BA strikes: Management ups its bullying as the dispute goes international

With strikes at BA looming this weekend, management have furthered its attacks on the workforce, while the airline faces international solidarity with BA workers. With an election on the horizon, both main parties are attempting to outdo each other by attacking the BA cabin crew looking to defend their terms and conditions.

Gordon Brown, whose party's biggest donor is the Unite union, has called the strike “unjustified and deplorable”. The Tories, damaged by revelations over the embarrassing tax-dodging of their major donor, Lord Ashcroft, have claimed labour is hobbled by powerful unions, "the new militant tendency". Meanwhile, the media and business has clamoured for the government to stop the strike, which has a huge democratic mandate from Unite members.

Greece: ‘War on the capitalist’

The Greek workers who struck and marched last week are our sisters and brothers in a crucial battle. At stake is who will pay for the crisis, and who will meet the bill for the bailout of the bankers. The Greek banners caught the spirit of revolt – “No to the capitalist parasites, wealth belongs to the workers”, and “The workers’ answer is war on the capitalists”.

Several read, “We are not Ireland, we will resist”. The Irish government, aided by compliant union leaders, is imposing a 20 percent wage cut in the public sector, tax increases and welfare cuts. Greek workers are determined to fight. They called their demonstrations a “river of fury”. One large banner carried by finance ministry workers proclaimed, “Workers will cancel the plans of the government and the European Union (EU) carried through with the collusion of the union leaders and the media.”

http://projectsheffield.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/workers-take-to-greek-streets-against-cutbacks/

$15 Billion Euro Olympics Bill

"This won't change anything, but if 5 million people take to the streets we might have a chance," said 51-year old school teacher Christos Fousekis, as he watched a hooded boy smashing a corner shop wall with a piece of marble. "I'm here because I want to drink my coffee in Exarchia without being afraid a policemen will kill me," he said. Greece anniversary http://libcom.org/news/riots-police-brutality-first-day-alexandros-grigoropoulos-murder-anniversary-06122009

So French so chic http://libcom.org/forums/news/events-paris-info-wanted-01122009

WONDERFUL HOPENHAGEN From the film "Hans Christian Andersen" (1952) (Frank Loesser) performed by Danny Kaye ...Neath her tavern light On this merry night Let us clink and drink one down

To wonderful, wonderful Hopenhagen Salty old queen of the sea

Once I sailed away But I'm home today Singing Hopenhagen, wonderful, wonderful Hopenhagen for me,,,

The Basic Alternative Education of a Chinese Punk http://libcom.org/library/punk%E2%80%99s-basic-alternative-education

in Chinese:

http://www.shaofoundation.org.cn/cn/blog/archives/713

DIRECT ACTION ON THE JOB ?

THE union representing Australia Post workers is considering a proposal to deliver all mail over the Christmas period irrespective of whether the postage has been paid. The novel form of industrial action rests on a ballot this week of Australia Post workers. Ed Husic, the national president of the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union, said consumers across Australia could potentially look forward to sending their Christmas mail for free if postal workers voted to take action. "Among the actions postal workers are voting on are periodic bans on checking that letters and cards are stamped," Mr Husic said. "Bans would mean that unstamped mail is not returned to the sender, but goes through free of charge." About 18,000 postal workers are this week voting on whether to take industrial action. "Our members know Christmas is a special time and we want to limit public inconvenience, while sending a message to management," Mr Husic said. That message, he said, was to "stop acting like Scrooge with our conditions and entitlements".

Most schools are occupied by pupils demanding a series of practical changes in: a) infrastructure (such as heating, insulation etc), b) provision of free books (as entitled by the free education scheme of the country), c) staff (too few teachers for too many schools). A few high-schools are occupied as a move of total negation of education (to these refers the Nuclei of Fire communique that has caused a sensation in the national media). http://libcom.org/news/high-school-occupations-snowball-response-repression-greece-04112009

"Mr Mavridis, lawyer and anti-dictatorship veteran, has gone public saying that "if this situation continues, the government will be facing not just the youth but an older generation, ready for war and with a good knowledge of it".

Chief of police resigns over book presentation raid in Athens taxikipali Oct 22 2009

The Chief of Police of Greece, Mr Tsiatouras, has resigned after the demand of the Minister of Public Order over the book presentation police raid in Athens, while thousands march against the police-state imposed in the last 15 days in Exarcheia. http://libcom.org/news/chief-police-resigns-over-book-presentation-raid-athens-22102009

Background: http://libcom.org/news/police-raids-book-presentation-athens-scores-detained-21102009

Public building occupations in solidarity with the Nikaia 3 spread across the country Wednesday, October 21, 2009

On October 17, an anarchist demonstration against the police assassination of Mohammad Atif Kamran in the Athens suburb of Nikaia was attacked by the cops. As it was reported at the time, eight demonstrators were arrested and charged – five were facing charges under the “anti-hoodie law” introduced after December’s revolt. The response of the solidarity movement was instant. On the very same night of the demonstration, the local Town Hall of Nikaia was occupied, with the occupiers demanding all the demonstrators’ immediate release.

In the days that followed the occupiers left the Town Hall to take over the Propylea building of Athens University instead (that being more centrally located and easier for them to spread their message). Yesterday, the administration building of the Chania Prefecture was occupied in Crete.

Oct 19 2009 http://libcom.org/news/workers-support-city-hall-occupation-nikea-19102009

The municipal workers association of Nikea stand in solidarity with anarchists occupying the city hall since Saturday As the occupation of the city hall of Nikea enters its third day, the support of locals so visual during the protest march regarding the police torture and death of Mohamed Karman Atif, which led to serious clashes with the police and 8 arrests last Saturday 17/10, has been expressed in a communique by the municipal worker's association of Nikea. C

ommunique of Workers Association of the municipality of Nikea about murder–detentions-occupation Nikea City Hall is occupied by anarchist groups from the afternoon of Saturday after a protest, for the death of the unfortunate Pakistani immigrant that took place in the Police Station of Nikea.

The Workers Association demands that the forces of repression leave from within the boundaries of the historic City of Nikea. The occupation of the City Hall by the protesters is a political act, and the attempt to criminalise it is unacceptable and undemocratic.

Flash mobs as a form of struggle The obedient shopper subverts their role to disrupt the circulation of commodities... flash mobs enter the terrain of class conflict.

"A flash mob ... is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse." (Wikipedia.)

Beginning in 2003, flash mobs were a form of activity organised via mobile phones and internet; bringing contacts together in public spaces to act out various bizarre acts of collective non-conformity such as pillow fights, water pistol battles, silent discos (where earphoned individuals dance to their personal stereos/mp3 players) etc. Like short pieces of performance art, briefly changing the normal usage of public space and providing a safe thrill of 'non-corformity' expressed as a crowd all doing the same pre-defined activity.