BULLETIN
HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES mARCH 2012
AUSTRALIA
PSI
ASIA
PA C I F I C
REGION
Nurses fight for Financial Transactions Tax at the G20 Summit
NSWNA President Coral Levett and NSWNA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda pose with a model who represents the ailing global economy and why an FTT would heal it.
Should you wish to contribute to this bulletin or advise of any useful websites, contact Judith Kiejda at: jkiejda@[Link] Please also advise of any changes to e-mail addresses or new subscribers.
Nurses from four continents including Australia were present at the G20 Summit in France in early November of 2011. New South Wales Nurses Association (NSWNA) Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda and President Coral Levett, joined other nursing unions under the banner of Public Services International in Cannes. The G20 summit was held against the backdrop of financial turmoil in the European Community that threatens to engulf the rest of the world economy. International nursing unions were in Cannes to pressure world leaders gathered for the summit to act in the interests of working people, not just bankers, in resolving the crisis. International nurses unions and other PSI affiliates are pushing for the introduction of a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) which, they say, would reduce volatility in financial markets and provide substantial revenue for quality public services. An FTT is a tiny tax on institutional trades of currencies, stocks, bonds, derivatives and interest rate securities, which could raise billions of dollars annually in Australia alone.
PSI ASIA PACIFIC REGION HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BULLETIN jANUARy 2012
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FIJI
Australia and NZ unions visit Fiji despite reported ban
Concerns over growing human rights violations in Fiji prompted a delegation of Union officials from Australia and New Zealand to visit the island nation at the end of last year. We have been invited by Fijians to investigate the true situation in Fiji, and we dont want to let them down, said Ms Ged Kearney, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. We have held concerns for working people on Fiji since the enactment of a series of decrees which have abolished the minimum wage, and effectively banned collective bargaining and union representation. Senior union leaders in Fiji have been arrested and detained in recent months, in what appears to be a campaign to intimidate anyone who challenges the regime. This is on top of other breaches of human rights, particularly freedom of expression, including a bans of church meetings, harassment and violence towards opposition politicians, religious persecution, and a clampdown on media. Unions are pushing the Australian Government to impose economic sanctions against the Fijian government in the wake of the introduction of these draconian decrees.
Senior union leaders in Fiji have been arrested and detained in recent months.
PSI mATTERS
PSI looks at anger and violence in the workplace
The PSI along with the NSWNA hosted a conference in October of 2011 with speakers from across the Asia Pacific, including Japan, Korea, Fiji and Australia, to discuss violence in the workplace. The conference found that health workers across the Asia Pacific region face similar versions of workplace violence ranging from verbal to physical abuse. Australia has seen two nurses lose their lives in violent attacks in the past 12 months. There is a familiar story across the region with the continual erosion of public services due to insufficient funding. This results in more work having to be performed by fewer workers. Often some of these workers lack the appropriate skills. This fosters an angry client base and puts extra pressure on public servants in their workplaces. This can translate into violence from consumers who have high expectations of the care they should receive and low tolerance for waiting times.
Australia has seen two nurses lose their lives in violent attacks in the past 12 months.
PSI Conference , October 2011
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PSI ASIA PACIFIC REGION HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BULLETIN jANUARy 2012
SoUTh KoREA
South Korea must push for labour rights in public and private sectors
Public Services International Korean Council (PSI-KC) have been meeting to ensure that the Korean Government follow protocols of workers and labour rights in both public and private sectors according to the ILO Core Conventions. Workshops and planning meetings were held on 14-15 November 2011 in Seoul, Korea to develop an effective campaign to push the government to ratify the ILO Core Conventions The ILO has repeatedly recommended to the Korean government that it should ratify ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98 and ensure labour rights for workers.
mALAySIA
Child care centre for bank employees in Malaysia sets example for employers
The National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) in Malaysia is leading the way by setting up a child care centre to benefit its members pre-school children, with the hope that others in the private sector will follow suit. For many years, we have approached employers to set up child care centres, explained J. Solomon, general secretary of NUBE and honorary chairman of NUBE KLSP (Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang). However, he said that most of them have been reluctant to do so because of the difficulties involved in the setting up and running of such child care centres. 95% of survey results gathered from bank employees, found that the greatest demand for childcare centres were in city centres like Johore Bahru, Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Three large banking instituions in Malaysia currently provide childcare services to their employees. However, if NUBE is successful in its intitiative, this will be the first union run childcare program in Malaysia.
If NUBE is successful in its intitiative, this will be the first union run childcare program in Malaysia.
PSI mATTERS
Nurses on the move
PSI together with affiliate the New South Wales Nurses Association (NSWNA) held a symposium on the plight of migrant nurses in October 2011 in Sydney. The symposium entitled, Nurses On The Move, focused on the different reasons nurses are opting for global mobility and some of the obstacles they face. Nurses from Fiji, Samoa and the Philippines spoke candidly about their experiences migrating to Australia and working in the health care sector. NSWNA together with PSI is also conducting research into the migration patterns of nurses, midwives and other health care workers around the globe. Surveys closed on 10 February with a preliminary document on the findings released in March and the final report to be delivered at the PSI World Congress in Dunbar, South Africa, late this year.
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JAPAn
Japanese Trade Union Confederation to enter negotiations with Employer Association
The annual round of wage negotiations between the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) and the Employer Association started in January and is shaping up to already be a contentious round of negotiations. Rengo is seeking a return to 1997 levels of pay, one of the highest rates of pay for workers and a 1 percent hike in overall pay. The Employer Association also known as Keidanren is an amalgamation of the Japanese Business Federation, Japan Federation of Economic Organisations and Japan Federation of Employers Associations. In its latest media release about negotiations, Rengo states: Employers have traditionally maintained an attitude focusing on holding down total personnel expenses and implementing cost reductions based on the simplistic idea that cost cuts are equivalent to strengthening international competitiveness. It should be noted that this has led to a vicious cycle at the macro level of wage stagnation, leading to anxiety about life and employment, and in turn causing sluggish consumption accompanied by a lack of demand, resulting in a deterioration of business.
PAcIFIc
Obesity on the rise among kids in Pacific Nations
Obesity as a high-risk disease among school age children is reaching crisis levels globally with the Pacific nations being particularly vulnerable for Type-2 diabetes and other chronic diseases. Some of the most overweight countries in the world are Pacific nations, including Nauru, Micronesia, Cook Islands and Tonga. Regional Educational Laboratory Pacific researcher, Melly Wilson said Pacific high schools rated poorly in her organisations recent evaluation of their food and fitness policies. We found in many cases that policies were in place but werent being implemented, she told Radio Australias Pacific Beat.
PnG
Maternal Health to be developed in PNG
The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre at the University of Technology, Sydney (WHO CC UTS) has launched a $US10 million two year program targeting midwifery education in Papua New Guinea. PNG suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the Western Pacific. With the injection of funding into the program, maternal health will become a priority for development and enhancements. Michele Rumsey, Director of Operations and Development, WHO CC UTS, explains that eight international expert midwives will be recruited to work at each of PNGs four midwifery schools, and two regional hospitals will each be assigned with an obstetrician. The teams will provide mentoring and continuous competency development to PNG obstetricians and midwives, as well as assist in the development of educational and practice materials. The expert midwives will work closely with the academic and clinical personnel in the schools and associated hospitals to support capacity-building of educators, clinical supervisors and preceptors.
PSI ASIA PACIFIC REGION HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BULLETIN jANUARy 2012
PNG suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the Western Pacific.
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