Stories about Labor from June, 2007
India: Carnival of HR
Gautam Ghosh hosts the Carnival of HR, bringing posts from all over the world on issues relating to Human Resources.
China: Slavery
Peijin Chen from Shanghaiist summarized reports and discussions on the recent rescue of 31 slaves from a brickworks factory in Shanxi province last week. There is an estimated one thousand children still trapped in the mountains of Shanxi, working as slave in factories and mines. 400 Chinese fathers sent out...
Japan: The Disappearing Pension Accounts
For the past few weeks, pressure has been intensifying against the Japanese government over its apparent mismanagement of over 50 million public pension accounts belonging to millions of Japanese citizens. While the government has attempted to deflect attacks by issuing flyers pinning the blame on a former member of the opposition, many Japanese bloggers are not buying it.
China: Child labour debate
Si tai from 1510 commented on the recent scandal of child labour in factories that produced Olympic soveniors (zh). The writer told his experience in encountering with teenage workers and s/he wonders if a simple ban of child labour would solve their problems or we should improve their working conditions...
Iran:Free Mahmoud Salehi,a Labour Activist
In Kdmahmoudsalehi we read[Fa] that Mahmoud Salehi, a labour activist got arrested two months ago.Mahmoud Salehi was last arrested on April 9, 2007 and transferred to a prison in the city of Sanandaj. The Kurdistan Province Appeal Court has sentenced Mahmoud to one year imprisonment and also a three year...
Peru: Overworked Champions
Around the world it is estimated that 22% of the labor force works excessively long hours. Gran Combo Club [ES]
Ukraine: Kyiv Street Cleaners Get a Raise
Kyiv street cleaners - all 6,000 of them - will be getting $400 a month from now on. This raise, city administration officials hope, will help hire 3,500 more people needed to keep the Ukrainian capital tidy. Judging by a discussion that erupted after the Ukrainian news website Korrespondent.net ran an item on this salary increase initiative, Kyiv's laborer corps might soon become overstaffed - and many of the new recruits are likely to be overqualified for the humble yet arduous work of a street cleaner.
Arabeyes: Greedy Doctors, Cheating Spouses and Parliamentary Scuffles
Today's translation of Arabic blogs makes five stops: one each in Libya, Tunisia and Kuwait and two stops in Egypt to give us a gist of what some of the bloggers are writing about. Issues being discussed include how doctors put money before their patients' interests; cheating spouses; why Arabs are not progressing and the latest on why the Kuwaiti Parliament is in a shambles.
Jordan: Where Does Your Salary Go?
“You never really understand the plight of Jordan until you actually try and make a living here and experience just how quickly your monthly salary disappears. It’s absolutely terrible. The difficulty of attempting to save anything at all. What’s worse is where it goes. I have absolutely no idea. I...
Bahrain: Eat Shawarma at Your Peril!
Are there poor people in Bahrain or is the issue being blown out of proportion by those striving to plant the seeds of sectarianism in our society? Can Bahraini girls actually cook like their mothers? Would spending billions on developing a metro system be feasible for a country the size of Bahrain? And what's in your Shawarma? These are just some of the questions Bahraini bloggers are tackling in this week's extensive round up by Ayesha Saldanha.
Iraq: Oil Workers on Strike
Issandr El Amrani, from Egypt, updates us on the latest regarding a strike by oil workers in Iraq.
Israel: Anticipating End of Term
Israeli blogger Yael is waiting for good news. “Someone please tell me that the end of the semester is in sight. I need assurances that the nightmare will end. There are many of my students that I like. There are many that I could happily beat across the country. And...
Egypt: Banned Documentary, Cairo Metro Strike, Torture Trial and More
It's all happening in Egypt - from the release of jailed bloggers, to the trial of corrupt officers implicated in torture videos which are spreading like a bush on fire on the Internet. Freedom for Egyptians brings us the latest from the Egyptian blogs in this round up which includes a story on the banning of a video on the Baha'i faith and a metro strike in down town Cairo.
Iran:Statistics Do not Mean Anything
Ahmad Seyf says [Fa] it seems Iran did not enter in the age of statistics.The blogger writes Minister for Employment each time presents a different statistic about unemployed people and how many jobs should be created.
Iran:Students support jailed workers
According to[Fa] Kaargar blog,some students in Amir Kabir University started to collect money for 3 jailed workers.Students are going to ask money one by one because security forces do not let them to collect money in an organized way.
Israel: First Day in the Army
“My daughter was drafted yesterday into the army. I thought there would be more fanfare – ceremonies, large crowds, music, speeches. There were just a few families there with their about-to-be-soldier daughters at the place where we were at in Jerusalem. “We (her father, boyfriend, sister and I) looked at...
Poverty in Morocco, and a Moroccan Family Living in a Toilet
A major news article about a Moroccan family residing in a toilet sparks a discussion about poverty in Morocco. Jillian York reports from Anglophone blogs in Morocco.
More on Moldovans in Italy
Lyndon Allin translates another blog comment about Moldovans living and working in Italy - this time by a commenter named Snejana: "…when I write about Moldova I get very emotional, because I don’t understand why life is so difficult. On every corner in Italy there are Moldovans looking for work which they hope will make them some money and allow them to pay off their debts and send some money home to their children."
Bahrain: Housemaid Interview
Migrant Rights posted an interview with an Indonesian housemaid in Bahrain – who hasn't returned home of seen her 10-year-old son for nine years.
Bahrain: An Expat Minister of Labour?
With Bahrain sizzling at 44 degrees Celsius, bloggers are in action discussing everything from the weather, to who to blame for power cuts. In a post with a natural flow, Ayesha Saldanha brings us this week's review of Bahraini blogs which also discuss our "daily inanimate partners", Bedouin lifestyles, development, Bahrain's relationship with the sea and labour affairs.
Brueni: Extending Retirement Age
Old Man's Blog in Brunei prefers people retiring from work later. “Extending retirement age means that everyone work longer, save more, and have more once they retire. Everyone should be more concerned about this. I know retirement is a long way off, but really, it would affect us all.”
