UK Railway Workers Begin Largest Strike in 30 Years

Train stations across the United Kingdom and the London Underground remained closed or inoperative on Tuesday. Striking railway and transport workers are demanding better salaries in the context of a sharp increase in prices. Inflation in the country currently stands at 9.2 percent, and could reach upwards of 11 percent in the fall when energy and… Read More UK Railway Workers Begin Largest Strike in 30 Years

Pakistan’s wage struggle shows the fragility of progress in the global garment industry

In July 2021, in a year which presented few reasons to be happy, the garment workers of Sindh province in Pakistan had cause to celebrate. The provincial government had just announced a 40% increase to the minimum wage, raising it from 17,000 to 25,000 rupees (from €84 to €124 at the current exchange rate) per… Read More Pakistan’s wage struggle shows the fragility of progress in the global garment industry

Sudha Bhardwaj: Seventy-Five Years Since Independence, Industrial Working Class Still Struggles for Rights

The Indian working class was a proud participant in the anti-imperialist struggle against British rule in India. Whether it was the six-day strike of the working class of Mumbai in 1908; the attempts of the Ghadar Party organised by Punjabi immigrant workers in Canada, who sailed to India in 1914 to overthrow the British; the… Read More Sudha Bhardwaj: Seventy-Five Years Since Independence, Industrial Working Class Still Struggles for Rights

Frequent gas accidents threatens safety of Chinese workers

From 2017 to 2021, gas pipeline leaks averaged more than 200 a year. In most cases, leaking gas either ignites at the construction site or passes through a confined space underground and enters nearby premises before exploding. For example, one of the most deadly accidents in recent years in terms of casualties was a gas explosion… Read More Frequent gas accidents threatens safety of Chinese workers

Chris Hedges: Let Us Now Praise Amazon Unionists / Workers in New York Vote to Form Amazon’s First-Ever Union in U.S.

Let us honor those workers who stood up to Amazon, especially Chris Smalls, described by Amazon’s chief counsel as “not smart, or articulate,” who led a walkout at the Amazon warehouse at Staten Island JFK8 at the beginning of the pandemic two years ago to protest unsafe working conditions. He was immediately fired. Amazon’s high-priced… Read More Chris Hedges: Let Us Now Praise Amazon Unionists / Workers in New York Vote to Form Amazon’s First-Ever Union in U.S.

Andhra Pradesh: Fisherpeoples' Protest Compel Stoppage of Mangrove Destruction

  Gogannamattam Village (16°26’23.67″N, 81°57’3.13″E) located on the bank of Vainatheya which is a tributary of River Godavari. On the west side of the village flows river Vainatheya which opens up at nearby coast into Bay of Bengal. This creates a unique estuary from the coast where large area of Mangrove patches was formed. On… Read More Andhra Pradesh: Fisherpeoples' Protest Compel Stoppage of Mangrove Destruction

George Monbiot: There’s no solidarity in ‘sovereign citizen’ protests — only incoherent rage

The “sovereign citizen” theory is a powerful current running through these movements. Its adherents insist that they stand above the law. Some of them refuse to buy vehicle licences, or pay taxes or fines. They believe they are exempt from public health measures, such as lockdowns and vaccine passes. In other words, they arrogate to themselves sovereign… Read More George Monbiot: There’s no solidarity in ‘sovereign citizen’ protests — only incoherent rage