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International Employment Relations Network List
(IERN-L)
A Miscellany of International Employment Relations News
Miscellany 7, 3 June 2013
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Contents
Main Stories
Bangladesh: Getting it wrong: Walmart and GAP run away from Bangladesh
Accord
China: Graduate makes formal complaint against local government for hukou
discrimination
International: Caught at sea: fighting forced labour in the fishing industry
Jordan: On the Road to an Arab Region Trade Union Organisation
In Brief
Australia: Low-paid workers to receive 2.6pc wage rise, Fair Work Commission
rules
Bangladesh: Bangladesh Labour Law Needs Fixing
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India: ILO, UNHRC to take up labour issues at Maruti
Laos: Laos moves to reform labour laws
Sarawak: Sarawak government optimistic minimum wage will lure Sarawakians
back
Singapore: Five Companies Convicted of Providing Unacceptable
Accommodation – First Case in 2013
Singapore: Government Accepts National Wages Council's Recommendations for
2013/2014
Sweden: Fastighet workers take action over unfair labour agreement
Labour/Employment Law
UK: Equality test for Virgin Atlantic
Opinion/Commentary
China: China’s trade union in dreamland
What the Unions Say
Greece: TUI public services - S Europe: solidarity with the Greek workers from
Mevbal and Fage
Nigeria: The Text of the Communique of The National Executive Council (NEC)
of The Nigeria Labour Congress Held On Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Norway: LO (Norway) 2013 Congress International Resolution
Publications
Calls for Papers, Conferences, Seminars, Symposia
Other Sites
________________________________________________________________
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Main Stories
Bangladesh: Getting it wrong: Walmart and GAP run away from
Bangladesh Accord
IR/ER/Bangladesh/Sweatshops/MNCs
UNI, 31 May 2013 at
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf/pages/homepageEn?Opendocument&exURL=ht
tp://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/UNINews.nsf/vwLkpByIdHome/F754C47A3EE841A6C
1257B7C00527072?OpenDocument
As the number of retail companies signing up to the Bangladesh Accord continues to grow,
the shopping public and the garment workers of Bangladesh have been given a slap in the
face by Walmart and GAP.
Not content with snubbing the Accord, they have now produced a code of their own where
they will act as judge and jury. Walmart, which has suffered further dents to its tarnished
reputation this week with fines and class action suits brought against it, has taken GAP with it
along the low road. Shoppers everywhere will be angered that Walmart and GAP are making
a concerted effort to misrepresent and undermine the Accord by conspiring to produce their
own code, on their terms, in a sorry public relations exercise as they run for cover.
More than forty global companies have shown their commitment to staying in Bangladesh
and investing to improve factory safety in the Bangladeshi garment industry, under the
Accord. IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, along with their NGO partners,
the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Worker Rights Consortium, deplore Walmart and Gap’s
tactics. The household global names who have signed the Bangladesh Safety Deal have
shown leadership in a combined effort to avoid a repeat of the Rana Plaza tragedy which
claimed more 1,100 lives, mostly female workers. Walmart and Gap should follow suit and
sign immediately.
IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary, Jyrki Raina said, “Yet another U.S retailer,
Sean John, has today signed the global Accord and companies from all around the world are
ready to join this growing group. The kind of voluntary initiative being put forward by
Walmart and Gap has failed in the past and will again fail to protect Bangladeshi garment
4
workers. Walmart has cynically refused to pay compensation to the Tazreen factory fire
victims and is now undermining the constructive efforts of other companies.”
UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “Walmart and GAP are revisiting
the errors of the past. They are out of step with the public mood. They are ignoring shoppers
and letting down Bangladeshi garment workers. Walmart and GAP are blind to the new retail
reality that shoppers will not tolerate inhumane factory conditions. How high does the body
count have to go for them to do the right thing?”
__________________________________________________________________________
China: Graduate makes formal complaint against local government for
hukou discrimination
IR/China/Migrant Workers/Houkou
China Labour Bulletin, 15 May 2013 at http://www.clb.org.hk/en/content/graduate-makes-
formal-complaint-against-local-government-hukou-discrimination
A 23-year-old graduate from Anhui has written a formal complaint letter to the Nanjing
Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security accusing it of discrimination in
its recruitment drive.
The bureau had specified that applicants for a job as a telephone consultant must have a
Nanjing household registration (hukou). The graduate, Su Min (pseudonym) was registered in
Xuancheng, about 100 kilometres outside Nanjing, and was hence disqualified.
“Only people with a Nanjing hukou could apply. I was perfectly qualified; the only thing I
lacked was a Nanjing hukou. Is it really possible that only people from Nanjing are able to do
this kind of work?” Su Min told the Chinese media.
“Is it because only Nanjing people can understand Nanjing dialect? Xuancheng dialect is
really not that different,” she added.
In her complaint letter, Su Min called on the Jiangsu Provincial Bureau to rectify the illegal
and discriminatory actions of the Nanjing Municipal Bureau.
As CLB‘s report on employment discrimination in China shows, hukou discrimination is
widespread, especially for graduates, with one survey showing that nearly 60 percent of
employers set specific hukou requirements for graduate employees. And even if they can get
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a job, migrant workers’ access to healthcare, social services and education will be severely
constrained by their hukou status.
In addition, migrant workers often receive less pay for the same work as urban residents, and
are more likely to be denied their due benefits and end up in labour disputes over unpaid
wages or unpaid overtime. Many of the issues faced by migrant workers stem from the fact
that they are often relegated to low-skilled positions in which exploitation of the vulnerable is
rife.
___________________________________________________________________________
International: Caught at sea: fighting forced labour in the fishing industry
IR/ER/International/Fishing
ILO, 31 May 2013 at http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/comment-
analysis/WCMS_214522/lang--en/index.htm
In many countries the fishing sector is not only a major source of employment and household
incomes, but plays an important role in ensuring food security and in the overall economy.
Most of the fishing industry applies decent working and living conditions to fishers.
However, there are serious incidents of abuse in some fisheries and fishing vessels, which
amount to forced labour and human trafficking. While not being representative of overall
working conditions in the industry, these criminal practices, which harm not only the fishers
themselves but also tarnish the image of the fishing sector, need to be addressed as a matter
of urgency. This is the key message of a new ILO report entitled Caught at sea: Forced labour
and trafficking in fisheries recently published by the ILO.
The report also highlighted the need for more research to assess the extent and prevalence of
forced labour in the industry, however, available evidence suggests that gaps in legislation
and enforcement are exploited by unscrupulous intermediaries and fishing vessel operators.
For example, a new explorative study (forthcoming) on working conditions in Thailand’s
fishing sector, implemented by the ILO in collaboration with its constituents, found that
about 5 per cent of fishers surveyed were unable to leave their work due to threat of violence
or of being denounced to the authorities, and the withholding of documents or assets. The
vast majority of them were from Myanmar. These abusive practices have also been reported
from other regions in the world, as the report highlights.
6
Recent trends within the fisheries sector, including overfishing, illegal fishing and the
increasing use of workers from developing countries mean that more migrant workers are
finding their way to the fishing industry. Poor training, inadequate access to complaints
mechanisms and a lack of enforcement of safety and labour standards make these fishers
particularly vulnerable to forced labour and human trafficking.
While most countries, including Thailand, are committed to fighting forced labour and
trafficking, activities at sea can be reclusive and hard to monitor. The worlds’ oceans are
subject to a different jurisdictional regime from land. In particular, significant gaps exist
when it comes to prevention, victim protection and compensation.
Need for partnerships and regulationThere is an urgent need for coordination between
inspectors and law enforcement within States and across borders. The same goes for
international agencies, government, workers’and employers’organizations, and civil society
organizations.
An example of such partnerships is the TRIANGLE Project in the Greater Mekong sub-
Region. This is a cooperation project between the ILO, its constituents and civil society in
Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, which aims to reduce the
exploitation of labour migrants by improving recruitment and labour protection policies and
practices.
The project is working with the Royal Thai Government and the National Fisheries
Association among others, on a number of interventions to improve conditions for migrant
workers, for example by setting up labour coordination centres for the fishing sector in seven
provinces across the country. These centres aim to facilitate the recruitment of migrant
workers and provide training and support. .
Improved regulation and the implementation of safety and labour standards can play an
important role in preventing abusive practices in the industry.
The ILO and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have established a number of
binding legal instruments to improve fishers’ safety and working conditions (the ILO’s Work
in Fishing Convention (No. 188), the IMO’s Torremolinos Protocol and the IMO’s
Convention on Standards of Trading, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel
Personnel (STCW-F), as well as non-binding recommendations and codes, some of which
were developed jointly between the ILO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
the IMO.
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With the exception of the STCW-F, which entered into force in March 2013, none of these
legal instruments are in force. The slow pace of ratification of conventions inhibits effective
control of safety and labour standards in the fisheries sector, and undermines important
opportunities to prevent and detect instances of abuse on board.
The absence of binding legal frameworks also contributes to a lack of transparency with
respect to information on vessel identity, ownership and movement. This undermines the
effective investigation and prosecution of criminals. The new ILO report, however, stressed
that the vast majority of States, including most flag States, are committed to tackling forced
labour and human trafficking as they have ratified ILO Convention, 1930 (No 29) and the UN
Protocol to Supress, Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons. This commitment extends to
the protection of workers on vessels flying their flag.
The report also recognizes opportunities in working closely with agencies that address crime
in fisheries, such as Interpol and UNODC
__________________________________________________________________________
Jordan: On the Road to an Arab Region Trade Union Organisation
IR/Arab States/ Trade Unionism/
ITUC, 31 May 2013 at http://www.ituc-csi.org/on-the-road-to-an-arab-region
To respond most effectively to the legitimate political and social aspirations expressed by the
revolutions which have taken place in the Arab region, the founding organisations of this
democratic and independent Arab trade union movement have adopted to this end a charter
which sets out the fundamental principles for action and defines the objectives to be
implemented.
The struggle for freedom, social justice and equality, the fight against oppression,
exploitation, poverty and discrimination are at the heart of the democratic and independent
Arab trade union movement. Based on the rejection of all forms of colonialism, racism,
sectarianism and terrorism, the Democratic and Independent Arab trade union movement
seeks to unify all its force to fight for trade union rights, for the establishment of genuine
social dialogue in the Arab countries, for the creation of decent jobs, in particular for young
people, as well as for the defence of the rights of migrant workers and those in the informal
economy. The struggle for women’s rights, which are particularly repressed in the Arab
region, and for a more equitable participation of women within trade unions is equally a
8
fundamental priority on the agenda of the democratic and independent Arab trade union
movement.
The founding organisations have adopted provisional internal rules, and conferred on the
representative of the ITUC secretariat the responsibility to submit the adopted documents to
the next meeting of the ITUC General Council.
___________________________________________________________________________
In Brief
Australia: Low-paid workers to receive 2.6pc wage rise, Fair Work
Commission rules
IR/Australia/Wages/Low Paid
The Australian 3 June 2013 at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/industrial-
relations/low-paid-workers-to-receive-26pc-wage-rise-fair-work-commission-rules/story-
fn59noo3-1226656151033
The Fair Work Commission announced today that the national minimum wage would
increase by 2.6 per cent.
The decision, which will affect about $1.5 million workers, will disappoint unions which had
been seeking a $30-a-week rise.
Business groups had called for a rise of $5.80.
The national minimum wage will rise to $622.20 a week, from $606.40 currently.
The commission discounted the pay rise due to the superannuation increase.
Last year the national minimum wage rose by $17.10 a week.
Employers said the latest increase was a “body blow” to business, despite the rise being half
the union claim.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the 2.6 per cent increase would
mean some workers on higher award classifications would receive up to $24 a week.
___________________________________________________________________________
Bangladesh: Bangladesh Labour Law Needs Fixing
IR/ER/Bangladesh/ Labour Law
ITUC, 31 May 2013 at http://www.ituc-csi.org/bangladesh-labour-law-needs-fixing
9
“Legal changes the government is proposing seem to be more cosmetic than real, and would
still leave garment workers without the means to protect themselves from being exploited.
We’ve said to the Bangladesh government that there needs to be a tripartite process, with
government, employers and unions engaged in the vital task of developing new laws.
Bangladesh badly needs to repair its battered reputation for labour abuses if it is going to
ensure fair treatment for workers and to maintain and grow exports,” said ITUC Deputy
General Secretary Wellington Chibebe, who led the mission along with ITUC-AP General
Secretary Noriyuki Suzuki.
The current labour law recognises the right to form a union but falls well below intentional
standards. Employers in the huge garment industry, with the support or acquiescence of the
government, have been able to prevent workers forming and joining unions, immediately
firing with impunity those who dared to organise for dignity on the job. Under pressure from
multinational companies for many years to keep production costs at rock bottom, the
government has for too long ignored workers’ wellbeing and safety. The fact that a large
number of factory owners also hold seats in parliament has also hindered reform and
contributed to the appalling safety record of the industry. Wages for the mainly female
workforce, working shifts of up to 12 hours, are often less than two dollars per day.
“The terrible human cost of the Rana Plaza collapse has put the spotlight on the Bangladesh
garment industry once again, and many international brands have signed up with global
unions to a common effort to tackle building safety and fire hazards. The government needs
to play its part now, and that means laws that meet international standards,” said Chibebe.
___________________________________________________________________________
India: ILO, UNHRC to take up labour issues at Maruti
IR/India/Freedom of Association
The New Indian Express, 3 June 2013 at
http://newindianexpress.com/nation/ILO-UNHRC-to-take-up-labour-issues-at-
Maruti/2013/05/31/article1613484.ece
The alleged violence and human rights violation of workers at the Manesar plant of Maruti
Suzuki will be taken up at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United
Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva next week by the International Commission for
Labour Rights (ICLR).
10
The special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, an
independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a
country a specific human rights theme, will also look into the matter.
___________________________________________________________________________
Laos: Laos moves to reform labour laws
IR/Laos/Labour Laws
Asia News Network, 28 May 2013 at http://apirnet.ilo.org/news/laos-moves-to-reform-labour-
laws
Experts from line ministries, the Federation of Trade Unions, the Lao National Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) gathered in
Vientiane yesterday for three days of discussions on drafting amendments to the law.
“Aside from responding to the country's socio-economic and political circumstances, we
should think about our obligations to and engagements with the international community
when structuring any law,” said Director General of the Department of Labour Management
under the ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Phongsaysack Inthalath.
The Labour Law, which was first promulgated in 1994, was previously amended in 2006. In
2011, units within the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare began to draft a second law,
which they called the Labour Management Law. The expectation was that this would be
submitted for adoption by the National Assembly in the middle of last year.
________________________________________________________________
Sarawak: Sarawak government optimistic minimum wage will lure
Sarawakians back
ER/Sarawak/Minimum Wage/ Labour Migration
Borneo Post, 30 May 2013 at http://apirnet.ilo.org/news/sarawak-government-optimistic-
minimum-wage-will-lure-sarawakians-back
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu said the Minimum Wages Order
2012, which was applicable nationwide, including the oil palm plantation sector, was aimed
at luring more local workers into employment and thus, reduce the number of unskilled
workers.
“However, the decision to choose the place of employment remains the absolute right of the
local worker,” he said.
11
Jabu, who is also Rural Development and Modernisation of Agriculture Minister, said this in
his winding-up speech relating to his two portfolios in the state legislative assembly sitting
here yesterday.
He said the minimum wage was RM800 or RM3.85 per hour in Sarawak, whereby the
implementation date for employers in the oil palm plantation sector with more than six
employees was Jan 1, this year, while it was July 1, this year for those employing five or less
workers.
On entry permit, Jabu noted the granting of permanent residency was not a ‘right’ but a
privilege, as proper investigation and consideration of each case was carried out before a
decision was taken.
In the meanwhile, prior to that decision, the applicant was permitted to remain in the state
with the appropriate immigration pass such as social visit pass, he said.
___________________________________________________________________________
Singapore: Zhong Jiang (Singapore) International Fined $8,000 For
Employment Act Offences
ER/Singapore/ Foreign Workers/Response to 2012 demonstration in December 2012
Ministry of Manpower, 25 April 2013 at
http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?listid=496
In the Subordinate Courts today, Zhong Jiang (Singapore) International Pte Ltd (“Zhong
Jiang”) pleaded guilty to 8 charges of failing to pay its workers’ salaries on time. The
company had employed the two workers who staged a dangerous sit-in atop construction
cranes in December 2012. The company pleaded guilty to 8 charges under Section 34 of the
Employment Act (EA) for failing to pay its workers their salaries within seven days after the
last day of the salary period, which is an offence under Section 34 of the Employment Act.
Another 17 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. The company was fined a
total of $8,000.
MOM investigated Zhong Jiang after the two workers, PRC nationals Zhu Guilei and Wu
Xiaolin, climbed onto two tower cranes at their worksite and alleged that their employer had
withheld their salaries. The two workers refused to come down until their claims were
resolved. Zhu and Wu were subsequently found guilty of criminal trespass last month and
jailed four weeks each. In respect of Zhu’s and Wu’s November salary payments, MOM’s
findings showed that their salaries were not yet due for payment at the time of the incident
12
and there was no statutory breach of the Employment Act. (Refer to Annex A for more
details on the incident.)
At the same time, as part of MOM’s due process, MOM officers initiated a broader
investigation into Zhong Jiang’s employment practices. An audit of the company’s salary
payment records showed that between September and November 2012, Zhong Jiang had
failed to make timely salary payments.
Under the EA, employers are required to pay salaries within seven days after the end of a
salary period. Zhong Jiang had delayed the salary payments by periods ranging from about
one to three weeks. Such salary payment delays are offences under Section 34 read with
Section 21(1) of the EA, and punishable under Section 112 of the same Act.
MOM will not hesitate to prosecute employers for violations of employment laws
MOM reminds all employers that they have the responsibility to pay workers’ salaries on
time. While MOM and its tripartite partners will continue to help employers improve their
employment practices, the Ministry will not hesitate to take stern action against employers
who flout our employment laws.
Workers should approach MOM if they have salary issues and not take matters into their own
hands …or break the law.
___________________________________________________________________________
Singapore: Five Companies Convicted of Providing Unacceptable
Accommodation – First Case in 2013
ER/Singapore/Foreign Workers/Response to Chines bus drivers’ strike in November 2012.
Ministry of Manpower, 30 May 2013 at
http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?listid=502
Five companies were convicted in the Subordinate Courts on 28 May 2013 for failing to
provide acceptable accommodation for their foreign workers (FWs). The companies were
also found guilty of failing to update their FWs’ addresses in the Online Foreign Worker
Address System (OFWAS), as well as paying FWs their salaries on time. They pleaded guilty
to 44 charges collectively for the housing, OFWAS and salary offences, and were fined a
total of $80,000. 174 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
________________________________________________________________
13
Singapore: Government Accepts National Wages Council's
Recommendations for 2013/2014
IR/ER/Singapore/Wage Fixing/Governmet
Ministry of Manpower, 31 May 2013 at
http://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?listid=504
The Government endorses the NWC's focus of its 2013/2014 guidelines to raise real wages
for workers by improving productivity, and to achieve higher wages for low-wage workers.
The NWC has recommended that real wage increases should be in line with productivity
growth over the long term, and that employers should share productivity gains fairly with
workers and in a sustainable manner. The Government strongly supports this guideline, and
urges companies, unions and workers to work together towards this goal.
___________________________________________________________________________
Sweden: Fastighet workers take action over unfair labour agreement
IR/Sweden/Collective Bargaining/Industrial Action
UNI, 30 May 2013 at
http://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/uni.nsf/pages/homepageEn?Opendocument&exURL=ht
tp://www.uniglobalunion.org/Apps/UNINews.nsf/vwLkpByIdHome/7B305BC9FD0F248CC
1257B7B002A4245?OpenDocument
The Swedish Union Fastighet has announced further strike action by its members working in
Building Maintenance. This is due to the refusal of the employers organisation PACTA to
sign a new agreement when the old one expires that will guarantee equal working conditions
with the other employers agreements.
The Union President Hans Ohland said, "It is a shame that Pacta try to be competitive by not
giving equal conditions in the general collective agreements. We can´t accept an organisation
that violates such an important rule in the working system of the Swedish model``
The union has announced further strikes to start on June 11th if a new agreement is not
signed.
________________________________________________________________
14
Labour/Employment Law
UK: Equality test for Virgin Atlantic
CIPD, 31 May 2013 at
http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/2013/05/31/equality-test-
for-virgin-
atlantic.aspx?utm_medium=email&utm_source=cipd&utm_campaign=pmdaily&utm_conten
t=310513_law_1
In a case which received wide publicity Kpakio v Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd (ET
1604280/2012) an employment tribunal had to consider whether or not an employer was
guilty of race discrimination when it rejected a candidate for a job, but then offered an
interview for the same role when he submitted a second application under a false name.
Facts
Kpakio applied for a job as a customer services advisor twice in October 2012: the first time
in his own name; the second time with a false name, ‘Craig Owen’. The second application
had a differently completed application form and CV, and an equal opportunities monitoring
form in which he said he was ‘White British’. His first job application was rejected. The
second application was put forward to the next stage, a telephone interview. Kpakio did not
progress the second application and brought a claim for direct race discrimination instead.
He originally claimed compensation but then dropped that, asking the tribunal instead to
order an apology and a job offer (something the tribunal did not have the power to do).
Kpakio argued that the decision not to progress the first application was due to his ethnic
origin. He was originally from Liberia and described himself as Black African. He said he
had submitted the second application in the name of Craig Owen to “test” Virgin and its
recruitment process.
Tribunal
The employment tribunal held that a mere difference in ethnic origin between applicants was
not sufficient to bring a successful claim for race discrimination. Kpakio had to show facts
from which, in the absence of an explanation from Virgin and on the balance of probabilities,
15
the tribunal could find that he had suffered direct race discrimination. Kpakio failed to do
this.
Kpakio had a university education, whereas Craig Owen (his fictional alter ego) worked on a
supermarket checkout. Kpakio argued he was the better candidate. But in the tribunal’s eyes
it was critical that the CV he submitted under the name of Craig Owen was different and had
more relevant work experience in it, whereas his real CV did not meet the published criteria
for the job. Kpakio may have had a degree, but ‘Craig Owen’ had more direct relevant work
experience. Moreover, Kpakio’s application was considered by one HR manager and
Owen’s by another. The real issue was not why Craig Owen was selected for interview, but
why Kpakio’s application failed.
Comment
The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against applicants on the grounds of
race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin. The Act covers the entire recruitment process. To
help ensure equality when recruiting, information about an applicant’s race, nationality,
disability and so on, should not be contained in a job application but detailed separately in an
equality monitoring form. Those carrying out the recruitment should not be given the
equality monitoring form (as was the case here).
Obviously, in the case of race and ethnic origin, there may be a risk that a recruiter makes
assumptions based on the individual’s name, which will appear on the job application or CV.
To help combat any potential discrimination (conscious or otherwise) employers should have
a clearly drawn up job description and selection criteria and ensure, when selecting
candidates to take forward, the candidates match that criteria. Recruiters may want to
consider having application forms rather than CVs as this helps to ensure a consistent
approach when assessing the relative merits of candidates. Finally, it is advisable to ensure
that good records are kept so a potential employer has evidence to support any decisions that
are challenged.
___________________________________________________________________________
16
Opinion/Commentary
China: China’s trade union in dreamland
China Labour Bulletin, Jennifer’s Blog, 31 May 2013 at
http://www.clb.org.hk/en/blogs/jennifer/china%E2%80%99s-trade-union-dreamland
The Chinese Dream has been analysed and interpreted in many different ways since President
Xi Jinping first floated the idea at this year’s National People’s Congress. But perhaps the
biggest difference is between how China’s workers and the official trade union see that
dream.
On 1 April, appropriately enough, The All-China Federation of Trade Unions called on
unions across the country to spread the idea of the “Chinese Dream - the Beauty of Work,” a
concept that encouraged workers to take pride in their work and work harder for a Chinese
renaissance.
According to media reports, in less than a month, trade unions had organized over 1,500
propaganda groups with thousands of grassroots officials working on the factory floor. The
reports claimed that more than four million workers had listened to the Chinese Dream
propaganda and gradually digested the concept and were then motivated to be the practitioner
of the Chinese path and a driving force for Chinese power.
Provinces and cities like Shaanxi, Qinghai and Shanghai issued detailed directives on how to
carry out the propaganda work. These directives contained no mention of workers’ rights and
interests but instead were full of words like “harmonious society,” “hardworking” and
“socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Lang Guoqing, the deputy chairman of the Qinghai provincial union, for example, mentioned
“socialism with Chinese characteristics” 17 times in a 2,300 character commentary.
When it comes to the implementation of the Chinese Dream, Lang stressed that unions should
guide workers with socialism’s core values, instruct workers to voluntarily undertake their
legal and social duties, and keep collective labour disputes at bay.
In other words, the union must obey and serve the Party and the state in realizing the Chinese
Dream.
Away from dreamland, the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that less
than half of China’s 263 million migrant workers have signed labour contracts with their
17
employees – making them far more vulnerable to exploitation and rights violations. Only
14.3 percent of migrant workers have a pension, 24 percent of them have work-injury
insurance, 16.9 percent have medical insurance, 8.4 percent have unemployment insurance,
and only 6.1 percent have maternity insurance.
Due to ineffective trade union representation, many migrant workers struggle to protect their
rights and can only improve their pay and working conditions through collective action. They
have a totally different vision of the Chinese dream from that of the official trade union.
When asked about his Chinese dream, a young worker who was fired from an American-
owned factory in Guangzhou this February because he refused to do overtime said, “Ordinary
workers only know how to work hard and make a living. We don’t have many dreams. I
simply hope I can have a more relaxing job in the future.”
An elderly migrant worker who was severely injured in a coal mine accident but received
very little compensation said he hopes the state can take better care of injured workers such
as him.
A jewellery worker who later became an advocate for the rights of workers with
pneumoconiosis said he hopes that workers’ rights to a safe working environment can be
enforced and not just left as words printed on paper.
A Shenzhen-based labour NGO worker said the Chinese dream should mean decent working
conditions and a dignified life. So that the children of migrant workers can enjoy equal rights
to education with urban residents, access basic medical care when they are ill, and get legal
redress when their labour rights are violated.
The gap between what the official unions think and what workers want is very worrying. But
since Chinese workers cannot form independent unions, perhaps the best solution to this
yawning gap is to reform the official union from the bottom up and encourage real workers’
representation in factory unions. Encouragingly, this is already happening in some factories
in Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
________________________________________________________________
18
What the unions say
Greece: TUI public services - S Europe: solidarity with the Greek workers
from Mevbal and Fage
WFTU31 May 2013 at http://www.wftucentral.org/?p=6481&language=en#more-6481
The Trade Union International of Public Services and Similar (TUI-PS-S) for Europe
expresses solidarity with the just struggle of the workers from the Greek dairy industry. Only
a strong class consciousness enables such a huge effort by “MEVBAL” workers, on strike for
35 days, for the payment of wage arrears and safeguarding of all their jobs.
We also wish to extend our solidarity to the struggle – the same struggle, against the same
enemy, capitalism – of “FAGE” workers on strike for 7 days against the imposition of
working conditions that violate their professional dignity and their hard won rights and
against the imposition of an unacceptable social regression.
TUI-PS-S for Europe, a member of the World Federation of Trade Unions –WFTU – declares
that only the unity of all workers can bring results and decisively contribute to weaken the
capitalist system, aiming for a fairer society, a Socialist society.
We also express our strong protest against the use of police force to try, through fear, to scare
the workers, who use their legitimate right to strike to challenge the illegalities imposed on
them.
Your struggle is our struggle, against a common enemy, capitalism!
Vice-President TUI-SP-S /EU
________________________________________________________________
Nigeria: The Text of the Communique of the National Executive Council
(NEC) of the Nigeria Labour Congress held on Tuesday, 28 May 2013
http://www.nlcng.org/search_details.php?id=382
THE National Executive Council of the Congress at its meeting of May 28, 2013 held at the
Labour House, Abuja, observes as follows:
1) Economy
19
Although, the economy is said to have recorded a growth rate of about 7 per cent, it has
created few or no jobs, leading to an all-time high unemployment records. Whereas official
figures put unemployment rate at 24 per cent, there are indicators to believe that the actual
estimate could be as high as 60 per cent or higher. Nearly all of our employable youths
remain unemployed, constituting a veritable army of the hungry, disillusioned and angry with
great potential for undermining the peace and security of the nation.
Critical infrastructure continue to decay just as power generation continues to dip.
Government’s promises in the power sector , especially in power generation and distribution
have been observed in the breach. Non-budgetary provision for power supply has worsened
the power situation, in spite of unjustifiable high tariffs.
Rising communal and sectarian violence across the country contributes in no small way to
undermining the national productive industrial and agricultural capacity. Last year’s floods
and potential for more floods this year have probable affect of undermining food security.
Government still has a great role to play in reversing this trend. It for instance cannot afford
the luxury of leaving the economy to market forces, as no reasonable government does that.
There must be an affirmative declaration by government to create jobs.
Similarly, government is invited to intervene in critical industries ( by way of intervention
funds and policy) to sustain and create jobs.
Government should ensure there is adequate power supply to meet national needs through the
design and execution of a seamless transition in its power reform programme.
2) Insecurity
Rising security challenges continues to threaten the sovereignty , unity and productive
capacity of the country. Congress is concerned not only by the extent of the waste of human
lives but by the audacity and viciousness of the perpetrators.
Whereas, poverty, disease, illiteracy and indoctrination cannot be divorced from these serial
acts of violence, the immediate trigger are the injustices inherent in our electoral process,
distribution of wealth, corruption, unemployment, impunity and bad governance.
Congress on its part re-affirms its belief in the in-alienability, inviolability and sovereignty of
Nigeria; in pursuance of which it issued a statement supporting the declaration of emergency
in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. However it wishes to reiterate that the observance of
emergency procedure should be within the civilized rules of engagement governing conflicts
20
of this nature. Thus, everything possible should be done to protect the civilian populations
with channels for dialogue with the insurgents kept open.
3) Minimum Wage
In spite of the law on the new minimum wage , the signed agreements with state governments
and the passage of time, some state governments have not fully implemented the minimum
wage law. In most states, teachers and local government workers are the victims. Congress
considers this not only an affront to the law but an assault on workers and accordingly
condemns this selective implementation of the law.
Congress will mobilize workers in the affected states to compel governments to pay.
Meanwhile it gives its unalloyed support to the proposed action on the matter by members of
the National Union of Teachers.
4) Governors Forum
Congress has watched with keen interest the developments in the Governors Forum and
wants to sound a note of caution. While Congress notes that like any group of people, the
governors have a right o organize themselves, it should be within the civilized norms of
society. Congress therefore refuses to believe that Governors who are themselves
beneficiaries of supposedly credible elections cannot organize a simple election among
themselves, a class of 36.
This presupposes that something fundamentally must have gone wrong somewhere.
Whatever it is, the governors and their fellow travelers in power should quickly fix it. As
critical custodians of the peoples mandate and grand beneficiaries of our democracy, there are
certain things governors must not be seen to be doing.
We at the Congress irrevocably stand for certain values which we will not compromise for
anything. We are opposed to impunity at all levels and the undermining of national security
and unity. We have respect for process and its outcome. We stand for justice.
In the light of the foregoing, we call on our governors to:
Create value around as well as restore dignity to their office;
Get back to work instead of unnecessarily overheating the polity;
Not put in jeopardy our hard-earned democracy;
Respect the process and outcome of their election;
21
Remember June 12.
5) Honouring our heroes
Congress-in- session in decided to honour some of its departed heroes thus. Accordingly, it
has named its sub-secretariat in Lagos after the Labour Leader No 1, Comrade Pa Imoudu.
It has also renamed the its national secretariat in Abuja, Paschal Bafyau Labour House, after
Paschal Bafyau who died last year.
Similarly, the NEC-in-session has named this auditorium where we are, the Olaitan Oyerinde
Auditorium, after our slain Deputy General Secretary, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, while on
secondment to the Comrade Governor in Edo State. Olaitan was killed on May 5, last year.
Abdulwahed I. Omar Chris Uyot
President ` Acting General Secretary
___________________________________________________________________________
Norway: LO (Norway) 2013 Congress International Resolution
LO accessed 3 June 2013 at
http://www.lo.no/Documents/Kongressen%202013/Engelske%20uttalelser/International%20r
esolution%20-%20LO-N%20Congress%202013.pdf
The international financial crisis has caused huge problems. Unemployment is sky-high in
many countries and the most severely affected are the young. A whole generation stands in
danger of never entering the labour market. Youth unemployment in Spain and Greece is at a
frightening 55 per cent. Large numbers of working youth are offered short-term contracts
only. It is inacceptable that the unemployed and wage-earners bear the brunt of the financial
crisis. Today, the lack of responsibility and control with the global financial sector is one of
the biggest threats to the welfare society and an organised world of work. LO demands that
the Norwegian government push for regulating the economy and ensuring fundamental rights
at the global level.
The principles of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) and the government’s
Strategy for Decent Work must inform Norway’s foreign and aid policies. The right to
22
employment, trade union rights, social dialogue and Social Security protection are
cornerstones of the decent work agenda. LO will further develop their efforts to promote
decent work in their international activities and in project cooperation with trade unions in
other countries. LO expects Norwegian companies establishing and operating abroad to
respect these principles. LO expects the Norwegian government to work towards including
decent work in the United Nations’ Millennium Goals.
Employment is the most important means to lift people out of poverty. The record
unemployment rates of many countries entail a great risk of their becoming two-tier societies.
This danger will continue to increase so as long long-tem unemployment figures continue to
rise, as is the case in Europe. Getting back into the world of work becomes a difficult, even
insurmountable task to many. Growing unemployment causes growing inequality and
poverty. Social misery provides fertile ground for the increasing trade in human beings and
for social dumping. Both trafficking and social dumping have particularly adverse effects on
women. Poverty must also be fought by ensuring basic welfare services and financial and
social schemes that guarantee all citizens decent living conditions.
The financial crisis in Europe carries with it social and political crises. LO demands a more
social approach to Europe’s debt problems. LO will work with the European trade union
movement towards national and European authorities to reinforce the social dimension. When
millions are forced into unemployment, the foundation for long-term social problems is laid.
The risk of serious political consequences are evident. Political parties on the extreme right
are gaining strength at the polls in numerous European countries. One cannot save one’s way
out of the employment crisis. Unilateral cuts in the public sector exacerbate an already
difficult situation. What we need to stimulate the economy and this must take place through a
comprehensive budgetary initiative in each country and internationally, through a more
equitable tax system and through a heavier taxation of the financial sector.
If the EU Implementation Directive requires eliminating actions against social dumping,
23
Norway should exercise the right of reservation.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international instrument set up to provide loans
to States in crisis and to prevent the crisis from spreading in a globalised economy. Norway
must work towards crisis measures implemented by the Fund that can bring about an
equitable distribution of benefits and burdens. The IMF, and the European Union (EU) in
particular, need to understand that unilateral cutback policies only serve to prolong the crisis
and also provide for an unfair distribution of its costs. Norway must take part in the fight
against tax havens and promote a more efficient taxation of the financial markets, including
levying tax on financial transactions.
Many countries use the crisis as an excuse to set aside collective agreements and to attack
acquired and internationally recognised rights. The labour movement is under heavy pressure
and governments treat workers’ rights as an impediment to economic development. In the
ILO, European employers have spearheaded attacks on trade union rights by proposing
limitations to the right to strike. This is inacceptable and will hold down equitable and social
development. LO will work towards strengthening the ILO and international rules and
regulations that safeguard human and trade union rights.
In its annual report, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) informs of
harassment of union representatives and trade union members worldwide. The freedom of
association and the right to strike are undermined by threats, mass arrests and violence. Union
representatives defending workers’ rights and decent wage and working conditions are
mercilessly attacked in countries that include Colombia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Fiji, Bahrain
and Guatemala. LO will take the initiative to incorporate and uphold trade union rights in
international trade agreements that Norway is party to and accordingly, LO does not favour a
free trade agreement with Colombia before fundamental, democratic rights are in place. The
labour movement must be able to defend their freedom of association and demand collective
bargaining without suffering threats and danger to their health and lives. LO will continue to
24
listen to the Colombian labour movement when new agreements are negotiated to reach a
lasting peace.
The dramatic upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa have opened new opportunities
but also pose great challenges to the trade union movement. After decades of oppression,
people have taken to the streets to fight for better societies and for democracy. The rulers of
Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have been overthrown, whereas the outcomes of the
uprising in Bahrain and the war in Syria are still unclear. The struggle to remove authoritarian
regimes and to build more equitable, socially including and democratic societies continues.
The free and independent trade union movement has played and continues to play a key role
in this process.
Women played an important role in the uprisings but now their rights are being encroached
upon. Middle Eastern and North African women’s labour market participation is among the
world’s lowest and the region stands out for its gender discrimination. It is high time that
women enjoy equal rights. LO invites Norwegian authorities and companies to integrate and
promote the gender perspective in their activities in the region.
Religious and ethnic minorities are marginalised and discriminated against with increasing
frequency and countries where peaceful coexistence used to be the norm are becoming ever
more polarized. The trade union movement must strive to revert this trend, and become an
arena common to all.
Guest workers’ lack of rights protection is a pressing and growing problem. These workers
are usually not covered by national labour legislation and frequently they are also barred from
unionising and bargaining collectively. Many are subjected to very grave discrimination and
harassment, in some cases amounting to outright slavery. The Norwegian government must
exert pressure bilaterally as well as in international fora to reinforce the legal safeguards of
this particularly vulnerable group.
In the decade before the uprisings against President Mubarak, Egypt saw a number of illegal
25
strikes and marches. Wages did not keep abreast with the cost of living and there was deep
dissatisfaction with the regime’s economic policy. The many new, independent trade unions
that sprung up after the revolution now face strong headwinds. Since President Mursi came to
power, physical and legal attacks on trade union activists have increased sharply, and
international companies, including Mondeléz (Kraft Foods), exploit the situation to bust trade
unions. Egypt has signed several core ILO conventions and LO invites the Norwegian
government to stress the importance of the Decent Work Agenda to the new rulers. The
sustainability and stability of Egypt is paramount to the stability of the region.
The Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic is governed by the Frente Polisario, a liberation
movement. The Saharawi Republic and Morocco both lay claim to Western Sahara. Norway
does not recognise the Moroccan claims. Morocco still occupies Saharawi lands and loots
their resources. Saharawi phosphate export is the most important source of finance of the
occupation. The population suffers serious human rights violations and large numbers live in
refugee camps in neighbouring Algeria. LO invites the government to be a driver for the
Saharawi people’s legitimate right to self determination, independence and freedom of
organisation.
The United States’ long-lasting blockade of Cuba has isolated the country and impeded its
participation in international trade and prosperity. The trade boycott fetters Cuba’s economic
development by increasing the price of important goods and is an obstacle to the acquisition
and import of technology. LO invites the Norwegian government to work towards the lifting
of the blockade.
LO demands that the Norwegian government work towards the closing of the US military
prison at Guantanamo.
Qatar will host the World Football Cup in 2022. Large building works have been launched in
this country where 94 per cent of the working population is immigrant labour, many of whom
are grossly exploited: miserable wages or no wages at all, big HES risks and appalling
26
housing. LO will continue to support the international ITUC campaign in defence of trade
union rights and the freedom of organisation in Qatar. LO demands of the International
Football Federation (FIFA) their guarantee that trade union rights will be respected in the
preparations for and during their football events, including the 2022 Quatar World Cup.
The Norwegian government has invested billions of NOK over the past few years in rain
forests conservation programmes in various countries, a number of whom often
systematically
exclude the trade union movement from wielding any influence at all over forest programmes
and their impact on union members and other economic activities in the affected and adjacent
areas. LO demands that the Norwegian government launch initiatives to ensure the
involvement of organised labour in processes connected to the climate change and forest
programmes. It is imperative that Norway strengthen the position of trade unions in
negotiations and processes in new forest initiatives and already existing projects in Brazil,
Guyana, Indonesia and Ethiopia.
___________________________________________________________________________
South Africa: Statement from the COSATU Central Executive Committee,
27-28 May 2013
COSATU at http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=7370
The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the Congress of South African Trade Unions
held a scheduled meeting on 27-28 May 2013, attended by National Office Bearers,
representatives of the affiliated unions and provincial leaders.
The meeting took place at a time when the federation, the working class and the country face
massive challenges. Unemployment, poverty and inequality remain at outrageous levels.
Millions of workers and poor South Africans are becoming more and more angry. They
refuse to put up with massive levels of unemployment. They want exploiting labour brokers
banned. They want rid of racist bosses. They have had enough of poverty wages and
grotesque levels of inequality which have made us the most unequal society on the planet!
27
Millions feel increasingly marginalised and excluded in a society, where they have won
political freedom, but nearly 20 years later feel left behind in a world where a rich minority
get richer and richer, with access to world-class services, while the poor majority struggle to
survive on poverty pay or social grants, with hopelessly pathetic public services.
COSATU has emerged as the champion of this poor majority, playing a leading role in our
economic and social life, the workers’ champion, and the scourge of the corrupt and the
exploiters. Many call COSATU the conscience of our young democracy and the fearless
spokesperson of the interests of the downtrodden within and even outside the borders of our
country.
As a result we have, inevitably, made enemies, from within the ranks of the rich and
powerful, who want to defend their privileges from the workers. They have plenty of allies in
the media who have been working overtime recently to attack the federation by portraying it
as divided, haemorrhaging members and threatened with collapse.
The CEC strongly condemned the way the media had covered the run-up to the meeting, and
even while it was in session, with sensationalised stories based mostly on false information
from anonymous ‘sources’.
The CEC equally strongly attacked those within the movement who leak and misrepresent all
our discussions in order to feed their own factional agendas. The media and their sources
together want to try to divide and weaken the federation, and to set the agenda for COSATU
meetings. They failed this week and we are determined that they will never succeed!
COSATU leadership at the CEC is acutely aware of the dangers of fighting silly small battles
against one another when workers continue to face massive economic challenges, mainly as a
result of the continued dominance of the mining-finance-energy complex that is organised
through monopoly companies. We are aware of the pain caused by the sensationalised media
hyping of divisions and its predictions of an imminent collapse of the federation.
The CEC has decided that all leaders of COSATU have a responsibility to preserve the unity
of the Federation so that workers are not robbed of the only weapon they have to defend them
against unfair dismissals and disciplinary processes and to improve their wages and
conditions of employment.
We know that millions of South Africans who love democracy and who recognise the critical
role COSATU has played want to see a united, strong federation that is determined to
struggle even harder to free the workers from exploitation and poverty, a COSATU that is
28
capable of uniting progressive civil society and trade unions and that will play its role in the
alliance to ensure that the future of our country is not jeopardised by corruption and
tenderpreneurs.
So the CEC meeting focussed on the need to strengthen the unity and cohesion of the
federation and build a united force to implement the decisions of the 11th National Congress
in 2012 and the Collective Bargaining, Organising and Campaigns Conference in March
2013.
After a thorough, two-day-long discussion, the CEC resolved to fight harder than ever for the
workers; we have to show them that we are not splitting or paralysed, as the media and their
‘sources’ want us to believe. We are recruiting new members in the Workers’ Month of May,
listening to the workers with our ear to the ground, fighting against e-tolls and labour brokers
and defending individual workers and unions like the NUM and SATAWU which are under
attack. COSATU’s flag is flying high!
The CEC agreed that it was of paramount importance to continue, and speedily complete, the
process of discussion of some problematic ideological, organisational and administrative
issues which arose at the February 2013 CEC meeting.
Comrades Petrus Mashishi and Charles Nupen were requested to facilitate discussions on
these issues with union presidents and general secretaries, with the aim of fostering the unity
and cohesion of the federation. They gave the CEC a report of the meetings which had taken
place - and some which had not taken place - and some problems which had arisen, which
had led to the process failing to resolve the issues under discussion.
The CEC unanimously adopted a package of measures to take this process forward urgently
and passed the resolution below.
In this context it was agreed to convene an urgent meeting of the CEC Political Commission,
extended to include all Presidents and General Secretaries, on 6 June. The CEC mandated this
meeting to prepare for the bilateral meeting with the SACP, the Alliance Summit in October
and Alliance Economic Summit on 4-7 July. It will assess the outcomes of ANC Mangaung
Conference, our position on the NDP, and taking forward the Section 77 Notice on economic
transformation.
We shall facilitate bilateral meetings between affiliates to discuss outstanding issues, e.g.
between NUM and NUMSA on 24 June.
29
The CEC emerged united around a resolve that the work of the Federation must continue
uninterrupted. The resolutions of the Congress stand; the decisions of the Central Committee
stand; the decisions of the CEC stand. Our determination to continue to organise and service
our members, to grow our numbers, to listen carefully to our members, and to implement our
campaigns remains unshaken.
At our 11th National Congress last year, the workers of our country confounded the many
prophets of doom who were predicting COSATU’s collapse then. They were solidly united
and instructed their leaders to embark on a radical programme of action to realise workers’
legitimate demands. Nothing must stop us from honouring that mandate!
Resolution of the CEC on unity and cohesion of the Federation
The CEC unanimously decided that the current internal process to achieve greater levels of
unity and cohesion of the Federation would continue.
The facilitators appointed by the February 2013, Central Executive Committee are given a
flexible mandate to talk to individual affiliates with a view of facilitating discussions. All
affiliated unions and COSATU NOBs will be allowed to make individual submissions in
writing, and motivate for these directly to the facilitators. The facilitators will record these
presentations. The presentations shall be based on the four broad issues identified by the
February CEC which are listed as:
1. Ideological,
2. Political,
3. Organizational and
4. Administration
The facilitators will provide an opportunity to all those accused of wrong-doing to respond to
any allegations contained in the submissions. The facilitators will facilitate discussions
between all role players on these four identified areas in line with this flexible mandate and
will develop a schedule of plenary meetings of the President and General Secretaries for
discussions on specific matters.
Administrative issues will be dealt with by the facilitators where appropriate. However an
auditing firm Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo has been appointed to conduct a forensic audit, to
determine whether there was any impropriety in relation to the sale of COSATU head office
and the purchase and ownership of COSATU house. Any submissions relating to this sale
30
and purchase will be made to the auditors, and if there is any other issue requiring forensic
auditing, such issue will be directed to the auditors by the facilitators.
________________________________________________________________________
Publications 2012/2013
Markovitz, Y. (2012) The Committed Workforce: Evidence from the Field, Newcastle Upon
Tyne, Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-4084-2. 216 pages.
__________________________________________________________________________
Toms, S. (2012) The Impact of the UK Temporary Employment Industry in Assisting
Agency Workers since the Year 2000, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Cambridge Scholars
Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4438-3747-7. 300 pages.
___________________________________________________________________________
Applebaum, L. D. (2012) ed. Reconnecting to Work: Policies to Mitigate Long-Term
Unemployment and its Consequences, Kalamazoo, Upjohn Institute. ISBN 978-0-88099-
406-4. 177 pages.
___________________________________________________________________________
ILO (2012) EuroZone job crisis: trends and policy responses at
http://www.ilo.org/global/research/publications/WCMS_184965/lang--en/index.htm
The study provides the latest trends on the employment situation in EU countries and
examines the labour market reforms adopted by various governments.
__________________________________________________________________________
Pubblicazioni BolletinoAdapt.it @ http://www.bollettinoadapt.it/acm-on-
line/Home/Pubblicazioni.html
In questa sezione è possibile consultare la lista completa delle linee editoriali promosse da
Adapt e dalla Fondazione Marco Biagi:
- Collana Adapt - Centro Studi Marco Biagi
- Diritto delle Relazioni Industriali
- Dossier Adapt
- Working Paper Adapt
31
- Altre pubblicazioni
Nella Collana Adapt – Centro Studi Marco Biagi, istituita nel corso del 2003, sono pubblicati
commentari su differenti istituti introdotti o riformati dalla Legge Biagi, nonché diverse
monografie su tematiche specifiche nell’ambito del diritto del lavoro e delle relazioni
industriali.
Diritto delle Relazioni Industriali, rivista trimestrale fondata nel 1991 da Luciano Spagnuolo
Vigorita, già diretta da Marco Biagi, nell’ambito della materia del diritto del lavoro dedica
particolare attenzione alle relazioni industriali, soprattutto nella dimensione comparata e
comunitaria, ed alle esperienze più innovative in una prospettiva interdisciplinare.
Dal 2005 la Rivista è stata arricchita di Osservatori di aggiornamento e monitoraggio attenti
ai profili immediatamente applicativi del diritto del lavoro, relativamente a diverse aree, dalla
giurisprudenza italiana, costituzionale, di cassazione e merito, alla giurisprudenza
comunitaria e internazionale; dalla contrattazione collettiva alla legislazione e prassi
amministrativa italiane e straniere, nonché alla materia previdenziale.
Tutte le pubblicazioni sono completate ed integrate da una proiezione informatica, quale
strumento non solo di documentazione ma anche di sviluppo e costante aggiornamento.
Un motore di ricerca e un rinnovato Indice A-Z – che ricalca l’indice analitico delle
Istituzioni di diritto del lavoro di Marco Biagi (edito da Giuffrè) – consentono di reperire i
documenti citati nei testi cartacei.
Tutto il materiale viene inoltre costantemente e tempestivamente aggiornato mediante il
Bollettino Adapt.
___________________________________________________________________________
ADAPT E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies
Volume 1, No. 3-4 October-December 2012
___________________________________________________________________________
Korea: The Korean Labor Review, 45, Winter, 2012 visit
http://www.koilaf.org/KFeng/engPublication/bbs.php?code1=3
__________________________________________________________________________
Gardawski, J. and Mrozowicki, A. (2012) Trade Unions In Poland, European Trade Union
Institute . Details at http://www.etui.org/Publications2/Reports/Trade-unions-in-Poland
32
This report on the trade union landscape in Poland forms part of a wide-ranging project,
initiated and coordinated by the ETUI, which aims to map changes in unionisation and the
varying organisational structures of unions in the ‘new member states’ of the European
Union. The current report on the trade union movement in Poland is a real tour de force,
especially given the vast number of union organisations entailed. The fruit of this tremendous
effort on the part of the country experts is a report that is simultaneously comprehensive and
extremely rich in detail. In mapping the full broad gamut of Polish trade unions, they
compellingly expose how much the trade union movement in this country is handicapped by
its excessively decentralised structures; its chronic fragmentation and rivalry at the company
level and above; and the dramatic decline in membership levels, particularly in absolute
terms.
___________________________________________________________________________
ILO (2012) Confronting Finance: Mobilizing the 99% for economic and social progress
(Geneva, June 2012) available at http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/ilo-bookstore/order-
online/books/WCMS_176189/lang--en/index.htm
___________________________________________________________________________
ILO (2012) Effective Protection for Domestic Workers: A guide to designing labour laws
(Geneva, May 2012) available at http://www.ilo.org/travail/areasofwork/domestic-
workers/WCMS_173365/lang--en/index.htm
___________________________________________________________________________
ILO (2013) World of Work Report 2012 'Better Jobs for a Better Economy'
The new study examines the performance of different countries since the start of the global
crisis through the prism of the quantity and quality of jobs. Available at
http://www.ilo.org/global/research/global-reports/world-of-work/WCMS_179453/lang--
en/index.htm
___________________________________________________________________________
Shri Ram Centre: Indian Journal of Industrial Relations online www.ijirjournal.com
Editorial correspondence to be addressed to: [email protected]
Back Volumes available at http://www.jstor.org
New Subscription Rates with effect from July 1st, 2013:Period India (Rs)
33
Foreign($)(Air Mail) Single Copy 375 30 One Year 1500 100 Three Years 4000 275
Five Years 6500 375. Subscription is accepted through Demand Draft in favour of
“Shri Ram Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, New Delhi”.
For further details write to Mr. A.C. Mishra, Assistant Manager (Administration)
(91) 9953818100, (011) 45123625/(011) 23352410
________________________________________________________________________
ITUC (2012) Report for the WTO General Council Review of the Trade Policies of the
People’s Republic of China (Geneva, 12 and 14 June, 2012) available at http://www.ituc-
csi.org/report-for-the-wto-general-council,11476.html
_________________________________________________________________________
Employment Trends unit of the ILO Employment Sector (2012) Global Employment Trends,
Download at http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/books/global-employment-
trends/WCMS_171571/lang--en/index.htm ISBN 978-92-2-124924-5
The annual Global Employment Trends report offers the latest global and regional
information and projections on several indicators of the labour market, including
employment, unemployment, working poverty and vulnerable employment. It also presents a
number of policy considerations in light of the new challenges facing policy makers in the
coming year.
___________________________________________________________________________
Pierluigi Rausei, Michele Tiraboschi Work: a reform in midstream (ADAPT 2012 @
University Press) access at http://www.bollettinoadapt.it/acm-on-line/Home.html
________________________________________________________________
Proceedings of the 27th
AIRAANZ Conference 2013: Work, employment and employment
relations in an uneven patchwork world, Association of Industrial Relations Academics of
Australia and New Zealand, 6-8 February 2013, Fremantle, Western Australia eds. A.
Rainnie (Curtin University) and P. Todd (The University of Western Australia), Perth,
Western Australia.
_________________________________________________________________________
34
Baird, M., Hancock, K. and Isaac, J. eds. (2012) Work and Employment Relations: An Era
of Change, The Federation Press, ISBN: 9781862878501 may be ordered at
www.federation.press.com.au
__________________________________________________________________________
ETUI ‘Social dumping: political catchphrase or threat to labour standards?’ By Magdalena
Bernaciak. Working Paper 2012.06. Access at http://www.etui.org/News/The-complex-reality-
of-social-dumping
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Rogowski, R , Salais, R. and Whiteside, N. (2012) Transforming European Employment
Policy, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, Orders at www.marston.co.uk
___________________________________________________________________________
Unison (2012) The Hidden Workforce: Final Project Report. Download at
http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/20611.pdf
___________________________________________________________________________
ILO (2012) Working towards sustainable development: Opportunities for decent work and
social inclusion in a green economy. Downloads/orders at
http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/books/WCMS_181836/lang--en/index.htm
__________________________________________________________________________
ILO (2012) EuroZone job crisis: trends and policy responses. Download at
http://www.ilo.org/global/research/publications/WCMS_184965/lang--en/index.htm
___________________________________________________________________________
International Labour Review, Vol. 152 (1)
at http://www.ilo.org/public/english/revue/index.htm
The imprudence of labour market flexibilization in a fiscally austere world, by J. CAPALDO
and A. IZURIETA
Measuring labour absorption problems in developing countries: Limitations of the concept of
unemployment, by N. S. SYLLA
Sex segregation in India’s formal manufacturing sector, by M. CHATTOPADHYAY, S.
CHAKRABORTY and R. ANKER
35
Who will give effect to the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006?, by F. PINIELLA, J.
M. SILOS and F. BERNAL
Labour provisions in preferential trade agreements: Current practice and outlook, by J.-M.
SIROËN
Notes and debates
Economic growth and inequality: Minimum wage for Singapore, by W. T. HUI
Statutory leave entitlements across developed countries: Why US workers lose out on work–
family balanc, by R. N. BLOCK, J.-Y. PARK and Y.-H. KANG
Coping with the unemployment crisis in Europe, by H. SARFATI
___________________________________________________________________________
Japanese Working Life Profile, January 2013, The Japan Institute for Policy and
Training. Available at http://www.jil.go.jp/english/jwl.htm
___________________________________________________________________________
Japan Labor Review, Vol. 10 (2) Spring 2013
Introduction
The Impact of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in Japan, Hisashi Takeuchi-Okuno
Articles
Shozo Yamada, Equal Employment Opportunity Act, Having Passed the Quarter-Century
Milestone
Yukiko Abe, Long-Term Impacts of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act in Japan
Akira Kawaguchi, Equal Employment Opportunity Act and Work-Life Balance: Do Work-
Family Balance Policies Contribute to Achieving Gender Equality?
Akira Wakisaka, Changes in Human Resource Management of Women after the 1985 Equal
Employment Opportunity Act
Margarita Estévez-Abe, An International Comparison of Gender Equality: Why Is the
Japanese Gender Gap So Persistent?
Article Based on Research Report
36
Estimation of Input-Output Tables and Simulations of Employment Inducement Focusing on
Small Regions: Case of Kumamoto Prefecture Satoshi Nakano
JILPT Research Activities
_________________________________________________________________________
Japanese Journal of Labour Studies, May 2013 (No.634)
Japan's Rapid Economic Growth and Labor Adjustments : 1955 to 1973PDF
Wage Differentials and Human Capital : The Conditions for Sustainable Growth, Yasuhiro
Ueshima
Japan's Economic Growth and Schooling Capital Accumulation, Kensuke Miyazawa
The Expansion of Engineer Education during the "Period of High-growth", Akihiro Itoh
The Japanese-style Human Resource Management and the High Economic Growth, Chiaki
Moriguchi
Labor Relations in Japan during the Period of High Economic Growth, Sumiko Ebisuno
High Economic Growth and Labor Law : Mutual Construction of the Japanese-Style
Employment System and Labor Law, Makoto Ishida
Labour Mobility in the Era of High-speed Growth : The Role of the Public Labour Exchange
and Schools in Japan, Tokihiko Settsu
___________________________________________________________________________
Labor Situation in Japan and its Analysis
This publication is a compilation of write-ups describing individual themes related to the
current status of labor issues in Japan. In principle, it is issued every year alternately as
"General Overview" and "Detailed Exposition" editions. The former is aimed at providing
basic information on the whole picture of labor issues and relevant labor policies in Japan,
while the latter takes up contemporary topics and provides detailed exposition and analyses
of their current trends. Available at: http://www.jil.go.jp/english/lsj.html
___________________________________________________________________________
The Japanese Journal of Labour Studies 2013
June No.635 Depression in the Workplace: Issues involving Mental Health and Work
37
May No.634 Japan's Rapid Economic Growth and Labor Adjustments : 1955 to 1973
Apr No.633 Japanese Labor Statistics by Subject
Feb.-Mar. No.632 ACADEMIC SURVEY
The Present Situation of Labour Research: A Review of Academic Works 2010-12
Special No.631 Current Conditions and Policy Issues of Labor Disputes
Jan No.630 Future of System of Employee Representation at the Enterprises
___________________________________________________________________________
Korea Labor Review No. 45 Winter 2012 at
http://www.koilaf.org/KFeng/engPublication/bbs_read_dis.php?board_no=144
Editor’s Column
■ Photo Gallery
■ Specia: Top 10 labor news in 2012
■ People: The 24th FKTU President, Moon Jin-koo
■ Focus: Baby-boomers’ Employment
■ Policy: Basic Direction of the Korean Government’s 2013 Employment Budget
■ Labor law: The directions for Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance coverage
extension for workers in special types of employment
How to expand the coverage of industrial accident compensation insurance for workers of
special-type employment
■ Best Practice: 2012 Best Labor-Management Culture Award
___________________________________________________________________________
Economic & Labour Relations Review (ELRR)
The Economic & Labour Relations Review (ELRR) is a double-blind, refereed journal of
original articles which are concerned with contemporary issues, developments and policy
making may be submitted via the ScholarOne™ Manuscripts website for consideration for
publication, provided they have not been published elsewhere, or are under consideration for
publication elsewhere. The journal accepts three types of submission for refereeing: Scholarly
/ research-based Articles (8,000 words max); Review Articles discussing a number of
38
significant recent publications in context (6,000 words max); Substantial scholarly Replies
(6,000 words max). It also welcomes shorter non-refereed Book Reviews and Comments
(2000-4000 words).
The ELRR is produced jointly by the Centre for Applied Economic Research (CAER) and the
Industrial Relations Research Centre (IRRC) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).
four times a year. Current issue: Volume 23 (4), November 2012, is now available at
www.asb.unsw.edu.au/elrr
Articles
The ‘Pre-Invention’ of Precarious Employment: The Changing World of Work in Context
Michael Quinlan
The Break-Up of the Eurozone? Bill Lucarelli
Industry Policy under Economic Liberalism: Policy Development in the Prime Minister’s
Manufacturing Task Force Ian Hampson
Malaysian Firms’ Role in Retaining Engineers Rabeatul Husna Abdull Rahman
The Effects of District-Level Union Status on the Job Satisfaction of Teachers Mark Gius
‘Low-Skilled’ Work in Canada Samir Amine
Refereed Review Article
Marshall, Marshallians and Industry Economics Neil Hart
Current Issues
Her Rights at Work: The Political Persecution of Australia’s First Female Prime Minister
Anne Summers
__________________________________________________________________________
International Labour Review and the ILO: Milestones in a shared history, Special
Supplement
Available at http://www.ilo.org/public/english/revue/index.htm
As the ILO is approaching its 100th anniversary, so is the International Labour Review. By
way of introduction to this retrospective Special Supplement, which reproduces a number of
articles written for the Review by winners of the Nobel Peace Prize or the Nobel Prize for
economics, the author looks back at the journal’s history, recalling its early days since the
39
1919 Treaty of Versailles, its subsequent development, broadening international readership
and adaptation to the digital age.
___________________________________________________________________________
ILO: EuroZone job crisis: trends and policy responses
The study provides the latest trends on the employment situation in EU countries and
examines the labour market reforms adopted by various governments. Download at
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---
dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_184965.pdf
_______________________________________________________________________
India: The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations
Volume 48 Number 3 January 2013
http://www.srcirhr.com/ijir.php
Articles
Informal Workers & the Economy Renana Jhabvala 373
Informal Work Meghnad Desai 387
Informal Employment Revisited: Theories, Data & Policies Martha Alter Chen
& Joann Vanek 390
Organizing the Unorganized Workers : Lessons from SEWA Experiences Nalini Nayak 402
Organizing the Unorganized Workers : The Indian Scene Ratna Sen 415
Women Workers: Addressing Constraints to Work Ratna M. Sudarshan 428
Wages of Unorganized Sector Workers in India: What NSS Survey Data Can Tell Us ? K.V.
Ramaswamy 438
Three Representations of Insecurity in Three Narratives of Unorganized Workers Jerome
Joseph Srinath Jagannathan 450
Social Protection of the Workers in the Unorganized Sector R.K.A. Subrahmanya 460
Hope to Despair: The Experience of Organizing Indian Call Centre Employees Premilla
D’Cruz Ernesto Noronha 471
40
What Explains Wage in India ? Krishna M. Bino Paul G.D. 487
Urban Informal Sector: The Work Culture of Silversmiths in Odisha Rabindra K. Mohanty
500
Competitiveness of Major Rice Exporting Nations S. C. Davar Bhupinder Singh 513
__________________________________________________________________________
Australia: Labour and Industry 22 (4) August-December 2012 available at
http://www.airaanz.org/index.html
A Journal of the Social and Economic Relations of Work
Labour and Industry offers a multi-disciplinary perspective on all aspects of the social,
organizational and institutional aspects of work and industrial relations. The journal publishes
original, high quality research and policy papers that investigate the implications of changing
work relations for employers, employees, unions, government and other social actors with a
stake in industrial relations. The aims of the journal are to encourage debate and the exchange
of views between researchers, to challenge the conceptual boundaries of work and industrial
relations, and to contribute to the generation of new ideas by drawing on insights from
diverse disciplines. These disciplines include: industrial/employment relations, human
resource management, labour and business history, labour and employment law, management
and organisational studies, political science and public policy, psychology, sociology and
related disciplines.
___________________________________________________________________________
Singapore: SNEF Employment Practices of Foreign Employees, 2013
The Singapore workforce comprises two million locals and one million foreigners.
Employers of foreign employees do not just need to ensure compliance with regulations but
also need to understand market practices when reviewing their employment terms and
conditions of foreign employees. Therefore, employers in Singapore will find the survey
findings useful and relevant as the report takes into account the foreign manpower regulations
and market practices in Singapore.
Details at http://www.sgemployers.com/public/publication/publication.jsp
___________________________________________________________________________
41
Calls for Papers, Conferences, Seminars, Symposia, Meetings
International Labour Review
Full details at http://www.ilo.org/public/english/revue/m_scripts/index.htm
Unsolicited articles are welcome and are considered on their merits and in the light of the
overall programme of the Review. All manuscripts are subject to scholarly review and, if
accepted, to editorial revision.
Manuscripts may be submitted as email attachments in English, French or Spanish (if
translated from another language the original should also be provided). They should be
between 7 000 and 10 000 words, with a 100-word abstract.
Manuscripts should be addressed to: the Managing Editor, International Labour Review,
International Labour Office, 4, route des Morillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland. Tel.
+41-22 799 79 03; Fax +41-22 799 61 17; Email: [email protected].
__________________________________________________________________________
International: The E-Journal of International and Comparative Labour Studies
The following is a list of indicative, but far from exhaustive, topic areas: - collective and
individual labour issues; - equality and discrimination; - school-to-work transition; -
industrial relations; - vulnerable workers and precarious working; - employment productivity;
- role of skills and human capital in a global context – immigration issues, labour law. Find
the current issue (Vol.1, No. 3-4 October-December 2012) at http://www.adapt.it/currentissue
___________________________________________________________________________
Korea: The Korean Journal of Industrial Relations
The Korean Journal of Industrial Relations (KJIR) is published by the Korean Industrial
Relations Association. There is no due date for the submission. We receive articles around a
year. Web/URL:
http://www.lera.uiuc.edu/news/Calls/2007/Korean%20Journal%20of%20Industrial%20Relati
ons.htm
__________________________________________________________________________
Communications
A Struggle for Meal Benefits Bro. R. Karthik Shekhar 534
42
___________________________________________________________________________
The Netherlands: 10th European Conference of the International Labour and
Employment Relations Association, Imagining new employment relations and new
solidarities. http://www.airaanz.org/uploads/2/1/6/3/2163987/ilera_2013_-
_have_you_submitted_an_abstract.pdf Amsterdam, 20 - 22 June 2013. Details at
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/iira/pdf/10theuro.pdf
___________________________________________________________________________
Australia: Fifth International Community, Work and Family Conference, The fifth
international Community, Work and Family Conference will take place at the University of
Sydney, 15-17 July 2013. Information at www.CWF2013.aifs.gov.au
___________________________________________________________________________
UK: British Universities Industrial Relations Association (BUIRA)
Conference 2013 at the University of Strathclyde, 27-29 June 2013. Notification at
http://www.buira.org/Conference/Conference2013/tabid/285/Default.aspx
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Australia: Fifth International Community, Work and Family Conference, The fifth
international Community, Work and Family Conference will take place at the University of
Sydney, 15-17 July 2013. Information at www.CWF2013.aifs.gov.au
___________________________________________________________________________
USA: ILPC Rutgers 2013. The Missing Link – Integrating Labour with Global Value
Chains
Kirsty Newsome and Phil Taylor (University of Strathclyde), Al Rainnie (Curtin University)
and Jennifer Bair (University of Colorado) invite contributions from scholars working in
diverse disciplines and fields of study, including human and economic geography,
development studies, comparative political economy, gender studies, labour market research,
the sociology of work and industrial/ employment relations. Our goal is to encourage a
critical engagement between those who acknowledge the salience of core labour process
theory and others for whom participation at the ILPC may be a new experience. We
anticipate publishing an edited book in the International Labour Process series based on a
selection of papers presented at Rutgers.
43
___________________________________________________________________________
Netherlands: 10th European Conference of the International Labour and Employment
Relations Association (ILERA),
20-22 June 2013, Amsterdam
‘Imagining new employment relations and new solidarities’
It is now possible to register. You receive a € 125 discount when you book your
ticket before 15 March 2013! Click here to read about hotel reservations!
_______________________________________________________________
Other Sites
ILO: The International Institute for Labour Studies (IILS) was established by the
International Labour Organization in 1960 as a centre for advanced studies in the social and
labour fields. It produces the annual "World of Work Report". The International Labour
Review, a global multidisciplinary journal of labour and social policies is also published
under the aegis of the IILS.
http://www.ilo.org/
___________________________________________________________________________
ILERA
President: Prof. Evance R. Kalula, Institute of Development and Labour Law, Faculty of
Law, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Prof. Evance Rabban KALULA was born in Zambia in 1952. He has a PhD in Law, from the
University of Warwick, UK. Professor Kalula is Professor of Law (Employment Law and
Social Security), Deputy Dean (Postgraduate Studies) and Director of the Institute of
Development and Labour Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Cape Town. He is
also Chair of the South African Employment Conditions Commission. His academic and
research interests are in international and comparative labour law, social security and
occupational health and safety.
Prof. Kalula will be the ILERA President from 2012 to 2015. He will be responsible for the
organization of the 17th ILERA World Congress in 2015.
___________________________________________________________________________
44
UK: Working Lives Research Institute
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