working class self organisation's blog

Workers at Palermo's pizzas have been fired on the bogus pretext of immigration laws as a punishment for daring to try to unionise a poorly paid and dangerous workplace. The workers are on strike, and calling for a boycott of Palermo's products, and demanding the reinstatement of the sacked workers.

Up to 600 prisoners in prison in south Russia have gone on hunger strike in response to the brutal attack and subsequent death of a fellow inmate at the hands of prison staff.

The subway system in Buenos Aires has been shut down for a full week by 2500 strikers demanding a 28% pay rise.

Protesters have occupied a highway in Cape Town and clashed with security forces during a protest against a lack of government services and substandard housing. Protesters have been campaigning for improvements for nearly twenty years, and have had enough. They have vowed to make Cape Town "ungovernable" unless their demands are met.

The Chilean capital of Santiago has erupted this week as students demand a free education. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested following clashes with police.

It would appear that the faux Socialist government in France are continuing with the forced eviction policy that the previous right-wing Sarkozy regime initiated.

The current ruling party in Turkey – the AKP (Justice and Development Party) are overseeing a regime of paranoia, suspicion, and the harassment of trade unionists.

Over 1500 diamond miners in Zimbabwe have been sacked following a strike for higher pay. Many of the workers have reported serious sexual assaults by the bosses.

Thirty five workers have been sacked at a Turkish footwear factory for joining a trade union. Despite police intimidation and violence, they remain on protest outside the factory gates. They are demanding full reinstatement and collective bargaining rights.

Over sixty workers at the Grand Rapids Gravel Company in Wyoming are now in the third week of a strike over proposed pay cuts and vicious attacks on conditions. The bosses have brought in scabs and private security.

On 30 July, the Mando Corporation - a South Korean auto-parts manufacturer - locked out all unionised workers. It is now blackmailing them into a no-strike agreement, and encouraging them to join a new trade union, that the bosses created immediately following the lock-out.

Miners have killed a supervisor and seriously injured another during a dispute over pay at the Collum mine in Zambia.

A company that specialises in strike breaking and union busting is hired by a South Korean auto-parts plant to violently disperse 'locked out' workers.

Whilst you may not share her politics, the internment without trial of the Irish Republican Marian Price, has profound implications for anyone involved in political activism.

Update and a Statement issued by the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union

The lowest paid workers in some of the biggest companies in the world - take direct action against the bosses for better pay.

Over 300 aviation workers have been sacked via text message by the Turkish government for attempting to resist plans that will ban workers from taking industrial action.

During 1955-1965 the volume of mail posted in Canada more than doubled. The number of postal workers did not - instead, the bosses forced workers to double their speed, work extra hours without overtime pay, and often forced to work over twelve hours a day. In order to keep up such a gruelling work rate – supervisors subjected workers to constant threats, bullying, and harassment.

Despite employers taking court action and using the police to get scabs through picket lines, construction workers in Australia have won a massive victory against the bosses.

Following the unfair suspension of a worker, Suzuki management hire hundreds of goons to attack workers. The workers respond by lynching and hospitalising over 40 managers, killing at least one.