Thursday, September 18, 2014
Solidarity action in Sydney on September 17. Photo by Peter Boyle.
Activists demonstrated outside global big brand fashion outlets in the centre of Sydney's central shopping district on September 17 to demand that these companies pay the workers who make their products (in countries like Cambodia) living wages and respect their right to organise.
Other solidarity actions in Australia were held in Canberra and Melbourne.
These actions were part of a global solidarity campaign held on the same days as some 50,000 Cambodian garment workers from about 100 factories participated in gatherings, banner and sticker actions to demand a rise in their minimum wage from US$100 to US$177 per month.
Two union organisers were briefly detained in the capital Phnom Penh and there was a strong military presence on the streets outside the major industrial parks in the city. In January, a strike by garment worker was brutally repressed by the military. At least four workers were killed and many were arrested.
Below: Photos of the garment workers' action in Phnom Penh on September 17 provided courtesy of the Community Legal Education Centre. More photos of the Sydney solidarity action can be seen here and here.
From GLW issue 1025
5 comments:
I'm Vietnamese. I totally support your people in this cause. I only have a problem w/politician who used the people & left them with empty promises.
If those factories starve you folks, then quit. Go do something else.
It is very hard to do business in Cambodia. You have to spend extra on protection money to protect against the unreasonable and violent workers. Thus, you cannot afford to pay these workers more. This in turn, causes the workers to become more violent.
In Vietnam, it's different. The workers are smart. They figured out how to live with little pay. They don't fight. So, you don't need to spend money for protection. And you can pay them 20 percent more than the Khmer workers. This in turn cause the Vietnamese workers to be happier. Then the Vietnamese workers work harder and learn new skills. When I have tough orders, Vietnamese will figure out how to get it done efficiently for me. Vietnamese workers are much smarter.
-Drgunzet-
If you look at the pictures, the Khmers in the pictures don't look starved. Some women are a bit chubby. I also looked at their clothes and shoes. They are not that poor.
They should learn from me on how to save money. Cut some car spent-tires then strap under the feet as shoes. And if they want to be consider poor, wear clothes with patches and wrong sizes. I used to wear old clothes passed down from my older brother. I used to patch my own clothes when they were torn.
I am an expert on how to be poor and these Khmer are fake poors. They just mismanage their own money and demand more pay.
Best of all, if you want to remember how it was to be starved and poor, just remember the time you live under Khmer Rouges.
-Drgunzet-
When I was poor, my mean of transportation was bicycle. I would walk, if I can save the money from paying bus fare.
Look at the Khmer in the picture. Some of them were riding motorcycles. You want more pay to buy gasoline and motorcycles don't you? You don't you ride the bicycles to save money?
-Drgunzet-
I'll use my high-tech CAM to spot and catch Drgunzet in one fucking day
I'll be there at your fucking front door
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