shipping
News and articles about work, policy and workers' struggles in transport and distribution around the world.
1700: The Jolly Roger
Information and explanations of the likely origins of the pirate flag, the Jolly Roger.
There have been a number of different explanations of the origin of the most famous of the pirates’ flags: the ‘skull and cross bones’, which was first used around the year 1700.
1988-1989: P&O seafarers' strike
The history of P&O shipping workers who struck against wage and job cuts for 16 months. The company tried to break the strike, the government requisitioned the union's funds. The union eventually ordered the strikers back to work, defeated.
In March 1987 the ferry 'Herald of Free Enterprise' overturned in the Belgium
Port of Zeebrugge and 191 passengers and crew members lost their lives. The
owners, P&O plc, expressed regret but pushed on with trying to maximise
their profits by cutting jobs, lengthening the remaining workers hours and
cutting their pay.
1922: The Hong Kong strike
The history of a huge general strike in Hong Kong which won many concessions, including a 20% pay hike.
Hong Kong, Pearl of The Orient? Bastion of democracy against communism? Or a battleground for 200 years between worker and master?
1878-1879: The Australian maritime strike
A short history of the 1878 strike of sailors and maritime workers in Australia which prevented the seaman being sacked and replaced by cheaper workers.
The seamen's strike in 1878 was the first intercolonial dispute in Australia. The Australasian Steam Navigation Company decided to replace all their Australian seamen with Chinese seamen in late 1878. The reason: they were paying Australian seamen eight pounds per month, but could get away with paying Chinese seamen three pounds per month.
Zhelezniakov, Anatoli, 1895-1919 - stormy petrel
A short sketch of the life of a young Russian anarchist sailor who, in collaboration with the Bolsheviks and others, was on hand to disperse both the Provisional Government in October 1917 and the Constituent Assembly in January 1918.
A very slightly revised version appears as Chapter 6 of "Anarchist Portraits" by Paul Avrich, Princeton University Press, 1988.
Irish Ferries dispute roundup
The Irish Ferries dispute is over but the threat of summary sackings and casualisation remains.
Dozens of workers occupied two ferries for more than three weeks in appalling conditions, locking themselves in engine and control rooms below the water line, with little food and the lights on twenty-four hours a day.
Greece: Sailors' 8 day strike called off
Greek seamen ended an eight day strike over employment rights and retirement benefits yesterday.
In Piraeus, Greece's largest port, strikers clashed with riot police on Wednesday to stop trucks boarding ferries. The government had ordered them back to work with the help of military law, and MPs had called for foreign ships to be used to break picket lines.
Irish Ferries - Thousands of workers say no to slavery on the high seas
An estimated 150,000 took part in the day of action in solidarity with Irish Ferries workers across Ireland.
In the south’s biggest working class mobilisation since the seventies between 50,000 and 100,000 marched through Dublin, 10,000 to 15,000 Limerick, 15,000 in Waterford, thousands marched in Cork, over 1,000 marched in Galway, while thousands more marched in Sligo, Athlone, and Rosslare.
Unholy alliance - The seamen's strike: an analysis - George Foulser
An article by George Fulser of the Syndicalist Workers Federation on the 1966 seaman's strike
Unholy alliance - The 1966 Seamen's Strike: An analysis
Direct Action Pamphlets #10
The backdoor agreement
The seamen's struggle of 1966 was beaten before it began. There are plenty of details to show how and why this was so.
Seamen had won a 44-hour week in 1961, following, their unofficial 1960 dispute, by threatening another go if the 1960 aims were not conceded.
1million walk out against French labour reform
Over one million French workers struck and demonstrated yesterday, October 4th against planned labour reforms by the Jacques Chirac’s government.
Widespread disruption was caused across public and private sectors, including on the trains, in aviation, the postal service, education and power. Workers took to the streets in nationwide protests in 150 cities, with 150,000 marchers reported in Paris, 100,000 in Marseille.
