wildcat strikes

The workplace struggles that took place in 1987 occurred within the wider background of political reform. For thirty years South Korea had been ruled by a military dictatorship, and growing calls for democracy had echoed across the peninsula through the 1970s and early 80s.

Wednesday 13 Aug - Dhaka; over 5,000 workers at Reedisha Knitex factory staged a demonstration inside during their lunch break at 1pm; they demanded a pay rise to compensate for the rampant inflation of food and other essentials such as rent and transportation. Their demands being ignored by management, they set about ransacking the factory.

Staff were protesting against the attack on two Unison shop stewards, Sheila Amaneer and Mark Tindley, suspended due to allegations of "intimidation" on the picket line during last month's strike.

Nearly all staff in the Benefits and Local Taxation office struck, and were due to meet today to vote on further official action.

Savar, Dhaka area; thousands of garment workers came out on strike over the weekend in a new outbreak of unrest. On Friday 8th Aug two workers on the overnight 'graveyard' shift at Biswas Synthetics Limited were caught sleeping by 'ansar men', who then assaulted them.

Sixteen staff were laid off from the Langage power station construction site near Plymouth, and picketed the site on Thursday morning, bringing 350 workers out in support by shift start.

There are about 200,000 workers from Bangladesh in the Gulf countries, mostly employed in cleaning services, security guards or construction. Every year thousands of poor Bangladeshis pay a labour recruiting agent (dalal) to arrange temporary jobs in Kuwait and other wealthy countries.

The workers of Hwa Seung Vina in southern Dong Nai province stopped work Saturday, asking company leaders to raise their incomes by at least 300,000 dong (18 dollars), said Tuoi Tre daily newspaper.

The management of the company, which produces shoes for export, offered to raise workers' salary by 200,000 dong (12 dollars) but the compromise did not work, the paper said.

The workers earn around BD200 per month, and were striking for a minimum 40% increase. Workers had originally demanded a rate of BD380, but during long negotiations be their union and employer, the demand has been reduced several times.

The workers stopped working at midnight Thursday, calling for increased wages in keeping with the current prices of essentials and cost of living.

The strike, which took place in the Song Than II Industrial Zone in the southern province of Binh Duong, asked the company's management to raise basic salaries by 15 per cent, and provide workers with accommodation and transportation costs. It was reported that the workers' current salaries are too low to cope with the country’s high inflation.