[asia-apec 871] News & Stories from Asia Pacific Peoples' Assembly (Part 2)

[APPA]

THE RAG
(Resistance Against Globalisation)

APPA Daily Bulletin No. 4, Thursday, November 12, 1998
(Page 4 to Page 6)

WORKERS OF THE WORLD ...
Labour Forum report

Fifty-six participants from Malaysia, Korea, the Philippines, Pakistan,
Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Hong Kong and
Indonesia attended the Labour Forum.
	In their presentation "Key Trends of the Workers' Movement in the
Asia-Pacific RegionÓ" Bong Angelus and his colleagues identified an
emerging "flexibilisation, informalisation and intensification" of labour.
The immediate effects were lay-offs, adjustment of working hours,
"casualisation" of labour and short-term hiring, increased use of
on-the-job training, withdrawal of regular employees' benefits, age
discrimination, exposure to health and safety hazards, and loss of social
benefits. The groups most vulnerable to these were women and migrant
workers.
	Participants then divided into three discussion groups to produce the
following reports on women workers, trade unions and the
non-formal/community sector.

Women workers

The impact of globalisation on women workers (with migrants being the
hardest hit) are: 
- the rampant use of labour flexibilisation schemes (i.e. contracting,
sub-contracting, agency-hiring and job rotation); 
- low and reduced wages;
- massive lay-offs, non-implementation of benefits; 
- harassment of women unionists and blacklisting for employment in the
industrial zones; 
- discrimination in hiring and at the workplace; 
- increase of violence against women at work and at home; 
- racially divisive tactics against women and migrants; 
- strict limitations on the right to organise and to strike; 
- limited access to social services such as education for children and
healthcare; 
- increase in work hazards at work because of cost-cutting measures,
privatisation of public services; and
- deregulation and liberalisation of the economy.
	Furthermore, though cases lodged by workers against employers are
tolerated by the government, most lose in legal battles. Flexibility leads
to decreased space for organising, a fact that is not helped by governments
that are rampantly pro-business and anti-labour. Increased domination of
economies by TNCs, financial institutions, the IMF and the World Bank
leaves governments weak, consequently increasing difficulties for workers
and their institutions. The pressure of globalisation leads workers to look
for scapegoats, increasing attacks on migrants and women, neglecting
families.
	Women workers are demanding that the gains made by the working class in
the past are defended and reappropriated. They are asking for their right
to organise, strike and bargain collectively. They should also have job
security (no contract work), just wages, improved working conditions (no
night shift and other irregular hours), improved health and safety
conditions; the right to affordable and quality child-care, the right to
training, affirmative action to promote working women, policies and actions
to stop sexual harassment, and the removal of all discriminatory laws and
policies against working women (such as income tax, citizenship laws,
unemployment support, etc).
	To these ends, a signature campaign will be held to raise awareness of the
issues of working women. A red ribbon/scarf campaign on March 8, 1999 to
protest that appropriation of the gains of working women by the forces of
globalisation and a campaign to demand the restoration of the right to
organise, to strike and to bargain collectively are also planned.

Trade unions
 
Globalisation has brought about attacks on trade unions and repressive
labour laws have made them less effective. Privatisation destroys trade
unions and jobs and creates a lack of accountability. There is a loss of
national sovereignty, with the social impact of homelessness and poverty.
Moreover, standards in labour and the environment are lowered, industries
are closed and the vulnerability of migrant workers exposed.
	To assert labour rights, trade unions have to build their strength in
local organisations and campaign for the enforcement of the International
Labour Organisation (ILO) Labour Charter. Other strategies are to organise
a consumer boycott of TNC products and promote worker exchange visits.
Collaborations with community groups and NGOs on issues like privatisation
or student problems will be held; so too negotiate with TNCs to reach
labour agreements. Workers' demands will be included in international trade
treaties, links between meetings of APPA consolidated, the ILO code of
conduct for TNCs and joint country union negotiations held.

Non-formal/community sector

The non-formal sector consists of petty traders, self-employed craftspeople
and workers who are casual, flexible and unorganised. However, the workshop
discussion only focused on the non-formal labour rather than the entire
sector. Non-formal labour differs from formal labour only in terms of
working conditions and not where each works. The expanding globalisation is
increasing the informal sector which then depresses wages in the formal
sector.
	Thus, it is important that there is a concerted effort to organise
non-formal workers on livelihood and community issues, as well as links
with the formal union organisations. We also need to revive the
collectivist feelings and to defend the present gains of the labour
movement by protecting jobs and halting the erosion of social services.
	The current recession is an opportunity for the labour movement to
question the type of development and the values behind it (such as the
equation of economic success with development). There is also a need to
assess the impact on the environment, people and workers, as well as a need
for an international labour collaboration.


WORKERS ON THE MOVE
The 4th International Migrant Workers Forum on APEC

The migration of workers from less developed countries is increasing due to
globalisation which has resulted in joblessness in less developed countries
and investment in developing countries.
	The process of liberalisation is in fact regulating the free flow of human
resources. Capital flight by multinational companies is not questioned
while a ban is placed on workers remitting money home. While migrant
workers are being retrenched and sent home, Malaysia will be recruiting
120,000 new migrants (Renong needs more migrant workers for construction). 
	The privatisation of health care has resulted in migrants paying first
class price for third class treatment. Multinationals are continuing with
overproduction when the distribution is lop-sided. Migrant workers end up
being a big market for their products.
	Migrant workers become undocumented as a result of the activities of
unscrupulous crooks at both ends who are only concerned with minting money
at the cost of the migrant workers. Poverty, vulnerability, freedom and
language barriers as well as the lack of support groups for migrant workers
are a problem.
	Three workshops were conducted and the following are two recommended
strategies for NGOs and migrant worker groups to address "The crisis of
rights for migrant workers and their families": 
1) Encouraged continued dialogue with local unions for a common platform. 
2) Act on issues against mass deportation of migrant workers through a
signature campaign and by monitoring mass deportation activities.
	It was decided that a letter of concern regarding the Hong Kong
Salary/Wage cut should be signed by everyone at the migrant workers forum,
and a letter of concern urging the Malaysian authorities to stop mass
deportation of Indonesians be drafted.
	In the discussion concerning "The quality of life of migrant workers and
their families", the education of migrant workers was seen as necessary to
enable them to deal with the authorities when making demands from the
government. Also, it is important to adopt or implement rational protection
laws for migrants. Another suggestion was to utilise formal and informal
channels for public education by involving migrants themselves to speak out
about the realities of migration. 


APPA SAYS "NO" TO US MILITARY PRESENCE

Capitol Hotel, Wed: People from different parts of Asia, namely South
Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, gathered to
discuss the US-Japan militarist agenda, and to reaffirm their unity against
the iron fists Ð the US-Japan security alliance Ð that shield globalisation
from the people's resistance.
	The two superpowers in the region are now strenghtening co-operation under
the newly signed Security Cooperation Guidelines to oppress the growing
people's resistance against imperialist globalisation. In the roundtable
discussion, participants from Korea and Taiwan made reports about the two
nations still divided by US interventions and military presence.
	Through a very informative presentation by delegates from Japan and a
paper from the US, the forum was able to deepen its understanding of the
latest developments in the US as well as Japanese imperialist designs to
dominate the region. 
	Indonesian participants exposed US military interventions in Indonesia,
especially before and after the upsurge of the pro-democracy movement. In
the Philippines, US troops are plotting to return through the Visiting
Forces Agreement (VFA) despite strong opposition from the people. This
follows 1991Õs rejection of US military bases in the Philippines which
ended 93 years of US military presence in that country.
	Since then, the US has been keen to re-establish its military presence in
the region, substituting the term "military bases" with "visiting forces".
Its intentions remain unchanged: the VFA is imperative to the United
States' "forward deployment" and "prepositioning" strategy that serves as
the military back-up to the imposition of "free market" globalisation in
the Asia-Pacific region. It is an opportunity for the US to re-establish
its military presence in the region, thereby threatening the peace,
security and sovereignty of the people of the Philippines and Asia-Pacific.
	

THE RAG RETURNS

After two issues as The RAGE, The RAG is back, minus the "E" but just as
empowered. The RAG was the original name for the APPA news bulletin and
remains so.
	If you wish to read more, feel free to drop your opinions, observations of
APPA so far, feedback, comments, jokes, gossip ... anything to make The RAG
bigger and brighter. If you want to help out, even better! We need
reporters, photographers, writers and proof reader.
	Forum documenters, take note: please get your forum reports in early, by
8pm of the same day for inclusion in the next day's issue of The RAG.
Remember, this is a daily news bulletin to keep everyone informed of what
has been going on. It is not an annual report. So please DO NOT send
minutes of your respective forums! The RAG is located at the Media Centre
(next to the Secretariat) at the Federal Hotel. 


CORPORATE WATCH SEEKS INFO

Transnational Resource & Action Center (TRAC), the US-based NGO working to
build global links for human rights, environmental justice, and democratic
control over corporations, is interested in receiving specific information
on corporate activity from APPA participants. Contact Amit Srivastava in
person (by phone 243 7000 - Room 1808), or e-mail (amit at igc.org), or you
can drop off materials at Capitol Hotel (Room 1808) until Nov 15.


GATHERING FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
In memory of those who died in the 1991 Dili Massacre, East Timor

On Nov 12, 1991, the Republic of Indonesia Armed Forces committed mass
murder of the people of East Timor who were peacefully demonstrating for
freedom from Indonesia. In the massacre, 271 people died, 382 were injured
and 250 simply disappeared. Among those who died on that day was a
Malaysian student named Kamal Bamadhaj who was then 21 years old.

and the launch of the campaign to free Xanana Gusmao

In the opinion of the people of East Timor, Xanana Gusmao is their true
leader. He was caught in 1992 after fighting in the jungles of East Timor
since Indonesia annexed the country in 1975. Xanana Gusmao is now
incarcerated at Penjara Cipinang, Jakarta, where he is undergoing a 20-year
jail sentence. GusmaoÕs release will enable a fair peace accord for East
Timor, and will bring the peace that the Timorese have long awaited.

7.30pm Thursday, November 12, 1998
In front of the Indonesian Embassy, Jalan Tun Razak

Anyone wishing to play acoustic musical instruments for the vigil can
contact 
Nadia at the APPA Secretariat, Tel : 2482464

Organised by Solidaritas Timor Timur Malaysia


ASIA-PACIFIC PEOPLE'S SOLIDARITY ASSEMBLY

The people's call to APEC leaders to:

Uphold human rights and justice
Reject globalisation and exploitation

We invite people from all walks of life to come together as a sign of
protest 
against tyranny.

11am, November 15, 1998
(in front of Suria KLCC)

Please wear a white ribbon as a symbol of justice.