Stories about Labor from February, 2008
China: Suicide at tech giant Huawei
Following up on one blogger's lead, some comments on yet another staff suicide at tech company Huawei this week which for many reinforces the company's popular image of having one of the toughest workplace environments in the country.
Hong Kong: The Invisible Class
Henry porter comments on the newly released government budget report and points out the existence of an “invisible class”. Under the “winner takes the most, loser takes the rest” logic, the invisible class takes nothing (zh).
Russia: Ethnically-Motivated Violence
Moscow Through Brown Eyes reviews the coverage of a recent surge in ethnically-motivated violence in Moscow: “A month ago in my relatively sleepy bedroom community, a young Tadzhik citizen was stabbed thirty-six times. He died in the courtyard that my bedroom window looks out onto. I read about his attack...
China: Call for the Abolition of Household Registration System
Wen Yun Chao posts a joint signature statement by Chinese public intellectuals, which calls for the abolition of dual social structure (rural and urban household registration) in China (zh).
Burkina Faso: teachable moments, missing bathrooms and road rage
Pity the school teachers of the Peace Corps. While their compatriots toiling in health clinics or with micro-credit programs pretty much work loose hours and come and go from social events in the capital city at their leisure, teachers are stuck at home with a inflexible schedule, classrooms full of hundreds of students and loads and loads of homework to correct each night.
Iran:Three workers were whipped
According to [Fa] several bloggers including Salam Democrat,three workes who had been arrested last year for participating in May Day( Workers’ Day) ceremonies,were whipped in city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan.The blogger says we are all workers ,whip us all!
Kuwait: A Dusty but Profitable Week
Dust storms are wreaking havoc in Kuwait. But amid the dust, there is a silver lining, with a Cabinet decision to grant an extra KD120 (US $435) monthly bonus for Kuwaitis employed in the public and private sectors. Abdullatif AlOmar has more.
Barbados: Strike on Hold
Barbados Free Press reports that the national strike is on hold, while Notes From The Margin says: “We…always felt that the Union had painted itself into a corner by reaching for the ‘big gun’ prematurely. The lateness of this climb down also has several knock on effects that may be...
South Korea: Haagen-Dazs Workers Protest
Chamnews reports about Korean Haagen-Dazs’ workers protest against the company's outsourcing and restructuring policy.
Bangladesh: Hatered and a website
Voice of South on a A Saudi-based website, aiming to stir hatred against 1.2 million Bangladeshis working in the oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
South Korea: Income Inequality
Jamie picks up the editorial from local newspapers on the worsening income inequality situation in South Korea, with some back ups from 2007 statistic.
Barbados: National Strike?
As Barbados seems headed towards a national strike tomorrow, Cheese-on-bread! says: “Well, well. The last time I saw this level of adamance a whole Government fell.” Notes From The Margin adds: “National strikes are like atom bombs, they are great weapons to threaten with, but actually using them makes both...
Bahamas: Thoughts on Bribery
“One of the clichés about the so-called third world is that nothing can get done without some money–personal money–changing hands. One of the fortunate things about living in The Bahamas–so far–is that that kind of corruption is not a pervasive feature of our society”: Nicolette Bethel blogs about bribery and...
Bahrain: Ouch!
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif writes about a bizarre medical case here. You will have carefully examine the X-rays to believe your eyes. ***WARNING: Not for the faint of heart.
China: Squeezed To Death On Train
Xici.net posts a note by the family of a rural migrant worker. The 46 years old Sichuan rural migrant was squeezed to death on a train when she was travelling back home during lunar new year. The family hopes reporters can write about the case as the railway department should...
Iceland: Hostility Towards Poles
The beatroot writes about hostility towards Poles in Iceland.
South Korea: Irregular and Migrant Worker Movement
CINA posts the video produced by seoulidality on the history of irregular worker movement and the recent crack down of migrant worker organization by the South Korea government.
Nepal: Migrant workers
With 600 people leaving Nepal everyday for jobs abroad, Nepal Monitor makes the case for better services for migrant workers.
Bahrain: Indian Workers on Strike
Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif comments on the treatment of Indian workers on strike in Bahrain.
Czech Republic: “A Bit of Slovakia”
The Czech Daily Word writes about “a bit of Slovakia in downtown Brno.”
Bulgaria: TV Game; Feminist Blog
Petya of bighead writes about helping her boss out in the Bulgarian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and running a feminist blog in Bulgarian.
