These articles are from the Irish Anarchist Paper =
Workers Solidarity, No 50 Spring 1997
THAT'S CAPITALISM
Chinese Women Fined For Losing Virginity
BY EVA CHENG Chinese women in the key industrial city of Wuhan, =
Hubei province, are forced to pay heavy fines and =
write "self-criticism" if found to have lost their =
virginity before marriage, according to a China News =
Digest dispatch. A medical examination is required =
in order to obtain state approval to marry. The fine =
ranges between 200 and 2000 yuan. The monthly wage =
of an average worker is a few hundred yuan.
The approval - in the form of a "marriage =
certificate" - is part of the requirement under =
China=92s one-child policy, introduced in the early =
1970s. Zhang Xianwu, an official at the Marriage =
Department of Wuhan=92s Bureau of Civil Affairs, was =
quoted as saying that the stiff fine was necessary to =
stamp out "immoral trends".
*************
The Geneva based International Labour Organisation =
recently released figures which found that the =
jobless rate is between 50% and 100% higher for women =
than for men. Worldwide, women only earn between 50% =
and 80% of men' wages; and of the 100 million =
children without access to primary education about =
60% are girls.
*****
Last Nov.7th & 8th saw the Canadian province of =
Manitoba bring in a law whereby trade unions now have =
to disclose all financial information to the "public" =
except the amount in strike funds. But, of course, =
total revenue minus non-strike fund monies =3D strike =
fund. These provisions give the employer =
considerable power in the bargaining process - power =
to see if a union can finance a strike. There is no =
similar obligation on employers to declare how much =
money they have for union busting.
*****
In the USA many prisoners are used as slave labour in =
prison laundries, kitchens and factories. They are =
paid 50, 80 cents or if very lucky $2 a day. Now the =
state of Michigan is charging these prisoners for =
electricity. The meanness doesn't end there. =
Governor John Egler wants cuts in education (only 3 =
of the 40 prisons still have classes), and an end to =
drug rehabilitation programmes.
*****
Microsoft Corporation has been making some of its =
profits from prison labour in the USA. The Twin =
Rivers Correction Centre in Washington State took up =
the slack when the rush was on to get Windows 95 out =
in time. Operating via an intermediary company =
called Exmark, prisoners were paid an average of just =
$1.80 per hour for their work. Microsoft posted =
record profits last year. Bill Gates, its head, is =
one of the richest people in the world.
*****
------------------------------------------------ This article is from the Irish Anarchist Paper =
Workers Solidarity, No 50 Spring 1997
The whole issue and previous issues can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2724/anpubdx.html
-- =
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Platform-> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6170/ Ireland-> http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419/irlindx.html
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