THREE MORE ONLINE CAMPAIGNS FROM LABOUR START:
The Labour Start site has launched three more online solidarity campaigns recently. The first, here in Canada, is over a strike of 70 women who are employees at the First Ontario Credit Union in Hamilton, Ontario. They have been on strike for 4 months now. The credit union was originally set up to protect union members from the banks, but management now runs it as their private fiefdom. The annual general meeting of the CU was recently cancelled to avoid members expressing their solidarity with the workers. The management has demanded such clawbacks as the giving up of sick days, retirement benefits and job security, and they claim this is "necessary" even though they recently boasted of record profits. To put your name to this campaign go to:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=190
Meanwhile down in Australia the French multinational Thales has taken advantage of recent anti-union legislation to try and destroy the rights of its employees to collective bargaining. Thales has told some of its 2,700 workers that it will no longer negotiate collective agreement, only "individual contracts". At other workplaces the company is trying to stall negotiations or otherwise weak on collective bargaining. This is despite the fact that Thales has signed the United Nation's Global Compact that includes a commitment to the right to collective bargaining.The Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union has called for international solidarity in their fight against these plans. To join this campaign go to:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=189
Finally, in Britain a private member's bill has been introduced to require essential protections for temporary agency workers, protections such as sick time, overtime and holiday pay. A wide coalition of British unions is urging people in the UK to join in online solidarity to support the passage of this bill. To join this campaign go to:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=188
Molly