The World of Labor

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The World of Labor           June 14. 2008

By Harry Kelber

700,000 Immigrants Gain Legal Status in Spain’s Amnesty Plan

Thousands of illegal immigrants in Spain queued for legal papers as a three-month amnesty program came to an end.. The government says 700,000 people                    registered for the right to live and work in Spain under the amnesty. Spain contends that the measure helps manage immigration and ensures that workers have legal protection and pay taxes.

To be eligible under the amnesty program, which began Feb. 7, immigrants had to provide proof of residency in Spain for at least six months, a work contract of at least six months and no criminal record. Some 40,000 had rushed to beat the June 7deadline for the amnesty. Many had spent the night in the streets outside the 193 government offices  across Spain  that were processing the paperwork.

The amnesty has been opposed by some European Union countries that fear it will make Spain a gateway for more illegal immigrants. Ecuadoreans were the largest group to apply under the amnesty, followed by Romanians and Moroccans.

60 Countries to Mark World Day Against Child Labor

The World Day Against Child Labor will be dramatized in 60 countries on June 12 with this year’s focus on the need to improve children’s access to education. Latest estimates indicate that there are  some 216 million child laborers worldwide, with millions either denied  education or compelled to balance work with education.

To tackle the problem of child labor, the International Labor Organization (ILO) is calling on governments to provide education to all children until they reach the minimum age of employment. The ILO has demanded that the governments initiate education programs that reach out to child laborers and other socially excluded people.

The ILO will release a technical report on child labor and education, based on surveys of child labor in 34 countries. There will be an ILO conference in Geneva, on June 13, attended by a representative of UNESCO, the UN agency coordinating the education programs.

One Million South Koreans Protest Import of U.S. Beef

With massive rallies, marches and candlelight vigils across the country, one million South Koreans took to the streets on June 10 to protest their government’s agreement with the United States on the import of beef. In Seoul, the capital, 500,000 people, including contingents of union members, students and families with small children, participated in the demonstrations. The protests have been conducted on an almost daily basis since May 2.

The size and quality of the protests reflected a loss of public confidence in the government and a growing disapproval,  not only  on  trade,  but also its policies on  education, health care and consumer prices. There is also considerable resentment at the government for its plans to privatize public services. The June 10 protest date was symbolic, marking the 21st anniversary of the June Grand Struggle of 1987. which was an important stage in the development of democracy in South Korea.

Stunned by the demonstrations,  all the cabinet ministers  offered their resignation, including Prime Minister Han seung-soo. South Korean President-Lee Myung-bak, who wants to be a close ally to the United States. is now under strong pressure to renegotiate the U.S-South Korea trade agreement.

Danish Nurses Continue 8-Week Strike as Wage Talks Collapse

Denmark’s nurses’ union walked out of talks aimed at ending an eight-week strike, after the union and the employers were unable to agree on pay. The stalemate has led to the cancellation of thousands of operations. The nurses had rejected an improved offer of a 14.3 percent wage increase over the next three years. The union is holding out for a 15 percent raise after turning down the employers’ original offer of12.8 percent.

The nurses’ strike, which started on April 16, has resulted in about 350,000 hospital visits being canceled. While about 12,500 nurses are still offering emergency services to treat  life-threatening conditions,  doctors have warned that a failure to diagnose and treat diseases may mean that some patients risk suffering permanent damage..

Danish nurses earn 31,343 kroner ($ 6,473 ) a month on average before taxes, as of May, while those employed in a home for the elderly earned 26,855 kroner ($ 5,542 ). The Danish Nurses Union (DSR) has spent more than 500 million kroner ($104 million) to fund the strike so far.


‘’Marry or Be Fired!’ Iranian State Company Warns

A major Iranian state-owned company has told its single employees to get married by September 21. or face losing their jobs, the local press reported on June 10. “One of the entities in the south of the country has asked its single employees to start creating a family,” the hard-line Kayhan daily reported.

The firm that issued the ultimatum to its single employees is Pars Special Economic Energy Zone Company, which covers Iran’s giant gas and petrochemical facilities on the shores of the Gulf.  The company continued its pressure on single employees by saying their contracts will be annulled by Oct. 22 if they are found to be unmarried.

Iran is in the midst of an unprecedented moral crackdown, which has seen tens of thousands of women warned by the police for dress that seemed “un-Islamic.” Young people are traditionally encouraged by their families to marry in their 20s and quickly bear children.


Conflict at Nestlé Russia Ends in Union Victory

The dispute over collective bargaining rights at Nestlé Russia, which started in Dec. 2007. Thanks to the determined workers and the  union’s  extensive international solidarity campaign, Nestlé has agreed to formally recognize the union’s fundamental  right to negotiate wages. The agreement, signed on June 11 between the union and company representatives, clearly states that wages and wage scales will be an integral part of the collective bargaining process, which is to be conducted annually.

The first negotiations will start in September before the factory sets the budget for 2009. Workers obtained a 3.5 percent wage increase in addition to the 15 percent increase  on Jan. 1 decreed by the company, which was below the inflation rate.   The dispute attracted enormous public attention in Russia. The agreement sets an important precedent for all Russian workers whose employers reject a union’s right to negotiate wages,

It took six months of marching, picketing, leafleting and international solidarity actions to persuade the company to respect  a basic worker right, union officials said. Their campaign has been an important component of the struggle for Nestlé workers globally, they said.

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