Aishik Saha

Labour Unrest Brewing in the United States

Beyond the everyday headlines, the United States seems to be heading towards a new wave of labour militancy. Almost every major industry in the US seems to have been hit by the recent mobilization of workers, who are no longer willing to work for poverty wages. While the labour shortage triggered by the restrictions due to COVID-19 is seen as the immediate cause, the roots of the problem lie deep within the economy itself.

Gig Workers Take to Social Media Protest Unfair Employment Terms

Food Delivery workers for app-based platforms like Swiggy and Zomato have started taking to social media platforms to air their grievances against the company. The allegations point to exactly the opposite of what the gig-economy and its champions claim. Instead of freedom to work anytime and anywhere that is proclaimed by the platform companies, workers are subjected to an algorithmic surveillance regime that scrutinizes their every move. Let us take a look at the concerns raised by the workers themselves.

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Factory Fire in Bangladesh Kills Child Labourers

Bangladesh’s economic growth has been branded a miracle in South Asia, growing from one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the fastest developing economies comparable to the ‘Asian Tigers’. Recently the per-capita income of Bangladesh surpassed that of India. Much of this growth has been driven by export in garments. However much of the working class has been deprived off the benefits of its own labour as the recent factory fire in Narayanganj demonstrated.