· April, 2013

Stories about Labor from April, 2013

Live Updates on Bangladesh Factory Tragedy

  26 April 2013

The death toll of the factory collapse in Savar, Bangladesh has risen to 290. Here is a live blog [bn] maintained by the Muktaangon blogging platform curating social media updates on the latest on the relief and rescue effort of the trapped workers inside the collapsed building.

Hundreds Killed and Trapped in Bangladesh Garment Factory Collapse

  25 April 2013

Yet another factory disaster in Bangladesh, this time a nine story building collapsed killing more than 142 and injuring close to a thousand people. Many more are still trapped, and rescue operations continue. The tragedy is man-made as the factory management forced labors to work in an unsafe building.

Chronicles of the Unemployed in Greece

  22 April 2013

Journalist and author Christoforos Kasdaglis started The Diary of an Unemployed [el], a project to collect stories [el] and data [el] on Greek unemployment, consistently driven to record figures for years on end by the debt and austerity crisis. 27% of Greeks were jobless in January, a rate that has tripled since the crisis began in 2009,...

Brazil Accused of Spying on Belo Monte Dam Opponents

  18 April 2013

An activist collective opposed to the construction of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in northern Brazil uncovered a spy among its members who confessed to infiltrating the the group allegedly at the behest of the dam company and the Brazilian intelligence agency. The agency is also accused of spying on dock workers in northeastern Brazil.

Mozambique: Coal mine blocked in protest

  17 April 2013

Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is reporting on Facebook that about 500 residents of neighborhoods resettled by Brazilian mining company Vale are blocking road access to its coal mine in Moatize, Tete province. The peaceful protest is for greater compensation. The paper is reporting the rail line is also disrupted.

Madagascar's Economy Falling Behind Africa's

  17 April 2013

While sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth is projected to “outpace the global average“, a study by M. Razafindrakoto et al. from IRD (The Institute of Research on Development) published earlier this month unpacks the causes of Madagascar's economy lagging behind its African counterparts [fr] (Via Madagoravox).

Campaign Tackles Migrant Worker Exploitation in Lebanon

Seven NGOs in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs have recently launched the “Fi Chi Ghalat” (Something is Wrong) campaign, denouncing Lebanon's controversial Kafala (sponsorship) System through which all ‘unskilled laborers’ (domestic workers) must have an in-country sponsor responsible for both her or his visa and legal status. That sponsor is usually their employer as well. The online campaign calls for a change of the Kafala system and guaranteeing those workers their rights.

Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets Break Journalist Protest in Togo

  3 April 2013

On March 14, 2013, security forces violently broke up a sit-in by private sector journalists in Togo. The journalists were protesting the new dispositions of the Organic Law which mean business licences of the Togolese media can now be withdrawn without judicial proceedings. The protests against the law of the High Audiovisual and Communications Authority (HAAC) took place in Lomé, largest city and capital of Togo. Security forces used clubs, tear gas bombs and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrations resulting in several journalists being injured.