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Cape Town: two anti-eviction campaigners arrested

Anti-Eviction Campaign Office, Symphony Way Occupation, Delft, Cape Town

On Wednesday, July 2nd at the Bellville Magistrates Court courtroom E, two members of the Delft Anti-Eviction Campaign, Jerome Daniels and Ridwaan Isaacs, were each sentenced twelve months in prison - simply for being community leaders at Delft-Symphony Way settlement.

The movement, and other militant movements in South Africa considers Daniels and Isaacs to be political prisoners and is mobilising support on this basis.

A brief account of Unison's national conference, 2008

Bournemouth International Centre, where the conference was held.

A critical account of the 2008 Unison national delegate conference by libcom group member John Stevens, analysing how the union's bureaucracy systematically attempts to remove control of the union from its rank and file and also looking at the response to the from the union's left-wing.

I recently attended Unison's national delegate conference in Bournemouth as a delegate from a London local government branch. It was an eye opening experience with respect to the machinations of political groupings within the union.

In particular some of the ways in which the new Labour-linked bureaucracy maintained control over the supposedly lay lead organisation became clear.

Striking tube cleaners intimidated

Tube cleaners’ union RMT has demanded an end to “appalling intimidation“ of members involved in a 48-hour strike for a living wage on, one on July 1st-3rd. Tube cleaners also engaged in a 24-hour strike on June 25th-26th.

The union is gathering evidence that cleaners have been bullied, harassed and threatened with the sack and with illegal punitive deductions from their wages if they take strike action.

Strikes and riots at 2010 World Cup building site

Workers have still not resumed work at Mpumalanga's 2010 World Cup stadium after workers downed tools in a wage protest.

The workers picketing the Mbombela Stadium site outside Nelspruit include 500 dismissed last Monday, after appealing directly to President Thabo Mbeki to intervene when he visited the site. The Mbombela Stadium Joint Venture fired the workers for an unprotected strike in defiance of earlier agreements.

Postal workers wildcat in York

Postal workers wildcat in solidarity with a colleague facing disciplinary action

Collections drivers at the York mail centre struck during the afternoon shift yesterday over disciplinary action being taken against a colleague. A Royal mail spokesman claimed that 30 workers walked out at 1.30 pm, leading to managers covering their duties, collecting mail from postboxes and businesses around the city.

Shipping companies file charges over May Day anti-war strike

US West Coast dockers who struck against the war on May 1st now face a legal threat from their employers.

The Pacific Maritime Association has asked the National Labor Relations Board to file charges against the union. The employers’ move, initiated in late May, comes in the midst of ongoing contract talks.

Schneider, Ernst Wilhelm 1883-1946??1970??) Aka Ikarus, Icarus

A short biography of the German revolutionary seaman Ernst Schneider

Born in Königsberg in Prussia (now the Russian enclave of Kaliniingrad) on 23rd July 1883 Ernst Schneider was a harbour worker and seaman (steersman).

More workers set to join council strike

Up to 100,000 civil servants could join 600,000 local government workers on strike in July, as 40,000 more council workers in Unite pledge to strike too.

One of the biggest outbreaks of industrial unrest for years will see tens of thousands of job centre workers, coastguards, driving examiners and other Government employees join a strike next month by council employees.

More than half a million local authority workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are staging a two-day walkout on July 16 and 17 after rejecting a 2.45% pay offer.

Peterborough bin workers take wildcat action

Peterborough wildcat strikers. Picture from Peterborough Evening Telegraph.

Dozens of city binmen called a wildcat strike in Peterborough this morning (30 June) and are refusing to work until a pay dispute has been resolved.

About 70 workers have downed tools amid claims their city council paymasters have gone back on an agreement to pay them thousands of pounds in back pay. They say they are owed compensation as a result of a salary restructure undergone by the authority and are refusing to go back to work until the outstanding wages are paid.

"The boys are refusing to work until it is sorted," said one binman.

Benner, Fritz (1906-1966)

A short biography of Fritz Benner, courageous German anarchist.

Fritz Benner was born on 6th April 1906 in Solingen, Germany. By profession he was a belt operator. In 1927/28 he and his brother Willi joined the anarchosyndicalist Free Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD) in Wuppertal. His brother Eugen (usually known as August) also became involved. At this time the FAUD was past its height and only counted a few dozen members in Wuppertal.

Lagant, Christian 1926- 1978 aka Christian Lag aka Christian Lague

A short biography of Christian Lagant, French anarchist militant and one of chief editors of Noir et Rouge

”An exemplary comrade….intransigent militant..demanding but warm, sensitive but a passionate political debater” André Bernard

Tongan riots, 2005

Discussion of the riots in Tongan, 2005 and their background.

Quote:
The Tongan riot is part of a wider surge in class struggle in the Pacific since 2005. Since this date, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti have experienced major strikes, and Tonga and the Solomons have experienced riots.

Wolf, Enno (1903 -1939/1940?)

A short biography of Enno Wolf, German anarchist who perished in the Nazi concentration camps

Enno Wolf was on born on 30th August 1903. Little is known about his life. He was a member of the Kassel group of the anarchosyndicalist Free Workers' Union of Germany (FAUD).

TV Times - 28 June - 4 July 2008

This week's pick is Peter Moffatt's detailed dramatic portrayal of the dehumanising practices and effects of Britain's criminal justice system.

Other highlights in a week of high-quality political programming are the classic film which depicts the events of the controversial 1925 American creationism v Darwinism courtroom debate, documentaries on the escalation of gang-related violence in Britain and an investigation into the despicable corporate practice of encouraging tobacco addiction in children in Africa.

The tragedy of Karaganda

Members of the CNT and other Spanish anti-fascists in the Soviet Union, 1938-1956.

Abstract: In March 1939, Republican soldiers who had been training as aviation pilots were stranded in the USSR along with the sailors of several vessels from the Spanish merchant navy. They were prevented from leaving and in 1941 were arrested and sent to Novosibirsk Transit Prison. Also detained were several civilians who had been working with children evacuated from the Civil War.

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