Rohini hensman's Comments

Hello Rohini,

Please have a look at this:

http://www.unionbook.org/events/workers-charter-movement-2011

My South Korean acquaintance, Pong-Sul Ahn who was operating from the New Delhi office of the ILO as a Worker Specialist has also put out a book entitiled

" Growth & decline of political uniomism in India - The need for a paradigm shift". This is an ILO publcation which could be had from the ILO, New Delhi, I suppose.

By the way, trouble has started to brew in Sri Lankan state-owned banks who maintain their own employee pension funds. With more and more employees retiring, the funds are not able to bear the burden in a sustainable manner. So  naturally bank employees are concerned. Thses funds are not managwed in a transparent manner.

Hey Rohini,

Tnx 4 the reply msg. I am closely following the ideologal battle that's raging on the UnionBook, perhaps spurred on by the events unfolding in West Asia and North Africa right now. And I'm happy to see your notable presence in the cyber-debate. More power to your elbow! Also it's nice to virually another meet a global citizen in you.  I feel that the only place where exists true socialism at this point of time in human history are the public cemetaries and crematoria. Our race seems to be driven by Greed & Vanity.

When your book's low-cost South Asia edition is out, pls let me know.

To be frank with you, I am not familiar with the vast and diverse Indian labour scene. But I do am interested in it. I am following what is happening in Foxconn and Nokia, the ship-breaking industry and Tata's Tea plantations etc in India. By the way, I am with Arudathy Roy with regard to the Kashmir issue. Democracy, in a sense, seems to be a pearl thrown before us by the British. We are makin a mockery of it. I am disillusined with the so-called Leftist parties of Sri Lanka. So am I with the traditional party-affiliated trade unions. As for organizing the EPZ workers and precaeriat, well, I know Anton Marcus and a few I/NGOSS that are operating in the sector.

Hell Rohini Hensman,

The book you are writing on the post-conflict labour scene in Sri Lanka seems to be very interesting. I am a Sri Lankan and I am closely associated with the work of the ITF-affiliated National Union of Seafarers Sri Lanka (NUSS) whose website address is www.nusslanka.org

In Sri Lanka, a free and independent trade union movement is slowly emerging. The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Solidarity Center have shown interest in reviving unions in the conflict-affected Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.