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In February 2007, South Korea's Labor Ministry announced a total ban on the manufacture, import, and use of asbestos, which will take effect in 2009. Under the plan, the Labor Ministry will restrict the use of products containing asbestos in steps through 2008, in order to allow for the examination of possible substitutes.
In 2009, all asbestos-removal companies will be required to register with the Labor Ministry, and all articles which involve the use of asbestos will be removed, according to Korea's construction laws and regulations. 
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The ministry, in making the announcement, noted that a number of countries in developed nations have already banned asbestos. It also said that when taken into the body, asbestos fibres can cause breathing problems by damaging the lungs, which causes asbestosis and an increased risk to cancer.

South Korea: Labor Ministry announces Total Ban on Asbestos by 2009

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In Japan, &ldquo;karoshi,&rdquo; or death from overwork, is not a new phenomenon. But now it has become a topic inside the Japanese parliamentary system, as lawmakers of the Diet begin considering revisions to the Labor Standards Act, which regulates work time and salary. 
 
At the centre of the political debate is the issue of excessive overtime, as well as the question if overtime pay should be raised from the current 1.25 times regular pay for work performed over and above eight hours a day, or 40 hours per week. According to the Japan Times, the government drafted a bill to raise overtime pay, but also included a white-collar exclusion rule to overtime pay. Supervisory and management ranks are already excluded from overtime pay. 
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The issue is expected to be hotly contested in political debates this year, and into the future. Employers are seeking workplace flexibility by giving workers a choice in the hours they work, figuring this will bring greater efficiency. But the unions counter that the white-collar exclusion rule will lead to heavier work loads and continuation of conditions that bring on &ldquo;karoshi.&rdquo; 
 
In 2003, the Japanese government began collecting figures on &ldquo;karoshi,&rdquo; using application and awards of workers&rsquo; compensation to family members. In 2003, the number of applications was 213, of which 158 cases were recognised as death due to overwork. In 2005, the number of applications rose to 336, but the government only recognised 157 of those as being the result of &ldquo;karoshi.&rdquo;

Japan: ‘Death from Overwork’ Real Concern to Labour Unions, Government

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On 28 April, the National Federation of Workers' Councils in Hungary (MOSZ) will again place wreathes at a memorial in the city of P&eacute;cs. 
 
This year, however, the event will be followed by a Commemoration Day meeting with guests invited from all segments of Hungarian society. Additionally, in Budapest, MOSZ will host a conference to address workplace stress, reflecting negotiations now underway on that subject between worker and bosses inside the National Interest Reconciliation Council. 
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These negotiations are guided by the Hungarian legal system, and are held inside a framework agreement between the social partners as outlined by the European Union. 
 
According to studies, over 50% of all Hungarian workers are employed in high-stress work environments. Trade unions are concerned that current human resources strategies are uncaring and callous in dealing with such workplace situations. This trend must be reversed, says MOSZ, and the 28 April conference and negotiations are aimed at bringing this about.

Hungary: Union Federation MOSZ to Hold Meeting of Civil Society to Address Workplace Health and Safe

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In past commemorations of 28 April Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day, Danish trade unions &ndash; like many others across the world &ndash; have done customary candle lighting ceremonies to honour the dead and injured. This year, the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (LO), in combination with the Confederation of Salaried Employees and Civil Servants (FTF), are asking trade unions to mount torches outside union offices to honour the memories of workers killed while on the job or from job-related diseases. 
 
The two labour federations have adopted the motto &ldquo;Safe and Healthy Work for All &ndash; Welfare Centred on Health and Safety&rdquo; for 28 April 2007. Activities are planned across Denmark, including conference, meetings, and street actions to call attention to health and safety at work. 
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Part of that focus will ask people of Denmark to examine global development, and how globalisation puts pressure on workers&rsquo; rights, including the right to a safe and hazard-free workplace. To look at materials and posters developed by the two labour federations, please visit <a href="http://www.lo.dk">www.lo.dk</a>, or <a href="http://www.ftf.dk/28april">www.ftf.dk/28april</a>.

Denmark: Past Candle-lighting Becomes Torch-bearing for Trade Unions

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The Bermuda Industrial Union is calling on union members and the general public to drive in the morning of 28 April with their headlights on to commemorate Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day. 
 
The union is also calling on trade unionists to light a candle at 12h00 on that day.

Bermuda: Lights on for Motorists in Driving on 28 April

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Worker safety institutes in Australia have almost unanimously said the advent of Prime Minister John Howard&rsquo;s WorkChoices law will ultimately be detrimental to workplace safety. Now comes wisdom from another organisation, the Victorian Safety Institute of Australia. 
 
The institute says the government&rsquo;s labour reforms, which dramatically changed union rights and employment rights, will pose the biggest threat to workplace safety since asbestos. 
 
Speaking prior to a Safety in Action conference held recently in Melbourne, the Victorian Safety Institute&rsquo;s vice president, Kevin Jones said: &ldquo;WorkChoices is opening a Pandora&rsquo;s box of new health problems stemming from stress and high workloads. It&rsquo;s the greatest threat to workers&rsquo; health since asbestos, because it harms people from all walks of life in such an insidious way &ndash; millions of Australians will suffer its potentially devastating effects.&rdquo;

Australia: WorkChoices Law Brings ‘Undeniable’ Damage to Workplace Safety

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With 19 countries now recognising 28 April as the official International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, attention is now squarely on the United Nations General Assembly to also recognise the day. 
 
To that end, on 3 May, a worker and trade union delegation will meet with officials of the Executive Office of the UN's Secretary General to update them on global labour's drive for recognition of the day. The meeting in New York City is hosted by the Support and Coordination Office of the UN's Economic and Social Council. 
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Trade union representatives from each continent, along with those from the ITUC, will update officials from the Secretary General's office on the growing number of 28 April activities scheduled for this week, as well as on priorities to be contained in the official recognition of such a day. 
Those priorities include: Recognition and enforcement of worker and trade union rights to overcome barriers to occupational health and safety; A better understanding, tracking system, and response to occupational cancers; Ratification of global occupational health and safety instruments and measures by national governments, with aggressive promotion to strengthen reporting and enforcement. 
 
A global ban on the production, use and commercialisation of asbestos in all of its forms; and the need for better and more enduring mechanisms to report performance of HIV/AIDS targets and commitments made by intergovernmental institutions, especially the G8. 
 
Ed Thomas from the Canadian Union of Public Employees will lead the delegation. The Canadian labour movement is largely credited for the initial push, in 1984, to proclaim 28 April as Workers&rsquo; Memorial Day each year. The Canadian government formally recognised the day in 1991 when the Day of Morning Act was passed. Last year, the UN agreed to an annual reporting of 28 April by the ITUC. 
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&quot;It has taken a long time to reach this point, but our goal draws closer every time another country adopts 28 April as a national observance day,&quot; said Thomas. &quot;The recent decision by the governments of the Ukraine and the Andean Community, which will bring to 19 the number of countries that officially recognise the day, has injected fresh energy into the trade union delegation that will join me in New York.&quot; 
 
The trade unionists heading to the UN on 3 May will be part of a broader trade union group that will attend this year's UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The unionists will highlight the importance of good industrial relations regarding workplace health and safety within the context of sustainable development. 
 
The nations that have adopted 28 April as an official day of remembrance include: Argentina, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Luxembourg, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Venezuela. 
 
In 1996, the UN's Commission on Sustainable Development first observed a global day to commemorate dead and injured workers when a trade union delegation was allowed to light a candle and incense at one of its sessions. At that time, Canada was the only country that had adopted 28 April as a national day of observance.

Trade Union Mission to UN to Press for Security Council Recognition of 28 April as Official Day

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Bridgestone Corp. responded to toughening tyre talks in South Africa with a lockout. Rubber workers of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) at Port Elizabeth and Brits factories found themselves on the streets a week ago. 
 
NUMSA and three transnational rubbermakers have been locked in a pay dispute in South Africa, one of several ongoing labour dispute in the country. NUMSA and its 6,000 members in the rubber industry insist on not less than a 10% pay adjustment, while bosses are now just beginning to move upward from 7%.
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On 17 July, a shop stewards&rsquo; council decided to begin industrial actions against the three companies because several rounds of bargaining failed to resolve the wage issue. The work stoppages, and now Bridgestone&rsquo;s lockout, are having an adverse effect on production at the six tyre plants, admitted the head of the tyre employers&rsquo; association. 
 
NUMSA is demanding full wage and benefit disclosure between hourly and salaried workers, as well as the pay increases over the past five years for executives, along with their perks. 
 
The union is seeking to limit the use of contractors at the rubber plants in this set of talks. NUMSA also seeks an incremental adjustment for certain employees, and an increase in the allowance for shift work.
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The talks between NUMSA and the tyre producers, through employers&rsquo; grouping New Tyre Manufacturing Industry, cover workers at the two Bridgestone plants, at Continental A.G.&rsquo;s plant in Port Elizabeth, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.&rsquo;s plant in Uitenhage, and Dunlop Tyres (Pty.) Ltd., a company owned by the Indian holding company Apollo Tyres Group, which has factories in Durban and Ladysmith, as well as rubber interests in Zimbabwe. 
 
The ICEM supports South African affiliate NUMSA in its fight for a fair and just labour agreement for the 6,000 rubber workers.

Bridgestone Locks Out NUMSA Members in South Africa

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The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) again mourns the deaths of miners in South Africa. On 20 July, two miners perished 3,000 metres underground at AngloGold Ashanti&rsquo;s Moab Khotsong mine near Orkney in Free State. 
 
The two miners became trapped when the ground around them caved in. Their bodies were recovered on 22 July. A third miner was rescued in the cave-in and was reported in stable condition in a hospital.
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The two deaths push AngloGold&rsquo;s death rate in South Africa to 11 this, and the total recorded number of recorded deaths in the country&rsquo;s mining sector to 110. AngloGold&rsquo;s sister company, AngloPlatinum, leads all mining concerns in South Africa in recorded deaths with 17.
A day after the bodies at Moab Khotsong mine disaster were found, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica visited the site. She took the unusual step of ordering the mine closed, pending an investigation. Speaking to reporters, she said that her ministry would begin more rigid inspections and that profits must not come before lives. 
 
Because of the rising death toll in South Africa&rsquo;s mines this year, the NUM has called for an urgent tripartite meeting to rescue South Africa's Mining Health and Safety Summit in order to address the current deficiencies in mine safety.

Two Workers Killed at AngloGold’s Mine in Free State, South Africa

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The national labour centres of South Africa and Zimbabwe are advising that the world better get ready for a humanitarian crisis, since Zimbabwe&rsquo;s economy is on the verge of a meltdown. 
 
In a joint statement, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) said if current mediation efforts in Zimbabwe by the Southern Africa Development Community fail, the country&rsquo;s &ldquo;economy will collapse completely, with dire consequences for the poor of that country and the region.&rdquo;
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The statement came following meetings between COSATU and ZCTU in Johannesburg on 15 July, at which time COSATU committed to begin preparations for a possible humanitarian crisis. 
 
The two national centres agreed that now is the time to mobilize alliance partners and all of civil society for a humanitarian package for suffering Zimbabweans who have fled, and likely will flee in great numbers if Zimbabwe&rsquo;s current economic reality continues. COSATU Sec. Gen. Zwelinzima Vavi said 5,000 Zimbabweans are arrested each week now as they attempt to enter South Africa.

National Labour Centres in South Africa, Zimbabwe Predict Refugee Crisis

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