Egypt
The Center for Trade Unions and Workers Services (CTUWS) recently released their fifth report analyzing the impact of the economic crisis on Egyptian workers. The report monitors ongoing layoffs and ways the crisis is spreading to new sectors at the expense of workers. There is also a table in the report that shows all of the recent major layoffs and how workers have responded including organizing protests and sit-ins.
South Korea
The New York Times published an excellent article about how companies in South Korea use contract labor to reduce labor costs and how temporary workers are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis. The acceleration of these kinds of employment schemes are a huge problem for workers around the world and you can find out more about how contract labor affects worker rights on ILRF's website. Several weeks ago, we also discussed the protest of Ssanyong Motors workers in South Korea on this blog.
Asia
The Public Services International (PSI) blog on the Financial Crisis has a great post about how the economic crisis is especially hurting young workers in Asia (and around the world). The post reports that child labor is increasing and that young workers of legal age are often the least protected in the workplace and are often unaware of their rights. The post goes on to talk about the role of unions in protecting young workers. PSI also put out this statement on August 12, International Youth Day, focusing on how to protect the rights of young workers.
Global
The International Transport Workers' Federation has a new article by General Secretary David Cockcroft discussing how the economic crisis is impacting the transportation sector and how affiliates are fighting back. The ITF also set up this webpage calling for reports on how the crisis is affecting transport workers.
The International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF) has a new report examining how the global economic crisis "threatens to greatly intensify and accelerate previously existing restructuring pressures" in the automotive and metalworking industries. The IMF is also gearing up for a global week of action from October 3 through 10 calling for permanent jobs and decent work instead of precarious employment in light of the economic crisis.
Comments
re: Workers Responding to Crisis #4: Updates from Cameroon, Egyp
Jobs are created at a local level, and a national policy like this can never take account of local factors. Furthermore, politicians, at any level, cannot be expected to have the expertise necessary to pull a country out of the economic crisis. Maybe, they should turn to professional economic crisis specialists, as already happens in the US. For example, the Orlando Bisegna Index, specialists in the economic crisis, apart from measuring the intensity of the econonomic crisis in many countries, have helped various counties with debt problems, business failures and unemployment, thus improving the economic condition of many families.