mining
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in manufacturing, research and development, mining and materials around the world.
1927: Colorado miners strike and Columbine Mine massacre
Short history of a strike by miners in Colorado in 1927 and the massacre of strikers at the Columbine mine by the state militia. The strike lead to an almost complete shut down of the mining industry in the state.
For the fifty years prior to 1927, the struggles in the Colorado mines had been a flashpoint for labour relations throughout the mining industry and had been marked by many strikes, aborted uprisings and confrontations between miners and mine owners, and the state militia.
South African platinum industry halted by two major strikes, 2004
Very short article on two South African metal workers strikes.
1891: Miners against prison labour
Howard Zinn's account of American miners' struggles against the use of slave prison labour.
There were eruptions against the convict labour system in the South, in which prisoners were leased in slave labour to corporations, used thus to depress the general level of wages and also to break strikes.
1917-1921: The Industrial Workers of Africa
The history of four years of the revolutionary multi-racial union in South Africa, the Industrial Workers of Africa, and the labour movement at the time.
"Fight for Africa, which you deserve"
Johannesburg, South Africa. May 1918. A group of African workers, and a handful of white radicals, meet in a small room behind a general store on the corner of Fox and McLaren streets, as they have done on a weekly basis for over a year. Several new faces are present, so Rueben Cetiwe, a key African militant, outlines the purpose of the gathering:
1914: The Ludlow Massacre
The history of the Ludlow Massacre of striking coal miners, which was one of the most brutal attacks on organised labour in North American history.
Issues concerning labour had dogged the United States for many years preceding World War I and had resulted in widespread strike
1926: British general strike
A short history of Britain’s only ever general strike which lasted 10 days and was called in support of locked-out coal miners.
Britain’s only ever General Strike shook the British ruling class out of their thrones and showed brilliantly how collective working class action can change society.
It also showed how willing the ruling class and how unwilling labour leaders are to fight. Without wanting to sound too light-hearted: We could’ve done it if it wasn’t for those pesky Trade Union bureaucrats!
1766: The Real del Monte miners' strike
A short history of the first ever strike in North American history, by Mexican silver miners.
In the summer of 1766 Mexican silver miners of Real del Monte, about one hundred kilometres north of Mexico city, developed a major industrial strike without a trade union or a political ideology to sustain them. It was the first strike in the history of Mexican labour and the first strike in North America
Bangladeshi Government forced to renounce mine project
In the face of mass resistance, Bangladeshi Government forced to renounce mine project. More actions threatened in garment industry.
The Government has announced it will not now allow the opencast mining project in Phulbari to go ahead. The scale of the resistance has clearly shocked the State; the proposed project provoked a seizure of the town by 30,000 protesters for the past 5 days (after troops shot 5 people) and a nationwide general strike on Wednesday.
News from Bangladesh
Unrest continues across Bangladesh, with widespread strikes and the mass revolt against an attempt by a British company to begin destructive open cast mining in Phulbari.
Picture - Monday, Phulbari in Dinajpur: protesters set fire to furniture of the British company Asia Energy in protest at the killing of demonstrators by security forces.
News from Bangladesh
- garment unrest continues and British company is attacked in mass regional revolt over opencast mine
The Great "Bootleg" Coal Industry (Louis Adamic)
A fascinating look at an alternative 'economic strategy' in US mining communities during the 1930s Depression.
