internet and workplace struggle
Jan 5 2009 11:30
I am currently looking into the links between different online workplace forums, such as campaign sites, blogs and more long term branch or "counter-corporation" forums. And I would be very glad if you can provide some links to blogs and forums and also tell me about some experiences if you got any.
Speaking from my own experience (in Sweden) it seems that the management have realised that the big industrial workplace was a very good ground for class struggle and have tried to divide the workforce and production the latest decades, as well as outsourced and making the use of the higher unemployment to make the workforce more unsecure. So I think that the internet may provide a safe space for workers to discuss that, in part, no longer exist within the workplace.
As it turns out, during the nurses strike this summer, we saw the biggest non-union mobilization in years thru the internet during the negotiations. Also in Denmark, disgruntled kindergarten employees used internet as a direct way to communicate and launch initiatives against their not-so-radical union.
Jan 5 2009 13:42
#2
We run a couple of forums, the most popular being a postal workers' forums. A few comments in general.
Being publically open can attract a lot more people and mean that people in different cities are more likely to stumble upon it if it is positioned well. But this presents a few security issues.
a) some people use these forums from work and may not be aware of the risky trail they leave
b) some people are too easily indentifiable on these forums
c) if a forum really is working and bringing up some dirt, the company will probably get a PR person or mole there. A moderator has to be very astute because they cause disinformation and undermine the workers' ability to speak freely.
Jan 5 2009 15:08
#3
Yes, the best example in the UK would be www.Royalmailchat.co.uk
They also used youtube a lot during the dispute.
I saw a lot of stuff written online in the US during the writers strike - but not any forums in particular that I'm aware of. I don't know if there might be something there...
Similarly, I haven't seen much in that vein on facebook - but then I think that is to be expected due to its very public nature, and absence of privacy. It would not be advisable to use that for much serious discussion about industrial disputes, etc.
Jan 5 2009 15:16
#4
I think that the most obvious thing about the 'internet and workplace struggle' is so blatant that you might overlook it altogether.
About twenty years ago, I was involved in running a paper in the UK Post Office.
During the 1989 national strike, we could only distribute our paper in London and a few surrounding places because we couldn't send things to our supporters in other cities because the bloody Post was on strike.
Although the PO is a special case in that way and we 'stopped ourselves' being able to distribute the stuff, even in other industries it is possible to have a unified leaflet at every workplace in a country where you can distribute it almost instantaneously.
Devrim
Jan 5 2009 19:27
#5
the Professional Pilots Rumour Network is a forum for pilots. I don't follow it, as I'm not a pilot, but I know that there is a lot of discussion about working conditions, particularly those at Ryanair. As for tie-ins to actual action, I'm afraid I don't know either, but ryanair pilots do have a closed forum I believe.
Jan 7 2009 21:53
#6
Thanks for the links, i will look into them further.
Here are a couple of mine (the english ones):
Radio shack sucks-
http://www.radioshacksucks.info/
Bitter waitress - more of a blog but also got some forums and "war stories" and "the shitty tipper database"
http://bitterwaitress.com/
There are a couple of more restaurants blogs around, one of them is becoming a book I think, tell me if anyone wants more info.
Here is a sociology paper that is pretty interesting on the subject.
My Job Sucks: Counter-Institutional Websites as Locations for Organizational Member Voice, Dissent, and Resistance
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/0/1/3/8/1/pages13813/p13813-1.php
On a sidenote, is there anyone who got info about "internet workers" and their struggles? I have read the endnotes text.
I just got a "strike report" from a swedish internet host on a bingo chat that had organized a very successful strike. Mostly organized via MSN.
there was royalmailchat set up by a postal worker during the disputes in the UK in 2007. certainly showed some potential in terms of a space for discussion between postal workers, other militants, and also 'members of the public.' however the dispute was stitched up by the union who isolated wildcat action before much of that potential was realised.