Saturday, February 2, 2013

Union expects no less than R100

union-expects-no-less-than-r100
Cape Town - The Food and Allied Workers Union (Fawu) expects the new minimum wage for farm workers to be no less than R100 a day, the union said on Saturday.
“As now expected, the new minimum will in all likelihood be R105 a day wages, far below the clarion call of R150 a day but significantly above the ridiculous low levels of R69 a day,” Fawu general secretary Katishi Masemola said in a statement.
Fawu said it maintained that the minimum wage be increased again to R150 at a later stage.
“We call on government, farm owners, retail outlets, exporters and importers to join together with unions and ensure that in the near future the minimum wage of R150 can be paid on all farms,” said Masemola.
“As a meaningful step towards obtaining this we call upon (Labour) Minister Mildred Oliphant, in her announcement on Monday to raise the minimum wage by over 50 percent to no less than R105 per day.”
Masemola said the union would also focus on further demands for its workers.
Fawu was also calling for the home affairs department to provide a special dispensation document for workers in the Western Cape farms.
“We also want foreign nationals working in the agricultural sector in general to be assisted with documentation and the practice of deporting striking workers to stop.”
Workers embarked on strike action last year, demanding the minimum wage be increased to R150 from R69. They were also demanding a cohesive land reform programme be implemented.
The strike was suspended in December but resumed in January. - Sapa

Labor Union to Ease Walmart Picketing


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/01/business/labor-union-agrees-to-stop-picketing-walmart.html

 The nation’s largest union of retail and grocery workers has formally pledged not to try to unionize Walmart workers, even though it helped coordinate picketing, protests and scattered strikes about wages and working conditions at the retailer last fall.


The union, the United Food and Commercial Workers, made the pledge this week to avert likely charges from regulators that it engaged in weeks of illegal picketing at Walmart stores last fall.
The National Labor Relations Board said Thursday that it would hold in abeyance any charges against the union and its affiliate, OUR Walmart, for six months to make sure they fulfilled their commitments.
Wal-Mart Stores had asked the labor board to determine if the union and OUR Walmart had violated a provision of federal law that prohibits worker groups from engaging in more than 30 days of picketing that is aimed at gaining union recognition.

United States Spokesperson on Somyot Prueksakasemsuk

United States Spokesperson on Somyot Prueksakasemsuk
You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxyhx2Qp_Lk

MTUC kecam paksa pekerja asing bayar levi

MTUC kecam paksa pekerja asing bayar levi - Nasional - Sinar Harian

 SHAH ALAM – Sambil menyifatkan sebagai satu tindakan tidak adil, Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC) mahu mengadu di Pertubuhan Buruh Antarabangsa (ILO) keputusan kerajaan yang mengarah agar levi pekerja asing ditanggung sepenuhnya oleh pekerja-pekerja terbabit, bukan lagi majikan.

Setiausaha Agung Kongres Kesatuan Sekerja Malaysia (MTUC), Abdul Halim Mansor berkata, pada 2009, kerajaan sengaja mengenakan beban pembayaran levi ke atas majikan sebagai langkah untuk mengurangkan pergantungan kepada pekerja asing.

“Dalam banyak tempat kerja hari ini, sebanyak 75 peratus tenaga kerja kini terdiri