Workers' struggles in East Asia (November 2011)

This month there has been news from Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. The main development to watch is the upsurge in strikes in China, which has been continuing for more than a month now. I have tried to be a bit stricter in which stories have made the summary this month, so it is a bit shorter but less fluff.

The most important stories:

Cambodia 29: Garment workers strike at big brand supplier (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 3: Ten transport strikes reported in the last month (link 1)
China 8: Surgery hit by Shanghai hospital worker strike (link 1) (link 2)
China 8: Construction workers begin to turn the tables on the boss (link 1)
China 13: South China villagers riot over land dispute: police (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
China 16: Workers at Pepsi bottling plants protest takeover (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
China 17: Police say man set himself on fire in Tiananmen (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
China 17: Villagers Protest Mine Subsidence (link 1)
China 18: Around 7000 workers in Dongguan stage mass protests over wage cuts and dismissals (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10)
China 22: Chinese villagers demand return of illegally seized land (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7)
China 22: China bra factory workers strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
China 25: Factory workers from Apple and IBM supplier block highway to protest labor ... (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13)
China 28: Villagers protest over illegal land sales (link 1)
China 29: Traders in clash over rent increases (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 29: Will China's PepsiCo Workers Halt a Proposed Merger? (link 1)
China 29: Upsurge of strikes in southern China (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 30: Striking Chinese workers blockade Tesco store (link 1)
Indonesia 4: Freeport miners, tribesmen defend road blockades (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Indonesia 7: Freeport Grasberg Workers Refuse 35% Wage-Rise Offer, Union Says (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Indonesia 8: Freeport workers threaten to extend strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7)
Indonesia 10: Workers at Indonesia's Telkomsel strike over benefits (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Indonesia 12: Donate to Freeport Papua strikers (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
Indonesia 15: Freeport workers extend strike to 3rd month (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
Indonesia 16: PT Newmont Employees Strike (link 1)
Indonesia 24: Indonesian police clash with workers in Batam (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Indonesia 30: Papua Freeport mine worker strike continues (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Philippines 10: Fil-Am groups call for boycott as PAL refuses to fly PALEA member and family (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
South Korea 3: S Koreans protest against trade deal with US (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11)
South Korea 10: Korean Sit-In atop Crane Defeats Job Cuts (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13)
South Korea 24: Strike Stops Hyundai i30 Production In Korea (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
Vietnam 29: Chinese supervisor should be sent home: labor union (link 1) (link 2)

All reports ordered by country and date:

Burma/Myanmar

5: Burma: New Political Prisoner Release 'Likely' (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
15: Monks stage rare protest in Myanmar's 2nd-largest city, demand release of ... (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10)
16: Activist arrested for filming protest (link 1)

Cambodia

11: Forest Residents Form Watch Committee Against Logging (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
11: Garment staff get pay, push for labour rights (link 1)
18: Cambodian land seizures protested (link 1)
18: Ex rail workers fear pay has left station (link 1)
21: Huge changes made to proposed union law - controverisial sections deleted (link 1)
28: Women Detained, Injured In Clash (link 1)
29: Four Charged Following Land Clash (link 1)
29: Angkor hoteliers dig heels in : Refuse to accept court order to reinstate 67 sacked union members (link 1)
29: Garment workers strike at big brand supplier (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)

China

3: Ten transport strikes reported in the last month (link 1)
7: Thousands Gather over Nun's Death (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
8: Three Peasants Self-Immolate (link 1)
8: Surgery hit by Shanghai hospital worker strike (link 1) (link 2)
8: Construction workers begin to turn the tables on the boss (link 1)
9: The status of collective bargaining in China (link 1)
9: Boss threat: More than 20,000 HK-owned factories in Guangdong will close if minimum wage rises (link 1)
11: China's Veterans Impoverished, Protests Suppressed (link 1)
11: Chinese activist isolated but remembered (link 1) (link 2)
11: Police Disperse Rally of 3000 Laid Off Bank Employees in Beijing (link 1)
13: South China villagers riot over land dispute: police (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
16: 81-year-old Chinese woman sets herself on fire in protest at officials ... (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
16: Exporting labour abuses - Chinese companies in Zambia (link 1)
16: A Soldier?s Divided Duty: Defending Home in China (link 1)
16: Workers at Pepsi bottling plants protest takeover (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
17: Police say man set himself on fire in Tiananmen (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
17: Villagers Protest Mine Subsidence (link 1)
18: Around 7000 workers in Dongguan stage mass protests over wage cuts and dismissals (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10)
22: Police Officer Mobbed by Chengguan in Henan (link 1)
22: Chinese villagers demand return of illegally seized land (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7)
22: China bra factory workers strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
24: China labour unrest flares as orders fall (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10)
24: Eviction Protesters Held in Sichuan (link 1)
25: Call For Activist's Release (link 1) (link 2)
25: Factory workers from Apple and IBM supplier block highway to protest labor ... (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13)
28: Villagers protest over illegal land sales (link 1)
29: Traders in clash over rent increases (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
29: Will China's PepsiCo Workers Halt a Proposed Merger? (link 1)
29: Upsurge of strikes in southern China (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
30: Striking Chinese workers blockade Tesco store (link 1)

Indonesia

2: Freeport strike: Union given one-day ultimatum (link 1)
4: Unions Worldwide Back Papua Strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7)
4: Freeport miners, tribesmen defend road blockades (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
7: Freeport Grasberg Workers Refuse 35% Wage-Rise Offer, Union Says (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
8: Freeport workers threaten to extend strike (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7)
10: Nike should pay more severance to laid-off Indonesian workers (link 1)
10: Nestl�© European Trade Unions Demand 'Stop Nespressure' in Indonesia and in Pakistan! (link 1)
10: Workers at Indonesia's Telkomsel strike over benefits (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
12: Donate to Freeport Papua strikers (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
13: Miners fight for a bigger slice of Freeport pie (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
14: Telkomsel employees to halt strike (link 1) (link 2)
15: Labour workers march for a minimum wage increase in 2012 (link 1) (link 2)
15: Freeport workers extend strike to 3rd month (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
16: PT Newmont Employees Strike (link 1)
17: NGO coalition to stage protest on ASEAN summit (link 1)
19: Jakarta says Freeport Papua resolution near Miners resume talk again today with Freeport-McMoran (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
22: City bows to workers' demands on wages (link 1)
24: Freeport employees to keep a close eye on proceedings in Jakarta (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
24: Indonesian police clash with workers in Batam (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
29: A silent protest in Pulau Padang (link 1)
29: Kabirwala union members vow to continue the struggle for employment, trade union rights (link 1)
30: Papua Freeport mine worker strike continues (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)

Japan

5: TPP debate boils down to clash between business, farm sectors (link 1)
10: Fukushima women against nuclear power (link 1)
18: Japanese unions raise ANZCO lockout with employers (link 1)

Malaysia

3: Festive air as workers picket new labour law (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
10: Malaysian aborigines angry over government policies (link 1)
14: Minimum wage: States urged to emulate Selangor (link 1)
14: NUBE objects to Hong Leong Bank's voluntary seperation scheme (link 1)
14: Defer ammendments to Employment Act or face ILO wrath (link 1)
23: Outrage over new Malaysian protest law (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
29: Hundreds march through Kuala Lumpur against protest ban (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
29: Protest Outside Shareholder Meeting: Lynas Out Of Malaysia (link 1) (link 2)
30: Perkasa, Mamak group bring traffic to a standstill (link 1)

North Korea

2: North Koreans Stranded Abroad Following Arab Revolts? (link 1) (link 2)

Philippines

3: APL condemns PAL for breaking protest camp (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
9: Cagayan groups protest inaction on mine abuses (link 1)
9: Farmers stage protest on disputed land in Porac, Pampanga (link 1)
10: The Plight of Precarious Workers in Korea and the Philippines (link 1)
10: Transport group wants suspended bus franchises restored (link 1)
10: Fil-Am groups call for boycott as PAL refuses to fly PALEA member and family (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
11: Soldiers' pension fund officials accused of union-busting (link 1)
14: Blacklisted PALEA member returns from US, rejoins protest (link 1) (link 2)
14: Trade unions to ensure migrant workers rights (link 1)
15: Confronting precarious work and building union strength in the health sector (link 1)
16: Black sand quarrying in Lingayen village draws protests (link 1)
16: Filipino maid gets 5 years of back pay - plus one year bonus (link 1)
17: Hillary Clinton convoy swarmed by protesters, hit with paint in Manila (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
17: PALEA joins Global Day of Action for Qantas workers (link 1)
18: Luisita workers reap seeds of decades-old struggle (link 1) (link 2)
18: Urban poor occupy NHA to put a stop to demolitions (link 1)
22: Groups denounce left and right price hikes, propose relief measures and solutions (link 1)
25: Unions step up pressure against PALEA aviation workers' dispute (link 1) (link 2)
29: Labor Unrest on the Rise (link 1)
30: Militant groups commemorate Bonifacio Day with mass protest (link 1)

Singapore

7: Singapore's Oil, Chemical Unions Blocking Pay Cuts after Age 62 (link 1)

South Korea

3: S Koreans protest against trade deal with US (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11)
6: Hyundai Motor labour union picks militant leader (link 1)
8: VIDEO:Migrant Worker Trade Union in Korea protests crackdown on Asian migrant workers (link 1)
10: Korean Sit-In atop Crane Defeats Job Cuts (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13)
16: Seoul-Incheon bus drivers agree to end strike (link 1)
17: Hyundai Motor's New Union Leader Demands End of Overnight Shift (link 1)
22: Tear Gas, Scuffles As SKorea Okays US Trade Deal (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9)
24: Strike Stops Hyundai i30 Production In Korea (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
25: South Koreans Protest US Trade Deal (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
29: Failed anti-FTA crackdown (link 1) (link 2)
30: Labor dispute could lead to US soldiers guarding the gates in South Korea (link 1)

Taiwan

2: Activists want science park project in Erlin stopped (link 1) (link 2)
7: Labor groups to wage 'autumn struggle' to release anger (link 1) (link 2)
7: Union questions CLA leave figures (link 1) (link 2)
9: Labor groups voice their opposition to flexitime system (link 1)
15: Student protest disrupts NTU ceremony (link 1)
16: Activists slam changes to expropriation act (link 1)
28: Activists protest nuclear waste (link 1)

Thailand

14: Unrest Grows Among Thailand Residents still Submerged in Flood Waters (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
14: Unrest Grows Among Thailand Residents still Submerged in Flood Waters (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
14: Unrest Grows Among Thailand Residents still Submerged in Flood Waters (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
18: Prisoners Riot: Four Inmates Die in Bangkok Floods Overcrowding (link 1)
20: Trial of Thai trade union activist starts Monday (link 1)
25: Bangkok locals protest at pace of drainage response after worst floods in 50 years (link 1)

Vietnam

29: Chinese supervisor should be sent home: labor union (link 1) (link 2)