Stories about Labor from February, 2013
Burundi: Violent Suppression of Demonstration Support for Imprisoned Journalist
The Court of Burundi revised the life sentence for journalist and Radio France International correspondent Hassan Ruvakuki on appeal, reducing his sentence to three years imprisonment. Media professionals demonstrated in sympathy weekly outside the Bujumbura Court building since the sentence was handed down until violent suppression of a march by the authorities.
Nationwide Strike Delivers Blow to Malawi's President
Malawi's President Joyce Banda is beating back calls for her to resign after hundreds of thousands of civil servants demanding a wage increase went on a two-week long strike, shuttering the country's international airport and paralyzing hospitals and schools
As Japan's Star Fades, Many Struggle for Hope
As Japan's economic growth continues to shrink each year, the Japanese, who find themselves more and more disconnected from their families and friends thanks to grueling works days and the Internet's erosion of personal relationships, are finding it difficult to put on a happy face.
The Worst Companies of the Year
Here were the nominees for the Public Eye Awards, a contest listing the worst companies of the year, was published by the website Public Eye. Organized by the Berne Declaration and Pro Natura, since 2000, the awards is a counter-summit critique of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum...
Tax Holiday for Albanian Youth?
THREE YEAR TAX LIFT FOR EMPLOYED YOUTH In a significant boost to youth employment, the government will decide during the coming weeks about the lifting of taxes (social security, health and personal income tax) and expenses of new trainings of those employed in the private sector. We keep our promises! The...
Taiwanese Writer Finds Poetry in Laid-off Workers’ Railway Protest
Laid-off factory workers facing a lawsuit from the Taiwanese government over unpaid debt protested February 5 by lying across the tracks at a Taipei train station, bring traffic to standstill. The demonstration inspired a Taiwanese writer-animator to create an illustration and a poem dedicated to the group.
European Regional Differences
Slovak NGO/think-tank Conservative Institute [en] blogged [sk] about the results of a study of 270 second-level EU regions (NUTS 2). Comparing changes in unemployment, they found that during 1990-2011, despite the growing amount of Euro-funds, the differences between the regions grew by about 4 percentage points. In more than 50...
Egypt: Prime Minister's ‘Bad Boobs’ Speech Transcribed
YouTube user Masr Madaneya publishes a short video of Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's speech subtitled in English. The declaration sparked outcry and mockery in the last days after the Prime Minister claimed that breastfeeding mothers cause diarrhea to their babies with their unclean breasts.
Impact of Factory Jobs on Workers’ Wealth
Work for Chris Blattman in Ethiopia to assess the impact of low-skill, low-wage factory jobs on the worker’s wealth, health and politics (among other things).
India: Not-for-profit vs. For-profit Ventures
In India it is easier to find funding for a not-for-profit handicraft venture than for for-profit. And these funds are sometimes used to keep alive trades that are inefficient and thus give the artisans a false impression that demand actually exists for their produce. Pertinent Observations finds the entire ecosystem...
