FWD:France/ Greek union dispute (fwd)

[Spoon Collective <spoons@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 11:06:09 -0600 (CST)
From: Chegitz Guevara <mluziett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Marxism List <marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
    Chris Faatz <cfaatz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, DP Commies <bpelz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
    ddolan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, emcelroy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
    hbarnes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, sdabbous@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: FWD:France/ Greek union dispute (fwd)



Marc, "the Chegitz," Luzietti
personal homepage: http://shrike.depaul.edu/~mluziett
political homepage: http://shrike.depaul.edu/~mluziett/chegitz.html

"Gas! GAS! Quick boys!--an ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone was still yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and the thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning."

>From "Dulce Et Decorum Est," written sometime between Oct. 1917 & March
1918, by Wilfred Owen, killed in the last week of WWI.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 04 Dec 1995 23:31:14
From: bh295@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: Recipients of conference <iww-news@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: FWD:France/ Greek union dispute

From: bh295@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Lee Murray)

>Forwarded message----------
>------------------------------ Start of body part 1
>
>Class struggle everywhere. Greece attached - France below
>
>French public sector workers have gripped the country in a nationwide general
>strike.  Up to 5,000,000 workers are involved in what is escalating to a trial
>of strength between the state and the working class.
>
>As I write this French trains have been off the rails for the seventh
>consecutive day.  Pickets have halted scab trains by holding mass meeting on
>the rails in the major stations, a tactic which the police in france seem
>unable to deal with.
>
>As well as French workers being in continuous dispute students have taken their
>own struggle out of the campuses and on to the street.
>
>The right wing french media have grudgingly admitted that public opinion is on
>the side of the strikers.  This was confirmed by a BBC journalist this morning
>who could not find a single traffic jam bound commuter opposed to the strike!
>
>The French strike is different to others in many ways:
>
>French unions are split along political lines.  There are a number of
>federations:
>
>CGT (broadly supportive of the former communist party, although with a striong
>syndicalist element - there are sections who refuse to sign labour contracts)
>
>CFDT (thought to be social democratic, but more militant and less doctrinaire)
>
>Force Ouvriere (supportive of what is left of the socialist party)
>
>There are a number of splinter organisations of the above, and there is CNT-F,
>the IWA section.
>
>Total union membership is about 20 per cent of the working popultion and only
>about 30 per cent in the public sector, and 10 per cent in the private sector.
>The mass nature of the strike means that the unions are not in control of it
>and would find great difficulty calling it off.  A new group of workers is
>joining the strike every couple of days with unions "claiming responsibility"
>for the strikes after the event.  The reality is that workers are just
>wildcatting.
>
>The dispute is about government plans to overhaul the welfare system, reducing
>benefits all round, cutting back on medicine and public sector workers
>conditions.  The Government have said there must be cuts to enable France to
>fulfil economic criteria to become part of the small groups of countries
>developing a single European currency.  They have also said that the French
>State simply cannot afford the welfare system.
>
>The workers have said "No cuts".
>
>Given that a lot of political and economic power is at stake it is hard to see
>how the Government will be able to back down.  It may become a war of
>attrition.
>
>One thing the workers in Frnace have NOT called for is a boycott of French
>produced goods.  I am not in favour of boycotts unless demanded by the workers
>themselves.  An anti France boycott could lead to a pro France right wing
>backlash whcih the Government could exploit.  I would urge caution.
>
>Kevin Brandstatter
>IWW Education Workers IU 620
>Swindon
>UK
>
>------------------------------ Start of forwarded message 1
>
>From:  GARY.HERMAN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To:  Multiple recipients of list <union-d@xxxxxxxxxxx> (Non Receipt 
>Notification Requested)
>Subject:  FO. FROM MCR1:MIKE.HOLDERNESS: Greek union dispute
>
>Please forward any expressions of solidarity/messages of support
>that you can.
>Thanks
>Gary Herman.
>- ----
>*** Original message:
>Posted on behalf of
>the Journalists Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers
>from the International Federation of Journalists
>conference "Freelances in the new media age"
>Amsterdam 1-2 December 1995
>
>The Journalists' Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers along
>with Journalists' Unions from all over the country and other
>Unions of Press and Media Workers have started a struggle
>to preserve the means of social funds for Pensions and
>Health Insurance Fund of Press and Media staff members.
>
>In the context of this effort a three-hour work stoppage
>as well as a protest rally of all Press and Media Workers
>took place in Athens on Monday 20th November.
>
>The Journalists' Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers will
>continue the struggle for the replacement of a clause in the
>new law for the Mass Media that threatens pension and health
>insurance funds of Press and Media Workers. The Union also
>demands the payment of social funds owed by employers to
>Our Funds, reaching the sum of more than 22 billion Drachma
>(US$ ???.??)
>
>Our Union would appreciate an expression of solidarity, and
>if needed the active assistance of your Union.
>
>Journalists Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers
>20 Academias Street
>10671 Athens, GREECE
>
>Tel: 36 32 601
>Fax: 36 12 384
>     36 32 608
>
>- --ends--
>
>
>------------------------------ End of forwarded message 1
>
>





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