casualisation

Female precarious workers for the Korean firm Kiryung electronics today enter their 1,100th day of action in demand of direct employment.

What began as a hunger strike launched on June 28 has grown to a full-scale strike as thousands of workers at Iran Khodro, the country's largest auto manufacturer, walked off the job to win wage and conditions improvements.

Workers' demands include:
1) Prohibited entry of security guards to workstations;
2) An end to mandatory over-time;
3) Increases in productivity benefits;

The strike ballot saw 1,673 members vote for action with 333 voting against. The ballot result opens the way for joint action with fellow Tube union TSSA, whose own members voted for action earlier this month. The unions are opposing management attacks on safety standards and the casualisation of safety-critical work (details in notes below).

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) officials led KTX women workers to believe that although they were initially hired under short-term contracts via an external company, they would be granted permanent status as direct employees of KORAIL after one year. However, the KTX Crew Workers Branch Union’s demands for direct and permanent employment have yet to be met.

The wildcat strike brought permanent and casual staff together, as bosses plan to cut temps' pay by 20%.

Wigan Today reported that almost the entire workforce of one of the borough's largest employers downed tools for 24 hours – against union advice – after a show of hands at two mass meetings.

Some 300-400 workers at the site, currently building a hydro-electric power station, went on strike last Friday in protest at the massive wage arrears. Some 200 hired thugs then attacked the workers. Lei Mingzhong, is reported to be in a coma and brain dead and acccording to doctors has no chance of recovery. Many other workers were injured in the clashes.

thelocal.se reported:

Counter staff, sorting workers and delivery workers at the Le Louvre post office all took part in a one-day strike on April 11.

The counter staff are demanding the withdrawal of a new plan which threatens to slash the 100-strong workforce by 30%. In addition they are demanding that there be no changes to work schedules.

According to one of the representatives of workers, Ranjbarian, the strike was spontaneous. Workers are sacked by the employer despite previous protests as well as meetings in the governor's office to create employment opportunities for laid off employees.

The struggle against the CPE has mobilised youth in the education system, starting in higher education and then followed by the high schools, with the principal objective of forcing the withdrawal of Article 8 of the 'Equal Opportunities Law'. This article introduced a new punitive employment contract reserved for young workers. The objective of the struggle has been fully achieved.