New film about the struggle of workers organized in SI Cobas in the meat industry in Modena, Italy, in the winter of 2016/17. The material was filmed almost exclusively by workers and supporters themselves with their smartphones. It gives an impression of the physical violence and brutality perpetrated against superexploited workers.
Picket at Levoni plant in Modena/Italy
http://en.labournet.tv/until-victory
Italy 2017, 44min,with english subs.
The meat industry in the Modena region is firmly in the hands of the Levoni family. Levoni employs a 95% migrant workforce for 6.7 euros per hour. Faked payrolls are the order of the day, and social security contributions are not approprietly paid, or not paid at all. The workers work as butchers. However, they are paid according to the collective agreement of the logistics industry, as if they were warehouse workers. This means that they should not be working with knives. If they cut themselves, which happens all the time, no ambulance may be called. They have to say that they cut themselves at home and are taken to the hospital in private cars.
The strikes began after a particularly serious work accident. At first, 70 workers went on strike. The workers kept on until they had their food workers' contract. As soon as they had it, 110 of them were dismissed, because the contract was withdrawn from the companies they were employed with (AlcarUno and GlobalCarni). Levoni transferred the contract to another company. 55 of the dismissed were not reinstated.
Update October 2017: For all workers, the arrears of outstanding wages and social security contributions have now been met, so that the dismissed workers are now entitled to unemployment benefit. They also got a compensation worth 12 monthly wages. However, almost all workers who took part in the struggle have recently been served notice of civil prosecution for one or more cases of alleged use of violence.
Comments
Hopefully it is an industry
Hopefully it is an industry which will cease to exist one day, atleast in it's current form. Now we have lab grown meat and hopefully that replaces the current system of disgusting cruelty, mass murder and damage to the environment.
‘Until Victory’ - Migrant
‘Until Victory’ - Migrant workers’ organising in the meat industry in Italy, 2016/17
An IWW London / AngryWorkers film screening
We want to use the opportunity of the film screening to discuss lessons for our organising initiative in warehouses and food factories in west London. If you want to find out more about this and/or if you want to get involved - join us for the film here:
Tuesday, 31st of October, 6:30pm
MayDay Rooms
Fleet Street 88
London
EC4Y 1DH
Reminder - Three meetings of
Reminder - Three meetings of London IWW / AngryWorkers
Dear all,
we hope to see you at one of the following meetings - which would also give us a chance to meet face-to-face to coordinate further steps of our west London organising campaign.
*** Stall and Workshop at the Anarchist Book fair
Meet us at the stall or join us during our workshop on organising amongst migrant warehouse and factory workers.
Saturday, 28 October at 16:00
Park View School, West Green Road, N15 3QR London
https://en-gb.facebook.com/events/120278738641469/
*** UK/US Series - Conversation with our comrade from the Bay Area
Our friend from San Francisco will tell us about organising within the logistics sector in the US
Sunday, 29 October, 18:00
Mayday Rooms 88 Fleet St London Ec4 1Dh
https://itsgoingdown2017.wordpress.com/blog/
*** Film Screening: Migrant workers struggle in the meat industry in Italy
New documentary from workers and militants of the rank-and-file union Si Cobas
Tuesday, 31 October at 18:30
Mayday Rooms 88 Fleet St London Ec4 1Dh
https://en-gb.facebook.com/events/181129352455577/