Monthly Archives: February 2018

Since the start of President Duterte’s ‘War on Drugs’ in 2016, it is now estimated that over 20,000 people have been murdered by police, paramilitary units or hit squads. Almost all the victims have been from working class communities in the Philippines. A reign of terror now grips millions of […]

Last week, five workers were killed and another 11 hospitalised when an explosion ripped through the inside of a ship in the area that they were working, in the southern city of Cochin. The incident is still under investigation but it is believed that a build-up of acetylene gas and […]

After almost 8 months of bitter dispute, the workers at the Haft Tapeh sugar complex in Shush, Iran, have managed to secure the payment in full of their wage arrears, dating back to July 2017. The tipping point in this struggle was the threat by the workers earlier this month […]

The war in Syria shows no signs of abating as new players and new battle fronts open up in a competition among regional players to increase their influence. At the border with Turkey, the battle for the Afrin region continues to rage, in the neighbouring province of Idlib constant bombardments […]

Last week, three journalists in Turkey were sentenced to life in prison over allegations of their involvement in the 2016 coup attempt. Their alleged crime was to have broadcast and printed ‘subliminal messages’ inciting people to overthrow the government. Three other people also received life sentences, while another journalist Deniz […]

Moeun Tola is a long-time activist on the side of the Cambodian working class. Tola, with two other activists, was recently charged with stealing funds in a clearly politically motivated attack to stifle opposition to the current Government. In a clear statement of support around the world, more than 30 […]

This week, the union movement in Australia lost one of its historical leaders in Zelda D’Aprano. Zelda was iconised in 1969 in a photograph showing her chained to the Commonwealth Building in protest against women receiving less pay than men. Zelda left school early so that she could work and […]

Earlier this month, Reza Shahabi, a member of the Tehran bus workers’ syndicate, was given a five day reprieve from his jail sentence in order to get proper medical care. Reza who has been imprisoned for his labour activities is in a bad state of health having suffered two strokes […]

This week in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, six workers of LGB Rolon, a large manufacturer of automobile chains, were arrested for taking industrial action. All these workers are leading members of the newly formed union at this manufacturing plant. The workers’ demands focused mainly on getting wage rises and securing permanent […]

Valentine’s Day was used by human rights activists and families in Sri Lanka to highlight once again the thousands of people who were disappeared during that country’s civil war. Over the last year especially, protests have become more intense as family members fear that as the years pass, the memory […]