WORKERS UNITE! by IWW correspondent in Zimbabwe

WORKERS UNITE!
by our IWW correspondent
See IWW Zimbabwe Facebook page

For almost a decade since the year 2000, the political bickering in Zimbabwe between President Mugabe and the now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC and ZCTU fame paid no dividends until the rival leaders made a final U-turn after noticing that they had contributed massively to the downfall of the country’s situation politically and economically.

This was worsened by drought and the outbreak of cholera that gripped most Harare’s high density surburbs. What a tragedy as many people perished! This forced the political gurus including Athur Mutambara of another MDC breakaway faction to bury the hatchet and bring heads together.

Though it took long for the starving poor peasantry and workers, the signing of the MOU gave birth to the Government of National Unity (GNU) early 2009. That clipped the wings of the high flying Central Bank Boss, Dr Gideon Gono whose actions to challenge imperialism’s global monetary policies nose-dived. What a shame. That marked the death of our big figured and bond papered dilapidating currency.

With Tendai Biti of the MDC-T installed as Finance Minister of the inclusive government, it was vociferously declared that the country was switching to the use of multiple-currencies: USD, SouthAfrican Rands and British Pounds. Pitifully, through this workers lost their hard earned cash deposited at banks.

While currently, the country’s economy is being preached to be doing well with more massive diamond discoveries, the GNU has refused to burge to the worker’s plight of salary increament. Imagine the majority of workers earns below the PDL. It then boggles our minds why the GNU is standing firm on refusing to improve peanut-buttered salaries destined for the workers.

Domestic workers are the most hard-hit after government gazetted that they deserve to earn less than USD100 last year. To civil servants and other workers, they are earning from around USD200/month as compared to USD15 000/month fit for an MP. It was then late July 2012 when civil servants defied all the odds and took to the streets petitioning the Minister of Finance, Tendai Biti, on behalf of the GPU to re-consider their salaries.

While all this is going on, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) which is deep in leadership divisions is taking no action. It’s now open that Zimbabwean workers have become a sheep without a shephered. Workers have no meaningful salaries but the ZCTU cannot intervene! Workers are being accused by their selfish employers and the ZCTU is dumb founded! Diamond companies have got to remit part of their proceeds to treasury according to law of land and the ZCTU cannot make sure that this is tasked.

To make things worse, it was the government through the announcement by Biti that it is not going to offer its workers any salary increament due to an allegedly unsustainable wage bill and the ZCTU didn’t bother to even raise a finger. Obviously, the ZCTU has been hijacked by politicians and it’s imminent that the workers will not expect better leadership. This is now ripe time for Zimbabwean workers to organise to win better conditions today and build a world with economic democracy for the future.

Workers in Zimbabwe Unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.

Quebec solidarity statement

Reblogué depuis Education Workers:

The recent meeting of IWW Education Workers (Britain and Ireland) adopted the following solidarity statement:

 Solidarity to all students and education workers in Quebec involved in the struggle against tuition fees from the IWW (UK section) Education Workers Network. Your actions have been an inspiration to education workers and students around the world fighting against the attempt by governments to make students pay for the latest capitalist crisis.

Lire la suite… 24 mots de plus

Retour sur le massacre des mineurs de Marikana en 10 photos.

Reblogué depuis Solidarité Ouvrière:

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Reportage Le Monde, 19/08/2012 :

Thursday bloody thursday. Jeudi, l'Afrique du Sud a vécu l'un des jours les plus noirs de son histoire récente. 34 mineurs en grève ont été tués lors d'un assaut donné par la police. Voici dix photos prises lors de mes reportages sur place :

16/08, 13H58 : vue sur l'un des principaux puits de la mine de platine de la compagnie…

Lire la suite… 421 mots de plus

Conférence de presse des profs contre la loi 12 (ex-projet de loi 78)

Reblogué depuis Solidarité Ouvrière:

Québec : Conférence de presse des profs contre la loi 12 (ex-projet de loi 78) et la hausse des frais de scolarité, 6 août 2012 :

Dévoilement du manifeste des professeur.e.s pour la protection de la démocratie et du droit de protestation étudiants le 6 août 2012 à l'UQAM.

Pour signer le manifeste ou pour toute autre information concernant le manifeste, écrire à manifestecontrelahausse@hotmail.com

Lire la suite… 2 mots de plus

Jours de Grève, Aciéries Grecques

Reblogué depuis initiative des étudiant-e-s et travailleurs-euses grec-que-s à paris:

Un documentaire de 10:15 minutes concernant la grève des travailleurs des Aciéries Grecques à Aspropyrgos (zone industrielle d'Athènes).

Script - Interviews: Kostas Kallergis, Vakrinos Giannis
Directeur de la photographie: Alexandros Theofylaktou
Rédacteurs: Théodora Katrimpouza, Ilias Tsiampouris
Musique: Andreas Koulouris (de la BO de "Pour Rodi» par Christos Karteris)

Sous-titres français: Nouvelles hors les Murs

Pour plus d'infos sur cette grève voir aussi…

Lire la suite… 9 mots de plus

VIDEO | Greek workers prepare for self-management of Mining Industry factory

Ce texte a aussi été traduit en français par le collectif Emma Goldman

“You can’t? We can!” Workers at Mining Industry factory in Northern Greece vote for and prepare for self-management of their factory – victory to the workers!

Translated in English thanks to Occupied London
Read workers’ blog (google translate)

The administration of VIOMIHANIKI METALLEYTIKI, a subsidiary of Filkeram-Johnson, has abandoned the factory since May 2011, along with its workers. In response, the workers of the factory abstain from work (epishesi ergasias: the legal right of workers to abstain from work should their employer delay their payment) since September 2011. The Workers Union at Viomihaniki Metalleutiki has organised 40 workers all of which are, to date (one year after the closure of the factory) active, taking shifts at the factory to ensure that no equipment is removed by the administration or stolen. All the workers also participate in the General Assemblies.

The proposal of the Union in order to escape this dead end – as the Administration has stated the factory will not reopen, due to the lack of funds – is for the factory to go into workers control, a proposal voted by 98% of the workers at the General Assembly. More specifically they ask for the factory to be passed on to the workers and for all the members of the Administration and workers sitting in the administrative council to resign, with no claims from the future workers’ self-management of the factory.

In regard to the initial capital, which is necessary for the operation of the factory, the proposal of the workers is for the Greek Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) to pay them in advance the sums they are already entitled to after becoming redundant.

Finally, the workers at Viomihaniki Metalleutiki demand the introduction of legal status for co-operative enterprises, in order for their own and for future initiatives to be legally covered.

In the struggle of the workers of Viomihaniki Metalleutiki, apart from the self-evident value that we see in every workers’ struggle and every workers’ demand, we also recognise an additional value, which comprises exactly of this proposal of self-management. We believe that the occupation and the re-operation of factories and corporations by their workers is the only realistic alternative proposal in face of the ever-increasing exploitation of the working class. The self-organisation of factories that close down is the only proposal that has the force to mobilise the working class – which, living under the constant threat of unemployment, cannot see ways in which it can resist.

We know that the difficulties we shall face in the struggle for the self-management of the factory are many, since state and capital will fiercely stand against it – as a possible victory shall create a precedent and and example for any other struggle in the country. Yet the question of whose hands the production lies in becomes a question of life and death for a working class pushed into degradation. For this reason, the workers’ struggles orientated in this direction and the forces standing in solidarity to these struggles should be prepared to clash with state and the administration in order to materialise the occupation of the means of production and the workers’ self-management.

We call for every union, organisation and worker to stand in solidarity to the struggle of the workers of VIOMIHANIKI METALLEYTIKI and to actively support the workers both financially and politically.

OPEN ASSEMBLY:
Wednesday 11/7/2012,
6pm at the Labour Centre of Thessaloniki.

Movement for Workers’ Emancipation and Self-Organisation

Terre-Neuve : La grève sauvage à Long Harbour continue malgré une injonction de la cour supreme

Traduit de libcom.org par le Collectif Emma Goldman

MISE À JOUR 21 juillet
La grève se serait terminée le lundi 16 juillet au soir

Discussion sur CBC avec la présidente de Labrador Federation of Labor sur l’utilisation de la grève sauvage

MISE À JOUR 16 juillet
Le syndicat "Resource Development Trades Council" appel les travailleurs à arrêter la grève, mais ceux-ci disent que le syndicat ne représente plus leurs intérêts

La compagnie Vale retourne en cour pour faire valoir l’injonction en poursuivant les travailleurs

La grève continue pour la 5e journée.
Le président du Syndicat RDTC sous-entend que les exigences des travailleurs en grève sont semblables à ceux de jeunes enfants.

La Cour suprême de Terre-Neuve et Labrador a donné une injonction aux patrons pour aider à briser une grève sauvage sur un site de construction à Long Harbour.

Près de 2000 travailleurs ont illégalement cessé le travail jeudi, et ont par la suite réalisé le blocage des entrées du site. Les travailleurs sont en colère contre le niveau de la paie. Les travailleurs du site gagnent en moyenne 15$ de l’heure de moins que les travailleurs comparables ailleurs au Canada.

Une autre problématique est la façon de laquelle les patrons interprètent la convention collective; sur des questions comme les déplacements et les indemnités de subsistance.

De plus, les travailleurs sont en colère contre leur propre syndicat pour ne pas avoir défendu leurs intérêts. Bien entendu, le syndicat ne supporte pas l’action. Les patrons et le syndicat n’ont toujours pas commenté le conflit.

Reportage vidéo de NTV (mass-média)