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Antwort in : /alt/activism/d Absender : agger@faklen.dk (Carsten Agger) Betreff : Workfare: Magazine sues government for human rights violation Datum : So 12.07.98, 18:54 (erhalten: 13.07.98) Groesse : 2618 Bytes ----------------------------------------------------------------------
In Denmark, the unemployed receiving Social Security benefit
may be obliged to do forced labor (workfare) at 30 to 40% of the
regular pay, with no rights whatsoever regarding security
at work, no rights of forming trade unions, and no right
to holidays.
The magazine The Torch (Danish: Faklen) believes this is a
violation of human rights; more specifically, it is a violation of
article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (to which
Denmark is legally committed), which says that
"Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right
to equal pay for equal work" and
"Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions
for the protection of his interests".
It is also a violation of article 4 in the European Declaration
of Human Rights, "No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory
labor."
At present, the legislation is used to maintain unemployed in forced labor,
thus preventing them from qualifying for an actual job.
The Torch Magazine, therefore, will take legal proceedings against
the Danish Government - the case will be taken all the way through
the system, to the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg if need be.
We believe the present practice violates human rights and is therefore
unlawful and must be stopped.
Further information is available in the articles at our Web site,
http://www.faklen.dk/en/the_torch
especially the article "Danish Forced Labor a Violation of Human Rights".
Carsten Agger
The Torch Magazine
http://www.faklen.dk/en
The Torch is not affiliated to political parties or organizations of any kind. The magazine is published by a group of students from the universities of Aarhus and Copenhagen representing practically all subjects, from philosophy, classical philology and psychology to physics, biology and mathematics.
We believe that a humanist counteroffensive is needed – a counteroffensive which must have a solid foundation in science and cultural history if it is to become something more than mere attractive slogans with no particular impact.
Along with socially critical articles and interviews The Torch is continuously attempting to elaborate this wide theoretical foundation.
-- agger@faklen.dk The Torch Magazine: http://www.faklen.dk/en Erwin Neutzsky-Wulff: http://imv.aau.dk/~brynskov/enw/enw_eng.html Die la que si bon ordonnin nous vengeance (Boukman Dutty, 1791) Miembro de la Biblioteca Circular: http://www.encomix.es/~espada/circulo.html
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