retail and food
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in retail and the food industry around the world.
General strike over prices brings Belgium to a halt
A nationwide strike against rising prices disrupted transport, retailing and manufacturing across Belgium on Monday.
High-speed international rail services in and out of the country to France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands were cancelled and picketing disrupted the port of Antwerp.
Workers were protesting in advance of the government's 2009 budget to demand action on inflation and the rising cost of living.
Low-paid workers strike and protest at multiple stores
In Auckland and Hamilton low-paid workers at McDonald's and the Farmers department store are striking and protesting for better pay and working conditions.
The strikes started on September 19th with workers working out of Otara McDonald's, to be accompanied on the picket line by a giant inflatable rat. October 3 saw staff at six different McDonald's walk out, five in Auckland and one in Hamilton.
Bitter death in a chocolate factory
Factory puts profit over safety.
In May 2008, Krzysztof Pruszewicz would have been 21. He was killed on April 16 in an industrial accident in the Vobro Chocolate Factory in Brodnica, Poland.
Argos strike 'solid'
The 24 hour strike at Argos which started today over a sub-inflation pay offer is described by Unite union officials as 'rock solid'.
Distribution workers voted overwhelmingly for strike action; close to 70% of those voting in the ballot voted for strike action with a turnout of over 75%.
This stoppage will be followed by a 24 hour stoppage on Thursday 24th July followed by 4 day total stoppages beginning on 30th July as workers take staggered strike action.
Twenty New York IWW members fired
Twenty IWW members have been fired from a food distributing warehouse in New York.
May 28, 2008
Flaum Appetizing, a kosher food distributor, terminated 20 IWW members last week. The IWW had a strong presence at Flaum, with about two-thirds of the warehouse being union members. Workers had been struggling for respect from the boss for almost a year before the firings occurred.
Mexico: 250 Corona bottle makers fired for forming an independent union
More than 250 employees of a factory that manufactures beer bottles for Corona (amongst others) in San Luis Potosí have been fired for associating with a legally recognised independent union. The factory's owners are also purging the factory of sympathisers of the sacked workers.
Almost two years of unionising activity had resulted in workers ousting the corrupt, mainstream Confederación Revolucionaria de Obreros y Campesinos (CROC) union from the shopfloor of the Industrial Vidriera Potosí (IVP) glass factory and replacing it with the independent Sindicato Único de Trabajadores de la Empresa IVP (SUTEIVP).
France: workers strike, many win
Restaurant and tire workers have won strikes with a bus drivers' strike ongoing.
Michelin - Workers at the factory in Toul (Meurthe et Moselle) began strike action after plans were announced to close it down. As well as occupying and blockading the plant with pickets of burning tyres the 826 workers also confined two managers to their offices during the four-day strike.
France: unprecedented national strike hits retail sector
According to unions up to 80% of workers in supermarkets across the country joined in the strike action on Friday.
The strike was organised by the CGT CFDT and FO unions to pressurise management over pay and conditions, specifically part-time working and holiday working in a sector employing over 636,000 people.
Canada: support workers strike at New Brunswick Community College
500 workers, including lab technicians and canteen, security and cleaning staff, are currently striking over pay.
The workers, members of local 1251 of the public service union have been striking since January 10th; pay negotiations broke down at the end of November and no new negiotiations were scheduled.
France: workers' blockades attacked by police
Fourteen, mostly female, striking workers required treatment after police charged their blockades.
The, mostly female, striking workers were injured at the Miko factory in Saint-Dizier on Tuesday. Police were sent in after workers had confined the manager, Prakash Patel, to his office the previous day and occupied the site. The ice cream manufacturer recently announced a restructuring plan which will see 254 of the 493 employees lose their jobs.
