ASIA PACIFIC NEWS

Public Services International is a global union federation representing

20 million members in 150 countries. Asia Pacific News is published
and electronically distributed by Public Services International Asia
Pacific Regional Organisation (PSI APRO). Please send comments and
contributions to: indah.budiarti@world-psi.org

Public Services International

Edition: January/2015

PSI joins Global Day of Action for the Right to

Strike on 18 February 2015
The conflict on the right to strike and the crisis of the ILOs supervisory
mechanism persists. PSI is calling on all affiliates to join in the Global Day
of Action, in cooperation with the ITUC and other global unions to defend
and promote the right to strike.
All too often, the right to strike is denied to public sector workers, due to
broad definitions of essential services and limitations to collective
bargaining or the right to organize, while some governments commit
outright violations of human and fundamental workers rights.
Unions around the world have made use of the supervisory mechanisms of the ILO to fight such
violations, protect workers and build a stronger union movement. In March 2015, the ILO Governing
Body has to take a decision on the resolution of this conflict that has had a chilling effect on the ILO
supervisory mechanism since 2012. If no agreement can be reached, PSI supports the referral to the
International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the matter, as foreseen in the ILO
Constitution.
This conflict cannot stay within the walls of the International Labour Organization and concerns all
workers. Without the right to strike, trade unions and workers have no means to fight for their rights.
One hundred years after the beginning of the First World War, our world is again up in flames with
regional and national conflicts that threaten world peace. In the aftermath of the First World War,
the ILO was created to ensure social justice would prevail and its mission is as relevant as ever. There
is also a direct link between the conflict at the ILO and the ongoing free trade negotiations that give
preference to the interests of multinational companies. Labour clauses that refer to ILO standards are
no guarantee for the respect of workers' rights if the ILO's authority continues to be undermined.
Austerity policies and structural adjustment programmes also aim to destroy collective bargaining
mechanisms and agreements. The crisis of the ILO must be seen in this context.
At the ITUC's General Council, a resolution was adopted that calls for a Global Day of Action on 18th
February. PSI calls on its affiliates to participate in the Global Day of Action, in cooperation with
the ITUC and other global unions to defend and promote the right to strike. For more information,
please visit PSIs website: click here
Page 1

AP NEWS
Page 1

South Korean workers fight for the right to retire

in dignity
Over
Over 120,000
120,000 South
South Korean
Korean workers
workers took
took to
to the
the
streets
of
Seoul
on
1
November
2014
in
a
mass
streets of Seoul, on November 1, 2014 in a mass
rally
rally against
against the
the government's
government's plan
plan to
to reform
reform
pension
pension schemes.
schemes. Under
Under the
the pretext
pretext of
of reducing
reducing its
its
pension
deficit
and
without
proper
consultation
pension deficit, and without proper consultation
with
with the
the unions,
unions, the
the government
government has
has proposed
proposed a
a
draft
bill
that
will
increase
workers'
contributions
draft bill that will increase workers' contributes but
but
cut pensions
benefits
2016.
will will
cut pensions
and and
benefits
fromfrom
2016.
South
South
Korean
president
Park
Geun-hye
Korean president Park Geun-hye, who ishas
well
claimed
that
such
sacrifices
are necessary
known for
her
anti-union
statements,
has for
claimed
future
generations
and
for
the
country.
that such sacrifices are necessary for future
generations and for the country."
The rally in Seoul was held at the end of the PSI Asia-Pacific forum on trade union rights (see article
below). For more information, please click here

Asia Pacific Regional Forum on Trade Union

Rights: Action Now
PSI organized an Asia Pacific regional forum on
Trade Union Rights: Action Now in Seoul, South
Korea on 30-31 October 2014. Sixty-five
participants represented PSI affiliates from
Australia, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia,
Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines,
South Korea and Sri Lanka.
The region noted with grave concern the South
Korean governments severe attack on public
services and fundamental rights in the public sector
unions.
V. Lakshmi, Asia Pacific Regional Secretary, said, It is a very crucial moment to have this discussion
focusing on trade union rights as challenges are growing and multi-dimensional attacks on workers
rights are increasing, whether it comes from precarious work, privatisation, multinational
corporations or development banks. There is growing dissatisfaction and inequality due to the gap
between the rich and the poor which may cause damage to the social fabric and peace of the world. As
trade unions we have an important role to play and also have a great responsibility to protect our
members from exploitation and victimisation. At the end of the forum, participants decided the
priority actions for the trade union rights campaign and the Korean affiliates submitted their
proposal for trade union rights work in the region.

Page 2

AP NEWS

Campaign against water privatization in Nagpur,

India
Residents of Nagpur, in the State of Maharashtra in India
have seen their water costs increase threefold as a result of
privatization. The latest development is a World Bank
approved public-private partnership between the French
multinational Veolia and an Indian subsidiary. Nagpur
Municipal Corporations Employees Union has organized
a 10-day campaign to stand against water privatization.
In this video, union president Bro. Jammu Anand presents the unions position and calls on unionists
and residents to support the campaign. He invites social organisations, civil society and trade unions
to save water and stop water privatisation. Watch the video, click here

Creating safe workplaces and a safe society

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and
Committees for the Sewol Ferry Tragedy organized an
international symposium on 1-3 December 2014 in Seoul,
South Korea. Participants discussed the Sewol ferry
tragedy of 16 April 2014 in which 304 people died.
Hiroo Aoba, PSI East Asia Sub-regional secretary,
presented the PSI Research Units report "Impact of
liberalisation on public safety in the transport, water and
health care sectors." The symposium concluded that the
Sewol ferry tragedy resulted from a series of factors
including the deregulation of safety management,
outsourcing of safety related work, and inadequate reaction from management to previous safety
incidents. For more details please contact: hiroo.aoba@world-psi.org or click here for the news in
Korean and here in English.

How ASEAN economic integration can benefit all

ASEAN Economic Integration is planned to be accomplished by
end December 2015. This video by the ASEAN Services
Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC) and FriedrichEbert-Stiftung (FES) explains the negative effects such as
outsourcing, sub-contracting and short-term jobs that
Integration could have on workers, but also presents alternative
solutions.
By organising now, trade unions can negotiate with governments and employers for better working
conditions, resulting in decent jobs, a living wage and fair social security programmes. By
responding to workers needs, economic growth in ASEAN countries will offer benefits to all, leading
to a truly people-oriented ASEAN Community. Watch the video, click here (English) and here
(Bahasa Indonesia)
Page 3

AP NEWS

The eve of de-privatization of water services in

Jakarta

Jakarta isAcurrently
video created
striving
by ASEAN
to join many
Services
cities
Employees
around the
world andTrade
remunicipalising
Union Council
its(ASETUC)
water. Public
andServices
FriedrichInternational
Ebert-Stiftung
(PSI), Transnational
(FES) ASEAN
Institute
Economic
(TNI), Amrta
Institute Integration
for Water Literacy
that (Indonesia)
Benefits All.
and Jakarta Water
Trade Union (SP-PDAM Jakarta) have published a series
of four fact-sheets
This videothat
clipoutline
discusses
howthe
and
implication
why waterof the
privatisation
ASEAN
failed
Economic
and the potential
Integration
forfor
a renewed
workers in the
effective public
region,service.
while also advocating for solutions to
prevent potential negative impacts for workers.
The privatization of Jakartas water services started in 1998. However, more than 15 years later,
Jakarta's water services are still far from satisfactory. Civil society groups and the water trade unions
have always strongly opposed the privatization. The Central Jakarta District Court is soon expected
to reach a decision on the lawsuit to challenge the legality of Jakarta water privatization filed by the
Coalition of Jakarta Residents Opposing Water Privatization (KMMSAJ). Read the article in the
Jakarta Post. PSI is closely following the case. For more info, click here.

Arrest of Hong Kong Union leaders imminent

The
The ITUC
ITUC has
has been
been informed
informed that
that top
top officials
officials
of
of the
the Hong
Hong Kong
Kong trade
trade union
union movement
movement are
are
facing
imminent
arrest
for
their
support
for
facing imminent arrest for their support for
the
the Umbrella
Umbrella movement.
movement. The
The names
names of
of
HKCTU
officials
Lee
Cheuk-yan
(General
HKCTU officials Lee Cheuk-yan (General Secretary)
Secretary)
and
and Mung
Mung Siu-tat
Siu-tat (Executive
(Executive Director)
Director) are
are included
included
on
on a
a list
list of
of persons
persons who
who are
are to
to be
be summoned
summoned to
to
police
stations
where
they
will
be
arrested.
police stations where they will be arrested.
Police Commissioner Andy Tsang recently announced that the police would arrest the key
organisers of the Umbrella Movement within three months. Several other members of the HKCTU
were arrested during the clearance of the peaceful assembly in the Admiralty area of Hong Kong.
The ITUC calls on the Hong Kong authorities to refrain from this or any further repression of
freedom of speech and assembly, and is requesting both the ILO and the UN Special Rapporteur on
freedom of peaceful assembly and association, Maina Kiai, to intervene with the authorities in
support. For more information, please click here

Public Services International Asia Pacific Regional Organisation (PSI APRO)

Regional Secretary: Ms. V. Lakshmi

Wisma AUPE, 295 Upper Paya Lebar Road Singapore 534929 |Tel: +65.6282.3219 Fax +65.6280.4919 | E-mail:
lakshmi.vaidhiyanathan@world-psi.org

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