blockades
Articles about direct action using blockades, often of transport links.
French docks blockaded in strike action
Workers at France's seven biggest ports went on strike today to protest a government plan to sell dock-equipment management to private companies and take staff off public payrolls.
Sixty-seven vessels including thirty-nine tankers stranded at the harbor's entrance. Government officials, port managers and union representatives are yet to tally the costs of the strike. A 17-day walkout last year in Marseille alone cost Manutention Generale Mediterraneenne, the port's biggest cargo- handler, €1.5 million ($2.4 million).
FIAT factory blockaded
The FIAT factory at Pomigliano (NA) in Southern Italy has been blockaded since Thursday April 10th.
The mobilisation was organised by a workers committee, constituted independently from union membership. 99% of workers adhered to the strike, which was loosened on Monday 14th April when workers decided to only block gates for goods in an attempt to force the factory to a halt.
Illegal immigrants win unpaid wages in Stockholm
The syndicalist SAC union in Sweden has been campaigning for fair wages for illegal immigrants in the last few months, resulting in thousands of pounds in unpaid wages being paid to migrant workers.
The increasing organisation of illegal immigrants within the syndicalist union SAC have lead to more and more blockades to force the payment of unpaid wages, mainly from employment agencies in the restaurant, cleaning, hotel and building industry. Millions Kronor in unpaid wages have been have been won by the SAC.
Airport staff on strike
Strike action continues in Ireland, as airport workers threaten a national strike in India.
Air traffic controllers in Ireland have voted for 24-hour strikes this Thursday after several weeks of unofficial overtime ban. The strike, organised by the Balpa union, is likely to ground flights at all three airports.
France: workers strike, many win
Restaurant and tire workers have won strikes with a bus drivers' strike ongoing.
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.
France: Carrefour strikers issued with summonses
Seven of the striking workers at the Grand Littoral hypermarket have been issued with summonses for "restriction of the right to work"
Workers at the hypermarket have been on strike since February the first.
France: Carrefour strike in Marseille enters 11th day
Till staff, shop floor workers and warehouse staff have been striking for 11 days now for better salaries and conditions.
The Grand Littoral branch of Carrefour is the only one in the country to have continued action after the national one-day retail strike. As a result Grand Littoral has been entirely closed for nine of the last eleven days.
France: striking taxi drivers protest and block roads
Taxi drivers are launching strikes and protests against government plans to liberalise the sector.
In Paris hundreds of taxis have occupied the place de la République to protest against the report. In Marseille taxi drivers have picketed roads going into the city, causing long tailbacks. In the small town of Dieppe 16 of the town's 17 taxis were striking. The strike is also being well-observed in Cannes and other towns and cities across France.
France: Areva strikers issued with summonses
31 striking workers have been issued with summonses for 'restricting the freedom to work'
80 of the 89 workers at the Montrouge site have been on strike since January 10th over plans to close the factory down. Workers have also occupied and blockaded the buildings in protest. There has been no explanation of why the 31 employees targetted were chosen.
New Caledonia: police attack striking workers
Some 400 strikers fought overnight with police who tried to prevent them occupying group headquarters.
Workers at Carsud, the bus transport system for the capital Nouméa and surrounding areas, went on strike over the dismisal of a colleague for gross misconduct. Workers began a general strike, rotating between different regions, on January 9th.
