Global briefs
CHINA: The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) has reiterated its demand that all private enterprises, including foreign-owned firms, comply with Chinese labour law and allow their workers to unionise. "All enterprises investing in China should abide by the Trade Union Law on setting up trade union organisations", said Guo Jun, deputy director of the ACFTU's Legislative Affairs Bureau. He called on unions and cities to target particular situations for a breakthrough. A number of transnational giants operating in China, including Wal-Mart, Kodak, Dell and Samsung, are violating the law, the ACFTU said.* * * SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Town's Labour Court ruled last month that restaurant waiters are permanent members of the staff and not "independent contractors" with no rights of employment. The case involved two servers at one of the city's top restaurants, which closed in May. After they were discharged without reason or procedure, the two took their case to the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration, which ruled in their favour and granted them an award of nearly $13,500 each. When the restaurant appealed, the Labour Court again found for the workers.* * * RUSSIA: Some four million teachers and other education workers have held a one-day strike to protest against their low pay in the largest labour demonstration since President Vladimir Putin took office nearly five years ago. Teachers and school workers demanded that their pay be increased by 50 percent immediately, and doubled by next year.* * * PERU: The Lima International Tribunal on US Crimes during the Korean War brought together delegates from nearly 20 countries, international and regional organisations from Asia, Europe and Latin America. Participants — including representatives of lawyers associations in several countries, among them the US National Lawyers Guild — called on Washington to formally apologise to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for provoking the Korean War and for the crimes committed by the US military during the war, and to punish those responsible. They also urged the US to stop its adventurous moves to provoke another war on the Korean peninsula, to end the US military occupation of South Korea, and to replace the 1953 armistice agreement with a full-fledged peace accord.* * * DPRK: The Mt Kuwol natural reserve in the central part of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was inscribed on the list of international sanctuaries according to the decision of the 18th meeting of the International Coordinating Council for Man and Biosphere Programme of the UNESCO held in Paris on October 29. The reserve, which abounds with flora and fauna and is endowed with beautiful scenery, includes Mt. Kuwol, one of the six famous mountains in Korea, an agricultural area and a migratory bird sanctuary in Unryul. Growing in the reserve are more than 600 species of plants, including 86 species of trees, 90 species of edible herbs including 30-odd which contain medicinal properties. Also thriving in the mountain are 30 special subspecies of animals including Korean water-deer, wild boar, hare, fox, hedgehog, squirrel. There are over 100 species of birds and more than 30 kinds of fish.