Australia Asia Worker Links

As reported last week, anti-racist activists right across the world took to the streets in their thousands to oppose racism and fascism and to stand in support of refugees.  The international day, declared M19, was observed right across the globe over the weekend of March 19 to 21. Check out the photos and reports from many of these actions on the RAC NSW facebook page (see here, here, here, here, here and here.) 

An anti-racism rally has been organised in Melbourne Victoria on Sunday April 3.  The rally is in response to the concerted effort by far right and fascist forces to organise and become a serious political movement in Australia. History shows that in times of economic crisis, far right and fascist groups are encouraged by sections of the ruling class to target activists and minorities. Labour groups and unions have historically been one of the main targets of fascism. Workers’ organisations represent the strongest force that can defeat fascism and the politics of austerity and exploitation.  

See facebook event page for rally details.

AAWL Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 6 April at 6pm

Meeting Room 2 at Trades Hall

More information, contact Jiselle Hanna on 0411 054 859

(only financial members and affiliates can vote.  To join or renew your membership to AAWL, please complete the membership form and return to AAWL - PO Box 45, Carlton, 3053)

The city of Hong Kong has around 300,000 domestic workers, mainly women from Indonesia and the Philippines. A new report has found that the working conditions for many of them are still very oppressive, with as many as 50,000 of them working in conditions of forced labour. Unfortunately this is a problem that has been existed for some years, and only through the right of residency and the ability to join unions, will conditions improve for these workers.

A recent report on factories in Udyog Vihar, Haryana state, reveals that companies exploit the fact that the workers are new to the industry, and still have some families and land in the villages, to enforce long work days and piece work rates. In addition, most workers are also exploited by landlords as they are dependent on them for accommodation and food. While India does not have a garment sector as big as Cambodia and Bangladesh, workers employed in it are still subject to the brutal ‘Race to the Bottom’ in terms of wages and conditions that major companies engage in.

The Malaysian police have shut down a Marxism course organised by the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), in a new escalation of state repression.  The police cited reasons of public safety and violence as the reasons to shut down the course, and alleged that they had received complaints about it.  The PSM believes political opponents are behind the complaints, and has issued a public statement.  This attack on political organising is not new in Malaysia, and demonstrates yet another reason why we as workers must unite internationally against all forms of repression against our efforts to organise.

In another sign of the savage exploitation that workers in Pakistan have to endure, 10 coal miners were recently killed in a methane gas explosion. The disaster happened in Al-Hussaini coal mine in Kyber Pakhtoonkhaw province. Subsequent bad weather and poor rescue equipment further hampered the rescue efforts. These deaths are only the latest in a series of disasters that point to the lack of health and safety conditions for Pakistani coal miners.

The number of Palestinians in Israeli jails topped 6,000 people at the end of January 2016, with at least 10% of them in ‘administrative detention’. There are constant hunger strikes by prisoner fighting for better conditions or their freedom. These increasing arrests have to be seen in light of the continuing Occupation of Palestinian lands, with more land stolen in recent days. In addition, the Israeli military continues to target civilians, producing an ever increasing number of wounded and dead.