Australia Asia Worker Links

Several thousand workers in at least five Chinese cities have staged a coordinated protest against the takeover of PepsiCo’s bottling plants in the mainland by Taiwanese food and beverage conglomerate Tingyi Holdings.

At least 1,100 of the 1,300 workers at the Fuzhou plant reportedly joined the initial protest, with similar numbers in the other cities. The workers at the five core plants then launched an online campaign to bring in the more than 20,000 workers from all 24 Pepsi bottling plants on the mainland.

The workers are demanding that PepsiCo either halt the merger or compensate them for pushing through the sale without consulting the workforce in advance. Full details here.

Under the heading "Labour Party Pakistan under attack, Help us to fight back" Farooq Tariq writes:

"Several supporters and members of Labour Party Pakistan are locked up if different jails of Pakistan. 9 textile workers including Fazal Ilahi a leading member of LPP are in Faisalabad jail. 15 activists are in Gilgit jail including Baba Jan, en elected member of LPP Federal Committee. They are not terrorists. They are political activists. However, all of them are charged with anti terrorist laws."

He ends his report by saying: "These families [of the jailed comrades] are in dire need of financial support and we can only sustain them with a collective effort." Read the full report and request for assistance here.

Next week is Asbestos Awareness Week.  Asbestos is, and continues to be, a huge concern for Australian workers and the public.

As a result of many years of concerted union campaigning, the use of all forms of asbestos in Australia has been banned since 2003, including its import and export. But, because of the legacy of its use, we have not solved the problem of asbestos exposures for either people at work or in the general community.

Australia has an unenviable record of one of the world's highest rate of asbestos related diseases and a legacy of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in many workplaces and buildings - public and private, commercial, domestic and industrial.

For Victorian Asbestos Awareness Week activities click here, for details of other events in other states click here.

Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, who has been charged with lèse-majesté, goes on trial in Bangkok on 21 November 2011.

The Campaign website for Somyot says:

"We’re going to be bringing you live coverage of Somyot’s trial hearing on Monday 21st November. You can follow this from the freesomyot blog site or directly on facebook.

Follow the trial on Twitter on #freesomyottrial

Members of the New Zealand Meat Workers Union at CMP ANZCO have been targeted by a particularly vicious form of union busting which is being practiced more and more in IUF sectors across the globe. It works like this: an employer proposes radical changes to terms and conditions in CBA negotiations, then goes through the motions of bargaining with the union while actually just biding time, then locks out the workers in an attempt to force a signature on an essentially non-negotiated agreement. Details here. Solidarity action here.

The Malaysian Government has started operations against undocumented foreign workers, arresting 193 workers and five employers in three states across the country since 20 October.

The Malaysian Home Minister said the operations in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Johor will be followed by larger crackdowns led by the country’s immigration department.

In October, Malaysia announced plans to swap detainees with Burma. Rights groups have expressed fear that Malaysia might deport Burmese refugees and asylum seekers, many of whom are believed to be detained in immigration depots across Malaysia. More info here, here and here.

Workers at the Mumbai shipbreaking yard in India faced yet another fire accident on November 14 in which three workers suffered 40 percent burn injury. The incident took place at about 4.00 PM Monday as three workers, Ram Saroj 35, Sunil Rai 33 and Bijay Jena 28 were engaged in breaking the engine room of the ship M V Khalijia III at Lakri Bundar Plot No 8.

This accident is yet another painful reminder of harsh working conditions and poor occupational health and safety measures at Mumbai shipbreaking yards. We will once again take the issue to the concerned authorities to improve the working conditions and to get due compensation for victims and their families, said VV Rane, Secretary of Mumbai Port Trust Dock and General Employees’ Union (MPTDGEU). Read more here.

At about 11PM last Friday night police attacked the peaceful picket line at the Baiada Poultry processing plant in Laverton, Melbourne Australia. One picketer was severely injured.

Baiada workers are low-paid, predominantly Asian and African migrants to Australia. Baiada management has repeatedly rejected their modest claims, and refuses to recognise their rights to collective bargaining.

Baiada workers are particularly concerned at the large number of workers employed as cash in hand, contract and labour-hire workers at the plant. This use of insecure work undermines pay, conditions and safety.

Baiada is Australia’s largest poultry producer. It controls about 35% of the domestic market, turning over more than $1.2 billion a year. Workers at Baiada want secure jobs and a better future. More info here and here.

Workers at the huge copper and gold mine in West Papua have announced that the strike will be extended till 15 December. Negotiations are still ongoing The union has lowered its bargaining position for the workers’ pay raise to US$ 4 per hour in the first year and US$ 7.50 per hour the following year. Management requested the union to clear the road blockade at Mile 27 and Mile 28, but the union refused. This dispute has seen a great deal of violence including workers shot dead. Last week another shooting incidence took place that wounded an Indonesian police officer as he drove a Freeport vehicle around the mining area. He was shot by unknown gunmen. Given the isolated location of the mine site, the company is hoping to starve the workers back to work. The union representing the Freeport workers, PUK SP - KEP SPSI, is asking for financial donations to support the strikers.

Download PUK SP - KEP SPSI letter
Download ICEM letter

Please make a donation to the mine workers' union:
Bank: Mandiri
Bank address: Kuala Kencana, Timika, Provinsi Papua, Indonesia
Account name: DANA PERJUANGAN SPSI PT. Freeport Indonesia
Account number: 154-00-1025925-1
Swift code: BMRIIDJA
Please email puk.fsp.kep.spsi.ptfi@gmail.com to inform the union of your donation. Thank you

On Wednesday 7 December at 6pm. Open workshop with international and local activists. All welcome
Discussion on how to fight the repression labour movement activists in many countries face where workers can be jailed or killed for demanding improvements in wages and conditions. The public meeting will be held at Trades Hall in Melbourne to mark International Human Rights Day. Genuine labour movement representatives from the Philippines, Korea, Thailand, Pakistan and West Papua have been invited to participate via Skype link. Documents for this discussion are: Free Han Sang Kyun (September 2010) - Why do capitalists kill (August 2011) - Support Freeport workers (October 2011) - Free Somyot Pruksakasemsuk - Strikers sentenced as terrorists.