SOCHUM-Modern-Day Slavery.Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

SOCHUM-Modern-Day Slavery.Pdf Letter from Newton MUN's Secretary-General Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors, Welcome to NewMUN 2019! Before anything, I would like to wish you the best of luck in this two-day conference which is going to bring together the best MUN delegates from Lima. I am sure that I will witness the highest level of debate at this conference. More than as a MUNer, but as a responsible citizen, I understand that the global issues in our world must be solved by the international community. I also understand that MUN delegates don't have the capabilities to take the decisions to change the world, but at least we have the capacity to outrage ourselves when seeing that something is not working for our well being. That capacity to go out and speak for your beliefs, to stand up and raise the flag of your country demanding for consensus, demanding for peace, demanding for the well being of everyone. That capacity is the only way in which countries can move forward, and it is the only way in which we will contribute to building a better world. Maybe a little visionary, but is the truth. This year, the Newton team has decided to increase the number of committees in order to have a MUN conference of the best quality. The topics that we have chosen tackle issues from the past, present, and future, therefore presenting a challenge for delegates to combine their knowledge and application to reach solutions. In many of the committees, Directors have been prepared to take the flow of the committee to a maximum moment of crisis in order to assess the networking and negotiating skill from delegates. I will just like to leave you the message, that the only way to be successful is to give your best. As Eric Thomas once said: "You will be successful when you want something as hard as you want to breath". I wish you the best of luck in your committees and hope you have an amazing time in NewMUN 2019! Sincerely, Santiago Bustamante Secretary-General 1 Letter from the Committee Director Dear Delegates, It is a pleasure to introduce myself to you all. My name is Ainhoa Ceballos, and I’m currently in form V at Newton College, starting my first year of the IB Diploma programme. Nonetheless, even though school is enormously time-consuming (as you may all be aware of), I find the time to do some things I enjoy as playing tennis every day, participating in some clubs as MUN and watching some good shows on Netflix. In regards to my experience in MUN, I joined my school’s MUN club about 3 years ago, and I’ve attended around 10 conferences. To be honest, my favourite type of committee is SOCHUM since I feel passionate to discuss about the rights and well-being of people. This is why I’m really glad I have the opportunity to be the director of such a remarkable committee, as it revolves around a global concerning issue as is Modern Day Slavery. All I have to say to you is to give your best and get out of your comfort zone because it is the only way we get to do extraordinary things, and I reassure you this will not only help you in MUN but through many future life-situations. Participate as much as you can, if you are not really sure of something, take a risk anyway since we all come here to learn. Lastly, if you have any doubts or concerns during the committee let me know as I’ll be more than glad to help you, and if you’ve got any questions before the conference please feel free to write me an e-mail. Looking forward to meet you all, Best, Ainhoa Ceballos Committee Director, NEWMUN conference 2019 [email protected] ​ 2 Table Of Contents I. Overview of The Committee …………………………………………………………….. 4 II. Statement of the Topic …………………………………………………………………… 4 III. History of the Topic ……………………………………………………………………… 6 IV. Worldwide Issue Today ………………………………………………………………….. 7 A. Different Forms of Modern-Day Slavery B. Case Studies V. Past Un Actions ………………………………………………………………………… 12 VI. Bloc Positions ………………………………………………………………………...… 14 VII. Possible Solutions ………………………………………………………………………. 16 VIII. Questions All Resolutions Must Answer (QARMA´S) ……………………………….... 18 IX. Guidelines for Position Papers ………………………………………………………….. 19 X. Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………. 20 3 I. Overview of the Committee As such, in this committee, we will be discussing The Social, Humanitarian and Cultural the topic of Modern-Day Slavery, a politically, Committee, The United Nations General ethically and economical complicated issue Assembly Third Committee, usually referred to which is currently affecting negatively more than as SOCHUM includes all 193 member states and 40 million individuals, threatening their lives , was established in 1947 by the United Nations in and forming controversy in various countries order to discuss issues that involved social around the different corners of the world. development. Now, as you may be aware of, as resolutions Currently, SOCHUM is at the lead of human aren’t effective except a vast majority of the rights matters; committee concede with the ideas and tackling critical stipulations firmly enough, in order to proceed to concerns as: uphold it; it is crucial that delegates collaborate - Human with each other to ensure that as many countries’ trafficking burdens are covered and the issues are taken care - Protection of. Therefore delegates, your challenge for this of children and April 13th and 14th is to actively debate in this minorities simulation in order to draft a viable resolution - Empowerment of women and indigenous that will suggest reasonable solutions to address communities the root causes and the primary and secondary - Refugees crisis and treatments effects of Modern-Day Slavery;respecting your - The building up of fundamental freedoms nations’ policies and acting with total diplomacy. through the eradication of racism and discrimination II. Statement of the topic as it changed its forms, given that current victims of contemporary slavery are not only illegally It's been centuries since the cruel acts of slavery owned, but exposed to dehumanized and were abolished and prohibited by law. possessive treats, as forced labor, sexual Nonetheless, slavery continues to harm people, exploitation, debt bondage and many other forms 4 of unbearable threats towards humans. Currently, around 40.3 million people are under modern So, in different words, Modern-Day Slavery is slavery conditions across the world, crying for in very few cases people literally owning other desperate help and initiatives to put a harsh end people but actually more about being completely to these disruptions of rights. controlled or exploited at any extent by someone else; and it is concerning that it exists in every Even though The 1948 Universal Declaration of single continent in the world, and almost in every Human Rights prohibited slavery under all of its country; from the most developed ones, to forms through the following declaration "No one underdeveloped ones. ​ shall be held in slavery or servitude: slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their Contemporary slavery divides into different forms." ; Modern-Day Slavery was directly forms, which will later be explained, thus, the ​ referred to by the UN supplementary convention people who fall under these, are indeed the most in 1956 which states "debt bondage, serfdom, vulnerable, marginalised and socially excluded ​ forced marriage and the delivery of a child for groups in our societies, as the ones that are under the exploitation of that child are all slavery-like extreme poverty, children, women and girls and practices and require criminalisation and indigenous communities. For instance,the ​ abolishment" . This portrays a definition of ‘International Labour Organisation’ estimated ​ Modern-Day slavery since it exposes different that over 8.4 million children are in some from ​ forms of it; as debt bondage, serfdom, forced of slavery, such as prostitution, forced labour, marriage and child exploitation.Yet, another forced marriage and drug trafficking. As well, form, and the most common one of modern day The Global Slavery Index study of 2016 exposed slavery, being it forced labour was defined in the that out of 40.3 million people in modern Forced Labour Convention of 1930 as “ "all slavery, 71% of it are females, portraying once ​ work or service which is exacted from any again that due to lack of empowerment the person under the menace of any penalty and for vulnerable groups are the most affected. which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily". 5 III. History of the topic example, Spain (1811), Sweden (18130, Netherlands (18140). Portugal decides to ban A. History of Slavery slave trade, but only north of the equator in 1819. Slavery started in the 6800s b.c, when the Nevertheless, it's important to highlight that this Mesopotamian enemies were forced to work for new legislations were just abolishing slave trade them when captured. Later, in 550 b.c, more than and not slavery. 30,000 slaves were forced to work in the silver In 1833, Britain decides to pass the Abolition of mines of Athens, in Greece. In 120 a.d, more Slavery Act, that gradually abolished slavery in than half of the population of Rome were slaves. all british colonies. France does this too in 1849 Years later, in the 1000s, slavery was a regular and Brazil in 1851. These actions eventually led practice in Britain. Followed by that, in 1380, to the total abolition of slavery at the end of the during the aftermath of the Black Plague, the 19th century. slave trade blossoms because of the lack of workers. It is clear that society believed that all C. Modern-Day Slavery humans didn't have the right to be treated In 1999, the first global analysis of modern-day slavery is published.
Recommended publications
  • Grim Consequences of Workplace Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying by Way of Mediation: a Case of Service Sector of Pakistan Mehwish Iftikhar , Loo-See Beh
    International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-8 Issue-2S, July 2019 Grim Consequences of Workplace Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying by Way of Mediation: A Case of Service Sector of Pakistan Mehwish Iftikhar , Loo-See Beh healthy workforce. Therefore, a healthy workforce is the Abstract: Various studies have been conducted to measure precondition of productivity and economic development bullying incidence and prevalence in multiple organizational (World Health Organization (WHO), 2007). Employee settings based on a variety of methods and research design. health plays a significant role in the efficiency of any Nonetheless, these studies indicate that bullying is a devastating organization. Accordingly, providing a healthy work and crippling problem that should be addressed in relation to its environment should be the leading priority of each adverse effects and implications. This study identified several organization. Every work environment is considered healthy gaps in the literature when expanded specifically to the service sector of Pakistan, where the problem of bullying is prevalent. if harmful working conditions are absent and This research endeavored to fill in the aforementioned gaps by health-promoting activities and actions are present. The precisely focusing on organizational climate as a cause of maintenance of occupational health is costly (i.e., to promote bullying (based on frustration–aggression theory and social and maintain the highest degree of physical, mental, and interaction approach), technology in relation to cyberbullying, emotional well-being of workers) and the burden of such cost and effects on employee health. Hence, this study contributes to is increasing. The WHO Factsheet (2014) indicated that a the emergent discussion in identifying the debilitating outcomes majority of countries faced an economic loss of 4% to 6% of of bullying.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Families Task Force Final Report
    WORKING FAMILIES TASK FORCE Final Report 16 April 4th, 2016 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY After passing an ordinance that will provide more than 400,000 Chicago workers with a raise over the next five years, Mayor Emanuel launched the Working Families Task Force to identify additional reforms to strengthen the protections in place for the city’s workers. In addition, nearly 82 percent of Chicago voters supported the adoption of paid sick days for workers citywide via a non-binding referendum held in February 2015. The Task Force examined three issue areas: (1) paid sick leave, (2) schedule predictability for shift workers, and (3) paid family and medical leave. After 6 months of research, community engagement, and deliberation, the task force is proposing a framework for expanding access to sick leave and family and medical leave while recommending further research and discussion on schedule predictability before any legislative action is taken. The following is a summary of Task Force recommendations: Paid Sick Leave The Task Force recommended a framework that would provide workers with paid sick leave while having a nominal impact on employer costs. This proposal would: • Allow workers to accrue and use up to 5 earned sick days over the course of 1 year. • Workers would earn sick time at a rate of 1 hour earned for every 40 hours worked. This approach ensures that employees earn and accrue sick time at a proportional rate based on hours worked. • Accrued sick leave could be used by new employees after an initial 6-month probationary period. • Allow employees to roll over up to 2.5 unused sick days to the following year.
    [Show full text]
  • "Don't Wake Me, My Desk Is Far Too Comfortable": an Autoethnography
    Eastern Washington University EWU Digital Commons EWU Masters Thesis Collection Student Research and Creative Works 2015 "Don't wake me, my desk is far too comfortable": an autoethnography of a novice ESL teacher's first year of teaching in Japan Delaney Holland Eastern Washington University Follow this and additional works at: http://dc.ewu.edu/theses Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Holland, Delaney, ""Don't wake me, my desk is far too comfortable": an autoethnography of a novice ESL teacher's first year of teaching in Japan" (2015). EWU Masters Thesis Collection. 292. http://dc.ewu.edu/theses/292 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research and Creative Works at EWU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in EWU Masters Thesis Collection by an authorized administrator of EWU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “DON’T WAKE ME, MY DESK IS FAR TOO COMFORTABLE”: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY OF A NOVICE ESL TEACHER’S FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING IN JAPAN A Thesis Presented To Eastern Washington University Cheney, Washington In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language By Delaney Holland Spring 2015 Abstract This thesis explores and analyzes a first year ESL teacher’s experience teaching at an all-girl’s private school in Nishinomiya, Japan. Chapter 3 is divided into 15 sections that tell the teacher’s story of living and teaching in Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Work-Life Balance As an Innovative Concept and Its Potential Influence on Japanese Family Life
    Research Note Work-Life Balance as an Innovative Concept and its Potential Influence on Japanese Family Life Tabea Bienek Freie Universität Berlin In this article, I systematically explore how Work-Life Balance (WLB) in recent years became a concept in Japan to focus on the solution of social problems like the declining birthrate or the balance of work and family. I will show how political measures have been implicated and if the intention of these measures has been fruitful to Japanese society regarding the potential WLB bears. The idea of WLB in Japan is focussed on the balance of work and family in order to make Japanese family life easier and bring family members together. It also aims to bring back women to the working force after giving birth. How is Japanese society corresponding to these ideas of WLB? Providing that measures will be implemented by the government and the working environment, WLB strategies in Japan can be used to change Japanese family life and life style. Although the aim is very high, WLB measures already do have a visible influence on family life. Keywords: Work-Life Balance, Japanese family, balance of work and family in Japan 1. Introduction Nowadays having both parents working seems to be normal for German children. According to the Federal Statistical Office there are more than 50% of double income households in Germany. This also does not seem to be unusual for Japanese families. But regarding the official statistics on working women this is a rather new development. If we talk about Japanese working women in the age range of 30 to 50 years one can see that in accordance with the Work and Life Balance Report 2012 especially the number of permanent female employees has been growing during the last twenty years.
    [Show full text]
  • How the Unwritten Law Prevails in Japan
    WARRIORS BETRAYED: How THE "UNWRITTEN LAW" PREVAILS IN JAPAN Kiyoko Kamio Knapp* I. INTRODUCTION II. OVERVIEW OF KOosHi ("DEATH FROM OVERWORK") III. LEGAL PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH KAROSHI A. Failureof Work Hour Regulations B. Failureof the Workers' Compensation System 1. Overview 2. An Illustration of the System's Failure IV. WEAK ENFORCEMENT OF LAW IN JAPAN A. The Role of Law in the United States B. The Role of Law in Japan V. CORPORATE DOMINANCE IN JAPAN VI. RISE OF INDIVIDUALISM AMONG JAPANESE YOUTH VII. THE FIGHT FOR HUMAN DIGNITY A. The Need for More Forceful Laws B. Possibilitiesof Working Within the Existing System 1. Learning about Law 2. Participatingin the System VIII. CONCLUSION * LL.M. candidate in Asian and Comparative Law, University of Washington School of Law, 1997; J.D., Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, 1996. The author wishes to dedicate this article, with appreciation, to the following people: her husband, Wayne Knapp, Professor Bill Williamson, Mr. Tadashi Matsumaru and many other Japanese lawyers who are working hard on behalf of karoshi victims and their families. Unless otherwise noted, the author is responsible for the accuracy of all Japanese translations. Japanese authors are cited as they appear on the publication. Some authors followed the traditional Japanese style of placing the author's surname first, followed by the first name; others follow the Western style. For authors in the former category, only surnames are used for subsequent abbreviated references. IND. INT'L & COMP. L. REV. [Vol. 6:3 [C]an't it be said that today's armies of corporate workers are in fact slaves in almost every sense of the word?' [T]he freedom of an individual to live and die naturally without being subjected to destruction by others is the foundation of all human rights.2 I.
    [Show full text]
  • Work-Life in Japan
    B OSTON C OLLEGE CENTER FOR WORK & FAMILY EXECUTIVE BRIEFING SERIES In this Issue: Work-Life in Japan: The Past is Prologue • The economic, social, and demographic context for work-life issues in Japan Japan is 3rd in global GDP standing, with an economy worth an estimated $5 trillion in 2009 (CIA, 2010). Low birth rates and rapid population aging, how- • The Japanese corporate culture ever, are threatening Japanese affluence and forcing discussions of how to • Shaping the work-life agenda and transform social norms, the gender division of labor, and government policies national policy that currently limit individual ability to balance work and life. In 2008, the gov - • Work-life best practices and ernment of Japan launched a work-life balance campaign targeting these demo- recommendations for future progress graphic, social and labor issues. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Authored by: Welfare (MHLW), which is respon- Scott North, Ph.D sible for formulating Japan’s work-life Osaka University policy, declared 2008 to be the “inau- gural year” of work-life balance and Advisory Committee: a cabinet level office was established to promote new policies (MHLW, Wendy Breiterman Johnson & Johnson 2009a). This Executive Briefing will explore the social, cultural, legal, and Sara Kashima economic forces at play in Japan’s Chevron Corporation Work-Life Balance initiatives and con- sider what might be done to support Ako Serizawa change. Dow Chemical Company Sponsored by: Socioeconomic Indicators in Japan Johnson & Johnson Population 126,804,433 Contributing Staff: Infant Mortality 2.79/1000 births Jennifer Sabatini Fraone Birth Rate 7.41/1000 population Danielle Hartmann Life Expectancy 82.17 years Catherine Maillard GDP Growth Rate -5.2% Executive Director: GDP Per Capita $32,600 Brad Harrington Unemployment 5.1% Boston College Center for Work & Family Literacy Rate 99% Source: CIA World Factbook, 2010 I.
    [Show full text]
  • Karoshi and Karou-Jisatsu in Japan: Causes, Statistics and Prevention Mechanisms
    Asia Pacific Business & Economics Perspectives, Winter 2016, 4(2). Karoshi and Karou-jisatsu in Japan: causes, statistics and prevention mechanisms Behrooz Asgari Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Beppu, Japan [email protected] Peter Pickar and Victoria Garay Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Beppu, Japan ABSTRACT It has been long known that Japan has a penchant for work and loyalty. While hard work and loyalty are generally a positive trait, there is a fine line between productivity and overwork which results in negative side effects and health issues, often leaning to premature death or suicide. This effect has been known in Japan as “karoshi”, a word meaning death due to overwork; or in the case of suicide due to overwork, “karo-jisatsu”. This paper aims to explore the surrounding causes, background, current data and prevention mechanisms that afflict Japan and its culture of “salary-man sudden death syndrome”. Keywords: karoshi, karo-jisatsu, syndrome BACKGROUND Japan has a long history of loyalty and servitude stemming from its pre-war days and Code of Bushido, where “citizens lived in circumstances bordering on poverty” (Herbig & Palumbo, 1994). During these times, daily necessities were in short, with only the basics to live being in supply. The mentality of this time was to “self-sacrifice for the country” (Herbig & Palumbo, 1994) in an expression of loyalty, so the country could move forward in their endeavors. This generation was known as the “have” generation and their traits of loyalty and self-sacrifice were transferred forward to the ensuing generation. The post-war generation known as the “do” generation, appeared when the first baby-boom phenomenon “reached maturity in the height of Japan’s economic growth in the 1960’s” (Herbig & Palumbo, 1994) and readily applied their previous generations way of thinking to the business world.
    [Show full text]
  • Between Karoshi and Surplus Future of Labour and Non-Labour
    Between Karoshi and Surplus Future of labour and non-labour The London business consultant Deloitte is making an effort to disperse any doubts: „Ask any economist or technology expert and they will gladly tell you that decades of data prove that automation creates more jobs than it destroys.“ So far predictions of the end of employment have all failed. Nevertheless reassurances concerning the profound changes of the working environment caused by the innovations of technological attacks are little convincing, when reactionary economists such as Thomas Straubhaar (Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft) call for an „unconditional“ basic income as a means of preventive appeasement, since less and less people will be able to live from their working gains in future. The fraction of the „superfluous“ (surplus) that will have to organize their survival without employment will rise drastically. We will discuss whether or not and which kind of work will be scarce in the last chapter. First we want to examine the conditions that lead to massive devaluation of labour and massive submission of those who are still working or already without emplyoment. Timeless exploitation as a basis for a smart new world More people die per year from the consequenses of labour than from all current wars summed up. A study by the labour organisation ILO from 2015 talks about 2,3 million people that lost their lives directly in work accidents. Most of them occured in the global South. Miners that were locked-in, construction workers who fell from scaffolds, or sewers that got killed by the debris of factory buildings tumbling down in Bangladesh.
    [Show full text]
  • Inequality and Precarity in Japan: the Sorry Achievements of Abenomics
    Volume 16 | Issue 6 | Article ID 5126 | Mar 15, 2018 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Inequality and Precarity in Japan: The Sorry Achievements of Abenomics INOUE Shin, translated and introduced by Sachie Mizohata Japan was known as the home of a strong middle-class in the affluent 1980s, the fruits of its prosperous economy distributed more equitably than in many comparable high- income countries. Yet strictly speaking, contrary to popular perception, Japan was not that “egalitarian.” However, public credence was set and the Wall Street Journal (1989) to tellingly (if hyperbolically) characterize this secure society with impressive equality and principled values as “the only communist nation that works.”1 Then, sea changes followed. This once “egalitarian” society is now widely (not least in Japan) recognized as a Source: World Inequality Lab, 2017 - kakusa shakai (unequal society) in which creative commons licence 4.0 - cc by-nc-sa income and wealth have become more4.0 unequally distributed than in many advanced economies.2 While widening wealth gap This article introduces data and assessment by between rich and poor is a global trend as Inoue Shin of the Japan Federation of National shown in the graph by Thomas Piketty and his Service Employees who “visually” presents co-researchers (Figure 1.1), in the case of some of the key facts and figures of Abenomics Japan, in recent decades this has been with regard to the working poor, real wages, accompanied by economic stagnation, rising labor share, and more, drawing primarily on levels of poverty, precarity, and public debt government documents. In January 2018, the 3 grafted on top of population aging.
    [Show full text]
  • Workplace Bullying As an Arena of Social Influence: a Review of Tactics in the Bullying Process*1
    Małgorzata Gamian-Wilk University of Lower Silesia (Dolnośląska Szkoła Wyższa) Krzysztof Wilk WSB University in Wroclaw (Wyższa Szkoła Bankowa we Wrocławiu) Efrat Salton Meyer Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Israel Workplace bullying as an arena of social influence: a review of tactics in the bullying process*1 abstract: This article applies theoretical insight into the bullying phenomenon from social influence practices to present a framework for understanding the use and functions of negative workplace activities. Bullying is perceived as a process of multiple strategies. The article describes its antecedents and background that may trigger negative behavior. It presents the forms and dynamics of bullying from the perspective of social influence tactics taxonomies, as well as knowledge on the im- pact of such social influence practices as manipulative communication, social rejec- tion, rumors and work-related behavior. It also discusses the role of negative social influence strategies in group regulation processes and how they relate to bullying. keywords: workplace bullying, social influence, social influence tactics. *1 The research was supported by NCN grant UMO-2013/09/D/HS6/02717. Małgorzata Gamian-Wilk [email protected] Krzysztof Wilk Kontakt: [email protected] Efrat Salton Meyer [email protected] Gamian-Wilk, M., Wilk, K., Meyer E. S. (2017). Workplace bullying as an arena of Jak cytować: social influence: a review of tactics in the bullying process. Forum Oświatowe, 29(1), 91–108. Pobrano z: http://forumoswiatowe.pl/index.php/czasopismo/article/view/472 Gamian-Wilk, M., Wilk, K., Meyer E. S. (2017). Workplace bullying as an arena of social influence: a review of tactics in the bullying process.
    [Show full text]
  • The Precariat." the Precariat: the New Dangerous Class
    Standing, Guy. "The Precariat." The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2011. 1–25. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 27 Sep. 2021. <http:// dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781849664554.ch-001>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 27 September 2021, 16:39 UTC. Copyright © Guy Standing 2011. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 1 The Precariat n the 1970s, a group of ideologically inspired economists captured the ears Iand minds of politicians. The central plank of their ‘neo-liberal’ model was that growth and development depended on market competitiveness; everything should be done to maximise competition and competitiveness, and to allow market principles to permeate all aspects of life. One theme was that countries should increase labour market fl exibility, which came to mean an agenda for transferring risks and insecurity onto workers and their families. The result has been the creation of a global ‘precariat’, consisting of many millions around the world without an anchor of stability. They are becoming a new dangerous class. They are prone to listen to ugly voices, and to use their votes and money to give those voices a political platform of increasing infl uence. The very success of the ‘neo-liberal’ agenda, embraced to a greater or lesser extent by governments of all complexions, has created an incipient political monster. Action is needed before that monster comes to life. The precariat stirs On 1 May 2001, 5,000 people, mainly students and young social activists, gathered in Milan’s city centre for what was intended to be an alternative May Day protest march.
    [Show full text]
  • Do Traditional Values Have a Place in Modern Industrialized Japan? Author by Lars-Hendrik Greiwe Lars-Hendrik Greiwe
    STUDY IN JAPAN Do Traditional Values Have a Place in Modern Industrialized Japan? Author By Lars-Hendrik Greiwe Lars-Hendrik Greiwe In 1969, a worker of the largest newspaper company in Japan current processes in Japanese society. died of a stroke at the age of 29. His death marked an important Efficiency as a reason for overworking can already be moment in the working world in Japan. It is considered to be the excluded as an argument, as Japan’s productivity is the lowest first case of karoshi — literally translated as “death from among the G7 nations, ranking 9th among the 30 OECD overwork”. Since that incident, karoshi has become a social countries (“Karoshi (Work to Death)” in Japan by Atsuko Kanai, phenomenon among the Japanese workforce. Estimates suggest Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 2009). Economic interests could that nearly 10,000 workers die every year due to too much work- play a role, but as “[p]eople work to live, not to die”, as Kanai related stress. says, it seems peculiar that Japan in particular has such a well- Dying as a result of too much work seems to be a peculiar identified problem with employees dying from their workload. event when regarded from a Western perspective. When Cultural influences in Japan might be an explanation as to why confronted with too much work, the so called “burn-out” Japanese workers deliberately risk their health and in many syndrome seems to be a more common consequence in cases work until they are no longer capable, either due to illness Western countries, usually leading to work suspension rather or death.
    [Show full text]