Labour and Union News

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>On 26 June 98, "The International Day of against Drug Abuse and Illicit
>Trafficking", and 
>"The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture", the Dooplaryar
>district Education Workers Union and the Health Workers Union held an
>exhibition of the terror of drugs, methamphetamine and heroin to students
>and villagers near Thai-Burma border. Public lectures were also given how
>dangerous the drugs were.  
>The Dooplaryar Health Workers Union is with 64 members and the Education
>Workers Union is with 72 members.  Both were formed in May 1998.  
>Although the SLORC is forbidding of forming unions, on the other hand, the
>KNU is encouraging to form unions.   
>
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>At the 86th Session of the ILO Conference, the Burmese delegation was
>condemned badly of its failure to implement ILO Con. 87, Freedom of
>Association, ILO Con. 29 Forced Labour and the use of child labour in
>Burma.  The Conference disappointed the SLORC for no concern for the
>recommendations of the ILO, the United Nations General Assembly and  the
>United Nations Commission on Human Rights. 
>
>The worker delegation of Burma, U Min Hla addressed at the 86th Session of
>the ILO Conference,
>"In these days in Burma, workers and peasants alike can pursue their
>livelihood in peace and security. Workers can develop and improve their
>skills through various forms of training and have the right to freely
>choose employment. They also have free access to the public employment
>service provided by the Government to all job seekers. Several labour laws
>have been enacted to guarantee the legitimate rights of workers. These laws
>are not inferior in their  provisions to the international labour standards."
>However, the trade unions along the Thai-Burma border strongly rejected U
>Min Hla's report. In actual fact, workers and peasants have no rights, no
>security of life and peace. In Papun, Taungoo, Nyaung Lay Bin and Belin
>district, rice fields, betel nut plantation fields and rice barns are
>destroyed, livestock are killed and hundreds of Karen villages are
>relocated. In April 98,  seventeen Karen innocent farmers (five were
>female) were shot dead by the SLORC's army in Papun district. 
>Many farmers from Taungoo District, Kyut Gone, Tar Pye, Kaneh Deh and Kywe
>Te Kwin villages lost hundreds of rice fields, betal farms and banana
>farms, confiscated by the SLORC army in 1998. Most of the fields were for
>the SLORC battalions and some were granted to Kwe Moo and Ah Day, who
>defected to the SLORC. 
>Thousands of farmers had to give quota rice to the SLORC without their
will.  
>Labour affairs expert Daw San San of the NLD, Myo Aung Thant and Khin Kyaw
>of the Federation of Trade Unions-Burma were heavily sentenced with unfair
>trail.  
>
>Therefore, it is very obvious that the junta was lying at the ILO Conference.
>
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