Stories about Labor from August, 2011
Should Thailand Raise the Minimum Wage?
One of the campaign promises of newly elected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Pheu Thai Party was to double Thailand’s minimum wage. The new pay scale will be implemented next year but the business sector is opposed to it. Here are some reactions from bloggers
Sri Lanka: A Queue of 3,500 Job-Seekers
Anushka Wijesinha at Groundviews posts photos and video of a 1.5km long queue of more than 3500 Sri Lankan job seekers, which indicate that unemployment is posing a serious threat in Sri Lanka's economy.
China: Taxi Drivers and Railway Workers on Strike
A new wave of strikes are taking place in China. This time it is not among rural migrant workers working in sweatshops, but among drivers and employees in the urban public transportation sector.
South Korea: Extremist Grandpas Attack Labor Activists
The Korea Parents Federation, an extreme right-wing group made up exclusively of elderly Korean men has been involved in clashes with protestors demonstrating against massive layoffs in Busan, South Korea's largest port city, on July 31, 2011. Are the group conservative extremists or rather victims political manipulation?
Ukraine: People as Expendables
Taras of Ukraïniana comments on two recent mine accidents in Ukraine, causing 38 deaths, and posts a video [ru] of a miner who says that mine-owners treat their employees as expendables.
China: Taxi Drivers’ Strike in Hangzhou
Ministry of Tofu translates a local feature story on the Taxi drivers’ strike in Hangzhou city in China.
Chile: Starbucks Baristas Hunger Strike for Higher Wages
Chilean Starbucks workers have revealed that their country's baristas are paid less per hour than the cost of a cup of coffee. Three employees are now on hunger strike demanding better working conditions, but Starbucks has yet to even respond to their requests.
South Asia: The South Asian American Digital Archive
V.V. at Sepia Mutiny features the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA), which is systematically documenting and preserving the history of the South Asian American community since 2008.
India: A Job Finder For The Illiterates
Nandan Rajan at Think Change India highlights Mathukathe, a free phone and associated services for the illiterate poor in India, which is equipped with job finding capabilities.
Sri Lanka: 17 Year Old Boy Feeds Ten Membered Family
NAFSO (National Fisheries Solidarity Movement) blog reports that 17 year old construction labor Muththaiya Dharshan has taken the burden of feeding a war ravaged ten membered family in a village of Jaffna district in the North of Sri Lanka.
India: Workers Protest Against A Multinational Company
Bhagirath Verma at CGNet Swara reports that 169 workers are protesting for months against a multinational company to implement a court order to regularize them but nobody is listening to them.
Japan: A Nuclear Gypsy’s Tale
Blogger Takeshi Kawakami was one of Japan's so-called ‘nuclear gypsies’, who for about 30 years made his livelihood working at the country's different nuclear plants. In his blog he has denounced the corruption and collusion between the government and the nuclear industry.
Belarus: Almost 30% of Belarusans Get Lower Salary Than Moldovans
LJ user Pavel Kuznetsov points to [ru] recent statistics showing that almost 30% of employees in Belarus earn less than in Moldova – the poorest country in Europe.
South Korea: Several Thousands Protested against Massive Layoffs
The “Hope Bus” protest took a place in Busan, the nation's largest port city, on July 31. About 3,5oo people from all over the country, including civic activists and labor groups, demonstrated against massive layoffs by Hanjin Heavy Industries. One of influential citizen journalists, MediaMongu tweeted [ko] photos of minor...
