LABOR DEPT. CATALOGS WORKER RIGHT

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Dear Netters,
                          The United States labor Department has cataloged
worker rights abuses in Burma on the 1st of October 1998.The document is as
follows.

Sincerely,

Julien Moe
-----------------
01 October 1998 

TEXT: LABOR DEPT. CATALOGS WORKER RIGHTS ABUSES IN BURMA 

(Lack of democracy has harmful to worker rights)  (740)

Washington -- A U.S. Department of Labor study has found that the
overall lack of democracy in Burma has a deleterious effect on labor
standards and worker rights.

The report's major findings, according to a Department of Labor press
release issued September 25, are:

-- Child labor, exacerbated by a lack of investment by the government
in education for primary school children and by broad-based poverty,
remains a serious and widespread problem.

-- Abusive child labor practices include forced labor, military
conscription and trafficking into the commercial sex industry.

-- There are no labor unions and workers have no rights of association
or collective bargaining.

-- Forced labor has been used to develop the infrastructure of the
tourism industry and possibly the Yadana natural gas pipeline and to
support military operations.

-- The government apparently uses forced relocation as part of urban
development programs or in association with Burmese army campaigns
against the armed opposition.

The report concludes that there has been no improvement in Burma's
labor practices or in the observance of international labor standards.
"It is likely that serious violations of such standards will continue
until and unless there is real transition to democracy."

Following is the text of the Labor Department release:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Bureau of International Labor Affairs


Labor Department Catalogs Worker Rights Abuses in Burma

September 25, 1998

The Labor Department (DOL) today released its report to Congress on
abusive labor practices in Burma. The report covers child labor,
workers' rights, forced relocation of laborers and the use of forced
labor in the tourism industry and on construction of the Yadana gas
pipeline.

Congress directed Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman, in consultation
with the secretary of state, to prepare the report. In addition to the
overall question of labor practices, Congress asked that the report
include an evaluation of the cooperation and access afforded by the
government of Burma for purposes of collection of information
necessary for preparation of the report.

The report surveys, analyzes and summarizes the major allegations of
abusive labor practices in Burma and the responses of the Burmese
government to such allegations. The Labor Department compiled
information from a number of sources, including reports from the
Department of State, findings from international organizations,
reports of non-governmental organizations, information distributed by
Burma, testimony provided the DOL and interviews conducted by DOL in
Thailand. Burma, however, would not issue visas to a joint DOL-State
Department research team to visit there to undertake on-site reviews
and to assess the credibility of data.

"Our review indicates that the absence of the rule of law in Burma
also means international labor standards are not protected," Secretary
Herman said. "There is no freedom of association. The Burmese people
are subjected to forced labor and child labor appears to be
increasing. We collected and reviewed a great deal of information from
a wide and diverse range of sources but I believe the government's
refusal of access speaks volumes in itself."

DOL's study found that the overall lack of democracy in Burma has a
deleterious effect on labor standards and worker rights. This has been
emphasized by repeated denunciations of the Burmese government by the
International Labor Organization and the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
The report's major findings are:

Child labor remains a serious and widespread problem. It is
exacerbated by a lack of investment by the government in education for
primary school children and by broad-based poverty. Abusive child
labor practices include forced labor, military conscription and
trafficking into the commercial sex industry. There are no labor
unions and workers have no rights of association or collective
bargaining. Forced labor has been used to develop the infrastructure
of the tourism industry and possibly the Yadana natural gas pipeline
and to support military operations. The government apparently uses
forced relocation as part of urban development programs or in
association with Burmese army campaigns against the armed opposition.

The DOL report concludes that there has been no improvement in Burma's
labor practices or in the observance of international labor standards.
It is likely that serious violations of such standards will continue
until and unless there is real transition to democracy.

Copies of the report are available by calling (202) 219-9403 ext. 0.

(end text)