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Forum on Women Workers in Areas of Armed Conflict
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THIS SITE IS GETTING 'MADE-UP'! |
Dear members and friends, We are redesigning our website and trying make it more users-friendly. We need your help! Please give us your suggestions and comments. Thanks a lot! CAW
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We Demand Employment, Equal Labour Standards and Participation in Decision Making for All Women Workers
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Letters: International Labor Rights Forum
Published Wednesday, January 23, 2008 - 07:02 PM
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1639 Reads
Dear friends and allies'
I am writing from the International Labor Rights Forum in Washington, DC. We are writing today about 3 very important things and we would very much like your feedback and involvement.
---Share your Successes---
In response to the call for a global week of action during the week of January 21-26, 2008 initiated by the World Social Forum, the Labor is Not a Commodity blog, which is run by ILRF and several other groups, will feature articles throughout the week related to the theme: "Another World is Possible: International Labor Solidarity Success Stories."
We will be sharing stories about when people around the world came together to support workers' rights and how different individuals and organizations are successfully protecting labor rights globally. Keep checking throughout the week for inspiring updates.
We also want to hear your stories! You can contribute blog entries on successful labor campaigns by sending your stories to Tim at [email protected] -- the sooner the better! You can also contact Tim with questions or for more information.
---Pictures---
ILRF is about to launch a new website and we want to highlight all of the inspiring work done by trade unions and labor allied NGOs around the world. Please send us any pictures that you would like us to feature on our website and in publications. We very much would like pictures of factories, individual workers, rallies, and other activities that you have planned. Please send your pictures to [email protected] and also include a caption and the name of the photographer.
---Profiles---
ILRF recently surveyed our supporters and they responded with a special request to learn more about individual worker stories and also about the organizations that work on labor rights issues globally. We would like to feature your organization and work on our blog, website and other publications. If you would like to share the work you do with others through ILRF, email [email protected].
It is a pleasure to work with you and to support your important work and we look forward to continuing in the struggle for just labor rights around the world.
In solidarity,
Trina Tocco, International Labor Rights Forum
Washington, DC
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News: JPEPA LOSSES TO RP ECONOMY GO BEYOND MONETARY COST
Published Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 07:28 PM
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1559 Reads
Independent think-tank IBON Foundation reacted to Senator Mar Roxas�s statement that he would advocate for the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Sen. Roxas said yesterday although there was not much gain inherent in the free-trade pact, "the loss is definitely calculable". But IBON research head Sonny Africa said that the loss to the local economy of JPEPA goes beyond what can immediately be computed in monetary terms to affect the country's future economic development.
Even as IBON estimates annual revenue losses at P10.6 billion because of tariff removals under JPEPA, Africa said that the bigger loss from the free trade pact is ultimately its effect on the country's economic sovereignty and its right to impose policies to protect its industries and promote its long-term economic development.
For example, the JPEPA has investment provisions that require the Philippine government to place Japanese investors on equal footing with their local counterparts while preventing the country from imposing policies to favor Filipino entrepreneurs and enterprises. It also prohibits the government from imposing such development measures as requiring Japanese investors to hire a given level of Filipino nationals, transfer technologies or production processes to local companies, or achieve a certain level of local content in products it manufactures or subcontracts in the Philippines.
The effect of these provisions can not be readily computed monetarily, but the loss to the domestic economy is very real and concrete, Africa said, in terms of lost livelihoods and local firms closed. Just as big a loss will be the continued and chronic backwardness of the Philippines' agricultural and industrial sectors, which would deny tens of millions of Filipinos decent work and force them to risk their lives abroad as overseas workers. �These losses are inherent in the JPEPA,� he said.
Africa said that senators considering ratification of the controversial pact should ultimately look not just at the immediate losses the JPEPA will bring but also its future legacy: the destruction of the people's welfare and any hope of the country's future development. (end)
IBON Foundation, Inc. is an independent development institution established in 1978 that provides research, education, publications, information work and advocacy support on socioeconomic issues.
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Letters: Updates of Dagongzhe Migrant Worker Centre and Huang Qingnan
Published Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 12:33 AM
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1642 Reads
Dear all,
Warm greeting from Hong Kong!
First of all, we are very grateful for the massive support from Hong Kong and international civil society. In the past few weeks, many civil groups (included but not limited to International Trade Union Confederation, Clean Clothes Campaign, Worker Rights Consortium, Ethnic Trading Initiative, etc), had responded to our call and sent their concern to the China Central and Shenzhen Municipal governments, as well as wide spreaded the news on this terrible attacks though their networks.
Apart from letter writing and endorsement to the statement, we receive a lot of support in donation. Since the medical expenditure is higher than we expect, we amended the fund rasie target to 38,000 USD and now 33,600 USD is collected, major came from the Hong Kong public and civil groups, as well as international groups such as EED (Church Development Service, Germany), International Trade Union Confederation, Canadian Labour Congress, Taiwan civil society (collected by Coolloud Web) etc. The medical cost until 7th Jan, 2008 is around 10,500 USD. This encouraging result is a concrete example for worker solidarity between north and south.
Dagongzhe Centre is now re-open on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, and providing legal consultation to workers. Workers expressed their concern and anger to the violent attack and support to the DGZ Centre, thus they donate d to Huang and also initiated a sale to fund raise for Huang and planning for further supportive activities to stand for a normal operation of DGZ Centre.
Hunag Qingnan is recovering steady after the skin-grafting operation on 4th Jan, 2008. He is still suffering from muscular dystrophy, hence more physical training is important to enhance the strength of his thigh muscle. However, doctor told that he will need a supplementary instrument in the future. If there is no more infection or other problem, Huang can be discharged from hospital before Chinese New Year (Early Feb). One more operation for muscle transplant may be needed to the maximize his ability to walk, and followed by series of physiotherapy which will be last for at least 18 months.
The Government had not respond to the calls from DGZ Centre and international groups yet, nevertheless, the Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions had visited Huang and DZG Centre, to convey care and attention. But they refused to condemn on the violent attack against workers and DGZ Centre since they worried that it would be interpreted as the Government's position. There is still no specific progress on the detection, no suspects is arrested or questioned.
The next stage of activities will be mainly initiated by local workers in mainland China to achieve formal communication channel with the Government. We hope that you can keep your eyes on the incident and continuously mobilize your network members to write to the China Central and Shenzhen Municipal governments.
Thanks again for your concern and support!
In Solidarity,
Worker Empowerment Labour Action in China Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior
Asia Monitor Recourse Centre Globalisation Monitor
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Letters: Solidarity request from USAS
Published Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - 12:10 AM
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1776 Reads
Dear friends,
I hope this finds you well. I write to ask for your help in ensuring that baseball cap workers for the New Era Cap Company here in the United States are able to exercise their right to organize. As described below, we would like to ask your organization to add its name to a letter that USAS will be sending to the Fair Labor Association about this case.
We have been working cosely with workers at plants owned by New Era in the south of the United States, in the state of Alabama. These workers are trying to organize a union to win dignified treatmment, decent wages, and to stop racial discrimination against workers in the factory. The company has responded by waging an aggressive union busting campaign in which it has called union organizers liars and claimed that unions do nothing but take workers' dues from their paychecks. To illustrate some of their tactics, I am attaching a letter that New Era sent to the workforce of one of its factories.
New Era is also a member of the Fair Labor Assocation (FLA). Its head of human resources, Tim Freer, sits on the Executeive Board of the FLA as a representative of New Era. Workers have told us that Mr. Freer personally participated in the anti-union campaign by running a series of anti-union meetings which workers were required to attend.
The purpose of the letter we are asking you to sign is to encourage the FLA to take leadership on this issue. Basically, we want them to clearly state that they will not allow one of their member companies to run anti-union campaings in factories that they own and operate themselves and demand that New Era stop its union-busting campaign at its plant in Jackson, Alabama.
It would be greatly appreciated if your organization could sign on to this letter, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks so much,
Zack
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The USAS Winter Conference will be February 8-10 in sunny Miami, FL. Register today at studentsagainstsweatshops.org
Zack Knorr
United Students Against Sweatshops
International Campaigns Coordinator
Cell: 951-368-8004
Office: 202-NOSWEAT
Email: [email protected]
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Campaign: Domestic Workers Are Workers
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Coming CAW Events
Regional Conference on Domestic Workers
26-27 August 2008
Bangkok, Thailand |
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CAW Secretariat
Executive Coordinator- Lucia V Jayaseelan
Programme Coordinator- Deepa Bharathi
Programme Officer- Niza Concepcion
Information Communication and Media Officer- Juliette Lee
Publication, Resource Centre and Thai Liaison Officer- Patima Kalumpakorn (Pui)
Book-keeper / Administration Assistant- Suneerat Sangthong (Tuk)
Finance Consultant- Leong Mee Nan (Mei Yun)
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