Workers Solidarity Movement

Workers have been occupying the Waterford Glass factory in Kilbarry for five days now after the receiver was unable to borrow further funds to keep the plant operating. Yesterday as 150 workers continued the occupation members of the Cork WSM visited the plant and interviewed Joe Kelly, the chairman of the Crystal Unite branch. The Cork branch later issued a statement in support of the occupation.

As the recession continues to bite strikes and mass demonstrations break out from the streets of Paris to oil and power plants across the UK.

12.30-1.30pm picket Friday Jan 16th

Subway, 6-8 Great Victoria Street, Belfast (just across from the Opera House)

Workers Solidarity’s Vincent O’Malley spoke to his local Citizens Information Centre about some of the obstacles facing people who have lost their jobs.

WSM member Joe King, a clerical officer in the public sector, responds to the calls for pay cuts and redundancies.

The BBC website is reporting that the general strike in Greece today has cancelled flights out of the airport and that public transport is badly disrupted

Pickets escalate against the sacking of Subway migrant worker Natalia Szymanska in Belfast.

Pickets against a Subway franchise have been continuing for several weeks, despite intimidating and threatening behaviour by Subway bosses. Attempting to impose a court injunction against pickets outside its premises on Great Victoria Street and Lisburn Road.

What a farce! As the economy officially goes into recession, as electricity bills go up by 17.5%, as food bills are officially 6.4% higher than this time last year, the leaders of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions negotiate through the night and emerge bleary-eyed from the ‘social partnership’ talks with 1) a pay pause and 2) pay increases, when we eventually get them, lower than the rate of inflation. And then they have the cheek to tell us that this is “the best deal available in the current economic climate” (1). Lucky for them they’re not on performance-related pay if that’s the best they can do for their members.

Subway Sack Young Pregnant Migrant Worker

Natalia Szymanska, a young Polish woman was sacked from Subway in her fifth month of pregnancy on a dubious charge of being in breach of the company’s health and safety policy.

We call on Subway to:-

· immediately reinstate the pregnant worker,

· reimburse her for loss of earnings,

· compensate her for the injury to feeling,

· treat all workers fairly.

You can make a difference.

Sign the online Petition at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/subway1/petition.html

Protest and march in Cork this coming Saturday