A STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE STRIKING WORKERS OF TAIYI AND NEW WAY FOOTWEAR FACTORIES AND THE TAILOR

AND WENG HONG HONG GARMENT FACTORIES IN THE HLAING THAYAR INDUSTRIAL ZONES IN BURMA. 22 February 2012 The Akbayan Citizens Action Party stands in solidarity with the striking Burmese workers in their ongoing struggle for decent wages and for safe and humane working conditions. Akbayan calls on the owners of the Taiyi, Weng Hong Hong, Opal-1, Opal-2, Miss Style, New Way, YJ and Charming Factories to respect the wage laws of Burma and immediately reverse their decision to cut the hourly wages of their Burmese workers. Akbayan also calls on the Burmese Government to strictly implement the labor laws of Burma and not sacrifice the welfare of their own people just to give incentives to foreign investors. The Philippines, like Burma and many other countries around the world, is also seeing this distressing trend of government-corporate collusion to deny workers their basic rights. As Akbayan fights to protect the rights of Filipino workers in the Philippines and abroad; so too shall it fight for rights of the workers in Burma! Let us keep to heart the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans as right to work. It provides no rights and no works. Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining... we demand that this fraud be stopped.

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