PHA-Exchange> PSI World News - May 2005
claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn
claudio at hcmc.netnam.vn
Mon Jun 6 05:56:53 PDT 2005
Andy Rutherford <arutherford at oneworldaction.org> -----
>PSI World News.gif
> <http://www.world-psi.org>www.world-psi.org May 2005
>
> Women health workers speak
>Migrant workers.gifPSI and UNISON have co-produced a collection of 14
>in-depth interviews with women health workers who have migrated or are
>considering migrating for work. “Who Cares? Women Health Workers in the
>Global Labour Market” is an attempt to give voice to the actual
>experiences of women health workers and to circulate their stories within
>and between communities of workers, trade unionists and policymakers
>concerned about the future of our global health system,” said Kim Van
>Eyck, author of the book. For copies of the book email
><mailto:genevieve.gencianos at world-psi.org>genevieve.gencianos at world-psi.org.
>The final report of the research is also available
><http://www.world-psi.org/TemplateEn.cfm?
Section=Home&CONTENTID=6637&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm>here,
>and PSI’s Introductory Guide to International Migration in the Health
>Sector for Workers and Trade Unionists (2003) is
><http://www.world-
psi.org/Content/ContentGroups/English7/Publications1/EN_Guide_Migrants_Health_Wo
rkers_with_USA_unions.pdf>here.
>
>
>
> 12.3 million enslaved
>slavery.gifSome 12.3 million people are enslaved worldwide, according to a
>new report released by the ILO. The report, “A Global Alliance Against
>Forced Labour”,
>(http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005/22.htm) says that
>nearly 10 million people are exploited through forced labour in the
>private economy, rather than imposed directly by states. Of these, the
>study estimates a minimum of 2.4 million are victims of human trafficking.
>“It is only sustained political pressure by people around the world which
>will bring this iniquity to an end,” says PSI General Secretary Hans
>Engelberts. If you would like to join PSI and many, many others in
>opposing such gross injustices, see
><http://www.world-psi.org/gcap>www.world-psi.org/gcap and
><http://www.whiteband.org/>www.whiteband.org/
>
>
>
> Public-private partnerships in health
>privatisation_small.gifThe private sector is increasingly involved in
>health care in developing countries. But do the poor in these countries
>necessarily benefit from this? Who controls and supervises the
>partnerships? How sustainable are they? The Wemos online library features
>a great collection of documents and links on global public-private
>initiatives. See
><http://www.wemos.nl/en-GB/Content.aspx?
type=Themas&id=1533>http://www.wemos.nl/en-GB/Content.aspx?type=Themas&id=1533,
>or, for further information, email
><mailto:privatesector at wemos.nl>privatesector at wemos.nl
>
>
>
> Underpaid?
>pay.gifComparing pay rates is a notoriously difficult task. It has been
>getting harder as well, with employment contracts becoming increasingly
>individualised. However this problem may be about to come to an end. In
>1999 three Dutch women developed a comparative Women's Wage database. This
>was launched online in partnership with the Dutch union federation
><http://www.fnv.nl>FNV and the University of Amsterdam. In 2001 the
>service was extended to include male workers, and more recently it has
>gone international. <http://www.wageindicator.com/>Wageindicator now
>covers nine European countries, and India, South Korea, South Africa,
>Brazil, Hungary and the United States are coming on-line in mid 2005. This
>is too big and too important a project to summarise here, but make a point
>of checking it out for yourself at
><http://www.wageindicator.org/>www.wageindicator.org/
>
>
>
> Privatising social security in the US
>social-security-card.gifIs the US social security system really headed for
>disaster? And if so, are private accounts really a solution? Take a look
>at this website, which looks at experiences across the Americas:
><http://www.socsec.org/>http://www.socsec.org/. The changes which
>President Bush is seeking to introduce will force drastic cuts in
>retirement benefits for America’s workers - whether or not they choose to
>take part in the scheme. Find out why US unions believe that the proposals
>are a threat to workers:
>„
><http://www.aflcio.org/issuespolitics/socialsecurity/>www.aflcio.org/issuespoli
tics/socialsecurity/
>„ www.aft.org/topics/social-security/index.htm
>„
><http://www.afscme.org/socialsecurity/index.html>www.afscme.org/socialsecurity/
index.html
>You can help keep US social security in public hands by signing the this
>online petition:
><http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/pfizer_schwab>http://www.unionvoice.org/cam
paign/pfizer_schwab
>
>
>
> What makes a good job?
>job_satisfaction.gifRecent research suggests that it is in management’s
>interests, as well as workers’, to improve jobs. As management theorist
>Frederick Herzberg put it in the 1950’s: “If you want someone to do a good
>job, give them a good job to do.” If you would like to know more about how
>job satisfaction relates to productivity, and how this adds to the case
>for unionisation, see
><http://www.world-psi.org/satisfactionGender>http://www.world-
psi.org/satisfaction
>
>
>
><http://www.world-psi.org/satisfactionGender>Gender inequalities compared
>A new study from the <http://www.weforum.org/gendergap>World Economic
>Forum looks at the size of the gender gap in 58 countries, including the
>30 OECD countries. The Gender Gap Report measures the extent to which
>women have achieved full equality in economic participation; economic
>opportunity; political empowerment; educational attainment and health and
>well-being.
>
>Country Rankings (Top 10)
>Rank
>1
>2
>3
>4
>5
>6
>7
>8
>9
>10
>
>Country
>Sweden
>Norway
>Iceland
>Denmark
>Finland
>New Zealand
>Canada
>U.K.
>Germany
>Australia
>
>Score*
>5.53
>5.39
>5.32
>5.27
>5.19
>4.89
>4.87
>4.75
>4.61
>4.61
>
>Countries with the smallest gender gap rank the highest (scale 1-7).
>
> The US languishes in 17th place, reflecting minimal maternity rights and
> state childcare provision, while Switzerland, 34th, is among the lowest
> ranking European states due to its poor record on higher education for
> women. The study points to a clear correlation between countries'
> treatment of women and their relative global competitiveness, and warns:
> "Countries that do not capitalise on the full potential of one half of
> their societies are misallocating their human resources and undermining
> their competitive potential." See
> <http://www.weforum.org/gendergap>http://www.weforum.org/gendergap
>
>
>
>The casualties of overwork
>overwork2.gifAccording to a recent University of Pennsylvania School of
>Nursing study, 20,000 people die in the US each year because they have
>checked into a hospital with overworked nurses. Americans scheduled for
>routine surgery run a 31% greater risk of dying if they are admitted to a
>hospital with a severe shortage of nurses. "During National Nurses Week
>(May 6-12) we should do more than just thank nurses for their hard work,"
>says the <http://www.afge.org/>American Federation of Government Employees
>(AFGE) National President John Gage. "We should do what we can to help
>them do their jobs more effectively and safely." AFGE has welcomed a bill
>introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), which is intended to help
>patients receive quality care by requiring hospitals to follow minimum
>nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. It would also establish staffing
>requirements for licensed practical nurses, and include whistleblower
>protection.
>
>
>
> KGEU repression continues
>KGEU2.gifIn spite of strong opposition from civil society, trade unions
>and the international union movement, a bill restricting government
>employees' labour rights and limiting their union activities was passed
>into law in Korea last year. The repression continues. KGEU President KIM
>Young Gil was arrested in April after a police search of about 150 days.
>General Secretary AHN Byeong Soon was also arrested and sentenced to 8
>month in prison, with an additional 2 year suspended sentence. A third
>KGEU official, who had been released on bail after one month in prison,
>was sentenced to a further six months for his involvement in a strike last
>year. Another has been accused of fraud by the local government for
>encouraging members to pay union dues. In Wando County the local
>government forced union members to withdraw from the KGEU, and 17 union
>officials have been arbitrarily transferred. One of them, who was
>pregnant, has had to move to an isolated island. KGEU repression continues...
>
>
>
> Corruption and trade unions
>unicorn2.gifPSI works with the ICFTU and TUAC on the UNICORN project
>(<http://www.againstcorruption.org>www.againstcorruption.org) - an
>anti-corruption trade union network run by Kirsty Drew at Cardiff
>University in Wales. Ms Drew has been invited to a Transparency
>International Anti-corruption Conference in Guatemala next year and has
>been asked to provide some examples of trade union studies on
>anti-corruption work. If anyone has any such studies, please send them to
>UNICORN at:
><mailto:unitedagainstcorruption at hotmail.com>unitedagainstcorruption at hotmail.com
>
>
>
> Four big unions for South Africa?
>COSATU.gifThe <http://www.cosatu.org.za/>Congress of South African Trade
>Unions is actively considering reducing its 21 industrial affiliates into
>four "super-unions". The plan is partly prompted by membership loss caused
>by retrenchments. The federation has lost more than 130,000 members in the
>past four years. The proposal envisages four affiliates: manufacturing;
>public service and administration; mining, construction and energy; and
>services. Unions that would be merged in the public sector - the largest
>of the proposed bodies - include the municipal union, Samwu; the
>teachers' union, Sadtu; the police and prisons union, Popcru; Nehawu and
>unions for nurses and doctors. Cosatu's organising secretary, Mncedisi
>Nontsele, said "sub-sector unions", focusing on education and training,
>health, criminal justice and infrastructure, would be formed in the public
>sector. (From
><http://allafrica.com/stories/200505230117.html>http://allafrica.com/stories/20
0505230117.html)
>
>
>
> The myth of bureaucratism
>bureaucrat.gifA new TUC report shows that the public sector in the UK is
>delivering services with far fewer managers than the private sector. It
>also has fewer administrative jobs than financial services. Last year the
>Government’s Efficiency Review identified £20 billion in savings, and
>included a target for a net cut of 70,000 jobs. The TUC estimates that 90%
>of this could be delivered through savings in areas such as public
>procurement, the more effective use of new technology, and better work
>organisation. This can be done without cutting a single job. The study can
>be downloaded here:
><http://www.tuc.org.uk/publicsector/tuc-9650-
f0.cfmReforming>http://www.tuc.org.uk/publicsector/tuc-9650-f0.cfm
>
>
>
><http://www.tuc.org.uk/publicsector/tuc-9650-f0.cfmReforming>Reforming
>global organisations
>FES.gifThere is a broad consensus among unions, scholars and within
>international organizations that a comprehensive reform of the system of
>international institutions is required. A recent FES paper "Governance
>Reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions and the UN Development System"
>makes concrete recommendations towards an effective Global Governance and,
>in particular, suggests how the Bretton Woods institutions could embark on
>the process of reflection and reform underway in the UN. The paper is
>available at <http://www.fes.de/globalization>http://www.fes.de/globalization.
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------
This mail sent through Netnam-HCMC ISP: http://www.hcmc.netnam.vn/
More information about the PHM-Exchange
mailing list