Thursday, November 29, 2007

Shoe Makers Strike in Vietnam

The BBC is reporting that workers in a factory in Dong Nai near Ho Chi Minh City are striking for higher wages to offset growing inflation. They are members of the Dong Nai Provincial Trade Union and work in a factory owned by a company based in South Korea.

The strike comes even after the Vietnamese government boosted the minimum wage for workers in foreign-owned companies by 25% in 2006.

According to the BBC, the average worker in the plant makes about 20% more than the minimum wage, but rising prices have cut into the value of take home pay.

The Vietnamese plans to raise the minimum wage another 12% in 2008.

Wow imagine if our government raised the minimum wage as needed instead of every ten years. Also, imagine if our government sided with workers, or at least remained neutral instead of siding with the companies as under the Bush administration.

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