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Martinique: Anti-capitalist union in Fight for Freedom of Association

The postman Hervé Pinto, Secretary General of the Martinique Democratic Central of Workers holds in his hands the legal document that makes the union illegal. According to its principles, The CDMT is a class struggle union anti-capitalist and anti-colonialist, who does not collaborate with the Employers, who preserves its organizational independence from political parties and which respects workers’ democracy, so who “does not belong to bureaucrats who are afraid of criticism and debate”. http://cdmt-postes.wifeo.com

Post office : Hervé Pinto does not give up

(04/11/11) France Antilles

Hervé Pinto is this Post Office executive [Martinican], sanctioned after a right of withdrawal at his own initiative because his union did not have national representation allowing him to sit in the bodies. Unlike other organizations, the CDMT is not backed by a French confederation. Management had decided to lay him off over two years and, due to this non-representativeness, requested to stop all union activity within the Post Office.

A letter from the hierarchy would have mentioned that “… Any person who claims to be part of this union of the Martinique Post Office, would be committing the most total illegality and would be exposed to disciplinary sanctions ». A “fallacious” pretext according to CDMT union officials [Martinique Democratic Central of Workers – http://cdmt-postes.wifeo.com] who are still protesting against the administration's measure "not respectful of the decision of the Council of State which nevertheless ruled in favor of the employee" by overturning the judgment of the administrative court.

Although the period of union sanction has passed (he took over the 17 October), Hervé Pinto does not intend to give up on union action at the post office. He provides proof of the effectiveness of his union section which obtained a more than honorable score in the last professional election. And to announce that’on his return, he was offered a promotion. He refused it. “While I was execrable, incompetent, irresponsible, here I am today worthy of receiving a promotion”, quips the trade unionist. Who will do everything possible to enforce the court decision in their favor.

[http youtube://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g0lvSXoSX0]

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Greece: a fall increasingly hot

OCL

During summer, the anger of the Greeks against the government and the international authorities imposing the measures of unprecedented social decline (and without equivalent in Europe) did not have the opportunity to soften.

The “package” of laws passed at the end of June in a parliament under siege in order to obtain the payment of a new tranche of the first loan from 110 billion euros and the agreement in principle for a new loan 160 billion consecutive effects of the first (recession therefore lower tax revenue) immediately proved insufficient for donors : further measures were required as early as July and late summer, the main lines were known : hiring freeze and forced departure from 30 000 officials (in a "labor reserve", paid 60% salary for a year and then nothing), creation of a property tax (touching 80% greeks) and recovery thereof via electricity bills, decline in pensions greater than 1 200 euros per month and lowering of the tax threshold to 5 000 euros of annual income (lowered two months earlier by 12 000 at 8 000 euros per year), either all low wages ...

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Migrant Workers’ Conditions in Middle East is Modern Slavery – and the answer from employing class to radicalised Arab working class of the ’60s

The idea that Dubai is an oasis of freedom on the Arabian peninsular is one of the great lies of our time. Yes, it has Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts and the Gucci styles, but beneath these accoutrements, there is a dictatorship built by slaves.

If you go there with your eyes open – as I did earlier this year – the truth is hidden in plain view. The tour books and the bragging Emiratis will tell you the city was built by Sheikh Mohammed, the country’s hereditary ruler. It is untrue.

The people who really built the city can be seen in long chain-gangs by the side of the road, or toiling all day at the top of the tallest buildings in the world, in heat that Westerners are told not to stay in for more than 10 minutes. They were conned into coming, and trapped into staying.

In their home country – Bangladesh or the Philippines or India – these workers are told they can earn a fortune in Dubai if they pay a large upfront fee. When they arrive, their passports are taken from them, and they are told their wages are a tenth of the rate they were promised. Read more →

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Hersey reduced immigrant workers to slavery

C’est l’histoire de 300 étudiants étrangers venus aux États-Unis dans le cadre d’un programme de travail-études et qui se voient engagés dans ce qu’ils décrivent comme du travail forcé à l’usine d’emballage Hersey de Palmyra, en Pennsylvanie. Les étudiants, originaires de l’Europe de l’est et de l’Asie, ont fait grève il y a deux semaines, après s’être fait ordonné de lever de lourdes boîtes, de travailler des quarts de huit heures de nuit, et avoir été forcés à rester debout de longues heures à emballer des friandises dans des chaînes de production extrêmement rapides. Des agences fédérales américaines ont ouvertes quatre enquêtes à ce sujet.

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Greece: the European version of the shock doctrine

Kostas Svolis, OCL

The dawn of a new dark era

All the austerity measures imposed on the Greek people since 2010 constitute a small hors d'oeuvre compared to the tsunami of poverty and the social misery which is announced and that capital, the greek government, IMF and EU leadership will serve as main course.

The percentage of “official” unemployment has exceeded 16%, while the actual figure is estimated to be over 20%. The situation is really dramatic for young people because the percentage of real unemployment concerning this age group reached 40%, whereas it is estimated that, by the end of 2011, the number of unemployed is expected to exceed 1 million. Workers' wages are constantly falling and it is estimated that between 2010 and 2012 the total decrease will have reached 30%.

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Starbucks Chile fined for anti-union practices

Hailed as “small victory” by union leader in wake of failed hunger strike.

“The ruling further stated that Starbucks Chile would have to pay a fine of around US$24,000, plus the costs of the trial. […]

The company is in a position of privilege and power that manifests itself with higher intensity and has been far more invasive than any communique made by the union. […]

The company’s alleged anti-union tendency which has been referred to in previously referenced documents and behavior constitute circumstantial evidence which presupposes that the company trains its managers to dampen union activity. […]

The company’s aversion to unions was referenced by Giordano during a conversation with The Santiago Times in late July, when he claimed that Starbucks had hired 200 more baristas to compensate for the 200 who had been striking.”

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IWW-Londres|Story and video of the victory of cleaner-honest-s Guildhall

[youtube = http://www.youtube.com/watch?= the jYXnz_zX6VM&feature=youtu.be]
Unionized cleaners with IWW emerge from labor dispute against Guildhall, in London.

Published on 25 July in English on http://iww.org.uk/node/590

London company cleaners Guildhall won a major victory in their dispute with the subcontractor Ocean Contract Cleaning London Ltd (Ocean). This represents a major achievement for these unionized workers with the “ Cleaners and allies branch - Syndicat Industriel 640 »Of Industrial Workers of the World(IWW).

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Hungary implements compulsory labor camps

Le gouvernement hongrois veut remettre les allocataires de prestations sociales au travail. Des policiers pourraient surveiller ces salariés regroupés dans des camps et affectés à de gros projets d’infrastructure. Principale cible de ce programme : les Roms dont le taux de chômage avoisine les 50 %. Ce projet de travail obligatoire qui figurait dans le programme du parti Jobbik (extrème droite) a été repris par la droite nationaliste.

Si certains sites d’extrême gauche ne se privent pas de comparer ce plan avec les méthodes fascistes – les camps de travail obligatoires gardés par des policiers ramènent aux pires heures de l’Histoire européenne – le Tageszeitung souligne, on the other hand, what “ce n’est pas un hasard si l’annonce de ces mesures intervient après la visite du Premier ministre chinois, Web Jiabao, à Budapest. La grande puissance asiatique veut racheter la dette hongroise mais aussi investir dans l’industrie et les projets d’infrastructures du pays“.

Article tiré de myeurope.info

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