Workers' struggles in East Asia (January 2012)

Thousands of Indonesian workers blocked roads in Jakarta over the minimum wage

Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia during January 2012 and related resources. The most important stories appear on my Twitter feed as soon as I find them: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews.

This month there has been news from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. If you haven't already, I recommend checking out bulmer's blog and also this libcom article on the strike wave in Indonesia.

The most important stories:

-WSWS Asia 7: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
-WSWS Asia 14: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
-WSWS Asia 21: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
-WSWS Asia 28: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
-WSWS Asia 28: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
Cambodia 4: Protest at Taiwan-owned garment factory ends. dispute goes on (link 1)
Cambodia 13: More than 400 striking garment workers to return to factory as key demand met (link 1)
Cambodia 16: 8,000 garment workers win after Kandal factory strike (link 1)
Cambodia 19: Workers strike after seven garment union leaders fired (link 1) (link 2)
Cambodia 26: Workers strike for disabled manager (link 1)
China 3: Shipyard Workers Strike (link 1)
China 3: Mining Subsidence Sparks Protests (link 1) (link 2)
China 6: Chengdu Steel Factory Workers Strike for More Pay (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
China 9: Fresh Strikes In 2012 (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 12: Toy Factory Protest in Dongguan (link 1)
China 16: Worker unrest returns to Foxconn factory in China (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12)
China 16: Workers block off roads (link 1)
China 17: Strike at auto plant reportedly halts management's restructuring plans (link 1)
China 17: Thousands of workers protest at Sanyo's China plant (link 1)
China 17: Strikes spreading in China (link 1) (link 2)
China 18: 8000 workers protest against cancellation of annual bonuses as strikes continue to spread across China (link 1)
China 18: China village rights in focus as new land grab sparks protest (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 28: Thousands Strike in China in First Month of 2012 (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 4: Some Freeport workers have returned to work, many still waiting (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Indonesia 6: Freeport workers threaten more strikes (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
Indonesia 11: Serang Workers Blockade Toll Road (link 1)
Indonesia 12: Nike contract factory agrees to pay workers for overtime production (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Indonesia 20: Batam battery company runs out of energy as workers strike (link 1)
Indonesia 27: Bekasi Wage Ruling Sparks Mass Worker Protests (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
South Korea 11: Hyundai plant ends strike caused by suicide bid (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
South Korea 30: MBC union going ahead with strike (link 1)
Taiwan 21: Kaohsiung airport staff threaten strike (link 1) (link 2)

All reports ordered by country and date:

-WSWS Asia

7: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
14: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
21: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
28: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
28: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)

Asia

6: ITF South East Asia week of action begins Monday (link 1)

Cambodia

4: Hundreds Tossed From Development Site (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
4: Protest at Taiwan-owned garment factory ends. dispute goes on (link 1)
7: Dismissed luxury hotel workers face 'cultural protection' police and political pressure (link 1)
13: Rights group urges Cambodia to release protesters detained over forced eviction (link 1)
13: More than 400 striking garment workers to return to factory as key demand met (link 1)
16: 8,000 garment workers win after Kandal factory strike (link 1)
18: 4 Cambodians shot in land protest (link 1)
19: Workers strike after seven garment union leaders fired (link 1) (link 2)
25: Evictees unite for anniversary (link 1)
26: Workers strike for disabled manager (link 1)

China

2: Villagers Slam Wukan Poll Plan (link 1)
3: Muslims clash with China police who destroyed mosque (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
3: Shipyard Workers Strike (link 1)
3: Mining Subsidence Sparks Protests (link 1) (link 2)
4: Beijing Rejects Death Claims (link 1)
6: Young office workers seek way out of legal quagmire by appealing online (link 1)
6: Chengdu Steel Factory Workers Strike for More Pay (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
9: Fresh Strikes In 2012 (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
10: Tibetan Villagers Clash With Police (link 1)
11: Quake Parents Protest in Sichuan (link 1)
12: Toy Factory Protest in Dongguan (link 1)
13: Villagers Detained in Land Clash (link 1)
16: New Chief For Wukan Village (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
16: Worker unrest returns to Foxconn factory in China (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12)
16: Workers block off roads (link 1)
17: Chinese village leader burns down gov't building in protest (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
17: Strike at auto plant reportedly halts management's restructuring plans (link 1)
17: Thousands of workers protest at Sanyo's China plant (link 1)
17: Strikes spreading in China (link 1) (link 2)
18: 8000 workers protest against cancellation of annual bonuses as strikes continue to spread across China (link 1)
18: China village rights in focus as new land grab sparks protest (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
21: Firemen in HK consider industrial action (link 1)
25: Market Demolition Sparks Violence (link 1)
26: Petitioners Thrown in 'Black Jails' (link 1)
27: The development of collective bargaining in China â?? two case studies (link 1)
28: Thousands Strike in China in First Month of 2012 (link 1) (link 2)
31: China's real rise â?? in Wukan's village election (link 1)

Indonesia

1: Sticking Point Prolongs Freeport Strike (link 1)
3: Indonesians Protest With Flip-Flops (link 1)
4: Some Freeport workers have returned to work, many still waiting (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
6: Freeport workers threaten more strikes (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
9: Two Freeport contractors killed near Papua mine (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
11: Serang Workers Blockade Toll Road (link 1)
12: Nike contract factory agrees to pay workers for overtime production (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
16: Two dead in clashes as disputes over land continue to claim toll (link 1)
20: Batam battery company runs out of energy as workers strike (link 1)
26: Riot Sets Fire on Indonesia Regent's Office (link 1) (link 2)
26: Cave In: Freeport-McMoRan Digs A Heap Of Trouble In Indonesia (link 1) (link 2)
27: Bekasi Wage Ruling Sparks Mass Worker Protests (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)

Japan

30: Air Nippon Pilot Union Threatens Strike on February 1st (link 1)

Malaysia

28: Fresh protests against Pahang rare earth plant (link 1)

Philippines

12: PALEA 300 seeks dismissal of new case by Philippine Airlines (link 1)
16: Threatened, charged with crimes, Luisita farm workers continue fight (link 1) (link 2)
20: Thousands join anti-SM rally in Baguio City (link 1)
31: The â??Workers Partyâ?? and the sell-out of Philippine Airlines workers (link 1)
31: Protests vs Subic coal plant continue (link 1)

South Korea

11: Hyundai plant ends strike caused by suicide bid (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
19: Shin Sung-Hun, Worker At South Korean Hyundai Plant, Protests Conditions By ... (link 1)
21: Migrant labor organizer bids bittersweet farewell to Korea (link 1)
30: MBC union going ahead with strike (link 1)