by Philippe Gousenbourger, ITUC Youth Officer
This new ITUC report shows that the Burmese military junta currently in power has no intention of showing any more interest in the population than their predecessors have over the last 47 years of military dictatorship and highlights the link between the abuse of human rights, including trade union rights, and the catastrophic situation of Burmese children. Crushing all forms of opposition the Burmese military junta spends at least 40% of the State budget on the army, even though the country is not facing any external military threat, and leaves only crumbs for such important sectors as education and health care.
In October CPSU members in a government call centre in Sydney, Australia reported that staff were having to keep a diary of their toilet breaks. Staff were also being told to take no more than three minutes to use the bathroom. If at least 92% of their time was not on the phone they were “threatened” with counselling and disciplinary action. This time off the phone included time spent on some work activities, including processing claims and other paperwork. Some members even reported management had “popped in” to the bathroom to hurry them up! 
PSI Asia Pacific Regional Office is committed to implementing the 30% quota of young members participation in all activities in this region. Recently about thirty young members participated in the QPS Workshop in Manila, Philippines from 1 to 3 December 2009.
Right in the middle of the Public Services International’s Quality Public Services workshop, this slogan came to my mind. The workshop was held in Manila from 1 Dec -3 Dec 09. One of the highlights of the workshop was Prof. Fumio Kaneko’s presentation on International Solidarity Levy (ISL). Prof. Kaneko from Yokohama City University presented on the necessity of campaigning for ISL as a tool to solve the three major global crises namely, poverty, rampant financial speculation and climate change. 
The Global Labour University (GLU) invites trade unionist and labour activists to apply to its Masters Programme on “Labour Policies and Globalisation” offered in Germany, or the Masters in “Globalisation and Labour” offered in India.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), more than 200 million children in the world today are involved in child labour, doing work that is damaging to their mental, physical and emotional development. Children work because their survival and that of their families depend on it. Child labour persists even where it has been declared illegal, and is frequently surrounded by a wall of silence, indifference, and apathy. But that wall is beginning to crumble. While the total elimination of child labour is a long-term goal in many countries, certain forms of child labour must be confronted immediately. Nearly three-quarters of working children are engaged in the worst forms of child labour, including trafficking, armed conflict, slavery, sexual exploitation and hazardous work. 
This website is dedicated to Asia Pacific Young Workers. Contact Secretariat of AP-YN for more information: Indah Budiarti (PSI AP Organising and Communication Cordinator). Wisma AUPE, 295 Upper Paya Lebar Road Singapore 534929
Tel: +65 62823219 Fax: +65 62804919 E-mail: indah.budiarti@world-psi.org