Showing posts with label Bangladesh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bangladesh. Show all posts

Saturday 28 February 2015

In Fear Of A Loving God.

        Every time the ISIL religious nutters, rampaging through the Middle East, carry out one of their many sadistic be-headings, our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, splashes the details across front pages and on TV screens, condemnation rages against such a barbaric act, as it should. However, I couldn't find much coverage of the case of a man sentenced to be be-headed for tearing a Koran. The reason being, that particular case, was taking place in one of our “friendly” nations, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is allowed to carry out be-headings, public floggings, and stoning to death, with impunity, simply because it is a “friendly” nation.
      Just the other day, in another “friendly” nation, a young man and his wife were dragged from their bicycle rickshaw and brutally assaulted by a group with machetes. The young man died on the way to hospital, his wife is seriously injured and has lost a finger. His crime, he was an atheist blogger in Bangladesh, another “friendly” nation. I'm waiting to see just how much coverage our babbling brook of bullshit will give this barbaric crime, committed by the faithful of one of the world's largest religions.
      Across the globe we can put our finger on brutal and vicious killings, savage wars and community conflict, and at the same time, you will be putting your finger on the god loving killing the god loving. Day and daily, you will find the god loving killing those who have no god, all in the name of their particular “loving” god. Religion, insanity, and the curse of the masses.
Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Workers Know Your History, 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.


       March 25 marks the 103anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, in which 146, mainly teenage girls from poor Jewish and Italian immigrant families, lost their lives. It was an era when sweatshops were the norm in the West, as capitalism's rapacious appetite for profit was gearing up to savage the world. Appalling wages, long hours, cramped unhealthy conditions, and fire exits locked, incase workers tried to take a break, or perhaps pinch something. Some of us might say, well that's all in the past, is it? All Western capitalism have done is export their sweatshop conditions to the developing world. Bangladesh is now the sweatshop capital of the capitalist world. The same, or even worse condition that brought about the deaths of those 146 young women in New York, now feeds the Western capitalists. 103 years ago the the outrage at the avoidable tragic murder of those 146 young workers heralded the rallying call, “Who will protect the working girl?  

 

   By the solidarity of the working community, change for the benefit of the worker was grudgingly forced in the working conditions in the West in general. Today we still need that rallying call for all those existing in the living hell of the Eastern sweatshops, where 1911 is being repeated for the same reasons, to feed that rapacious appetite of capitalism. The real and only answer, is not to continually fight to try and extract better conditions from the corporations, but simply for the workers to organise to take over those corporations, and organise them to benefit all humanity. Otherwise we, and all future generations will find themselves in that endless fight for decent living conditions, a continuous battle to stop that race to the bottom. It doesn't have to be that way, we have the resources to see to the wellbeing of all our people, we can produce enough to see to all our needs, we already have the distribution networks. All that remains is our will to take control and shape society for the benefit of all.





Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk



Thursday 6 March 2014

Accident - Corporate Murder??

    Every day across the planet people die trying to earn their keep, mining disasters, fishing at sea disasters, factory disasters, etc.. A lot of these tragic events cannot be termed "accidents", proper adherence by employers to health and safety affairs, would eliminate the vast majority, the lack of such adherence places the blame for those deaths and injuries, squarely in the hands of those employers. 
     Almost a year ago, one of the worst industrial "accidents" in history happened, when a building collapsed in Bangladesh, killing more than 1,100 people. The reason I say "accidents" is because it can't really be claimed to have been an "accident". Surely in 20/21 centuries we have mastered the ability to build factories that don't fall down? Somewhere along the line somebody was pushing aside proper health and safety practice in favour of making money. Was it a shoddy building not fit for the purpose it was being used for? Was it overloaded with machinery and people? Somebody some where put money before people, which is the norm in this world of corporate greed.
      Across the globe the vast majority of us who work, do so in crap jobs, with crap wages, the possibility of death should not be added to that humiliation and exploitation. Murder by the corporate world is rife, but seldom is the crime punished, the word "accident" is used to try to wash the blood from their hands.
      In another seven weeks, we mark the first anniversary of the building collapse at Rana Plaza, in Bangladesh.  Over 1,100 people were killed in one of the worst industrial accidents in history.
    As you may know, this was followed up by a ground-breaking agreement signed by global unions, local unions in Bangladesh, employers, major clothing brands, the International Labor Organization, the Bangladeshi government and others.
     In addition to trying to ensure that the tragedy doesn't repeat itself, the employers also agreed to help compensate the injured and the families of those killed.
     As the Clean Clothes Campaign put it, "The survivors and victims families have suffered enough and should not have to relive that horrible day without being secure that their financial losses at least are covered. They suffered terrible injuries, lost husbands and wives, children and parents, brothers and sisters; and will bear the physical and emotional scars for life. This can never be compensated for, but they can and should be compensated for loss of income and medical costs before the anniversary."
     But among those companies which have not made public donations to the fund are these:

Adler Modemrkte, Auchan, Ascena Retail, Benetton, C&A, Carrefour, Cato Fashions, Children's Place, Grabalok, Gueldenpfennig, Kids for Fashion, KiK, LPP, Manifattura Corona, Matalan, NKD, Premier Clothing, Primark, PWT, Walmart and Yes Zee.

    IndustriALL, UNI Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign have launched an online campaign hosted by LabourStart to pressure those companies to pay compensation now.
Please sign up and send your message.  And please spread the word about this very important campaign.
      Meanwhile, halfway around the world in Peru, the government is attempting to privatize the country's water supply -- over the objections of citizens and the country's trade union movement.  Those unions and their global union federation PSI have launched an online campaign demanding that Peru stop this privatization now.  Please support the campaign and spread the word.

Thank you very much!

Eric Lee


Monday 6 May 2013

European Sweatshops!!


       That babbling brook of bullshit, the media, has give a lot of coverage to the recent deaths of garment workers slaving away in the sweatshops housed in the  building that collapsed in Bangladesh. Of course there is rightful outcry and anger, though any tears shed by the corporate world, will be of the crocodile type, cheap labour equals bigger profits. However that same babbling brook of bullshit doesn't report on the sweatshops here in Europe, they exist here, as else where in the world, and they are on the increase in European countries being raped and plundered by the financial Mafia's austerity plans. This report is from Greece, but where else in this so called group of European developed nations are the same conditions being experienced day and daily?
We will either raise our voices, or be forced to work ourselves to death
     Radka Nikolova, 38, was a kitchen worker in the pizza fan store in Patras. On Monday, January 14th, 2013 she was found dead at work, locked inside the store. Early estimates said the woman died due to heart failure. The story was covered up.
     It is relatively known that a heart condition alone is not enough to cause someone’s death. But yes… with a job at pizza fan, our heart does not seem to last long enough.------
Read the full article HERE:

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Sunday 9 December 2012

PROFIT BEFORE LIVES, THAT'S CAPITALISM.


     A little bit more on that pinnacle of capitalist development, that citadel of Mammon, Walmart. It would appear that fire safety would hit their profits, so they decided that it was more profitable to risk the lives of thousand of workers rather than face a small hike in costs.
     Last year, Walmart reportedly decided against aiding factory upgrades that could have stopped fires like last month's blaze at a Bangladesh garment factory.
Bangladeshi suppliers of Walmart clothes wanted to upgrade their facilities to make them more fire-proof, and other retailers approved the plan, according to Bloomberg. The plan only fell through after Walmart and the Gap said they would not pay higher prices to make such upgrades feasible.
Read the full story HERE:

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