Stories about Labor from November, 2011
Cambodia: Law on Prison Labor
Human Rights Watch is opposed to the proposed law in Cambodia that would permit prison labor to be used by private companies.
Japan: I am Isolated in My Workplace
A poignant cry in the form of an anonymous entry: a blogger's struggles to find a place for himself in his workplace.
Japan: Coworking Magazine Launched
Cowarp [ja]: There's been a surge of interest around coworking spaces and its culture, and now there's a brand new online magazine for it.
“Let Us Dream”: Demonstrating Against Unified Job Hunting in Japan
On Labor Day, students gathered in Tokyo and Kyoto to rally against the practices of job hunting for fresh graduates.
Portugal: A Peek into a Day of General Strike
Throughout the day of general strike in Portugal, November 24, Twitter user @Shyznogud has curated online media content for the page “a peek into the strike” on Scoop.it. Journalist Paulo Querido (@PauloQuerido) noted that “there are more tweets against the #grevegeral (general strike, hashtag in use) than in favour. Makes...
India: The Decade Of Maids
AmreekanDesi takes a satirical look at the problems of the increasingly unmanageable service of Indian maids.
Mozambique: More striking security guards
After the fateful G4S strike earlier this year, more security guards are on strike in Maputo. @Verdade newspaper photographer Miguel Mangueze tweeted a photo of a sign from the protest, depicting the Portuguese head of the company SOS, who they allege deprives them of pay over the holidays.
Chile: Domestic Workers Protest Demanding Dignity at Work
Domestic workers protested demanding dignity at work on Sunday, November 20, in Santiago. The blog Centros Chilenos en el Exterior [es] posted a video of the march produced by Prensa Opal [es].
Peru: Rain Causes Flooding in Iquitos
Rains have once again caused flooding in the city of Iquitos in the Amazon Rainforest. The blogger behind De la Selva [es] attributes the flooding to sewage works and posts Facebook pictures of the flood.
Israel: Netanyahu Threatens to Replace Interns with Indian Doctors
After months of protests, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested replacing medical interns with foreign labor contractors from India if an agreement can not be reached with them. Interns react online, with humor and sarcasm.
Trinidad & Tobago: Government & Gangs
aka_lol says of the government's Colour Me Orange crime and poverty reduction project: “[It] seems like throwing gasoline in the fire where crime is concerned…I suppose Government’s policy is to manage gangs rather than eliminate the need for them.”
China: Nanjing sanitation workers on strike
On November 16th, Nanjing sanitation workers went on strike and dumped huge piles of garbage in the street to protest their poor treatment and unsatisfactory pay. More from Shanghaiist.
Trinidad & Tobago: Fight at Project Launch
B.C. Pires comments on a fracas that broke out, allegedly among rival gang members, at the launch of a government project: “It would be shocking if it wasn’t par for the course. The shameless use of the UNC-yellow-like orange in the attempt to, um, curry the favour of the semi-literate/fully...
Sri Lanka: Perils Of Promising Jobs
Serendipity is concerned that the Sri Lankan government is unable to create the promised jobs for graduates and the blogger asks “whose responsibility is it to provide jobs for all unemployed Graduates?”
Bermuda, St. Lucia: Slavery Footprint & Slave Trade Memorial
Breezeblog links to “a website that tracks the forced and unpaid labour that goes into producing the things we take for granted” and makes the point that “being aware of the impression left by your slavery footprint may be the most important of all”, while Caribbean Book Blog notes that...
Taiwan: Netizens React to Diplomat Accused of Abusing Domestic Labor
Thanks to slow, reluctant legislators, and “some” – or I should say “many” – cruel employers, Taiwan has a notoriously bad record of mistreating foreign labor. However, this time an inconvenient and awkward case has not happened in Taiwan, but in a Taiwanese diplomat's residence in the United States. The headlines of...
Peru: Over 30 People Injured in Farmer's Strike in Andahuaylas
A farmers’ strike [es] against mining activities in Andahuaylas, in the Apurímac region, turned violent on November 10, leaving damages and 38 people injured, according to the latest reports by El Comercio [es]. Juan Arellano gathers citizen reactions and reports via Storify [es].
Peru: Protests Against ‘Conga’ Mining Project in Cajamarca
Citizens of Cajamarca, in northern Peru, protested against the ‘Conga’ mining project on November 9. Juan Arellano put together a Storify post [es] with background information on this conflict, and citizen reactions and reports shared on Twitter.
Uruguay's Unemployed Youth
Denisse Gelber in the blog Reasons and people: rethinking Uruguay [es] writes about youth unemployment, presenting the stories of two young Uruguayans from different socioeconomic backgrounds but with the same problem: a lack of employment opportunities in their chosen field.
