logging

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.

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.

Owner Dassi Simone originally sacked 90 of the 110-strong workforce on January 31st, although he later re-hired some of them. The workers became discontented after the infirmary was closed, as were payment by instalment schemes and loans for school fees. In addition workers were not properly paid at the end of the year and were refused pay slips.

Death of a Wobbly
Following the Seattle General Strike of 1919, in which the revolutionary rank-and-file union the Industrial Workers of the World was a key player, bosses and the US government stepped up the repression of the IWW.

The Fort Bragg Redwood sawmill is owned by Georgia-Pacific, a large company with interests in building materials and chemicals. Workers used to call bomb threats into the company. They waited until 1:00 pm on Fridays, in spring, when it was balmy and glorious.