I lost my job, but found an occupation!

Colleagues,

This is my last post for 2011, as I am calling it a day from tomorrow afternoon.

And what a year it has been! Both of the major strikes this year have sent a clear message to the government that they simply do not understand the anger across the public and private sectors and the frustration with the corrupt notion that we are somehow all in this together.

That this anger has manifest itself as part of the international occupy movement is something that we should all be justifiably proud of - and I hope that the movement continues to grow during 2012 and beyond.

There has of course been many other reasons for optimism amngst trade unionists in particular and from a global perspective, and I hope my blog has been able to capture some of this momentum during 2011.

I will continue to provide a method to survey global developments across the spectrum of interests for trade unionists in the UK and internationally.

I do hope that you have a good break over Christmas and I extend a hope for continuing solidarity during 2012.

In Solidarity

Ian

Support SOLIDAR

Colleagues,

Multinationals think they can get away with anything - and this includes Nespresso in its coffee-growing activity in Latin America. Support the campaign by the fine people behind SOLIDAR buy watching the video and sending an e-mail to George Clooney.

SOLIDAR backs its campaign against Nespresso with the following statement:

“Solidar Suisse has been committed to improving these intolerable conditions on the coffee plantations in Nicaragua for years. And we have been successful. Last year, we advised more than 15,000 people and were involved in over 4,000 court cases, 95 per cent of which reached a successful conclusion. And we are not going to give up. Not until the last plantation owner notices that every plantation worker is a human being and not a slave. And when all the multinational coffee dealers ensure that coffee pickers finally earn a decent wage, too.”




In Solidarity

Ian

N30: from DC to Dhaka

Colleagues, although there was great media coverage of the national public sector strike last week, there was less attention paid to global solidarity action.

There is a good, short summary note on the blog of the International Labor Rights forum website: http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com/international_labor_right/2011/12/from-dhaka-to-dc-global-solidarity-for-striking-uk-workers.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2FILRF%2Finternational_labor_right+%28Labor+Is+Not+A+Commodity+Blog%29

In Solidarity

Ian