Hong Kong domestics take action again Several hundred Filipino domestic workers held a protest in Hong Kong's central district last Sunday to oppose a proposal by Urban Councillor Jennifer Chow Kit-bing to cut their minimal wage. One protestor said the wage reduction would have a terrible impact on her family in the Philippines. The needs of our families do not decrease and the prices back home are high, inflation is high. There are an estimated 170,000 Filipino workers in Hong Kong. Most send 80 percent of their earnings back to the Philippines to support their families.
Domestics are already the lowest paid migrant workers in the country.
Korean workers oppose mergers Workers at Daewoo Electronics factories in Kumi, Inchon and Kwangju in South Korea went on strike this week in opposition to a deal that will see the company handed over to the Samsung Group in exchange for Samsung Motors. The latest industrial action follows a two-day long strike called by unions last week. The workers in both enterprises fear that the deal will lead to mass sackings. The 3,000 workers at Samsung Motors have been on strike since last December. At the same time, workers at LG Semiconductor, which is scheduled to merge with Hyundai Electronics, are carrying out a go-slow that has effectively reduced production by more than 50 percent.