Global Labor Demonstrations on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day
Labor federations in more than a dozen countries, that include Bahrein, Bosnia, Cambodia and Mexico, will hold a variety of demonstrations to demand that employers honor their workers. In the United States, the AFL-CIO is expected to mobilize more than 60,000 workers at some 100 events leading up to Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the signing of the 1948 U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
In Hong Kong, AFL-CIO President John Sweeney will join hundreds of other global union leaders for a rally to coincide with the meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO). They will present a series of proposals to the WTO that highlight the link between workers¹ rights and human rights. Gus Ryder, general secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, said that WTO negotiators ³must take into account the social dimension of any future trade liberalization.² The ICFTU represents 145 million workers through its 234 affiliated organizations in 154 countries.
Sweeney told a teleconference: ³With these actions, we are launching a major new push to take back working families¹ best shot at the American Dream.² CWA President Larry Cohen, who is chairman of AFL-CIO¹s Organizing Committee, said that ³democracy is at risk² in the United States, and the week¹s events are a ³fight to bring back democracy.²
Mourn Loss of 68 Journalists in ³Worst-Ever² Media Disaster
Journalists around the world were in mourning over the death in Iran of 68 journalists and media staff who were among the 94 passengers killed in a military flight soon after takeoff in Tehran Dec. 6. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is pledging support from its Safety Fund to assist the families of the media victims in what it says is the worst-ever single loss of life in any accident involving journalists and media staff.
The media victims were mostly Iranian radio and television journalists heading to cover military maneuvers in southern Iran. The accident occurred when their plane, a C-130 four-engine turboprop, crashed in the Azari suburb of Tehran, also killing 21 people on the ground. The air force plane developed engine trouble soon after takeoff.
The IFJ says that Iran has an ageing, poorly maintained fleet of aircraft due, in part, to U.S. sanctions imposed in the 1990s, which prevent it from buying U.S.-built planes or spare parts. The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in 110 countries.
Amsterdam Firefighters Act to Save Early Retirement Law
Firefighters in Amsterdam continued their industrial action on Dec. 8, leading to chaos on the region¹s roads. For the second consecutive day, a large number of the city¹s fire brigade members called in sick, while fire engines were slowly crawling along main roads causing traffic delays.
The actions, which are not supported by the firefighters¹ union, are in protest against the proposed scrapping of a regulation that states that firefighters may retire at 55.
Amsterdam¹s mayor, Job Cohen, sought the help of around 80 civilian and military personnel employed in firefighting in the army to make sure that essential firefighting services in the city are maintained.
Guyana Union Threatens Action Against Imposed Wage Boost
The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is threatening industrial action over the government¹s imposition of a seven percent pay raise for public servants without consultation with the union. The GPSU, in a letter to Guyana President Sharret Jagdeb, said the government¹s action was in conflict with the laws of Guyana and the collective bargaining agreement between the union and the government.
GPSU President Patrick Yarde told reporters on Dec. 7 that the union could resort to industrial action and even a full-scale strike if the government did not conform to the laws of Guyana and the collective agreement within a ³reasonable time.² The union had wanted to go to arbitration after wage talks had deadlocked last June. ³Let someone decide then what would be a fair living wage,² Yarde said.
A government circular said that the interim increases were proposed primarily because of 2005 being ³a most difficult year for workers generally,² citing the flood disaster, the ³steep increase² in petroleum and the ³consequential rise in the cost of living.²
China Mine Blast Leaves 74 Dead
A gas explosion at a Chinese coal mine has killed 74 coal miners, while 32 are still missing, The explosion ripped through the pit in the privately-run colliery in Tangshan, north of Hebel Province. It was the third fatal accident in two weeks, making a mockery of repeated government vows to improve safety, a BBC correspondent reported.
Rescuers are still trying to reach 42 miners who have been trapped since Dec. 2 after a flood in another Hebel mine. Divers have been dispatched and a microphone lowered into the shaft, but there is no indication that the men are still alive. China¹s mining industry is one of the most dangerous in the world, with more than 6,000 miners dying each year.
China¹s booming economy has pushed up coal prices, putting mines under pressure to increase production. As a result, health and safety laws are often overlooked and mnany mines operate illegally.
U.K. Trade Unions to Hold Protest for Irish Ferries Workers
British trade unionists are due to mount a protest in the Welsh port of Holyhead this week to show solidarity with workers at Irish Ferries. Irish Ferries is currently trying to replace all its seafaring staff with cheaper labor from Eastern Europe.
The company wants to hire these new workers at less than the minimum wage and with considerably weaker terms of employment than those now in place. Irish Ferries can get away with this by re-registering its vessels under a so-called ³flag of convenience,² thereby circumventing Irish labor law.
The company¹s management and union representatives have been in talks at the Labour Relations Commission for two days, but it is unclear if any resolution has been found.
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