Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
23 July 2021
GM Korea workers strike for higher wages
Unionised workers at GM Korea took limited strike action at three South Korean plants on Wednesday to demand higher wages and job security, following a series of employer- and union-imposed wage freezes last year. GM Korea and its union, a branch of the Korean Metal Workers Union, have had 13 rounds of negotiations over wages since May.
The union has lodged a claim for a 99,000 won ($US86) increase in monthly base pay, a cash bonus equal to 150 percent of the ordinary monthly wage and a special bonus of four million won. The demands are worth approximately 10 million won in total per worker. In response to previous job cuts they are also demanding the production of new vehicle models at the plant in Bupyeong, in Incheon.
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Sri Lankan estate workers protest against higher workloads and wage cuts
Demonstrations involving hundreds of workers have erupted at several tea estates in recent weeks against increased daily productivity demands and wage cuts.
In January, the Rajapakse government ordered plantation companies to pay a 1,000-rupee ($US5) daily wage (a 900-rupee basic payment plus 100-rupee allowance) to tea and rubber estate workers, starting from April. The government’s announcement was in order to dissipate the rising anger of plantation workers over their poverty-level wages.
Line rooms at Gartmore Estate [Credit: WSWS Media]
Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) that manage the Sri Lankan estates opposed the increase and went to the courts to challenge the government’s decision. Conscious of the mass opposition of plantation workers, the appeal court approved the government pay directive.