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Le bilan des contaminations à la variante britannique et nigériane du coronavirus demeure stable ces derniers jours en Algérie. Quant au bilan journalier des contaminations au coronavirus, ce dernier présente une hausse depuis désormais deux jours consécutifs. Après avoir enregistré une baisse considérable les jours précédents avec un bilan inférieur au seuil des 100 cas […]

L’article Covid-19 en Algérie : Un bilan qui continue sa hausse est apparu en premier sur .

Die zuständige Kommission des Nationalrats ist einstimmig auf die AHV-Vorlage eingetreten. Die Mehrheit unterstützt neben der Erhöhung des Rentenalters der Frauen auf 65 Jahre auch die anderen drei Kernelemente der Vorlage.

Az egészségügyi minisztérium intenzív munkát folyat annak érdekében, hogy mindazokkal együtt, akik a koruknál fogva jogosultak a vakcinára, a krónikus betegeket is beoltsák a COVID-19 betegség ellen.

To Enrique González Rojo (1928-2021), friend, comrade in many struggles, admirable poet, and Marxist thinker

By Saul Escobar Toledo
MEXICO CITY, Mar 26 2021 (IPS)

A compilation of testimonies collected by Blanca Velázquez Díaz and published by the Ebert Foundation (available at: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/mexiko/17328.pdf) offers an account of the harsh reality by which some workers of the maquila industry in the Mexican state of Morelos have gone through over these last twelve months. Their words reflect, undoubtedly, similar experiences of millions of workers in different parts of the country.

Saul Escobar Toledo

The author explains the interviews were conducted by phone in mid-2020; the workers´ ages range from 20 to 40 years; their level of education is elementary and middle school; they come from the countryside or small urban communities where there are few chances to get a job, so they move to the larger cities of the State of Morelos, where the maquiladoras are set to produce for major brands belonging to international consortia.

Their working conditions were already very unfavorable: in the textile sector and specifically in the branch of clothing and footwear, working days exceed eight hours a day, time in which they are permanently seated in non-designed chairs ergonomically, supporting extremely high temperatures in closed places with little ventilation.

The spread of COVID-19 made matters worse. Mainly, the bosses of the maquilas in Morelos did not respect the official recommendations and opted for the dismissal of their employees or cut half of the wages they received weekly.

For example, a worker identified as Lili said, “The company is paying me 280 pesos (14 dollars) a week …” while another, Anita says, “I am now working cleaning houses, the truth is that $ 400 pesos (20 dollars) the factory is giving me now is not enough”. Other interviewees indicated that they have received half of their salary.

Vicky: “Getting only half the salary the situation is bad, what am I going to do with only $ 400 pesos a week? that’s tough for me, and the company has us on hold, no one knows when I will get back to work … ”

Some more, a little luckier, affirmed that “From April 3 they sent us to rest with a base salary, which is really very little, 833 pesos (41 dollars) a week …”

There were also cases in which the workers decided to stop working so as not to get infected, and were fired:

Brenda: “… the company chose me to continue working on contingency days, but I saw that several colleagues went home sick with symptoms of COVID-19 and that was why I decided not to expose myself to the Coronavirus, my supervisor was terribly angry with me for making that decision, but I was sure that what I had decided was the right thing to do, to stay home and protect myself. Now I am fired, I was no longer called. ”

Almost all confessed going through a very tense emotional situation:

Justina: “Well, personally in the mental sphere I want to take things easy, but it is a bit impossible when I watch television or social networks, since they are flooded with what is happening in the pandemic and with bad news. They have been very outrageous at the time of reporting, I think that’s why, so sometimes I can’t get to sleep … ”

Finally, the workers were questioned about government aid. All answered they did not receive any support from the federal, state, or municipal governments:

María: ” No, at least nothing to me, I only remember that once the assistant of the mayor of the municipality (Emiliano Zapata) was distributing pantries, but they had a cost …”

Vicky: “Oops! nothing, not a glass of water …! ”

Anita: “The truth is, nothing, at least not even a pantry has arrived here in my neighborhood. ”

The author of the compilation concludes that, according to the testimonies collected,

“The more important consequences (observed) were unjustified dismissals … during these months of health emergency. The major concern of workers is how to generate an income … since the current employment situation looks increasingly difficult. Their mental and emotional health is in constant tension…, especially due to the low economic resources to support their families; besides, they are fearful about the possible spread of COVID-19 when they must exit their homes and go to the streets looking for an (extra) income … Add to this situation the double and triple work burden. Home education of their minor sons and daughters is generating many more hours of work for them. The care, especially of children, continues to fall primarily on women, just because they are females, with multiple responsibilities and little or no help from their partners, a situation that has led to stress, worry, anxiety, and insecurity, to mention some consequences ”

Another important piece of information refers to the behavior of the unions. According to the testimonies collected, Blanca Velázquez assures that in normal times the unions do not defend their affiliates; neither they have done in times of pandemic since they abided unashamedly business decisions and left the worker abandoned to their fate.

Finally, the text calls our attention about the almost total absence of the Mexican State in this situation, particularly the federal government. Rightly concludes the author of this collection, that:

“The social programs that the federal government has promoted for particular sectors, especially vulnerable ones, should be expanded for the workers laid off or when the bosses did not comply with the full payment of wages. We believe that programs for people who were laid off should be promoted immediately or, failing that, (legislate) unemployment insurance to alleviate this serious situation and train those who require it to be able to be employed in other trades or professions”.

Millions of wage earners have been deprived of any help and it has had a high social cost and become an obstacle to economic recovery. It is difficult to understand the reasons that led the government to this oversight. Perhaps they expected companies would pay total wages or that layoffs could be resolved quickly. However, it was likely that they did not, as indeed happened, due to the behavior of many companies in the past decades, as they have constantly violated labor laws and promoted lack of representative trade unions, especially in industry of maquila.

The absence of a worker protection policy during the pandemic seems to be due rather to an economic project based on budget cuts and austere public spending that does not admit emergency measures. The testimonies collected in the book show the unfortunate effects of these decisions. Waiting for the US economy to be the main factor in the recovery may be successful in the coming months. However, it will not correct the damage done to working class families. Nor will boost employment if it is not accompanied by other measures, such as unemployment insurance and promotion of domestic production and consumption.

The words of grief and pain shown in this publication are a very expressive testimony of what the Government of the Republic could have done (as in other countries and even in Mexico City) but refused to do.

Saul Escobar Toledo, Economist, Professor at Department of Contemporary Studies in INAH (National Institute oh Anthropology and History, México) and President of the Board of the Institute of Workers Studies “Rafael Galvan”, a non-profit organization. His recent work : “Subcontracting: a study of change in labor relations” will be published soon by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Mexico City.
saulescobar.blogspot.com

 

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The post Maquila Female Workers in Their Own Words: Fighting COVID and Labor Abuse appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

To Enrique González Rojo (1928-2021), friend, comrade in many struggles, admirable poet, and Marxist thinker

The post Maquila Female Workers in Their Own Words: Fighting COVID and Labor Abuse appeared first on Inter Press Service.

MTI: A 23. helyen végzett a jégtáncosok ritmustáncában a Yanovskaya Anna, Lukács Ádám kettős a stockholmi műkorcsolya- és jégtánc-világbajnokságon, melyen így nem szerzett olimpiai kvótát.

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On 26 March, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, met with the newly appointed Ambassador Hatun Demirer, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OSCE, to welcome the new Ambassador and discuss the current media situation in Turkey.

Ribeiro and Ambassador Demirer shared views on the media landscape in Turkey, including the ongoing prosecution of journalists and the independence of the judiciary in the country. They touched upon the challenges to, and opportunities for, ensuring a favourable working environment for journalists and the media in Turkey. In this regard, Ribeiro reiterated that her Office will continue to closely monitor the related developments in the country, and she expressed her appreciation in receiving further information from the Turkish authorities on specific cases of concern.

Ambassador Demirer highlighted the human rights reform package that the Turkish authorities recently announced, which, among other areas, covers the media sector, denominating it as a vital component in the evolving reforms in the country. Ribeiro expressed her interest in learning more about this initiative and offered her Office’s assistance in providing expert recommendations in the field of freedom of expression and media freedom, in line with relevant international standards and OSCE commitments.

To secure a free and safe media environment in Turkey, and across the OSCE region, Ribeiro and Ambassador Demirer both agreed that open, mutual and constructive dialogue are of crucial importance.

Seit drei Tagen ist der Zuger Häftling Qendrim Atashi (29) schon auf der Flucht. Obwohl die Polizei schon diverse Mittel auf der Suche eingesetzt hat, fehlt vom Flüchtigen jede Spur.

Le chef de l’Etat ivoirien, Alassane Ouattara, a officiellement nommé Patrick Jérôme Achi au poste de Premier ministre, ce vendredi. Ce dernier avait été chef de gouvernement intérimaire, après le décès de son prédécesseur, Hamed Bakayoko. C’est finalement Patrick Jérôme Achi que le chef de l’Etat ivoirien, Alassane Dramane Ouattara, a désigné comme nouveau chef […]

L’article Patrick Achi nouveau Premier ministre de Ouattara est apparu en premier sur Afrik.com.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 493 ceasefire violations, most of them shots and bursts of small-arms fire. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 89 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded one ceasefire violation. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.
• Small-arms were fired near an SMM patrol in government-controlled Pavlopil, Donetsk region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable maintenance, operation and repairs of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at three entry-exit checkpoints and three corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Luhansk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

Kranksein bedeutet nicht zwingend Bettruhe. Wenn es der Genesung dient oder ihr nicht schadet, ist mehr erlaubt, als man vermutet.

Grâce à sa production commerciale de semences, la Croatie est devenue l’un des principaux pays de l’UE en matière d’agriculture biologique. Mais, aujourd’hui, les exploitants bio craignent que l’introduction d’une nouvelle loi relative aux semences ne menace leur filière.

A francia püspöki konferencia pénteken bejelentette, hogy az "egyház vállalja a felelősséget a társadalom előtt, és bocsánatot kér" az egyház tagjai által kiskorúak sérelmére elkövetett szexuális visszaélések miatt. A testület arról is döntött, hogy a sértetteket pénzügyi kompenzációban kívánja részesíteni.

We saw a preview of the upcoming change of guard in German politics this week...

Nőket, köztük egy kiskorú lányt prostitúcióra kényszerítő hódmezővásárhelyi család három tagja ellen indult eljárás – közölte a rendőrség.

A gyanú szerint a testvérpár és anyjuk 2016 és 2019 között öt nőt erőszakkal és fenyegetéssel arra kényszerített, hogy szexuális szolgáltatásokat nyújtsanak férfiaknak, majd az ezért kapott pénzt elvették tőlük és saját megélhetésükre fordították. A szexuális kizsákmányolásból a család az évek alatt csaknem húszmillió forintot keresett.

A fiatal nőkkel általában a trió idősebb férfi tagja vette fel a kapcsolatot. Közösségi oldalon keresztül ismerkedett meg a korábban már prostituáltként dolgozó lányokkal, majd szerelmi viszonyt alakított ki velük. Rávette őket, hogy pénzért árulják testüket, és azzal hitegette őket, hogyha ezt megteszik, akkor lesz elég pénzük, és házat meg kocsit tudnak venni.

Többször előfordult, hogy a férfi megalázta és bántalmazta a lányokat, de olyan eset is volt, amikor éheztette vagy kábítószerrel bódította el őket. Telefonjukat is elvette tőlük, hogy senkivel ne tudjanak beszélni. A férfi édesanyja, illetve az elkövetéskor még fiatalkorú fivére általában a szexuális hirdetések regisztrációját és kezelését végezte, valamint a lányok szállítása volt a feladatuk.

A gyanúsítottakat szerdán fogták el, majd átkutatták két hódmezővásárhelyi és egy sándorfalvi lakásukat, ahol bizonyítékokat, valamint több millió forint értékben aranyékszert, használati cikkeket, készpénzt foglaltak le.

A Csongrád-Csanád Megyei Főügyészség a kizsákmányolás céljából, erőszakkal elkövetett emberkereskedelem bűntette és kitartottság bűntette miatt indult eljárásban indítványozta mindhárom gyanúsított letartóztatását – közölte Szanka Ferenc, a főügyészség szóvivője.

The post Galád család: kalákában futtatták a lányokat appeared first on .

Durch die kommerzielle Produktion von Saatgut hat sich Kroatien zu einem der führenden EU-Länder für die Bio-Agrarproduktion entwickelt. Doch Biobauern befürchten nun, dass die Einführung eines neuen Saatgutgesetzes diese Entwicklung gefährden könnte. EURACTIV Kroatien berichtet.

Les opérations se poursuivent pour déplacer un navire qui bloque dans le canal de Suez, l'une des voies navigables les plus fréquentées du monde.

Eine 3:0-Führung nach nur 13 Minuten. Das hat die Nati in 813 (!) Länderspielen zuvor noch nie erreicht. Der 3:1-Blitzsieg gegen Bulgarien ist einer für die Geschichtsbücher.

VIENNA, 26 March 2021 – Good governance and the rule of law are fundamental to economic growth, political stability, and security in the OSCE region and Asian Pacific, according to participants at the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group discussion, the first under the Albanian Chair, organized in partnership with Japan.  

OSCE activities contribute to the peace pillar of the 2030 UN Agenda and support multiple sustainable development goals. This year, participants agreed to discuss developing concrete steps towards a more substantive interaction.

“As we witness various challenges, including the pandemic, it becomes crucial for OSCE participating States and the Asian Partners for Co-operation to further strengthen the partnership,” said Ambassador Akira Mizutani, Ambassador of Japan to Austria and Head of the Delegation of Japan to the OSCE. “Japan shares the values of the OSCE, with its comprehensive security approach, and attaches predominant importance to human rights, democracy, good governance, rule of law, and economic co-operation. It is consistent with the concept of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, under which Japan aims to promote peace, stability and prosperity.”

“We are responsible for the full implementation of all OSCE principles and commitments,” said Ambassador Igli Hasani, Permanent Representative of Albania to the OSCE, Chair of the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group. “We must recognize that our security is inextricably linked to that of adjacent areas, including Asian-Pacific. There is the desire to share and learn from each other’s experiences, which will benefit the OSCE area and beyond.”

Ambassador Ulrika Funered, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, Swedish 2021 OSCE Chairpersonship, underlined the Chairpersonship’s overarching priority areas: safeguarding European Security by focusing on common principles and joint commitments; upholding the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security, including fostering democratic principles and strengthening gender equality; and contributing to and supporting conflict resolution. “In this respect, today’s topic sets an excellent tone for the series of five thematic meetings of this Group.”

On behalf of OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, Luca Fratini, Director of the Office of the OSCE Secretary General, said that the participating States recognized the benefits of strengthening good governance and promoting connectivity through trade and transport. “Connectivity is particularly important for the stability and sustainable development of Central Asian landlocked countries, as they experience high transport costs to major markets, including to those of Asian Partners for Co-operation.”

The OSCE supports the Partnership by contributing to the development of a joint action plan focusing on consolidating common values in the international community and understanding the new challenges that all are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A 3-0 win in Niger for Ivory Coast sends the Elephants to Cameroon with a game to spare.