Anarchoblogs in English

Well, the new Iraqi government is proving itself to be following the methods of the old one. Last month they banned the Iraqi electricity unions. But what did you really expect ? Here's an appeal from the online labour solidarity organization Labour Start for support for the Iraqi unionists.

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Iraq: Minister closes all union offices in Saddam-style move
Police raided and shut down electricity unions across Iraq in mid-July, carrying out an order from the Minister of Electricity that could have been lifted from Saddam Hussein’s rule book.

The order prohibits "all trade union activities at the ministry and its departments and sites" and authorizes the police "to close all trade union offices and bases and to take control of unions' assets properties and documents, furniture and computers."

The leader of Britain's Trades Union Congress has called upon the Iraqi government "to withdraw the order, and allow unions to operate freely, underpinned by a fair, just and ILO-compliant labour law."

The Iraqi trade union movement is calling on trade union members everywhere to raise their voices in protest.

Molly has reported several times on the worldwide campaign against the anti-worker policies of the Nestlé Corporation. The international union federation the IUF has been at the forefront of this, and they now announce a victory in Russia. Here's the story from their website.

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Nestlé Waters Russia Bows to Pressure, Union Vice-Chair Reinstated
Management of Nestlé Waters Russia has declined to appeal the court-ordered reinstatement of Sergei Strykov, Vice-Chair of the union formed last year who was fired on January 27. Strykov has also been compensated for wages lost from January through May, while the union was fighting his illegal dismissal.

Strykov's dismissal was part of a series of harsh anti-union measures inflicted by Nestlé management in an attempt to stop the union from developing. The union fought back with a series of public actions, backed by international support.


While the workers are still seeking negotiations around urgent issues including workloads, work assignments and overtime pay Nestlé's decision not to fight the reinstatement represents a clear victory for the campaign to defend basic union rights at Nestlé Domodedovo.

For years now the Spanish CNT has been waging a campaign against the anti-worker policies of the Spanish supermarket chain Mercadona. the following is the latest action in the Spanish city of Valencia. To my knowledge the first English language account of this action appeared at the British site LibCom. Molly first became aware of this demonstration via the A-Infos website.

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CNT Demonstration in Valencia against the harassment of workers at Mercadona

Last Saturday, the 10th of July, a large group of people demonstrated against Mercadona in Valencia to publicly denounce the harassment which workers at this cruel business are subject to. ---- People started to gather in front of the Mercadona situated on the post road in Valencia. The idea was to demonstrate for an hour in front of the entrance of the supermarket to denounce the consecutive dismissals of various comrades and the harassment that continues inside the store. Comrades from Alicante, Elda, Alcoi, Sagunto, Pilar de la Horadada, Radio Malva and other sympathizers who wanted to find out about CNT's positions towards the abuses of Mercadona came. ---- People started to hand our leaflets and and we found out that the company had already learned about the call for a protest and had hired security guards especially for the occasion.

The business policies of this firm was loudly denounced over megaphones. A girl was discovered making videos and photographs of the demonstrators and had flee, to the astonishment of the passersby who saw the anti-union and espionage tactics typically used by Mercadona against all who criticize their abuse. In a moment of tension, a security guard hired by the company came out of the shop and tried to assault a comrade. He had to quickly flee and hid like a coward.

At 12:30 we left and marched in a block to another Mercadona located nearby. Hundreds of leaflets were distributed around the neighbourhood and the demonstrations of solidarity by the people there was overwhelming. A few people who knew the ex-workers affected joined the demonstration during its short but intense path.

At 13:00 we arrived at the shop on the 1 de Mayo Avenue, where a comrade who had been working there was a direct victim of the harassment and abuse of the coordinator of the facility. This shop had also hired security services for the occasion and two guards were observing us from inside the store. Many neighbours who knew the comrade joined in and refused to shop at such establishments. What surprised us most was the attitude of the two security guards who did not allow people who had a leaflet in their hands to enter and were grabbing them out of people's hands and throwing them in the trash. We also discovered various vehicles who were circling around the area and videotaping the protest; they were invited to leave the area immediately.

The event ended at 14:00 with shouts and applause for the protest and the combative nature sustained during its 2.5 hours. Thousands of leaflets were distributed and we managed to empty two shops almost completely. The whole neighbourhood was informed of the bullying practices of Mercadona. The comrades from Radio Malva did live interviews with some of the workers affected who told about their conflicts. You can listen to this here: http://radioslliures.org/audios/

More than five years have passed since the CNT started to take a stand against this cruel company: protests, demonstrations, informational pickets and a long, indefinite strike. The fight has just begun and until Mercadona stops its harassment, mobbing and anti-union repression, we will not abandon our struggle, even though the other unions remain silent and actively collaborate with the management to get rid of workers who are fighting for their dignity.

For more information on Mercadona and to access the forum, go to: http://www.cnt.es/mercacoso

MERCADONA HARRASSES AND DISMISSES THE CNT CANNOT BE BOUGHT OR SOLD

ORGANÍZE AND FIGHT!

Source and photos: http://www.cnt.es/noticias/cronica-y-fotos-manifestacion-en-valencia-contra-el-acoso-laboral-de-mercadona

http://libcom.org/news/demonstration-valencia-against-harrassment-workers-mercadona-14072010

The Turkish government is presenting holding five unionists on trumped up charges. The Public Service International believes that this is part of a deliberate campaign being waged against workers in Turkey and particularly those of Kurdish descent. The online labour solidarity site Labour Start has initiated a campaign to demand that these people be released. Here's the appeal.

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Turkey: Free jailed trade unionists now
Five trade unionists belonging to PSI affiliates in Turkey are currently in prison on trumped up accusations of "belonging to illegal or terrorist organisations" or making propaganda on behalf of such organisations. The prison conditions are harsh and concern is growing over the mental and physical health of the imprisoned unionists. PSI contends that these arrests are part of a deliberate policy by the Turkish authorities to misuse the courts in order to harass and intimidate trade unionists, particularly those belonging to the largely Kurdish confederation, KESK.

During the International Labour Conference in June, Turkey was questioned about the spate of arrests of trade unionists. The cases of Meryem Özsögut and Seher Tümer from SES were specifically mentioned, as well as those of Metin Findik and Ferit and Bestas Epözdemir of PSI affiliate Tüm Bel Sen.

A cloak of secrecy surrounds each case, on orders of the public prosecutor. This means that lawyers are denied access to the detainees and are unable to view their case files.

You can help by sending a letter of protest to the Turkish government.