Workers in Asia once again faced serious repression due to their trade union activities. Close to 1000 unionists were injured in 2010, and almost as many were arrested. Compared to 2009 there was also an increase in the number of labour activists murdered as well as the number of death threats directed against unionists. Organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. remains difficult in many countries, and poor working conditions often spark protests and strikes. In some cases the working conditions are so appalling that workers commit suicide: a wave of suicides was reported in China in May, and in India hundreds of garment workers have taken their lives during the past few years.
Unrest in the garment industry led this year again to harsh repressions. In Bangladesh, protests were called throughout the year and were often met with police brutality. Six workers’ rights activists were killed at the hands of the police and of company thugs, and scores were injured when the police broke the strikes. Garment worker leaders also had their homes raided and received death threats. An estimated 5,000 garment workers were fired due to their involvement in the protests.
In India garment workers were also attacked and severely beaten, and one garment union leader was kidnapped. Elsewhere in India massive strikes were called throughout the year, including two general strikes, the latter of which was followed by around 100 million workers. Over 500 trade union members were arrested for participating in the protests, and many were injured. The police also killed two workers who were protesting the death of their co-worker.
Killings of labour activists also took place in other countries in Asia. In Pakistan a textile union leader and a union activist were murdered in the union offices moments before a strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
was planned to begin. In the Philippines three trade union leaders were shot and killed in separate incidents. Threats and death threats were also communicated to unionists in countries like Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. In Pakistan, a union leader was kidnapped and tortured for defending workers’ rights.
Violence against workers and trade unionists is, as indicated, widespread in the region. For example, in China, where the number of strikes continued to increase, protests were often violently dispersed by riot police and hired thugs; in the Philippines picketing picketing Demonstration or patrolling outside a workplace to publicise the existence of an industrial dispute or a strike, and to persuade other workers not to enter the establishment or discourage consumers from patronising the employer. Secondary picketing involves picketing of a neutral establishment with a view to putting indirect pressure on the target employer. strikers were attacked, shot at and harassed; in Fiji where a dictatorial regime continues to harass and intimidate trade unionists; and in South Korea unions complained about unnecessarily provocative and disproportionally brutal police action.
In a majority of Asian countries, unionists and workers’ rights activists were arrested, often in connection with protests and strikes. Of the approximately 900 arrests in the region in 2010, India accounted for more than half. Many arrests also took place in Bangladesh, South Korea and Pakistan. In Vietnam three labour activists were arrested for distributing anti-government leaflets and organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. strikes, and were sentenced to seven to nine years in prison.
Unionists all over Asia also face a wide array of anti-union repression for their legitimate trade union activities, including dismissal, harassment, threats and discrimination. For example, in Cambodia, 817 workers were dismissed following a national strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
for a minimum wage hike; in South Korea, unionised civil servants were harassed by the authorities to a point where their union was rendered unable to function; and in Thailand union members and leaders were dismissed on fabricated charges of theft and negligence. The government of Macau SAR is also believed to keep a blacklist of union activists, as are employers in the Maldives.
Union organising
organising
The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one.
is often a difficult task. In Burma and North Korea trade unions are not allowed to operate at all. While the Burmese laws provide for a theoretical possibility to form unions, the restrictions that apply effectively nullify the lawful creation of a union. As a result all unions in Burma must operate underground. The North Korean Constitution similarly guarantees freedom of association
freedom of association
The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
, but in practice the government has totalitarian control over the workers.
In China, Laos and Vietnam, the laws provide for a single trade union system that prevents workers from forming and joining the union of their choice. Even where freedom of association
freedom of association
The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
and the right to organise are recognised by law, the rights are commonly flouted in practice. In countries like Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Macau SAR and the Maldives, unions have difficulties obtaining recognition
recognition
The designation by a government agency of a union as the bargaining agent for workers in a given bargaining unit, or acceptance by an employer that its employees can be collectively represented by a union.
from employers for the purpose of collective bargaining
collective bargaining
The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
.
Organising organising The process of forming or joining a trade union, or inducing other workers to form or join one. in export processing zones (EPZ export processing zone A special industrial area in a country where imported materials are processed before being re-exported. Designed to attract mostly foreign investors by offering incentives such as exemptions from certain trade barriers, taxes, business regulations, and/or labour laws. s) is very problematic, especially in Southern Asia. Even where workers are allowed to form trade unions, employers persistently discourage them from unionising through various methods, for example in Fiji and Sri Lanka.
The difficulties to form a union are further aggravated by the fact that workers who try to organise are commonly reprimanded. Employers also try to bust existing unions in countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Sometimes workers are coerced into joining yellow unions, which happened in 2010 for example in the Philippines.
The labour laws of many Asian countries are also a cause of concern, as trade union rights are often not adequately protected. Especially the right to strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
is subject to many restrictions, and participants in unlawful strikes may be liable for excessive penalties, including long prison sentences. The authorities in several countries also have the power to unilaterally end a strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
. Public employees in Japan, India and South Korea have limited trade union rights and may not go on strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
. Changes to the labour laws occurred in 2010 in Pakistan and South Korea to the detriment of workers. In Taiwan, however, amendments to the labour code brought a number of significant improvements.