Workers strike back

I heard two speakers today, at a LRC NC, Jack Heyman speaking on behalf of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and Clara Osagiede from the RMT representing the LU cleaners who will be striking on the 1st July for 48 hours.

Jack Heyman gave a historical account of their last contract negotiations shortly after September 11th 2001and federal government threatened to bring in the military if they disrupted the flow of cargo. Instead, as Jack said, the troops were sent to Iraq to occupy it (cops used “non-lethal weapons” to violently attack anti-war protesters near the Port of Oakland in 2003). And now the Bush administration is in a much weaker position, the union were in a stronger position and federal government were not threatening to intervene.

And so on the 1st of May this year longshore workers on the west coast of the USA held a one day strike. The ILWU have before taken action to show international solidarity before by refusing to carry military cargo for the military dictatorship under Pinochet in Chile (1978), and boycotts of apartheid South Africa. The demands of the ILWU were simple: end the wars, occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq and for an immediate withdrawal. Iraqi dock workers at Umm Qasr and Khor al-Zubair went on strike in solidarity with the ILWU.

Unfortunately the ILWU are facing a lawsuit because the employers deem the strike action a secondary boycott and is illegal. But as Jack argued they are sending military cargo to Iraq and the companies are war profiteers. And now the ILWU need our support and international solidarity with this lawsuit and as John McDonnell rightly described the ILWU as standing firm and as heroes and heroines.

The RMT LU cleaners went on strike this week and will again strike on the 1st July for 48hours. Their demands include a living wage of at least £7.20; 28 days’ holiday; sick pay; decent pensions; travel facilities and an end to “third party sackings”.

Majority of these cleaners are women and migrant workers who are subjected to harassment and bullying. We need to show our support and solidarity to workers. I am appalled with my own union T&G/Unite who have not balloted their own members who work as cleaners. It would have been the politically principled thing to have done and to have joined the RMT members on the picket line. The LRC has organised a rally in support of the RMT cleaners on the 8th July @ 6pm, Portcullis House. The political courage and convictions of these workers should be an inspiration for us all and I will definitely be joining the picket lines.

And Unison council workers voted to strike on the 15/16 July along with Unite members. Again, maybe we will see a summer of discontent?

 

Brown’s first year: crash and burn

 

I somehow doubt that Gordon Brown will be staggering up to the microphone and shouting the lyrics to Ray Orbison’s “It’s Over” sometime soon in relation to the disastrous result in Henley combined with all the other failures and disasters of NL of late. Instead, Brown in a Zen like way hopes to sit out the continual catastrophes without a thought to the possible destruction of the LP and the inevitable loss of the next election.

Labour’s vote fell to about15% of its 2005 result in Henley: 2005 was itself a fall with about a quarter of its previous vote disappearing in the wake of the Iraq adventure.

Assuming that you must be a hard core labour supporter to vote LP in Henley this is yet another indicator that the LP is burnt-out. All the other results are extremely bad. The party finances are shot. Often there is simply no LP candidate to vote for. Certainly the LP is dying as a national party. If there is often no LP candidate and where there is a candidate the LP is even more unpopular than a bunch of Hitlerites then there is a situation that has gone well beyond a reduced vote for a government party in an economic downswing.

To use the rather shallow analytical tools of the media: what is the story being told by NL? More privatisation at home and warlike adventure abroad? If you are right-wing, vote Tory, and get tax cuts as well: three for the price of two. If you are left-wing you need to believe in the fairy story about bringing democracy to Iraq and that you can privatise a society of equals into existence. Oh and you also need to think civil liberties don’t matter. That is one narrow political base.