Oceania
First starbucks strike in the world!
It was bound to happen eventually -- and it happened today in New Zealand. Low-paid Starbucks workers walked off the job and formed a picket line.
They were joined by workers from other low paid, fast-food restaurants such as KFC and Pizza Hut.
Starbucks, which tries to project an image as a caring, progressive, company, has some 80,000 employees worldwide. It pays those workers minimum wage or only slightly above, and generally does not welcome unions.
Melbourne fare evasion against the Iraq war
Leaflet calling for mass public transport fare evasion against the war in Iraq for March 18, 2005 and beyond. We do not believe it was adopted on a wide scale but reproduce the text here as an example of how people tried to oppose the conflict worldwide.
Curlewis, Richard, 1917-2002
A biography of Australian advocate of workers' control, Richard Curlewis.
Could an avowed anarchist be a member of the Communist Party of Australia? The life of Richard or Dick Curlewis shows that communism is not a monolithic philosophy, but has many currents: some authoritarian; others radically democratic. Richard Curlewis dedicated his life to the rights of working people and their communities, and democracy in the workplace by workers' control.
Barker, Tom, 1887-1970
After emigrating to New Zealand and joining the IWW, Tom Barker became an organiser for the syndicalist union, he organised the Auckland general strike of 1913 which led to him being forced to move to Sydney, Australia where he becamse editor of the IWW's Direct Action. He was deported to Chile in 1918 and then travelled the world organising workers, before returning to the UK in 1927.
Tom Barker
Born Westmoreland, England, 1887, died London, 1970
Carmagnola, Francesco, 1900-1986
A short biography of Italian-Australian anarchist and anti-fascist, Francesco "Frank" Carmagnola.
On 27 February 1986, Frank Carmagnola died in Sydney aged 86. He had suffered badly for months from cancer. Born in the province of Vicenza, North Italy, he became active in the anarchist movement at an early age. He then did his military service in Bologna where he was involved in the very active local movement at the time of the occupations of the factories and general revolutionary upsurge.
Franteschini, Boris, 1914-1986
A short biography of Italian anarchist active in Australia, Boris Franteschini.
On August 26, 1986 Boris Franteschini died due to complications caused by lung cancer.
Boris was one of the last active members of the Italian Anarchist Movement in Melbourne. His commitment and enthusiasm for anarchism was something he maintained until his death.
