As reported recently on the mass protests in Iraq, last week it was the turn of those in Lebanon to demonstrate en masse. While these protests started off as a reaction to uncollected garbage, they soon became a generalised protest against the government and politicians. The demonstrators were then met […]
Monthly Archives: August 2015
37 posts
As reported last week, the political coalition that has governed Malaysia for decades has been encountering greater opposition as corruption and inequality have become entrenched. This weekend saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in Malaysia for the 4th Bersih (Clean) rally. Though the government had declared […]
The issue of employers in Australia using loopholes in the working visa system to ruthlessly take advantage of vulnerable workers is becoming more widespread (see here and here). This week an investigation into the employment practices of the global giant 7/11 revealed how managers use the fact that workers are […]
As reported last year, Andy Hall is a British migrant and labour rights activist who works in both Burma and Thailand. In 2013, Andy wrote a report detailing the abuses of migrant and child workers at the Thai fruit cannery, Natural Fruit Company. Almost immediately the company charged Andy with defamation. […]
As reported over the years, the ship breaking industry in South Asia is one of the most dangerous occupations for workers. Not surprisingly, it is also poorly unionised with governments and companies actively repressing attempts by workers to form genuine unions. While there are many international campaigns that highlight these […]
As reported previously, for over a decade workers in Iraq have been battling various governments to get better laws in relation to workers’ rights and the right to organise. Finally earlier this month, the Iraqi government passed a new labour law that guarantees workers the right to strike and to […]
As reported last week, Anton Marcus, the General Secretary of the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union was in Melbourne, Australia as part of a campaign for union rights for Ansell workers in Sri Lanka. The demonstration outside the headquarters of Ansell Australia was well attended by a […]
The slowing of the world’s economy and falling oil prices are starting to have an effect in oil rich countries in West Asia that host millions of migrant workers. While the brutal conditions that many of these workers have to endure, has been documented previously, the reality is that many […]
Ten days after the massive industrial explosions that killed more than 100 workers, it is becoming clear that this was not an unfortunate accident but the result of criminal negligence. Scores of untrained and casualised firefighters were sent in to deal with the original fires leading to the deaths of […]
Close to a 1,000 workers employed by the Australian company Ansell at the Biyagama Export Processing Zone in Sri Lanka went on strike in October 2013 for the right to form their own union. They are still fighting to establish their own union. Union representatives attempted to come to Melbourne, […]