Workers Resistance

Author: jiselle

  • Australia continues regressive policies on refugees

    The Australian government has been accused of intercepting a boat of 153 Tamil asylum seekers, and handing them over to the Sri Lankan navy without processing their claims. According to relatives, at least 11 asylum seekers on board the boat are fleeing Sri Lanka because of torture. They fear further torture, imprisonment or death if they are returned. Australia’s actions are the latest in a long series of repressive policies against asylum seekers and refugees. But Australia is not the only country turning away asylum seekers.  The United States is detaining refugees, mostly children, from Central America fleeing drug cartel and gang violence. Refugees are used by governments such as Australia and the US to ferment racism and to divide workers.  Only through co-ordinated international working class action will we be able to defeat the racism that drives anti-refugee policies.
    Open the Borders!
    Free the Refugees!

  • Migrant workers stranded in war-torn Iraq

    Thousands of migrant workers from South Asia are stuck in Iraq, without work but unable to return home. Many of the workers want to flee the renewed sectarian fighting, but their employers withhold their passports. In at least one case, migrant construction workers went on strike in the city of Hilla to demand that their employer return their passports so they could travel back to India.

  • Striking Indian steel workers hold strong against police repression

    Workers from 23 steel factories in the Wazirpul industrial zone near Delhi are still fighting for employers to honour the agreement reached after a 3-week strike in June. Now local police are colluding with employers to try and force workers back to work. Workers responded by rallying outside the labour department, which issued a notice against employers for not implementing the agreement. For rapid updates on the situation, check out the facebook page and blog.

  • Mass pro democracy rally in Hong Kong leads to many arrests

    This year, the 1st of July commemorations attracted over 500,000 demonstrators. The 1 July protest is held each year in Hong Kong to mark the anniversary of the former British colony’s return to mainland control in 1997. About 500 people were arrested, and most have been released on bail. The size and energy of the demonstrations are a result of the uncertainty people feel about the process of nominating candidates for chief executive in the 2017 election. Chief Executive is the top post in the Hong Kong government. The financial and commercial hub of Hong Kong is a vital economic area for China and these protests come amid increasing protests by workers both in Hong Kong and the mainland. While independent unionists get jailed regularly, their commitment continues.

  • Indian steel workers in third week of strike

    Over 1,000 steel workers in the Wazirpul industrial zone in Delhi have won improvements in working conditions. However, the very next day, the bosses refused to implement the terms of the agreement. The workers staged co-ordinated industrial action across 23 different factories, demonstrating the power of industry-level solidarity. Some important wins included a reduction of the working day from 12 to 8 hours, adherence to minimum wage levels, and the introduction of double overtime pay. This dispute builds on the victory of previous strikes by Wazirpur steel workers in 2012 and 2013. For rapid updates on the situation, check out the facebook page and blog.

  • NXP workers continue to fight against union busting

    24 unionists sacked by the Filipino subsidiary of the Dutch NXP Semiconductors have entered the 2nd month of their campaign for reinstatement, after they were fired for refusing to work on public holidays. Amid continued protests and organising in the Philippines, a second Global Day of Action has been planned for the 2nd of July in conjunction with unions around the world. Against global companies like NXP, only by organising globally will we be able to resist effectively the onslaught of these companies. The company is located in a Special Economic Zones where union activities are often curtailed.

  • West Bank under heaviest military attack since 2005

    An estimated five Palestinians have been killed and 500 arrested so far, as Israeli armed forces raid the West Bank on the pretence of finding three missing Israeli teenagers. This is the largest military offensive by Israel against the West Bank since the second intifada, 2000 – 2005.  Meanwhile the struggle continues against administrative detention and torture of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. A 63-day hunger strike by Palestinian political prisoners ended on 25 June.

  • AAWL Public Meeting: Free Our Comrades!

    Labour movement activists organise against exploitation every day. In every country, workers are discouraged from demanding their rights by capitalists and governments. This pressure can be applied in many ways, either via fines, dismissals, beatings, rapes or even murder. Many activists end up in jail because of their organising activities. How can we organise internationally so that our campaigns to free our jailed brothers and sisters can become more powerful? One such comrade is Reza Shahabi, leader of a bus workers union in Tehran, who is currently on hunger strike.

    Public meeting
    6.00 pm Wednesday the 2nd of July,
    Trades Hall, Melbourne Victoria

  • Independence struggle intensifies in Kanaky

    After an independence struggle in the 1980s, the Noumea Accord was signed in 1998. But the issue of decolonisation of Kanaky is again coming to the fore in the Southern Pacific. Kanaky has been a colony of France since 1854, and while small, the islands are of great strategic importance to France’s imperialist and military ambitions. The Kanaks have never accepted colonialisation. If you’d like to learn more about the renewed push for Kanak independence, come to a public meeting in Melbourne Australia on the 10th of July to hear about the Kanaks’ renewed push for independence.

  • Workers will rally again in Australia

    Workers will rally again in Melbourne to oppose extreme cuts to public services and social welfare. 40,000 people rallied to Bust the Budget on 12 July. More events will be organised on the Bust the Budget website.
    Join the rally
    1:00pm Sunday 6 July
    Queen Victoria Gardens
    Opposite the Arts Centre, Southbank
    Facebook event