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| Issue No 71 |  |
15 September 2000 |
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NewsElection of Burmese Official A Slap In The Face
The rewarding of Burma by giving one of its senior diplomats the Chair of a major United Nations Committee sends the pariah regime a signal that the UN is not concerned about the country's persistent use of slave labour says an international union body.
The ICFTU said that the election of Mya Than, Burma's permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, as Chairperson of the UN General Assembly's First Committee (of Disarmament and International Security) sends a message to the world that despite the condemnation by UN bodies, including the UN Commission on Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) because of its violations of international human rights standards, Burma has received the UN's official blessing. "We find it extraordinary that while on the one hand a number of UN bodies adopt strongly-worded resolutions condemning Burma's military junta's human rights record, on the other the organisation agrees to the election of the same regime's senior official as chairman to another section of the UN. After strong condemnation of Burma's military regime at the International Labour Conference in June, the ILO governing body is expected to adopt a series of measures this November towards Burma, including calling on all relevant UN agencies "to reconsider, within their terms of reference... and, if appropriate, to cease as soon as possible any activity that could have the effect of directly or indirectly abetting the practice of forced or compulsory labour". The election of the Burmese representative in the same week that the Burmese military government has been condemned internationally for its continual harassment of The National League for Democracy, and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi is all the more bizarre, said the ICFTU. Meanwhile ... The International Transport Workers' Federation and MUA port officials in Darwin successfully rescued four Burmese crew stranded on board two cattle boats, last week. The crew had not been paid four months and were made to work on shore while the boats lay in the mud at a private berth in Darwin. The seafarers were threatened with being taken to the local police station if they complained about conditions. 'Accommodation on board was appalling,' said ITF Australia co-ordinator Trevor Charles. 'The seafarers were packed into stuffy cabins in the stifling tropical heat with no airconditioning. They were fed a meagre ration of chicken wings and rice which they had to share between themselves and seven Indonesian seafarers. They were forced to work on local building sites.' A local member of Burmese community contacted the ITF Australia. which then launched a rescue mission. The Burmese have now received $20,000 in back pay and compensation.. 'The crew know how the Burmese junta treat seafarers seeking outside help," said Mr Coombs. "They fear returning to their homeland. It is not just democracy leaders that are imprisoned and tortured in Burma, but workers and unionists. The Australian Government is just not doing enough. But the union movement is closely monitoring the situation.'
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   Interview: Surviving The FirestormAfter several years as the focus of some brutal politics Carmen Lawrence is back on the ALP front bench. She talks to Workers Online about her new portfolio, unions and the ALP and mud slinging in politics. History: Unions, Sport and CommunityRemember when sport was a fun way to relax after arduous labour? The fight for the eight-hour work day was based around a slogan that said, in part, eight hours work, eight hours play. The play was unpaid and unsung, but enjoyable. Politics: Global FailuresSharan Burrow told the World Economic Forum this week that the union movement acknowledges the benefits of globalisation but it's time to address the failures. International: Mobile WorkersA global IT labour shortage is throwing up challenges for both the developed and developing world. Gerd Rohde, from the Geneva-based Union Network International, is working to strike a balance. Unions: Stuffed or Stoned?In a recent dispute at the South Blackwater Coal Mine in Central Queensland CFMEU members resisted the introduction of random drug testing in the absence of a better strategy to test impairment and not just lifestyle. Review: A Perfect Circle- Mer de NomsPeter Zangari believes the music world has moved on from the simplistic chords of Nirvana and Soundgarden and the grunge scene has been obliterated. But like most other things, especially music, it re-invents itself. Satire: Silly 2000Editors demand something happen: �We�ve got 300 Olympic pages to fill and everyone is training�.
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