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----- Original Message -----
From: Downwithcapitalism <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 2:41 PM
Subject: [downwithcapitalism] FW: Strikes around the World
WSWS. 17 May 2001. Workers Struggles: Europe & Africa. Excerpts.
Europe.
UK retailer Marks & Spencer faces staff protests.
Thousands of European workers are to gather in London for a mass protest
against plans by UK retailer Marks & Spencer to close its stores on the
Continent. Workers from France, Belgium and Spain will be joined by
their colleagues from Britain at a march and rally today, which will
pass in front of the company's head office.
There is anger at the closure of stores, with the loss of thousands of
jobs, and workers have attacked the lack of consultationstaff were only
informed about the French shutdowns at about the same time as the London
Stock Exchange.
Marks & Spencer announced in March that it was to close all its European
branches to put the group on a more profitable footing. The means the
loss of more than 4,000 jobs, 1,700 of them in 18 stores in France.
Disneyland Paris staff strike.
Security workers at Disneyland Paris have staged a strike to demand help
to stop attacks on staff dressed as famous Disney characters. Marie-Line
Lesueur, a union representative at the theme park, told the Daily
Express, "Teenage boys are the main offenders. They hit out at the
performers and try to steal their uniforms. Very often they succeed.
Mickey Mouse's ears were torn off the other day; luckily they were not
the performer's own ears and Donald Duck lost his beak. Minnie Mouse's
dress was ripped off too. The young hoodlums treat these items as
trophies.
German defence proposals provoke strikes.
Civilian workers at German military bases have gone on strike against
the threat of a possible 120,000 job losses due to reforms in the
defence department.
Thousands of workers walked off the job to press demands for legal
guarantees against layoffs. The warning strikes lasting only a few
hours preceded new contract negotiations set for May 16. Workers are to
step up strikes if the government refuses to address their demands.
Defence Minister Rudolf Scharping has proposed that many civilian tasks
to be contracted out to private companies. The union wants assurances
that pay scales will be maintained and that civilians forced to retire
early under the reform suffer no cuts in government pensions.
The reform plans have prompted the US to complain that Germany should do
more for NATO readiness, while there have been local protests against
planned base closures. Under reforms approved by parliament last year,
Germany's military is to be cut from the current level of 338,000 to
about 280,000 by 2004.
The balance will be shifted toward professional soldiers. The reform is
designed to save 1.6 billion marks ($700 million) a year by 2003 over
current budget levels.
.............................
Africa.
Zambian City Council workers strike to get back-pay.
City Council workers in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, went on strike on
May 11 to demand payment of their two months salary arrearscouncil
workers in the capital have not been paid for March and April. The
strikers gathered outside the Civic Centre building Friday vowing not to
resume duties until they were paid.
Most of the councils in the country have been experiencing financial
difficulties, with some workers going without their salaries for months.
Nigerian fertiliser workers strike to protest non-payment of wages.
Workers at the National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria (NAFCON) plant in
Onne, Rivers State, have halted the company's operations over
non-payment of their salary. The entire workforce of over 1,000 walked
off the job last week and resolved not to return until their salaries
and rent subsidiestotalling millions of naira were paid.
At 7 a.m. on Wednesday last week, union officialsincluding the senior
staff associationled the entire staff and stationed themselves at the
company's main gate. Union officials accused the management team of
insensitivity, saying that the union had made a series of attempts to
hold a dialogue with them on the issue, but this was fruitless. They
said the ammonia plant could commence production within eight weeks if
their demands were met, but if not, Nigerians should not expect
fertilisers before this year runs out. The union officials said that
the Federal Government paid about N1.05 billion to the company this
year, but management used none of this to fund unpaid salaries.
SPAM TO FOLLOW
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