Blog: August 2008

Right to Strike Violated in South Korea; KCTU VP Arrested, Detained

August 6, 2008

The KCTU along with the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) planned
a strike in protest of the factors mentioned above. When the Korean Government
heard about this action, however, the prosecutor and the Ministry of Labor deemed
it to be nothing but a “political strike” and thus illegal according to the
“obstruction of business provision in section 314 of the Penal Code.” Search
and arrest warrants were drawn up for key officials of the KMWU, KCTU, and
officers from the Hyundai Motor Branch. The Vice President of the KCTU, Ms. Jin
Young-ok, has already been arrested and detained!

Firestone Workers in Liberia Sign Historic Contract

August 6, 2008

Tim Newman, Campaigns Assistant, International Labor Rights Forum

Today in Liberia, the Firestone Agricultural Workers Union of Liberia (FAWUL) held a ceremony with Firestone management and Liberian Minister of Labor
Kofi Woods to sign their new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  It has been
a long struggle for workers to achieve independent and democratically elected
union leadership and for the first time, they have a contract which was
bargained by a representative union. This is a major step forward for workers
who have been living and working in deplorable conditions for generations.

Globalization, the Environment and Workers

August 4, 2008

It's hard to say if increasing environmental and political concerns will result in significant changes in the way corporations are managing their supply chains.  Companies like Firestone are still planning to shut down plants in the US in order to search for cheaper labor costs.  However, if the trend toward moving production back closer to consumers develops, it could have major implications on workers around the world.  How could this effect workers in the Global South and will it benefit workers in the US or end up hurting them?  What do you think?

The battle over the Employee Free Choice Act

August 1, 2008

For some background, here is how the AFL-CIO sums up the Employee Free Choice Act:

[T]he current system for forming unions and bargaining is broken. Every
day, corporations deny workers the freedom to decide for themselves
whether to form unions to bargain for a better life. They routinely intimidate, harass, coerce and even fire workers who try to form unions and bargain for economic well-being.

 

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