Showing 21 - 30 of 290
The 'satanic mills' of Bezos and Amazon
Oped, Published on 11/10/2022
» With Britain suffering through its worst cost-of-living crisis in decades -- owing to high inflation and soaring energy prices -- hundreds of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry since last month demanded a wage hike. If the demand is not met, they say they will go on strike in November, just ahead of Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. As with other recent labour actions by US rail workers and British Royal Mail employees, the Amazon workers' move has kicked off a debate about who is to blame for the threatened disruption: the elves in the workshop or Father Christmas?
China's future could reflect Russia's own
Oped, Published on 01/10/2022
» As China prepares for its 20th National Congress in October, when President Xi Jinping is expected to accept an unprecedented third term, many observers worry about uncertain days ahead, especially regarding Taiwan. But one doesn't need a crystal ball to glimpse its future. China's leaders, for their part, are looking at Russia.
Could your vacation end up changing the world?
Oped, Published on 31/08/2022
» As the United States sends stockpiles of weapons to Ukraine, another transatlantic mobilisation is underway. Freed from two years of Covid restrictions and testing requirements, Americans are once again travelling in large numbers. Market observers have predicted a six-fold increase in American tourism to Europe compared to summer 2021. If you're wondering what shipments of weapons and planeloads of tourists have in common, the answer is: quite a bit. Tourism has long had a way of getting mixed up in international politics.
Calling Thai domestic abuse to account
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 04/08/2022
» Developing societies (including Thailand) have enjoyed the presence of extended families, in contrast with the smaller unit of nuclear families. This broader coverage, encompassing not only the parents and children but also grandparents and other dependants, has offered a social safety net to support family members. Yet, that extended unit has now been disintegrating for some time, compounded by the stress due to Covid-19. What then are the areas needing more attention to tackle the changing scenario?
Thailand's bankrupt Myanmar policy
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/06/2022
» Few signboards foretell the global issues of our time better than what is addressed at the annual meetings of the Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD) in Singapore. After a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus, the most recent SLD covered the gamut on the main stage, from the United States-China geostrategic competition and military modernisation to security cooperation and climate change. The only anomalous single- and small-country focus in a special session was Myanmar.
Global shocks prompt rethink on supply chains
Oped, Published on 15/06/2022
» Starting in the 1980s, transnational production enabled the expansion of global trade and low prices for goods, contributing significantly to economic growth. But the shocks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war have shown firms that the efficiency gains implied by the global division of labour -- and just-in-time production -- come at the cost of resilience. With global supply-chain bottlenecks unlikely to resolve themselves soon, firms have turned their attention to reshoring or at least "friend-shoring", which seeks to combine closer geographic proximity with greater geopolitical peace of mind.
Rank injustice
News, Postbag, Published on 12/06/2022
» Re: "Six police get life term for killing drug suspect", (BP, June 9).
Gig workers need unions to secure living
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/05/2022
» On May Day last week, hundreds of demonstrators marched from Ratchaprasong intersection to the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre (BACC) to push for improvements to labour rights. People from all walks of life took part in the rally, held by the Workers' Union. Among them were delivery riders with their precarious employment status.
At land or sea, decent work is a right
Oped, Published on 30/04/2022
» On International Workers' Day, which occurs tomorrow, the world commemorates the historic struggle for an eight-hour workday, a critical milestone in the journey towards greater social justice for workers. Here in this part of the world, the Asia-Pacific region has often been a leader in the fight for better working conditions. Indeed, New Zealand workers were among the first in the world to win the aforementioned right in 1840, when carpenter Samuel Parnell successfully negotiated with employers to agree on the principle of "eight hours for work, eight for sleep and the remaining eight for recreation".
Understanding China since Nixon
News, Published on 26/02/2022
» On Feb 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit the People's Republic of China, setting in motion a process that would end China's decades-long isolation and kick-start the emergence of a modern, dynamic economy. But, despite the seismic economic changes in China in the intervening half-century, many in the West regard today's People's Republic as an unreformed communist country whose unfair trade practices are harming Western workers and consumers. Although this impression is partly a by-product of today's geopolitical competition, it also reflects a lack of historical perspective.