Union urges replacement of education chief

A day after Education Secretary Rod Paige compared the nation’s largest teachers union to a “terrorist organization” because of its criticism of President Bush’s centerpiece education law, the union brushed aside his apologies and called for his dismissal on Feb. 24.

“Our members are the NEA [National Eduction Association], and on behalf of them, I ask President Bush to express his regret to the nation’s educators and demand that Secretary Paige step down,” said the union’s president, Reg Weaver.

The reaction made public an often bitter struggle between the Bush administration and the NEA, which has 2.7 million members and frequently supports the Democrats at election time. The administration and the union have been at odds since Jan. 2002, when the president signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law. The union sees the law as a barely concealed effort to weaken public education and build support for vouchers. (New York Times)

Global economy must adjust

World leaders must address the “ethical vacuum” at the heart of globalization or face the danger that the widening gap between rich and poor will lead to further conflict, political upheaval, and war, the International Labor Organization (ILO) said Feb. 24. The ILO has concluded that the deep-seated and persistent imbalances in the workings of the global economy are unsustainable. Without fairer rules governing trade flows, immigration, and labor standards, billions of people will continue to miss out on the rising global prosperity, prompting a fresh wave of international instability.

The panel interviewed citizens, politicians, and business leaders from around the world. It found widespread concern about the current direction of globalization. “Its advantages are too distant for many while its risks are all too real,” the report said.

Globalization has created winners and losers both within and between countries. Unemployment worldwide has reached 185 million, according to the ILO, the highest yet recorded. And the richest one percent of the US population raked in 17percent of the country’s income, the highest level of income inequality since the 1920s. (Guardian (UK))

Australian strippers go for pay rise

Strip club owners downunder have had their feathers ruffled by a log of claims demanding better pay and conditions for strippers and lap dancers. They say the claim calls for “outrageous” award pay rates for striptease acts, erotic and tabletop dancing, lap dancing, and pole dancing in adult clubs.

Striptease Artists Australia Inc., recognized by the Industrial Relations Commission in 2002, has sent copies of its log of claims to hundreds of strip clubs and exotic dancing venues around Australia.

The union’s national secretary says dancers should not have to pay fees before they are allowed to work. She said she was not declaring war, just trying to fight for industry regulations. She expected the proposed award rates would be bargained down. (The Sunday Mail (Australia))

Korean company lays off striking workers

South Korea’s third-largest credit card issuer fired a quarter of its workforce via mobile phone text messages on Feb. 27, after negotiations with striking unionized workers broke down.

KEB Credit Service Co. sacked 161 employees, a spokeswoman for the company’s parent bank said.

Unionized workers, who make up nearly 90 percent of the firm’s 662 staff, have been on strike since mid-December over a takeover by Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), fearing job cuts.

“Marathon negotiations with the labor union fell through early this morning and we had to go ahead with the job cuts,” said Lee Nahm-yon, a spokeswoman for KEB.

About 300 workers continued to protest outside KEB Credit’s headquarters in Seoul on Feb. 27. Some of the protesters were singing or shouting, but others could be seen sobbing.

KEB Credit, which ran out of cash late last year, will be taken over by KEB at the weekend. KEB is controlled by US investment fund Lone Star.

Apart from staging protests, the union also filed a lawsuit at a local court last week in a bid to block Lone Star’s acquisition of its parent bank.

KEB, the country’s fifth-largest lender, had sought to cut up to half of KEB Credit’s employees, but scaled down the layoffs after discussions with the union. (Reuters)

Fourth strike in a month hits Bangladesh

More than 100 “troublemakers” have been arrested in Bangladesh, police and witnesses said, as the fourth anti-government strike called by the main opposition this month hit major centers. Police said they had arrested what they described as “troublemakers” to ensure the safety of the citizens during the strike in major Bangladeshi cities, including the capital Dhaka and the second city of Chittagong.

A spokesman for the main opposition Awami League party, which has called the shutdown, claimed that as many as 300 people had been picked up by police.

The strike forced the closure of shops, schools and most private banks and offices in Dhaka on Feb. 21. Most public buses were not running, while groups of protesters gathered in different parts of the capital. Witnesses said pickets were also staged in various parts of Chittagong.

Authorities said some 7,000 police, including paramilitary units, were deployed to keep order during the strike in Dhaka, a congested city of around 10 million people.

The League, led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, called the protest, its fourth this month, after Prime Minister Khaleda Zia ignored calls to quit and hold snap elections. Wajed’s party accuses the government of failing to curb crime and rein in corruption. (Agence Free Press)