International Solidarity

International Solidarity

Bangladesh garments workers reject 23 dollar minimum wage

Posted Fri, 09/15/2006 - 8:47pm by x344543
Wednesday September 13, 2:15 PM

Bangladesh garment workers have rejected a proposed new monthly minimum wage of 23 dollars following violent protests over pay and conditions.

"It's far lower than our expectations. We hoped the commission would think about the cost of living in the country before fixing this absurd minimum wage," Nazma Akhter, a garment labour union leader, told AFP.

Rioting workers torched 16 factories and ransacked hundreds of others in May. At least two people were killed and scores injured after security officers shot at employees.

The workers went back to work in mid-June after employers promised to set a new minimum wage.

But employee representatives Wednesday dismissed the new wage of 1,604 taka (23 dollars) following an announcement late Tuesday by the government's National Wage Commission.

Organizing Today for the One Big Union Tomorrow - Bay Area IWW Contingent in Labor Day Action

Posted Sun, 09/10/2006 - 1:41pm by x344543

By Dean Dempsey – Bay Area GMB Immigrant Outreach Committee

To take part in the national day of action for immigrant and worker rights, the Bay Area Industrial Workers of the World participated as a supporting contingent to the march and rally in San Francisco, where several thousand turned out for the largest celebrated Labor Day in years.

The IWW was one of the predominate labor bodies there, with over 30 wobblies at some point in the contingent.  The half-mile march began at the Embarcadero, then concluding at the San Francisco Civic Center.

Nationally, actions were also held in Alabama, Saint Paul, MN, Phoenix, AZ, Chicago, IL, and many other cities and states around the country.

Mercadona offers 300.000 euros to the Permanent Secretariat of CNT for the dismissal of all strikers

Posted Tue, 08/29/2006 - 3:21pm by x344543

140 days on strike.

THE EMPLOYEES RETURNED TO MAKE PROTESTS WITH A DEMONSTRATION ON WEDNESDAY, 9TH OF AUGUST.

Members of the Permanent Secretariat of CNT have made a type of preagrees with the Director of Human Resources and the Director of working relations of Mercadona on saturday, 5th of August in Madrid which was meant to be ratified on tuesday, 8th of August in Sevilla terminating the strike by this way. Nevertheless Mercadona made an "espectacular" turn on the same day trying to buy the dismissal of all workers for 300.000.

On 8th of August the general secretary and the secretary of union action of the National Comitee of CNT, Rafael Corrales and Antonio Baena, had a new meeting with the General Director of human resources and the Director of working relations of Mercadona, José Antonio Jiménez and Antonio Muñoz, in the Hotel "AC Santa Justa" in Sevilla in order to finalize the preaggrees achieved on saturday before in the Hotel "NH Nacional" in Madrid. The agree supposed - apart other progresses - an acceptable solution for the workers of the logistic centre of Mercadona in Sant Sadurni D'Anoia (Barcelona) on strike since the 23th of March.

Hundreds of Mexican Miners Fired for Striking

Posted Sun, 08/13/2006 - 5:11pm by x357537

Disclaimer - The following article is reposted here because it is an issue with some relevance to the IWW. The views of the author do not necessarily agree with those of the IWW and vice versa.

New America Media, News Analysis, David Bacon, Aug 09, 2006

Editor's Note: Business interests in Mexico are taking the election of Felipe Calderon as a green light to crack down on striking mine workers. David Bacon is an associate editor at New America Media and author of "The Children of NAFTA" (University of California Press, 2004).

Iran: Jailed president of Tehran’s bus workers’ union Mansoor Ossanlou released

Posted Thu, 08/10/2006 - 7:43pm by x357537

Fire Your BossMansoor Ossanlou, the jailed president of Tehran’s bus workers’ union (the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs United Bus Company), was released at 3.30 pm local time today, 9th August, after spending over seven and a half months in prison. He was warmly greeted by his family and colleagues.

Ossanlou’s release comes following seven months of struggle without let up by Tehran’s bus workers and the massive international solidarity that took shape for his release over this period. He was jailed for organising the bus workers and defending their rights. His release is a clear victory for the workers and people in Iran.

In a statement released today, WPI congratulated Mansoor Ossanlou, his family, the bus workers and all trade unions, organisations and individuals who fought in the great campaign for his release. “Ossanlou was freed from prison by the bus workers and all those fantastic people in Iran and outside Iran who fought hard and put pressure on the Islamic Republic”, the statement said. It called for the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran, the recognition of the bus workers’ union and an end to the persecution of labour activists.

Ends.

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International Labour Solidarity Committee of the
Worker-communist Party of Iran
Co-ordinator: Shahla Daneshfar (shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com)
Public Relations: Bahram Soroush (b.soroush@ukonline.co.uk)
www.kargarn.org www.wpiran.org

http://lnn.laborstart.org/more.php?id=778_0_1_0_M