The World of Labor - August 28, 2010



	THE WORLD OF LABOR — August 28, 2010 By Harry Kelber American Women Won Right to Vote After Decades of Struggle It took 72 years of often bitter struggle by women’s organizations and dedicated individuals to gain the right to vote and run for political office. That right was written into the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920 as the 19th Amendment. It is still perplexing why the wise men who drafted the U.S. Constitution could ignore women, who represented half of the country’s population, probably because their sexist attitudes toward women were part of the culture of those times. The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1948. After two days of discussion and debate, the 68 women and 32 men adopted a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined their grievances and set the agenda for the women’s rights movement. Today, in the U.S., women are governors, mayors, also hold other high positions in government and can run for President of the United States. They enjoy important positions in the field of education and also serve as judges, prosecutors and lawyers. And they run major corporations that require high-level business skills. Yet a “glass ceiling” still exists, where women find it difficult to obtain and hold onto prestigious jobs. The most persistent and obvious evidence of discrimination is that women earn 78 percent of the pay of men for doing work of equal value. Soldiers Threaten to Join S. African Public Sector Strike Soldiers who have been helping out at state hospitals during a crippling public service strike threatened on August 26 to start staying away from work in a solidarity action. “The problem is, if this dispute is not solved, there’s a possibility that we may be seen as scab labor,” said National Defence Union spokesman, Jeff Dubazana, “We are not going to allow our workers to be seen in that particular situation” Dubazana said. He added that the union would announce on Friday that it would take part in a secondary strike. the nationwide public sector strike began a year ago, with the unions demanding an 8.6 pay increase and an R1000 ($137) housing allowance. The government countered with an offer of 7 percent wage increase and R700 housing allowance, including a 1.5 percent pay progression. About 2,400 soldiers have been deployed to help out at the struck hospitals. The soldiers’ union president, Bhekinkosi Muovo, said: he hoped the dispute between the government and the strikers would be settled by Sunday. “We are calling on our members not to act as scab labor during this period,” Muovo said. He acknowledged that a strike by soldiers would have a crippling effect on the country. German Groups Oppose a Revival of Nuclear Power A group of German trade unions, environmental organizations and consumer advocates have demanded an efficient energy initiative for Germany instead of a revival of nuclear power. The German government will unveil a new energy strategy next month that will stipulate how many years Germany’s 17 reactors are allowed to produce power. Klaus Brunsmeier,, vice chairman of the German environmental group BUND, said that Germany should rely on energy efficiency when the nation’s nuclear reactors are scheduled to go offline by the end of 20020. Instead, Berlin should bank on energy efficiency, the cheapest of all climate protection strategies, Brunsmeier said. Energy efficiency measures can reduce Germany’s energy consumption by 2 percent per year, saving around 100 million tons of carbon dioxide until 2020, he predicted. Wolfgang Rohde, a senior official of the IG Metall union, said that the metal and electrical industry could still improve its efficiency levels. About 40 percent of German companies haven’t yet taken measures to reduce their energy footprint, Rohde said. A consumer group official noted that consumers could save energy and cash if they bought new appliances. He also urged the government to launch a “cash for clinkers” program for the household appliance sector. No Minimum Wage in 34 industries in Bangladesh Known in the global market for its cheap labor, Bangladesh does not have minimum wages for 34 industries and has not revised wages in a dozen others for many years, according to media sources. The government is sitting on a proposal of the Minimum Wage Board for fixing or reviewing minimum pay for a dozen industrial sectors employing several million workers. MWB said that minimum wage standards in at least 12 industrial sectors had not been reviewed in 14 to 28 years, although reviews should be done every five years. Important industries where no legal minimum has been set include garment, poultry, power and handloom, brick, paper, electronics beverage and cigarettes. The Board is currently struggling to get minimum wages fixed for the ready-made garment sector, acceptable by both employers and workers. This sector, that netted $12 billion in export earnings last year, employs 3 million workers, mostly women. There has been intermittent industrial violence in the garment sector due to low wages and poor working conditions. 10,000 London ‘Tube’ Workers Strike to Defend Jobs and Safety Some 10,000 members of London Underground’s two biggest unions will begin a rolling series of strikes on Sept. 6 to protest management’s plans to discharge 800 station employees and shut down ticket offices. The union members voted overwhelmingly to defend jobs and safety conditions. Their protests will include a ban on overtime work. Maintenance and engineering union members will begin their first 24-hour strike on Sept. 6, with similar work stoppages at intervals through Sunday, Nov. 28. Bob Crow, the RMT general secretary, said: “ The mayor was elected on a promise of maintaining safe staffing levels, and he is doing the opposite, planning to leave stations and platforms dangerously understaffed and threatening to turn the network into a muggers’ paradise.” Earlier this month, potential disasters at Oxford Circus and Euston were averted after both stations were evacuated safely by trained and experienced station staff after they spotted smoke. A runaway engineering train came within seconds of crashing into a commuter train this month, The management of the “Tube” has admitted that it is relying on an infrastructure network dating from the 1920s. Canada Cuts 600 Workers Who Handle Insurance Claims Hundreds of government workers who handle employment insurance claims are about to join the ranks of the unemployed, the Canadian Press has learned. In a bid to balance its budget, Service Canada is cutting 600 employees across the country on top of another 600 who were let go in May. The union that represents the employees affected by the job cuts was notified on Aug. 27 and was warned that more cuts may come in January. Many of those who will lose their jobs help people with everything from passport applications and pension problems to processing employment insurance claims “The people who are going to suffer are the people who receive these services,” said Steve McCuaig, national executive vice president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union. The move follows the Conservative government’s decision this spring to freeze departmental budgets while continuing to honor a 1.5 percent pay increase for civil servants. The freeze maintained the integrity of the collective agreements, but is forcing departments to find savings elsewhere to cover the pay increase that took effect last June. Keep informed about workers and their unions by reading our weekly, “The World of Labor," posted here on weekends and on our web site: https://www.laborsvoiceforchange.org .

THE WORLD OF LABOR — August 28, 2010

By Harry Kelber

American Women Won Right to Vote After Decades of Struggle

It took 72 years of often bitter struggle by women’s organizations and dedicated individuals to gain the right to vote and run for political office. That right was written into the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920 as the 19th Amendment. It is still perplexing why the wise men who drafted the U.S. Constitution could ignore women, who represented half of the country’s population, probably because their sexist attitudes toward women were part of the culture of those times.

The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1948. After two days of discussion and debate, the 68 women and 32 men adopted a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined their grievances and set the agenda for the women’s rights movement.

Today, in the U.S., women are governors, mayors, also hold other high positions in government and can run for President of the United States. They enjoy important positions in the field of education and also serve as judges, prosecutors and lawyers. And they run major corporations that require high-level business skills. Yet a “glass ceiling” still exists, where women find it difficult to obtain and hold onto prestigious jobs. The most persistent and obvious evidence of discrimination is that women earn 78 percent of the pay of men for doing work of equal value.

Soldiers Threaten to Join S. African Public Sector Strike

Soldiers who have been helping out at state hospitals during a crippling public service strike threatened on August 26 to start staying away from work in a solidarity action. “The problem is, if this dispute is not solved, there’s a possibility that we may be seen as scab labor,” said National Defence Union spokesman, Jeff Dubazana, “We are not going to allow our workers to be seen in that particular situation” Dubazana said. He added that the union would announce on Friday that it would take part in a secondary strike.

the nationwide public sector strike began a year ago, with the unions demanding an 8.6 pay increase and an R1000 ($137) housing allowance. The government countered with an offer of 7 percent wage increase and R700 housing allowance, including a 1.5 percent pay progression. About 2,400 soldiers have been deployed to help out at the struck hospitals.

The soldiers’ union president, Bhekinkosi Muovo, said: he hoped the dispute between the government and the strikers would be settled by Sunday. “We are calling on our members not to act as scab labor during this period,” Muovo said. He acknowledged that a strike by soldiers would have a crippling effect on the country.

German Groups Oppose a Revival of Nuclear Power

A group of German trade unions, environmental organizations and consumer advocates have demanded an efficient energy initiative for Germany instead of a revival of nuclear power. The German government will unveil a new energy strategy next month that will stipulate how many years Germany’s 17 reactors are allowed to produce power.

Klaus Brunsmeier,, vice chairman of the German environmental group BUND, said that Germany should rely on energy efficiency when the nation’s nuclear reactors are scheduled to go offline by the end of 20020. Instead, Berlin should bank on energy efficiency, the cheapest of all climate protection strategies, Brunsmeier said. Energy efficiency measures can reduce Germany’s energy consumption by 2 percent per year, saving around 100 million tons of carbon dioxide until 2020, he predicted.

Wolfgang Rohde, a senior official of the IG Metall union, said that the metal and electrical industry could still improve its efficiency levels. About 40 percent of German companies haven’t yet taken measures to reduce their energy footprint, Rohde said. A consumer group official noted that consumers could save energy and cash if they bought new appliances. He also urged the government to launch a “cash for clinkers” program for the household appliance sector.

No Minimum Wage in 34 industries in Bangladesh

Known in the global market for its cheap labor, Bangladesh does not have minimum wages for 34 industries and has not revised wages in a dozen others for many years, according to media sources. The government is sitting on a proposal of the Minimum Wage Board for fixing or reviewing minimum pay for a dozen industrial sectors employing several million workers.

MWB said that minimum wage standards in at least 12 industrial sectors had not been reviewed in 14 to 28 years, although reviews should be done every five years. Important industries where no legal minimum has been set include garment, poultry, power and handloom, brick, paper, electronics beverage and cigarettes.

The Board is currently struggling to get minimum wages fixed for the ready-made garment sector, acceptable by both employers and workers. This sector, that netted $12 billion in export earnings last year, employs 3 million workers, mostly women. There has been intermittent industrial violence in the garment sector due to low wages and poor working conditions.

10,000 London ‘Tube’ Workers Strike to Defend Jobs and Safety

Some 10,000 members of London Underground’s two biggest unions will begin a rolling series of strikes on Sept. 6 to protest management’s plans to discharge 800 station employees and shut down ticket offices. The union members voted overwhelmingly to defend jobs and safety conditions. Their protests will include a ban on overtime work.

Maintenance and engineering union members will begin their first 24-hour strike on Sept. 6, with similar work stoppages at intervals through Sunday, Nov. 28. Bob Crow, the RMT general secretary, said: “ The mayor was elected on a promise of maintaining safe staffing levels, and he is doing the opposite, planning to leave stations and platforms dangerously understaffed and threatening to turn the network into a muggers’ paradise.”

Earlier this month, potential disasters at Oxford Circus and Euston were averted after both stations were evacuated safely by trained and experienced station staff after they spotted smoke. A runaway engineering train came within seconds of crashing into a commuter train this month, The management of the “Tube” has admitted that it is relying on an infrastructure network dating from the 1920s.

Canada Cuts 600 Workers Who Handle Insurance Claims

Hundreds of government workers who handle employment insurance claims are about to join the ranks of the unemployed, the Canadian Press has learned. In a bid to balance its budget, Service Canada is cutting 600 employees across the country on top of another 600 who were let go in May. The union that represents the employees affected by the job cuts was notified on Aug. 27 and was warned that more cuts may come in January.

Many of those who will lose their jobs help people with everything from passport applications and pension problems to processing employment insurance claims “The people who are going to suffer are the people who receive these services,” said Steve McCuaig, national executive vice president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union.

The move follows the Conservative government’s decision this spring to freeze departmental budgets while continuing to honor a 1.5 percent pay increase for civil servants. The freeze maintained the integrity of the collective agreements, but is forcing departments to find savings elsewhere to cover the pay increase that took effect last June.

Keep informed about workers and their unions by reading our weekly, “The World of Labor," posted here on weekends and on our web site: https://www.laborsvoiceforchange.org .