About 2 million Americans get a raise today as the federal minimum wage rises 70 cents. The bad news: Higher gas and food prices are swallowing it up, and some small businesses will pass the cost of the wage increase to consumers. Continue reading ‘US: Some minimum wage workers get raise today’
US: Some minimum wage workers get raise today
Published July 25, 2008 america , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: american workers, federal minimum wage, food prices, us election, wage increase
China: Hundreds of migrant workers riot
Published July 15, 2008 asia , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: china migrants workers, global trade, labour rights, Temporary workers
By Audra Ang
Hundreds of migrant workers attacked a police station in eastern China after one was allegedly beaten while trying to get a residence permit, highlighting enduring tensions between temporary workers and authorities. Continue reading ‘China: Hundreds of migrant workers riot’
US: Obama’s pitch to the working class
Published July 2, 2008 america , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: afl-cio, barack obama, Hillary Clinton, labor rights, us election, US working class
By Howard Kurtz
THE AD: “He worked his way through college and Harvard Law. Turned down big-money offers and helped lift neighborhoods stung by job loss. Fought for workers’ rights. He passed a law to move people from welfare to work, slashed the rolls by 80 percent. Passed tax cuts for workers, health care for kids. Continue reading ‘US: Obama’s pitch to the working class’
World Summit on Safety and Health
Published July 2, 2008 asia , global , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: World Summit on Safety and Health
The International Labour Organization (ILO) welcomed the Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work adopted here today by some 50 high-level decision makers from around the world as a major new blueprint for constructing a global culture of safety and health at work. Continue reading ‘World Summit on Safety and Health’
Russia: Tight curbs placed on foreign labour
Published July 1, 2008 asia , europe , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: foreign labour, labour rights, labour standards, migrants in russia, russian workers
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
First deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov acknowledged at the 12th International Economic Forum held early this month in St. Petersburg that shortage of skilled labour is holding back growth. He said that given the right combination of labour and capital resources, Russia could become the world’s sixth largest economy. At present France is in sixth place, after the U.S. Japan, Germany, China and Britain. Continue reading ‘Russia: Tight curbs placed on foreign labour’
China: Just one step away from the right to strike
Published June 20, 2008 asia , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: China labour law, chinese unions, freedom of association, labour standards, right to strike
Workers in China do not have the constitutional right to strike. Yet, every day in the Pearl River Delta alone there is at least one major strike involving over a thousand employees and dozens of smaller strikes and stoppages. Continue reading ‘China: Just one step away from the right to strike’
Europe: Calling for humane migration policy
Published June 20, 2008 europe , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: etuc, European migration policy, ITUC, migrant workers, refugees, returns directive
The ITUC has joined the European Trade Union Confederation in calling on the European Union to respect the fundamental rights of migrants. The ETUC has written to the members of the European Parliament in the lead up to a vote on 18 June on the so-called “Returns Directive” which, if adopted, would introduce a number of measures which the trade union organisations deem unacceptable. Continue reading ‘Europe: Calling for humane migration policy’
US: Is Obama flipflopping on so-called “Free Trade”?
Published June 20, 2008 america , governments , workers 2 CommentsTags: free trade, nafta, Obama, us election, us workers
by Jonathan Tasini
Yesterday, Sen. Obama made comments to a business reporter that leave the impression that he is already shifting his stated position on NAFTA and, by extension, so-called “free trade”. It is worth looking at as a sign where Sen. Obama really intends to lead us on trade if he wins the White House. Continue reading ‘US: Is Obama flipflopping on so-called “Free Trade”?’
US: Obama looks to woo blue-collar workers
Published June 18, 2008 america , global , governments , workers 0 CommentsTags: barack obama, blue collar, free trade, labor, trade unions, us economy, us election
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
AP Political Writer
Joe Heston tends to vote Republican, but after listening to Barack Obama speak on Monday, he may vote for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. “I like his ideas, especially on the economy and education,” said Heston, a 23-year-old Kettering University senior from Monterey, Calif., who attended Obama’s speech at the Flint school. “I’m going to take a long look in this election.” Continue reading ‘US: Obama looks to woo blue-collar workers’
US: Domestic workers demonstrate against violence
Published June 12, 2008 america , workers 0 CommentsTags: abuse, domestic workers, foreign worker, harassment, labor rights, migrant worker, violence, working women
By Cara Buckley and Annie Correal
The women’s stories seemed to come from a backward country, or from a shameful time in the United States that many would sooner forget. One woman, too scared to give her name, told of being struck by her employer in Bethesda, Md., as she scrubbed her hands raw polishing the floor. Another woman, Violet Anthony, who is 29 and from Mumbai, said her face became marbled with bruises after her employer in Queens slammed her into a wall and slapped her. Continue reading ‘US: Domestic workers demonstrate against violence’
