News articles tagged with media and culture

Around 130 RMT members working for the transnational subsidiary contracted to put up posters on London’s Tube, are to strike for four days from Thursday over a sub-inflation pay offer that would erode the living standards of already low-paid staff.

Last year the license cost 1,725 euros (£1,354) plus 456 euros (£357) per point won, increased this season to 10,000 euros (£7,858) plus 2,000 euros (£1,570) for every point won.

A group of physicists last month challenged the American Physical Society after the APS withdrew two articles, the authors of which indicated an intention to publish some of the work on online-encyclopaedia Wikipedia

Michelin - Workers at the factory in Toul (Meurthe et Moselle) began strike action after plans were announced to close it down. As well as occupying and blockading the plant with pickets of burning tyres the 826 workers also confined two managers to their offices during the four-day strike.

The planned strike at France Télévisions against 'reforms' was successful. At France 3, seems to be targeted for privatisation as it is supposedly too critical of the current government 56% of all employees joined the strike, rising to 60% in regioal centres.

Launched by Greece's two largest unions, the strike has affected all public services, hospitals, banks, courts and airports. All flights out of Athens airport have been grounded after air traffic controllers, pilots and flight crews walked out, and ferry and metro systems across the country have been hit.

The strike has caused the cancellation of 17 performances and 8 have gone ahead in a reduced form. The strike is strongest amongst workers from the Sud union, and to a lesser extent FSU. These workers are in the majority amongst lighting and stage hands and as such have a strong position. The FO, CGT and CFDT unions have already agreed to negotiations with management.

Thousands joined street protests in Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg, Marseille, Grenoble, Lyon and other cities.

The 24 hour strike left many schools closed, hospitals providing a reduced service and newsagents without newspapers.

The BBC reported that the French capital's two airports and Marseille airport in the south suffered delays and cancellations.

The union chapel was due to stage industrial action tomorrow, and then an open-ended disruptive mandatory chapel meeting on Monday to coincide with the union-wide Stand Up for Journalism campaign. But an about-turn by the company managed to persuade members to call off their planned action.

Hundreds of ballet dancers, actors and stage hands are adding an artistic flourish to France's grim autumn of industrial strife, by bringing theatrical productions to a halt in protest at the government's attempts to reduce their retirement packages.

The dispute is over pay offer which staff describe as being at half the rate of inflation, and involves admin, conservation and other staff.

Staff at the National Gallery in London also staged strike action over pay in 2006.

Details are being given to staff at briefings across the country, with Director-General Mark Thompson explaining that he wanted to announce the layoffs quickly to avoid plunging the corporation into uncertainty.

Staff yesterday claimed morale was lower than at any point since John Birt's directorship as union leaders met the BBC Trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons.

A packed chapel meeting voted unanimously for the move after exhausting the newspaper's internal disputes procedures in a long-running row over non-replacement of leavers or long delays in getting vacancies filled.

Members of the National Union of Mineworkers were ballotted for strike action after the De Beers group refused their salary demands. A representative of the NUM announced that some 11000 mine-workers would join the strike.

Workers at the paper are concerned about plans by its owner Pearson, to sell it to LMVH. LMVH is currently the owner of La Tribune, Les Echos' less popular rival. Although LMVH is currently trying to sell La Tribune and its head, Bernard Arnault has pledged to sell La Tribune if he does buy Les Echos.

The general assembly had been called by the local of the Congolese Press association (UNPC) to discuss the suspension of the co-ordinator of the local due to financial irregularities.

A local businessman, Ulaiasi Taoi, has been detained twice over the past month in relation to a blog and Mr Sayed-Khaiyum has warned of the dangers of bloggers using their anonymity to attack the government. A wave of blogs sprang up after the coup, with many bloggers publishing uncensored accounts of the coup and of the actions of its instigators once in power.

No editions of the paper Nice-Matin or its sister titles Var-Matin and Corse-Matin were produced this Saturday. Staff took action due to a proposed sale of the group by its parent company, Lagardère, the proposed buyer, the Le Monde group, plans to merge these regional titles (and others) and printing operations.

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