australia asia worker links
aawl mini news
 Over
1,000 steel workers in the Wazirpul industrial zone in Delhi have won
improvements in working conditions. However, the very next day, the bosses
refused to implement the terms of the agreement. The workers staged
co-ordinated industrial action across 23 different factories, demonstrating
the power of industry-level solidarity. Some important wins included a
reduction of the working day from 12 to 8 hours, adherence to minimum wage
levels, and the introduction of double overtime pay. This dispute builds on
the victory of previous
strikes by Wazirpur steel workers in 2012 and 2013. For rapid updates on
the situation, check out the facebook
page and blog. |
 24 unionists sacked
by the Filipino subsidiary of the Dutch NXP Semiconductors have entered the
2nd month of their campaign for reinstatement, after they were fired for
refusing to work on public holidays. Amid continued protests and organising
in the Philippines, a second
Global Day of Action has been planned for the 2nd of July in conjunction
with unions around the world. Against global companies like NXP, only by
organising globally will we be able to resist effectively the onslaught of
these companies. The company is located in a Special Economic Zones where
union activities are often curtailed. |
 An
estimated five Palestinians have been killed and 500 arrested so far, as
Israeli armed forces raid the West
Bank on the pretence of finding three missing Israeli teenagers. This is
the largest
military offensive by Israel against the West Bank since the second
intifada, 2000 – 2005. Meanwhile the struggle continues against administrative
detention and torture of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. A 63-day
hunger strike by Palestinian political prisoners ended
on 25 June. |
 Labour movement
activists organise against exploitation every day. In every country, workers
are discouraged from demanding their rights by capitalists and governments.
This pressure can be applied in many ways, either via fines, dismissals,
beatings, rapes or even murder. Many activists end up in jail
because of their organising activities. How can we organise internationally
so that our campaigns to free our jailed brothers and sisters can become more
powerful? One such comrade is Reza Shahabi, leader of a bus workers union in
Tehran, who is currently on hunger
strike . |
 A Seoul court has
ruled in favour of the South Korean government’s decision to deregister
the Korean Teachers Union (KTU). The union was deregistered, after it refused
to comply with a government order not to allow dismissed and retired teachers
to remain members of the union. “Allowing retired and dismissed workers as
union members and leaders is internationally accepted”, said Educational
International. President of the KTU, Kim Jeonghun, began a hunger strike on 9
June to help influence the court decision. |
 After an
independence struggle in the 1980s, the Noumea Accord was signed in 1998. But
the issue of decolonisation of Kanaky is again coming to the fore in the
Southern Pacific. Kanaky has been a colony of France since 1854, and while
small, the islands are of great strategic importance to France’s imperialist
and military ambitions. The Kanaks have never accepted
colonialisation. If you’d like to learn more about the renewed push for
Kanak independence, come to a public
meeting in Melbourne Australia on the 10th of July to hear about the
Kanaks’ renewed push for i ndependence. |
|||
 Workers
will rally again in Melbourne to oppose extreme cuts to public services and
social welfare. 40,000 people rallied to Bust the Budget on 12 July. More
events will be organised on the Bust
the Budget website.Join the rally 1:00pm Sunday 6 July Queen Victoria Gardens Opposite the Arts Centre, Southbank Facebook event |
 The
Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) are holding a series of strikes
and rallies from 24 to 30 June, to protest against the Korean
government's announcement to allow for deregulation and privatisation of the
health services in the country. The president of the Korean Health and
Medical Workers' Union also staged a 10 day hunger strike, ending of the 20
June to galvanise opposition against the privatization of health care. There
are also fierce struggles going on against the privatiza
tion of Korea’s railway system, including a 22-day strike in December
2013 and January 2014. |
