Australia Asia Worker Links

On Saturday 20 January, a fire broke out in a plastics factory in the Bawana industrial area in the north of New Delhi, killing 17 workers. The fire quickly engulfed the building as the owner had illegally stored firecrackers in the building, with inadequate fire safety precautions. Survivors have since related how badly they were treated when working there, the lack of safety features and how the only exit was blocked. While Manoj Jain, the owner of the factory, was detained by the police, this horrific incident is unfortunately not an isolated one. The main victims of this brutal industrial system are women workers who are more likely to be employed in the informal sector and in more precarious working conditions.

In a stunning result, 130,000 metal workers in Turkey, spread across 179 enterprises, won close to a 25% wage increase over two years. In addition to this wage rise, they also won substantial increases to their social benefits and the attainment of health insurance. The three unions covering these workers had announced a week ago that a nationwide strike was to begin on 2 February. The government than declared this action illegal on the grounds of ‘national security’. Given the repression against workers and any opposition activists in Turkey over the last 18 months, this victory represents a great achievement.

This January was another bloody month for coal workers with 6 workers killed in three separate accidents. Unfortunately, the coal mining industry in Pakistan has a terrible industrial record where workers have few rights and work long hours in unsafe conditions. Following on from the most recent deaths, mining unions held a protest rally in Quetta demanding better health and safety for all mine workers. In a separate event, in late December of last year, ten left wing parties in Pakistan announced an alliance in order to overcome the weakness of the human and labour rights movements in that country.

The teachers union leader, Esmail Abdi was returned to prison on January 20 after a few days of release. Esmail has been a tireless labour campaigner both in and out of jail. The health situation of Reza Shahabi, another imprisoned union activist in the high security Evin Prison, continues to be very serious. Reza’s supporters were recently brutally attacked by security forces. A recently released labour activist, Reza Salehi, has put out an open letter denouncing wars in the region. This repression against labour activists in Iran is occurring in a period of major class and social struggles inside Iran (see here, here and here).

Free for all political prisoners in Iran! Freedom for workers to organise!

A group of 39 activists who took part in a rally in central Bangkok in late January to demand that elections be held were charged this week for breaching the Public Assembly Act. All the protestors are facing up to 6 months in jail for having a demonstration too close to a Royal Palace. A subsequent silent protest by 4 activists against these politically motivated charges, has now led them to also be charged under the Public Assembly Act. In another case of political repression, Chanoknan Ruamsap, has fled Thailand as she was about to be charged with Lese Majeste, for sharing a BBC article in 2016.

Free all political prisoners in Thailand!

Abolish Article 112! 

End the military dictatorship!

Late last month, three prominent human rights activists, Pa Nguon Teang, Venerable But Buntenh, and Moeun Tola, were charged with misappropriation of funds from the funeral of opposition activists Dr. Kem Ley in 2017. These charges were the result of a complaint from a pro government party. Already more than 30 civil society organisations have come out to condemn these charges and to call for their withdrawal. The implications of these charges are serious as one of the accused, Moeun Tola, is a long-time advocate for the rights of workers in Cambodia. These latest events are just another sign of the increasingly repressive climate in Cambodia.

On Friday January 26, Invasion Day demonstrations were held in all major urban centres in Australia. The biggest turnouts were in Melbourne and Brisbane were tens of thousands of people marched in support of Aboriginal people and against the ongoing injustice of colonialism and dispossession. Under the theme of ‘Abolish the Date’, the demonstrations highlighted the ongoing exploitation, repression and injustice that Australian indigenous people and communities still endure.

The Asia Ban Asbestos Network (A-BAN) has started a new round of activities in its attempts to totally ban the use of asbestos in the world. Unfortunately, asbestos is still used widely across Asia, with six of the top seven countries being in this region. Asbestos is deadly at all points of its production and manufacturing, while its toxic effects continue to kill years after its use has been stopped. As the examples of Australia and New Zealand show, it was only through the determined efforts of workers and unions that asbestos use was banned in these two countries.

The dispute that started in late November, over the dismissal of an active unionist at one of the port terminals in Melbourne, Australia, has been won with the company agreeing to reinstate the worker. This outcome was achieved through the determination of his fellow workers, the Maritime Union of Australia, and by the support of many other workers and unionists. In spite of legal threats, a 24 hour community assembly was created outside the gates of the International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) operations. ICTSI has been on a global offensive against workers in a bid to keep its operations free of union influence so that it could increase its profits by paying workers less and making them work longer. 

The Aboriginal rights movement in Australia mourns the loss of brother and comrade, Denis Walker, co-founder of the Australian Black Panther Party in 1972.  Denis Walker was a major figure in the civil rights and land rights movements from the 1960s and continued to fight for a treaty until his death. Vale comrade Denis Walker.