http://www.cnt-f.org/spip.php?article954

GENERAL STRIKE IN THE FRENCH ANTILLES I

n the French Antilles (Guadeloupe and Martinique) a general strike has completely shut down economic activity on both islands since the 29th of January. The population of these islands are protesting against the cost of living in particular rising costs of essential foodstuffs and fuel. The following interview is aimed at explaining the current movement and the popular anger that launched it. The interviewee, Marcel, lives in Martinique and is a CNT activist. more: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/show_news.pl?country=Guadeloupe&alllanguages=1&languagename=English&langcode=en

〈=English France Makes New Wage Offer to Guadeloupe VOA News 19 February 2009

Francois Fillon told French radio Thursday mediators have worked out a plan that comes close to the $250 monthly pay increase strikers in Guadeloupe are demanding for low-wage workers. Rioters fired at police and stormed a city hall, overnight Wednesday to Thursday, in Guadeloupe's third straight night of violence.

General strikes around the world ... Feb 10 2009 As French unions isolate a general strike by workers in Guadeloupe, workers in Chad have set next Monday while the leader of the Spanish UGT hints at one (or stalls for time?).

French unions isolate Guadeloupe general strike A general strike against rising living costs has been in progress on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe since January 20. Forty-seven trade unions, associations and political parties under the umbrella organization LKP—The Committee against Extreme Exploitation (lyiannaj kont pwofitasyion in local dialect)—have brought economic activity to a standstill. A massive demonstration of 25,000 out of a total population of 410,000 took place on January 24 in the capital Pointe-à-Pitre.

Global Strike to defend workers' rights against bosses and governments http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=3f9c7cb88fa197294a3a35328a94b6be&gid=45930152402

FACTBOX-Global financial crisis sparks unrest in Europe

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL4163275?sp=true

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Here are some details of protests linked to the global financial crisis:

* BRITAIN: -- A decision by France's Total to bring in Italian and Portuguese workers to build a unit at the Lindsey oil refinery in eastern England has triggered a week of protests by thousands of energy workers at sites around Britain.

* BULGARIA: -- Farmers blocked the sole Danube bridge link with Romania and rallied across Bulgaria on Wednesday. They are demanding the government set a minimum protective price for milk and stop imports of cheap substitutes, such as powdered milk. -- Last month Bulgarians staged rallies to demand economic reforms in the face of the global slowdown, calling on the Socialist-led government to act or step down. One rally in Sofia turned into a riot.

Workers Initiative as a target of employers' and state's assault http://www.ozzip.pl/english/20-latest-news/589-workers-initiative-as-a-target-of-employers-and-states-assault T

oday At present the Workers' Initiative acts in the following cities: Poznan, Lodz, Szczecin, Gorzow, Kostrzyn, Zielona Gora, the Upper Silesia (Tarnowskie Gory, Miasteczko Slaskie, Bielsko-Biala, Raciborz, Rybnik), Warsaw, Gdansk, Cracow, Bydgoszcz. At four first cities IP offices are functioning. Smaller groups and IP sympathizers are active also in other cities. The union bimonthly publishes the "Workers' Initiative" newsletter and irregularly "Silesian Syndicalist" newspaper.

We cooperate with radical trade unions from several countries of Europe, among others: IWU from Ireland, CGT from Spain, FAU from Germany, SAC from Sweden, CNT from France, ESE from Greece, IWW from Great Britain. As part of international campaigns IP among others has joined a boycott of the Coca-Cola corporation, which is responsible for murders of trade unionists in Colombia.

The general rules of IP:

From: Date: 2009/1/8 Subject: News Workers Initiative Przesylam informacje z Polski . Jacek Rosolowski

Workers Initiative as a target of employers' and state's assault http://www.ozzip.pl/english/20-latest-news/589-workers-initiative-as-a-target-of-employers-and-states-assault

WI against breaching workers’ and union laws in supermarkets

Wtorek, 06 Styczeń 2009 13:13

On 20th of December, about 120 activists from Workers’ Initiative (WI) and others organisations (from 9 cities) participated in solidarity action with supermarket’s workers. They circulated several thousand of leaflets. Action catch attention of TV, radio and press. Because of this information about breaking worker's and union's rights was spread.

wAGE slave

Newsletter of the Melbourne Wobblies

Merry Crisis and Happy New Fear, Boss !

The capitalists in 2008 got away with yet another year of plunder, polluting the planet and people. YET, as always wage slaves resisted da exploiters. Internationally for the IWW: The annual IWW Congress was held in London, Europe. A Delegation went to Haiti. Wobs at Starbucks have been busy standing up to the Boss: organising solidarity and coordinating actions around Americas, Europe and the world. see

www.starbucksunion.org.

Local Melbourne delegate Canopy Son went to Japan met with fellow Wobs from Americas & local proles. Joined in solidarity events opposing the G8, for the local Ainu indigenous people

Friends of the IWW Polish workers Initiative has been harassed, had members in court. Australian & New Zealand new members have signed up. The IWW web sites around the planet and here in Oz presented news and views from ewes at the queues as well as her-his-our story and some jokes & songs. Melbourne members have been about at many local events.

WISE UP - READ ABOUT TIME –www.iww.org.au

Konstantina Kuneva

28.12.2008 Syndicates to Finance Treatment of Acid-Burned Bulgarian in Greece

Konstantina Kuneva, 44-year-old general secretary of secretary of the Union of Housekeepres and Cleaners in Athens was in a coma yesterday after being attacked outside her home in the district of Petralona early on Wednesday Dec 24th by assailants who threw acid into her face. She lost her sight in one eye and has been unconscious since the attack.

The hit might have been planned by members of gangs seeking to control firms offering cleaning services. A group of around 80 demonstrators staged a rally outside Athens’s Evangelismos hospital late yesterday to express solidarity with Kouneva, who is in the intensive-care unit there. The rally was mostly peaceful but a police patrol car passing in front of the hospital was pelted with stones by a group of youths. The stones broke the car’s windscreen but caused no injuries.

from strategy discussion

Mass meetings should be seen as an alternative structure to official union structures that are dominated by full-time bureaucrats. Decisions are made collectively in these assemblies. The work of these assemblies in different workplaces should be co-ordinated by delegate councils. In the most militants workforces regular mass meetings will be held and this is obviously the ideal we are aiming at. This may not be possible in other workplaces where it will only be possible to organise such meetings when a dispute arises.

We need a three-pronged approach to the business of actually setting up an independent organisation at work.

1. In a workplace with a recognised TUC union this would involve organising workplace assemblies to make collective decisions on workplace issues. However, workers will still be likely to hold union cards here to avoid splits in the workplace between union members and non-union members.

2. In a non-unionised workplace, independent unions, based on the principle of collective decision-making, should be set up wherever possible.

Comrades, The following recently appeared at www.resist.com.au

http://www.resist.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3447

Good idea, (albeit yet again) an attempt to bring some kind of unity, what does anyone think? pjl

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Hi I'm one of the central steering committee members, responsible for communication, of the Third Voice Alliance, a new political movement aimed at increasing the cooperation between the progressive minor parties and opposition groups and community organisations to form a real Opposition to the dangerous neo-conservative trend in federal and state politics.