Sydney bus drivers defy union and take wildcat action http://libcom.org/news/sydney-bus-drivers-defy-union-take-wildcat-action-27082009

A six-hour strike by 130 bus drivers in western Sydney on Monday morning, carried out in defiance of their union, has produced furious denunciations in the media and from an industrial court judge. The drivers walked out at the Busways Blacktown depot at 3.30 a.m. against the imposition of new timetables that would impose shorter times for routes.

Drivers said that the timetables, due to commence in October, would be impossible to meet, forcing them to run late, which would not only inconvenience and anger passengers but cut short the drivers’ break periods. The workers said they would be under enormous pressure to drive over the speed limit.

Greece General strike called + Spain CNT vs RyanAir + anti-transport strike Laws in Italy

Greek unions call 24 hour general strike Greece's main labour body said Thursday it is calling a 24-hour general strike to protest more than 4,000 lay-offs that have swept the country in February. Workers should not "pay the price of the financial crisis," the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) said in a statement. GSEE - which did not specify the date for the strike - said February's figure followed significant job losses between November and January when nearly 8,000 people lost their jobs.

The body, representing around 600,000 workers, urged a general strike to demand job security, as well as improved union and salary rights for workers. Wednesday, a thousand demonstrators marched in central Athens after a smaller union collective, Adedy, called a strike in protest of the country's conservative government.

http://libcom.org/news/greek-unions-call-24-hour-general-strike-01032009