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News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in manufacturing, research and development, mining and materials around the world.

A year of our lives - 20 years since the great coal strike of 1984-1985
Mount Isa: the great Queensland strike - Solidarity
1912: The Lena Massacre

Mexico: Nationwide wildcat miners’ strike

More than a quarter of a million miners and steelworkers walked off the job between March 1 - 3 in wildcat strikes at 70 companies in at least eight states from central to northern Mexico virtually paralysing the mining industry.

While the strike has ended, there are reasons to believe that this could be the first act in an unfolding drama that could challenge Mexican employers, the corrupt “official” unions, and the conservative Mexican government. Stay in your seats, the play has only begun.

By Dan La Botz

Xuhat, Ngo Van, 1913-2005

Ngo Van Xuhat

A short biography of Vietnamese libertarian socialist and metal worker Ngo Van Xuhat.


Ngo Van Xuhat Born 1913, Vietnam, died 2005, France

Ngo Van Xuhat , author of The Saigon Commune, started his political career as a Trotskyist but by the end of his life had developed libertarian analyses.

India: Villagers lock down iron factory

Jamshedpur: Annoyed by the air pollution caused by Sidhi Vinayak Metacom Limited, a sponge iron unit at Chowka under Seraikela-Kharsawan district, villagers from adjoining areas forcefully closed the company on Friday.

Police said the villagers had staged a dharna* in front of the company’s main gate on December 27, 2005, asking the company to install an electrostatic precipitator to control air pollution caused by the exhaust gas of the plant.

1917: Recollections of a Bisbee Deportee: Still on strike!

An account by a striking miner and Wobbly (Industrial Workers of the World member) who was deported with 1,185 other strikers to New Mexico by armed vigilantes hired by copper bosses to defeat the strike

1892: The Homestead strike

National Guard patrol the main street

An account of a militant strike of steel workers of the Carnegie company in the US defending their union against the bosses, the police and hired armed mercenaries.

The Robber Baron Andrew Carnegie precipitated the Homestead Strike of 1892 with his attack against the standard of living of the workers and his bid to break the union representing the highest skilled workers. Carnegie announced his intention to impose an 18 percent pay cut and issued a statement saying that the real issue was whether the Homestead steel workers would be union or non-union.

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