coal

Après moi le déluge! Fossil fuel abolitionism and the carbon bubble - part 1

Submitted by Out of the Woods on Apr 14 2014 14:07

In part one of this two-part article, we look at the so-called ‘carbon bubble’ – assets priced based on 'unburnable' fossil fuels.

The 'carbon bubble' and path dependency

Killer coal-burning plant switched off in Vado Ligure, Italy

Submitted by StrugglesInItaly on Mar 15 2014 17:40

A coal burning factory in northern Italy, which caused pollution linked to the deaths of hundreds of local residents and was owned by entrepreneurs close to the centre-left political party, has been closed down by police.

The Tirreno Power coal-burning power station in Vado Ligure, near Savona, has been shut down by police at the request of the Public Prosecutor. This comes as a result of a three-year investigation by the Public Prosecutor into the plant’s effects on the environment and public health.

Indian workers shut down seven mines and destroy bosses' offices

Submitted by working class s... on Nov 30 2013 21:24

Following violent clashes over the decision to dismiss hundreds of unionised workers and replace them with unaffiliated workers, locals in the Odisha region of India have forced the closure of seven large open cast coal mines, and two railway stations. 1,000 local workers ransacked the management offices and fought running battles with workers who remain loyal to the bosses.

Over forty mining vehicles have been set on fire and destroyed, and railway tracks have been damaged to prevent the transportation of coal. Several hundred police officers have been drafted into the village to try and regain control.

300 Turkish miners barricade themselves underground

Submitted by working class s... on Nov 26 2013 17:00

300 miners across two shifts at a mine in the Black Sea area of Zonguldak have barricaded themselves underground in protest at atrocious health and safety. Turkey has the worst mine safety record across all of Europe, with 2,554 miners losing their lives since 1991. They have vowed to continue their protest until the demands have been met.

The protest was initiated by workers on the night shift , and then gained widespread support from those who were due to work the day shift. Around 2000 workers who did not wish to go underground have been conducting a protest outside the mine in solidarity with their colleagues.

Beyond Thatcher : militant testimonies on miners’ struggles and British syndicalism from yesterday and today

This year, Margaret Thatcher’s death reminded us of the economic policies she initiated in Britain and her anti-social and anti-union fights. In the last months, Autre Futur [French syndicalist website and association] wished to go further and to conduct a series of interviews with different British unionists and syndicalists, about these past struggles but also about the present, in order to get a better grasp of issues which have emerged in recent decades.

The relevance of these testimonies and thoughts have been shown to go beyond the British context and remind us the importance of a greater international cooperation and solidarity in the face of life and working conditions’ deterioration.

Solidarity for workers' full control #04

Issue of Solidarity published by Solidarity (South London) on 4 July 1969 with articles about Kingsnorth, keystone cops, Fiat workers and the Ilford squatters' struggle and more.

Squatters' last stand - on the Ilford squatters struggle
Fiat workers see through unions - on the autonomous struggle of Fiat workers in Italy

The US miners' strikes, 1919-1922 - Jeremy Brecher

Submitted by Steven. on Jul 22 2013 17:34

Jeremy Brecher's account of the strike wave in American mines from 1919 to 1922, where coalminers fought the bosses, the government and even the unions often pitched battles involving guns, dynamite and even a makeshift air force.

Most protracted of all the US industrial disputes of 1919 was the mass strike in the coal fields, with sporadic strikes, national strikes, and armed battles running from 1919 into 1922.