Revolting Europe
strike
Paris chambermaids’ strike victory inspires sisters in other luxury hotels
Outsourced hotel chambermaids at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme are celebrating a significant wage increase, and inspiring their colleagues in other luxury hotels. The agreement follows a four-day strike for better wages and working conditions that begun on September 19. The agreement covers 80 chambermaids, porters and maintenance staff and brings monthly wage increases from 380 to 420 euros. … Continue reading
Coca Cola workers’ struggle for jobs bubbles over into Italy
The struggle against job cuts by Coca Cola shifts to Italy where workers were striking Thursday in protest at cost reduction plans by the American multinational. The eight hour stoppage is in response to the announcement earlier this month that the company, producer of one of the world’s most popular soft drinks, will make 249 redundancies across Italy, adding to … Continue reading
Telefonica-Movistar: a united fight against exploitation
By Esther Vivas The tentacles of Spain’s Telefonica Movistar spread far and wide. I refer not only to the interests of their shareholders, such as banks BBVA and La Caixa, or close links with political power, and their “representatives” on the board, but its “army” of workers. In Spain, the company claims to have 20,000 … Continue reading
French intellectuals swing behind rail strike
As France’s rail strike entered its second week over 150 intellectuals have swung behind the workers and their demands for a fully integrated publicly owned rail system. Doctors, lawyers, economists, mathematicians, linguists, historians, scientists and sociologists have called on the government to suspend parliamentary proceedings on the bill, which started Tuesday, and “start a debate on the … Continue reading
Spain’s Coca Cola Workers in Legal Victory
Spain’s national labour court has thrown out Coca Cola’s collective dismissal of 1,190 workers in Spain in a major lift for the union-led campaign against four factory closures in the jobless-hit country. The Audiencia Nacional also called for the workers’ reinstatement and payment of lost wages. #ÚltimaHoraTVE La Audiencia Nacional declara nulo el #ERE de … Continue reading
Champagne to flow again as workers taste strike success
Champagne has been flowing again in copious quantities in London and New York as bankers enjoy a return to the good old days of runaway millionaire bonuses on the back of one-way bets. But that flow of lovely bubbly has been under threat by a strike by employees of Veuve Clicquot, Moët & Chandon, Krug, Ruinart … Continue reading
7 reasons why Greece is going on strike this week
Greek workers will hold a 24-hour strike this week to protest against austerity measures and public sector layoffs demanded by the country’s international lenders, led by the IMF-ECB-EU ‘Troika’. Greece’s public and private sector unions ADEDY and GSEE will launch a 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, November 6th 2013. Here’s seven reasons why they will … Continue reading
A year on from the Black March: the Spanish miners’ struggle
It is a year since Spanish miners made their epic 450 km march from the mines of the north to Madrid to fight for a future for their communities. Asturian communist leader Francisco De Asís Fernández maps out the prospects for the coal miners’ struggle. On the night of July 10, 2012 columns from various … Continue reading
Italy’s unions march united for jobs
For the first time since 2003, Italy’s three main trade union centrals marched together in Rome on Saturday, to call for government action on jobs. The joint action by CGIL, UIL and CISL, bringing up more than 100,000 into the streets, comes as fresh data exposes the social catastrophe caused by EU-backed austerity and neo-liberal … Continue reading
A salute to Portugal’s striking workers
The Troika did not come to pay salaries, it came to rescue banks, every penny taken from workers will profit the financial markets. So here’s to all the workers who have been on strike. They are the voice of the country that is not enslaved. The last few weeks have been marked by a series … Continue reading
Portuguese dockers plan to extend strikes over jobs, working conditions
Portuguese dockers plan to further extend their strike action over job cuts and moves to slash working conditions.The workers kicked off strike action in September against a law to make employment practices in the sector more ‘flexible’. Dockers have struck at ports in Lisbon, Setubal, Aveiro and Figueira da Foz. In early November the Sindicato dos Estivadores … Continue reading
Why the Eurostrike?
By Vincent Navarro The ruling Conservative and liberal parties, both in Spain and in most European Union countries, including the Eurozone, are implementing policies that result in: 1) labour reforms that reduce wages and increase unemployment, 2) the shrinking of the labour force, 3) reduction of social protection, 4) social spending cuts, 5) the privatization of … Continue reading
Why Greece is holding a general strike
From Il Manifesto’s correspondent Argiris Panagopoulos The Tsunami of fresh cuts will see the abolition of the thirteenth and fourteenth annual wage packets, a rise in the retirement age form 65 to 67 years, cut backs to pensions – lengthening the contribution period to get the minimum pension – cuts in benefits for the disabled … Continue reading
Miners’ ‘Black March’ to reach Spain’s capital
The Spanish miners’ ‘Black March’ will arrive in Madrid Sunday ahead of a major demonstration next week to demand a reversal of cuts to subsidies to the country’s coal industry. Two columns – one from the ‘north’ comprising miners who have marched 400 kilometres from Asturias and León, and one arriving from Aragón in the … Continue reading
Italy: Migrants strike against exploitation
Migrant agricultural workers have been on strike in the province of Pavia, Lombardy, north Italy, for just over week now. The reason for the strike action: ‘No exploitation, no slavery,’ say their flyers. The forty Morroccan workers – 10 women, 40 men – have had enough of terrible working conditions of up to 13-14 hours a day, … Continue reading
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