[AUT] prol-position no.8 out now!

["Antonia Mautempo" <antoniamautempo@xxxxxxx>]

Prol-Position-News #8 out now*!

You can read all articles at http://www.prol-position.net and also download the newsletter as a printable pdf-file [http://www.prol-position.net/ppnews/ppnews8.pdf]

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Please, circulate this mail to others!
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Included in this mail:

1. Contents
2. Editorial
3. Gurgaon Workers' News
 
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1. *Contents*

- *Editorial* (see below)
- *Misery is relative â Reports from Temp Workers in Germany* (Temp Work and Minimum Income, Opel/GM Bochum, Nokia Bochum, Flextronics Paderborn, Gate Gourmet Duesseldorf, Construction Site Duisburg, Conclusions)
- "...*got the taste for it*". Book on 6 month-strike at Gate Gourmet/Germany 
- *Precarious, but not resigned*! Temp workers' strike at Citroen/France
- *The Eastern Blocked*. Wage pressure in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Russia
- *Brazilian Oil Rigging*. Brazilian oil worker bumps into Berlin activist engaged in Indian car workers' solidarity
- "*We wanted to make history*". Strike at Bosch-Siemens Washing Machine 
Factory (BSH) in Berlin, Germany (Chronology, Conclusions, Conversations)
- *Porto Marghera - The last firebrands*. DVD about strikes and social movements in Italy in the 1960s and 70s
- *Gurgaon Workers' Newsletter*, India. Short presentation, website, email
- *Links*


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2. *Editorial*

This newsletter takes you on a journey through various proletarian realities and struggles. Starting with a sweep of several German factories it hits Citroen in France, continues on through various car-makers in Russia, Romania Poland and the Czech Republic, then hops over the ocean onto a Brazilian oil-rig, back to a strike at a catering firm and a Bosch-Siemens-plant in Germany and then south and back in time to the worker' struggles in Northern Italy, and finally beaming to the present reality of one of India's Special Economic Zones in Gurgaon.
The emphasis this time is the current situation of class struggle in Germany and the specific situation and struggles of precarious (temp) workers there and elsewhere. In Germany we see - on one hand - the encircled collective struggles of the (old) core work-force, undermined by the new international division of labor and suffocated by labor law and the law obeying union apparatus. On the other hand there is the mostly individual struggle of a new generation of temp workers in the centers of accumulation, facing a stick without the carrot of permanent employment, turning back and board towards a wave of unemployment benefit and low wage sector reforms. But the cracks begin to show, when the permanents get infected by the disillusions and unrepresentedness of the temps, while the temps are recuperating the collectiveness of the permanents and the wage pressure in the East keeps on heating things up. 
The first article, Misery is relative..., contains various reports out of the world of temp work in Germany. The text starts with a general over-view on temp work there and the official debate about the introduction of a minimum wage. It argues that the minimum wage is rather a measure to re-define the low-wage sector, to re-adjust the pressure on the unemployed and reinforce the general wage hierarchy than a charity action. The following part is a sequence of stories from temps working in industrial core centers, experiencing the hang-overs of important strikes (the major wildcat at Opel/GM and the small one at Gate Gourmet), the incredible tedious sense of life in the electronic world market factories (Flextronics and Nokia) and the riff-raff of affective work on shopping mall and casino construction sites in rust-belt towns.
"...got the taste for it" is a presentation of a book recently published in Germany on a strike at the catering company Gate Gourmet (see also prol-position news no. 4/2005 and 5/2006). The book is a detailed and intimate documentation of the long battle and gives the bigger picture (global aviation industries and its struggles, international finance capital) as well as personal insights in the changing work-organization before the strike and the production of the strike itself. The book contains a long strike diary written by one of the strikers and many interviews with the workers. The documentation also sheds light on the scab-work of temps and the way that temp work was the main leverage for the fundamental re-structuring process after the strike, which brings us back to the initial questions.
Precarious, but not resigned! is taken from a Mouvement Communiste leaflet on a temp workers strike at Citroen in Aulnay, France. It seems like a contribution with the necessary bit of optimism. Temp workers at that Citroen plant kicked ass... and it was not their own. Particularly interesting in the context of the increasing use of temp work in the (German) car industry.
The Eastern blocked contains short pieces on the wage pressure in industries in Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Russia: conflicts at Fiat in Poland, at Skoda in the Czech Republic, at Ford in Russia and a strike of Chinese textile workers in Romania. The dead-lock of class struggle in the West will not be unblocked without this kind of workers' offensive in the East.
The other day in Cyberspace is documenting the chat between a Brazilian oil worker and a Berlin activist supporting Indian car workers'. The chat demonstrates the beautiful randomness of the proletarian use of electronic forms of communication. By the way, please, feel free to comment on, contribute to and use this newsletter, electronically or not, from your oil platform or your armchair, either way!
"We wanted to make history" is the translation of an article in the Wildcat-magazine on a strike at the Bosch-Siemens washing machine factory (BSH) in Berlin, Germany. [See previous articles on BSH in prol-position news no. 4/2005 and 5/2006] It combines analysis, chronology and detailed interviews around this strike that took place in a factory with a long tradition of workers' militancy. The dynamics between workers' self-initiatives, union rank-and-file structures and official (union) politics become most visible. Facing the threat of a closure of the plant the workers struggled with two main aims in their hearts: They did not want to save their jobs at any cost and did want to keep their collectivity. The article asks important questions: What could our practical contribution be in such a situation, and how can we support the elements of self-liberation within?
"Porto Marghera - The last firebrands" presents a DVD documentary and booklet published by Wildcat. The Autonomous Assemblies of Porto Marghera were an independent struggle organization of mainly chemical workers in this vast industrial area in Italy in the early 70s. Former workers activists re-capitulate their struggle against the damaging impact of work and industry, how they gave birth to the environmental movement, the question of representation and delegation, their quarrels with the unions and political parties, how they extended the factory struggle to the area by occupying houses or self-reducing prices, how they got crushed between state repression and (armed) vanguardism. The DVD has English subtitles and the English version of the booklet is about to be finished. If you want to get the DVD and booklet, see article for contact details.
After that you can find a short presentation of the Gurgaon Workers News. This newsletter documents some of the developments in and around this miserable boom region, where India's biggest Special Economic Zone is in the making. It includes information on proletarian experiences and collective action [see also previous articles on Gurgaon in prol-position news no. 4/2005 and 7/2006].
Finally some links on three interesting Metamute-articles.

Enjoy the trip... 
...and pick up your dose of anger!


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3. *Gurgaon Workers' News*

Newsletter 2 (April 2007). Gurgaon in Haryana is presented as the shining India, a symbol of capitalist success promising a better life for everyone behind the gateway of development. At first glance the office towers and shopping malls reflect this chimera and even the front facades of the garment factories look like three star hotels. Behind the facade, behind the factory walls and in the side streets of the industrial areas thousands of workers keep the rat-race going, producing cars and scooters for the middle-classes which end up in the traffic jam on the new highway between Delhi and Gurgaon. Thousands of young middle class people loose time, energy and academic aspirations on night-shifts in call centres, selling credits to working-class people in the US or pre-paid electricity schemes to the poor in the UK. Next door thousands of rural-migrant workers uprooted by the agrarian crisis stitch and sew for export, competing with their angry brothers and sisters in Bangladesh or Vietnam. And the rat-race will not stop, at the outskirts of Gurgaon India's biggest Special Economic Zone is in the making. The following newsletter documents some of the developments in and around this miserable boom region. If you want to get to know more about working and struggling in Gurgaon, if you want more info about or even contribute to this project, please have a go at:

http://www.gurgaonworkersnews.wordpress.com
gurgaon_workers_news@xxxxxxxxxxx 

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Prol-position numÃro 8 (en anglais) est sorti !

[http://www.prol-position.net/ppnews/ppnews8.pdf]

et les numÃros prÃcÃdents

http://www.prol-position.net

Ce bulletin [dÂinformations sur les luttes ouvriÃres] vous fait dÃcouvrir
diffÃrentes rÃalitÃs et diverses luttes des prolÃtaires dans le monde. A
commencer par plusieurs usines allemandes, puis Citroen-Aulnay en France,
des usines automobiles en Russie, en Roumanie en Pologne et en RÃpublique
tchÃque. Vous traverserez ensuite lÂAtlantique pour dÃcouvrir une
installation pÃtroliÃre au BrÃsil, et vous reviendrez en Allemagne, dans
lÂusine de Bosch-Siemens ; vous descendrez plus au sud vers le Nord de
lÂItalie et ses luttes ouvriÃres. Et vous finirez par la rÃalità actuelle
d'une des zones Ãconomiques spÃciales de l'Inde à Gurgaon.
Dans ce numÃro, nous avons mis lÂaction sur la lutte de classe en Allemagne
et la situation spÃcifique et les luttes des travailleurs prÃcaires et
temporaires dans diffÃrents pays.
En Allemagne, on assiste à lÂencerclement des luttes collectives du vieux
noyau de la force de travail, luttes qui sont sapÃes par la nouvelle
division internationale du travail et ÃtouffÃes par les dispositions
restrictives du code du travail et le lÃgalisme de lÂappareil syndical.
Mais dÂun autre cÃtÃ, se manifeste la lutte, la plupart du temps
individuelle, d'une nouvelle gÃnÃration de travailleurs temporaires dans les
centres de l'accumulation capitaliste. Ces salariÃs doivent affronter le
bÃton du Capital sans la carotte d'un emploi permanent, et ils alternent les
pÃriodes oà ils perÃoivent des allocations chÃmage et celles oà ils
travaillent dans des secteurs à bas salaires.
Mais des fissures commencent à apparaÃtre, quand les salariÃs bÃnÃficiant
dÂun CDI sont contaminÃs par les dÃsillusions et l'absence de reprÃsentation
des salariÃs temporaires, et que la pression des salaires pratiquÃs en
Europe de lÂEst fait monter la tempÃrature.
 La misÃre est relative  contient diffÃrents Ãchos sur le monde du travail
temporaire en Allemagne. Il commence par un panorama gÃnÃral du travail
temporaire et prÃsente le dÃbat officiel  sur l'introduction d'un salaire
minimum. Ce salaire minimum constitue en fait une mesure pour redÃfinir les
secteurs à bas salaires, rÃajuster la pression sur les chÃmeurs et renforcer
la hiÃrarchie gÃnÃrale des salaires plutÃt qu'une action  charitable Â.
Suivent plusieurs rÃcits de salariÃs temporaires travaillant dans des
secteurs industriels fondamentaux, qui ont connu des grÃves notables
(lÂimportante grÃve sauvage dÂOpel/General Motors et la lutte à une Ãchelle
plus petite de Gate Gourmet), la pÃnibilità incroyable dans les usines
Ãlectroniques (Flextronics et Nokia) et les alÃas affectifs du travail dans
les centres commerciaux et les chantiers de construction de casinos dans les
villes de rÃgions dÃsindustrialisÃes.
Nous prÃsentons ensuite un livre rÃcemment Ãdità en Allemagne sur une grÃve
dans la compagnie internationale de catering : Gate Gourmet (cf. les numÃros
4/2005 et 5/2006 de Prol-position en anglais). Il dÃcrit en dÃtail la longue
bataille des salariÃs et la situe dans le contexte plus large de lÂÃvolution
de lÂindustrie aÃronautique et des luttes dans ce secteur, ainsi que
lÂÃvolution du capital financier international. Mais ce livre sÂattache
aussi à dÃcrire les changements intervenus dans lÂorganisation du travail
avant la grÃve, ainsi bien sÃr que le dÃroulement de la lutte elle-mÃme.
LÂouvrage contient un long journal personnel Ãcrit par lÂun des grÃvistes et
de nombreuses interviews des salariÃs. Il aborde Ãgalement le problÃme des
briseurs de grÃves et la faÃon dont le travail temporaire constitue le
principal outil pour mener une restructuration dans une entreprise aprÃs une
grÃve.
 PrÃcaires, mais pas rÃsignÃs  est extrait dÂun tract de Mouvement
Communiste sur une grÃve d'ouvriers temporaires chez Citroen-Aulnay, en
France. Ce texte nous communique une petite bouffÃe dÂoptimisme. Il est
particuliÃrement intÃressant si on le place dans le contexte de
l'utilisation croissante du travail temporaire dans l'industrie automobile
allemande.
 Le Bloc de lÂEst estÅ bloquà  contient plusieurs courts articles sur la
pression salariale dans les industries en Pologne, RÃpublique tchÃque,
Roumanie et Russie : des conflits se sont dÃroulÃs chez Fiat en Pologne,
Skoda en RÃpublique tchÃque, Ford en Russie, et des ouvriers chinois du
textile ont fait grÃve en Roumanie. Le blocage de la lutte de classe en
Europe de lÂOuest ne sera pas surmontà sans ce genre d'offensive des
ouvriers en Europe de l'Est.
 Rencontre dans le Cyberspace  raconte une discussion entre un ouvrier
brÃsilien du pÃtrole et un militant de Berlin soutenant les ouvriers indiens
de lÂindustrie automobile. Cette rencontre dÃmontre comment les prolÃtaires
peuvent faire un superbe usage des moyens Ãlectroniques de communication.
Nous en profitons pour vous inciter à nous Ãcrire à propos du contenu de ce
bulletin, par email ou par courrier postal, de votre ordinateur ou de votre
lieu de travail.
 Nous avons voulu faire l'histoire  est paru prÃcÃdemment en allemand dans
la revue Wildcat et porte sur une grÃve chez Bosch-Siemens (BSH) Ã Berlin,
dans une usine qui fabrique des machines à laver [cf. les articles
prÃcÃdents sur BSH dans les numÃro 4/2005 et 5/2006 de Prol-position]. Il
contient une analyse, une chronologie et des entrevues dÃtaillÃes autour de
cette grÃve qui a eu lieu dans une usine possÃdant une longue tradition de
militantisme ouvrier. LÂinteraction entre les initiatives des ouvriers, les
structures syndicales et la politique officielle des syndicats devient plus
Ãvidente. Face à la menace d'une fermeture de l'usine, les ouvriers ont
luttà pour deux objectifs principaux: ils n'ont pas voulu sauver leur emploi
à nÂimporte quel prix et ils ont voulu rester ensemble.
L'article pose des questions importantes : Quelle peut Ãtre notre
contribution dans une telle situation, et comment pouvons-nous soutenir les
ÃlÃments d'auto-libÃration qui se manifestent dans ce type de lutte ?
 Porto Marghera - les derniers tisons  prÃsente un documentaire en DVD
accompagnà par une brochure, tous deux ÃditÃs par Wildcat. Les AssemblÃes
autonomes de Porto Marghera, organisation de lutte indÃpendante,
regroupaient principalement des salariÃs de la chimie dans cette vaste zone
industrielle de lÂItalie, au dÃbut des annÃes 70. DÂanciens
ouvriers-militants font le bilan de leur lutte contre l'impact dÃsastreux du
travail et de l'industrie sur la santà et lÂenvironnement ; ils expliquent
comment ils ont donnà naissance au mouvement Ãcologsite ; ils abordent les
questions de la reprÃsentation et de la dÃlÃgation, ainsi que leurs conflits
avec les syndicats et les partis politiques ; ils dÃcrivent comment ils ont
Ãlargi la lutte des usines vers les quartiers en occupant des maisons ou en
pratiquant lÂautorÃduction des prix ; et ils racontent comment ils ont
finalement Ãtà ÃcrasÃs, coincÃs entre la rÃpression de lÂEtat et
lÂavangardisme (armÃ). Le DVD est sous-titrà en anglais et la traduction
anglaise de la brochure est sur le point d'Ãtre finie. Si vous voulez
commander le DVD et la brochure, nÂhÃsitez pas à nous contacter.
Dans ce numÃro de Prol Position vous pouvez aussi trouver une courte
prÃsentation de Gurgaon Workers News. Ce bulletin Ãvoque la situation de
cette rÃgion misÃrable en plein boom Ãconomique, oà lÂInde est en train de
construire la plus grande zone Ãconomique spÃciale. Le texte comprend des
informations sur les conditions des travailleurs et leurs actions
collectives [ cf. les numÃros 4/2005 et 7/2006 de Prol-position].
Enfin nous proposons quelques liens avec trois articles intÃressants parus
sur le site Metamute.
Nous espÃrons que vous apprÃcierez ce voyage... et que cela vous donnera la
pÃche pour continuer à lutter !

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