Workers' struggles in East Asia (September 2012)

This month there has been news from Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

I have avoided reports on the widespread anti-Japanese protests in China over the Diaoyu/Senkaku island dispute - these are entirely nationalistic and therefore obviously have no benefit for the working class, though if you're interested they have been widely reported. For the most part these have been tolerated, allowed and encouraged by authorities, and there are accounts of attempts by some to use the space to voice other concerns (over land disputes, corruption and wages) being suppressed.

The most important stories:

Cambodia 7: Strike over tax deductions from salary at Top Form garment factory in Phnom Penh (link 1)
Cambodia 7: Strike over long-service bonuses at Horus Industrial Corp garment factory in Phnom Penh (link 1)
Cambodia 10: Strike over sexual harassment at Ocean Garment in Phnom Penh successful (link 1)
Cambodia 13: Strike over unpaid wages at Sein-Atree, in Samrong Torng, Kampong Speu province (link 1)
Cambodia 14: Strike over working conditions at handicraft workshop Artisans d'Angkor in Siem Ream (link 1)
China 4: Strike by cleaners in Guiyang, Guizhou Province (link 1)
China 6: Strike by security guards over overtime pay in Shanghai (link 1)
China 6: Strike by intercity bus drivers in Jiaozuo, Henan (link 1)
China 10: Strike by cleaners at Beijing South Railway Station over wages, Beijing (link 1)
China 11: Strike over wages and benefits at leather factory in Dongguan, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 11: Strike at Yan Bao Auto Services Limited in Beijing (link 1)
China 12: Strike over wages by kindergarten teachers in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 13: Strike over wages at Aerospace Instruments in Zunyi, Guizhou Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 14: Strike over wages at metals factory in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 20: Strike over severance pay and relocation at Flextronics factory in Shanghai (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
China 23: Strike over wages at electronics factory in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 25: Strike over wage cut at Zhejiang Sunflower Light Energy in Zhejiang Province (link 1)
China 25: Protest against security guard abuse at Foxconn electronics factory in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province (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) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21) (link 22) (link 23) (link 24) (link 25) (link 26) (link 27) (link 28) (link 29) (link 30) (link 31) (link 32) (link 33) (link 34) (link 35) (link 36) (link 37) (link 38) (link 39) (link 40) (link 41) (link 42)
China 25: Strike by bus drivers and conductors at Xialan Bus company in Zhangshan, Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 26: Strike by taxi drivers against illegal taxis in Ning'er, Yunnan Province (link 1)
China 27: China Labour Bulletin's strike map (link 1)
Indonesia 5: Protest for temporary workers to become permanent at PT Japan Solderless Terminal (JST) in Cibitung, Bekasi (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 7: Strike over wages and benefits at PT Toyo Kanetsu in Batam, Riau Islands (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 12: Strike against outsourcing at PT Langgeng Makmur in Sidarjo (link 1)
Malaysia 22: Strike over deductions for food and accommodation and working conditions by migrant workers at Maxter Glove Manufacturing Company in Perak, Kelang Neru (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
Papua New Guinea 20: Strike by taxi and bus drivers over licenses and harassment by authorities in Port Moresby (link 1) (link 2)
Philippines 15: Strike success over redundancies by PUP janitors in Manila (link 1)

All reports ordered by country and date:

-WSWS Asia

1: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
8: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
15: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
22: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)
29: Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific (link 1)

Burma/Myanmar

5: Protest against copper mine in Saigaing division (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) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16)
7: Protest over wages by garment workers in Yangon (link 1)
17: Protest against eviction plan in Yangon (link 1)
21: Protest against civil war in Rangoon (link 1) (link 2)
27: Protest over fishing right in Pathein District (link 1) (link 2)

Cambodia

7: Strike over tax deductions from salary at Top Form garment factory in Phnom Penh (link 1)
7: Strike over long-service bonuses at Horus Industrial Corp garment factory in Phnom Penh (link 1)
10: Strike over sexual harassment at Ocean Garment in Phnom Penh successful (link 1)
11: Protest against trial of land rights activist in Phnom Penh (link 1) (link 2)
13: Strike over unpaid wages at Sein-Atree, in Samrong Torng, Kampong Speu province (link 1)
14: Strike over working conditions at handicraft workshop Artisans d'Angkor in Siem Ream (link 1)
19: Cambodia's women beer sellers: Harnessing solidarity to end discrimination (link 1)

China

1: Hunger strike by students against patriotism classes in Hong Kong (link 1)
3: Strike by taxi drivers over illegal taxis in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province (link 1) (link 2)
3: Protest with explosives over compensation for injury in Rongcheng, Shandong Province (link 1)
4: Strike over wages by teachers at middle school in Guiyang, Guizhou Province (link 1)
4: Protest over pay by migrant workers in Anyang, Henan Province (link 1)
4: Strike by cleaners in Guiyang, Guizhou Province (link 1)
5: Protest against quarry in Shanxi Province (link 1)
6: Strike by taxi drivers over tariffs in Tongxiang, Zhejiang (link 1)
6: Strike by cleaners in Nanchang, Jiangxi (link 1)
6: Strike by security guards over overtime pay in Shanghai (link 1)
6: Strike by intercity bus drivers in Jiaozuo, Henan (link 1)
7: Protest by students against gender discrimination at universities in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (link 1)
7: Protest against home demolition near Wuhan, Hubei Province (link 1)
7: Protest against violence from urban management authority in Nanning, Guangxi Province (link 1)
9: Protest over unpaid wages in Zhongmu County, Henan Province (link 1)
10: Protest against seizure of farmland in Dingxi, Gansu Province (link 1)
10: Strike by cleaners at Beijing South Railway Station over wages, Beijing (link 1)
11: Occupy Hong Kong Protesters Forcibly Removed (link 1)
11: Protest over back pay by teachers in Shandong Province (link 1)
11: Strike at new headquarters in Shanghai (link 1)
11: Strike over wages and benefits at leather factory in Dongguan, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
11: Strike at Yan Bao Auto Services Limited in Beijing (link 1)
12: Protest against capitalism in Hong Kong (link 1)
12: Strike by taxi drivers in Jieyang, Guangdong (link 1)
12: Strike over wages by kindergarten teachers in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province (link 1)
13: Protest against police brutality in Nanping, Fujian Province (link 1)
13: Strike over wages at Aerospace Instruments in Zunyi, Guizhou Province (link 1) (link 2)
14: Strike by bus drivers at Haikou South Station in Haikou, Hainan Province (link 1)
14: Strike over wages by teachers in Dalingshan, Guangdong Province (link 1)
14: Strike over wages at metals factory in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
17: Strike over severance pay at Suntech solar panel factory (link 1)
18: Strike at Fuji Xerox factory in Shenzhen (link 1) (link 2)
19: Protest against corruption in Jining, Shandong Province (link 1)
20: Strike over severance pay and relocation at Flextronics factory in Shanghai (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
21: Protest over lack of land rights progress after elections in Wukan, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
23: Protest against corruption in Dongfang, Hainan Province (link 1)
23: Strike over wages at electronics factory in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
25: Strike by staff in apartment block over wages in Jinan, Shandong Province (link 1)
25: Strike over wage cut at Zhejiang Sunflower Light Energy in Zhejiang Province (link 1)
25: Protest against security guard abuse at Foxconn electronics factory in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province (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) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21) (link 22) (link 23) (link 24) (link 25) (link 26) (link 27) (link 28) (link 29) (link 30) (link 31) (link 32) (link 33) (link 34) (link 35) (link 36) (link 37) (link 38) (link 39) (link 40) (link 41) (link 42)
25: Strike by bus drivers and conductors at Xialan Bus company in Zhangshan, Guangdong Province (link 1)
26: Protest against land seizures in Wangjiang County, Anhui Province (link 1)
26: Protest against land seizure in Lishan County, Hubei Province (link 1)
26: Strike over wages and working conditions in Dongguan, Guangdong Province (link 1)
26: Strike by taxi drivers against illegal taxis in Ning'er, Yunnan Province (link 1)
27: China Labour Bulletin's strike map (link 1)
28: Strike over corruption at distillery in Sichuan Province (link 1)
30: Protest by migrant workers over unpaid wages in Guangdong Province (link 1)

Indonesia

3: Protest by truck drivers over fuel subsidy in Bengkulu, Sumatatra (link 1)
4: Protest against forced evictions by army in Surabaya (link 1)
5: Protest against construction of cement factory in Pati, Central Java (link 1)
5: Protest for temporary workers to become permanent at PT Japan Solderless Terminal (JST) in Cibitung, Bekasi (link 1) (link 2)
7: Strike over wages and benefits at PT Toyo Kanetsu in Batam, Riau Islands (link 1) (link 2)
12: Strike over wages at PT Sanyo Energi Batam in Batam (link 1)
12: Strike against outsourcing at PT Langgeng Makmur in Sidarjo (link 1)
14: Hightide for the Indonesian workers movement (link 1)
14: Protest over right to organise at PT Audio Sumitomo Techno Indonesia (PT ASTI) in Semarang, Central Java (link 1)
24: Protest against outsourcing at PT Pertamina in Indramayu (link 1)
24: Protest against use of security personnel in land conflicts in Medan and Bandar Lampung in Sumatra (link 1)
27: Protest against outsourcing at PT Frisian Flag Indonesia milk factory in East Jakarta (link 1)
30: Protest for implementation of social security law in Jakarta (link 1)

Japan

1: Protests against layoffs by major electronics firms (link 1)
9: Protest against deployment of new US military aircraft in Okinawa (link 1)
30: Protest against deployment of Osprey aircraft at US military base in Okinawa (link 1) (link 2)

Laos

21: Protest against demolition of market in Vientiane (link 1)

Malaysia

22: Strike over deductions for food and accommodation and working conditions by migrant workers at Maxter Glove Manufacturing Company in Perak, Kelang Neru (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
28: Protest against dam project in Sarawak (link 1)
30: Protest against petroleum hub in Pengerang, Johor (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)

Papua New Guinea

20: Strike by taxi and bus drivers over licenses and harassment by authorities in Port Moresby (link 1) (link 2)

Philippines

11: Protest against new wage system in Manila (link 1)
15: Strike success over redundancies by PUP janitors in Manila (link 1)
19: Protest against evictions of squatters in Manila (link 1)
20: Policemen detain a resident during a protest in a squatter area in Taguig ... (link 1)
22: Strike over union recognition at Holy Child Hospital in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental (link 1)
24: Protest against home demolition in Makati and solidarity protest in Quezon City (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)

South Korea

4: Hyundai and Union Reach Labor Deal, End Strikes (link 1)
10: Protest against naval base on Jeju Island (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
14: Kia Motors Union Approves Wage Pact (link 1)

Taiwan

15: Protest over housing in Taipei (link 1)
16: Protest for right to assembly by migrant workers at main train station in Taipei (link 1)

Thailand

8: Protest against construction of port in Pak Bara (link 1)

Vietnam

21: Protest against land seizure in Binh Minh District, Vinh Long Province (link 1)