Monthly Archives: February 2017

The lockout of 65 workers in the regional Victorian town of Echuca by the global dairy company Parmalat is now in its 7th week. The dispute is around a new contract and the company’s intentions to cut wages and conditions. Attacks like this on workers in Australia are becoming more […]

In commemoration of 100 years since the Russian Revolution that was sparked by International Women’s Day, for this year’s IWD Rally in Melbourne Australia, we’re raising the demand Peace, Bread and Land!  Additionally, Victoria Trades Hall is organising its annual Women’s Rights At Work Festival.  For details of WRAW Fest, […]

Once again Iranian labour activists are facing the repressive actions of the Iranian government as it tries to contain workers’ anger. This month, an appeal for a retrial of Esmail Abdi, a prominent teacher activist, was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Esmail is serving a 6 year sentence for organising […]

In a surprising and unexpected move, Somyot Prueksakasemsuk’s jail sentence was reduced by three years this week. While Thailand’s Supreme Court once again found Somyot guilty of Lese Majeste, it handed out a sentence of 7 years, which is in contrast to a lower court’s sentence of 10 years. Given […]

The arrest of Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Electronics’ Vice Chairman, on bribery charges is a small victory for the workers movement in South Korea. His arrest is connected to the political influence peddling scandal that, amid unprecedented mass protests, has forced the South Korean president Park Geun-hye to step aside. At […]

This week, the Australian industrial commission handed down a decision that will cut penalty rates for thousands of workers who work on a Sunday. The decision targeted workers in the hospitality, retail and fast food sectors, who are already some of the most exploited and lowest paid workers in Australia. […]

Earlier this month, the three month long dispute at the Faremo garment factory in the Cavite Free Trade Zone ended with an agreement between the company and the workers. The dispute centred on the company’s resolve to destroy the workers’ union and slash conditions. The workforce of around 1,000, mainly […]

Reports indicate that in the last few months, Saudi Arabia has expelled around 40,000 migrant workers from Pakistan. Using concerns around security issues, the Saudi Arabian government is expelling large numbers of migrant workers to curtail efforts at workplace organising. Many of these workers are still owed unpaid wages and […]

Australia’s national holiday, 26 January, is Invasion Day. It commemorates the start of the British invasion of Aboriginal Australia in 1788 and the dispossession and genocide of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. Indigenous people have resisted this from the beginning and their resistance continues today. Sovereignty has never been ceded, the land […]

A massive fire in the Cavite Export Processing Zone on February 1 has injured more than 100 workers with at least two in a critical condition. Luckily, so far no fatalities have been reported.  There is some dispute between Government official reports, and unionists, family members and co-workers about the […]