ALGERIA
Government
attacks union...
The government of Algeria has further
escalated its attacks on the independent energy union SNATEGS, which organizers
workers at the state energy company SONELGAZ. SNATEGS is affiliated to the IUF
through its catering workers.
In May 2017, the union had its legal status
revoked and the Labour Ministry made the fabricated claim in December that the
union had formally voted to dissolve itself. Hundreds of union members,
delegates and officers have been dismissed, harassed and persecuted on bogus
legal charges for exercising their fundamental rights. Union President Raouf
Mellal was sentenced to 6 months in prison for exposing a long history of
SONELGAZ fraudulently overcharging Algerians for their utility bills.
Now the government is inventing new charges to
persecute Mellal and cripple the union. On November 28 the union president was
sentenced in absentia to two months in prison and fined EUR 5,000 for allegedly
defaming SONELGAZ. The court hearing will take place on January 30.
RaoufMellalMellal has learned that he was
sentenced in absentia in January last year to 6 months in prison and a fine of
EUR 2,000 in a suit brought by the director of a security agency following a
complaint of sexual harassment by a women worker who was fired as a
consequence. Mellal was sued for defamation after expressing his solidarity
with the victim. Expressing solidarity with a victim of sexual harassment now
risks imprisonment in Algeria…
And on January 17 2018 he was sentenced to 3
months' imprisonment and fined EUR 3,000 in yet another 'defamation' lawsuit
brought by SONELGAZ. As a consequence of these absurd and arbitrary judicial
decisions Raouf Mellal has been forbidden to leave the country.
AUSTRALIA
RAIL
STRIKE SIGNIFICANTLY DISRUPTS TRANSPORTATION IN SYDNEY
On 25 January 2018, employees of the New
South Wales (NSW) rail network began a strike action that reduced train
services to 55 percent of capacity, significantly affecting morning commuters.
According to local reports, trains in Sydney were filled to capacity during
morning rush hour, while some commuters were prevented from entering platforms
in the city’s east. The industrial action has also affected traffic congestion
on the roads in Sydney, as commuters are forced to take alternative forms of
transportation. The strike is expected to halve train services through 26
January; on 29 January no trains will run across NSW as all stations will be
closed. Government officials stated that they will attempt to negotiate with
the Rail, Tram and Bus Union in an effort to prevent the total shutdown on 29
January. (25 Jan 2018)
BRAZIL
BRAZIL’S
WORKERS PARTY TO CONTINUE TO BACK LULA FOR OCTOBER PRESIDENTIAL RUN
On 25 January 2018, Brazil’s Workers Party
announced that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would remain the
party’s only candidate in the country’s upcoming October presidential election,
despite the fact that his candidacy is in question after an appellate court
upheld a corruption conviction against him. The leaders of the labor party
indicated that they intend to back Lula’s candidacy for as long as possible and
have threatened to launch a civil disobedience campaign if Lula is excluded
from the election or if he is arrested. (25 Jan 2018)
CHAD
SECURITY
FORCES DISPERSE DEMONSTRATION AMID ONGOING TRANSPORTATION STRIKE
On 22 January 2018, security forces
dispersed a student demonstration in N’Djamena amid a nationwide transportation
strike that was launched the same day. The students erected barricades, set
vehicles on fire and threw stones at security officers. Police officials stated
that 143 people, mostly students, were arrested.
Meanwhile, the transportation strike was
largely adhered to by taxi drivers, bus drivers and travel agencies. The
workers are protesting an increase in fuel prices. The strike is set to
continue on 23 January. Civil society organizations have also called for a
march to occur on 25 January to protest austerity measures and the increase in
fuel prices. Travelers in Chad should limit movement over the next several days
and avoid all gatherings due to the potential for violence. (22 Jan 2018)
EGYPT-ITALY-UK
FIJI
FRANCE
PARIS
SUBWAY DRIVERS GO ON STRIKE TO PROTEST SAFETY CONCERNS AT UNDERGROUND STATIONS
On 19 January 2018, Paris subway drivers
went on strike to protest drug-related safety concerns at some of the
underground stations. Significant amounts of drug dealing in metro stations
have reportedly created concerns for the physical safety of passengers and
staff in those stations. Drivers and passengers highlighted line 12 as
particularly problematic. Authorities reported that they were increasing
patrols along the metro lines to assuage some of the concerns. (19 Jan 2018)
POLICE
OFFICERS AND STRIKING PRISON GUARDS CLASH SOUTH OF PARIS
On
19 January 2018, police officers and striking prison guards clashed outside
Fleury Merogis prison, located south of Paris. The guards reportedly lit
pallets and tires on fire, barricading the prison; however, riot police managed
FISHERMEN
BLOCK ACCESS TO CALAIS PORT
On 25 January 2018, approximately one
dozen fishing boats blocked access to the Calais port. Fishermen situated their
vessels to prevent other boats from approaching or departing the piers. The
blockade led to disruptions in ferry operations and caused some delays for
shipping companies. The blockade was a show of protest against electric pulse
fishing in the North Sea; fisherman are calling for a ban on the practice,
claiming it harms fish stocks that are collectively fished by various
countries. (25 Jan 2018)
GAZA
INDONESIA
Coca-Cola brings the taste of Zero Rights
to the 2018 Winter Olympics
Coca-Cola
is a major sponsor of this year's Winter Olympics, a huge opportunity for the
world's largest beverage company to promote its brands, its images and its
sales. Since March 2015 Coke's exclusive bottler for Australia, New Zealand and
the South Pacific, Coca-Cola Amatil ("The power behind our region's
favorite brands"), has been busy bashing rights. There should be no place
for Zero Rights at the Olympic Games.
Since 2015, workers at Coca-Cola Amatil's Indonesian
operations have been seeking to form independent unions. When workers at Coke
operations in Central Java formed a union and legally registered it, union
chairman Atra Narwanto was suspended and subsequently dismissed and prevented
from meeting with his members. When workers at another facility in West Java
formed and registered a union in February 2017, union chairman Lutfi Ariyanto
was transferred, then suspended, then formally dismissed late last year.
Workers are pressured to withdraw their support for their organizations, and
their unions are shut out of the collective bargaining process.
Nearly twenty years
after Indonesia freed itself from an oppressive military dictatorship, workers
at the Coca-Cola Indonesia are still waiting for rights at the workplace.
Go to the URL below to
send a message
to The Coca-Cola Company in the USA and Coca-Cola Amatil in Australia, telling
them to respect rights, reinstate dismissed union leaders and negotiate in good
faith.
to make it through the obstructions and
fired tear gas to disperse protesters. The guards were protesting unsafe
working conditions. (19 Jan 2018)
IRAN
Iranian teacher union leader Esmail Abdi was taken
back to the notorious Evin Prison on Saturday 20 January. He had been released
on 9 January, but this was only a temporary reprieve from his six year
sentence, which started in 2016. The authorities refused to extend his
furlough, despite his poor health which resulted from poor detention
conditions.
Esmail Abdi has been targeted for his union
activism and campaigns for teachers' rights and for free public education. He
has committed no crime.
Please take a moment to send your message of
protest to Iran.
PALESTINIAN
TERRITORIES
PALESTINIAN
GROUPS CALL FOR GENERAL STRIKE IN THE WEST BANK
On 23 January 2018, several Palestinian
groups called for a general strike across the West Bank to protest the U.S.
government’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as well as the
U.S. vice president’s visit. Reports indicate that the general strike will
affect transportation services, banks, schools and both public and private
institutions. (23 Jan 2018)
PUERTO RICO
SOUTH
AFRICA
U.S.
EMBASSY ISSUES DEMONSTRATION ALERT
On 25 January 2018, the U.S. Embassy in
Pretoria issued the following Demonstration Alert:
Location: Downtown Pretoria.
Event: Tshwane Metro Police Department
(TMPD) announced that the All Tshwane Vat Alles Employees were granted
permission to march on Friday, January 26, 2018, from 8am – 4pm. Numbers of
marchers/protestors are expected to be at least 1,000.
The march/protest will commence at Burgers
Park at 0800 into Lilian Ngoyi Street, turn right on Madiba Street until they
reach the Tshwane House. They will then proceed straight to the Union Buildings
using Madiba Street. From the Union Buildings, they will march back to Burgers
Park using the following routes:
Lleyds
Street
Pretorius
Street
Nelson Mandela Drive
Nana Sita Street
Thabo Sehume
Street
Actions to Take:
Avoid the areas of the demonstrations.
Exercise caution if unexpectedly in the
vicinity of large gatherings or protests.
Monitor local media for updates
Keep a low
profile." (25 Jan 2018)
SWITZERLAND
ANTI-GLOBALIZATION
PROTESTS AGAINST WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
On 23 January 2018, anti-globalization
activists throughout Switzerland protested against the World Economic Forum
(WEF), which is being held in Davos. Approximately 20 demonstrators managed to
break through a security cordon at the WEF before police peacefully removed
them. Additionally, more than 2,000 demonstrators marched through Zurich’s
financial district. Protests occur every year during the WEF; so far the 2018
protests have been relatively peaceful. (23 Jan 2018)
TUNISIA
PROTESTERS
CLASH WITH POLICE OFFICERS OVER JOBS
On 21 January 2018, demonstrators clashed
with police officers in the town of Metlaoui, located approximately 400 km (250
mi) southwest of Tunis. The demonstrators closed roads with burning tires to
demand jobs with the state-owned phosphate company Gafsa (CPG). Police officers
fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. There were no immediate reports
of arrests or injuries associated with the incident. (21 Jan 2018)
UNITED
STATES:
- · They used to be servants!
- · Bank of America attacks the working class...
- · Kleenex maker to cut jobs... 5,500 jobs to be specific
- · Carrier workers laid off after all...
- · The Los Angeles Times unionizes...
- · Corporations with big tax breaks lay off workers...
- · UPS drivers beat forced overtime...
- · Graduate student unions resist...
URUGUAY
FARMERS
TAKE TO THE STREETS OF DURAZNO TO DEMAND GREATER GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
On 23 January 2018, tens of thousands of
famers took to the streets of Durazno to demand that the government take
greater steps to support the agricultural industry, including lowering taxes
for the agricultural sector and lowering the price of gasoline and energy. The
gathering was the first major protest against the Frente Amplio coalition
government since it came to power nearly 13 years ago. Individuals who work in
refrigeration and trucking also attended the protest. The demonstration was
peaceful; the protesters plan on presenting a list of complaints to President
Tabare Vazquez on 26 January. (23 Jan 2018)
ZIMBABWE
ILLEGAL
VENDORS AND UNREGISTERED TAXIS WARNED TO LEAVE HARARE’S STREETS
On 20 January 2018, the Zimbabwean
government warned illegal vendors and unregistered taxis to leave the streets
of Harare in 48 hours or risk being forcibly removed by security forces.
Authorities claim that illegal vendors present a health hazard and the illegal
vending of food and fruits during the rainy season could lead to a cholera
outbreak in the city. Authorities also claim that unregistered taxis disregard
traffic regulations and endanger other road users. (21 Jan 2018)
WORLDWIDE
