Portal:Organized Labour

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The purpose of organized labour is for workers to form "a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment". This is primarily achieved by use of the technique of collective bargaining, where labour organizations negotiate wages and working conditions with employers. Closely related is the concept of industrial action, in which an organization will call strikes and resist lockouts. Another characteristic of labour organizations are the provision of benefits for members, such as unemployment insurance, health insurance, pensions, funeral expenses, job training, and legal services. Organizations also often carry out political campaigns, lobbying, and support political candidates or parties. Operating costs are covered by the payment of dues and fees by members, with the expectation that the money be spent to benefit the membership. More about organized labour...
edit   Organized Labour Article of the Day for February 28, 2015 Lim Chin Siong Born (1933-02-28)28 February 1933 Singapore Died 5 February 1996(1996-02-05) (aged 62) Cause of death Heart attack Nationality Singaporean Occupation Politician Political party People's Action Party Barisan Sosialis This is a Chinese name; the family name is Lim. Lim Chin Siong (Chinese: 林清祥; pinyin: Lín Qīngxiáng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Tshinn-siông; 28 February 1933 – 5 February 1996) was an influential leftwing politician and trade union leader in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Born in Telok Ayer Street, Lim studied first in Johor, before entering Singapore's Catholic High School and The Chinese High School in 1949 and 1950 respectively. He was later expelled for engaging in subversive activities in the Anti-British League, a Communist United Front entity. Political career Lim's influence in politics stemmed from his union work as a paid organiser of the Singapore Bus Workers Union and the Singapore Factory and Shop Workers Union. Together with his strength in Chinese oratory which was a critical factor for tapping the support of the Chinese-speaking masses. Rise Lim co-founded the People's Action Party (PAP) in 1954 with Lee Kuan Yew . His popularity rose rapidly and he became the leader of Chinese workers, trade unions and Chinese middle school students in the 1950s. He was slim, youthful, dedicated, and had a handsome boyish face. His oratory as a speaker in the Hokkien dialect, among the Chinese masses was legendary. In his political memoir The Singapore Story, Lee Kuan Yew offered deserved praise to Lim's "hypnotic" oratory: "...a ringing voice that flowed beautifully in his native Hokkien. The girls adored him, especially those in the trade unions. Once he got going after a cold start at the first two meetings, there was tremendous applause every time he spoke. By the end of the campaign, Lim Chin Siong was seen as a charismatic figure and a person to be reckoned with in Singapore politics and, what was of more immediate concern, within the PAP." At the young age of 22, He was elected into the legislative assembly as a member for Bukit Timah in 1955 and together with Lee, represented the PAP in the 1956 constitutional talks in London. Decline In 1955, Lim and his close associate Fong Swee Suan (方水双）instigated a labour strike by bus workers that resulted into the violent Hock Lee bus riots. He later led the Chinese Middle School riots in 1956 with further violence. Devan Nair recalled that, although the dispute resolved, Lim argued that “the anger of the workers must first be allowed to explode”, leading Acting Governor William Goode to accuse Lim organising as multiple stikes in a lead-up to the riots. Chief Minister David Marshall reprimanded Lim and his extreme leftist compatriots, noting that the “pattern of developments” closely conformed “to the Communist technique in seeking to foment industrial unrest on any excuse and to obstruct peaceful solutions”, The Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock suppressed the riots aggressively and Lim Chin Siong, with many other leftists, were arrested. The PAP promised to release Lim as one of its promises to the electorate to gain support, and thus honoured that by freeing Lim in 1959 after winning the first General Election. Lim later exited the Lee-led PAP which was trying to eliminate its own left-wing sections. He then formed the Barisan Sosialis in 17 September 1961. After Singapore's referendum affirming merger with Malaysia, Lim Chin Siong and many opposition party members were detained under the Internal Security Act by the ruling PAP government via the notorious Operation Coldstore on 2 February 1963. The Barisan Sosialis contested the 1963 general election while Singapore was a state of Malaysia. Though they put up a fierce fight, crippled by Operation Coldstore, they lost. This loss began Barisan Sosialis's eventual decline. During detention, Lim was reported to be depressed and suicidal. He was finally released from prison on 28 July 1969 after forcibly renouncing politics and went into exile in London. He returned to Singapore in 1979 with his family. The Barisan Sosialis merged with the Workers' Party in 1988. Lim Chin Siong died of a heart attack on 5 February 1996. Description of Lim Chin Siong's politics from declassified British documents Various British colonial despatches before the Malaysia-Singapore Merger in 1963 assessed Lim Chin Siong as a communist leader in Singapore. Lim was involved in the 1956 riots: "Riots in Oct 1956 (arising from a crisis in the Chinese middle schools and leaving 13 dead and 123 injured) had resulted in hundreds of arrests. The detainees including leading communists with whom Lee Kuan Yew was closely associated: Lim Chin Siong, Fong Swee Suan, Devan Nair, James Puthucheary, Sidney Woodhull and three others" Sir William Goode, UK Commissioner in Singapore Lim was a leader in trade union communist united front activities: "The danger of the TUC pursuing an independent and aggressive line comes not from the pro-Communist element alone led by Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee Suan, but rather from a combination of this element with other left wing members of the Secretariat led by Woodhull, Bani, Dominic Puthucheary and Jamit Singh. The Government is, however, still contemplating sterner measures against pro-Communists elements in the unions to defeat the Communists." Joint Intelligence Committee Lim was uncomfortable in denying he was communist: "Lord Selkirk emphasised that if Singapore were to survive, she had to solve her economic problems and this could be be achieved if stability were maintained. He asked Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee suan whether they were Communists. They seemed to be embarrassed by this question and failed to give a clear reply. Mr Woodhull, on the other hand, stated categorically that he was not a Communist." Office of the UK Commissioner-General Lim's plans for a communist Singapore: "Once Lim Chin Siong becomes convinced that the people of Singapore are going to support Merger, then I suspect he may well revert to the original long term policy of the M.C.P. - a Socialist Government throughout Malaya. The opportunity of over-throwing Lee Kuan Yew and achieving a Communist-manipulated Government in Singapore seemed, in July, to be so golden that Lim Chin Siong could not resist it." UK Deputy Commissioner P B C Moore Questions about Communism Questions have surfaced about Lim Chin Siong's status as a communist. The erstwhile Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, later Minister Mentor of Singapore, maintained that Lim was communist. However, Lim had on 31 July 1961 written a forum letter to the Straits Times, a Singapore newspaper, and said categorically, "Let me make it clear once and for all that I am not a Communist or a Communist front-man or, for that matter, anybody's front man." Although Lim claimed that he had not known the Anti-British League he joined had communist ties, the Special Branch's notes of Lim's activities contradicted this, such as Lim giving a talk in commemoration of Communist leader Joseph Stalin’s death to his ABL subordinates. Philip Moore, the deputy high commissioner in Singapore, stated in confidential correspondence in September 1961 that Lim Chin Siong “was a really clever United Front Communist operator”. Official records of a meeting between Moore's boss, George Douglas-Hamilton, S. Woodhull and James Puthucheary of Barisan Sosialis, Lim and Fong Swee Suan also stated that when Lim and Fong were asked if they were communists, they failed to give a clear answer. CPM leaders such as Fang Chuang Pi claimed to have been in clandestine contact with Lim, asserting in his memoirs that they had a “special relationship”. Claims made in Lim Chin Siong's Biography, Comet in the Sky According to Lim's memoirs, Lim had stated that he felt that labelling one a Communist was the quickest way to justify a detention without trial. In Lim's memoirs, Dr Greg Poulgrain of Griffith University observed that the British Governor of Singapore and his Chief Secretary in their declassified reports to London stated that the police found no evidence to establish that Lim was Communist. According to Lim, British and anticommunist Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock was the one who incited riots among the unionists and students during his rallies. Lee Kuan Yew then allegedly used these incidents as reasons to imprison Lim under the charge of Communism, after Lim split from PAP to spearhead the Barisan Sosialis. In addition, Lim alleged that Lee imprisoned under the request of Brunei Sultan, Sir Omar Ali Saifuddin because he had met the leader of the Brunei Revolt, A.M. Azahari and promised his party's support to him and the PRB(Brunei People's Party). Lim's jailing and exile also allegedly ensured that Lee would have no competitors for Singapore's premiership. The secretary general of the Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng, never acknowledged Lim to be a party member, and that the party had never controlled and manipulated Lim or Barisan Sosialis, contrary to Lee's claims; while the MCP in Southern Thailand had also stated that they did not exercise direct control over the Singapore left. Legacy Lim and his followers' contribution to Singapore's political development was that their dedication and selfless dedication to their cause helped to ensure that the ruling PAP also had to make sure that incorruptibility and integrity were central to their political legitimacy in Singapore. Lee Kuan Yew wrote of Lim in his obituary: “I liked and respected him for his simple lifestyle and his selflessness. He did not seek financial gain or political glory. He was totally committed to the advancement of his cause…Because of the standards of dedication they set, we, the English-educated PAP leaders, had to set high standards of personal integrity and spartan lifestyles to withstand their political attacks. They were ruthless and thorough. We became as determined as they were in pursuing our political objectives.” See also Lee Siew-Choh Chia Thye Poh Notes ^ Quotes on Lim Chin Siong ^ The Abortion of a Prime Minister : Singapore's Lim Chin Siong ^ The History of PAP (Part IV)-Lim Chin Siong References Lam, Peng Er and Tan, Kevin (Ed.) (2000). Lee's Lieutenants. Singapore: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864486392 Lee, Kuan Yew (1998). The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew. Singapore: Times Editions. ISBN 4532163633 Tan Jing Quee, Jomo K.S. (Ed.).(2001). Comet in our sky: Lim Chin Siong in history. ISBN 9839602144 C.C. Chin & Hack, Karl (Ed.) (2004) Dialogues with Chin Peng: New light on the MCP. Singapore: Singapore University Lim Chin Siong vs Lee Kuan Yew: The true and shocking history
edit   February in Labor History Significant dates in labour history. February 01 – The Paterson silk strike of 1913 began in the U.S.; the San Diego free speech fight began in the U.S. in 1912 February 02 – Shannon J. Wall died February 03 – George Becker died; José Vitoriano died February 04 – Bill Haywood was born; John Mitchell was born; Benyoucef Benkhedda died February 05 – Neil Aggett died; Ludvik Buland died February 06 – The Seattle General Strike of 1919 began in the U.S.; Elba Esther Gordillo was born; William Hutcheson was born February 07 – The Cripple Creek miners' strike of 1894 began in the U.S.; the 2006 labour protests in France began; Paul Mattick died February 08 – Ong Teng Cheong died; Jakob Kaiser was born February 09 – George Lippard died; the Supreme Court of Canada issued its reasoning in Ontario Human Rights Commission v. Etobicoke February 10 – 11 strikers were killed during the Reesor Siding Strike of 1963 in Canada; Peter Smith died; the Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO was founded; the film Blue Collar was released February 11 – The Oxnard strike of 1903 began in the U.S.; the UAW won a first contract at GM, ending the Flint sit-down strike; Nellie Quander was born; Mark Hewitson died; Clyde Cameron was born; the Memphis Sanitation Strike began February 12 – John L. Lewis was born February 13 – The Sons of Vulcan win the first contract in the U.S. iron and steel industry and the first union contract of any kind in American history; Margaretta Scott was born; Dennis McDermott died; John Healey was born February 14 – The Asbestos Strike began in 1949 in Australia; the Winter of Discontent ended in the U.K. in 1979; Jimmy Hoffa was born; Michael Sacco was born; the Confederation of State and Municipal Employees of Iceland was founded; Mary Lee was born February 15 – The 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute began; Baldemar Velasquez was born; Alice Henry died February 16 – The Griviţa Strike of 1933 began in Romania in 1933; William Quesse died; the National Hockey League cancelled its season in the middle of the 2004-05 NHL lockout; James Orange died; February 17 – Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. died February 18 – Peter J. McGuire died; George Campbell was born February 19 – The U.S. Supreme Court decided Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority and NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc.; I. C. Frimu died February 20 – Chittabrata Majumdar died February 21 – Patrick J. Campbell died; Phil Hare was born; Felix Aylmer was born February 22 – Albert Shanker died; David Dubinsky was born; the Democratic Organization of African Workers' Trade Union was founded; Poncke Princen died February 23 – Douglas Fraser died; Graduate Employees Together – University of Pennsylvania was formed; John Holman died; Kate Barnard died; Benyoucef Benkhedda was born; the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association was founded February 24 – The General Union of Algerian Workers was founded; the U.S. Supreme Court decided Muller v. Oregon; John P. Frey was born; Marshall W. Mason was born February 25 – Edgar Nixon died; Las Aguas Bajan Turbias, an Argentine film about workers forming a trade union, debuted in the U.S. February 26 – John Holman was born; the Southern California Supermarket strike of 2003-2004 ended in the U.S.; Frederick Hayday died February 27 – The Labour Party was founded in the U.K. in 1909; Mark Hewitson died; the first Spanish Trade Union Organisation congress was held; the European Court of Human Rights decided ASLEF v. United Kingdom; Tom Williamson, Baron Williamson died February 28 – The University of Miami 2006 custodial workers' strike began in the U.S.; John White was born; Hal C. Banks was born; Lim Chin Siong was born; John La Rose died; Tommy Lewis died; Ted Theodore died; Arthur Hayday died February 29 – A. L. Lloyd was born Jan•Feb•Mar•Apr•May•Jun•Jul•Aug•Sep•Oct•Nov•Dec	edit   Selected Quote "What is a labour victory? I maintain that it is a twofold thing. Workers must gain economic advantage, but they must also gain revolutionary spirit, in order to achieve a complete victory. For workers to gain a few cents more a day, a few minutes less a day, and go back to work with the same psychology, the same attitude toward society is to achieve a temporary gain and not a lasting victory." -- Elizabeth Gurley Flynn edit   In The News Labor News from Wikinews March 11: British trade union general secretary Bob Crow dies at 52 August 30: UK beer, soft drinks delivery drivers vote to strike August 16: Ryanair sack, sue pilot over participation in safety documentary February 5: UN adds to criticism of Australian offshore centers April 29: Signals indicate Texas economy continues to improve edit   Did You Know? ...that although an Iron Workers union member planted the dynamite in the 1910 Los Angeles Times bombing, the 21 people who died in the explosion and fire were all workers and not managers? ...that during the St. John's University strike of 1966–67, Jewish professor Israel Kugler sought an audience with Pope Paul VI to win his support? ... that in spite of hesitations due to the growing influence of Nazism in Germany, the International Federation of Trade Unions moved its headquarters to Berlin in 1931? edit   Selected Picture Shields used by striking workers at the Carnegie Steel Works during the Homestead Strike in 1892. edit   Project Tasks The Organized Labour WikiProject is a group of editors who create and maintain labour-related articles. Here are some open tasks anybody can complete. Requests: 1926 Passaic textile strike - Needs a couple good action photos of strike violence -- but 1926 photos are probably not in the public domain... Expand: Permanent & Casual Wharf Labourers Union of Australia, Maharashtra General Kamgar Union, Force Ouvrière, Jerome Wurf, Samuel Gompers, Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (1968) Update: National Labor Relations Board Two board members, needs attention! Strike action (also fix formatting), NHL Players Association, Teamsters for a Democratic Union
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Portal:Organized labour