· July, 2011

Stories about Labor from July, 2011

Chile: Starbucks Employees on Hunger Strike

  31 July 2011

In Chile, a cup of coffee at Starbucks costs more than the baristas’ wages for one hour of work. This is what the 3 union leaders [es] on hunger strike in Chile state through a handwritten sign in this video [es]. They demand Starbucks to comply with only 4 out...

Factory Closing in South China

  22 July 2011

Steve Dickinson from China Law Blog explains that the factory closing phenomena in South China is part of the government's plan to upgrade the manufacturing sector.

Uzbekistan: World-known brands to denounce child labor

Wal-Mart, Macy’s, Eileen Fisher, Nautica, Gear for Sports, The Jones Group, Liz Claiborne and Nike are among the first companies to sign a pledge boycotting the use of Uzbekistan-sourced cotton until the International Labor Organization determines that forced child labor is no longer an issue in the country, reports Abulfazal.

South Korea: Skin Problems Occurred by Tear Gas Solution

  12 July 2011

More than seven thousand protesters clashed with the police on July 10 in a rally against unfair layoffs at Hanjin Heavy Industries. The Wiki Tree site consolidated photos of protesters who reported skin problems after exposure to tear gas solution the police fired at them.

Indonesia: Rage Over Death of Maid in Saudi

  12 July 2011

Indonesians reacted strongly when it was reported that Ruyati, 54, a migrant worker from West Java, was beheaded in Saudi Arabia last month. The woman was found guilty of killing her employer, who she claimed had abused her.

Hungary: Public Media Job Cuts

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the staff cuts at the three Hungarian public media outlets: “My understanding is that the two television stations [MTV and Dune TV] and Magyar Rádió have a total of something like 3,500 employees. From the little one can learn about the government's plans, most likely 1,000...

Ukraine: Pension Reform; Multiple Voting by MPs

Foreign Notes writes about Ukraine's pension reform, which was passed by the parliament yesterday, highlighting the “breathaking arrogance” and disrespect for law by the people who run the country: “248 deputies voted in support of today's [pension reform] motion even though it seems only 143 deputies were actually registered to...

Argentina: President Signs Decree to Ban Sex Ads in Newspapers

  6 July 2011

“President Cristina Kirchner signed a decree banning the publication of sex ads in local newspapers”, The Argentine Post reports, and adds: “banning the publication of sex ads may do little to prevent the kinky skin-friction business from thriving. […] Some local whorehouses even use Google Maps to woo Johns into...

East Timor: Urging Proper Investigation on Child Labor

  5 July 2011

After recording a short video titled ‘Possible Child Labor with Timor Leste Heavy Oil Mega Project‘, Josh Trindade, a Timorese sociologist, says UNICEF and ILO should conduct a “proper investigation”. According to the Government of East Timor, in 2009-2010, 1,000 children between 10 and 14 years old were active labor...

South Korea:Hanjin Labor Workers’ Struggle Intensifies

  4 July 2011

As clashes between Hanjin Heavy Industries and its labor workers have continue to intensify, more net users have joined online protests by posting and retweeting photos of violent clampdowns. Jae Hee consolidated tweets and news reports about the struggle in his Storify story.