[Onthebarricades] Workers' protests, Asia, Apr-Aug 2008

[Andy]

ON THE BARRICADES:  Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/



*  IRAN:  Workers walk out at paper mill, hold sit-in

*  IRAN:  Textile workers protest in Kurdistan

*  IRAN:  Sugar cane workers protest in Khuzestan

*  PHILIPPINES:  Power workers warn of protests

*  PHILIPPINES:  Health workers protest merger

*  TURKEY:  Dockers strike over deaths

*  BAHRAIN:  Protests over dismissal of telecom workers

*  JORDAN:  Professional associations hold sit-in

*  PHILIPPINES:  Workers block road over salary arrears, management abuse

*  HONG KONG:  Foreign maids protest for more money

*  PHILIPPINES:  Council disrupted over privatisation of slaughterhouse

*  THAILAND:  Airline workers protest corruption

*  TAIWAN:  Media workers protest at party office

*  SRI LANKA:  Unions hold strikes and protests over pay

*  PHILIPPINES:  Insurance workers protest transfer of functions

*  PHILIPPINES:  Guard pulls gun at anti-corruption protest

*  PHILIPPINES:  Psychiatric tests for migrants protested

http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/5316/128/


Iran: More than 1,300 workers protest in Pars paper mill factory

Monday, 23 June 2008
NCRI - On Saturday morning, more than 1,300 Pars paper mill factory workers 
walked out and staged a sit-in outside the management office in the southern 
city of Shoosh. They were protesting to three months of their unpaid 
salaries and chanted slogans against the factory's management.
Mullahs' regime hand picked management in the factory cut out the power 
lines to the factory's facility which also houses the families of the 
striking workers. Considering the scorching heat of Khuzestan Province in 
the summer, the management tried to pressure the families to make the 
workers end their walkout.
Separately, on Saturday, the angry workers at Haft-Tapeh Sugar Cane Factory 
continued their strike by holding a demonstration outside the factory's 
management office in Shoosh.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Special Units moved in to 
prevent the workers from marching in the streets. Units of the IRGC were 
dispatched late last week to suppress the worker protests in Haft-Tapeh.
The mullahs' regime in its faltering state in fear of increasing popular 
uprisings by workers, students, women and youths has turned to more 
suppressive tactics.
The Iranian Resistance calls on labor organizations and unions and the 
International Labor Organization (ILO) in particular to condemn the 
anti-labor policies of the clerical regime and suppression of the workers in 
Iran.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
June 23, 2008

http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/5489/105/

Iran: More than 200 workers protest in Sanandaj

Monday, 11 August 2008
NCRI - This morning, more than 200 protesting workers of Zarbaft Textile 
Factory of Kurdistan gathered outside social security office in the western 
city of Sanandaj.
The participants demanded their unpaid salaries and benefits. The State 
Security Forces (SSF) - mullahs' suppressive police - fearing the spread of 
demonstration to other parts of the city cordoned the protesting workers.
"I have worked in the textile factory for 18 years. After all, I have to sit 
outside the factory and go home at the end of the day empty handed," said a 
worker at the gathering.
In the past year, it has been the workers who are facing pay cuts by the 
hand picked managements in the usually privatized factories. However, it is 
rapidly catching up with the other sectors of the Iranian work force.
Over past year thousands of workers went on strike over unpaid salaries in 
major Iranian factories such as Sugar Cane factory in the southern city of 
Shoosh, Iran Khodro and Kiyan-tire in suburban Tehran.

http://www.ncr-iran.org/content/view/5189/128/

Iran: Workers' protest in southern Iranian city

Tuesday, 06 May 2008
NCRI - On Tuesday workers of the state-owned Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company 
in southwestern Khuzistan province near the city of Shoush, staged a protest 
to demand their unpaid salaries and called for an end to the harassment of 
their co-workers.
More than 2,000 workers of the company demonstrated in front of its 
management offices. The protesters did not permit the company's deputy 
manager to enter his office.
In the past few days at least five labor activists who had participated in 
last years' protests have been summoned by Iranian regime's judiciary.
The workers sought the resignation of company's management and the official 
in charge of security, who is involved in harassing the workers.
According to striking workers of Haft Tappeh, the Iranian regime's Ministry 
of Information and security has dispatched plain cloth agents to prevent the 
spread of protest to the city.
The company's failure to pay wages, the management's decision to sell 
company lands and other properties as well as a threat to dismiss 2,000 out 
of the 5,000 employees, led to an extensive two-week strike late September 
and early October.
Over 3,000 of the workers marched out of the company premises and 
demonstrated in front of Shoush city governor's office, sometimes even 
blocking the road to the city.
The State Security Forces were dispatched to the area to contain the angry 
workers and there were clashes on several occasions. A number of workers' 
leaders were arrested. Some of them were wounded in clashes between 
protesters and government forces.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/cag/2008/05/29/news/full.blown.protest.in.the.offing.at.cepalco.html

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Full-blown protest in the offing at Cepalco
By Mark D. Francisco

THE workers' union of the local power utility Cepalco has warned of a 
full-blown protest if their demands for higher wages are not met.

Amor Sanchez, president of the nearly 200-member Cepalco Employees Labor 
Union (Celu), said they have no plans to hamper power services, but a drawn 
out dispute will force them to the picket lines.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

Celu declared a deadlock early this week, after both sides failed to agree 
on a fresh Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The union is asking for a 
P2,200 increase in monthly wages, among other benefits.

Marilyn Chavez, Cepalco corporate communications officer, said the company 
was optimistic in reaching a deal with Celu, and assured the unhampered 
delivery of electricity despite the labor row with its union.

Chavez said Cepalco was leaving the matter for the National Conciliation and 
Mediation Board (NCMB) to resolve.

"This has happened before and NCMB was able to settle the labor disputes 
between us and the union. We are confident it will be resolved soonest," she 
told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro in a phone interview.

Sanchez said a long-drawn labor dispute was the last thing that the workers 
want, but insisted on their demands, saying their demands are reasonable and 
within the company's capacity to address.

Celu filed Wednesday a notice of strike before NCMB, followed by an 
after-work "peace rally" outside the Cepalco compound in Chaves Street.

A full-blown protest, Sanchez said, is possible should the 
government-brokered negotiations fail.

For his part, Vice Mayor Vicente Emano appealed Wednesday for Celu not to 
disrupt the delivery of power services in its franchise areas.

Emano expressed concern that the labor row may jeopardize the operations of 
businesses in the city, which he said may result to losses.

"Dako nga perwisyo kung mawad-an sa sugang dagitabnon ang katawhan ug dako 
nga katalagman kung ang mga balay-patigayon ug mga paktorya dili makapadayon 
sa ilang mga negosyo," he pointed out.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080603-140504/Lung-Center-workers-protest-donation-to-NKTIA

Lung Center workers protest donation to NKTIA
By Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 15:43:00 06/03/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Workers of the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) 
on Tuesday staged a protest during their lunch break against the impending 
donation of a building and a piece of land owned by their institution to the 
National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI).
After a rally at the LCP, members of the Employees Association (LCPEA) and 
the Lung Center of the Philippines Nurses Association (LCPNA) marched to the 
NKTI to air their sentiments against a resolution of the Government-Owned 
and Controlled Corporation (GOCC) Hospital Board of Trustees ordering the 
LPC to give a building and 11,150 square meters of their land to the 
neighboring health institute.
They said they were willing to take their case to the Department of Health 
(DoH) and Malacañang.
"The DoH and Malacañang should be responsible enough to act on our issue," 
LCPEA president Emmanuel Asis said.
The LCPEA, in a position paper, said the transfer of the property is part of 
a plan for the "integration" of GOCC hospitals. It said this would threaten 
both the security of tenure of LCP employees as well as the welfare of its 
patients.
It said the property the LCP has been told to give was to be transformed 
into a ward for poor patients.
The group also claimed the hospital board has no jurisdiction over the LCP's 
121,463-square meter land since it was donated by the National Housing 
Authority.
They added that the LCP was created through a Presidential Decree 
deliberated by the Congress, thus any change or amendment to the institute 
must go through the same process.
The LCP workers also questioned the NKTI's authority to use two of the LCP 
building's wings since this was done only through a verbal instruction from 
former First Lady Imelda Marcos.
They added that the NKTI owes the LCP P4 billion in rent, but which the 
board of trustees allegedly reduced to P300 million.
LCPEA pointed out that their institution has just begun recovering from a 
fire that struck in 1998 while the NKTI has been earning over the past year 
but has continuously failed to provide its employees proper benefits.
Instead of taking the LCP building and land, the NKTI should instead pay its 
debts to augment the budget for LCP patients.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=106816

Workers to go on strike in protest to deaths
Tuesday, June 10, 2008

SHIPYARD: After the last death on Sunday, unions and workers call for a 
strike.TDN photo, Hasan Altinisik

  One of the major unions in Turkey's shipping industry yesterday protested 
the death of another worker in a shipyard in Tuzla on Sunday and announced 
that the union will go on strike against work-related accidents on June 16, 
the Anatolia news agency reported.
    Education institutions are set to get involved in the issue as well, to 
find solutions to ongoing deaths in shipyards. Ihsan Turan, 35, who worked 
in Selahattin Aslan shipyards, was injured severely as a damper fell on him 
Sunday. He received first aid at the shipyard and was then taken to the 
Tuzla State Hospital in an ambulance but did not survive. The number of 
deaths has increased to 25 in the last 11 months.
  "Workers for the first time go to strike to not die," said Cem Dinç, the 
head of the Port, Shipyard, Ship Construction and Repair Workers Trade 
Union, or Limter Is. Shipyard workers should not work Sundays according to 
the law regulating heavy industry, said Dinç. "Although Sunday is the day of 
compulsory holiday, we work on Saturdays and Sundays too. If the regulations 
were implemented, Ihsan Turan would be with us today," he said.
  The deaths in Tuzla shipyards cannot be stopped despite inspections by 
officials and the closure of some shipyards. The Selah Shipyard in 
Istanbul's Tuzla region was shut down after an increase in deaths among 
workers due to work-related accidents. Many people were critical as the 
shipyard reopened on May 26 after being shut down for only six days. Since 
two workers died due to accidents in Selah Shipyard within the space of 
eight days in May, the six days of closure have been criticized as too short 
period to make the necessary changes. Meanwhile, self-imposed controls in 
shipyards will be increased, said Metin Kalkavan, the head of Sea Commerce 
Chamber, adding that new standards will be determined for the shipyards as 
well, the CNN-Türk news site reported. Calling the work-related deaths a 
complete coincidence and unluckiness, Kalkavan said the [fatal accident] 
rates are not above the world average. "We left it a little bit uncontrolled 
too. But we can issue fines from now on," he said. On June 12, Istanbul Sea 
Commerce Chamber will organize a wide-ranging meeting about the issue.
  Searching for solutions abroad
  As deaths due to work-related accidents continue to occur in shipyards, a 
joint commission of Turk Loydu, a classification and certification society 
of the shipping sector, Istanbul Technical University Ship Building and 
Maritime Faculty and Piri Reis University will prepare a report on countries 
that succeeded in decreasing the number of deaths in shipyards, business 
daily Referans reported. Professor Yücel Odabasi, the honorary head of Turk 
Loydu, is at the same time the head of the commission established with 
contribution from the Sea Commerce Chamber.
  The commission will first examine the case in Turkey and then compare the 
situation with shipyards in the world, where deaths were common in past 
years, but by implementing measures, the death rates were reduced. The 
commission will prepare reports at the end of their examinations and present 
them to shipyard owners and advise solutions, said professor Osman Kamil 
Sag, the rector of Piri Reis University. The commission will examine 
shipyards in the United States. Sag stated they could also evaluate the 
invitation of Jurong Shipyard in Singapore. Piri Reis University will 
attempt to educate workers as well, Sag said. The project will be effective 
together with other measure they would take, added Kalkavan. "We are going 
to examine the shipyards in other countries as we believe that this would 
contribute to reduce the number of deaths," Kalkavan said.


http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=150588

Workers protest fatal accidents at Tuzla shipyards

A group of shipyard workers marched against work-related accidents at Tuzla 
shipyards yesterday.
A group of workers has protested the series of fatal work-related accidents 
at shipyards in Istanbul's Tuzla district, where most recently three workers 
were killed while testing out a lifeboat.

Approximately 200 workers walked from Taksim Square to Galatasaray in 
Istanbul on Sunday with a coffin to protest the deaths of the three workers 
on Aug. 11 during a lifeboat test and the numerous other work-related deaths 
that have occurred in Tuzla.
Their signs read "We no longer want to die," "Shipyard workers not slaves," 
"Safety measures for dangerous work should be implemented" and "Contractor 
system should be abolished."
Meanwhile, four people, including a woman holding a sign on the Bosporus 
Bridge saying "End murders at shipyards," were detained Sunday as they 
attempted to block traffic on the bridge.
In a lifeboat freefall test on a tanker that had recently been built at 
Tuzla's Gisan shipyard, 16 workers were placed on the lifeboat while it was 
lowered to the water. But one of the cables supporting the lifeboat snapped 
and the boat crashed into the tanker, killing Ramazan Ergün, Ramazan 
Çetinkaya and Emrah Varol and injuring the rest. A prosecutor has launched 
an investigation into the accident while the Labor and Social Security 
Ministry appointed an inspector to investigate it.
Several workers at other shipyards in Tuzla claimed that refusing to take 
part in such tests is considered by their employers as reason for dismissal. 
Mehmet Oyar, founder of the Gisan shipyard, said his staff take precautions 
but "accidents happen." He noted that he has been in the shipyard business 
for 48 years and has never seen sandbags placed in the lifeboats for 
testing, as some claim should have been done instead of using people.
"Accidents occur because employers are uninformed," he was quoted by 
NTV-MSNBC as saying. The Gisan shipyard resumed operations only two days 
after three of its workers were killed during the lifeboat test. The 
accident of the three workers took place shortly after a parliamentary 
commission investigating industrial accidents indicated that most shipyards 
disregard safety regulations and force their employees to work in unsafe 
conditions. More than two dozen workers have died this year at the Tuzla 
shipyards.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080805/world/bahrain_labour_media_protest

Bahrain state broadcast staff in pay protest
Module body
Tue Aug 5, 1:32 PM

MANAMA (AFP) - Some 150 staff of Bahrain's state-run television and radio 
staged a sit-in on Tuesday to demand pay increases and a halt to cuts in 
overtime payments.
The protesters, who rallied for two hours at the information ministry 
compound in Issa Town, south of the capital Manama, "are demanding a halt to 
all measures related to overtime, the reshuffling of jobs and compensation 
until a new organisational structure is approved," an organiser told AFP.
"The employees are also demanding a wage hike and the payment of 
compensation for certain jobs as well as for their recalling (from holiday). 
They also want to discuss overtime and regular working hours," he said.
The protesters have been angered by measures introduced by the new head of 
state radio and television, Ahmad Najm, who has imposed limits on overtime 
hours and moved some employees from their jobs.
"We notified the (information) ministry undersecretary and the executive 
president of the radio and television authority during the sit-in that we 
expect a response to our demands next week, and that if a response is not 
forthcoming or is negative, we will stage another sit-in," the protest 
organiser said.
In remarks published by the Al-Waqt newspaper on Tuesday, Najm defended the 
measures, saying he had not taken charge in order to "deprive people of 
their livelihoods" but in order to reorganise the state broadcast authority, 
which he said had suffered from "mismanagement."

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011409866

Unionists and Families March In Protest Against Dismissal Of Bahraini 
Workers
ShareThis
June 27, 2008 10:34 p.m. EST

Sandeep Singh Grewal - AHN Middle East Correspondent
Manama, Bahrain (AHN) - Sacked unionists, families, political groups, 
physically challenged and even children protested peacefully as they marched 
on Friday in the heart of capital. In a show of solidarity, over 500 people 
came out in the intense summer heat to support the sacked 44 Bahrain 
Telecommunication Company (Batelco) workers. The national march was 
organized by the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) and 
backed by political parties such as the Al Wefaq National Islamic Society 
and the National Democratic Action Society.
The march comes in the wake of the firing of 44 Bahraini workers who include 
10 women. The Batelco Trade Union (BTU) and company management are at 
loggerheads over a retirement scheme. The union claims they are pushing for 
voluntary early retirement (VER) but the company is implementing an employee 
redeployment program (ERP).
Karim Radhi, GFBTU general assistant secretary of activities and projects, 
told AHN during the protest that workers were insecure as they feared they 
could also lose their jobs.
"Workers whether Bahraini or non-Bahraini feel they could have the same fate 
like the Batelco workers. We will take our protest to another level and this 
march aims to send the right message to the authorities."
Since the open market policy adopted by the government, several 
telecommunication companies have entered the market, breaking the monopoly 
Batelco has enjoyed for years. It provides mobile services, broadband 
internet and other services to its customers in Bahrain, the Middle East and 
North African countries.
Women joined hands with unionists as they wore red ribbons and carried 
banners protesting the unfair dismissal of unionists. "NO to dismissal YES 
to right to work," "NO to hire and fire law YES to job security," "Batelco 
Boycottelco" read some of the banners.
Protestors peacefully marched about two kilometers from the Ras Ruman mosque 
to Bab Al Bahrain in the downtown of this capital city. The hour-long 
demonstration ended in front of the Batelco building.
Shaikh Ali Salman, of Al Wefaq bloc (Conservative Shia), led the march.
He told AHN, "Batelco is generating profit, they should be hiring more 
Bahrainis rather than sacking them. I am against the Batelco decision to 
sack Bahraini workers which has affected their families."
There have been several protests against the national telecom company by 
unionists this month. The workers have already announced a red ribbon 
protest and threat to fast. A switchoff protest organised by unionists and 
BTU on Thursday urged customers to switch off their phones for an hour.
Friday's protest could be seen as the first step of a total boycott of 
products and services. GFBTU Chief Salman Mahfoodh said, "We have formed a 
committee in the federation which is studying on the possibility of boycott 
Batelco's product and services. We have already received support from unions 
in Jordan and Yemen against the sackings."
The General Federation of Yemen Worker's Trade Union (GFYTU) is calling upon 
the United Nations and international unions to pressure Batelco to reinstate 
the sacked Bahraini workers. The case of the Batelco workers was taken up 
recently at the International Labor Organization (ILO) Conference held in 
Geneva this month.
Batelco said in a statement the decision to end the services of their 44 
employees "was not taken haphazardly."
A statement from the Batelco Corporate Affairs Department stated the company 
introduced the ERP on a voluntary basis for one month. It said none of the 
concerned 44 staff applied for the ERP during the allowed period.
"The staff was officially approached in October 2007 to explain them ERP 
details. They were informed if they couldn't find alternative suitable 
positions during a specified three month period, they would have to accept 
the package offered by the company," the company statement said.
Batelco aims to double its users in Jordan to 2.4 million, and more than 
triple numbers in Yemen to 5 million from 1.6 million. In Bahrain, which has 
a population of 1.05 million, the company aims to raise its users from 42 
per cent to 1 million.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080627/world/bahrain_strike_demo_telecom

Bahrainis protest dismissal of 44 telecom workers
Module body
Fri Jun 27, 3:03 PM

MANAMA (AFP) - Hundreds of Bahraini workers and activists demonstrated 
Friday protesting the laying off of 44 employees from the leading mobile 
telephone operator Batelco.
The federation of Bahrain trade unions which led the demonstration called on 
mobile phone users to boycott the mostly government-owned company for two 
hours on Sunday by not using their phones.
"This step will be a warning to the company," the head of the federation, 
Sayyed Salman Mahfouz, told participants who gathered outside Batelco 
offices after marching through streets of Manama.
The demonstrators urged Batelco to reinstate the workers, slamming what they 
described as forced retirement.
"The labour union demands the reinstatement of the 44 dismissed workers... 
It demands an end to forced retirement and setting up a programme for 
voluntary retirement," Mahfouz told AFP.
The workers have apparently been made redundant under an early retirement 
scheme. They received letters telling them that their last day at work will 
be June 29, union officials said.
The government and individual shareholders hold 80 percent of Batelco, while 
British company Cable and Wireless holds the remaining shares.

http://www.jordantimes.com/?news=9140

Five associations to go ahead with planned protest

By Hani Hazaimeh
AMMAN - Representatives of five professional associations have decided to go 
ahead with their planned sit-in on Tuesday.
Last month, members of the veterinary, press, pharmacists, agricultural 
engineers and geologists associations staged a protest in front the 
Agriculture Ministry to urge the government to increase their professional 
allowances from 120 to 150 per cent.
Jordan Agricultural Engineers Association (JAEA) President Abdul Hadi 
Falahat told The Jordan Times on Sunday that their decision to proceed with 
the protest was taken after they did not receive any positive response from 
the government.
Although Finance Minister Hamad Kasasbeh announced that the associations' 
demand will be considered in the 2009 state budget, Falahat said it was not 
enough or convincing for the associations to call off the protest.
"We want the government to make a decision in writing to increase the 
association members' professional allowance from 120 per cent to 150 per 
cent," he added.
Falahat said the one-hour sit-in will be conducted in the Kingdom's 12 
governorates from 2:30pm-3:30pm in front of each governorate's headquarters.
He said if the government continues to turn a deaf ear to their demand, the 
associations will call on their members to stage a sit-in on August 5 in 
front of the Prime Ministry.
Falahat noted that presidents the of the five associations will take part in 
tomorrow's sit-in.

7 July 2008

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=44321
Published On: 2008-07-05
Metropolitan
RMG workers protest delay in salary payment
Staff Correspondent

Several hundred workers of a garment factory in the city's Rampura area 
staged a demonstration blocking the busy DIT Road to protest the delay in 
payment of their salary and misbehaviour of factory officials.

Witnesses said the agitated workers of Megastar Apparels took to the streets 
at around 8:30am. They staged a demonstration and blocked the DIT Road for 
around one hour. Commuters had to suffer a lot as hundreds of vehicles got 
stranded on the road.

Khilgaon police said the workers first staged a demonstration inside the 
factory and later they came out to the road.

The workers demanded the factory authorities pay their salary within seven 
days of the month, they added.

The police further said that the authorities later agreed to meet the demand 
of the workers.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/218647,foreign-maids-in-hong-kong-stage-protest-to-demand-more.html

Foreign maids in Hong Kong stage protest to demand more money
Posted : Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:02:05 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Asia (World)

Hong Kong - Around 200 foreign maids working in Hong Kong staged a protest 
Sunday to demand a bigger pay rise after the government increased their pay 
by 12.8 US dollars a month. Shouting slogans and holding up placards, they 
described the annual pay rise as inadequate and called for a minimum wage of 
at least 500 US dollars a month at the rally in central Hong Kong.
The pay rise announced last week increases the minimum pay for foreign 
live-in maids in the wealthy former British colony, most of them from the 
Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, to 458 US dollars a month.
The move was welcomed by the Philippines consul general to Hong Kong 
Alejandrino Vicente who said it would help workers cope with rising living 
costs.
However, groups representing the maids say the pay rise is too little after 
the women had their pay slashed by 51 US dollars a month in 2003 to help 
employers cope with the crisis caused by the outbreak of the respiratory 
illness SARS.
After a similar small increase in pay rates last year, overseas maids in 
Hong Kong are currently paid around 12 US dollars a month less than they 
were before the SARS crisis.
A spokeswoman for Sunday's protestors said demonstrations would continue 
until maids were paid at least 500 US dollars a month to keep pace with 
inflation in the wealthy city of 6.9 million.
"We will continue with our demands," the spokeswoman said. "We will never 
stop until we get a significant increase. The government gives us a 
piecemeal amount every year despite rising inflation."
Last week's rise in minimum pay only applies to new contracts between 
employers and maids, which are usually signed for periods of two years.
More than 200,000 foreign women work as live-in maids for working Hong Kong 
families, doing housework and child care duties.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080714-148329/Commotion-at-Manila-city-hall-as-abattoir-workers-protest

Commotion at Manila city hall as abattoir workers protest

INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:07:00 07/14/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) A commotion broke out at the Manila city 
hall during a protest by what police estimated are 200 workers of the Vitas 
Slaughterhouse in Tondo, Manila, a government owned facility leased to a 
private concessionaire, Dealco Farms Inc., in 2001.
Dealco stands for Delfin Alcoreza, father of Manila Councilor Dennis 
Alcoreza.
The workers say they fear for their jobs after the city government took over 
the slaughterhouse last Friday for alleged violations of the lease contract 
and failure to pay taxes.
During the takeover, Councilor Alcoreza was dragged out of the building 
after adamantly refusing to turn over the facility.
In a bid to pacify the protesters, Manila police chief Roberto Rosales said 
Mayor Alfredo Lim's chief of staff, Ricardo de Guzman, informed him that the 
city government has vowed to absorb the 600 employees of Dealco Farms Inc., 
most of them residents of Tondo.
After the announcement, the protesters were allowed to hold a program at the 
Bonifacio Shrine Freedom Park.
But in a press conference, Lim said the protesters must settle their 
concerns with their employer and not the city government.
"They [employees] are Dealco's responsibility," Lim said.
He added that they will reinstate former employees of the Vitas 
Slaughterhouse who were reassigned to the Manila North Cemetery after the 
facility was leased in 2001.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/100708_News/10Jul2008_news14.php

Staff protest, allege management graft
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

Many allegations of corruption involving the management of Thai Airways 
International (THAI) were made at the airline's headquarters yesterday, 
including in the purchase of new aircraft.
A group of about 20 THAI engineers rallied at the airline's headquarters on 
Vibhavadi Rangsit road just before its board meeting.
They criticised board chairman Chaisawat Kittipornpaiboon for overruling the 
resolution by other board members to suspend airline president Apinan 
Sumanaseni on June 26 to allow a corruption investigation.
The engineers also criticised the THAI labour union for failing to examine 
corruption allegations surrounding the airline president.
Then THAI shareholder Prasert Lertyaso showed up and complained that the 
management's decision to buy eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft violated a 
cabinet resolution that the national airline should lease them.
He said the purchase decision could affect the financial liquidity of the 
airline.
He also complained that the THAI management opted to buy Rolls-Royce jet 
engines for six Airbus A380 aircraft and eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft 
instead of the board's choice of GE engines that THAI engineers could 
maintain.
The deal with Rolls-Royce required that THAI have those engines maintained 
in Hong Kong or Singapore, he said.
Mr Prasert also claimed the THAI management rented 45 hotel rooms for its 
crew in Australia although the number should be capped at 35 rooms.
The shareholder demanded the THAI board explain why Mr Apinan was not 
suspended as it had initially resolved.
Another group of THAI staff members showed up at the Transport Ministry in 
the afternoon to demand Minister Santi Promphat refrain from interfering 
with the decisions of the board.
The group claimed that most board members had decided to remove Mr Apinan 
but the minister intervened and influenced the board to reinstate him.
Mr Santi later denied he had meddled in the decision.
It was reported the THAI board yesterday confirmed its approval for the 
airline's plan to buy 20 Airbus A320 aircraft and ordered the management to 
review its 10-year corporate plan because of the radical changes in fuel 
prices.

http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=94582

TAIWAN: CTV union stages protest outside KMT headquarters
Union members blame KMT for selling CTV to Jungli Investment Co., who plan 
to cancel the network's 15-year early retirement program
Taipei Times
Thursday, July 10, 2008
By Mo Yan-chih
In response to China Television Co's plan to cancel its early retirement 
program, a group of CTV union members yesterday staged a protest in front of 
the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) headquarters, urging the former owner 
of the company to assist CTV workers in negotiations with the company.
Chanting "Ma Ying-jeou assumes office, we become unemployed" in front of the 
building, CTV union members blamed CTV's decision to cancel the retirement 
program on the KMT for selling the company.
"The union voted for President Ma during the presidential election, but the 
KMT has not promised us anything or offered any help. Ma has cheated us of 
our votes," said a union member, who asked to remain anonymous.
The KMT-owned Central Investment Co sold Broadcasting Corporation of China, 
Central Motion Picture Co and China Television Co to China Times Group 
subsidiary Jungli Investment Co in 2005 for NT$9.3 billion (US$280.7 
million).
The transaction was facilitated by Hua Hsia, an investment firm owned by the 
KMT, and the relationship between Jungli Investment Co and Hua Hsia 
Investment Holding Co has led some to question whether the two companies and 
the KMT are still working together.
CTV is planning to cancel its 15-year early retirement program and return to 
a standard retirement plan under the regulations of the Labor Standards Act. 
The law stipulates that employees must have worked at the same company for 
more than 25 years, or be more than 55 years old and have worked for 15 
years, in order to retire and receive a full pension.
The change would affect more than 200 employees at CTV if implemented.
The CTV plan follows recent layoffs at Chinese-language newspaper the China 
Times, with the China Times Group claiming that financial considerations 
forced it to cut the size of the newspaper.
KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi later appeared and received the union's 
statement on behalf of KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung, but did not offer any 
promises.
"The KMT is facing a difficult financial situation, too... But we will let 
the Presidential Office know about your situation," he said.
KMT Central Standing Committee member Yao Chiang-lin later promised the 
union that he would make sure their voices were heard.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/sril-j22.shtml

Sri Lankan unions call for further strikes and protests over pay
By W.A. Sunil
22 July 2008
Despite a relatively low turnout for a one-day general strike on July 10, 
Sri Lankan trade unions are calling for further action in support of their 
demands for a 5,000-rupee rise in monthly pay, cost-of-living allowances and 
reduced railway and bus fares.
Tens of thousands of public sector employees including in the hospitals, 
railways, the Government Press, Government Factory, Ceylon Transport Board 
and Ceylon Electricity Board, as well as teachers and plantation workers, 
took part in the July 10 strike.
The limited character of the stoppage was not due to a lack of support for 
the demands-broad layers of working people have been hit by soaring 
inflation of more than 30 percent. Rather there is a widespread lack of 
confidence in the unions, which have repeatedly caved in to the government 
over the past two years.
Prior to the strike, President Mahinda Rajapakse summarily rejected the pay 
demands, declaring that any rises would undermine the war against the 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He accused the trade unions and 
workers of engaging in strikes to help the "Tiger terrorists".
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), whose National Trade Union Centre 
(NTUC) spearheaded the strike, fully backs Rajapakse's renewed communal war. 
Far from calling for an end to the war, the NTUC leaders insisted that the 
strike would not disrupt the war effort. They called no rallies or protests 
on July 10.
Following a union meeting on July 16, NTUC leader K. D. Lalkantha, who is 
also a JVP parliamentarian, announced a further three-day strike to force 
the government to grant the 5,000-rupee rise. Lalkantha indicated that the 
NTUC would approach other unions to participate. No date has been fixed.
A leaflet issued by the NTUC pledged "to continue the struggle until we get 
complete victory". Clutching at straws, it listed a series of empty 
government promises, and in some cases rumours, as "gains". These included a 
government offer, prior to the stoppage, of a small 625-rupee allowance and 
another "promise" to lift private sector wages by between 15 and 45 percent. 
No private employers have agreed to any increase.
Irida Lakbima reported on July 13 that a presidential secretariat official 
said the government would give 2,000-rupee wage increase in its November 
budget. Despite the lack of any official confirmation, the NTUC listed the 
rise as another gain for strikers.
All this bluster about "victories achieved" and "struggle to the end" is to 
obscure the fact that the NTUC is desperate for a face-saving deal to put an 
end to the campaign. The decision to call the strike was not in response to 
the increasingly desperate situation facing workers, but to bolster the JVP's 
declining support in urban and rural areas.
While the JVP proclaims its sympathy for working people, its MPs voted last 
November for the government's war budget, which included a record 166 
billion rupees for defence at the expense of the jobs and wages of its 
employees, and cutbacks for welfare, education and health.
A trade union alliance known as the "August 4 movement" has also called for 
further action in support of the pay demands. The grouping includes the 
Health Services Trade Union Alliance, as well as several other public sector 
unions, including several associated with middle class radical outfits such 
as the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP).
At a meeting on July 19, these unions called for a day of protest on 
September 9 and again on October 7. Far from challenging the NTUC 
perspective, the NSSP is promoting the dangerous illusion that the JVP is 
being pressured by the masses to wage a genuine struggle for their interests 
and against the war. Their only criticism of the NTUC was that it had failed 
to collaborate closely enough with their alliance and unions associated with 
the main opposition party-the right-wing United National Party (UNP).
While posturing as opponents of the war, the NSSP issues futile appeals to 
the Rajapakse government to reenter peace talks with the LTTE as the means 
of ending the conflict. Rajapakse, however, was directly responsible for 
destroying the so-called peace process, sponsored by the major powers, when 
he plunged the country back to war in July 2006 and tore up the 2002 
ceasefire this January.
Following the strike, the government has again made clear that it has no 
intention of backing down. Far from paying higher wages to public sector 
employees, it is looking for more money for its communal war. Government 
defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told Reuters just before the strike 
that the government would need an extra 50 billion rupees this year for the 
military.
President Rajapakse has ratcheted up the pressure on the unions by 
effectively denouncing them as traitors. At a meeting with provincial 
councillors on July 11, he declared that the strike was "organised by 
reactionary indigenous and alien conspirators, at a decisive moment for the 
Motherland". He hailed the low turnout as proof that workers had done their 
patriotic duty in "thwarting the strike".
Addressing the Federation of Self-Employees on July 14, the president said: 
"The LTTE must be crushed militarily. The government has brought down the 
LTTE from a fighting force to the level of useless rhetoric. However, the 
strikes in the south give the terrorists a breathing space." Directly 
referring to the July 10 strike, he declared menacingly that "this is the 
first time in Sri Lanka certain anti-government elements got together with 
the LTTE to destabilise the south".
The government is preparing to step up its campaign of intimidation against 
workers. On the eve of the strike, it directed officials to collect 
information and take disciplinary action against the workers who went on 
strike the following day. Explanations were to be demanded from permanent 
employees and casual employees dismissed if they were unable to give 
acceptable reasons for their "absence" on July 10.
In public hospitals, most non-medical staff went on strike. The government 
deployed personnel from the security forces to carry out work in several 
hospitals. Letters demanding a formal explanation have now been sent to 
employees in the medical supply department and health education bureau. 
Teachers, rail workers and other transport workers also report that 
officials are compiling details of those who went on strike. At the Ceylon 
Transport Board, security officers have been directed to take statements 
from strikers.
Workers have reacted angrily to the threats of victimisation. On July 14, 
several hundred health workers from government hospitals, including Colombo 
National, Kalubowila and Kandy hospitals, held a lunchtime demonstration in 
protest.
A worker from Kalubowila hospital told the WSWS: "Prior to the strike, the 
government attempted to intimidate workers. On strike day, provincial 
government politicians came here with their thugs and threatened us. The 
government also deployed security personnel to do the work of strikers.
"When we ask for a salary hike, the government says it cannot grant demands 
because it has to finance the war. However, there is no such limit regarding 
politicians and high officials. How many years has this war been going on? 
You cannot see an end of this war under capitalist governments.
"Workers must fight for their rights. However, the trade union leaders have 
no proper program. They were unable to mobilise the full strength of workers 
for the strike. Now the government is seeking to take advantage."
If the campaign is left in the hands of the unions, its outcome is a forgone 
conclusion. The NTUC and JVP, which have repeatedly declared that the war is 
the first priority, will buckle to government pressure, with the "August 4 
movement" trailing along behind as their left apologists.
We encourage all workers to seriously consider the political issues raised 
by the Socialist Equality Party statement entitled "A socialist program to 
fight for wages and conditions", which establishes the basis for the 
independent mobilisation of the working class against the war and deepening 
economic crisis.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/metro/view/20080725-150552/Insurance-workers-protest-GSIS-proposal

Insurance workers protest GSIS proposal
By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:16:00 07/25/2008
MANILA, Philippines - More than 3,000 agents and employees of insurance 
companies picketed Thursday the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Quezon 
City to protest a plan giving the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) 
control of the vehicle insurance system in the country.
The Bukluran ng mga Manggagawang Umaasa sa Industriya ng Seguro (BMIS) and 
Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (Pira) called for the 
resignation of GSIS president Winston Garcia and LTO chief Alberto Suansing.
Malou Pilar, BMIS-Pasay chapter spokesperson, claimed Garcia's plan would 
displace more than 60,000 workers and deprive more than one million 
Filipinos, who benefit from the CTPL insurance industry, of their 
livelihood.
Garcia claimed the government was losing some P2 billion a year from fake 
CTPL policies.
He also alleged a cartel of nine non-life insurance firms monopolized the 
CTPL business.
Wearing white T-shirts printed with the words "No to GSIS-DOTC Monopoly," 
the protesters accused Garcia and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza 
of collusion to monopolize the issuance of Compulsory Third Party Liability 
(CTPL) insurance policies to vehicle owners.
The mid-morning rally that ended at noon snarled traffic along East Avenue 
in Barangay Pinyahan.
But motorists affected by the slowdown blew their horns to show support for 
the protesters.
"Ganid talaga yang si Garcia," a driver of a passenger jeepney shouted.
Protesters said the plan of the GSIS, a state-run pension fund, was 
unconstitutional as it would legalize the monopoly of the multi-billion CTPL 
insurance industry.
They appealed to President Macapagal-Arroyo to help resolve the issue and 
stop the GSIS from taking over the CTPL business.
"The President said during her last Sona (State of the Nation Address) that 
she wanted to provide jobs for poor Filipinos like us. But, in reality, her 
government is doing the opposite," said Pilar.
She added: "The plan of GSIS to monopolize the issuance of CTPL will 
definitely kill poor workers like us. It's an anti-people policy."
The LTO requires a CTPL insurance policy before an owner can register his 
vehicle to ensure there are funds to cover damages resulting from the use of 
the vehicle.
Under the present system, motorists can choose from any non-life insurance 
company offering a CTPL policy.
Garcia said the GSIS-proposed system would ensure that motorists would not 
get bogus insurance policies.
Pira officials denied Garcia's allegations, saying reforms implemented by 
insurance companies and the LTO made it impossible for anybody to falsify 
CTPL policies.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/08/15/news/masked.protesters.prompted.display.of.shotgun.html

Friday, August 15, 2008
Masked protesters prompted display of shotgun

THE anti-graft office is "inviting" union members to file a complaint if 
they are aggrieved by how Mayor Tomas Osmeña, with an open-holstered 
sidearm, faced their picket in downtown Cebu City.

"It is better if somebody actually comes out and files a complaint," Deputy 
Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol said in an interview over dyLA. The anti-graft 
office is authorized to begin investigations even in the absence of 
complaints.

The mayor confronted a picket line outside the Gaisano South last Wednesday 
morning, carrying a Glock 9mm compact pistol. The Associated Labor 
Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) has complained 
about his "Rambo-like attitude."

At City Hall, Osmeña said he anticipated lawsuits from the Associated Labor 
Union (ALU), but it won't stop him from doing his job and responding to 
calls for help from Gaisano management and their employees who were harassed 
last Wednesday.

The mayor admitted getting a shotgun from his car when he saw the number of 
protesters he was up against. He also admitted having a pistol with him but 
said he never pulled it out from its holster, clipped on the right side of 
his waistband.

He denied pushing any of the protesters.

The firearms, he said, were intended for self-defense, especially because 
only two policemen were present at that time.

"What alarmed me was the sight of a mass demonstration where many were 
wearing masks. And I don't believe in being another martyr. I had to protect 
myself because I was outnumbered, 30 to one. But I never pulled out the 
pistol. It's standard police procedure to hold the pistol with your right 
hand so you can easily pull it out when you're attacked," he said.

Capitol security consultant Byron Garcia criticized the mayor for his move, 
saying it was "cowardly" that he wielded a gun when he confronted the 
workers.

Legitimate

The Capitol consultant said the picket was legitimate since they were merely 
airing their grievances against their employer, and the mayor is supposed to 
mediate in the conflict, and not to intimidate them.

Osmeña, however, explained that without using force, he asked the protesting 
workers to move back.

When asked if he would want to mediate between the management and ALU, 
Osmeña said he would not do so after seeing the protesting workers' 
insincerity when they wore masks during the strike.

Meanwhile, Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr. met with the Cebu City Tripartite 
Industrial Peace Council to discuss how they can resolve the row between the 
management and the workers.

"This is a very complicated matter because apparently there are problems 
with the unions. There are two unions that claim to be the bargaining unit. 
Even Dole and NCMB (the National Conciliation and Mediation Board) can't 
determine who the legitimate union is, so we have to find out before we take 
the next step," Rama told Sun.Star Cebu.

Word of last Wednesday's incident reached the anti-graft office, and Apostol 
invited "any aggrieved party" to come to his office and make a statement.

Nobody came.

'Get out'

In the case involving the protesting union members, the mayor said he was 
merely "establishing his presence" because "the workers were rowdy."

"If the mayor is enforcing the law and carrying a gun, he is actually just 
doing his job," said a lawyer at the anti-graft office, who asked not to be 
named.

The protesters said that the mayor pushed two of them while trying to 
disperse the crowd.

"Nakalitan mi sa iya. Nakuyawan pud mi kay gi-ingnan mi nga 'Get out, get 
out,'" said Sylvie Osabel, president of the Independent Labor Association of 
Workers, ALU-TUCP.

Osabel told Sun.Star Cebu that the mayor pulled a scarf off Janete 
Morandarte's face and pushed her to the side while she held her placard.

"Si Janette nagpabilin lang sad siya og barog bisag nabira na iyang scarf. 
Dayun niingon siya ngadto ni mayor, 'Mayor man unta ka, nganong nag 
apil-apil man ka?' (Janette didn't budge, but instead told Osmeña he had no 
business being there)," said Osabel.

While Osabel understood why Osmeña wanted the picket to stop, it was the way 
he did it that she didn't like, she added. (KNR/LCR/EPB/GMD)

http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/aug/24/yehey/top_stories/20080824top4.html

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Protests mount vs. psychiatric tests plan for Pinay domestics

Former Senator Ernesto F. Herrera, General Secretary of the Trade Union 
Council of the Philippines (TUCP), on Saturday August 23 added the voice of 
his federation of unions to the growing clamor against the proposal made by 
a foreign affairs department undersecretary in charge of migrant workers to 
give psychiatric tests to Filipina domestic workers.
DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Esteban Conejos Jr. proposed the 
mandatory psychiatric testing of women aspiring to work abroad as domestic 
workers. He wants all DH-to-be to first pass a mandatory psychiatric test 
before they may qualify for recruitment.
"The proposal is downright ridiculous. The number of foreign-bound Filipino 
domestic helpers with potential psychiatric issues is insignificant compared 
to the overall volume," Herrera said.
"A number of them develop behavioral issues on the job overseas, but this is 
mainly due to vicious foreign employers who practically enslave their maids, 
and force them to work and live under inhuman conditions," Herrera added.
"Some abusive employers resort to basically detaining their domestic staff, 
and denying them normal access to the outside world. Naturally, the maids 
risk developing behavioral issues over time," he said.
"Thus, their psychiatric problems are largely environmentally induced, not 
necessarily organic," added Herrera, former chairman of the Senate committee 
on labor, employment and human resources development.
The Department of Foreign Affairs' Office of Undersecretary for Migrant 
Workers Affairs (OUMWA) has "strongly recommended" the mandatory psychiatric 
test to the governing board of the Philippine Overseas Employment 
Administration.
The OUMWA, created by the 1995 Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act, 
made the recommendation after it gathered that seven out of 10 Filipino 
maids on death row in the Middle East have had a history of mental illness.
Herrera, however, doubts that any psychiatric test could be properly 
administered on a large scale, considering the volume of outbound Filipino 
domestic staff.
"We simply do not have the competence. What will happen is that untrained 
personnel of diagnostic centers will end up administering and interpreting 
the test results. Thus, the tests won't be effective," he said.
"We do not have adequate behavioral health care services here. We do not 
have enough psychiatrists and mental health professionals to conduct the 
tests and process the results correctly," he pointed out.
Herrera suspects that unscrupulous recruiters and their patrons in the 
bureaucracy are simply looking to make extra money out of the psychiatric 
tests, at the expense of domestic helpers.
"This could be a big racket for them. The test could mean additional income 
on the side for recruiters and their allied diagnostic centers," he said.
Every month, the Philippines deploys some 8,500 domestic helpers to various 
countries around the world. Their top destinations are Hong Kong, Taiwan, 
Singapore, Malaysia and the Middle East. They get minimum monthly pay of 
$400 or about P18,400.
Last week, the DFA proposal came to the fore because two OFWs returning from 
Jordan were said to be delusional if not mentally ill by a diplomatic 
officer in Amman.
ABS-CBN's ANC cable channel reported last Friday that four Filipino domestic 
helpers were forced to seek jobs overseas hoping to find their luck. But in 
Jordan they were abused.
One of the returned maids said, "Inuutusan niya akong paliguan ko siya. 
Gusto niya hawakan ang ari ko. Sabi ko ayoko sir, ayoko sir, sabi ko sa 
kanya. [He ordered me to give him a bath. He wanted to hold my private part. 
I said I don't want to, sir, I don't want to, sir, I don't want to]," said 
the OFW.
The OFW said they almost lost their sanity.
The DFA has been saying that domestic helpers face a number of risks and 
dangers of physical abuse. So they must be strong enough to escape being 
deeply traumatized.
To prevent this from happening, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers 
Esteban Conejos Jr. proposed that a mandatory psychiatric test be given to 
domestic workers before they are deployed overseas.
"Domestic workers should be assessed if they are able to respond, be able to 
take this type of stress," Conejos said.
The NGO Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) voiced its strong opposition to 
Conejos's idea.
"Bakit hindi mo ayusin yung conditions na yan so that yung mga Filipina will 
not undergo yung mga ganyang working and living conditions?" CMA's Rodora 
Abanyo asked. "Bakit ang nasisisi ang mga domestic helper? Ang sisihin ang 
kondisyon nila sa ibang bansa. [Why don't they fix the working conditions so 
the poor domestic workers don't undergo these horrible living and working 
conditions? Why blame the domestic worker? They should blame the conditions 
in the receiving country.]"
The CMA said a psychiatric test would be useless when domestic helpers are 
molested or abused by their employers.
Migrante International and its affiliates worldwide attacked the DFA plan.
Connie Bragas-Regalado, Migrante chairman, said, "It's the heads of the DFA 
officials, not the OFWs, that should be examined. They must be crazy if they 
think mandatory psychiatric tests could help prevent abused OFWs from 
snapping out of their mind in the workplace."
In the Migrante statement, the Migrante chairman said: "For the Arroyo 
government, those they have hailed as 'bagong bayani [new heroes]' are 
lunatics . . . By refusing to acknowledge these realities [of abuse, 
oppression and other sufferings of the workers] and by conveniently glossing 
over the fact that most of the time OFWs commit crimes to defend themselves, 
while others are just plain victims of frame-up [by abusive employers]; the 
DFA, in essence, is condemning our OFWs."
"If we're to follow the DFA's rationale, then OFWs like Sarah Balabagan, 
Mary Jane Ramos and Joselito Alejo are lunatics and not heroes as they were 
hailed when they arrived home after their ordeal overseas," said Regalado, 
referring to OFWs who have been jailed for committing crimes, but escaped 
execution because they were eventually acquitted or pardoned.