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Workers all around the world marched again for workers’ rights on May Day (see here, here and here). In Sweden, May Day specifically targeted the issue of Islamophobia and how this is impacting negatively on women workers. In the Asia Pacific region, workers had to survive police repression in Turkey, hundreds of thousands of workers took to the streets in Jakarta, while other major demonstrations and actions took place in Pakistan, India, South Korea (see here and here), Cambodia, Malaysia, The Philippines (see here and here), and Australia.
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During 2016 workers in all industries once again continued to face pressure from the ongoing crisis of capitalism. Companies everywhere tried to increase profits by making workers work harder for less, and by spending less on health and safety. This relentless ‘Race to the Bottom’ was coupled with repression against labour organisers, with many of our comrades in jail. Nevertheless, workers continued to organise and fight back. AAWL is part of this fight back. Read AAWL Activities report for 2016. You can also become a member, affiliate your union, and/or donate to our work.
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This week, the Basrah Gas Company, a joint venture with Shell, Southern Gas and Mitsubishi, agreed that its 6,000 strong workforce could be represented by the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU). This is a great win by workers to have their power to collective bargain recognised, in such a strategic industry. In the last few years, oil workers have staged a number of large mobilisations as well as fighting off efforts to imprison their leaders. Just last month, six Iraqi trade unions decided to file a complaint with the International Labour Organisation in relation to the Iraqi government not allowing workers the right to freely organise into independent unions.
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This week, the international labour movement received a letter from Han Sang-gyun, the imprisoned leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. In the letter, Sang-gyun thanks all of his supporters, both locally and internationally, and restated his commitment to keep fighting the anti-worker offensive of the last couple of years. Even though Korean workers were instrumental in forcing President Park to resign earlier this year, they are still facing many of the same issues and need your support and solidarity.
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