As previously reported, Iraq and Syria have become theatres of death where imperialist, reactionary and fundamentalist groups are using warfare to carve out areas of influence, control and profit. In the small area of northern Syria, in and around the town of Kobane, the brutal and calculating results of these […]
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The Sedition Act in Malaysia was created in 1948 by the British colonial government to stifle pro-independence activities. After independence, use of this Act by the Malaysian government was not widespread because the Internal Security Act (ISA) was the preferred method of silencing critics. After much community pressure, the ISA […]
The use of detention and imprisonment by the Israeli occupation forces is a long-used tactic to harass, intimidate and weaken Palestinian resistance to the occupation. A new report highlights the extent of this policy, by reporting that there are over 7,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails, many of whom are sick, […]
All over the world, one of the ways that employers and the State keep women un-organised is through the use of sexual violence against them. A group of women workers in the industrial area of KBN Cakung in Jakarta are making a film, see trailer, as the next step in […]
This week another two polio workers were killed by a land mine while doing their job in the Alingar area in Tehsil Safi near the border with Afghanistan. While the rate of unionisation is low, workers in Pakistan nevertheless continue to organise for better wages and conditions. They also have […]
Following on from the successful global day of action in September for a new minimum wage of US$ 177/month, the companies and the Cambodian government are trying to stall the process. This week the government announced that the decision setting a new minimum wage was postponed to an unspecified later […]
As reported previously, most large ships in the world get taken to Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to be broken up. Workers are kept un-organised so that wages are low and health and safety standards extremely low, leading to many deaths and injuries. A new report by the NGO Shipbreaking Platform […]
Members of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) called a general strike on 29 September to demand direct elections and condemn violence against Occupy Central protesters. Several thousand workers heeded the strike call, including social workers, teachers and logistics workers for Swire Beverages (a Coca Cola distributor). Occupy […]
The Philippines subsidiary of Dutch IT multinational, Philips, tried to bust the union and avoid signing a collective agreement by firing 24 officials of Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines. Now 12 out of the 24 have won their jobs back, while the other 12 will be given a compensation […]
The new Modi government in India is intent on privatising state assets and using public-private partnerships to develop future infrastructure (listen to radio interview here). On 19 September an estimated half a million workers stopped work to protest the government’s plans to privatise the railways. The International Transport Federation has […]