services
Articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in the service sector, as distinct from retail, energy and communications.
New Zealand: 800 Hospital cleaners locked out after strike
Around 800 workers contracted to Spotless Services Ltd have been locked out of their kitchen, orderly and cleaning jobs today at 13 public hospitals across New Zealand after they attempted to start industrial action.
The action involved striking for 55 minutes of every hour, 24 hours a day in a struggle for better wages and conditions.
Strikes in Egypt spread from centre of gravity
The longest and strongest wave of worker protest since the end of World War II is rolling through Egypt. In March, the liberal daily al-Masri al-Yawm estimated that no fewer than 222 sit-in strikes, work stoppages, hunger strikes and demonstrations had occurred during 2006.
Take from Middle East Report Online
In the first five months of 2007, the paper has reported a new labour action nearly every day. The citizen group Egyptian Workers and Trade Union Watch documented 56 incidents during the month of April, and another 15 during the first week of May alone.[1]
Jamaican labour minister intervenes to try and avert hotel strike
Labour Minister Derrick Kellier has scheduled a meeting for tomorrow with contractors, as well as the two major trade unions representing the more than 2,000 workers at the Fiesta Hotel site in Hanover, in light of a threat by disgruntled workers to lock down the project.
Kellier, who was making his first appearance yesterday at a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House since he was appointed minister just more than a year ago, is expected to chair the meeting, which will involve representatives of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union (BITU) and the National Workers Union (NWU), as well as the two main contractors on the site.
Strikers occupy First Ontario credit union
Striking First Ontario Credit Union workers have no regrets after they occupied the company’s east Mountain branch and padlocked the doors to try to get the financial institution back to the bargaining table.
Hamilton police smashed the glass on a door to gain entry to the Queensdale and Upper Sherman Avenue branch to end the occupation an hour after it began at 3 p. m. yesterday.
France: Postal counter staff strike in Le Havre
Counter services in Le Havre and the surrounding regions were severely affected by a one-day walkout last Tuesday by postal counter staff.
Only one post office remained open in the town and only 2 out of 14 in the surrounding areas. According to the management only 24% of workers participated, if this is true the workers managed to create an effect greater than their numbers might have suggested. The strike was called by three unions: FO, SUD and CGT.
1995: The French pensions strikes
A short history of the massive strike movement against welfare reform in France in 1995.
During November and December of 1995 France was gripped by the largest strike movement the country had seen in recent years. After three weeks of strikes workers forced a government climbdown over the issue of changes to pensions of public sector workers.
France: Binmen strike over pay
An indefinite strike was called called yesterday by bin men in the Ile de France region.
The workers from Sita, the second largest private refuse collection company in France, are calling for a 3% rise backdated to January the first and a further 1% from the first of July. 180 comunes in the region will be affected as well as three of the 20 departments in Paris.*
Strikes across Israel
There have been strikes across Israel this week, including at Ashdod Port, the Bank of Israel and numerous schools and universities.
Workers at the Bank of Israel began an indefinite strike on Tuesday, however the strike ended at 3am this morning after a deal was struck between the Bank of Israel Governer and the Ministry of Finance Director of Wages Eli Cohen.
Iraqi hotel workers win unpaid wages
The workers of Sheraton hotel, Baghdad, went on strike for two days last week demanding their overdue salaries and other unpaid benefits.
The strike was led by the General union of the tourism and hotels' workers, inside the building of Sheraton hotel - Baghdad.
The demands of the workers focused on paying the overdue salaries and arrear unpaid benefits of the holidays which amount up to 200.000 Iraqi Dinars (equivalent to 140 US$) in addition other arrears.
Belfast anti-water charges picket forces recruitment cancellation
Campaigners claimed their protest today a victory after it was announced that Echo Managed Services, the company responsible for recovering unpaid water charges had cancelled its much publicised open recruitment day.
Echo would collect on behalf of the new water company Northern Ireland Water Ltd.
Secretary of the We Won't Pay Campaign Gary Mulcahy speaking at the protest today warned Echo that today's protest was the first of many to target it's headquarters on Upper Queen St in Belfast.
