Blogs

Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia during January 2012 and related resources. The most important stories appear on my Twitter feed as soon as I find them: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews.

Liverpool Solidarity Federation picketed two Pizza Hut branches in solidarity with the IWW day of action.

Thousands of nurses across India have started an indefinite strike for better pay and conditions. Historically unorganised, Indian nurses have formed a new union, creating over 400 branches in two months. They have vowed to remain on strilke until their wages are increased by around 80%. Courts have deemed the strike to be illegal and have instructed police to assist scabs to get into work.

Thousands of nurses across California have gone on strike to fight for their pensions which are being slashed by Kaiser Permanente. They have been joined on the picket line in a 'sympathy' strike by nurses from a union with a 'no strike' policy, and by maintainence workers.

Last week council workers in Bury won a legal battle over discriminatory bonuses. Although dubbed the “dinner ladies” case by the media, the settlement covers cleaners, carers and many other grades of council employees.

Never mind the prissy costume drama bollocks. This raw punk historicism is a landmark, in several senses, of British cinema.

On Tuesday the Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) held a special conference to determine where we go next in our pensions dispute. For those who haven't been following the intricacies of it all I'll attempt to briefly lay out where we were going into this meeting and what happened there.

Around 250 students and far-left activists protested against Italian Head of the State Giorgio Napolitano in Bologna, the 30th of January.

Ryanair Don't Care campaigner John Foley handcuffed himself to the goalposts during last night's Premier League match between Everton and Man City at Goodison Park.

This week marks the 40th anniversary of 'bloody sunday', when during a civil rights march in Derry, British soldiers opened fire on demonstrators killing thirteen people. Here is the acclaimed 2002 dramatisation of events, starring James Nesbitt. I have not attempted to discuss the events of the day as I could not possibly do them justice. However, if anyone knows of any good texts, please post them.

In this article Phinneas Gage describes how workers at Canada Post have organized themselves, and the ups and downs and risks of organizing.

Poison Fire is a grassroots documentary that brings together video testimonies and evidence on the impacts of oil spills and gas flaring in the Niger Delta.

Anti-Putin protesters covered their cars in white ribbons and balloons and blocked the Moscow ring road for several hours causing massive traffic jams. The action was organised on social networking sites by opposition group, the 'voters league'. The protest is precursor to a massive demonstration in Moscow this coming weekend.

The “no-tav” movement demonstrates in Turin against that judiciary action with a march of about 10 thousand people.

A documentary about the effects the building of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river in China has had on the people who lived in the surrounding areas. It a gives a good insight into the transition that China has been making over the last couple of decades to a neo-liberal capitalist state.

During clashes between workers and police outside an Indian ceramics factory, local police murder a union leader. The workers retaliate by murdering a senior company executive, and burning down several company premises.

New data suggests that academies are underperforming by the governments own yardsticks, regardless of context. So if they're not 'improving' education, why pursue them? Because they never were about improving education.

CNN's journalism is often appalling, for example this article explaining how Mohamed is the most popular boy's name in England (strange, I thought it was Harry). But whoever it was who put together the coverage for the Occupy Oakland skirmishes has managed a really amazing level of awfulness.

A documentary focusing on one family of migrant workers, mainly around Chinese New Year. It reveals the conditions they live and work in, and the strain it has on the family, which comes out the only time they can see each other over the Spring Festival holiday.

Gove and the illusion of dialogue. Montgomery school still fighting academy status.