Originally published in the The Canberra Times on Apr 19, 2010 by Chris Johnson
Australia is moving towards another skills shortage with some of the country's major infrastructure projects already being affected, according to findings in the Clarius Skills Index issued today. Demand exceeded supply in a number of employment categories during the March quarter, with metalworkers the most sought after...
Originally published in the BusinessWeek on Mar 15, 2010 by Bob Willis
Blizzards on the East Coast and harsh weather in other parts of the U.S. probably slowed factory production in February, marking a temporary setback in the recovery, economists said before reports today. Manufacturers this month will probably make up for the disruptions as companies strive to stabilize inventories and exports climb, even as the outlook for homebuilders remains dim as foreclosures mount. Analysts anticipate Federal Reserve policy makers meeting tomorrow will reiterate a pledge to keep interest rates low to keep the economy growing...
Originally published in the IT Business Edge on Mar 01, 2010 by Rob Enderle
Apple seems to be having supplier problems. Last week Wintek, one of Apple s suppliers, was reported to have been using a chemical, n-hexane, which had poisoned 49 workers. This week there is an issue with suppliers who use child labor to make Apple products. Either of these problems could impact any company that uses suppliers in areas where...
Originally published in the UConn Daily Campus on Feb 02, 2010 by Becky Radolf
It seems like the answer to saving our rainforests is a 10.2 ounce machine that holds up to 15,000 electronic books without a single piece of paper expended in the process. The Amazon Kindle pioneered the world of e-literature back in the summer of 2009 and gave readers the ability to download books from an online store called “Whispernet.” Kindle gave the impression that it would rid the world of cumbersome books so trees everywhere would rejoice. With a rechargeable...
Originally published in the Softpedia on Jan 18, 2010 by Filip Truta
A report by the 21st Century Business Herald picked up by Bloomberg reveals that 2,000 Wintek Corp. workers went on strike damaging facilities and vehicles in protest for not receiving a promised bonus for the year 2009. Citing the 21st Century Business Herald, Bloomberg informs that, “Workers went on strike at a touch-screen supplier for Apple Inc.’s iPhone in China’s eastern city of Suzhou on Jan. 15.” The 21st Century Business Herald reportedly obtained a statement from the high-tech zone home to the factory...
Originally published in the the Wall Street Journal on Jan 17, 2010 by Devita Saraf
In the new India, lots of people have made millions on stocks, real estate, technology, diamonds or any number of booming industries. Few, however, have been able to acquire class. Too many of the recently rich, desperate to flash their new-found wealth, are on a crazy splurging spree. Yet with all the money they have acquired, only a few have been able to cultivate a discerning taste in what they purchase...
Originally published in the the China Daily on Jan 15, 2010 by Zhao Yanrong
A migrant worker faces hospital bills of more than 40,000 yuan for the loss of his kidney after allegedly being stabbed while trying to claim 70 yuan for labor work at Shougang Group, Beijing's largest iron and steel company. Gao Zhiqiang, 28, is now out of surgery with a slight fever at the in-patient department of Chaoyang hospital, according to Gao's wife yesterday...
Originally published in the Cullman Times Online on Dec 27, 2009 by Trent Moore
Approximately 34 people were laid off from Topre America on January 16, which brings the overall total to 63 workers laid off from the Cullman plant including 2008. Approximately 285 employees remain at the automotive component manufacturer. The downsizing was forced by the sluggish economic conditions, especially related to...
Originally published in the BusinessWeek on Jul 27, 2009 by Frederik Balfour
Some 30,000 angry Chinese workers staged a riot at a steel factory in China that resulted in its boss getting beaten to death, underscoring just how quickly economic problems can stoke social unrest. The workers were protesting the sale of state-owned Tonghua Iron & Steel in Jilin province to a private group which they feared would lead to...
Originally published in the Times Online on Jul 23, 2009 by Jane Macartney
A Chinese worker leapt to his death after allegedly being beaten by security guards for mislaying a top-secret prototype of the latest Apple iPhone. Sun Danyong, 25, had been responsible for sending 16 of the fourth-generation mobile phones...
Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle on Jul 13, 2009 by Bob Egelko
Workers in foreign factories that supply Wal-Mart can't blame the company for their alleged sweatshop conditions, despite the retail giant's code of conduct that's supposed to hold its contractors to decent labor standards, a federal appeals...
Originally published in the Forbes on Jun 09, 2009 by Vivian Wai-yin Kwok
According to the internal handbook of the Chinese communist government, China's legal system is defined as its exclusive tool to safeguard one-party rule. This week, to make this clearer to potential troublemakers, Beijing asked courts across the country to help curb rising workers' protests. The Supreme People's Court in Beijing asked courts at all levels to focus on dealing with the sharp upsurge of "mass incidents"...
Originally published in the Ars Technica on May 21, 2009 by Jacqui Cheng
Apple may have found itself in the middle of another labor dispute in Asia. Wintek, a manufacturer of flat-panel displays that often supplies parts to Apple, has been accused by local labor groups of exploiting workers in its Taiwanese and Chinese factories. The groups are now putting pressure on Apple...
Originally published in the Law.com on Apr 25, 2009 by Anthony Lin
China's enactment of a new Labor Contract Law two years ago was widely hailed as a great leap forward for workers. The country has long been synonymous with cheap and sometimes exploited labor. But the statute gave employees a range of benefits and protections that, while common in Western countries, were new for China. Few could have foreseen how quickly the law would be tested. The global economic crisis has led to lower demand for Chinese exports, and that in turn has resulted in the closure...
Originally published in the Telegraph on Apr 03, 2009 by Peter Foster
A man seeking about $660 in unpaid wages walked into an office building in the northwestern Chinese city of Urumqi on Thursday and detonated a bomb, killing himself and injuring two employees, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Police said 42-year-old Han Washun arrived at the downtown building housing the Xinjiang Beixin Road and Bridge Construction Co. around 1 p.m...
