military and law enforcement

Bangladeshi garment workers keep up the pressure - more clashes

Bangladeshi workers continue the protests and strikes that have been escalating in recent weeks.

Trouble in the garment industry has continued in Dhaka(see earlier report); yesterday (Tues) several thousand workers again fought cops in the Dhaka Export Processing Zone (DEPZ).

Worked to death - Bangladeshi garment workers take to the streets after workmate dies

On Wednesday (2nd Jan) this week several thousand garment workers from around 20 factories completely blocked a main highway from 8am to 5 pm in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh.

The action began when factory bosses locked out workers from SQ Sweaters Ltd in the Sheorapara area of the city; the lockout was in response to protests on the previous two nights when workers allegedly refused to work, seized management officials and held them hostage in the factory.

China: Workers in Guangdong attacked for asking to be paid

A chinese construction worker in the shadow of a high rise

Construction workers building a dam near Heyuan, were attacked after demanding payment, having gone four months without wages.

Some 300-400 workers at the site, currently building a hydro-electric power station, went on strike last Friday in protest at the massive wage arrears. Some 200 hired thugs then attacked the workers. Lei Mingzhong, is reported to be in a coma and brain dead and acccording to doctors has no chance of recovery. Many other workers were injured in the clashes.

Senegal: seven teachers injured by police

The teachers were on the way home from a general meeting that had been held in the state capital Ziguinchor when they were attacked by police.

The teachers who are currently involved in a dispute over pay and conditions had asked for authorisation for a march. This request was denied by the state governor. The teachers met in the town and held a general assembly (AG) they agreed on a protest motion that was to be passed to the governor but he refused to enter into any contact with them.

Water, energy and crisis in Bangladesh

How water and electricity scarcity impacts on life and politics. Plus a brief look at the ongoing governmental crisis.

Quote:

The administration of most essential public utilities specially water and electricity is in serious jeopardy in the capital [Dhaka], causing untold suffering to the city dwellers.
The erratic power supply leads to disruption to smooth water supply to the city dwellers who are reeling from power and water crisis during the ongoing dry season.

2003-2004: Los Angeles supermarket strike

The history of a huge five-month strike and lockout of 70,000 supermarket workers in California, which ended in defeat.

The walkout was against cuts in benefits, and run almost entirely by union leaderships. While the supermarkets lost $2.5bn in profits, they succeeded in beating the strike and imposing the cuts.

Notes on Another Defeat for Workers in the US

DUck and cover - the continuing dangers of Depleted Uranium

Our exposure to Depleted Uranium is posing a danger that is being wilfully downplayed and ignored. John Couzin investigates

A new report has found that during the ‘Shock and Awe’ campaign in Iraq, radiation levels in Britain quadrupled, leading to fears that Depleted Uranium weapons used in the desert state may have affected most of Europe.

GI opposition to the Vietnam War, 1965-1973 - Howard Zinn

Historian Howard Zinn on the opposition to the Vietnam War by American soldiers. For a fuller introduction we recommend our article 1961-1973: GI Resistance in the Vietnam War

[2,200 words]

Armed forces rank and file demand union

Amidst equipment shortages and failures, the rash of court martials in Iraq, misgivings over new deployments of 4000 troops to Afghanistan in the spring, bullying, and the fall in recruitment and retention of soldiers, rank-and-file members of the Armed Forces have started calling for a union.

As well as the discontent within regular soldiers, part-timers in the Territorial Army, due to differences in contract, have often stayed in Iraq longer than their full-time counterparts due to shortages of personnel. Many have been on active duty for more than 6 months, and in some cases been sacked by their employers upon their return, with only £1000 fine the maximum penalty for employers.

Mutiny in Banja Luka, Bosnia - ICG

As our text on the war in Yugoslavia and the struggles taken up by the proletariat against the permanent degradation of their conditions of life went to press mutinies broke out in certain sectors of the Serbian army, confirming that even in the worst situation of counter-revolution our class continues to be the only viable alternative to the horrors of capitalism.

From Communism #9, September 1993

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1968-1972: Harass the Brass: Some notes toward the subversion of the US armed forces

With updates in 2001, this article outlines the story of the widespread resistance and near-mutiny within the US Army, Navy and Air Force during the Vietnam War. This resistance was a major factor in the eventual withdrawal of US troops.

1963-1974: The Olive-Drab Rebels: Military Organising During The Vietnam Era by Matthew Rinaldi

1971 Armed Forces Day demonstration, Texas

This article is a detailed account of soldiers' and sailors' resistance to the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s.

It particularly concentrates on the organising efforts of left-wing groups both civilian and within the military.

For a more general overview of resistance, we recommend our article GI Resistance in the Vietnam War, 1961-1973.

Quiet Fronts in the Spanish Civil War - Michael Seidman

QUIET FRONTS IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR.

Author/s: Michael Seidman
Issue: Summer, 1999

US snipers see trouble brewing

"The reason why they're fighting us is not Osama bin Laden. They're fighting us because we're here. . . . They don't want us here. They just want us to leave."

"I guess that would be a victory for them,'' he said. "As far as I can see there's not going to be any victory for us."

By Tom Lasseter

1967-1973: GI resistance in Vietnam - a personal account by Dave Blalock

Vietnam veteran Dave Blalock was one of the defendants whose Supreme Court legal challenge overturned Pres. Bush's law prohibiting the burning of the U.S. flag. The following piece details his experiences in Vietnam.

news

UK: One in four will live in fuel poverty
Over 14 million people could find themselves in fuel poverty in the near future, if new figures from gas giant Centrica predicting a 70% rise in gas prices prove accurate - nearly a quarter of the population.

articles

The Good and Bad Old Days - The Whinger
The following notes look at various developments in employment, unemployment, and industrial struggles, mainly in the UK, through the period of the sixties, and up to the mid-seventies.

1968

1952-1973: Radical perspectives in the Caribbean
The experiences of Fundi, Carribean Situationist. " From the start we saw through the fraud of the "independent" unions ... We decided that the union bureaucracy must stop; that there should not be any mediation between us and the boss for this has been responsible for suppressing confidence in ourselves to take up the total task of ending capitalism. ... We developed the capacity for instant strike action. We had meetings on the factory compound and the farms during work hours against the wishes of the boss and traditional unionism. ... Such actions are the bedrock of direct participation which stands in truth against the lies of centralized leadership."

Tea Break

Tea Break July 2008
First issue of an irregular workers' bulletin put together by users of the website, libcom.org. This issue focuses on the 2008 pay dispute over sub-inflation pay offers.

military and law enforcement

1968

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