Workers Solidarity Movement

"FU AEEU LEADERSHIP" said Dagenam and Enfield members in September. Following Amalgamated Electrical & Engineering Union leader Ken Jackson's 'partnership' fantasy comments about a "strike free Britain" at the Trade Union Congress, workers showed him what they thought of his 'roll over and play dead' attitude by walking out as part of pay negotiations at the AEEU represented Ford car works.

Source: Anarchist Trade Union Network, Britain

ANTI-UNION REPRESSION IN KAZAKHSTAN

On August 20th, the trade unions of chemical workers in the city of Jambula (Taraza) were banned from holding a public meeting within the city limits. After a battle with the riot police, two hundred workers managed to break through and have a short rally in front of the regional administration building.

In response, the authorities began criminal proceedings against many activists. The chairman of the union committee of the

Khimprom plant, Chernogorov, had to go into hiding. Another union officer, Baiganov, was put on trial in mid-September.

Also in the middle of the month workers disabled by their jobs in the chemical industry planned to go on an indefinite hunger strike demanding their disability cheques.

Kazakstan, a central Asian country about twenty times the size of England, used to be part of the USSR.

Sources: The Strike Committee of SamaraUnion of Workers' Unions of Russia ("Defence")

MEXICAN SOLIDARITY

The WSM has sent a letter to the Mexican ambassador to Spain protesting at the prosecution of two members of the Spanish CGT. This anarchist-syndicalist trade union had organised a demonstration against the massacre of peasants in Acteal by pro-government forces.

The letter pointed out that "it is widely known that the Mexican government was complicit in this massacre and continues to wage a war against the indigenous communities of Chiapas. The hypocrisy of prosecuting non-violent protestors for "alleged damages to a consular building" while, at the same time, waging a war through the means of illegal paramilitary forces, is staggering.

"We demand that the charges against the protestors be dropped immediately. Your intimidations will not succeed in silencing the supporters of the indigineous peoples of Chiapas."

The Ibis Prison Hotels

IBIS HOTELS have recently opened in Cork, Dublin and Galway. In Ireland people looking for relatively cheap accommodation usually occupy them. In France they have had some less welcome 'guests'.

Last May 1st saw their hotel in Nantes, France, occupied by about 40 protesters who responded to a call from the 'Collective Against Expulsions'. Ibis is part of the ACCOR group, who have been co-operating with the deportation of 'sans papiers' (immigrants without official documents). Most notably, they have allowed their premises at the Paris Charles deGaulle airport to be used as a detention centre.

Source: Black Flag