BackIndia, Asia-Pacific region’s unions protests cutting jobs
India, Asia-Pacific region's unions protests cutting jobs
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Melbourne: Indian workers federation will work with finance workers unions from around the Asia-Pacific region against the increasingly common practice of cutting jobs in one country to move them to less regulated places.
“Indian workers needed commitment from employers," Milind Nadkami, the general secretary of the All India Bank of Baroda Employees Federation, was quoted as saying by ‘The Age´.
Nadkami remarks came weeks after Australia’s Finance Sector Union warned that a review of National Australia Bank’s operations could send more than 400 Australian jobs to India.
India wanted foreign investment, but did not want jobs from overseas at the expense of workers in employers’ domestic markets, said Nadkami, who was speaking during an annual meeting of regional unions here.
“We all have a very simple and profound belief that jobs cannot be at the cost of jobs somewhere else," Nadkami said, adding “Today the jobs are coming to India. We know that it is a matter of time (before) they will shift to the Philippines, maybe Malaysia and, ultimately, to China as soon as the Chinese gain language skills."
Osamu Umemoto, president of the Federation of Non-Life Insurance Workers Union of Japan, said fear of Prime Minister John Howard’s WorkChoices legislation had brought the annual meeting to Melbourne for the first time.
FSU national secretary Paul Schroder said unions, with some exceptions, had been slow to adapt to globalisation. He expected unions around the world to eventually co-ordinate actions on issues such as wage parity and working conditions, but said unions would be a watchdog for the time being.
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