[Onthebarricades] Worker protests, global South, Aug-Sept 2008
global resistance roundup
onthebarricades at lists.resist.ca
Thu Sep 10 19:38:42 PDT 2009
* BANGLADESH: Textile workers clash with police over low wages
* INDIA: Workers revolt, kill boss at textile factory
* INDIA: Workers clash with guards at factory
* LIBERIA: Clashes at plantation over welgate fund
* IRAN: Protesting workers block highway
* JORDAN: Bangladeshi migrant workers protest at ministry
* PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Workers clash with landowners
* INDONESIA: KFC protested for firing workers; trade unionists rally;
bus drivers strike; &more
* GHANA: NPP party workers protest for dignity
* SUDAN: Officials withdraw in camp strike protest
* SOUTH AFRICA: Protest targets Woolworths; prosecution workers protest;
plantscapers protest for wage rises; mines targeted; communication
workers protest
* KENYA: Dock workers protest in pay dispute
* BAHRAIN: Ten unions hold short strike
* THAILAND: Staff protest for logo change
* NIGERIA: Welders protest exclusion
* CAMEROON: Douala council workers shut down council
* NIGERIA: Steel workers protest for salary
* PHILIPPINES: QC workers stage restaurant protest; railworkers protest
* PAKISTAN: Labour leaders protest corruption
* NEPAL: Journalists protest TV station
* INDIA: Tamil Nadu - 10,000 workers arrested in shutdown protests
* INDIA: Labour protest roundup
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jF79mrpT1hw7PRuY4bbeL2d5nmHQ
Dozens hurt as police fire rubber bullets at Bangladesh workers
Aug 30, 2008
DHAKA (AFP) — Dozens of people were injured as police in Bangladesh
fired rubber bullets and lobbed tear gas at garment factory workers
protesting Saturday against low wages and the arrest of colleagues.
Local police chief Abdur Rashid said some 10,000 members of staff from
eight factories in Gazipur, north of Dhaka, went on the rampage over the
arrest of at least 23 fellow workers who had previously campaigned
against low wages.
"Wielding bamboo sticks, they became violent, attacking police officials
with rocks and stones, ransacking factories and damaging several
vehicles. They also barricaded a key highway for an hour," Rashid said.
Police fired rubber bullets, hurled tear gas and used batons to disperse
the crowd, he said
"Dozens have been injured including at least eight police officers who
were struck by rocks," he added.
The garment industry is impoverished Bangladesh's key manufacturing
area, accounting for 76 percent of the country's 14.11 billion dollar
export earnings last year and making up 40 percent of the industrial
workforce
Tens of thousands of workers have defied an emergency ban on union
activities and gatherings to take part in sporadic protests in the past
few months over low wages and better working conditions.
The basic minimum monthly salary of a garment worker is 25 dollars while
a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of rice, the country's main staple, costs 35
taka (50 cents) -- normally enough to feed a family of four for a day.
Rice prices have doubled in Bangladesh in the past year, in part due to
devastating floods and a massive cyclone in 2007.
The majority of Bangladeshi households spend nearly 70 percent of their
income on food and the government has moved to import more rice and sell
it at subsidised prices on the open market to tame inflation.
Bangladesh has been ruled by a military-backed government since January
last year after emergency rule was imposed and polls cancelled.
The government has banned all kinds of protests and pledged to hold
elections by the end of December, after pushing through political
reforms and an anti-corruption drive.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/30/asia/AS-Bangladesh-Textile-Protests.php
Textile workers in Bangladesh clash with police
The Associated Press
Published: August 30, 2008
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Police used tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday to
disperse hundreds of rioting textile workers protesting the dismissal of
some colleagues in an industrial area near the Bangladeshi capital, a
police official said.
About 40 people, including two policemen, were injured in the clashes,
Mozammel Hossain, a local police official said after visiting the area.
No one was immediately arrested.
The protesting workers, armed with stones and sticks, ransacked several
garment factories, blocked a major highway and damaged several vehicles
in Gazipur, an industrial district near Dhaka, Hossain said.
Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the rioters and
clear the highway linking the district to the capital, he added.
Striking workers began demonstrating in front of their factory to
protest the sacking of 18 colleagues. They were joined by workers from a
nearby factory who went on rampage following rumors of a colleague's death.
Bangladesh has more than 3,000 garment factories that employ more than 2
million workers, mostly women.
The textile industry earns the impoverished country more than US$10
billion each year, mainly from exports to the United States and Europe,
according to the Export Promotion Bureau.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DHA330332.htm
Police break up Bangladesh protest, 50 hurt
30 Aug 2008 13:06:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
DHAKA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - At least 50 people were injured when
Bangladesh police fired teargas and used batons to disperse textile
workers protesting against the sacking of fellow-workers on Saturday,
police and witnesses said.
Five policemen were also among the injured, hit by missiles thrown by
workers who also ransacked a garment factory and damaged several
vehicles on a road in Gazipur, 40 km (25 miles) north of Dhaka.
Eighteen workers at a local garment factory were sacked on Friday for
violating factory rules and colleagues walked out to demand their
reinstatement.
The violence erupted as police tried disperse protesters who were
blocking the highway. Street protests are banned in Bangladesh under a
state of emergency imposed by the army-backed interim government since
January last year.
Clothes are Bangladesh's biggest export, bringing in more than $9
billion a year. The country has some 4,000 garment factories, employing
around 2.2 million workers, mostly women.
(Reporting by Nizam Ahmed; editing by Robert Hart)
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=56301
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Published On: 2008-09-24
Metropolitan
50 injured as RMG workers clash in city
Staff Correspondent
At least 50 readymade garment (RMG) workers were injured during separate
clashes with the policemen in Uttara and Uttarkhan areas in the city
yesterday.
Around 20 workers of a garment factory were injured in a clash with
policemen in the city's Uttara area.
The clash ensued when the police charged baton on the workers who put up
a barricade on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Azampur demanding payment of
their salary arrears, Eid bonus and night allowance.
Witnesses said around 800 angry workers of Root Apparels Ltd, which was
closed a month ago without informing the workers at Uttarkhan, erected a
barricade on the road for around one hour from 3:00pm that resulted a
severe traffic jam in the area.
At one stage, police resorted to baton charge to disperse the agitating
workers that left the workers injured.
The angry workers gave an ultimatum to the garment factory authorities,
threatening that if their demands are not met by today, they would go
for a tougher movement.
Meanwhile, around 30 workers of a garment factory at Dhaka Export
Processing Zone (DEPZ) were injured as police charged baton on them
while they were staging a sit-in in front of the factory with the same
demands.
The workers also ransacked at least 10 vehicles after blocking
Dhaka-Tangail Road for around one hour from 11:00am.
Witnesses said some 700 workers of Honor Way Textile and Apparels (Pvt)
Limited staged the sit-in in the morning demanding payment of their
salary arrears as the authorities shut it down on July 17 after its
owner had died.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7012407775
Ex-Employees Riot, Kill Boss At Indian Car Part Plant
September 23, 2008 11:36 p.m. EST
AHN Staff
New Delhi, India (AHN) - Indian authorities have arrested and charged
with murder 60 dismissed workers of a car part plant outside New Delhi
for bludgeoning to death their employer on Monday.
Those arrested were among the 125 former workers who barged into the
factory in Greater Noida and beat Lalit Kishore Choudhary, head of
Graziano Transmissioni India, with sticks and iron rods after he tried
to pacified them. Police said the 47-year-old victim suffered severe
blows in the head and bled to death.
Choudhary apparently invited the workers to discuss their reinstatement.
He talked with a few of them inside his office before others outside
went into a rampage and attacked the factory. He had fired the workers
in recent months for being involved in violence inside the factory.
Other executives inside the plant were not harmed when they locked the
doors of their offices until the police arrived. Two other people were
injured in the riot and hospitalized.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092558330300.htm
Other States - Orissa
5 hurt as workers, guards clash
Jajpur: Security was tightened as tension gripped Kalinga Nagar in
Orissa’s Jajpur district after workers of a private steel mill and its
security personnel clashed, police said here today. At least five
persons, four of them security guards, were injured in the scuffle
yesterday. - PTI
http://www.starradio.org.lr/content/view/9121/380/
Several Wounded in Violent Clash at Sinoe Rubber Plantation
Written by Sayounue Bilah
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Several persons have been wounded and many houses burned as a result of
confusion at the Sinoe Rubber Plantation.
The confusion erupted Tuesday following a decision by Superintendent
Sylvester Grigsby to dissolve the Citizens Welfare Committee.
The Superintendent’s action followed a petition by some citizens that
the Committee was not seeking the interest of the workers.
However, the supervisor of the monitoring team set up by government said
the petition was masterminded by Senator Mobutu Nyenpan and LAC Manager
Alfred Porte.
Mr. Joe Flah alleged the two officials programmed five persons to
petition the Superintendent.
LAC’s Administrator Daniel Toe denied his Boss involvement in the
confusion while Senator Nyepan says he would respond to the claims later.
Meanwhile, Supt Sylvester Grisgby says security has been tightened at
the Plantation and those involved in the act would be brought to book.
http://ncr-iran.org/content/view/5565/105/
Iran: Protesting workers block Ahwaz-Khorramshahr highway
Sunday, 31 August 2008
NCRI – Striking workers of Rolling and Pipes Mill Corporation (ARPCO) on
Saturday blocked the Ahwaz-Khorramshahr highway in the southwestern
province of Khuzestan. The workers demand their unpaid salaries for the
past six months.
However, the handpicked management has refused to give in to the workers
demands to date.
The State Security Forces (SSF) – mullahs' suppressive police— attacked
the workers beating up a number of demonstrators.
Some 500 workers of ARPCO walked out for the second time this summer
over their unpaid salaries in the southwestern city of Ahwaz on August
24. The striking workers were cordoned by the SSF preventing the
demonstration from spreading to other parts of the city.
"There was a forced vacation for 15 days imposed on the workers starting
August 5," the state-run daily Kargozaran reported on the same day.
However, when the workers reported back to work faced an extension of
the "vacation" announced by the management.
ARPCO founded in 1966, posses over 30 years of experience in steel
industry. At the time being, on 900,000 square meters land, the factory
is producing the highest quality hot rolled coil, black and galvanized
E.I.W. and pipeline (API 5L) tubes.
On July 20, the workers at the ARPCO walked out over their unpaid
salaries and other benefits for the first time.
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6502150.html
Bangladeshi garment workers stage sit-in protest in Jordan
16:41, September 18, 2008
About 38 Bangladeshi migrant workers Wednesday staged a sit-in outside
Jordanian Labor Ministry, urging the government to take legal action
against their former employer in Sahab, southeast of capital Amman,
local daily The Jordan Times reported Thursday.
The Qudorat Garment Company in Sahab closed down suddenly and the owner
left the kingdom, leaving 321 Bangladeshis and 31 Jordanians without
their salaries for July and August, Abu Zeineh, an official with General
Trade Union of Workers in Textile, Garment and Clothing Industries, said
on Wednesday.
The Labor Ministry cooperated with the union to redistribute the
remaining workers to garment factories in Sahab and at Al Hassan
Industrial Estate in Irbid, Abu Zeineh said, adding that some
Bangladeshi workers refused to continue working in the kingdom.
Labor Ministry Secretary General Ghazi Shbeikat said the ministry
addressed the Social Security Corporation to refund the workers their
SSC subscriptions.
"We are also taking measures in cooperation with authorities in Sahab to
confiscate the company's assets in order to be sold to offset the
workers' outstanding dues," Shbeikat said, adding that the ministry will
continue to provide the workers with food and shelter until they leave
the country.
According to Zeineh, the union contacted Qudorat's main branch in Hong
Kong regarding the workers' financial rights, but the company refused to
take responsibility.
A total of nine out of 32 garment factories have shut down since the
beginning of 2008, after Qudorat abruptly ended its operations this
summer, according to officials.
Source:Xinhua
http://news.smh.com.au/world/png-landowners-attack-chinese-workers-20080827-43fe.html
PNG landowners attack Chinese workers
PORT MORESBY
August 27, 2008
Three Chinese workers at Papua New Guinea's controversial Ramu nickel
mine have been attacked by 100 armed local landowners.
The workers from China's state-owned Metallurgical Construction Company
(MCC) Ramu nickel mine at Basamuk Bay in Madang province, on PNG's
northwest coast, are now recovering in Madang's Modilon General Hospital.
In a separate incident, PNG workers at MCC's Kurumbukari mine site,
150km east of Basamuk Bay, had stopped work over a pay dispute, PNG's
The National newspaper reported.
MCC had evacuated its other Chinese workers amid fears of more attacks.
Police were investigating Sunday's attack at the Ramu mine, but it was
unclear what provoked the incident.
PNG's $US1.2 billion ($A1.41 billion) agreement with MCC to build the
Ramu mine is expected to yield 143 million tonnes of nickel over 20 years.
The mine also will pump 100 million tonnes of waste slurry into the
province's pristine Astrolabe Bay during the next 20 years.
As well as environmental concerns, the PNG government has been accused
of breaking the country's own laws by allowing mining work to go ahead,
despite an ongoing dispute among local landowners about who has
traditional ownership of the site.
Locals claim they were not consulted about the project and have been
left out of royalty deals.
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KFC protested for firing contract workers
Jakarta Post - September 22, 2008
ID Nugroho, Surabaya -- The recent dismissal by
management of two contract-based workers at a
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fast food restaurant
here has been met with protests from labor unions.
Over 300 fast food restaurant workers and activists
of the Congress of the Indonesian Labor Union
Alliance (KASBI) rallied Thursday in front of the
Surabaya Plaza shopping center, where a KFC
restaurant is run by PT Fast Food Indonesia.
"We came here to initiate a dialogue with the
management," said Jamaluddin, a protest
coordinator.
According to KASBI's spokesperson Yuyuk Yuniarti,
20 of the company's 120 workers have been employed
under an internship program. "They deserve a
monthly payment, an allowance and a special bonus
for Idul Fitri," Yuyuk said.
A scuffle broke out between protesters and dozens
of anti-riot police as the former tried to force
their way into the company's office.
They receded only after five union representatives
were allowed to speak with management, who
eventually agreed to rehire the dismissed workers
and cease employing interns and contract-based
workers.
The protesters then moved to the nearby city
council, demanding that councilors closely monitor
and evaluate the municipal manpower agency, which
they claimed had contributed to a new employment
system that exploits workers.
"The employment of interns and outsourced workers
goes against the 2002 Child Protection Law, the
2003 Labor Law and the 2004 Education Law. It
constitutes labor exploitation and slavery,"
Jamaluddin said.
The protesters also voiced their dissatisfaction
with the prolonged labor dispute between garment
factory PT Artha Glory Buana (AGB) in Sidoarjo and
more than 2,000 recently dismissed workers.
AGB has unilaterally declared bankruptcy over
financial difficulties, resulting in a four-month
delay in payment of workers' salaries, much less an
Idul Fitri allowance and severance payments.
Negotiations between the management and workers
have become deadlocked, with the former insisting
on paying Rp 10 billion in salaries, special
allowances and severance payments. Workers are
demanding Rp 30 billion.
Jamaluddin criticized the manpower agency for doing
nothing to resolve the dispute. "Government
involvement is needed to protect workers' rights,"
he said.
The Surabaya municipal legislative council's
spokesman Musyafak Rouf concurred, saying authority
was in the hands of the manpower agency. "We will
raise the issue in the upcoming hearing with the
mayor," Musyafak said.
Head of the municipal manpower agency Ahmad Syafei
said his office had never issued a permit to PT
Past Food Indonesia to employ interns in its
restaurants, including in KFCs.
His office has not yet received an explanation for
the delays in payment for AGB workers' salaries,
the Idul Fitri allowance and severance payment, he
added. "The Idul Fitri allowance is mandatory. It
must be paid at least ten days before Idul Fitri,"
he said.
---------------------------------------------------
Four demos to hit Jakarta today, motorists advised
to be on alert
Detik.com - August 28, 2008
A protest action will also be held by PT Mayasari
Utama Trade Union workers at the offices of PT
Mayasari Utama on Jl. Lapangan Tembak in the Cibubur
area of East Timor between 8.30am and 1.30pm.
--------------------------------------------------
Transjakarta bus drivers on strike
Jakarta Post - September 1, 2008
Jakarta -- Scores of Transjakarta bus drivers
serving the Corridor II (Pulo Gadung - Harmoni) and
Corridor III (Kalideres - Harmoni) have gone on
strike since early Monday morning
According to reports by Kompas.com, 106 of a total
of 114 drivers serving the two routes, which serves
30,000 and 27,000 passengers respectively per day,
have gathered at the Batavia pool on Jl. Perintis
Kemerdekaan to demand a pay raise and improvement
of working conditions.
Transjakarta Operations Control Manager Rene Nunu
Mete said the company had undertaken necessary
measures in alleviating the disruptions due to the
strike.
"We've added extra fleets from Corridor I, V, VII
and IV," he said. "The management are now lobbying
with the drivers." (amr)
***************************************************
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Trakindo workers stage protest
Jakarta Post - September 10, 2008
Timika, Papua -- Hundreds of workers at heavy
equipment maker PT Trakindo Utama staged a protest
at the Timika Transmigration and Manpower Agency
office on Tuesday.
The workers demanded the agency withdraw a letter
issued on April 15 preventing them from striking.
Jeremi Kumbubuy, head of PT Trakindo's labor union,
said because of the letter, the company had fired
21 workers and issued final reprimand letters to
700 workers for going on strike from April 18 to 23
to demand a salary increase.
Kumbubuy said the workers would stay for three days
in the agency's compound until their demands were
met. If the agency failed to do so, he added, the
workers would stop working indefinitely.
Galib Yamco, another union leader, said the agency
did not have the authority to prevent workers from
staging a strike.
Agency head Nikalous Mambor denied Trakindo's
reprimand letters were issued based on his agency's
letter preventing workers from striking.
---------------------------------------------------
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Batam workers decry outsourcing
Jakarta Post - August 15, 2008
Fadli, Batam -- Some 1,000 workers employed by
foreign companies in Batam staged a rally on
Thursday demanding an end to the practice of
outsourcing in the region, which they said had left
them without futures.
"Thousands of workers in Batam have no future now
because there is no certainty in their jobs,"
Indonesian Metal Workers Labour Union (FSPMI)
chairman Anto Sujanto said at the rally.
The outsourcing mechanism most companies in Batam
used violates Law No 13/2003 on Manpower, Anto said
in a dialog with the head of Batam labor agency.
Many companies, for example, had used the mechanism
to hire contract workers for their main work or had
not provided health insurance for them.
In some cases, he said, outsourcing is done on
multiple levels and involves more than one
outsourcing company. Consequently, many workers'
take-home pay is much lower than it should be, Anto
said.
"Therefore, we demand the municipal administration
fix this pressing situation. We can't let companies
do as they please, because workers have no choice,"
Anto said.
Outsourced worker Anita said her salary was Rp
200,000 (US$21) less than other workers in the same
position and service term who were recruited
directly by the same company she was assigned to.
"Maybe our salaries are in fact the same, only mine
is taxed by my outsourcing company," said Anita,
also at the rally outside Batam municipality
office.
Responding to the protesters' demand, Batam
Manpower Agency head Rudy Syakyakirti said his
office had issued outsourcing licenses to 56
companies, but only around 10 were still operating.
Rudy also said his office had difficulty enforcing
employment regulations.
"Most companies refuse to reveal their numbers of
outsourced employees," he said, adding that his
office lacked personnel and funding to effectively
police the law on outsourced employment.
"Which is why we mainly work based on reports which
we follow-up," he said.
Rudy sympathized with workers, but said "developed
countries also use a similar mechanism". "Only
their mechanisms are much better regulated," he
said.
"This (issue) comes under the authority of the
central government."
---------------------------------------------------
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Tangerang shoe workers strike for holiday bonus
Jakarta Post - August 22, 2008
Multa Fidrus, Tangerang -- Some 7,000 workers from
PT Hardaya Aneka Shoe Industry (HASI), a former
Nike supplier, began striking Thursday in Tangerang
to protest company policy on Idul Fitri allowances
(THR).
"The management has announced this year all workers
will receive less money for THR," Agus Widodo, the
chair of HASI's workers union (SPN), told The
Jakarta Post.
He said workers received 241 percent of their
monthly salary for THR last year but this year they
were told to expect just 100 percent.
The strike paralyzed production when HASI's 7,000
workers sat down inside the factory compound in
Jatiuwung district, Tangerang municipality.
The sit-down turned violent after factory security
banned TV reporters from covering the strike.
"Security banned journalists from covering our
action. They are our friends, our defenders," one
worker shouted in a speech.
The workers then mobbed and attacked some 25
security officers at the factory. Police officers
arrived later and managed to de-escalate the
situation. Police immediately evacuated the
security officers, already black and blue from the
crowd's beating.
Company representatives Agus Widodo, Sugeng and
Fredy said the company had earlier asserted
management would not change its THR policy.
The strike was likely triggered by possible massive
lay-offs due to an expected September termination
of Nike's order contract.
Nike Corporation, an American athletic apparel
company, had sent a termination letter July 6,
2007, to Siti Hartati Murdaya, president director
of PT Central Cipta Murdaya, HASI's holding
company, the workers said.
The letter said Nike intended to end cooperation
with them and PT Naga Sakti Parama Shoes Industry
(NASA).
The termination letter then led to 13,000 workers
from NASA and HASI, which manufacture shoes
exclusively for Nike in Tangerang, to rally at the
Jakarta Stock Exchange building on July 16 last
year to demand Nike restore contracts with the
companies.
Agus said the massive lay-off might not take place
because the company had secured new contracts with
buyers such as Hitech of Taiwan and Armor and
Columbia from the United States.
---------------------------------------------------
http://allafrica.com/stories/200808270854.html
Ghana: NPP Footsoldiers Protest
Edmond Gyebi
27 August 2008
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Tamale — Some members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Tamale who
were used as polling station agents in the 1996, 2000 and 2004
elections, have accused the party leadership of neglecting them.
According to the members, they are only recognized or become useful to
the party leadership only when elections were approaching.
The despondent polling agents made this assertion in an interview with
The Chronicle during the recent visit of the party's flag bearer, Nana
Akufo-Addo to the north.
Their Spokesperson, Mr. Saddique Joe Lartey, a polling agent for the Gbewa
International School Electoral Area in the Tamale Central, said the
regional and Constituency executives of the party had failed to build
their skills and capacities to become economically independent.
He indicated that majority of the youth and the polling station agents
had remained loyal and committed to the NPP, in spite of the neglect,
because of their love for the party. Meanwhile, one major problem yet to
be addressed by the NPP throughout Ghana is how to meet the needs and
aspirations of its foot soldiers, who have since time immemorial
complained bitterly about cynicism and lack of recognition by the
leadership.
The foot soldiers have on several occasions accused their leadership of
seeking their selfish interests, at the detriment of the youth who do
the real work for the projection and sustainability of the NPP.
According to Mr. Joe Lartey, however, there had not been any significant
improvement in the lives of the NPP foot soldiers since the party came
to power, and that the few people who have some businesses have not
received any meaningful support from the party,
saying "It is very disturbing for the members of the NDC to mock some of
us because they have not seen any change in our lives, even though our
party is in power".
Mr. Joe Lartey observed that it was likely that most of the polling
agents would turn their back on the party in the December election, if
nothing was done immediately. He indicated that the polling agents had
sacrificed a lot for the party and deserved better treatment and
recognition.
Mr. Joe Lartey, who plies his trade as a tailor in Tamale, sadly
revealed that three of the polling agents lost their lives when they
were engaged by the party to man some centres in Kumbungu in the 2004
election.
In reaction to the assertions by the polling agents, the Northern
Regional Organiser of the NPP, Mr. Saibu Saani admitted that though the
party had not been able to meet the entire needs of its foot soldiers,
majority of them had benefited in diverse ways.
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He debunked the assertion that the party had deserted the polling agents
and explained that the NPP hierarchy had always acknowledged their
important contributions.
The NPP Regional Organiser disclosed some of them in most cases expected
instant rewards, which he said was not the best for party organization.
Mr. Saani said most of the polling agents had benefited greatly from the
party, while others had had their capacities built.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2728824.htm
Darfur officials withdraw in protest at camp raid
02 Sep 2008 11:54:11 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Eighteen Sudanese officials have withdrawn
from posts in the Darfur region in protest at an attack by armed forces
on a camp for displaced people that killed more than 30 people.
The officials are all from a former southern rebel group which signed a
peace deal with the northern based government in 2005 to end a conflict
that had no direct links to the fighting in Darfur.
"We have agreed to freeze our partnership with the national government.
We are waiting in our homes. We are no longer in our positions," Omar
Abdul Rahman Adam, minister of agriculture and irrigation for south
Darfur state, told Reuters.
"We told them we would have no part in the government. We are not going
to see security violating the law when we are part of the government,"
said Adam.
At least 32 people were killed when armed Sudanese forces raided Kalma
camp in south Darfur last week, saying they were searching for weapons,
U.N./African Union peacekeepers said. Aid sources said the dead included
women and children.
The officials who withdrew from their posts were all members of the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), a former southern rebel group
that is now in a coalition government with the northern National
Congress Party (NCP).
As part of the 2005 peace deal, former rebels took up official posts in
Sudan's administration, including in Darfur.
Despite the fracture in the coalition on the ground in Darfur, it was
unclear whether the withdrawal of the officials would have any
implications at the national level. Senior SPLM officials made no
immediate comment.
Adam said the 18 officials would only return to work when they felt the
NCP was serious about solving the Darfur conflict. International experts
say the conflict has killed 200,000 people and driven more than 2.5
million to refugee camps like Kalma.
Although there is no direct link between the north-south conflict and
the one in Darfur, both are rooted in the feeling of marginalisation of
people on Sudan's peripheries from traditionally Arab-dominated
governments in Khartoum.
Kalma has long been a flashpoint. Sudanese politicians and army officers
have regularly accused bandits and rebel groups of using it as a base
and a store for weapons and explosives.
A spokesman for Sudan's armed forces said soldiers and police entered
Kamla on Monday last week to search for arms and suspects. Government
officials later accused the media of exaggerating the death toll.
But the U.N./African Union UNAMID peacekeeping force in Darfur
criticised Sudan for using "excessive, disproportionate" force in the raid.
South Darfur's governor Ali Mahmoud told state media on Tuesday the
withdrawal of the SPLM ministers and government members was illogical
and dismissed it as a "political move". (Additional reporting by Skye
Wheeler in Juba)
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080827150352766C371293
Safety a priority during protest - Woolworths
August 27 2008 at 03:17PM
The safety of staff and customers during the Saccawu protest march
planned for Friday was Woolworths' main priority, the company said on
Wednesday.
"As the union embarks upon industrial action, this will be our key
priority," said Zyda Rylands, Woolworths chief operating officer,
support services.
On Tuesday, the SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union said
its members would march in Durban at the end of the week against the
retailer's alleged anti-union stance.
This would be a one-day protected industrial action where the retailer's
workers would gather under the banner of the union and hand over a
memorandum to management at one of Woolworths' stores in Central Durban.
Saccawu said the KwaZulu-Natal action would be followed by similar
protests in Cape Town, scheduled for the following week.
Woolworths said it recognised the right of the union to organise its
members and embark on protest action.
However, it would ensure that such action caused minimal disruption to
customers and employees.
"We are deeply committed to our employees and work very hard to develop
and maintain sound direct relationships with all employees," said Rylands.
Woolworths added that it would give Saccawu the appropriate recognition
once it demonstrated it had sufficient representation.
"I know that Saccawu will support the need for a peaceful protest,"
Rylands added. - Sapa
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080828171017875C602373
Cosatu backs Saccawu protest
August 28 2008 at 06:28PM
The Congress of SA Trade Unions has asked its members to support the SA
Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union in its protest actions
against two retailers and a casino.
In a statement on Thursday, Cosatu said it pledged its full support to
Saccawu's protests against Pick 'n Pay, Woolworths and Emerald Casino.
"Shop and casino workers are among the most exploited, overworked and
underpaid employees, especially the growing number whose jobs have been
casualised," said Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven.
Saccawu has planned to march against the three companies on Friday.
It has issued a notice of intention to strike to Pick 'n Pay and the
union intends to stage protest marches against the retailer in
Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.
A march against Woolworths will take place in Durban while Saccawu said
it would embark on a strike at the Emerald Casino.
"At a time when inflation is now officially at 13 percent, and food
inflation much higher than that, all workers are suffering a severe cut
in their standard of living, and Saccawu members are absolutely right to
demand a living wage," Craven added.
He called upon all Cosatu members to support Friday's marches. - Sapa
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080826112824546C731468
Woolworths protest moves to Durban
August 26 2008 at 11:31AM
Related Articles
• Woolies workers demand workers' rights
• Saccawu to march against Woolworths
SA Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers' Union (Saccawu) members will
march in Durban on Friday against the alleged anti-union stance of
Woolworths.
"After the successful protest action supported by hundreds of Woolworths
workers, Saccawu as part of its national campaign against the anti-union
stance of Woolworths, is moving its mass action to Durban," said the
trade union in a statement on Tuesday.
This would be a one-day protected industrial action where the retailer's
workers would march under the banner of Saccawu and hand over their
memorandum at one of Woolworths' stores in Central Durban.
Saccawu said the KwaZulu-Natal action would be followed by similar
protests in Cape Town, scheduled for the following week.
"Details of logistics of the protest will be circulated to all media in
the next two days. "
Woolworths workers demand the beginning of negotiations for a
recognition agreement, stop order facilities and access to company
premises to conduct legitimate union business.
"Instead the company continues with its tactics of intimidating of
Saccawu members."
The union said that before last week's action the company had sent
circulars through its stores threatening workers of possible
disciplinary action on a basis that had no bearing on the legal and
protected industrial action by workers.
Saccawu members on Thursday marched in protest through the streets of
Johannesburg. They handed a memorandum to the company's management.
Zyda Rylands, chief operating officer of support services at Woolworths,
was quoted saying that the retailer respected the rights of its workers
but would recognise only unions that "show us sufficient representativity.
"From our perspective, they [Saccawu] have less than 15 percent and we
don't believe that to be sufficient representativity". - Sapa
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080826053831507C134096
Gag comes off NPA protest
Karyn Maughan
August 26 2008 at 08:23AM
Prosecutors have swopped their "silent protest" at the government's
failure to deliver on promised pay increases for loud and dance-filled
demonstrations.
Carrying placards and singing, nearly two-thirds of prosecutors based at
the Johannesburg High Court on Monday gave up their lunch break to
express their unhappiness at their justice bosses.
They were supported by their colleagues at the Johannesburg magistrate's
court.
Dressed in their formal black and white court attire, state advocates
belted out their own version of Jacob Zuma's Umshini wami (bring me my
machine gun): Imali yam (bring me my money).
"NPA = No Pay Anyway", "Crime Does Not Pay, Just Like The NPA" and "Why
Should Professionals Beg?" were some of the messages emblazoned on
protest posters.
The unprecedented demonstration comes as the National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA) prepares to file its response to prosecutors' Labour
Court action on Wednesday.
Prosecutors are furious Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla has
repeatedly failed to up their salaries by a promised 10,5 percent, or
implement the "occupational-specific dispensation" under which legal
professionals should receive pay increases.
After unsuccessfully waiting for the increases, which formed part of the
salary agreement signed by public service trade unions and the
government last year, dozens of NPA advocates face sequestration,
blacklisting and repossession.
Their union, the Public Servants' Association, has formally declared a
dispute against the department of justice.
On Monday, NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali praised prosecutors for
protesting in a "peaceful and lawful manner".
"They did not break the law by striking - they used their lunch break to
demonstrate."
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Finance%20And%20Labour&set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=nw20080916110052165C167206
Plantscapers to protest against wages
September 16 2008 at 11:06AM
Two hundred Sonke plantscapers are to gather in Honeydew, Johannesburg,
on Tuesday to march for wage increases, said the Hotel, Liquor,
Catering, Commercial and Allied Workers' Union (Hotelicca).
Sonke plantscapers is one of the outsourced national landscaping
companies whose clients include hospitals, hotels, resorts, retail
establishments, schools and universities.
The plantscapers' are demanding across the board increase of 20 percent
of the highest salary and a minimum wage of R3 800 a month, Hotelicca
said in a statement.
Other demands were the establishment of an affordable medical aid
scheme, a 100 percent thirteenth cheque and maternity leave of six
months with full pay.
The workers also want long-service awards starting from three years at
R500, five years R700, seven years R1 000 and ten years R1 500. - Sapa
http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnBAN649879.html
t. S.Africa union to stage protest at Angloplat
Tue 16 Sep 2008, 13:32 GMT
[-] Text [+]
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's biggest mineworkers union said
on Tuesday 17,000 of its members would take part in a march at the
biggest mine owned by Anglo Platinum (Angloplat), but the protest would
not affect output.
The protest, over a social labour plan, would kick off on Wednesday
afternoon after workers had ended their shift.
Lizwi Kwezi, a branch official of the National Union of Mineworkers,
said the workers would march on Angloplat's offices at Rustenburg mine,
in South Africa's North West province.
"This will be a peaceful march, and will not impact negatively on
production or profits," he said.
The mine is owned by the world's top platinum producer, Angloplat, a
unit of Anglo American Plc.
Angloplat spokesman Simon Tebele would not immediately comment about the
intended protest.
Kwezi said the social labour plan required Angloplat to fund development
in areas from where it employs its labour from.
So far, Angloplat had spent more money on the immediate area around
Rustenburg, where it received the bulk of its workers, but had failed to
spend much cash on developing projects in distant areas where some its
workers hailed from.
http://africa.reuters.com/business/news/usnJOE4910SD.html
AngloGold workers protest S.African mine deaths
Thu 2 Oct 2008, 11:43 GMT
[-] Text [+]
By James Macharia
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Three workers in South Africa died after three
separate mining incidents as miners at AngloGold Ashanti's TauTona mine
stopped work over a fatality there last week, union and company
officials said on Thursday.
AngoGold, Africa's top gold producer, said a worker died at the TauTona
mine near Johannesburg when a tunnel collapsed early Thursday morning.
Work had stopped in that section to conduct an investigation, the
company said.
The continent's third-biggest gold producer, Harmony Gold, said a worker
was killed in a tunnel collapse at its Elandsrand mine, also near
Johannesburg on Thursday. It said the section where the miner died was
closed for an investigation.
Unions said a third person died on Wednesday of injuries sustained when
a rock fell on him at the Rustenburg mine on September 8. Rustenburg is
the biggest operation owned by No.1 platinum producer Anglo Platinum,
which is a unit of global mining giant Anglo American Plc.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said about 30,000 workers at
AngloGold's Savuka mine stopped work for one day on Thursday to protest
working conditions after a miner died there last week.
The NUM has been putting pressure on mining companies to take action to
prevent workers' deaths. Since last year, when a miner dies, union
members at the mine stop work for one day to mark the death and to
pressure the company to improve safety.
"The NUM is shocked that while those whose hands stink of workers blood
(and) smile all the way to the bank, hundreds of thousand of
breadwinners' dependants are left with no food on their tables," NUM
spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said.
Some 135 workers have died in South African mines so far this year,
compared to 221 in the 2007 calendar year and 200 in 2006.
Mining companies said that closing operations after fatalities, due to
government shutdowns or union work stoppages, have led to production losses.
They have promised to make safety a priority. Some companies have shut
mines for several months to improve safety measures and have given
workers safety training.
The Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has compiled a report on the
safety of South African mines, which is likely to show that mines have
poor safety compliance.
The NUM, the country's biggest and mostly black union, and the
traditionally white Solidarity union, want the findings released as soon
as possible.
The DME said the report may be made public once it has been presented to
South Africa's new president, Kgalema Motlanthe.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_South%20Africa&set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20080911095708259C170757
Workers may protest against Telkom
September 11 2008 at 10:07AM
Telkom's plan to outsource the running of its core networks has provoked
a backlash from two unions, Business Day reported on Thursday.
This may lead to a strike to keep the annual R4,8-billion task of
running the networks in-house, the newspaper reported.
The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) and the South African
Communications Union were deciding whether to strike or seek an
interdict to halt the outsourcing - unless managers agreed to listen to
their proposals.
CWU national treasurer Richard Poulton said the unions had declared a
dispute against Telkom's unilateral restructuring.
The CWU represents more than 65 percent of the workforce and it is angry
that Solidarity, with 10 percent of the staff, largely backs the
outsourcing plan, Business Day said.
Telkom was studying proposals by local and global companies eager to
manage its network infrastructure.
"It believes outsourcing to a more experienced operator, a telecoms
equipment supplier or a systems integrator, could save about
R1,3-billion a year and boost service quality levels up to 15 percent,"
Business Day said.
The newspaper quoted the CWU as saying: "We believe that the haste to
outsource is linked to some people who have lost at Polokwane and want
to secure their futures before April next year at the cost of workers
and their families." - Sapa
http://allafrica.com/stories/200809110304.html
Kenya: Dock Workers Protest At Pay Raise Delay
Gitonga Marete
10 September 2008
Nairobi — The Dock Workers Union has protested over the delay by the
Kenya Ports Authority to implement a 40 per cent salary increment
announced two weeks ago.
The employees accused the management of plotting to insert the
controversial seven-day work schedule clause in the collective
bargaining agreement and force them sign it before paying their arrears.
"We have not been paid our arrears as agreed with the management," union
deputy-secretary general Ezra Okong'o said on Tuesday.
"The issue of the seven-day schedule was to be discussed later, but the
management is reneging on our agreement."
The schedule, in which employees would work for seven days without
overtime payment, and which KPA unsuccessfully tried to introduce in
July, has been a contentious issue.
During a packed meeting at the Bandari College hall two weeks ago,
secretary-general Simon Sang announced a 40 per cent salary increase for
the unionisable staff after a month of negotiations.
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/1yr_arc_Articles.asp?Article=201765&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30257&date=12-2-2007
Bapco union 15 to hold pay protest
By GEOFFREY BEW
FIFTEEN members of the Bapco Trade Union board will go on a one-hour
strike today to demand a pay rise.
They will hold a demonstration outside the firm's headquarters, in
Awali, at 3.30pm in a "symbolic" attempt to persuade management to look
at their demands favourably.
The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the union's board
on Wednesday and union vice-president Mohammed Ali Doulabi said the
action had the full support of workers.
The company's 2,000 Bahraini employees are demanding a minimum 15 per
cent increase in wages with immediate effect.
They also want better health insurance and a substantial increase in
housing allowances, to bring them in line with expatriate employees.
Demands
Trade union officials earlier said the union had told the management of
their demands in writing on November 4 and had been promised a response
within three weeks, but nothing had happened.
"We have so many recommendations that we have raised with the Bapco
management and we did not receive a reply," said Mr Doulabi.
"We feel that we have no choice but to do this as nobody has listened to
us."
Bapco officials earlier said salaries were in line with the industry and
the management ensured they remained competitive. They added wages had
been increased by 18pc less than a year ago and there was no
justification for another raise now.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/09/16/politics/politics_30083579.php
NBTstaff protests for logo change
A group of 20 technicians and staffers of state-run NBT TV stationl
protest on Tuesday against the management of the station, demanding the
station to return to be Channel 11.
They reasoned that the station had been dragged into political conflicts
and as a state media it had been used as politicians' tool, having lost
its neutrality and credibility.
They also demanded that the management fairly adjust the salary
structure of the old and new staffers, citing that the new staffs
enjoyed much higher salaries than the old staffers.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200809011134.html
Leadership (Abuja)
Nigeria: Welders Protest Exclusion From Mines And Steel Ministry
Ismail Tahir Funtua
31 August 2008
Nigeria Institute of Welding (NIW), the body mandated to regulate all
welding activities in the country and bring it to international
standards have protested their affiliation to bodies under the ministry
of commerce instead of ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
Making their position known to the Minister of Mines and Steel
Development, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, he body pleaded with the
minister to use his position to ensure that the institute is placed
under the direct supervision of the ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
Speaking un behalf of his group, President institute, Mr Solomon Iyabosa
Edebirin said the best place for the institute is with the ministry of
Mines and Steel Development.
Stressing that the institute is committed to explore all available
resources and opportunities to improve on the current level of
competence in welding technology in the country, Mr Edebiri, intimated
the minister that it is still faced with the challenge of reluctance by
a large section of the country's industrial sector to follow set
standards and codes in welding practice.
Other challenges he said, is resistance by multinational companies in
the sector to accept the Nigerian welders, as well as the lack of modern
welding and testing equipment for weld procedure qualifications and
personnel certification, including inadequate welding personnel to
provide the necessary support to the industry and inadequate resources
for the surveillance teams across the country.
The president assured the minister that members are committed to working
with all relevant government agencies towards the attainment of the
Federal Government's vision to make Nigeria one of the 20 most
industrialised nations in the world.
Responding to the demand to be affiliated to the ministry, the minister
advised the institute which said that it is working closely with the
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to build capacity in welding
technology through the NDDC skills acquisition program, train over 1,900
youths across the Niger Delta states, to try and synergise with all
other related associations in order to create a synergy of institutions.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200809010105.html
Cameroon: Protesting Workers Ground Douala Council
Joe Dinga Pefok
29 August 2008
________________________________________
Hundreds of placard-wielding workers from all the five urban councils in
Douala, August 27, grounded activities at the Douala City Council.
They blocked all the gates into the council offices in Bonanjo to
everyone except those who had to participate in talks between the
Federation of Syndicates of Council Workers in Cameroon and two staff
delegates from each of the councils concerned.
Mostly dressed in black, the workers were protesting the failure of the
Government Delegate, Dr. Fritz Ntone Ntone, and the City Council Finance
Controller to approve the implementation of the 15-percent salary
increase decreed by the president on the March 7.
The message on some of the placards said that all the council workers
would accept nothing short of the 15-percent increase.
"Who made you a king?" was a question on one of the placards directed to
the Government Delegate.Another message accused the Government Delegate
of abusive retrenchment of workers.He was as well lambasted for refusing
to dialogue.
Playing Tough
Ntone Ntone put up a tough show as he decided that members of the trade
union and workers' representatives should first meet with his
representatives, before they could meet him later.
When the first part of the meeting ended at 12.15 pm, trade union
spokesperson briefed the anxious workers, who said they would not listen
to any story from the Government Delegate, other than that he should
sign an order authorising the salary increase.The trade union spokesman
then gave the protestors FCFA 10,000 to buy water.
Mayors Plead
Earlier, as the council workers warmed up for the strike action some of
the mayors like Françoise Foning of Douala V and Denise Fampou of Douala
II, pleaded with workers to exercise patience.
The, however, were not against the demand for the salary increase. But
they are all tying the increase to the flow of more subventions from
Douala Urban Council.It is worth noting that the Douala City Council
gives annual subventions from additional tax to the five councils.
In the past years, mayors who failed to promptly pay workers always told
the workers that the council had delayed the payment of the
subventions.As for the Mayor of the SDF-run Bonaberi (Douala IV)
Council, John Ndangle Kumase, he told reporters that the Douala City
Council had unfairly reduced the monthly subvention to Bonaberi Council
from FCFA 20 million a month to FCFA 12.5 million.
He said the problem is not lack of will, but rather the lack of means.
He told the press that had written to the Government Delegate to appeal
to him to reinstate the old subvention rate of the council, to enable
him implement the salary increase.
But the Mayor, who didn't wait for Ntone Ntone's response, said he had
already given instructions that the salary increase be calculated and
included in the workers' salaries as from the end of this month.
Letter To Minister
In a letter dated March 26, 2008 to the Minister of Territorial
Administration and Decentralisation, Ntone Ntone said he presented the
problem concerning the demand for salary increase and subventions.He
said he was waiting for hierarchy to give instructions on what he should
do. Till date, the minister's response is still awaited.
Meanwhile, the letter reminded the minister that the workers of the
Douala City Council had had a 10.26 percent salary increase in 2002,
following presidential decree No. 2000 / 214 of 27 July, 2000.
He said what the workers now deserve is a 4.74-percent increase of.
Ntone Ntone also reminded the minister that in accordance with the
instruction in 1994 by the then Vice Prime Minister in charge of
Territorial Administration, workers of the then Douala Urban Council
were not affected by the second salary cuts of 1993.
At press time, Ntone Ntone had asked the disgruntled workers for a week
during which he would discuss with hierarchy in Yaounde.He said he would
meet the workers on Thursday, September 4 to give them the feedback.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200809180440.html
Nigeria: Ajaokuta Steel Workers Protest Non Payment of Salary
Sam Egwu
18 September 2008
Lokoja — Hundreds of workers of the Ajaokuta Steel Company yesterday
staged a peaceful protest over non payment of salary in the last nine
months. They marched through the Lokoja-Abuja road to Lokoja, the Kogi
State capital, an action that led to a long hold up of vehicles coming
from the east to Abuja and other parts of the country.
It was gathered that the immediate cause of the workers' action was the
termination of the concession agreement between the Federal Government
and Global Infrastructures Holdings Limited since April.
They urged Kogi State government to prevail on the Federal Government to
persuade the management of the company to pay the backlog of salary
arrears it owes them in the last nine months.
Spokesman of the workers Abdul Kareem Jimoh told the Governor Ibrahim
Idris that they have been subjected to serious hardship for non-payment
of salary arrears, and therefore appealed to him to intervene in the
matter before the situation goes off hand.
Jimoh said no fewer than 60 of them have died as a result of the
situation, and that many homes of their colleagues have been broken as
mothers and housewives have deserted their matrimonial homes because of
poverty.
He said many have resulted into eating raw cassava and untidy foods in
addition to resorting to menial jobs and farming for survival. He also
said many of their children have been sent out of schools because of the
inability of their parents to pay school fees, saying several pregnant
women died as result of untold hardship.
Responding, the Deputy Governor, Chief Philip Salawu, who spoke on
behalf of Governor Ibrahim Idris, who was away to Abuja on official
assignment, appealed to the workers to calm down that their message
would be conveyed to the Federal Government.Governor Idris told the
steel workers that the state government is not unaware of their plight,
adding that the state executive and House of Assembly would find means
of getting to the highest authority in Abuja to plead on their behalf.
He sympathized with the families of those who have lost their lives in
the cause of struggle for survival, praying to God to grant their souls
eternal rest.
The story changed as the protesting workers got back to their base at
Ajaokuta resulting in the blocking of the expressway from Kogi East and
all the travelers from South East and South South, through Ajaokuta to
Abuja. It took the intervention of the security operatives from Lokoja
to clear the way for motorists and other travelers to pass. The heavy
presence of men of the Mobile Police Force did not allow the protest to
degenerate into violence.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20080919-161627/Laid-off-workers-of-Quezon-City-restaurant-hold-protest
Laid off workers of Quezon City restaurant hold protest
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:51:00 09/19/2008
Filed Under: Food, Strike, Protest, Labor
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) Laid off workers from a restaurant in
Quezon City protested outside its main office in West Avenue early
Friday morning, calling for a boycott of the restaurant's products.
Seventy-three workers from Kowloon House who were terminated last
September 15, allegedly because of conducting illegal labor protests,
gathered outside the restaurant's main office as early as 7 a.m.
Edmund Navarosa, Kowloon Workers Union president, told INQUIRER.net that
that the group dispersed quietly at around 1 p.m.
Navarosa said the 73 workers were laid off by Kowloon after the National
Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) ruled that their protests last June 20
were illegal.
The NLRC decision found the 73 workers “guilty of conducting illegal
strikes” and were fined P40,000 for exemplary damages. After the
decision was released, the management of Kowloon House immediately
terminated the employees, but not after giving them their separation
pay, said Miguela Rey, accountant of the restaurant.
But Navarosa said they were laid off despite a pending motion for
reconsideration by the workers’ union. He also stressed that the group
was merely practicing their right to “freedom of expression,” because
the management of Kowloon allegedly failed to grant them an across the
board wage increase as mandated by the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE) under Wage Order No. 13 released last August 2007.
Wage Order No.13 gives a P12 pay increase and integrates the P50 cost of
living to the basic daily pay of workers in the private sector in the
National Capital Region. This has increased their minimum daily wage to
P362. The wage increase applies to all minimum wage earners in the
private sector in Metro Manila, regardless of position, designation or
status of employment and irrespective of the method by which they were paid.
But Rey denied Navarosa’s claim, saying, “Anong hindi binigay, na-delay
lang pero binigay din [What are they saying? It was given, it was
delayed but it was released]. In fact, binigyan pa namin sila ng [we
even gave them] back wages.”
She added that several of the employees were even paid above minimum
wage, at more than P400 a day.
Navarosa acknowledged that Kowloon granted them a salary increase, but
dismissed them after.
“Binigay nga nila pero tinanggal naman kami [They gave it to us but we
were terminated],” he added.
The group demanded a public boycott of all products of Kowloon House;
the rehiring of the 73 terminated employees; and for another round of
wage increase.
“Bahala sila [It’s up to them]. Pero ang customer naman may sariling
pag-iisip [But our customers have their own minds],” Rey said, reacting
to boycott calls.
She added that some 20 of the 73 workers were re-hired by the company
after several consultations.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/122821/Dismissed-LRT-workers-hold-protest-as-House-panel-tackle-DOTC-budget
Dismissed LRT workers hold protest as House panel tackle DOTC budget
09/25/2008 | 12:12 PM
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MANILA, Philippines - A group of former Light Rail Transit (LRT)
employees on Thursday staged a protest in front of the Batasan Complex
in Quezon City, as lawmakers deliberate on the proposed budget of the
Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC).
A radio report said members of the Pinag-isang Lakas ng Manggagawa ng
Metro-National Federation of Workers Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno
(Piglas-NFWU-KMU) trooped to the Batasan Complex saying that instead of
pushing for the approval of their P23.56 billion budget, the DOTC should
first settle their “debts" with the dismissed LRT employees.
The group said the DOTC owes them P229 million in back wages and
separation pay, when it “illegally" dismissed 211 employees.
The employees were relieved from work after participating in a July 2000
strike which was triggered after the employees and the management
reached a deadlock in the negotiations for their collective bargaining
agreement.
In an earlier ruling by the National Labor Relations Commission, the
LRTA and the Metro Transit Organization Inc (MTOI) were being ordered to
jointly compensate the dismissed workers. The MTOI is a government-owned
and controlled corporation that formerly operated the LRT Line 1.
However, the Court of Appeals 13th Division later ruled against the NLRC
decision and said that only the MTOI, and not the LRTA, should pay up
the said amount.
According to the appellate court, the LRTA could not be held liable for
the unpaid wages because the dismissed workers were actually employees
of MTOI.
In April, however, the Supreme Court’s Third Division ruled in favor of
the employees and said their relief was illegal.
The High Court ordered the MTOI to pay the workers P208 million in back
wages and P21 million in legal fees. - Mark Merueñas, GMANews.TV
http://www.dawn.com/2008/10/04/rss.htm#34
Labour leaders protest in Jacobabad Saturday, 04 Oct, JACOBABAD: A
protest rally was taken out by the Mazdoor Shehri Ittehad against the
issuance of a cheque of Rs30.576 million by roads department Jacobabad
to a labour leader on Saturday. The rally started from Quaid-e-Azam road
and after passing through different streets, reached outside the press
club. The protesters were carrying banners, placards and raised slogans
against DCO and DO roads Jacobabad. They also observed token hunger
strike for two hours. About 200 labourers observed token hunger strike.
They were led by president Mazdoor Ittehad, Haji Ghulam Nabi, Shaban
Majhoo, Abdul Karim, Roshan Mundrani, Ghulam Rasool Soomro. (Posted @
20:30 PST)
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/videos/2008/aug/aug31/video02.php
Journalists protest against Nepal1 TV
Showing solidarity with Nepal1 Television journalists and their demands,
other journalists from the Federation of Nepalese Journalists joined
Nepal1 TV journos in a protest rally in front of the south gate of
Singha Durbar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai_Over_10000_protesters_held/rssarticleshow/3386045.cms
Chennai: Over 10,000 protesters held
20 Aug 2008, 1822 hrs IST, PTI
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CHENNAI: More than 10,000 CITU and members of other Left-affiliated
unions were arrested across Tamil Nadu for staging road and rail blockades.
Members of CITU protest in Chennai. (TOI Photo)
More Pictures
The nation-wide strike, however, evoked little response in the state.
All public transport services operated as usual while industrial
establishments reported normal attendance. Work in public sector banking
and insurance sectors was partially affected with sections of the
employees taking part in the strike.
Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association Secretary R Muthusundaram
claimed in a release that more than 2 lakh employees participated in the
agitation.
In Chennai, four private airlines cancelled their flights to Kolkata on
Wednesday morning following reports of a total strike in Left-ruled West
Bengal. All other flights were operated on schedule.
The wholesale Koyambedu market, the supplier of vegetables to the city
and suburbs, functioned as usual.
CITU state Secretary A Sounderajan and CPM MLA Mahendran were among
those arrested in Chennai, while CITU organising secretary Vikraman
along with 1,700 others were arrested in front of the Madurai Railway
Junction.
A report from Coimbatore said over 6,500 people, including 900 women
were arrested for either trying to stage road-blockade or picketing in
and around the temple city.
It said around 70 per cent of the 3,000 hosiery units functioned as
usual in the garment export hub of Tirupur, considered to be a bastion
of Left trade unions.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082651410300.htm
Andhra Pradesh
Spirited protest
– Photo: Mohd. Arif
taking to the streets: Anganwadi workers picketing at the collectorate
in Sangareddy on Monday.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/27/stories/2008082752820300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati
Workers stage protest
TIRUPATI: The workers of a closed down unit in Nagari town of Chittoor
district staged a protest against the management of the factory
belonging to Chiranjeevi’s elder son-in-law L.Vishnu Prasad to coincide
with the film star’s public meeting.
Wearing black masks to indicate ‘darkness surrounding their lives’, the
workers of the factory took out a procession in Chittoor town on Monday.
They shouted slogans against the management of L.V.R. Dong-In-Granites,
for announcing a lock-out and planning to take labourers afresh on
contract basis. They wanted Chiranjeevi to come to their rescue.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/31/stories/2008083153460400.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad
Gram panchayati union to protest
HYDERABAD: The AP Gram Panchayati Employees and Workers’ Union has
resolved to protest the arrest of its large number of members by
attending duties sporting black badges for a week and by holding relay
hunger-strikes before the mandal revenue offices on September 9, 10 and 11.
P. Bhaskar, general secretary, in a statem
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/03/stories/2008090354640300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Kurnool
Basivins protest
KURNOOL: Basivins (temple dancers) led by TDP leader Bangi Ananthaiah
staged a demonstration here on Tuesday to protest against delay in
releasing the bank deposits even after expiry. Mr. Ananthaiah said the
Basivin women were given financial assistance five years ago but the
amounts were deposited in the name of beneficiaries in the
banks.-Special Correspondent
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092051700300.htm
Karnataka - Shimoga
Casual and contract workers of BSNL stage protest
Special Correspondent
For justice: Casual and contract workers of BSNL staging a demonstration
in Shimoga on Friday.
SHIMOGA: Casual and contract workers in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) held a demonstration here on Friday in support of their demands,
including regularisation of their services.
They took out a procession and staged a demonstration on the premises of
BSNL District Headquarters shouting slogans in support of their demands.
The demonstration, organised by the Shimoga unit of the Karnataka State
BSNL Non-Permanent Workers’ Union, was in response to the call given by
the All India Casual and Contract Workers’ Federation.
Demands
The demonstrators said that they were suffering as labour laws were not
adhered to and minimum wages were not paid. They were demanding payment
of minimum wages, regularisation of the services of all casual
labourers, extension of statutory benefits like the F.P.F. and E.S.I,
payment of bonus and adherence to labour laws.
The District president of the Union S.A. Devaraj and the District
Secretary Raghavendra led the demonstration. They presented a memorandum
to the General Manager of BSNL, Shimoga.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/15/stories/2008091552140300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Khammam
Panchayati raj employees stage protest
Staff Reporter
Many of their demands have no financial implication, says MLA
Photo G. N. Rao
Show of solidarity: Thammineni Veerabhadram, MLA and CPI(M) central
committee member, trying his hand at cooking rice on the road with
protesting panchayati raj employees in Khammam on Sunday.
KHAMMAM: Panchayati raj employees on Sunday cooked their meal on the
road as part of their protest. They served the meal prepared on road to
the political leaders and elected representatives who took part in the
protest expressing their solidarity for the employees on stir. Khammam
MLA Thammineni Veerabhadram helped the protesters in cooking rice while
other politicians tried out their hand in preparing other dishes.
The panchayati raj employees have for over a week been on the roads
demanding the government to consider 16 of their demands which included
payment of salaries under head 010. Later addressing protesters, Mr
Veerabhadram said that the demands of the panchayati raj employees would
be taken up with the Government. He said the demands were genuine ones
and many of them had no financial implication.
Sujathanagar MLA Ramreddy Venkata Reddy also sympathised with protesting
employees.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/17/stories/2008091754920500.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur
Panchayat Raj staff stage silent protest
Staff Reporter
‘Congress too following the path of TDP regime’
Lending support: CITU activists taking out a procession in support of
the PR employees’ stir in Anantapur on Tuesday.
ANANTAPUR: Panchayat Raj employees took out a silent protest through the
main street, Subhash Road, in the town, here on Tuesday, the 11th day of
their continuing agitation in support of their long-pending demands.
Activists of CITU and A.P. Gram Panchayat Workers’ Union (GPWU) also
took out a procession in support of the employees.
Tying black bands across their mouths and holding placards written with
slogans relating to their demands, marked the silent protest taken out
from ZP Office to Tower Clock and back.
Activists of CITU and GPWU took out a procession from the CITU office to
ZP office raising slogans in support of the striking employees and
against the government’s alleged negligence towards the agitation.
District general secretary of CITU M. Imtiaz alleged that the Congress
Government in the State is following the same policy that was followed
by the previous TDP regime towards the State Government employees.
While the previous government had engaged about 2 lakh candidates as
contract employees without any rights, the present government is
exploiting 5.4 lakh contract employees in the same fashion, he alleged.
It’s time for all the associations, employee and worker unions to be
united to wage a battle against the government to achieve the judicious
demands, he said.
About 200 Gram Panchayat workers from 33 major panchayats, CITU
activists N. Krishnamurthy, Ramanjaneyulu, J. Chandramohan, Mareppa and
others participated.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/14/stories/2008091453150300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Anantapur
Civic workers protest
Staff Reporter
ANANTAPUR: The municipal engineering contract workers of the Municipal
Corporation, under the aegis of AITUC, took out a procession from the
corporation office to the residence of local legislator B. Narayana
Reddy and staged a dharna as part of their 12-day old agitation
demanding minimum wages to the workers.
Led by AITUC leaders and leaders of contract workers’ association C.
Jaffer, Syed Amir, D. Raja Reddy, Bala Peddanna and others, the workers
on the agitation went in a procession to the legislator’s residence and
explained to the MLA that they were being exploited for long by the
non-implementation of minimum wages by the municipal authorities.
Besides, the engineering authorities had been swindling huge funds as
they had been drawing wages for 325 workers and had been paying only
283. Wages pertaining to the rest were being pocketed by the engineering
authorities, Mr. Jaffer alleged.
Sacking workers
In the standing committee meeting held on Friday it was also decided to
sack most of the contract workers on the pretext that the engineering
authorities had told the panel that only 151 workers were needed and the
rest had to be removed. However, the AITUC-led workers’ association is
not accepting the decision and is demanding the retention of all the
workers.
The legislator summoned Commissioner Nagabhushanam to his residence and
told him to order and inquiry into the allegation of swindling of funds
in the name of excess workers in the engineering section.
The legislator also assured AITUC leaders of resolving the issue of
minimum wages by September 25.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/10/stories/2008091052360300.htm
Tamil Nadu - Erode
Protest against ‘unfair fine’
Staff Reporter
ERODE: Employees of Cooperative Department, affiliated to the CITU,
staged a protest here on Tuesday, as part of the State-wide agitation
called by the trade union.
The employees protested against the ‘unfair fine’ imposed upon erring
employees of fair price shops.
Missing
They said that it is unjust that the Government should demand the
employees to pay fine if any of the commodities are missing.
Good packing
They also said that their repeated demands to supply goods with right
quantity and good packing were yet to be taken up by the Government.
Sick cooperative
They also sought abrogation of the rule that demanded the employees of
sick cooperative societies to make a written submission foregoing 50 per
cent of their salary to get the remaining 50 per cent. Hundreds of
employees participated.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/05/stories/2008100556171600.htm
Karnataka
Coaches protest mark opening day’s proceedings
Special Correspondent
MYSORE: Mayhem, chaos and confusion marked the opening day of the
Dussera Games schedule at the Chamundi Vihar Sports Complex here on
Saturday. Sports Authority of Karnataka coaches demanding regularisation
of their jobs and wage parity voiced their protest during the
inauguration and were bodily carried away under preventive custody.
The programme did not get underway till 5 p.m. With the likes of SAK
coach Damodar Gowda — a former international athlete, and a couple of
other protestors being dealt with so firmly, there was an air of unease
hanging over the venue. There was some consolation for the coaches as
the DYSS Commissioner and the Deputy Directors met the Sports Minister
and the PA to the chief minister, and discussed tabling the demands of
the protestors.
By then, it started raining and only the indoor disciplines and those
games not affected by the protests got underway.
Sources declared late in the evening that while wage parity could be
addressed with a few performance-based riders, the regularisation of the
coaches’ jobs would not be possible due to various factors involved.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/30/stories/2008093050740200.htm
Tamil Nadu - Madurai
SRMU demonstration
Staff Reporter
MADURAI: The Southern Railway Mazdoor Union has demanded payment of
bonus with a ceiling of Rs. 3,500 as promised by the Union Government.
Addressing a demonstration here on Monday, its Madurai divisional
secretary, J.M. Rafi, said that the Union Finance Minister, P.
Chidambaram, had refused to effect the increase of Rs. 1,000 on ceiling
on bonus to railway employees. The Union Finance Ministry claimed that
the hike on bonus ceiling was profit-linked.
When the bonus ceiling was increased from Rs. 1,600 to Rs. 2,500 years
back, the issue of profit-linking was not considered.
They also sought disbursement of arrears under the Sixth Pay Commission
recommendations as cash and not through banks.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/27/stories/2008092757570300.htm
Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin
BSNL employees stage demonstration
Staff Reporter
— Photo: N.Rajesh.
agitation: BSNL employees staging a demonstration in Tuticorin on Friday.
Tuticorin: United Forum comprising BSNL Employees’ Union staged a
demonstration here on Friday.
Their demands include minimum productivity linked incentive of Rs.10,
000 to all non-executive employees as per the agreement reached between
the BSNL management and union last year. The agitation was led by T.K.
Srinivasan, district vice-president, BSNL Employees’ Union, M.
Jeyamurugan, district secretary, BSNL Employees Union. V. Ramachandran,
district president of National Union of BSNL Workers and S. Perumal,
district secretary, Telecom Employees Progressive Union, spoke.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/20/stories/2008092052180300.htm
Other States - Puducherry
Government staff stage demonstration
Special Correspondent
PUDUCHERRY: Employees owing allegiance to the Coordination Committee of
Central and State Government Employees’ Associations staged a
demonstration near the head post office here on Friday demanding among
other things removal of anomalies in the VI Pay Commission’s
recommendations.
Led by K.Meenakshisundaram and R.Anandarajan, the employees raised
slogans urging the government not to abolish the Class IV posts and the
jobs should not be left to contractors.
The employees also demanded restoration of old pension scheme, fixing
new ceiling for bonus, removal of the criterion of efficiency for annual
increments and regularisation of the service of daily rated employees
who had been receiving consolidated pay.
The employees called for strict implementation of labour laws relating
to disbursement of minimum wages, adherence to working hours and
guaranteeing social security.
Another demand was that the government should ensure the supply of
essential commodities through public distribution system.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/26/stories/2008082652130300.htm
Andhra Pradesh - Khammam
Anganwadi workers hold demonstration
Staff Reporter
Seek implementation of the promised hike in remuneration and facilities
on a par with other employees
— Photo: G.N. Rao
FOR A FAIR DEAL: Anganwadi workers staging a demonstration in Khammam on
Monday.
KHAMMAM: The Andhra Pradesh Anganwadi Workers and Helpers’ Union on
Monday organised a demonstration in front of the Collectorate demanding
implementation of the hike promised by the government in their
remuneration. Thousands of anganwadi workers squatted on the road
bringing the vehicular traffic to a standstill. They raised slogans
seeking issue of GO on their remuneration.
Addressing the protesters, union district president Ch. Sita Mahalakshmi
pointed out that the hike was announced by the government in the budget
session.
But it did not materialise till date. The inflationary trends had the
worst impact on the lives of anganwadi workers. She stated that
anganwadi workers were playing crucial role in woman and child development.
They deserved all the benefits of the third class employees.
The helpers must be treated as the fourth class employees with
retirement benefits. Besides this, she demanded allotment of house sites
for anganwai workers and payment of insurance for all those workers died
since 2007. She pleaded for payment of TA and DA for ayaas. She
emphasised the need for prompt payment of the remuneration.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/30/stories/2008083054820400.htm
Tamil Nadu - Chennai
Unorganised workers hold demonstration
CHENNAI: The Unorganised Workers’ Federation staged a demonstration on
Friday to highlight the alleged denial of social security benefits by
the Tamil Nadu Labour Welfare Board.
Various trade unions representing the unorganised sectors such as
construction, agriculture, fishing, weaving and pottery took part in the
agitation to press for implementing a 23-point charter of demands. —
Special Correspondent
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