Industrial Workers of the World

Chorus : It's the same the whole world over, It's the poor what gets the blame, Its the rich that gets the pleasure, Ain't it all a bleeding shame.

AUGUST: Authorities closed a chemical plant after local residents in central Hunan Province protested against cadmium pollution, which killed two people and affected hundreds of others, media reported on Monday, 3rd of August. The closure follows a number of recent high profile "mass incidents" which turned violent and prompted media criticism of officials' failure to respond quickly. http://libcom.org/news/protests-china-over-pollution-08082009

Recent events in China (July) The latest popular riots in Xinjiang highlight not only the ongoing contradictions within current Chinese-style neoliberal capitalism but also the historically long-standing opposition among various minorities against an ethnically dominant state power in China. http://libcom.org/news/uyghur-commoners-against-new-enclosures-xinjiang-china-21072009

More than 3,000 villagers in Zhejiang province of eastern China blocked a highway and clashed with police as they protested against alleged official corruption in a land compensation deal according to a human rights monitor and a witness. http://libcom.org/news/land-seizure-eastern-china-leads-clashes-07082009

Taxis strikes, environmental protests, sit-ins and the aftermath of other events.

Two taxi strikes in the last week, in north and south east China. One in Heilongjiang: http://www.tibetanreview.net/news.php?cat=2&&id=3949 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/30/content_11797814.htm

And a more aggressive one in Zhejiang:

http://www.tibetanreview.net/news.php?cat=2&&id=3926 http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/29/content_11794282.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/29/content_11794062.htm http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/07/28/1221s504917.

htm http://english.cri.cn/6909/2009/07/28/195s504866.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/28/content_8482821.htm

There has also been a recent successful protest over cadmium pollution: http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/07/1000-protest-over-china-chemical-plant-pollution-residents/ http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/08/china-closes-factory-after-cadmium-pollution-protest/

The increased levels of pollution all over China has resulted to increased levels of lead in childrens blood. Some companies have been cashing in on this, but in Sichuan it backfired when they used one needle to test 600 children, one of which was AIDS positive. Parents then stormed the town hall: http://www.hkhkhk.com/engpro/messages/2687.html

Former workers in Shenzhen, one of the symbols of China's growth in the last two decades, have staged a sit-in strike to demand greater compensation after contracting black lung. Coverage seems to be fairly sympathetic: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/31/content_8496199.htm

Whilst the recent increase in "mass incidents" has in some places led to authorities giving in to protests very quickly (such as the cadmium pollution protest) in others events in Xinjiang have spurred on a tougher stance. In Shishou (see report here for details on what happened there) there have been a number of arrests of rioters along with the dismissal of the local CCP secretary and official in charge of law enforcement: http://www.hkhkhk.com/engpro/messages/2688.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK344874 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iumfVZ4WG02nmfqFHRUXkkdc5vxgD99LF2HO0

Meanwhile the state media has started to blame incompetent authorities rather than the traditional "outside agitators": http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/29/china-blames-officials-riots http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/KH04Ad01.html http://www.upiasia.com/Politics/2009/08/05/chinese_officials_must_please_the_people/6425/

And finally more details on the Tonghua Steel riot: http://english.caijing.com.cn/2009-07-31/110219007.html http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2009-08/06/content_8531582.htm http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/05/content_11832180.htm http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-07/31/content_8495806.htm

Older reports from other sources:

http://www.clb.org.hk/en/node/100520 http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2009/07/one-killed-in-china-steel-riot/ http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/278952,protesting-chinese-steelworkers-kill-manager-clash-with-police.html http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jioPQNV87uBjYSGuPr-LgcBJNdiAD99LC8900 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0727/1224251385324.html http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/killing-ends-takeover-of-steel-group-in-china/ http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK110881 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/27/china-steel-workers-boss-beaten http://chinaworker.info/en/content/news/796/

MORE http://www.prol-position.net/articles/2009/crisis-in-china

Report and reflections on the UK Ford-Visteon dispute 2009 - a post-Fordist struggle http://libcom.org/history/report-reflections-uk-ford-visteon-dispute-2009-post-fordist-struggle

more about UK State control and proletarian reproduction in the UK Control has always been part of the function of the welfare state. After the second world war in particular, it was not only a matter of keeping dissatisfied and rebellious workers quiet through concessions, but also of integrating them into the state and better controlling them through a centralised organisation of their reproduction; thus the state gained a clearer view of the living conditions of workers and was able to regulate certain aspects more pointedly. The impoverishment of the population after the war posed another threat as it endangered the workers' ability to work! http://www.wildcat-www.de/en/wildcat/84/w84_repro_en.htm