[mobglob-discuss] The World of Labor (October 20, 2006)

[Gordon Flett]

The World of Labor (October 20, 2006)

By Harry Kelber

Mexican Union Files NAFTA Complaint Against N. Carolina

A Mexican union federation, the Authentic Labor Front, said on Oct . 17
that it will file a complaint under the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) against the state of North Carolina's ban on collective bargaining
for public employees. The filing will be the first time it has logged an
official complaint against a U.S, state, although it has used the NAFTA 
labor
provisions in the past to target alleged violations by private U.S. 
companies.

The United Electrical Workers, or UE, a union that has roughly 3,000 members
in North Carolina, asked the Mexican labor leaders to assist them in their
efforts to repeal a state law prohibiting state and local governments from
entering into collective bargaining deals with their employees. UE Director
of Organization Robert Kingsley told a news conference that the UE reached
out to a Mexican labor organization because North Carolina has a $6
billion trade relationship with Mexico and he believes unions' best chance
to negotiate with global corporations is to work across borders.

UE has had a strategic alliance with the Authentic Labor Front since 1992,
when both groups opposed NAFTA. In 1994, the UE aided the Mexican labor
group by filing a joint complaint about the anti-union practices of General
Electric at one of its factories in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

French Cafe Owners in Uproar Over 35-Hour Week Ruling

A French court ruling that the 35-hour work week must apply in hotels, bars
and restaurants triggered an uproar in the hospitality industry Oct. 19,
amid dire warnings that it will impoverish staff and jeopardize many
struggling businesses.

On that date, the country's highest administrative court 'the state
council' decided that a 2004 deal, under which 850,000 employees in hotels,
bars and restaurants can work 39 hours a week instead of 35, contravenes the
key reform of the last Socialist Party government. The decision left about
200,000 businesses in limbo, uncertain over the costs of implementing the
measure, as workers expressed fears that they will see their already
low-level incomes shrink still further.

For many cafe owners and restaurateurs, the ruling was a third blow,
coming on top of President Jacques Chirac's failure to win from the European
Union a cut to 5.5 percent of value-added tax, as well as an upcoming ban
on smoking in public places.

Greek Teachers Strike over Public Budget Cuts

Thousands of striking Greek teachers marched in Athens, the capital, to
demand pay increases, while civil servants have gone on a 24-hour strike.
They want the government to reverse its plan for public spending cuts in the
2007 budget.

The government is already under pressure from primary school teachers who
have been striking for a month. The industrial action comes ahead of
Sunday's municipal elections, seen as the first test for the government of
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis after his conservative New Democracy party
came to power in 2004. Education Minister Marietta Giannakou said the
government would not back down.

Athens' bus and train staff took part in the strike, leading to public
transport disruptions. Government offices and state banks shut down for the
day. The teachers' demonstration was supported by Greece's two main
unions, the General Federation of Greek Workers and the Public Servants
Union.

Hong Kong's Public Doctors Sign Overtime Deal

Hopes of ending a drawn-out dispute between the Hospital Authority and
public doctors have risen after the Authority said more than 80 percent of
doctors eligible for a compensation package have accepted it. Up to 6 p.m.
Oct. 18, the authority said 3.622 public doctors, or 84 percent, had
decided to accept the deal, while 36 doctors had rejected it

The package was decided after lengthy negotiations that followed a landmark
High Court judgment on March 1, in which it was ruled that the doctors
were entitled to cash compensation for "actual work" done on rest days and
statutory holidays, but not for just being on call.

Dr. Tam Tin-sang, who turned down the deal, said he was more concerned about
improving the general working environment for public doctors than haggling
over money. He threatened to take the case to the Labour Tribunal unless the
authority addressed his concerns.

200,000 Iranian Workers Are Unpaid for Months

"Close to 200,000 workers in 500 factories have not received any salary for
months," said Alireza Mahjoub, the secretary general of Iran's House of
Labour. "Some of these workers have been waiting for their wages for about
50 months," said Mahjoub, who is also a member of parliament.

Some 18.5 percent of Iran's 70 million population live under the poverty
line, according to Mahjoub. The Tehran MP also expressed concern over the
high inflation rate during the past few months, describing rising prices as
the "root of the current economic problems." Although Iranian officials put
the inflation rate at about 10 percent, unofficial sources estimate the
figure to have reached at least 20 percent.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reacted to the criticism by putting
the blame on "national and non-national media" for rising consumer prices.

Wal-Mart Must Pay Workers $78 Million

The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has been ordered to pay at least $78
million in compensation to workers who were forced to work during breaks. A
jury in a Pennsylvania court decided that Wal-Mart broke a state law by
refusing to pay staff for the extra work they did.

About 187,000 employees who worked for Wal-Mart between March 1997 and May
2006 brought the class action. The company said it was planning a "very
broad-ranging appeal."

A former employee, Dolores Hummel, who headed the case and who worked at
Wal-Mart for 10 years, estimated that she worked between eight and 12 hours
of unpaid labor each month.

Our two weekly columns (LaborTalk and The World of Labor) can be viewed at
ourWeb site: www.laboreducator.org