According to the International Labor Organization, “nearly 25 million people work in forced-labor conditions worldwide, with 47 percent of them in the Pacific region.” Coca-Cola Co and the U.S. State Department, along with two other companies, are hoping to utilize blockchain’s digital ledger technology to “create a registry for workers” in an effort to fight forced labor worldwide. Learn more here. 
Late last month, French president Emmanuel Macron announced that the government was planning major railway reform at state-owned, debt-ridden SNCF Railways. Changes include “the abolition of jobs-for-life guarantees, automatic annual pay raises and generous early retirement.” Pushback from the unions who represent the roughly 150,000 railway staff was to be expected, but it looks like they are taking it a step further than engaging in the planned strikes. Rumor has it, some unions are asking their members to cause problems for passengers during non-strike days as well. Workers in Japan will see a 2.16 percent raise in wages this spring. Economists are unsure if this will be enough to “power the desired ‘virtuous cycle,’ where greater take-home pay leads to more spending, business investment and inflation.” Time will tell.
