22 January 2018

22 January 2018

ECONOMIC UPDATE: 26 January 2018


ALGERIA

Government attacks union...
The government of Algeria has further escalated its attacks on the independent energy union SNATEGS, which organizers workers at the state energy company SONELGAZ. SNATEGS is affiliated to the IUF through its catering workers.
In May 2017, the union had its legal status revoked and the Labour Ministry made the fabricated claim in December that the union had formally voted to dissolve itself. Hundreds of union members, delegates and officers have been dismissed, harassed and persecuted on bogus legal charges for exercising their fundamental rights. Union President Raouf Mellal was sentenced to 6 months in prison for exposing a long history of SONELGAZ fraudulently overcharging Algerians for their utility bills.
Now the government is inventing new charges to persecute Mellal and cripple the union. On November 28 the union president was sentenced in absentia to two months in prison and fined EUR 5,000 for allegedly defaming SONELGAZ. The court hearing will take place on January 30.
RaoufMellalMellal has learned that he was sentenced in absentia in January last year to 6 months in prison and a fine of EUR 2,000 in a suit brought by the director of a security agency following a complaint of sexual harassment by a women worker who was fired as a consequence. Mellal was sued for defamation after expressing his solidarity with the victim. Expressing solidarity with a victim of sexual harassment now risks imprisonment in Algeria…
And on January 17 2018 he was sentenced to 3 months' imprisonment and fined EUR 3,000 in yet another 'defamation' lawsuit brought by SONELGAZ. As a consequence of these absurd and arbitrary judicial decisions Raouf Mellal has been forbidden to leave the country.


AUSTRALIA  

RAIL STRIKE SIGNIFICANTLY DISRUPTS TRANSPORTATION IN SYDNEY
On 25 January 2018, employees of the New South Wales (NSW) rail network began a strike action that reduced train services to 55 percent of capacity, significantly affecting morning commuters. According to local reports, trains in Sydney were filled to capacity during morning rush hour, while some commuters were prevented from entering platforms in the city’s east. The industrial action has also affected traffic congestion on the roads in Sydney, as commuters are forced to take alternative forms of transportation. The strike is expected to halve train services through 26 January; on 29 January no trains will run across NSW as all stations will be closed. Government officials stated that they will attempt to negotiate with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union in an effort to prevent the total shutdown on 29 January. (25 Jan 2018)


BRAZIL  

BRAZIL’S WORKERS PARTY TO CONTINUE TO BACK LULA FOR OCTOBER PRESIDENTIAL RUN
On 25 January 2018, Brazil’s Workers Party announced that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would remain the party’s only candidate in the country’s upcoming October presidential election, despite the fact that his candidacy is in question after an appellate court upheld a corruption conviction against him. The leaders of the labor party indicated that they intend to back Lula’s candidacy for as long as possible and have threatened to launch a civil disobedience campaign if Lula is excluded from the election or if he is arrested. (25 Jan 2018)


CHAD  

SECURITY FORCES DISPERSE DEMONSTRATION AMID ONGOING TRANSPORTATION STRIKE
On 22 January 2018, security forces dispersed a student demonstration in N’Djamena amid a nationwide transportation strike that was launched the same day. The students erected barricades, set vehicles on fire and threw stones at security officers. Police officials stated that 143 people, mostly students, were arrested.
Meanwhile, the transportation strike was largely adhered to by taxi drivers, bus drivers and travel agencies. The workers are protesting an increase in fuel prices. The strike is set to continue on 23 January. Civil society organizations have also called for a march to occur on 25 January to protest austerity measures and the increase in fuel prices. Travelers in Chad should limit movement over the next several days and avoid all gatherings due to the potential for violence. (22 Jan 2018)


EGYPT-ITALY-UK



FIJI



FRANCE  

PARIS SUBWAY DRIVERS GO ON STRIKE TO PROTEST SAFETY CONCERNS AT UNDERGROUND STATIONS
On 19 January 2018, Paris subway drivers went on strike to protest drug-related safety concerns at some of the underground stations. Significant amounts of drug dealing in metro stations have reportedly created concerns for the physical safety of passengers and staff in those stations. Drivers and passengers highlighted line 12 as particularly problematic. Authorities reported that they were increasing patrols along the metro lines to assuage some of the concerns. (19 Jan 2018)

POLICE OFFICERS AND STRIKING PRISON GUARDS CLASH SOUTH OF PARIS
On 19 January 2018, police officers and striking prison guards clashed outside Fleury Merogis prison, located south of Paris. The guards reportedly lit pallets and tires on fire, barricading the prison; however, riot police managed

FISHERMEN BLOCK ACCESS TO CALAIS PORT
On 25 January 2018, approximately one dozen fishing boats blocked access to the Calais port. Fishermen situated their vessels to prevent other boats from approaching or departing the piers. The blockade led to disruptions in ferry operations and caused some delays for shipping companies. The blockade was a show of protest against electric pulse fishing in the North Sea; fisherman are calling for a ban on the practice, claiming it harms fish stocks that are collectively fished by various countries. (25 Jan 2018)


GAZA



INDONESIA


Coca-Cola brings the taste of Zero Rights to the 2018 Winter Olympics
Coca-Cola is a major sponsor of this year's Winter Olympics, a huge opportunity for the world's largest beverage company to promote its brands, its images and its sales. Since March 2015 Coke's exclusive bottler for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, Coca-Cola Amatil ("The power behind our region's favorite brands"), has been busy bashing rights. There should be no place for Zero Rights at the Olympic Games.

Since 2015, workers at Coca-Cola Amatil's Indonesian operations have been seeking to form independent unions. When workers at Coke operations in Central Java formed a union and legally registered it, union chairman Atra Narwanto was suspended and subsequently dismissed and prevented from meeting with his members. When workers at another facility in West Java formed and registered a union in February 2017, union chairman Lutfi Ariyanto was transferred, then suspended, then formally dismissed late last year. Workers are pressured to withdraw their support for their organizations, and their unions are shut out of the collective bargaining process.

Nearly twenty years after Indonesia freed itself from an oppressive military dictatorship, workers at the Coca-Cola Indonesia are still waiting for rights at the workplace.

Go to the URL below to send a message to The Coca-Cola Company in the USA and Coca-Cola Amatil in Australia, telling them to respect rights, reinstate dismissed union leaders and negotiate in good faith.


to make it through the obstructions and fired tear gas to disperse protesters. The guards were protesting unsafe working conditions. (19 Jan 2018)


IRAN

Iranian teacher union leader Esmail Abdi was taken back to the notorious Evin Prison on Saturday 20 January. He had been released on 9 January, but this was only a temporary reprieve from his six year sentence, which started in 2016. The authorities refused to extend his furlough, despite his poor health which resulted from poor detention conditions.
Esmail Abdi has been targeted for his union activism and campaigns for teachers' rights and for free public education. He has committed no crime.
Please take a moment to send your message of protest to Iran.


PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES  

PALESTINIAN GROUPS CALL FOR GENERAL STRIKE IN THE WEST BANK
On 23 January 2018, several Palestinian groups called for a general strike across the West Bank to protest the U.S. government’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as well as the U.S. vice president’s visit. Reports indicate that the general strike will affect transportation services, banks, schools and both public and private institutions. (23 Jan 2018)


PUERTO RICO



SOUTH AFRICA  

U.S. EMBASSY ISSUES DEMONSTRATION ALERT
On 25 January 2018, the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria issued the following Demonstration Alert:
                Location: Downtown Pretoria.
Event: Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) announced that the All Tshwane Vat Alles Employees were granted permission to march on Friday, January 26, 2018, from 8am – 4pm. Numbers of marchers/protestors are expected to be at least 1,000.
The march/protest will commence at Burgers Park at 0800 into Lilian Ngoyi Street, turn right on Madiba Street until they reach the Tshwane House. They will then proceed straight to the Union Buildings using Madiba Street. From the Union Buildings, they will march back to Burgers Park using the following routes:
             Lleyds Street
             Pretorius Street
                          Nelson Mandela Drive
                          Nana Sita Street
                           Thabo Sehume Street
                          Actions to Take:
             Avoid the areas of the demonstrations.
             Exercise caution if unexpectedly in the vicinity of large gatherings or protests.
              Monitor local media for updates
             Keep a low profile." (25 Jan 2018)


SWITZERLAND  

ANTI-GLOBALIZATION PROTESTS AGAINST WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
On 23 January 2018, anti-globalization activists throughout Switzerland protested against the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is being held in Davos. Approximately 20 demonstrators managed to break through a security cordon at the WEF before police peacefully removed them. Additionally, more than 2,000 demonstrators marched through Zurich’s financial district. Protests occur every year during the WEF; so far the 2018 protests have been relatively peaceful. (23 Jan 2018)


TUNISIA  

PROTESTERS CLASH WITH POLICE OFFICERS OVER JOBS
On 21 January 2018, demonstrators clashed with police officers in the town of Metlaoui, located approximately 400 km (250 mi) southwest of Tunis. The demonstrators closed roads with burning tires to demand jobs with the state-owned phosphate company Gafsa (CPG). Police officers fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. There were no immediate reports of arrests or injuries associated with the incident. (21 Jan 2018)


UNITED STATES: 



URUGUAY  

FARMERS TAKE TO THE STREETS OF DURAZNO TO DEMAND GREATER GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
On 23 January 2018, tens of thousands of famers took to the streets of Durazno to demand that the government take greater steps to support the agricultural industry, including lowering taxes for the agricultural sector and lowering the price of gasoline and energy. The gathering was the first major protest against the Frente Amplio coalition government since it came to power nearly 13 years ago. Individuals who work in refrigeration and trucking also attended the protest. The demonstration was peaceful; the protesters plan on presenting a list of complaints to President Tabare Vazquez on 26 January. (23 Jan 2018)


ZIMBABWE  

ILLEGAL VENDORS AND UNREGISTERED TAXIS WARNED TO LEAVE HARARE’S STREETS
On 20 January 2018, the Zimbabwean government warned illegal vendors and unregistered taxis to leave the streets of Harare in 48 hours or risk being forcibly removed by security forces. Authorities claim that illegal vendors present a health hazard and the illegal vending of food and fruits during the rainy season could lead to a cholera outbreak in the city. Authorities also claim that unregistered taxis disregard traffic regulations and endanger other road users. (21 Jan 2018)


WORLDWIDE


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