Close to 1,000 Eland company workers go on strike for higher wages in Ho Chi Minh City

Varanasi is an ancient, famous and culturally rich district of Uttar Pradesh State of India. Varanasi is also a holy city which rests on the banks of the Ganges, and home to banarasi saris (Indian dress that women wear) that are woven predominantly on hand looms. They are woven by highly skilled weavers, and are considered some of the finest saris in India, made of finely woven silk and decorated with elaborate embroidery and engravings. Because of these engravings, these saris are relatively heavy. The tradition of weaving these saris is almost 800 years old, and they have been in demand for centuries from almost all parts of India. During the Mughal rule, this art reached its zenith due to the amalgamation of the Indian and Persian design and creativity.

n recent years Cambodia’s foothold in the global economy and the most prominent aspect of its labour movement has been the textile and garment industry. Cambodia’s position in this global industry has been promoted as an ‘ethical producer’ due to a monitoring program of the International Labour Organization (ILO) initiated by a bilateral trade agreement with the US.

Child workers are a clear example of the precarious labour that exists in the informal economy. Laws about minimum working age make it illegal for them to work, but economic and social realities leave them little other choice.

Editor: One recent trend in the process of informalization has been the increasing use of ‘trainee’ labour in South Korea and Japan. This form of labour would appear to be formal and protected, as the system for employment of these foreign workers is governed and regulated by particular government departments and agencies. However the truth is that this institution has become a way to prop up companies that could not survive domestically otherwise, and have become dependent on the ability to employ workers from other parts of Asia at low wages.

Undocumented international migrant workers face occupational risk even before they arrive at work. Just the journey to their country of employment is dangerous, as they almost invariably rely on people smugglers, who often demonstrate reckless disregard for their safety.

The Struggle Against a Transnational Corporation ‘The Korean company E-Land is anti-union and immoral, therefore Hong Kong citizens should boycott it.’ denounced Kim Seok-Won, the President of New Core Workers’ Union at the 1 May rally in Hong Kong.

ANROAV Annual Meeting 2008 will take place on September 27-29th 2008 in Manila. The meeting will bring together trade unions, victims groups, NGOs, academics and activists from mainly Asia,U.S.A and Canada.

This book is a translated version of the original English report published in July 2007, authored by Laurie Kazan-Allen from International Ban Asbestos Secretariat in collaboration with 15 other organisations from Asia and other parts of world.