Stories about Labor from March, 2009
Korea: Layoff
A cold story. People are laid off due to economic downturn. Netizens share their experiences of being laid off or their fears. A blogger put a post on why companies reconstruct organizations and choose layoffs of their employees and what kinds of people are laid off. 구조 조정의 시즌이 도래했습니다....
Egypt: The AUC Gestapo
Socialist revolutionist and Hossam El Hamalawy wrote their concerns over the relocation of American University in Cairo (AUC) from downtown Cairo to the desert. They also highlighted the story of the six workers who died during the four years it took to build the new campus, based on an article...
Ukraine: Foreign Minister Fired, Naftogaz Office Stormed
This has been a pretty turbulent week in Ukraine: on Tuesday, the parliament fired Volodymyr Ohryzko, Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister, and on Wednesday, riot police stormed the Kyiv headquarters of Naftogaz, the Ukrainian national energy company. Below are some bloggers' reactions to these developments, as well as a few notes on the financial crisis in Ukraine.
Egypt: Interview with Elhamalawy
Egyptian blogger Mohammed Maree posts a video interview with blogger and activist Hossam Elhamalawy about his work at the Center for Social Studies, including workers’ strikes, industrial action and their connection to developments in Palestine.
China: Industrial Towns in Southern China
David from Silk Road International depicts the threatening situation in industrial areas outside of Shenzhen due to unemployment.
Japan: Why do Japanese work so hard?
Japanese blogger id:eliya, who is doing economics research abroad, writes that he is often asked by colleagues why Japanese work so hard [ja]. Referring to economics professor Masami Nomura's book, “Employment Instability” (雇用不安) [ja], he explains that Japanese work hard basically because the penalty for being fired from your job...
