work
Time, Work and Industrial Capitalism
Coming from a Marxist viewpoint here Thompson argues that observance of clock-time is a consequence of the European industrial revolution, and that neither industrial capitalism nor the creation of the modern state would have been possible without the imposition of synchronic forms of time and work discipline.
Older workers sacked in pre-emptive strike
Complaints of older workers being sacked have increased dramatically in recent weeks, reports Age Concern, which it attributes to a preemptive strike by employers to avoid age discrimination laws.
"We have seen a rapid and sharp increase in the number of calls from older employees who are very, very concerned, many of whom are angry," said Michelle Mitchell from Age Concern.
Panopticism - Michel Foucault
“Is it surprising that prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals, which all resemble prisons?” This is chapter 3 of Foucault’s seminal work Discipline and Punish, which details the growth of surveillance and disciplinary power alongside the utilitarian logic of early capitalism.
From Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison (NY: Vintage Books 1995) pp. 195-228 translated from the French by Alan Sheridan © 1977
The following, according to an order published at the end of the seventeenth century, were the measures to be taken when the plague appeared in a town.
Garment workers revolt in Bangladesh
RM analyses the strikes, riots and fires of the garment workers of Bangladesh for libcom.org/news.
Iraqi oil union bank account frozen
The Iraqi regime has frozen all the bank accounts of the Iraqi oil workers' union, both abroad and within Iraq.
The Iraqi regime’s decision comes in the wake of a series of anti-union measures, including the disbanding of the council of the lawyers’ union, freezing the writers’ union accounts and the September 2005 decree making all trade union activity illegal.
Worldwide report details brutal suppression of workers' rights
115 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers’ rights in 2005, while more than 1,600 were subjected to violent assaults and some 9,000 arrested, a report states. according to the ICFTU’s Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights violations, published today.
In addition, nearly 10,000 workers were sacked for their trade union involvement, and almost 1,700 detained states the ICFTU’s Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights violations, published today.
General strike brings Guinea to its knees
A general strike over falling living standards paralysed Guinea on Thursday with activity grinding to a halt in spite of government warnings and the presence of armed riot police on the streets.
Banks, businesses, schools and offices shut while streets were virtually deserted as a result of industrial action aimed at forcing a reduction in the price of oil-based fuels and the quadrupling of wages, among other demands.
Bangladesh: Textile workers win right to unionise
Bangladeshi authorities have said they will grant union rights to workers in the clothing industry in a bid to end protests that have left one man dead and scores injured and cost the industry an estimated $140 million.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has said workers can form trade unions to bargain over pay and employment issues. In recent weeks, workers fought pitched battles with police, attacked and shut many factories and set fire to some, police and BGMEA officials said. The workers want higher wages, timely payment of overtime and job security.
Canada: Car part workers down tools
A wildcat strike has broken out in Canada as workers at AGS Automotive plant walked out in a dispute over pay and work rate.
AutoServiceWorld reported today that workers at AGS Parts Plant walked off the job in an unauthorised wildcat strike, which, according to CAW head Buzz Hargrove, could lead to grave consequences.
Calling the event a "powder keg", the union chief said that the sudden work stoppage could sink the company, cripple GM, and cost hundreds of jobs.
Bangladesh: Police open fire on striking workers, killing one
At least one person was killed and 80 injured as police opened fire on garment workers who have been on a wildcat strike demanding a pay increase and the release of two imprisoned colleagues.
The Bangladesh Independent reported that two police officers and seven constables were also injured during a three-hour-long clash between unruly garment workers and police on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near Mawna crossing in Gazipur yesterday.
