of policemen, apparently to preserve public order, as the number of Russians prepared to participate in protests increase.

Japan: Hakenmura, the Temp Workers Village

  12 January 2009

Over 300 people spent their nights between New Year`s Eve and the 5th of January in a tent camp stationed at Hibiya Park in central Tôkyô, referred to as 年越し派遣村 (toshikoshi hakenmura, or lit. “New Year's Village for Temporary Workers”). The people staying in Hakenmura were temporary workers (派遣社員, haken...

Israel: Construction Workers From Gaza

  12 January 2009

There's a myriad of posts on the war in Gaza in the Russophone blogosphere right now, with the whole spectrum of opinions well-represented by Israeli and non-Israeli bloggers alike. The text translated from Russian below, however, is not about the ongoing conflict: Tel Aviv-based LJ user leorer took a step aside and posted his notes on the construction workers from Gaza he worked with during “the first few years of [his] life in Israel.”

Singapore: Chambermaid vs foreign maid

  11 January 2009

Kaffein-nated from Singapore criticizes the inconsistency of a government minister who argues that it is honorable to be a chambermaid but working as a maid in other countries is a demeaning job.

Malaysia: Campaign to boycott US goods

  10 January 2009

As a form of protest against Washington’s support for Israel, some Malaysians are boycotting U.S. products. Opinion in the Malaysian blogosphere is divided over the campaign.