Election.

Does this look like a day in your working life?

Image courtesy of UK Parliament.

          With three bye-elections and a general election on the not too distant horizon, our political ballerinas are in a flutter. Will they still be on the gravy train after the election, will they be knocked off their luxury perch? These are the problems that fill the minds of our privileged political class. However, you and I should know, if we have ever looked at the history of elections over more than a couple of centuries, that our freedoms have never come from the ballot box. The suffragettes didn't get the vote by voting, our trade unions weren't born from the ballot box. Everything we have ever gained as a class, has been through determined struggle, direct action and solidarity of the people. So get used to the fact, the next election will be a close relation to what we are already experiencing, no matter what colour of tie wins a majority.
         The usual mantras will be chanted, "difficult choices have to be made", "we must grow the economy to improve our living standards". Meanwhile you and I will suffer austerity in a variety of names and guises, struggle to try to have a decent life for our kids, waiting for that pie in the sky when the economy will give us the promised land. However, our political ballerinas and their corporate buddies will be living the life of luxury. When will be get wise and decide that we will no longer be shafted by a bunch of wealthy privileged parasites. When do we say, enough is enough, we will govern ourselves, we don't need you, you are dependent on us.

         Our government functions with more that 755 peers which includes 25 bishops in the House of Lords and more than 650 MPs in the House of Commons, all paid handsomely plus expenses from our tax money. Do you think we get value for our money? 

 

Image courtesy of the Daily Mail.

 

Visit ann arky at https://spiritofrevolt.info    

Don't Ask For The Right To Strike, Take It.

       It is a strange thought that in a so called democracy, you can be employed but if a difference between you and your employer arises, you can't stop working to try and get the situation resolved. The law, as in slave society, forbids you to stop working, you first have to jump through hoops organised by the state and your employer.

     The right to strike has continually been attacked by employers and this mindset has always had the backing of the state as it continually tightens the legislation governing our right to strike. The aim of course is to destroy one of the main tools in the armory of the workers as they struggle to hold onto, or improve their conditions. Their idea is that during disputes you just keep working while the employers indulge in so called talks, that can drag on indeterminately while you still keep producing their profit, and your grievance becomes a pantomime of talking shops.

     Most Europeans consider Sweden to be one of the more socially conscious states on the continent, but even there, the right to strike is under fierce attack, sadly backed by the big unions.

This from Gatorna:

        This is a video in English about the Right to Strike rally in Sweden and the demonstration that was held on Saturday August 25 in Stockholm by anarchist and autonomous organizations, unions and individuals. 2000 people joined the demo. STRIKE BACK was a mass action with the purpose of defending worker's rights in Sweden. Recently the heads of the swedish trade union confederacy made a deal with the employer's confederacy severely limiting the right to strike. While it hasn't been turned into law yet, any plausible government alternative after the election this September are likely to pass it.We see this development as part of a larger pattern of impeding working class struggle across Europe, as seen in the development in countries such as France or Poland in the last years. See the call for the action bellow.

        We publish the call for a nationwide social strike on the 25th August in Stockholm, launched by the “Strike Back” movement against the project of a law that drastically limits the right to strike. The law was proposed as a response to the mobilizations of the dock workers in Gothenburg, to close down the already limited possibilities for workers to call for a legal strike. This proposal is but one episode of a longer series of attacks to the right to strike in several European countries in the last years. As the call implies, if they attack us in the workplaces, we will bring the strike into the streets, taking up the determination to reinvent the strike expressed recently in Sweden by the young Afghans striking against deportations and globally by the women’s strike. How the limitations to the right to strike are part of an overall transformation that tries to turn workers into a just in time asset, how to join forces and confront the attacks to the strike on a transnational level, these are for us the open questions we are looking forward to discuss in Stockholm in autumn.

Read the full article HERE: 

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

A Worker Is A Worker, Is A Worker, Is A Worker!!

       You have got to hand it to our corporate lords and masters, they never give up on their policy of trying to eliminate all workers organisations. The last thing they want is for the workers to be organised to defend their wages and conditions. Of course they get the backing of the babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, who crap on about the evil unions destroying everybody’s day by calling a strike, and the government responding with legislation to “limit the power of the unions”. One other the trend, is to get the workers “self-employed”, you do our work, but you are not one of our workers, you’re on you own buddy. Uber is probably the best known, but there are others. At the moment the people who “work” for Deliveroo are classified by the company as individual contractors, so the company refuses to recognise the union. With ”self-employed”, zero hours contracts, and part time work, the workforce is fragmented, apart from losing out on all the normally accept conditions, that were won by unionised struggle, and go with a “job”, such as holiday pay etc., it makes it more difficult to be organised to protect you pay and conditions, let alone fight for improvements. The bosses are well organised, they know the need to be organised, as they see the true position, bosses and workers are on opposite sides. The workers have to take a leaf out of that book, and realise the need for all “workers”, no matter the label that the bosses put on them, to be organised. The bosses know and accept that it is a struggle of opposites and they will pull out every dirty trick to get the advantage for their side of the battle. We have to do the same, come together, organise to support each other, and see the boss class as the enemy of our desire for that better life for all.

This appeal from Labour Start:

        Since November, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has been attempting to gain recognition (a collective bargaining agreement) from Deliveroo in London.
        If the IWGB is successful, it will be the first collective bargaining agreement in the UK's so called "gig economy" and will force Deliveroo to recognise their riders as workers.
        This will give them the right to the minimum wage, paid holidays, legal protection against discrimination and more.
        Deliveroo has rejected the initial request, but the union remains determined to succeed and a tribunal case is currently pending. But it shouldn't take a tribunal case to compel Deliveroo to do the right thing. They should recognise their drivers as "workers" and should recognise the union for the purposes of collective bargaining now.

Please click here to send a message to Deliveroo telling them to recognise the union now.

       And please share this message with your friends, family and fellow trade union members.

Thank you!



Eric Lee

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

Workers' Rights.

Thought some of you may be interested in this: 

      You are invited to join the online course entitled "Workers' Rights in a Global Economy" which starts on 3 March 2016.
        This is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), offered as cost-free and as a certificate course, by the Global Labour University.  It aims to connect union members and labour activists around the world.
      Learn and debate about strategies for implementing workers' rights nationally and along global supply chains.
Click here to learn more and sign up.
Please spread the word in your unions.
Thanks very much. Eric Lee

Labourstart.org

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

WORKERS' LIVES, SHOULD MEAN WORKERS' CONTROL.

          The recent crowing by Alexander the not so great, that the government had reached an agreement with the unions, should be rephrased as, 'they have reached an agreement with the union leaders.' I have no doubt that as for the rank and file, the so called agreement is nothing much different from what was on the table before the negotiations began, before the November 30 strike action. Throughout the recent history of trade unions the one thing that comes through is that the leaders don't want to upset the apple-cart, that gives them a very comfortable living. They may be among the “99%” but they are quite high up the financial scale of the group. Their relative good living from the union apparatus means that they themselves are immune to most of the attacks on the working class, much the same as those who are implementing this attack. The high paid union official type structure doesn't work in favour of the rank and file. Only the rank and file should be at the negotiations and only the rank and file should make the decisions.

Infantile-disorder has this to say.

This afternoon, Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander announced an outline agreement with unions for huge cuts in public service pensions. His statement followed yesterday's declaration by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber that "we have seen a new atmosphere in the negotiation". But this "new atmosphere" was not the result of the government finally seeing the light and backing away from its attack on the living standards of millions. On the contrary, it was due to union bureaucrats dropping their phoney opposition, and settling down to their task of presenting utter defeat as victory.

All this was made clear by Alexander's confirmation that public workers must still "work a bit longer and pay a little more". In truth, little has changed from the government's original proposals, which were published before two big days of strike action demonstrated the potential strength of a united working class

Read the full article HERE.

ann arky's home.

FORM A UNION, GET THE SACK???

        Corporate fascism is rampant across the world at the moment, it sees the "crisis" as a wonderful opportunity to slash at the rights and conditions of its work force. Getting people to believe that there is a "crisis" allows them to spout that they must take drastic action. Of course that drastic action is to increase profit margins at the expense of the wages and conditions of those who produce those profits. The parasites want more, and the state is right behind them ready to back them up with legislation.

       This is an appeal from IUF International Union of Food, Agriculture, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco, and Allied Workers.

         Sheraton's parent Starwood Group, owner of the Four Points, W, aloft, Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, element and Westin brands, has long set the benchmark for global hotel chain profitability, regularly delivering 16% and higher returns to investors. While investors rake in the money and Algeria's elite do their deals at the 5-star Sheraton Club des Pins in the capital Algiers, workers seeking to form a union at the hotel/resort have been dismissed by the hundreds for attempting to form a union in accordance with the law.

Algerian hotel workers have yet to see an 'Arab spring' - you can support their struggle. Click here to send a message to the local and regional corporate management, telling them to respect fundamental human and trade union rights and reinstate immediately and unconditionally all employees dismissed for exercising their rights and supporting a union!

Ron Oswald
General Secretary, IUF

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF)

8, rampe du Pont-Rouge
1213 Petit Lancy, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 793 22 33
Fax: +41 22 793 22 38
website: www.iuf.org

ann arky's home.

NESTLE, SERIAL ABUSER.

         

          Another appeal from LabourStart for solidarity in an attempt  to get Nestle to stop abusing workers as they try to organise into a trade union. One thing the corporate world does not like is organised workers, it is more difficult to exploit them, organised workers can stand up to the corporate greed merchants, individuals can be eliminated. 

      

            Nestlé is the world's largest food company. It is also a serial abuser of workers' rights.

This afternoon, the IUF - the global union federation for food workers - launched a major campaign calling on Nestlé to respect workers' rights.

         The campaign call comes in the wake of Nestlé sacking workers in both Indonesia and Pakistan for daring to organize themselves into trade unions.

          Last week, I asked you to help striking Suzuki workers in India. 96 hours after we launched the campaign, the company had reached agreement with the union and the strike was over.

This is going to be a longer and harder fight.

That's why it's so important that you not only send off your protest to Nestlé, but that you forward on this email.

Thank you!

Eric Lee

ann arky's home.

CHANGING TO A WOLRD OF POSSIBLE DREAMS.

          Never before in human history have we seen the people of the world rise up simultaneously on the same cause, all of the same mind, the system sinks, it is corrupt from top to bottom, it works against the interests of the majority of the people. Never in human history have people all across the globe wanted to change a world system and stood up to do something about it simultaneously. The mould has been broken, people across the world have seen through the smoke and mirrors of corrupt illusion and they will change it. Change breeds change, once people's minds open to new ideas the world becomes a new and exciting place with the possibility of realising dreams. Our dreams, not their nightmares.

From The Commune:

         In my opinion, it is very likely that the historians of the future will look upon yesterday as the day a truly global anti-capitalist movement was born. Following the example of Occupy Wall Street, Los Angeles, Boston, and hundreds of US towns and cities, a huge number of small and large occupations began on every continent except Antarctica (see Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America).

         All proclaim their opposition to the capitalist status quo – with its obscene riches at one pole and sickening poverty at the other. All of this has been organised online, completely outside the clutches of the decaying trade union bureaucracies, for whom ‘international solidarity’ is just some words they used to say a few decades back. The old organisations of timid protest seek influence on the margins, but they are ignored and seen to be as irrelevant as they actually are. It is highly appropriate that this moment has been crowned by the apparently successful resisting of the attempt by New York’s mayor and second richest man to retake Liberty Park. There is a sense that the powers that be are losing control by the hour, if not the second if you follow it all on Twitter

READ ON.

ann arky's home.

MILITARY DEMOCRACY???

      

          I have never been one to think that democracy will come via a military government. In most cases the top Military are in too cozy a relationship with those at the top you wish to get rid of, they are part and parcel of the same state apparatus. So I thought it would only be a matter of time before there were the usual fractures between the new ruling elite and the real people of Egypt, and now the new ruling class are beginning to show where their plans are heading, the usual control over the working class. Below is an appeal from LabourStart.

        The Egyptian revolution last winter was an inspiration to the whole world. And workers were at the heart of it. Their strikes brought down the Mubarak regime.

But today, Egypt's Military rulers continue to criminalise strikes.

     That hasn't stopped Egyptian workers from walking off the job in their hundreds of thousands. Today, a major strike wave is sweeping the country, with schools, hospital and public transport systems shut down. Those workers face the risk of brutal repression unless the country's military rulers start recognizing their basic human right to join and form trade unions, and to strike.

        Egypt's new independent unions and the International Trade Union Confederation have today launched a major campaign to pressure the new regime to enact a labour law that recognizes workers' rights.

      It's extremely important that you and other members of your union act today by sending off a short message. It will take you less than a minute to do this.

Click here to send off your message.

Please pass this message on to other members of your union.
Thank you!



Eric Lee

ann arky's home.

NICE MEAL -- CRAP CONDITIONS!!

New York: Boathouse Restaurant workers strike against unfair labor practices

       60 employees of the Boathouse Restaurant in New York’s Central Park have walked off their jobs and were joined on the picket line by 37 of their co-workers who were illegally terminated in retaliation for organizing a union. In response to low wages, stolen overtime pay, long hours, no benefits, unsafe conditions, rampant favoritism, sexual harassment, ethnic discrimination, and management abuse 70% of the Boathouse staff signed union cards in January, and on January 27, the union petitioned the United States Government to hold a union representational election. Boathouse management immediately launched a campaign of terror against the employees.

        Management fired 37 workers for their support for the union and aggressively intimidated and threatened the remaining union supporters, many of whom are immigrants.

       The City of New York owns the boathouse; Dean Poll is the contracted operator. Under the terms of the operator's contractor, the New York City Parks Commission can cancel his contract and replace him with another operator. You can support the Boathouse workers by sending a message to the Parks Commissioner urging him to do just that! Click here to send a message.

For more information, read the full story here.

Ron Oswald
General Secretary, IUF

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF)

8, rampe du Pont-Rouge
1213 Petit Lancy, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 793 22 33
Fax: +41 22 793 22 38
website: www.iuf.org

ann arky's home.

RAW CAPITALISM - PEASANTS BEWARE.

    

        Capitalism doesn't change it's spots, it is a system of exploitation of the many for the advantage of the few. At the end of WW2 and the existence of the Soviet Union creating a threat of Communism across Europe, and other places in the world, capitalism modified slightly. In the West it made concessions to the working class and the middle class, grants to higher education, a health service, social housing, a welfare system, to help the poorest etc.. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire and Thatcher's subsequent destruction of the trade unions, the threat of communism had gone. The need to appease the workers no longer existed. Capitalism could get back to its true form, it was time for raw capitalism with the gloves off. What we are living through is the system of capitalism mounting an all out attack on the working class and the middle class. For the majority real austerity will be the order of the day, with education an expensive luxury for the rich, a health service that will cater for those with the most money, charity your only hope of social services. Bankers, CEO and their sidekicks will live in ever increasing luxury. Our billionaire landed gentry and nobility are back in full control, peasants beware.

         Our children will be denied a decent education, without which it will be impossible to understand the complexity of the geopolitical system that is draining their lives, let alone organise to change its structure. Society will be fragmented with petty crime on the increase, communities will become ghettos. A rather frightening picture but the only out come from an unchallenged system driven by one overriding desire for profit, a system where human beings are no more than expendable resources. The gap between the ordinary people and the billionaire ruling class will be unimaginable. The answer for the majority of people on this planet does not lie in capitalism and time is of the essence.

ann arky's home.