Women Workers in Political Conflict Areas, Pioneer work of CAW

Committee for Asian Women (CAW), a regional women workers organisation in its recently concluded seminar on women workers in political conflict areas in Asia, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 27th and 28th November, 2006, has taken brave steps to look into the millions of women workers in the political conflict areas like in Nepal, Aceh, Pakistan, Bangladesh and others.

MAY DAY GREETINGS

TIE Asia greets all our comrades on the occasion of MAY DAY 2006. We live in difficult times for workers all over the world. The neo-liberalising forces particularly Transnational Corporations are moving their agenda at the expense of workers. Many of our governments have chosen not to fight these forces. Yet workers, like the workers who struggled for the eight-hour working day which we remember during May Day, have continued to struggle to keep their jobs, incomes and their rights.

Procession in Dhaka during the strike by NGWF

At least 100 garment workers, mostly women died in a factory fire in Chitagong in the last week of February. The fire at the KTS garment factory triggered a nation-wide half day strike. Most of the garment factories including the EPZ were closed. Another fire raged through Saiem Fashion Ltd. in Gazipur district killing 3 workers and injured over 50 workers on 6^th March.

The Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka, the governing body of the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) had an union busting attitude. The BOI had to change its attitude due to international pressure especially when the European Union (EU) extended the Generalised System of Preference (GSP). It was linked to labour standards and therefore the BOI had to respect the core conventions of the ILO specially Freedom of Association in the Free Trade Zones. When Workwear Lanka Pvt Ltd and the GP Garments dismissed the workers in order to disrupt the union activities, the employer tried to recruit new employees. Fortunately, BOI advised both companies that they cannot recruit new workers until they settle these disputes as these disputes were relevant to Freedom of Association.

I come from North Sumatra and am the second child of six brothers and sisters. My father, while he was alive, worked as a driver and my mother to this day works as a vegetable trader in the market. Earlier, I had hoped to become a police officer, but my father was very hostile to the police. At sixteen I became a garment worker. Picture: Emelia Yanti Mohd Siahaan Union organiser and gender program officer, GSBI

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On 8^th March the National Garment Workers Federation (NFWF) in Bangladesh celebrated the International Women's Day with the theme " Safe workplace for the woman workers " holdinga Woman Workers Red Flag Rally.

Newsletter of TIEAsia

Greetings from TIE Asia. We have resumed the production of a newsletter. For now we will put out the newsletter once in a couple of months. We hope in future to have a more regular publication. This newsletter is a way in which we try to keep workers connected with each other in the different countries.

by Irene Xavier

All over the developed world, men and women wear clothes that carry the label – made in Bangladesh. Who is doing the ‘making’ in Bangladesh. We look at some of the lives of the women who make garments in Bangladesh. These are not exceptional women. Their lives reflect very much the lives of millions of garment workers in this country.                                                 

My name is Wiwin Herliani. I’m the first daughter of seven siblings. I come from Gombong, Central Java. There is no glamour in my life story, it is not like the televised celebrities’ private lives which people watch on TV. The story of my life is the story of poor people fighting for their rights continuously and  this fight is a struggle. Although it is not the story of Cinderella, I want to share it. Hopefully it will be useful for those who may find it useful.

Changing the concept of organizing the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) workers was a big challenge? Legally it was not possible to organize these workers. This was also the attitude of workers employed in the Free Trade Zones.

For a long time, the XYZ union in Bangkok, Thailand was led by a leadership that was pro-management. The union is made of workers in a surgical glove-production company. 
 

Helping Hands Project is a joint project of the Free Trade Zone General Services Employees Union (FTZGSEU) and the Women’s Centre of Sri Lanka to assist the workers and their families in rebuilding the homes that they lost in the Tsunami devastation on 26th December, 2005. The project planned to build 100 houses. In August the first 18 houses were completed and the keys were given to the workers. Here is an update.

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The IUF has called on the government of the Philippines to undertake a full investigation into the murder of a trade union leader at the Nestl้ factory in Cabuyao, Laguna, the largest Nestl้ plant in the Philippines. Unidentified gunmen shot Diosdado Fortuna on September 22 while he was on his way home from the factory picket line.

“All wealth is the product of labour”.
 - John Locke

“Without labour nothing prospers”.
- Sophocles