Reprinted from Campaign For America's Future
Vietnam is already snubbing the unenforceable labor provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Voice of America reports, in "Vietnam Beating Case Highlights TPP Labor Rights Issue":
"A Vietnamese labor activist has accused authorities of beating and detaining her after she talked with fired workers in southern Long An province.
"Long-time labor rights advocate Do Thi Minh Hanh, once imprisoned for helping organize labor strikes, said she was held Monday for '13 hours without being given any reasons.'
"Hanh, co-founder of Free Viet Labor Federation, and another activist, Truong Minh Duc, said they came to give support and advice to dozens of workers who maintained they had been unlawfully fired by a foreign-owned company."
What is going on here?
"Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said last week that Vietnam appeared to 'play nice during TPP negotiations, but now that the agreement has been signed, it is taking steps to tighten government control over critics.'"
Right. Now that the unenforceable agreement has been signed, there is no need to "play nice."
To be fair, Vietnam is raising their minimum wage...
"The monthly minimum wage for Zone 1 will increase from the current VND3.1 million ($138) to VND3.5 million ($155.8), and that of Zone 2 will rise from VND2.75 million ($122.4) to VND3.1 million.
"For Zones 3 and 4, the monthly minimum wages will go up from VND2.4 million ($106.8) and VND2.15 million ($95.7) to VND2.7 ($120.2) million and VND2.4 million, respectively."
Got that? After the raise workers in Vietnam will be starting at $155 a month. That's as little as $6.45 a day for Vietnamese working the standard six-day, 48-hour workweek. And that's the top minimum. Others will be getting $95.70 a month, as little as $3.99 a day.
So you have "foreign-owned companies" illegally firing workers who will be making less than $7 a day. Workers are harassed, arrested and beaten if they try to do something to improve their lives.
And TPP is being sold as a "job creator" here in the U.S. Right.
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