Australia Asia Worker Links

At least 40 workers were killed on Thursday 24 November, when a construction platform at a power station in the Yichun, Jiangxi province, collapsed. Many other workers were injured. The cause for such a catastrophic collapse is not yet known, but this is just the latest of a series of disasters to hit Chinese workers (see here and here). A relentless drive for profits combined with the repression of independent unions create a deadly combination for workers in China.

Earlier this month, a fire at an illegally run garment factory in a residential area of Sahibabad, New Delhi, killed 13 workers. The fire occurred early in the morning and killed the workers as they were asleep in the factory building itself. In India’s rapid industrialisation over the last two decades, it is the workers who are paying the price with many fatal accidents occurring all over India. Amid the carnage, some sections of the workers’ movement like the garment workers around Bangalore, have been able to make improvements through direct action and workplace organising.

The the powerful South Korean workers movement will be holding a nationwide general strike on Wednesday 30 November. While the primary objective is to force the resignation of the President, Park Geun-hye, workers are also fighting for their rights and their wages and conditions. The South Korean workers’ movement has called for international actions in support of their general strike.

Following on from last week’s big protests in Malaysia, and in many other cities around the world, the Malaysian government has stepped up repression against the anti-corruption movement. Maria Chin Abdullah, one of the leaders of Bersih, had been arrested prior to the demonstration with a number of others. Maria Chin is now being held for allegedly violating the recently proclaimed Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA), also known as the anti-terror law. SOSMA allows people to be detained without charge for long periods. This development has brought back memories of when the ISA was used to suppress dissent in Malaysia.

The rise of the racist One Nation Party in Australia in the recent Federal elections has emboldened the far right. Islamophobia is one of the major planks for these movements. In Melbourne, a right wing Zionist group has invited representatives of One Nation to hold a meeting this Sunday to discuss how to oppose Islamic people. Anti-racist Jewish groups have called a counter demonstration, inviting all anti-racists and anti-fascists, to oppose the spread of division and hate in our communities.

After the election in the USA, and witnessing the rise of the far right in Australia, the union movement - and particularly union rank and file members - need to take a lead in the fight against racism. Trades Hall has partnered with a number of unions and community groups to hold a rally and festival celebrating and defending multiculturalism. Join a free family friendly street party celebrating the great diversity of our society. There will be music, food, cultural exhibitions and rides for the kids.

Global Street Party - Saturday 10 December - International Human Rights Day
12pm - Rally against Racism at State Library, Melbourne with a march to Trades Hall
1pm - Festival at Trades Hall, Lygon Street Carlton

Invite your fellow workers and bring the whole family for a fun afternoon in support for our multicultural society.

There was a major anti Muslim rally in Colombo this week, by the radical Buddhist organisation Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). The BBS has a history of fomenting xenophobia and racist attacks against religious and ethnic minorities in Sri Lanka. The growth of this religious right wing extremism is also paralleled with events in Burma. Given Sri Lanka’s history, there is a growing civil society movement that is opposing these reactionary religious forces.

AAWL is concluding this year’s series of film fundraisers by turning its focus to Africa with the screening of ‘The First Grader’. The film takes a personal story to focus on the failed Mau Mau national liberation movement and the struggle by former activists to be recognised in an independent Kenya. Check out the facebook event page here.

This month has seen an unprecedented political crisis engulf the government of South Korea. Last week, one million people took part in a demonstration in central Seoul calling on President Park Geun-hye to step down due to the influence-peddling scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil. The administration of Park Geun-hye has been relentless in its attacks against workers in the last couple of years, see here and here. Workers have fought back with massive mobilisations of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country. Korean workers are continuing to mobilise against the government. Korean unions have now called for a new general strike for the 30th of November to try and force the resignation of the President.

The repression unleashed by the Turkish government increasingly targeting opposition political parties. This week, anti terror police units arrested the co-mayors of the Kurdish cities of Siirt, Dersim (Tunceli), and Cizre for alleged terrorism crimes. Earlier this month, the opposition People's Democatic Party (HDP), was targeted with the arrests of 14 of its 59 parlamentarians. These included the party's co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag. These latest attacks are on top of the tens of thousands of workers who have been dismissed, the 140 journalists jailed and the numerous media outlets that have been shut down since the failed coup in mid July.