SOLIDARITY APPEALS: IRAN, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND:

Molly is still getting back on track from her vacation. Today she has noticed a few recent solidarity appeals from various countries via the on line labour solidarity site Labour Start. Once more Molly urges her readers to sign up for their online appeals.

The first appeal is from Iran where the labour activist Mansour Osanloo, mentioned a couple of times previously on these pages, has been kidnapped and is once more in prison . On July 10th this man, President of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company union, was kidnapped and beaten severely as he was boarding a bus. He was later found to be imprisoned. For more information and to join the international campaign for his release go to http://www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/osanloo2.cfm . Molly especially urges her readers to join this campaign as she has recently been reading the usual right wing newspaper columns which mention Mr. Osanloo as an "example" of how the left is "soft on Islamism" and doesn't act to help people fighting Islamist regimes- as if the right wing buggers do anything themselves. Help to prove these people wrong.

Also from the Labour Start people is a campaign entitled 'Hearing Implant Company Needs to Listen' about the actions of the Australian company Cochlear in locking out their employees, refusing to negotiate with their union and stonewalling on pay raises. To learn more and to join the campaign in support of these workers go to http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=272 . Also, in New Zealand, 800 members of the Service and Food Workers Union have been locked out of their jobs in ten major hospitals. The contractor 'Spotless' is attempting to force them to bargain outside of a national framework for other public hospital workers. To learn more and to support these workers go to http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=273