Stories about Labor from October, 2008
Guyana: EPA – To Sign or Not To Sign?
The European Union is ushering in the first phases of a new trade pact between regional territories and the 27 members of the EU. What's the big deal about a little trade agreement? Just the fact that the new rules change the fundamentals of how these two trade blocs relate. Some regional governments - like Guyana - are insisting that they will not sign the EPA as it stands. The problem is, there's a deadline involved. A few Guyanese bloggers have been speaking out...
Russia: Economic Crisis and Migrant Workers
Moscow Through Brown Eyes writes about the impact of the economic crisis on Russia's Central Asian migrant workers.
Kuwait: Dirty Handy Men
From Kuwait, Twenty Three & Enjoying Life shares her thoughts on handy men. “Jeez, this morning, the AC guy came to clean the AC. He left and the place is so filthy. Dust everywhere. Why can’t they clean up after themselves?” she asks.
Guyana: Working It
Guyana-Gyal gives an example of the “true, true story that some watch while you labour in the heat, then they sneak in cool, cool and reap.”
Guyana, U.S.A.: Remittances
Living Guyana says that his countrymen should not feel smug over the US financial crisis “for a simple reason: The great pillar of this economy is not sugar, rice or gold. It's remittances…”
Uzbekistan: Cotton Harvest
Michael Hancock reports that Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, will soon play host once again to the 4th International Uzbek Cotton Fair amidst continuing accusations of the child-labor issue.
China: Giving a hand to rescue U.S?
Now, the financial crisis originated from U.S is going to sweep the globe. As the closest trade partner of U.S, China is struggling over the question: should it give a hand to help America out of the abyss? Or are we able to? But some netizens are thinking even further.
Jamaica: Workplace Diversity
“The term ‘difference’ is a fairly new one to the Caribbean workplace and it generally applies to obvious aspects such as race, gender, age, religion, physical ability, etc. However, our international reputation is largely being tainted by our strident relationship to gays and homosexuality”: Francis Wade blogs about “the not-so-diverse”...
Russia: Eid ul-Fitr in Moscow
Over 30,000 Muslims reportedly came to the Moscow Cathedral Mosque for a communal prayer on Sept. 30, the first day of Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday known in Russia as Uraza Bayram, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan. Russian bloggers' reactions ranged from hostile to positive, and below is a translation of some of them.
Japan: Part-time University Teachers among Working Poor
At A Prisoner in the Cave, id:eirene describes a documentary on Tokyo Television exploring the situation of working poor among part-time teachers in Japanese universities [ja]. The documentary introduces the lives of two PhD-holding part-time university teaching staff living on a salary of 100,000 yen/month [around 1000 USD], highlighting differences...
