Stories about Labor from November, 2012
Singapore: Bus Drivers Participate in “Illegal Strike”
About 171 Chinese bus drivers from SMRT – a major public transport provider in Singapore – went on strike to protest the salary discrepancy between Chinese and Malaysian bus drivers working for the company. A government official condemned the action as an 'illegal strike'
Are Zambia's Miners Paying More in Taxes than Mining Companies?
A podcast (Taxcast) by Tax Justice Network titled 'Zambian miners paying more tax than mining company' has been posted online claiming that miners pay more tax than the multi-national mining companies they work for.
Deadly Factory Fire in Bangladesh Raises Questions of Worker Exploitation
The recent tragic fire at a clothing factory building in Ashulia, near Bangladesh Capital Dhaka, that killed more than 110 garments workers, has raised many questions. Bangladeshis are expressing their anger on poor working conditions and exploitation of workers.
Spain: Catalan Newspaper Censors Blog for Reporting Hunger Strike
Catalan journalist and Global Voices contributor Lali Sandiumenge recently decided to disassociate her blog on digital activism, Guerreros del teclado or "Keyboard Warriors" from Catalonia's leading daily newspaper, La Vanguardia . The decision came after the publication's editorial staff decided to delete a post explaining a hunger strike in Barcelona by six workers of Telefónica, a telecommunications company in Spain.
University of Cyprus Campaign – ‘Buy Cypriot Products’
Using the slogan “Agorazo Kypriaka” [Buy Cypriot products], the University of Cyprus website hosts an announcement by Rector Constantinos Christofides himself. Amidst the general economic crisis, University of Cyprus supports initiatives against unemployment and actively contributes to the cause, initiating a promotion campaign to encourage people to buy local Cypriot...
Hurdles in Making Italy's Illegal Workers ‘Legal’
The results of the legislative decree passed this summer in Italy to regularise thousands of illegal workers by regularisation of their undeclared employment, have not lived up to expectations. Here's a review of online reactions and analysis.
Philippine Child Labor Data Portal
The Philippine government, in partnership with several child and labor groups, has launched a web portal on child labor “to share relevant data, foster communication, improve program monitoring and automate child labor case referrals” in the country.
Cairo's Metro Strike a Success
The metro is back in Egypt - after a four hour strike. Train services, which ferry up to 2 million people across Cairo daily, came to a standstill as drivers stopped work in protest against the chairperson of the metro board of directors, who is being accused of corruption. On Twitter, netizens cheered the strike.
French Government Eases Strict Immigration Policy
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, during a speech in Toulouse in southwestern France, expressed his desire to change his country's immigration policy, amending the naturalization requirements and, in particular, doing away with the multiple choice tests and the need to have signed a permanent employment contract. Here is a summary of the reactions to these new measures.
Laid-off Workers Turn from Victims to Debtors in Taiwan
Taiwan's Council of Labour Affairs (CLA), a government body in charge of protecting labour rights, wants to sue workers who were laid-off by private factories sixteen years ago. The council seeks money from the Legislative Yuan to bring legal action against more than 2,000 workers, who they say never returned the 'loan' the government offered as compensation for being laid off.
Brazil, France: Agroecology Helps Reduce Poverty
Respecting the soil is fundemental to us. It is where we get our food from and how we will provide for our children Suelia explains [fr] how the agroecology approach (bringing ecological principles to bear in agroecosystems) has helped many in her community grow a sustainable business model by diversifying...
Every Day Is A Holiday For Some Nepali Government Officials
In November, 2012, the home ministry of Nepal has proposed a two-days holiday per week plan for all government offices to address the problem of energy crisis and black-outs. Guffadi claims that everyday is a holiday for some Nepali govt officials who come late in the office and loiter around.
Protest in Trinidad & Tobago over Section 34 Scandal
On Friday, various sectors of the Trinidad and Tobago public participated in a protest march calling for the resignations of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and Minister of National Security Jack Warner - part of the continuing fallout over the Section 34 debacle.
A Mauritanian Blogging Week Against Foreign Mining
For a week, Mauritanian bloggers took part in a campaign entitled "Against foreign mining companies." Ahmed Ben Jedou shares with us blog posts and tweets from the campaign, which aimed at exposing the financial, environment, humanitarian and health toll of those companies.
