blockades
Articles about direct action using blockades, often of transport links.
Students protest at sixth form college
Over fifty Sixth Form students at Riverside College, Runcorn, Cheshire reacted against the removal of I.T. facilities from the college and the atmosphere of secrecy in which the ill-disguised asset strip was carried out.
With just weeks before AS and A-Level examinations, computers from the former Runcorn Sixth Form building were to be removed, apparently to be installed next door in the former Halton College building.
The two colleges were forced into an amalgamation by the local Labour run authority last summer against the wishes of staff, pupils, parents and the local community in general.
Scotland: sacked workers occupy, blockade factories
Laid-off workers have occupied then blockaded their closed factories in order to prevent asset-stripping by the company, Simclar, and secure improved redundancy terms.
On Friday night (2nd Feb) around 60 workers, members of the trade union community who were protesting outside the Kilwinning site, stormed and occupied the factory. 20 stayed overnight, demanding improved redundancy terms after Monday's announcement that the Kilwinning and Irvine sites were to close with the loss of 420 jobs.
Canada: Students blockade the Port of Montréal, 2005
Article about blockade by students in Canada striking against cuts in education.
Reports on struggle railway cleaners in Italy, 2002
Reports and leaflets on a strike of thousands of cleaning at the state-owned railway in Italy in 2002 which involved rail blockades, slowdowns and strikes.
Chinese villagers riot over land grab
Up to ten thousand Chinese villagers blockaded a warehouse in the village of Sanzhou in the southern province of Guangdong last week, claiming it had been built on land seized illegally by the Chinese government.
The villagers barricaded around 300 officials and foreign businessmen in the warehouse during its official opening, and were attacked by up to 1,000 riot police using batons, attack dogs and tear gas, holding the building overnight until they were dispersed in the morning.
Coca-Cola blockade ended after legal challenges
Former employees from the Venezuelan bottling plant have ended their blockade after Coca-Cola sought a legal ban on the blockade.
Production at the Caracas-based Coca-Cola bottling plant had been brought to a standstill last week after former employees mounted a picket, demanding the company pay out £1,220,800 of overdue social security payments between 1,500 workers. Coca-Cola maintain that they will only settle with 65 former employees.
Workers blockade Coca-Cola bottling plant
220 protestors began a picket of Coca-Cola's Caracas bottling centre on Monday, refusing to move until they recieve social security payments.
The ex-employees of the Mexican-run bottling plant endured a heavy downpour throughout Tuesday night. After sheltering under sheets of plastic and cardboard boxes, they remained firm on their picket line. Coca-Cola have confirmed that output at all four of it's Venezuelan bottling plants has been halted by the action. Admistrative offices have also been picketed.
The anti-CPE struggle continues in France
The withdrawal of the CPE was announced today. This is a victory for the protesters, however the government still has the ability to strongarm similar legislation through and has not withdrawn the other parts of the new law package.
The "loi sur l'egalite des chances" of which the CPE was only a part, remains.
The alliance of unions that opposed the CPE has called for a continuation of the struggle as have many of the protesting groups. The CPE was the straw that broke the camel's back, but the reaction may well see all similar legislation withdrawn.
CPE scrapped
A more detailed look at the withdrawal of the new French employment law CPE with latest updates.
Latest
Our Montpellier correspondent reacts to the withdrawal and summarises events there this past week.
Rennes postal workers take short strike action in solidarity with blockades
Postal workers take short wildcat strike action in support of sorting office-occupying anti-CPE demonstrators.
Ouest France in Brittany report from postal sorting office in Rennes:
