The June 2001 Labour Protests and the Possibility for Socialist Ideas in Indonesia Since the fall of Soeharto a lot has changed for the Indonesian labour movement. During the New Order era one "union" monopolised the organisation of workers, the yellow union FSPSI linked to the ruling clique's Golkar party. Instead of raising the consciousness of workers, the FSPSI was designed to depoliticise them.
The last of the Pakistani PTUDC trade unionists arrested on May Day has been released - May 28, 2001 We have just received the good news that Ghulam Haider, the PTUDC activist arrested in Peshawar, Pakistan, on May Day has been released on bail. We would like to thank all those who took part in the protest campaign. All letters of protest that were received were taken to the trade union activists while they were in jail and this helped enormously to keep up their morale. All those who were released had to pay bail, and they will also have other costs, as we have mentioned in our earlier publications. Now the campaign should concentrate on collecting funds to help pay for these costs. Below we are publishing further messages we have received from different parts of the world.
The last of the Pakistani PTUDC trade unionists arrested on May Day has been released - May 28, 2001 We have just received the good news that Ghulam Haider, the PTUDC activist arrested in Peshawar, Pakistan, on May Day has been released on bail. We would like to thank all those who took part in the protest campaign. All letters of protest that were received were taken to the trade union activists while they were in jail and this helped enormously to keep up their morale. All those who were released had to pay bail, and they will also have other costs, as we have mentioned in our earlier publications. Now the campaign should concentrate on collecting funds to help pay for these costs. Below we are publishing further messages we have received from different parts of the world.
Most of the trade union activists arrested in Pakistan on May Day have been released, but some are still being held! The latest news we have from Pakistan about the trade union activists arrested on May Day is that all the comrades with the exception of two in Pashawar have been released on bail. The comrades in Peshawar are still being held, but pressure is being put on the authorities. Our campaign must now continue until ALL the arrested comrades are released. We are publishing a selection of the protest letters we have received.
Most of the trade union activists arrested in Pakistan on May Day have been released, but some are still being held! The latest news we have from Pakistan about the trade union activists arrested on May Day is that all the comrades with the exception of two in Pashawar have been released on bail. The comrades in Peshawar are still being held, but pressure is being put on the authorities. Our campaign must now continue until ALL the arrested comrades are released. We are publishing a selection of the protest letters we have received.
URGENT: Campaign for the Release of Trade Union Leaders Arrested in Pakistan on May Day 2001 We are appealing to you to help us in the campaign for the release of workers' leaders arrested on May Day in Pakistan. As you will be aware, a military dictatorship is presently in power in Pakistan. This military junta has tried to portray itself as a "soft" and only mildly repressive regime. They prefer to present themselves in this way in order to divert attention away from its repressive measures. On May Day of this year its true colours were shown. Workers and trade union leaders all over Pakistan were arrested for taking part in May Day rallies. Some have since been released, but many are still being held. Below we are sending you a report we received from the...
URGENT: Campaign for the Release of Trade Union Leaders Arrested in Pakistan on May Day 2001 We are appealing to you to help us in the campaign for the release of workers' leaders arrested on May Day in Pakistan. As you will be aware, a military dictatorship is presently in power in Pakistan. This military junta has tried to portray itself as a "soft" and only mildly repressive regime. They prefer to present themselves in this way in order to divert attention away from its repressive measures. On May Day of this year its true colours were shown. Workers and trade union leaders all over Pakistan were arrested for taking part in May Day rallies. Some have since been released, but many are still being held. Below we are sending you a report we received from the PTUDC (Pakistan...
Women workers in Indonesia - Not mere victims of exploitation but also agents of social change The recent Global Alliance report (February 2001) on workers' rights (mostly dealing with young girls) in 9 Nike factories in Indonesia has once more brought to the fore the ruthless character of the regime in the factories belonging to this American multinational. If the claim made by a so-called 'surprised and disturbed management' is to be believed, then the conditions in the factories reviewed would be amongst the most "progressive in the country".
China, America and the Pacific The clash between China and the USA over the crashed spy plane has thrown into sharp relief the tensions between the great powers in Asia. The incident in itself was an accident. But dialectics explains that necessity can be expressed through accident. Underlying the immediate incident lie fundamental contradictions between China and the USA.
Bangladesh eco-parks are bad news for minority peoples The minority peoples of Bangladesh have been systematically evicted from their land or displaced by settlers. They face state repression, social discrimination and harassment on a daily basis. The latest government strategy to throw ethnic minorities off their traditional lands is the creation of ten "eco-parks" around the country.
Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign - A record of struggle This is a report we have received of the most recent activities of the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign. These comrades are working under the most difficult conditions and deserve our support and solidarity. We have now set up a facility to make on-line credit card donations.
World deflation - led by Japan The complacent optimism of capitalist consensus is fast disappearing. At the beginning of this year, the general view about the world economy was that US growth would slow gradually to about 3% from 5%, Japan would pick up a little to about 2% and Europe would trundle along at about 2.5%. The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, would cut interest rates to ensure that any slowdown would not mean a loss of investor confidence or consumer demand. Well, January seems like eons ago in global economics. After a non-stop spate of warnings about lower profits from the main US corporations and the release of economic data each day that showed a weakening economy, US...
Letter from Vietnam, March 2001 We received a letter from Vietnam which gives a wider and more political view of the situation in Vietnam on the eve of the important forthcoming congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam on "market led socialism".
Vietnamese girls marrying Taiwanese men: the harbouring of illusions This article describes the situation of poor young girls in the rural areas who try to escape from misery by marrying Taiwanese men.
Philippines - Mass Revolt Forces President Estrada to resign The events last week looked just like a re-run of the "People's Power" movement in 1986 when the hated dictator Ferdinand Marcos was overthrown by a mass uprising in the cities of the Filipino archipelago. So it will surprise nobody that this extraordinary sequence of events has been dubbed the "People's Power 2" movement by local activists and by the media.
