After an unprecedented yearlong pandemic spread over the world claiming almost 3 million lives and destroying the livelihoods of millions more, the rollout of vaccines has provided some hope of resuming economic activities. Yet, the impact of COVID-19 continues to magnify inequality and expose the long existing systemic problems faced by marginalised workers all over the world.
In Asia, disrupted global supply chains and lockdowns stagnated production and factories were shut down, causing many workers to lose their jobs or forced to work in unsafe workplaces. Among them, women and migrant workers face a more critical situation of survival, to which governments failed to respond proactively and correspondingly to the needs of workers and their families. Compared to conditional and occasional cash-outs and subsidies workers received, trillions of dollars worth of bailouts to corporations have brought the livelihoods of workers nowhere. Under deepening neoliberalism in the region, the deregulation of labour laws and promotion of informalisation have been accelerated under the pandemic. This trend in Asia, such as the Omnibus Law in Indonesia and New Labour Codes in India,[1] proved to undermine worker rights and largely limit local labour activism, further weakening workers’ and unions’ power to represent their interests against those of capital and the state.
In our interventions, we can see how workers, unions and communities have mobilised to provide mutual aid with food, PPE and other basic necessities. Though self-organising has been demonstrated in the pandemic, the crisis has exposed the vulnerability of our social system which fails to function. Many issues have surfaced including unemployment, unsafe workplaces and gender-based violence. Women and informal workers have become more vulnerable to the impacts of COVID-19, and the increasing informalisation and precarity of the workforce have further limited informal workers’ access to basic labour protections and social welfare.
Meanwhile, social distancing measures were used as camouflage to restrict worker organising and industrial action, and to suppress mobilisation of the labour movement and civil society all in the name of public health. It became more challenging for trade unions and activists to maintain freedom of association and collective bargaining; the exercise of fundamental labour rights was taken away during the pandemic.
Echoing the plight of pandemic, labour activism in different countries is facing severe attacks under authoritarian regimes and prominent labour activists are facing criminal charges for their persistent support of labour and pro-democractic movements in their countries. Somyot Phrueksakasemsuk, labour and human rights activist, who continues to be active and support the recent movement in Thailand after he was released from prison, charged with sedition and defaming the monarchy, is now facing his third time in prison.
In Hong Kong, Lee Cheuk Yan and Carol Ng, former leaders of Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) are charged with unauthorised assembly during the movement in Hong Kong in 2019 and subversion under the National Security Law for participating in the primary elections in 2020, respectively. In the Philippines, numerous activists were killed and many were arrested under Duterte and his administration. And in Myanmar, the military junta declared most of the country’s labour organisations, who are at the frontlines fighting against the coup, as illegal organisations in order to undermine the legitimacy of the unions, and prevent them from organising a general strike and garnering support against the brutal killings by the Tatmadaw. Besides these examples of suppression of people’s resistance movements, the threat of arrest, violent attacks and harassment became a new norm for labour activists and unions. It is important for the labour movement to deepen and strengthen our solidarity in the region, and connect workers all over the world to build a responsive network to fight this suppression.
Call for Video and Photo for May Day 2021 Campaign
Due to travel restrictions, we are not able to meet each other face to face this May Day. However, we believe that sharing messages of workers from across the region will help to inspire others in the fight against the pandemic, systematic repression, and the economic system that impoverishes the working class. AMRC cordially invites our friends in Asia to send us your messages reflecting on the COVID-19 situation. The themes of the messages can be, but are not limited to, how your life has been affected by COVID-19, how you and your union/ community have responded to the situation, and solidarity messages to other workers. These messages will be spread among our networks in Asia, and posted to our Facebook Page and other social media.
How to be part of the campaign?
Videos and photos carrying your message are welcomed.
Video: the video should be 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. At the beginning of the video, please name your organization/ union. We don't have specific requirements as long as it is clear with the image and voice. If you wish to remain anonymous, we can accommodate.
Photo: one photo or a set of photos (not more than 5) capturing the themes mentioned above .
Please also include a short description and/ or subtitles to accompany the video and photo(s)
Please send us your video or photo(s) on or before 23rd April 2021. If you have questions and suggestions, or need technical and/or language support, please feel free to contact us through amrc@amrc.org.hk or reach out to our individual Programme Coordinators. We are looking forward to receiving your submissions!
In solidarity,
The AMRC team
[1] ICTHR Journal