Bangladeshi Garment Workers on hunger strike for wages
Several hundreds garment workers have observed a token hunger strike in front of Bangladeshi National Press Club in Dhaka today demanding payment of workers’ dues, including wages arrears and allowances from five garment factories and legal compensation of retrenched workers of four garment factories.
Bangladeshi National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) organised the hunger strike, which was followed by submission of memorandum to the Ministry of Labour, Government of Bangladesh.
Federation President Amirul Haque Amin presided over the hunger strike while Shamyobadi Dal central leader Harun Chowdhury, Coordinator of Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity Council Salauddin Swapan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Garment Trade Union Centre Ruhul Amin and NGWF leaders Ms Safia Parveen, Mohammad Faruk Khan, Mrs Sultana Aktar, Mohammad Kabir and workers’ representatives of the affective factories spoke on the occasion.
Party at the Pumps 2
A couple of years (or even a year) ago, I would never have dreamed that I would have taken over the forecourt of a petrol station, dancing to samba as the police looked on. To year-ago me, it would have seemed a bit: mad, hippy, reckless, stupid, pointless, illegal (delete as appropriate).
What made me change my mind, and what made me get involved with groups such as the UK Tar Sands Network which facilitated the recent Party at the Pumps actions? Well, it was a few things. Over the past few months I’ve been privileged to meet those from first nations communities who are being affected by the tar sands in Alberta, Canada – dubbed the most destructive project on earth. The tar sands are destroying their lands, their way of life, contaminating the water and food so much that cancer rates have been found to be 30% higher than expected. So many people from these communities are dying that they no longer call the tar sands a “dirty oil” project, they call it “bloody oil”.
UBS’ bonus claiming bankers cut migrant cleaners “Living Wage”
In March, what started out as just another workplace dispute inside one London office for Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) had escalated into an international campaign led by migrant workers. Today Friday 23rd April at 5pm outside UBS Capital, 100 Liverpool Street (see map)
UBS last week announced their highest ever pre-tax profits since the credit crisis began of US$2.3 billion and has fought criticism last month when London-based Carsten Kengeter was revealed to be UBS’ highest paid employee on £8.3 million, receiving a £7.8m bonus. Despite these eye-watering pay packets at the top, UBS has refused to intervene when their cleaning contractor Lancaster has given their lowest paid London employees a 10.75% pay cut on a full time cleaners’ weekly wage. The “Justice for UBS Cleaners” campaign is a response to the bank attempts through its contractors to drive down the cleaners’ 2008 victory of “Living Wage” pay and conditions.
Thoughts from the BA Cabin Crew Strike Picket Line
From The Third Estate
Yesterday I went down again to the Heathrow picket lines, to see how the strike is developing, and also to check out the new community garden squatted by Sipson residents and activists.
Last time I didn’t write about my journey down there. (Quick tangent: a crack-of-dawn piccadilly line farce complete with hundreds of tourists, Japanese cameras, garbled German, a replacement bus and a fortuitous chat with a CWU rep on his way to Belfast.)
This time, I arrived at the far more civilised time of midday. As I got out at Hatton Cross station, there was the same picket line with its mandatory 14 picketers. Even though this had been designated by Unite as ‘family day’ (yesterday was ‘International Solidarity Day’) there was still a limited number of supporters, this time the lone child on the side of the motorway with her Unite flag, cheering at honking cars, seemed a dismal response to such an awesomely effective strike.
Justice for UBS Cleaners Update
Listen to this interesting Colourful Radio interview with Henry Bonsu and Chris Ford, one of the organisers of last Friday’s Justice for UBS Cleaners international demonstration for sacked Unite shop steward Alberto Durango, and also to defend the living wage at UBS London offices.
According to reports there were between 100 and 150 people outside UBS Capital on Friday, and below are one of the many videos covering the demonstration.
Migrant women hunger striking against UK Border Agency sponsored racism
The 8th March is International Women’s Day. To celebrate this TMP (The Multicultural Progressive) is putting a spotlight on Womens’ rights and liberation, throughout this week. As part of this, TMP has commissioned a special report into the state of women in the UK and internationally.
The London based Black Women’s Rape Action Project has produced this report exclusively for TMPOnline.
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