2000s
2003: Frog pubs strike
An account of a strike of mostly Sri Lankan workers, aided by outside militants, at a British-owned pub chain in France, which won some concessions for the workers.
There are several Frog Pubs in Paris, English style beer pubs, whose menus and ‘sport events on big screens’ are aimed at a young and solvent clientele. Expenses are reduced by all means necessary: the kitchen staff work in tiny kitchens (e.g. 12 square metre kitchen for 450 square metres pub area). The wages vary between the minimum wage and 1,200 euros for the chef.
2001: Brighton bin men's strike and occupation
A short history of a victorious strike and occupation of their workplace by contracted-out bin workers that was assisted by local residents.
Refusing Collection
2000: Cellatex chemical plant occupation
An account of a group of 153 sacked Cellatex chemical workers in France who won a massively improved redundancy deal due to militant struggle, albeit one with some misguided tactics
Givet is a town of 8,000 on the Belgian border in northern France. The area was largely dominated by steel and textile until the plant closings and restructurings of the 1970s, when it became an ex-industrial wasteland. 22% of the local population was unemployed. The Cellatex plant, where the following struggle took place, was founded in 1903 and produced one the first synthetic fibres.
The lessons of the bin tax struggle
The opening years of the century saw a mass community based struggle against the shifting of taxation further onto the working class in Dublin. Thousands of households were paid up members of the campaign and tens of thousands refused to pay this new tax over a period of years despite prosecutions, media hysteria and the jailing of over 20 activists.
2001: The JeffBoat workers wildcat strike
Workers at JeffBoat, the United States' largest inland shipyard located in on the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, Indiana, went on wildcat strike on April 30th, 2001. JeffBoat workers were presented with a contract proposal that set them back on every point and gave their union, Teamsters Local 89, the power to make deals with the company without the members' consent.
Unionisation drive at a UK local newspaper
A short account by one worker in a local UK newspaper of a successful NUJ unionisation drive he was involved in in 2006
You make plans, we make history
A rambling critical look at the ecological crisis, the anti-globalisation movement, Reclaim the Streets, the Genoa protests, and more...
Culture in Danger? If only...
The following text is an English version of a text written in France following the strikes and actions of 'Les
intermittents du spectacle' (casualised workers in the culture industry) in June and July 2003.
McDonalds, 9-11 and US foreign policy
Statement by Glasgow MWR following a statement issued by the McDonalds corporation following the September 11th attacks covering the attacks, the war, and McDonalds itself
2005: The Movement of secondary school students in France
Very Brief Notes on the
Movement of Secondary School Students, France 2005
from http://www.endangeredphoenix.com/
We emphasise that these are just notes, very incomplete and not much of an analysis. Watch this space for further developments
