＂Marikana Has Come to the Farms!!!＂： An Analysis of the Socio-Economic Impact of the November 2012-January 2013 Farm Workers＇ Strike in the Western Cape

In August 2012 a bloody strike broke out at the Marikana platinum mine, close to Rustenburg in the Northwest Province. The strike, involving 3,000 African miners, became violent and police opened fire and killed 34 people. The issue of minimum wages and union recognition, inter alia, were underlying causes of this strike. The much televised Marikana strike had a knock-on effect and a few months later a widespread strike broke out among workers in the agricultural sector of the Western Cape. Large-scale destruction of property and crop damage took place on farms reaching levels of militancy never previously encountered in this sector. As in the case of the Marikana strike the root causes of the strike action in the Western Cape seemed to be the question of minimum wages, and, to a lesser extent, union recognition and other social issues involving political undertones. This article explores the socio-economic causes of the strike and its ramifications for labour and agriculture in the province.

Revisiting of the South African Mine Workers＇ Union --A Significant Factor in South African Mining History

Founded in 1902 as the Transvaal Miners＇ Association, the South African Mine Workers＇ Union （MWU）, as it was renamed in 1913, rose to prominence as a militant union for white miners, especially during the turbulent years of industrial strife and bloody strike action in the first two decades of the 20th century. Since the election victory of the Pact government in 1924 a program of pro-white protectionist legislation was introduced. As South Africa＇s most prominent white trade union of the 20th century, the MWU therefore became renowned for defending job reservation in the mining industry. After 1948, it enjoyed the National Party government＇s support in this regard. However, skilled labor shortages and changing labor conditions in the 1970s forced the government to introduce labor reform. Job reservation was scrapped and black unions were officially recognized. These initiatives put the MWU on a confrontational path with the government and the union aligned itself with right-wing political resistance and protest. But, the altered political and economic South African realities after 1994 forced the MWU to rethink its strategies. By 2002, it had reinvented and transformed itself into Solidarity, adequately equipped for addressing the labor challenges and demands of a post-apartheid South Africa. This article, based on the author＇s research of the South African labor movement in the early 20th century, traces the historical development of the union and its influence on South African political and labor history.

Study on the Distribution of Migrant Workers＇ Employment Destinations A Case Study of Henan Province, China

The choice of employment destination is the basis of migrant workers＇ spatial flow, the study on the choice of employment destination is helpful to understand the spatial law of migrant workers＇ flow from a micro perspective. Through the case study on 11 sample villages generated by the random stratified sampling in Henan Province, authors of this paper find that the distribution of destinations is dispersed in a large area while concentrated in certain places. Most of the destinations are in counties and outside Henan Province. Migrant workers are mainly concentrated in the economically more developed eastern provinces. The central, though a big source of migrant workers, has not formed a core employment area for migrant workers. The main factors influencing migrant workers＇ choice of employment distances include age, family size, per capita arable land, the village＇s economic development level, the village terrain, transportation, its distance from the nearest city, and workers＇ relationship networks. From the perspective of employment destinations, on a provincial scale, the employment attraction coefficient based on the destination＇s level of economic development and the employment distance, efficiently explains farmers＇ choice of destinations, that is, destinations with a more developed economy and a shorter employment distance are the top choice for migrant workers.

A Survey and Analysis on the New Generation of Migrant Workers＇ Awareness of Internet New Words in Foshan City

50 new generation of migrant workers were randomly chosen from Yanbu Town which is in Nanhai district,Foshan city, Gua ngdong Province.They were asked to complete the questionnaires about the awareness of interact new words.The statistics show that the average awareness of new generation of migrant workers on interact new words is low as a whole. The reasons may lie in workers＇ overtime working ,relatively closed working environment, low social status,low income and education level and so on.

Study on the Rual Migrant Workers＇ Willingness to Have Urban Hukou and the Choice of Urbanization Path of China in Recent Years

Based on the empirically analysis of the data from a nationwide survey in 2010 in China, the study found. （1） The overwhelming majority of rural migrant workers in China were not willing to convert their rural household registration （nongye hukou） to an urban or non-rural registration Orei nong hukou）. If they were required to return the rural land contract rights as precondition, only lOper cent were willing to be urban citizens. （2） For the small proportion of migrant workers who were willing to convert their rural household registration to urban household registration, ＇obtaining access to better education and more opportunities for the continuation of education for their children＇ is the major incentive. （3） The primary reason for retaining a rural hukou, on the other hand, is to keep their rural contract land. （4） Finally, there is no significant difference between the rural migrant workers who were born before 1980 and those after 1980, in term of the attitude toward converting rural hukou to urban hukou. The policy recommendations drew from the findings are as follows： 1） In order to promote the urbanization process, the government should choose the path of ＇urbanization based on the long term residence in the towns and cities＇ instead of the path of ＂urbanization based on household registration ＇. 2） The rural migrant workers should be converted into urban citizens without being forced to give up their contact land. 3） The government should give equal weight in policy making to the migrant workers born before 1980 and those born after 1980. Therefore, the policy emphasis of deepening the urbanization of China should focus on the ＇equalization of the resource allocation of the public services and social welfare＂ while the characteristics of the separation of the household registration system should not be strengthened any longer.

Analysis on the Causes of the Plight of Chinese Rural Migrant Workers＇ Endowment Insurance

At present, Chinese society is from traditional society to modern society in transition to accelerate, in the social, political, and economic structure, great changes have taken place; due to strong liquidity, migrant workers＇ groups in social security, are still in the stage of development, and there are still a lot of problems, especially the problem of endowment insurance. Although local governments develop the old-age insurance of migrant workers with their own characteristics, and have their respective advantages, but the effect is not ideal, as follows： ＂one low and one high＂, namely the migrant workers＇ participation rate was low and the insurance of migrant workers was ＂high rate of surrender＂. The reason is both within the Chinese social transformation factors, and external economic globalization competition; both obiectively, government policy implementation is not in place, and subjectively, migrant workers lack insured willing.

An research on the Pension agency workers＇ professional construction under human resource management perspective

Presently, Chinese urban and rural medicare systems differ from each other in many aspects including coverage, payment, and funding patterns, etc, which accounting mainly for the serious situation of the division between urban and rural areas, among different areas and among different communities. The paper will firstly illustrate the purposes and principles of integrating urban and rural medical insurance systems. Then, with the development of socialist core value--equity, the consideration of the development of the social security system, and the consideration of the strengthening of the rural and urban economy, integrating three main basic health insurance systems is required to take place urgently. In the last part, it provides the strategic development of the integration of the dual system, so as to build a uniform social insurance system.

The research of enterprise knowledge workers＇ active work stress management

With the advent of the knowledge economy era, the modem enterprise desires to maintain sustainable development, the key is to find the best ways of knowledge creation, dissemination and use through the management. Knowledge workers are the main force of economic construction. They play a more important role in the development of enterprises and society, while facing greater pressure. This paper describes the status of work stress management study in China and abroad. Then analyze the source of the knowledge workers working pressure and Working pressure mechanism on job performance. Eventually, the paper proposes active management strategies of enterprise knowledge workers working stress.

Analysis of Peasant Workers＇ Citizenization and Social Integration in the Perspective of Social Concern

Migrant workers are the important driving force of the process of the urban modernization in our country. It is the main body ofmodern industrial workers in our country. The urbanization of migrant workers has become a major problem in the transformation of China＇ ssocial and economic structure, the core of the problem of the ＂agriculture, rural areas and farmers＂ and the focus of the community. Theacademic circles have done a lot of research on this issue. The equalization of basic public services is the right of every member of societyto share the fruits of social development. This right is the only way to realize the equalization of general public services. From the dynamicevolution, the equalization of basic public services is an indispensable process in the realization of fairness and the justice in society as a whole.Therefore, this paper proposes the novel idea on the issue that will later promote the development of the related theories and applications.

Construction Activity Analysis of Workers Based on Human Posture Estimation Information

Identifying workers’construction activities or behaviors can enable managers to better monitor labor efficiency and construction progress.However,current activity analysis methods for construction workers rely solely on manual observations and recordings,which consumes considerable time and has high labor costs.Researchers have focused on monitoring on-site construction activities of workers.However,when multiple workers are working together,current research cannot accu rately and automatically identify the construction activity.This research proposes a deep learning framework for the automated analysis of the construction activities of multiple workers.In this framework,multiple deep neural network models are designed and used to complete worker key point extraction,worker tracking,and worker construction activity analysis.The designed framework was tested at an actual construction site,and activity recognition for multiple workers was performed,indicating the feasibility of the framework for the automated monitoring of work efficiency.

Variations, effectiveness and its associated factors of a nationwide web-based hypertension management training project in China: insights from a government-led campaign for 1.2 million lay health workers

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of a large-scale,web-based,in-service hypertension management training project among lay health workers(LHWs) at primary care health(PHC) settings in China,and to examine the factors contributing to the variations of effectiveness.METHODS We used data from a web-based national hypertension management training project implemented in 2018,it was designed to facilitate LHWs to learn,understand,and apply the relevant knowledge and skills in hypertension management through providing training courses by use of the web-based platform with unified standards.All LHWs were required to participate in the exams before and after training to acquire scores for the use of evaluating their performance of hypertension management knowledge.We first used descriptive analysis to present the variations of effectiveness in hypertension management knowledge among LHWs by important subgroups.Afterwards,we used multilevel logistic regression to examine the individual and regional factors contributing to the variations and quantify the magnitude of how these factors affected training effectiveness.RESULTS There were 1,208,610 LHWs who completed training and were certificated.Nationally,the scores of LHWs increased significantly from 62.87 ± 21.14 out of 100 in the pre-test to 88.30 ± 11.31 in the post-test by 25.43(95% confidence interval[CI]:25.40-25.47).Training contents involved in antihypertensive medication showed the lowest score(54.36) in the pre-test and soared the most after training,up to 84.22 by 54.94%.Individual factors associated with disparities in the knowledge of hypertension management decreased substantially after training,which included sex,age,education,practice type,professional level,and hierarchy of working institutions.Geographical variations were shown at the provincial level,with the majority of them being explained by factors at the regional level.CONCLUSIONS Accessible web-based training modality,government efforts,accompanied with experiences derived from the training,could be generalized to other low-and middle-income countries in facilitating the hypertension management capacity of LHWs.Localization and evaluation is warranted on the way to its further application.

Unveiling health rights:A call to action for sex workers'HIV care in the Philippines

We are writing in response to the article titled“Addressing the needs and rights of sex workers for HIV healthcare services in the Philippines”[1].The article calls for attention on the significant challenges faced by sex workers in the Philippines in accessing HIV healthcare.We appreciate the article’s effort to examine these issues in depth.We would like to present a constant flow of thoughts in this letter while highlighting the positive aspects,potential obstacles,and additional points that contribute to this ongoing discussion.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Multi-Product Parallel Disassembly Line Balancing Problem Considering Multi-Skilled Workers Using a Discrete Chemical Reaction Optimization Algorithm

This work investigates a multi-product parallel disassembly line balancing problem considering multi-skilled workers.A mathematical model for the parallel disassembly line is established to achieve maximized disassembly profit and minimized workstation cycle time.Based on a product’s AND/OR graph,matrices for task-skill,worker-skill,precedence relationships,and disassembly correlations are developed.A multi-objective discrete chemical reaction optimization algorithm is designed.To enhance solution diversity,improvements are made to four reactions:decomposition,synthesis,intermolecular ineffective collision,and wall invalid collision reaction,completing the evolution of molecular individuals.The established model and improved algorithm are applied to ball pen,flashlight,washing machine,and radio combinations,respectively.Introducing a Collaborative Resource Allocation(CRA)strategy based on a Decomposition-Based Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm,the experimental results are compared with four classical algorithms:MOEA/D,MOEAD-CRA,Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅱ(NSGA-Ⅱ),and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm Ⅲ(NSGA-Ⅲ).This validates the feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm in parallel disassembly production lines.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on the well-being of healthcare workers:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Growing evidence attests to the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions(MBIs),but their effectiveness for healthcare workers remains uncertain.Aims To evaluate the evidence for MBIs in improving healthcare workers’psychological well-being.Methods A systematic literature search was conducted on Medline,Embase,Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature,PsycINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials up to 31 August 2022 using the keywords‘healthcare worker’,‘doctor’,‘nurse’,‘allied health’,‘mindfulness’,‘wellness’,‘workshop’and‘program’.Randomised controlled trials with a defined MBI focusing on healthcare workers and quantitative outcome measures related to subjective or psychological well-being were eligible for inclusion.R V.4.0.3 was used for data analysis,with the standardised mean difference as the primary outcome,employing DerSimonian and Laird’s random effects model.Grading of Recommendations,Assessment,Development and Evaluation framework was used to evaluate the quality of evidence.Cochrane’s Risk of Bias 2 tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies.Results A total of 27 studies with 2506 participants were included,mostly from the USA,involving various healthcare professions.MBIs such as stress reduction programmes,apps,meditation and training showed small to large effects on anxiety,burnout,stress,depression,psychological distress and job strain outcomes of the participants.Positive effects were also seen in self-compassion,empathy,mindfulness and well-being.However,long-term outcomes(1 month or longer postintervention)varied,and the effects were not consistently sustained.Conclusions MBIs offer short-term benefits in reducing stress-related symptoms in healthcare workers.The review also highlights limitations such as intervention heterogeneity,reduced power in specific subgroup analyses and variable study quality.

Assessing healthcare workers’knowledge and confidence in the diagnosis,management and prevention of Monkeypox

BACKGROUND Monkeypox(Mpox),is a disease of global public health concern,as it does not affect only countries in western and central Africa.AIM To assess Burundi healthcare workers(HCWs)s’level of knowledge and confidence in the diagnosis and management of Mpox.METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study via an online survey designed mainly from the World Health Organization course distributed among Burundi HCWs from June-July 2023.The questionnaire comprises 8 socioprofessional-related questions,22 questions about Mpox disease knowledge,and 3 questions to assess confidence in Mpox diagnosis and management.The data were analyzed via SPSS software version 25.0.A P value<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.RESULTS The study sample comprised 471 HCWs who were mainly medical doctors(63.9%)and nurses(30.1%).None of the 22 questions concerning Mpox knowledge had at least 50%correct responses.A very low number of HCWs(17.4%)knew that Mpox has a vaccine.The confidence level to diagnose(21.20%),treat(18.00%)or prevent(23.30%)Mpox was low among HCWs.The confidence level in the diagnosis of Mpox was associated with the HCWs’age(P value=0.009),sex(P value<0.001),work experience(P value=0.002),and residence(P value<0.001).The confidence level to treat Mpox was significantly associated with the HCWs’age(P value=0.050),sex(P value<0.001),education(P value=0.033)and occupation(P value=0.005).The confidence level to prevent Mpox was associated with the HCWs’education(P value<0.001),work experience(P value=0.002),residence(P value<0.001)and type of work institution(P value=0.003).CONCLUSION This study revealed that HCWs have the lowest level of knowledge regarding Mpox and a lack of confidence in the ability to diagnose,treat or prevent it.There is an urgent need to organize continuing medical education programs on Mpox epidemiology and preparedness for Burundi HCWs.We encourage future researchers to assess potential hesitancy toward Mpox vaccination and its associated factors.

Influence of the continuing COVID-19 epidemic on sleep quality and psychological status of healthcare workers in private institutions

BACKGROUND On January 22,2020,Macao reported its first case of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection.By August 2021,the situation had escalated into a crisis of community transmission.In response,the government launched a recruitment campaign seeking assistance and services of healthcare workers(HCWs)from the private sector throughout Macao.These participants faced concerns about their own health and that of their families,as well as the responsibility of maintaining public health and wellness.This study aims to determine whether the ongoing epidemic has caused them physical and psychological distress.AIM To examine the influence of COVID-19 on the sleep quality and psychological status of HCWs in private institutions in Macao during the pandemic.METHODS Data were collected from December 2020 to January 2022.Two consecutive surveys were conducted.The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)scale,Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),and Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS)were employed as investigation tools.RESULTS In the first-stage survey,32%of HCWs experienced a sleep disorder,compared to 28.45%in the second-stage survey.A total of 31.25%of HCWs in the first-stage survey and 28.03%in the second had varying degrees of anxiety.A total of 50.00%of HCWs in the first-stage survey and 50.63%in the second experienced varying degrees of depression.No difference in PSQI scores,SAS scores,or SDS scores were observed between the two surveys,indicating that the COVID-19 epidemic influenced the sleep quality and psychological status of HCWs.The negative influence persisted over both periods but did not increase remarkably for more than a year.However,a positive correlation was observed between the PSQI,SAS,and SDS scores(r=0.428-0.775,P<0.01),indicating that when one of these states deteriorated,the other two tended to deteriorate as well.CONCLUSION The sleep quality,anxiety,and depression of HCWs in private institution in Macao were affected by the COVID-19 epidemic.While these factors did not deteriorate significantly,the negative effects persisted for a year and remained noteworthy.

Study on Influencing Factors of Mental Health of Mobile Young White-Collar Workers in China

Mobile young white-collar workers not only have the characteristics of mobile young people,but also have the characteristics of general white-collar workers.Under the influence of both,their mental health may be suffering from“double disadvantage”.So,based on an ecological model of the stress process,this paper tries to use the data of the questionnaire on the mental health of mobile young white-collar workers in Zhejiang Province to explore the influence of some factors in the middle workplace and residence place on the mental health of micro individuals.The results show that:(1)The working environment with high control and low freedom and the workplace discrimination against the mobile status will have a negative impact on the mental health of mobile young white-collar workers;(2)Financial anxiety in daily life will lead to a decline in the mental health level of mobile young white-collar workers;(3)Good organizational support and neighborhood social relations can significantly relieve life pressure,so as to effectively improve the mental health of mobile young white-collar workers.It can be seen that we also need to pay more attention to the mental health of mobile young white-collar workers in order to improve their situation.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Hospital on Needle Stick Injury

Purpose: Needle-stick injury (NSI) is one of the most potential occupational hazards for healthcare workers because of the transmission of blood-borne pathogens. As per recent data, around 30 lakh healthcare workers sustain Needle stick injuries each year. This study was conducted to assess healthcare workers’ knowledge, attitude and practices regarding needle stick injury. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a Tertiary Care Hospital over the period of 3 months. The study population consisted of Intern Doctors, Post Graduate resident Doctors, Staff Nurses, laboratory technicians of Government Medical College and New Civil Hospital, Surat (n = 300). The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire via the means of Google Forms. Questionnaire was made with prior review literature. The data obtained were entered and analysed in Microsoft Excel. Results: The prevalence of NSI in our study was 46%, with a higher prevalence among the PG residents (72%). Overall scores regarding knowledge and attitude were better in PG residents (knowledge score > 7 in 71% and Attitude Score > 7 in 68% of PG Residents). Even though the PG residents scored highest in the knowledge category, the majority of them suffered needle stick injuries as a result of poor practice scores. Among those who had NSI (n = 139/300), 70% of study participants had superficial injuries, only 9% reported the incident, 18% got medical attention within 2 hours of the incident, and 7% followed up to recheck their viral markers status. Most incidents of NSI were due to hypodermic needles while recapping needles. Conclusion: Exposure to needle stick injuries and their underreporting remains a common problem. It is imperative that healthcare workers receive regular training on the proper handling of sharp objects. We can also draw the conclusion that preventing NSIs requires putting knowledge into practice.

Violence study of healthcare workers and systems in the Caribbean:ViSHWaS-Caribbean study

BACKGROUND Violence against healthcare workers(HCWs)in the Caribbean continues to prevail yet remains underreported.Our aim is to determine the cause,traits,and consequences of violence on HCWs in the Caribbean.AIM To determine the cause,traits,and consequences of violence on HCWs in the Caribbean.METHODS This research adopted an online cross-sectional survey approach,spanning over eight weeks(between June 6th and August 9th,2022).The survey was generated using Research Electronic Data Capture forms and followed a snowballing strategy to contact individuals using emails,social media,text messages,etc.Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the variables that influence violence,including gender,age,years of experience,institution type,and night shift frequency.RESULTS The survey was completed by 225 HCWs.Females comprised 61%.Over 51%of respondents belonged to the 21 to 35 age group.Dominica(n=61),Haiti(n=50),and Grenada(n=31)had the most responses.Most HCWs(49%)worked for government academic institutions,followed by community hospitals(23%).Medical students(32%),followed by attending physicians(22%),and others(16%)comprised the most common cadre of respondents.About 39%of the participants reported experiencing violence themselves,and 18%reported violence against colleague(s).Verbal violence(48%),emotional abuse(24%),and physical misconduct(14%)were the most common types of violence.Nearly 63%of respondents identified patients or their relatives as the most frequent aggressors.Univariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that female gender(OR=2.08;95%CI:1.16-3.76,P=0.014)and higher frequency of night shifts(OR=2.22;95%CI:1.08-4.58,P=0.030)were associated with significantly higher odds of experiencing violence.More than 50%of HCWs felt less motivated and had decreased job satisfaction post-violent conduct.CONCLUSION A large proportion of HCWS in the Caribbean are exposed to violence,yet the phenomenon remains underreported.As a result,HCWs’job satisfaction has diminished.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Violence among Primary and Secondary School Workers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Introduction: Violence is a major problem in today’s workplace. It affects workers in all sectors of activity. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with violence among primary and secondary school staff in Ouagadougou. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study that took place from April 22, 2020 to February 18, 2021 in primary and secondary schools in Ouagadougou. It focused on the educational staff of these establishments. Results: A total of 362 agents took part in the study. The average age of participants was 36.5 ± 6.89 years. The sex ratio was 1.62 men to one woman. The majority of workers were teachers, with 300 participants (82.87%). The average job tenure was 7 years ± 6.91 years. With regard to violence in the workplace, 87 workers were victims, representing a prevalence of 24.03%. Of these workers, 59 (67.81%) were men and 36 (41.38%) had less than six years’ experience. Acts of violence were predominantly pushing observed in 15 workers (50%), while shouting and aggressive tone dominated psychological violence and concerned 54 cases (36.24%). On univariate analysis, the factors associated with violence were age (p = 0.046) and type of establishment (p = 0.012). On multivariate analysis, only the nature of the establishment was the only factor associated with the occurrence of violence among teaching staff (OR = 2.3690, p = 0.0213). Conclusion: The prevalence of violence is high in these educational establishments. Age and type of establishment are factors associated with its occurrence. It is therefore necessary to develop an effective strategy for preventing this risk in the workplace.