South America
Argentina: railway station burnt by passengers
Angry passengers attacked and destroyed offices, before burning them down in protest at the atrocious state of the privatised service.
The trouble started when a train broke down 600 metres from Constitucion station, south of Buenos Aires. After 20 minutes a group of passengers (these trains are packed solid with no air conditioning and little ventilation) walked to the station to demand answers. When they did not get any they began to destroy the information offices.
Chile: Forest workers strike over, unions call for continued protests against police violence
May 9, 2007: The Building and Wood Workers International reports the end of the strike of more than 7,000 workers against Celulosa Arauco y Constitución SA – the largest forestry and pulp producing company in Chile.
The Chilean Confederacion de Trabajadores Forestales, affliated with the BWI, negotiated a raise in wages of 12% wage rise for the highest earners and a 52% rise for the lowest earners. All other demands had been met prior to the strike, which was called in response to the company's offer of a 5% raise.
Argentina: Rubber bullets and tear gas against municipal workers
Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina, May 9th
Municipal workers in Río Gallegos, capital city of Santa Cruz province and home of Argentine president Néstor Kirchner, were attacked by state police while marching to demand payment of a promised wage increase
The march on May 9th was entirely non-violent and was attempting to go to the provincal center of government to register their demands when they were attacked with tear gas, rubber bullets and according to some reports lead shot.
Peru: Miner's strike ends
A unlimited strike has come to an end after the goverment agreed to the miners' demands.
Workers for the state-run mining company demanded an increase in their salaries and pensions and an end to the involvement of private companies, especially the use of subcontractors who do not offer benefits such as retirement plans to employees.
Brazilian farmers' occupation kicks off 'Red April' protests
Landless Brazilian farmers have begun a series of coordinated protest actions, occupying properties belonging to a large paper firm.
News reports said on Tuesday that around 200 members of the Landless Workers' Movement (MST) on Monday evening peacefully occupied a property belonging to the Suzano company in Itanpenitinga in Sao Paulo state. A second property was also occupied in Bonito, in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco.
General strike brings Argentina to a standstill
Argentina was brought to a near standstill on Monday amid protests over the killing of a teacher in the south-west of the country last week.
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Buenos Aires and other cities. Schools closed, public transport was halted and banks and many offices shut for a couple of hours. Public transport stopped for a couple hours on Monday and banks and some offices shut their doors in a protest called by the country's main trade union movement.
Argentina: Striking teacher killed by police
Fellow strikers blocked roads across the province on Friday and a national general strike has been called for Monday by the teaching unions after a protester was killed by a tear gas grenade.
Carlos Fuentealba,41, was killed on Thursday night after being hit in the head by the gas grenade, fired into a crowd of protesters by police.
Worker self-management in historical perspective, 1950-2006
A brief history of the movement for workers' self-management in the 20th and 21st centuries. Examines instances of workers' control in Yugoslavia, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and contemporary Argentina.
Introduction
Worker self-management (WSM) has re-emerged as a major movement in Argentina, particularly this year with over 200 factories organized and controlled by their workers and a national co-coordinator of self-managed enterprises in the process of being organized.
1892-1894: The prison revolt and massacre at Cayenne
A short history of the brutal repression at the Cayenne island prison camp in French Guyana. A rebellion against a prisoner's murder was followed by a massacre of anarchists by the authorities.
The Iles du Salut are situated off Cayenne, in what was French Guyana in South America. These three prison islands – of which Devil's Island is the most infamous - were reserved by the French authorities for hard cases, for repeated escapees and for political prisoners. In the course of time many anarchists were sent to these hell-holes.
Girier, Anthelme, 1869-1898
A short biography of French anarchist orator Anthelme Girier, who was imprisoned and involved in the revolt at the Iles du Salut penal colony.
Anthelme Girier
aka Jean Baptiste Lorion, born 1869 - France, died 16 November 1898 - French Guyana
