· March, 2012

Stories about Labor from March, 2012

Spain: General Strike Across Cities and Neighborhoods

  30 March 2012

Hundreds of people took the streets around cities and neighborhoods in Spain yesterday to participate in a general strike (29M) to protest against proposed government cuts to indispensable social services. March 29 became a new important date in the movements' agenda.

The Cuba the Pope Leaves Behind

  29 March 2012

Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba has come to an end, a visit bookended by the Castro brothers: President Raul Castro greeting the pontiff at the airport and Fidel Castro meeting with him before his departure. But bloggers are suggesting that despite the Pope's message of change and hope for the future, it looks like business as usual on the island.

Video: Indigenous Communities Document their Growth and Governance

  23 March 2012

The Indigenous Territory and Governance Platform is made up of a series of institutions all working together to provide the indigenous people of Latin America the tools and resources to be able to strengthen the governance they have of their territory and their community. A series of short videos is used to document their progress. All links lead to Spanish language sites.

Italy: Protests Blaze Over High-Speed Rail to France

  22 March 2012

The last few weeks have been particularly important (and controversial) for the "No Tav" movement, which, since 1981, has opposed the construction of a high speed train line between Turin and Lyon. Alongside on-going protests, suppression and legal disagreements, activism and discussions blossom online.

Spain: Are You For or Against EuroVegas?

  21 March 2012

The CEO of Las Vegas Sands, multibillionaire Sheldon Adelson, has decided to establish his next hotel-casino complex EuroVegas in Spain. If the Spanish government seems enthusiastic about this project, the Spanish people are divided on the issue.

Bolivia: Remembering Domitila Barrios de Chungara

  19 March 2012

Emily Achtenberg, in the blog Rebel Currents, profiles Domitila Barrios de Chungara, “long-time social activist, union leader, feminist, revolutionary, and national heroine who died March 13 in Cochabamba at age 74. She is best known as the miner’s wife who led a hunger strike in 1978 that brought down the...

Colombia: New Pension System ‘Colpensiones’ Sparks Protests

  15 March 2012

After the government announced the transfer of the Social Security Institute [es] (ISS), a public pension fund, to Colpensiones  [es], the new state entity that will administer the pension system starting April 2, the Central Union of Workers (CUT) called for protests [es] that were carried [es] in different cities. This has...

Lebanon: Is Social Media Useful?

“I always ask myself whether the Lebanese online community is actually making things better by raising awareness or is just trying to reach out to more people?” writes Najib questioning  the usefulness of social media in inciting action rather than just being concerned with tweeting and blogging. His post was in reaction...

South Korea: Journalists Stage Mass Walkout from National Broadcaster

  8 March 2012

Journalists of one of South Korea's biggest commercial television networks, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), have been on indefinite strike since January 2012 demanding fair journalism free of political interference. On March 4, 2012, 166 journalists announced they would quit their jobs in protest.

Guatemala: Empowering Communities Through Pedal Powered Machines

  7 March 2012

Maya Pedal is an organization in Guatemala that specializes in bringing progress through secondhand bicycles. Those that aren't usable as bicycles anymore get turned into pedal powered machines to help in daily work such as pumping water, grinding corn, blending, shelling nuts and making roof tiles.