CANADIAN POLITICS/ANTI-MILITARISM-OTTAWA:

STOPPING ARMS TRADE SHOWS IN OTTAWA:

For almost 20 years the City of Ottawa has had a ban on holding arms trade meetings on municipal property. The merchants of death, however, have always found ways to get around this ban by holding their shows in other facilities. Now it seems that they want to flout the ban entirely. Here's the story from the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade(COAT). ALSO what you can do about it.

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If you haven't signed the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade's online petition to "Stop Ottawa's Arms Shows!" please do so now.
Thanks!
Jumping the Gun:
Canada's Largest Weapons Bazaar Sets its Sights on Ottawa:
By Richard Sanders, Coordinator, COAT

Despite the City of Ottawa's longstanding ban on hosting arms exhibitions, Canada's largest military industry association and lobby group has begun booking 500 booth spaces for its controversial trade show, CANSEC 2009, which it says "will be held at Lansdowne Park" in May 2009.[1]

This may come as a big surprise not only to many concerned citizens and Ottawa Councillors, but even to the City of Ottawa staff who are responsible for leasing Lansdowne Park, which is the national capital's most important municipal facility.

In late August 2008—amidst much public debate—Ottawa staff in charge of renting City property stated in an official Memo to Councillors that although they had entered "into discussion with the show producers of CANSEC" they had "not encumbered the City with any signed agreement. At this point," Staff said, "we have held tentative dates and have been in the process of negotiation."[2]

However, since July 11, 2008, the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), has produced detailed floor plans showing the exact layout of almost 500 booth spaces for rent at its huge CANSEC weapons expo. (This represents a 25% increase in the number of booths since the CANSEC 2008 arms show was held at an Ontario government venue called the Ottawa Congress Centre.[3])

CADSI is encouraging prospective military industry exhibitors to pay the $3250 fee for a 10' x 10' booth space at CANSEC 2009. They are telling military industries to book the exact location where they can showcase their products and services in any one of Lansdowne Park's three main exhibition halls—the Aberdeen Pavilion, the Salons, and the Coliseum Building.[4]

By allowing Canadian and foreign military corporations to book their booth locations at Ottawa's biggest taxpayer-supported facility, CADSI not only sidestepped the fact that it did not yet have a signed contract with the City, it has also flagrantly ignored the 1989 City of Ottawa Motion banning all such war-related arms bazaars from municipal property.[5]

This past summer, many Ottawa councillors and the general public were shocked when the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT) exposed the fact that City Staff had approved a lease allowing a US-backed arms exhibition called "Secure Canada 2008" to be held at Lansdowne Park. "Secure Canada" was organized by a former US embassy employee and was sponsored, in part, by the American embassy, the US Department of Commerce, the Canadian branch of the US Chamber of Commerce, several large US war-related industries, the primary US lobby group representing 1400 military corporations (including many of the world's largest weapons industries), and three Canadian branch operations of US-based military industry associations.[6]

Originally scheduled for late September, "Secure Canada 2008" was eventually cancelled by organizers who cited anti-war protests and federal government restrictions on participation in all controversial events during the election campaign.[7]

Although peace activists were amused when Ottawa City Staff absurdly claimed that "Secure Canada 2008" "did not meet the test of...an 'arms exhibition,'"[8] many were taken aback that City Staff were claiming that Council's 1989 ban no longer applies to Lansdowne Park. Ottawa staff maintained that "there was no true impediment to hosting these types of events, while recognizing the degree of sensitivity regarding activities that focus primarily on armaments and various weapons."[9]

Before the demise of "Secure Canada 2008," its organizers also engaged in a deceptive ploy to pretend that the City of Ottawa was not only hosting their trade show but was also one of its official sponsors. The "Secure Canada" website illegally displayed the City of Ottawa's logo thus making it appear as if the municipal government was actually paying to sponsor this manifestation of the international arms trade.[10] The City was, in fact, NOT sponsoring "Secure Canada 2008" and arms show organizers were forced to remove the logo from their website.

When COAT learned that Ottawa's historic, arms-show ban was being disputed and that military trade events like "Secure Canada" and CANSEC were threatening to break the almost 20-year absence of such war industry bazaars on City property, it immediately began to alert peace activists in Ottawa and across Canada. COAT has its origins in opposition to Ottawa arms shows. It was initiated in December 1988 and its first campaign was to organize a mass peace march. Subsequently, COAT drew thousands to a rally outside the gates of ARMX, a now defunct arms show held at Lansdowne Park in May 1989. ARMX was the last such weapons exhibition to be held at this or any other City of Ottawa facility.

The list of war-related industries that exhibited their war-related products and services at the CANSEC arms bazaar in early 2008 was a veritable who's who of the military industrial complex.[11] However, CANSEC 2009 is promising to be even bigger!

COAT needs your help!
We stopped them before, we can do it again!

Pressure City Hall
COAT is encouraging individuals and organizations to pressure Ottawa's Mayor and Council to demand that City Staff respect the 1989 ban that has stopped Ottawa from hosting arms shows for 20 years.

Sign our Online Petition

COAT has also created an petition to oppose the return of shows like CANSEC and to ensure that they remain prohibited on City property.

Please sign our online petition to "Stop Ottawa's Arms Shows" and encourage others to do likewise. Thanks!

References
[1] CANSEC 2009 website, Event Location
https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/public/index.asp?action=cansec.location
[2] Ottawa City Staff Memo, August 27, 2008.
http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/City-Memo.htm
[3] CANSEC 2008 website.
https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/public/pdfs/CANSEC-floorplan.pdf
[4] CANSEC 2009 website, Floor Plans, July 11, 2008.http://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/public/events/CANSEC2009/CANSEC2009FloorPlans.pdf
[5] Ottawa Councillors Outlawed all future Arms Trade Shows from City Facilities in 1989
http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/bylaw.htm
[6] What is the Driving Force behind "Secure Canada 2008"?
http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/US-links.htm
[7] David Pugliesi, "PCO election edict puts brakes on bureaucrats' business," Ottawa Citizen, September19, 2008.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=7914742e-80a4-4ae3-9c92-e1ae9001ec88David Pugliesi, "Defence show cancelled over protests," Ottawa Citizen, September 25, 2008.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=886584e5-fdc0-442c-b1d3-89fe87252965
[8] Letter from Doug Moore, City of Ottawa
http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/CityLetter.htm
[9] Ibid.
[10] Saved Google cache of "Secure Canada" website from August 22, 2008.
http://coat.ncf.ca/ARMX/SecureCanada2008.mht
[11] CANSEC 2008 website, Exhibiting Companies
https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/public/index.asp?action=cansec_n.exhibitors

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Free sample copy: If you live in Canada and haven't previously received a free sample copy of COAT's magazine, Press for Conversion!, then just send your name, street address and postal code to overcoat@rogers.com and we'll mail you a complimentary copy.

CANADIAN POLITICS/LABOUR/CONSUMER AFFAIRS:

IS "SELF-POLICING" A GOOD IDEA IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY ?:

As the following article from the Public Values website says, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada has begun a campaign to end the practice of self-regulation in the food industry of Canada. The problems with such practices have recently been exposed by events such as the listeriosis outbreaks this summer. The Professional Institute has a pdf pamphlet on this matter available at their website (see above).

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Federal scientists launch campaign to end self-policing in food industry:
Research, regulation, power to act in the public interest need to be restored.
OTTAWA, November 3, 2008 — in the wake of the listeriosis tragedy and as Canadians face a continuing crisis with tainted foods and unsafe products, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, the union representing 55,000 government professionals and scientists is launching a campaign to defend Public Science.

A series of government actions and policy decisions have seriously undermined both the capacity and the reputation of public science which is intended above all else to be independent, non-partisan and committed to advancing the public interest.

"Playing politics with science is a dangerous game," says Michele Demers, President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. "Too many Canadians have been affected by tainted food. It's about time we put public health and safety first."

"With its gag orders, firings and accusations of partisanship levelled at scientists and regulators, this government has done incalculable damage," adds Demers.

The national campaign launched today features radio advertisements running in markets from coast to coast, transit shelter and bus ads, and a Web site — www.publicscience.ca — which allows visitors to send targeted messages to Members of Parliament. The campaign draws attention to the harm deregulation and underfunding are doing to public scientists' ability to protect Canadians, their environment and their economic prospects.

"Listeriosis is only the tip of the iceberg of the dangers deregulation is opening up in this country," says Demers. "By eliminating rules and handing responsibility for safety to industry in sectors like transportation, food and consumer products, the federal government is playing fast and loose with Canadians health and safety."

In addition to other food borne bacteria and toxins, industry self-policing is also threatening Canadians in the transport sector, as the federal government moves to hand off responsibility for air safety to the airlines having previously done the same with rail safety.

Deregulation has gone hand in hand with cuts to resources ranging from the closure of weather offices and defunding climate research, ending food inspection programs and privatizing federal laboratories.

"Government regulators, inspectors and researchers are working with their hands tied behind their backs. They don't have the mandate, the time or the resources to do their jobs," says Demers. "Worse yet, they don't have the legal tools they need to get dangerous products off the market and punish companies that break the law."

Through the Public Science campaign, the Professional Institute and its members will work with allies in the scientific community and beyond to highlight the importance of public science and to press the newly elected Parliament to reverse the government's course. The campaign will advocate for an immediate end to industry self-policing, adequate resources for important research, and new powers and resources for independent regulators to enforce laws to protect all Canadians.

"The public good depends on good public science," concludes Demers. "Our campaign will make sure that Canadians are aware of the achievements and contributions of public science and how we can't afford to do without it."

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada is a national union representing 55,000 professionals and scientists across Canada.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-GREECE:

IMMIGRANTS AND ANARCHISTS JOIN HANDS AGAINST POLICE REPRESSION:

The other day in central Athens, capital of Greece, anarchists joined immigrant workers who were fighting back against an attack on the part of the police. Here's the story from the British LibCom site.

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Barricades erected after renewed attack by riot police:

Immigrants joined by local anarchists erect barricades after riot police charge once more on the asylum-paper queue outside central immigration office in Athens.
In the early morning of Saturday 8 of November 2008, riot police forces (MAT) once again attacked immigrants queuing outside the central immigration office in Athens, Greece, in order to register their asylum papers. In the last attack of the kind two weeks ago one Pakistani man was killed on the spot, whereas two more succumbed to their wounds days later in the hospital.

The killing had caused a mass rally in the center of Athens called by the Pakistani Community and joined by hundreds in solidarity. This time the reaction of the immigrants was immediate. Resisting police force, they erected barricades blockading the avenue running past the immigration office, effectively blocking one of the main east west arteries of the Greek capital.

Joined by local anarchists who hung banners and distributed leaflets against police repression in Urdu, the immigrants demanded the immediate release of 3 persons wounded and arrested during the morning raid.

The protest numbering more than 500 people and kept the road blocked for more than 5 hours and conceded to leave only after their comrades were released and the police national leadership agreed to begin talks with Pakistani Community reps about improving and speeding up asylum procedures.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-COSTA RICA:

COSTA RICAN UNIONS FILE COMPLAINT OVER VIOLATIONS OF WORKERS' RIGHTS:

The following item is from the Banana Link, an organization devoted to improving working conditions in the banana industry.

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Costa Rican unions lodge complaint with EU:
Trade unions from both private and public sector in Costa Rica have lodged a formal complaint against their government, alleging serious and systematic violations of core international labour standards. The complaint is directed to the European Commission which, since January 2006, grants trade preferences on a wide range of products as part of its Generalised System of Preferences "Plus" scheme.

Beneficiary countries are granted the preferences on the basis that they respect eight core international labour standards and other human rights and environmental conventions. The Costa Rican union confederation, Central Social Juanito Mora Porras (CSJMP), alleges violations of the freedom for trade unions to organise and to bargain collectively with employers, citing a wide range of examples from the private sector, including the banana and pineapple industries, as well as from the public sector.

A complaint was first lodged in Brussels by CSJMP in September 2006, but the unions have never received a direct response from officials in Brussels, despite the existence of formal complaint mechanism under the GSP Plus scheme. In a response to British trade union GMB from Commissioner Mandelson in October 2007, the EU did state that the Costa Rican government had promised the ILO that it would make legislative changes as a response to the problems. However, in the absence of any legislative action by the Costa Rican government and in the face of worsening labour standards violations in the public and private sectors of the country, CSJMP have renewed and updated their complaint in the hope of a direct response from the Commission. The complaint was delivered today to the offices of the EU delegation in San José, Costa Rica.

The updated document detailing the violations (in Spanish only) can be downloaded here .

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-INDONESIA:

HELP INDONESIA WORKERS FIRED FOR ORGANIZING AGAINST SEX DISCRIMINATION:

The following appeal is from the Clean Clothes Campaign, an international alliance for the improvement of working conditions in the garment industry.

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Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger Supplier Sacks 19 Workers for Organising Against Sex Discrimination:

Join the Indonesian workers in their struggle to change the garment industry in Indonesia, and give them your support in this case.

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Over a year ago, 26 workers at the PT Mulia Knitting Factory in Jakarta, Indonesia formed a union to fight the factory's violation of their rights. The factory reportedly refused to pay female workers their pregnancy and miscarriage leave and failed to offer transportation for female workers after the night shift. In addition, the factory had failed to pay mandatory health and pension benefits, often did not provide adequate safety equipment and kept workers on precarious, temporary contracts.

As soon as the union leaders announced the formation of the SBGTS union to the factory management, the union president was suspended and three other union officials dismissed. Fifteen other union officials and members were called into the office, and given the choice between renouncing the union or being transferred to another factory, PT Spindo Mills, located 60 kilometers away. Although all workers kept reporting to the factory gates of PT Mulia Knitting Factory in the mornings, they were dismissed for not showing up at PT Spindo Mills. At the same time, the factory filed cases against the union for using the address of the factory in the union's letterhead (a common practice in Indonesia) and tried to make the Labour Ministry revoke the SBGTS official register number.

Since then, the union has been fighting for reinstatement and filed cases with the Labour Ministry and the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) to defend the right to freedom of association. On April 7, 2008 the Commission issued its recommendations after having met with both the union and PT MKF management, concluding that the union rights of the 19 workers who were dismissed after joining SBGTS had been violated. But when the union called on the local labour department to follow up on this recommendation, the local authorities, who are notoriously corrupt, disregarded the Commission's ruling and ruled in favour of the company. See also http://www.workersrights.org/ for the detailed Worker Rights Consortium's report of the violations at PT MKF.

Since the negative outcome of the local labour department's mediation, the situation remains in a deadlock. The company refuses to meet with the union and instead has sent its lawyers firm to deal with the severance payment for all the nineteen dismissed workers.

The CCC has contacted the buyers of the factory and requested their joint action in support of the freedom of association. While one of the buyers, Phillips van Heusen, has pushed for reinstatement of the 19 workers, and tried to get the other buyers on board, Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Rauph Lauren have sat idly by while the 19 workers struggle to feed their families. Polo Ralph Lauren has never responded to CCC. Tommy Hilfiger informed the CCC that it had conducted an audit in January 2008, but it refrained from speaking to the workers involved and instead only consulted the management-backed union, SPSI. Tommy Hilfiger refused to take any follow-up action to date.

Unfortunately this case stands not on his own, and time and again, urgent cases of labour violations in Indonesia reveal the abuse of short-term labour contracts and the pervasive infringement on workers' freedom of association, their right to organize and bargain collectively. The Clean Clothes Campaign and Oxfam Australia call on all brands sourcing from Indonesia, and in particular Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren, to implement sector-wide solutions to ensure that workers in Indonesia are guaranteed their rights and are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. See "Sector-Wide Solutions for the Sports Shoe and Apparel Industry in Indonesia."

Join the Indonesian workers in their struggle to change the garment industry in Indonesia, and give them your support in this case by writing to Tommy Hilfiger and Polo Ralph Lauren to ensure that their supplier:
***Immediately reinstates the 19 workers at their previous positions (including rights and length of service) with payment of the outstanding wages and social premiums since the date of dismissal/suspension/transfer.
***Respects the right to freedom of association and recognizes SBGTS-GSBI as one of the unions at PT MKF, including respecting the rights of SBGTS-GSBI to organize members within the factory. Intimidation and criminalisation of PT MKF workers who are willing to join the SBGTS-GSBI union should be ceased immediately.
***Proactively adopts and posts a "Freedom of Association Policy" for all their facilities, which includes the statement that management will not use transfers/ demotions/ or promotions as a means to deter a worker from affiliating and/or participating in the union of their choice.
***Meets in person with SBGTS-GSBI to resolve the outstanding labour issues
***Pays wages to the 19 dismissed workers while the legal process runs its course.
Sample letter

Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the corporate executives named below...
Polo Ralph Lauren

David Uricoli , Senior Director of Global Compliance

E-mail: duricoli@poloralphlauren.com
Tommy Hilfiger

Anouk von Meyenfeldt , VP/General Counsel

Email: compliance@tommy.com
Dear
I want to express my deep concern about the dismissal of 19 union members at your supplier PT Mulia Knitting Factory in May 2007. The Clean Clothes Campaign has informed me that those workers were suspended, transferred and dismissed immediately after they announced the formation of their union. This infringement of their right to Freedom of Association is not only a clear violation of the Indonesian labour law, but also of your company's code of conduct and ILO labour standards.I therefore urge you to immediately call upon your supplier, and ensure:
***the immediate reinstatement of the 19 union members with payment of the outstanding wages since the date of dismissal, suspension and or transfer ;
***full compliance with the workers' right to freedom of association and recognition of the union SBGTS, including a public statement that PT MKF will not use transfers/ demotions/ or promotions as a means to deter a worker from affiliating and/or participating in the union of their choice.
***a meeting in person with SBGTS to resolve outstanding labour issues. payment of wages to the 19 dismissed workers while the legal process runs its course.

Sincerely yours,

ANARCHIST PUBLICATIONS:

THE ANARCHIST FAQ IN BOOK FORM:

AK Press is happy to announce the upcoming launch of 'An Anarchist FAQ' in book form. The book is due to come out on December 5 at the Glasgow Radical Independent Bookfair. For many years now the FAQ has served as a broad introduction to anarchism and all things related. Now in print form and better yet.

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Launch of An Anarchist FAQ:
At long last!

Volume 1 of An Anarchist FAQ is being launched in Glasgow on the 6th of December.

Launch of volume 1 of An Anarchist FAQ At long last we have the much anticipated book launch of volume 1 of An Anarchist FAQ (http://www.anarchistfaq.org/) at December’s Radical Independent Bookfair (http://www.ribproject.org/) in Glasgow. The main author Iain McKay will be speaking on the history and aims of the work, which has now been published by AK Press (http://www.akuk.com/). This will be followed by a discussion on the book.

“The anarchist FAQ has been one of the standout achievements of the last decade in terms of its rigorous treatment of every aspect of the theory. Its translation from screen to print is long overdue.”(Freedom)

An Anarchist FAQ launch

4.00 - 5.30pm

SATURDAY 6th DECEMBER 2008

STUC centre

333 Woodlands Road

Glasgow

G3 6NG

(near Kelvinbridge U)

FUN,FOOD,FILMS+BOOKS from noon to 8.00pm
Related Link: http://www.ribproject.org/

INTERNATIONAL-AMERICAN POLITICS/HUMAN RIGHTS-COLOMBIA:

COLOMBIAN OFFICERS FIRED FOR MURDER RECEIVED TRAINING IN THE USA:

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The following item from the School of the America Watch site tells about how army officers in Colombia who have recently been dismissed for extra-judicial muders received their training at the US Fort Benning facility formerly known as the 'School of the America'.
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Colombian Army commanders fired for killings received U.S. training and assistance‏:
Following the U.S. presidential election by just two weeks, thousands of human rights activists will converge on November 21-23, 2008 at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia to demand a new direction in U.S.-Latin America foreign policy and the closure of the School of the Americas/ Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (SOA/WHINSEC).

Army commanders fired for killings received U.S. training and assistance

By John Lindsay-Poland

Colombian Army commander Mario Montoya resigned today, in the wake of a scandal over army killings of civilians that a United Nations official on Saturday called " systematic and widespread." A protégé of the United States, Montoya received training at the notorious U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA) and has also taught other soldiers as an instructor at the SOA. Montoya was an architect of the "body count" counterinsurgency strategy that many analysts believe led to the systematic civilian killings. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe announced the dismissal of 27 military officers on October 29, including three generals and 11 colonels and lieutenant colonels, for human rights abuses. The abuses include involvement in the killings of dozens of youths who were recruited in Bogotá slums and shortly after were reported as killed in combat by the army, hundreds of miles away.






The dismissal is a positive action, which we applaud. Officers responsible for killing civilians must face consequences, or the killing will continue.






Human rights organizations have documented more than 500 reported extrajudicial killings by the army since the beginning of last year. This week, Amnesty International issued a scathing report on worsening conditions in Colombia, including massive displacement of internal refugees, increased extrajudicial killings, and attacks on human rights defenders. A New York Times front-page story on October 30 also highlighted the problem, and cited FOR's research on extrajudicial executions, as did a Los Angeles Times story. But it was the report that poor Bogota youths whose families said they had disappeared, had been recruited by the army or others, then reported as dead in combat, that detonated the issue. Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos admitted that the army still harbors "holdouts who are demanding bodies for results." The dismissal of officers also demonstrates extensive U.S. complicity with the abuses. The United States gave military training directly or assisted the units of nearly all of the officers implicated in the killings. At least eleven of the officers, including Brigadier Generals Paulino Coronado Gamez and José Cortes Franco, were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas, and Cortes even served as an instructor at the school in 1994. Most of the officers commanded units that had been 'vetted' by U.S. officials for human rights abuses and approved to receive assistance in 2008, or received training for some officers, in spite of extensive reports that their units had carried out murders of civilians.



Yet the dismissal, which focuses on officers operating in a northeastern region of Colombia where the disappeared youths were found, addresses only a small number of the army units responsible for civilian killings. In the oil-rich Casanare and Arauca departments, the U.S.-trained 16th and 18th Brigades have reportedly committed dozens of killings, as has the U.S.-supported 9th Brigade in the coffee-growing department of Huila. In southeastern Valle and Cauca, the Third Brigade's Codazzi Batallion receives U.S. support and reportedly committed at least nine killings of civilians last year, as may be implicated in firing on peaceful indigenous protesters this month. In southern Meta and Guaviare departments, the United States supports multiple mobile brigades in areas where the army has committed a large number of civilian killings.






Army chief Montoya is replaced by Major General Gilberto Rocha Ayala. In 2003-04, Rocha commanded the army's Second Brigade in northeastern Colombia. Under his command, Colonel Hernán Mejia, then commander of the La Popa Battalion, is under investigation by the Colombian Prosecutor General for reportedly engineering the killing of paramilitaries and passing them off as guerrillas. Rocha also commanded the army's Ninth Brigade in 2002-03, with jurisdiction in Huila province, where human rights groups report some six extrajudicial executions occurring during his command. Rocha Ayala was an instructor at the School of the Americas in 1995. In addition, most of the army's current leadership - including 17 of 24 brigade commanders - were trained by the United States at the School of the Americas, on top of U.S. training provided to Colombian officers at dozens of other military schools and in Colombia.






Washington is involved in the army's human rights problem through and through, and journalists, activists, and Congressional staff ought to ask when the United States will stop financing such murderous criminal operations. We believe the time is now.

By John Lindsay-Poland.
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Meanwhile there is an on-line petition to President Elect Obama asking that the SOA be closed. There will also be the annual vigil at the SOA site coming up this November 21 to 23. Here's the details as well as background on the SOA.
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Click here to download petition forms
- Click here to sign the petition online
Nov. 21-23, 2008: Thousands will converge on Fort Benning, Georgia for the November Vigil to Close the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC):
Join torture survivors, community organizers, and social justice activists from across the Americas and converge at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia, to start building the world that we hope for. The annual November vigil to close the School of the Americas will follow the election of President Obama by two weeks. It will be an opportunity for the progressive movement to push for the closure of the SOA/WHINSEC and to set an agenda for a new direction in U.S. foreign policy.
Change is coming and we are going to close the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC)!
Click here for the Schedule of Events
Click here to download the November Organizing Packet
Regional events in the lead-up to the November vigil are taking place on November 9 at the gates of the U.S. Southern Command in Florida, from November 15-16 at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, on November 20 at Drummond in Alabama and on November 20 in Atlanta, Georgia.
About the School of the Americas / Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation :
The US Army School of Americas (SOA), based in Fort Benning, Georgia, trains Latin American security personnel in combat, counter-insurgency, and counter-narcotics. SOA graduates are responsible for some of the worst human rights abuses in Latin America. In 1996 the Pentagon was forced to release training manuals used at the school that advocated torture, extortion and execution. Among the SOA's nearly 60,000 graduates are notorious dictators Manuel Noriega and Omar Torrijos of Panama, Leopoldo Galtieri and Roberto Viola of Argentina, Juan Velasco Alvarado of Peru, Guillermo Rodriguez of Ecuador, and Hugo Banzer Suarez of Bolivia. Lower-level SOA graduates have participated in human rights abuses that include the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the El Mozote Massacre of 900 civilians. (See Grads in the News).



In an attempt to deflect public criticism and disassociate the school from its dubious reputation, the SOA was renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in 2001. The name change was a result of a Department of Defense proposal included in the Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal 2001, at a time when SOA opponents were poised to win a congressional vote on legislation that would have dismantled the school. The name-change measure passed when the House of Representatives defeated a bi-partisan amendment to close the SOA and conduct a congressional investigation by a narrow ten-vote margin. (See Talking Points, Critique of New School, Vote Roll Call.)



In a media interview, Georgia Senator and SOA supporter the late Paul Coverdell characterized the DOD proposal as a "cosmetic" change that would ensure that the SOA could continue its mission and operation. Critics of the SOA concur.



SOA Watch is a nonviolent grassroots movement that works through creative protest and resistance, legislative and media work to stand in solidarity with the people of Latin America, to close the SOA/WHINSEC and to change oppressive U.S. foreign policy that institutions like the SOA represent. We are grateful to our sisters and brothers throughout Latin America and the the Caribbean for their inspiration and the invitation to join them in their struggle for economic and social justice.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-IRELAND:

WORKERS' SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT FALL 2008 CONFERENCE:

As I've mentioned here on this blog before the wife and I had the privilege of seeing the Workers' Solidarity Movement of Ireland "close up" in our recent visit to Ireland. To say the least we were dutifully impressed. Here's the report of their recent Fall conference, courtesy of the Anarkismo site.

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Report on the Fall 2008 National Conference of the WSM:
Report of the National Secretary for the Fall 2008 Conference held at the Teachers Club in Dublin on the 25th and 26 of October.
Lisbon Campaign

During the period since the Spring conference the WSM was involved heavily in the campaign for a No vote to Lisbon. This involved distribution of 50,000 leaflets and 2000 posters in addition to the 20,000 issues of workers Solidarity.

Rossport

The situation around Rossport also saw increased activity with the re-formation of the Rossport Solidarity Camp on the 16th of August 2008. A big campaign centred around stopping the laying of pipes in Glengad. Eventually the Solitaire, a pipe laying ship left Glengad without successfully providing the pipes for the project. Shell decided to temporarily suspend this aspect of construction.

Health Care

The WSM also took part in several marches in opposition to cutbacks and privatisation in the health service in both Dublin and Cork. Over a thousand people marched in Dublin on October the 11th 2008 and at the Cork march on Oct the 20th of 2008 we saw more than 3000 people attend.

Membership

The current membership has decreased slightly due to a few resignations and a number of members moving overseas. At the same time there has been a decrease in the number of new recruits. This is probably reflective of a climate of decreased struggle.

Strategy

The conference saw the adoption of a strategic plan. This includes an aim to grow the membership of the WSM more actively, to promote the development of libertarian networks in industry and to help to create libertarian neighborhood centres.

Bank Collapse

The climate has changed significantly in light of the bank collapse and there is a renewed feeling of excitement around organising. We have decided on a sustained campaign to offer libertarian viewpoints to the economic situation. This will include country wide public meetings, a large postering campaign and the distribution of 50k leaflets.

Red & Black

The theory journal "Red & Black Revolution" will be discontinued soon and replaced with a new, free, journal, "Ideas & Action". The journal is intended to get wider participation of the WSM membership in producing articles and contact a wider audience.

Delegate Council

Members also agreed to make structural changes to the mechanism of decision making in Delegate Council. We encountered difficulties in making decisions in a timely fashion due to the entirely mechanical function of delegate council. Motions that had been voted on in parts or were slightly different could not be effectively voted on at delegate council and would have to be taken back to the membership and voted on at the next delegate council. This meant that some important decisions could take months. Delegates now have a more open mandate such that these differences can be reconciled in Delegate Council. In the event of a decision that does not reflect the wishes of branch members a new motion can be put forward to remove the prior decision and if need be delegates can be recalled.

Queer Oppression

We adopted a new position on Queer Oppression (http://www.wsm.ie/news_viewer/835). The old position paper was quite old and much of it was outdated. The current one should be more relevant to current struggles.

Travellers' Rights

A new updated position paper on Travellers' Rights (http://www.wsm.ie/news_viewer/831) was adopted. The paper outlines the struggle against oppression and racism and manifestations of the struggle historically.

Statement from the National Secretary

I'm making this report as the incoming National Secretary having been elected by the membership in the Autumn 2008 National Conference of the WSM. This is a critical time for the WSM but more so for the working class. The current situation requires quick decisive action to prevent the bankers, the politicians and the rich from raising taxes and cutting public services while paying themselves out of the public coffers. As National Secretary I put forth the hope that we in the WSM and the working class in general can make ourselves as effective as possible for the coming task.

AMERICAN POLITICS:

OBAMA AND EMPIRE:

The dust surrounding the recent American election is beginning to settle, and while the world still seems caught up in their love affair with the new President-elect a few critical voices are gradually emerging. Here's one from the pages of the British LibCom site, concerning the (un)likelihood of any fundamental "change" in American policies under an Obama administration.

........................

Obama: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss:

There seems to be quite a lot of genuine excitement in the English language media following the election of Barack Obama. Various commentators are talking about it as if it signifies real change within America and even the world, rather than just the end of another of America’s four yearly electoral circuses.

If one were to believe the media it, would appear that after eight long years of Bush America has undergone a real transformation, the first Black President, and a commitment to real radical change.

It sounds like it is too good to be true. Obviously it is.

So what can we expect from the new regime in the US. Let’s look at foreign policy first. Of course, it is possible to look back at the last Democratic Government in the US, that of Bill Clinton. This was a government that fired cruise missiles almost indiscriminately at its enemies. From factories producing medical goods in Sudan to residential areas in Iraq, not forgetting to fire a few at Afghanistan in-between. We call also mention the two air bombardment campaigns in ex-Yugoslavia, which was referred to at the time as Humanitarian bombing. We could also point to his continuation of US sanctions against Iraq, which according to UNICEF caused the deaths of 500,000 Iraq children, the fact that he was the first to introduce the ideological basis of Bush’s terror campaign. It was Clinton who first used the terms ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ and 'rogue state'. There was also the little matter of an invasion of Haiti…

But let’s not damn Obama on the past record of his party in Government. Let’s allow the man to speak for himself. In April 2007 in his first major foreign policy speech, Obama stated that "We must lead by building a 21st century military.... I strongly support the expansion of our ground forces by adding 65,000 soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines.” One would wonder what he wants nearly 100,000 new soldiers for. Well, when he was asked on Fox News last month about the possibility of bombing Iran he stated that he “would never take a military option off the table.” He also wants to put an extra 10,000 troops into Afghanistan where he said that President Bush had ‘responded correctly’ in fighting the ‘good war’, a ‘good war in which between 20,000 and 60,000 civilians have been killed. He also believes that Pakistan is “the right battlefield ...in the war on terrorism”, and has threatened to attack it.

To be honest all this puts him right at the centre of the Democratic tradition from Kennedy and Johnson in Vietnam via Clinton in Somalia, Kosovo and Iraq.

And what does he offer to the working class in the US? One of the things that was clear about the election campaign was that despite the background of the deepening crisis neither of the candidates had any proposals to deal with the crisis. This is because neither of them had any answers to offer. Nor are there any answers to offer. All that the politicians can hope to do is to bring in austerity measure to attack working class living standards. The first rule of the crisis is always that the ruling class will try to make the working class pay the cost of it. For all his words about ‘workers rights’, he must still implement austerity programmes. There can be no difference between the results of the economic programmes of different parties. Indeed generally there is no difference between the actual programmes.

So what Obama offers is more war abroad, and more attacks against the working class at home. Everything must change so it can stay exactly the same: meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

WINNIPEG-LOCAL EVENTS:

RED GREEN COMING TO POLLOCK'S HARDWARE:

Yup it's true. This Monday, November 10, comedian and home repair maven Red Green will be on hand at Winnipeg's Pollock's Hardware Co-op to sign copies of his new book 'We're All in this Together'. Come on out and see the man who gave "duct tape" a whole new meaning.

...........................

Red Green is coming to Pollock's Hardware Co-op!!!‏:
Greetings

Sorry for the short notice but we just learned that TV personality Red Green will be visiting Pollock's Hardware Co-op (1407 Main St) on Monday morning (November 10th) from 10:30 till noon to sign his new book, We're All in this Together. Steve will be joined by Mag Ruffman, host of DIY television classics like A Repair to Remember.

Red Green creator Steve Smith is a national icon, an Order of Canada recipient, a creative thinker and one of the funniest men in the country. His new book "We're All In This Together" is a fast-clipped tour through the highs and lows of Steve's life. Steve's unique perspective will entertain and uplift every reader. The book includes more than 100 photographs from Steve's personal collection and would make a great Christmas gift for all the duct tape fans in your life. If you can't make it for the book signing, Red's book will be available for sale at the store.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, we've just brought in a wide selection of Paderno cookware and accessories, all on sale (some at half price). Paderno cookware is known for its high quality and is made in Prince Edward Island, Canada. And if you don't need cookware, we have lots of other great houseware goods.

ANARCHIST FILM/TV:

CHRISTIE BOOKS ANARCHIST FILM CHANNEL CLOSES UP SHOP:

It's a sad day. The Christie Books anarchist film channel has been forced to close up shop due to demands from their server provider. Here's the announcement.

...........................

Christie Books anarchist film site to close:

http://www.christiebooks.com/fmd_query.html

Brightcove (or film server provider) has just informed us that as of December 17 they will be closing their network account programme ‹ which is the service we are using ‹ and moving to a new platform, Brightcove 3. As the charge for transferring our film archive will be £26,000.00 and we have only received donations totalling £30.00 to the film archive since it launched last year, we are unlikely to be able to continue providing this service beyond December 17 this year. We are looking out for other servers and service providers so if anyone has any suggestions please let us know.

Meanwhile, there are 760 unusual and interesting feature films, documentaries, shorts, talks and some animations up there ‹ so if you haven't checked them all out yet you have just over a month to do so before they disappear.

Hasta la vista!

http://www.christiebooks.com/fmd_query.html

http://christiebooks.com

ANARCHIST MAGAZINES:

STEEL CITY REVOLT:

The ever active folks at the Pittsburgh Organizing Group have now set up a new quarterly publication, the "Steel City Revolt". Here's their announcement via the A-Infos website.

..........................

Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) Announcing Steel City Revolt! New Anarchist Quarterly:

Date Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:12:52 +0200
It is with great excitement we publicly announce the release of the Steel City Revolt! (SCR), a new quarterly print publication of the Pittsburgh Organizing Group. Our inaugural issue is representative of our aim with anarchist-related articles on events, theory, history, analysis and culture. Our mission statement and submission guidelines are available at http://www.organizepittsburgh.org/SCR

Subscription information: Steel City Revolt is published four times per year, on the fifteenth of every January, April, July and October. The magazine is mailed to all members and supporters of POG. A basic supporter membership is $25. More information, and an online form is available at:

http://www.organizepittsburgh.org/join

We're still working out the online payment form so we'll contact people after they subscribe with payment instructions.

Issue #1, 48 Pages

Our inaugural issue is representative of our aim with anarchist-related articles on events, theory, history, analysis and culture.Some highlights:

- RNC protest coverage includes two personal accounts, one from a POG member who used a cement lockbox to attach himself to the steering wheel of the car he used to blockade the middle of 7th and Wall streets in Minnesota for over an hour

.- An overview of labor struggles at Equitable Gas, Verizon, and Pittsburgh Port-Authority where management recently announced its intention to impose a contract on workers setting the stage for a possible transit strike on Dec 1.

- A personal reflection on the $700 billion bailout and the broader financial crisis.

- Interviews with four local anarchists on the issue of voting, or not voting, and the broader question of our movement’s relationship to electoral politics.

- The case of Amadeu Casellas: A Spanish Anarchist’s Life and Death Struggle for Freedom.

- Radical gifting ideas, some recipes, and instructions for making things.

Full Table of Contents:

# From the Editors# Mission Statement

# Upcoming Events# Letters to the Editors

# Free Association

# To Vote or Not to Vote

# Reportback from the Jericho March

# Convention Coverage

# Crashing the Convention

# Statement from the RNC 8

# POG Perspectives

# Pittsburgh Labor Struggles

# NAFTA Superhighway to Hell

# Financial Crisis

# The Struggle of Amadeu Casellas

# Reflections on Seattle

# Remembering Marcella Salli Grace and Kirsten Brydum

# Radicals and Holidays

# Book Review: Ishmael

# Why POG is an Anarchist Group

# Get to Know an Anarchist from the Past

# Upcoming Anniversaries in Radical History

# Poetry

# Recent Anarchist Resistance Around the World

# POG Membership Form

COMMUNITY POLITICS-REGINA:

COMMUNITY RESIDENTS FIGHT TO SAVE SCHOOL BUILDING:

Regina Saskatchewan, Molly's old stomping grounds and one of the more depressing places on Earth. Yes, even more depressing than Winnipeg. There as here as elsewhere the powers that be see fit to "develop the hell" out of old neighbourhoods, and replace useful buildings with white elephants. Here's a story from Act Up in Saskatchewan about one such demolition and what residents are doing to fight another scheme. To say the least city politics back there in Canada's Siberia are just like they are here.

............................
Inner city school demolished:
Written by Trish Elliott
Tuesday, 04 November 2008
Herchmer Community School, once home to a community of more than 200 North Central kids and their families, was brought down with a back-hoe this past weekend. It is the first of several historic inner city schools on the demolition list. Meanwhile, a number of North Central residents and Scott Collegiate alumni are banding together to ensure 85-year-old Scott Collegiate remains standing. Participants in consultations regarding the new Shared Facility that will replace Scott report that the idea of using the existing building as a design centrepiece was never presented as a serious option, despite the surrounding community's desire to keep its heritage buildings in use.
For information and an email link to provide feedback, visit http://www.northcentralsharedfacility.ca/

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-JAPAN:

ARRESTED ANARCHISTS FREED:

..............................

The three Japanese anarchists arrested during a "Reality Tour" to see the mega-mansion of the Japanese PM(see previous items here at Molly's Blog) are now free after 11 days detention. Here is the notice from the Asian Anarchist Network.

.......................

Hi there,

The three were freed from the 11-days detention just an hour ago.

Millions thanks for your support and action.

love and solidarity,

catbloc

LOCAL EVENTS-WINNIPEG

WORKER COOPS IN WINNIPEG:

As the corporate economy tanks the alternative of self employment in a worker co-op may become more and more a viable option. This coming Wednesday, November 19 presenters from 4 local producers' co-ops will be talking about their workplaces down at the Mondragon. Here's the announcement.

.............................

The Boss Needs Us, We Don't Need the Boss:

Practical experiences in workplace democracy.
Event Info
Type:
Education - Workshop

Time and Place
Date:
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Time:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
Mondragon Cafe & Bookstore
91 Albert St.
Winnipeg, MB


Contact Info
Phone:
478-1261
Email:
pmcguire@sjsd.net
Description
Come out for a panel discussion on the practice of worker self-management. Representatives from Winnipeg worker co-ops will explain their workplaces and answer questions on the ins and outs of functioning without hierarchies. Featuring members from:

-Neechi Foods

-Organic Planet Worker Co-op

-Earthkind Cleaning

-Mondragon Cafe & Bookstore

FREE!!

This event is sponsored by the Labour Studies Department of the University of Manitoba and is held in conjunction with the course LABR 3200 Workers' Self-Management.

INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST MOVEMENT-BRASIL:

LIBERTARIAN GATHERING IN BRASIL:

As Molly has endlessly repeated here the anarchist movement is a a full phase of growth worldwide. This is especially true of South America where anarchism has a rich history. The following item from the Anarkismo website is the announcement of an upcoming 'Libertarian Encounter' in Fortaleza, Brasil. As anarchism continues to grow it becomes more and more aware of the need for organization and for connection to popular movements. The Brazilian event is an obvious expression of both these trends.

..............................

1st Libertarian Encounter: Anarchism and the Social Movements:
Invitation and Programme
From 8-11 December 2008, the Organização Resistência Libertária (ORL - Libertarian Resistance Organization) will be hosting the 1st Libertarian Encounter in Fortaleza (north-eastern Brazil). The event will see the participation of members of anarchist political organizations from various Brazilian cities, militants from the social movements, sympathisers and the curious. Through this initiative, he hope to create a space for exchanging experiences and methodologies between people who are involved in developing ideas and concrete forms in the anti-capitalist struggle from a libertarian perspective. [Português]

.............................

1st Libertarian Encounter: Anarchism & Social Movements:

From 8-11 December 2008, the Organização Resistência Libertária (ORL - Libertarian Resistance Organization) will be hosting the 1st Libertarian Encounter in Fortaleza (north-eastern Brazil). The event will see the participation of members of anarchist political organizations from various Brazilian cities, militants from the social movements, sympathisers and the curious. Through this initiative, he hope to create a space for exchanging experiences and methodologies between people who are involved in developing ideas and concrete forms in the anti-capitalist struggle from a libertarian perspective.

There will be four days of workshops, debates, discussions, lectures, exhibitions, cultural activities and informal meetings around themes such as social anarchism, libertarian education, independent media, homeless and housing movements, social ecology, the student movement, libertarian organization, ethnic resistance, the anti-capitalist struggle and more.

We believe that the anti-capitalist struggle can only make important and long-lasting advances if its social roots and dimensions are continually widened. Therefore, we think that anarchism must be present inside the social struggles and at their service, encouraging autonomy, direct action, combativity and direct democracy. This insertion must in no way seek to manage the struggles or submit them to particular interests, but instead contribute in such a way that they can go beyond their immediate demands and take on a libertarian, revolutionary nature seeking to overthrow capitalist society.

We invite everyone to participate in this occasion for meeting and getting to know each other, so that we can join forces and make longer, stronger steps towards developing and building opportunities for organization and struggle with an anti-capitalist, libertarian perspective.

The great are only great because we are on our knees! Rise up!!

...............................
Programme:
*Monday 8 December

4.00pm - Welcoming invitees and participants
6.00pm - Opening
6.30pm - Debate: Social Anarchism and Building Counterpower, with Felipe Corrêa (Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro – FARJ) and Mateus Júnior (Magão) (ORL)Venue: Pátio da História – UFC
*Tuesday 9 December

9.00am - Workshops and video showings*
2.00pm - Roundtable: The Workers' Movement and the Anarchist Press, with Adelaide Gonçalves (Universidade Federal do Ceará - UFC) and Rogério Nascimento (Universidade Federal de Campina Grande – UFCG)Venue: Auditório da História – UFC
6.30pm - Debate: Anarchism and the Social Movements, with Alexandre Samis (FARJ/Movimento dos Trabalhadores Desempregados - MTD) and Victor Pereira (ORL/Movimento estudantil da UFC)Venue: Pátio da História – UFC.
*Wednesday 10 December

9.00am - Workshops and video showings*
2.00pm - Roundtable: Libertarian Pedagogy and Anarchist Education in Brazil, with José Damiro de Moraes (Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM) and Sandro Soares (UFC)Venue: Auditório da História - UFC
6.30pm - Debate: Anarchism and the Student Movement, with Henrique Bezerra (Coletivo Anarquista Zumbi dos Palmares - CAZP/Movimento estudantil da UFAL), Patrícia Pinheiro and Thiago Roniere (ORL/Movimento estudantil da UFC)Venue: Pátio da História – UFC
*Thursday 11 December

9.00am - Workshops and video showings*
2.00pm - Roundtable: History and Historical Writing on Anarchism in Brazil, with Alexandre Samis (UFF/GEA-NEC), Allyson Bruno (Universidade Estadual do Ceará – UECE) and Carlo Romani (UFC)Venue: Auditório da História – UFC
6.30pm - Debate: Indigenous Struggles Against the Advance of Capitalism in Ceará, with João Paulo Vieira (Historian/ORL) and Representatives of the indigenous communities of CearáVenue: Pátio da História – UFC
9.00pm - Closing and socializing

Workshops confirmed:

-Wen-do / João Pessoa (female self-defence)

-Projeto Ciclovida (ecological action in the field)

-Grupo de Capoeira Angola Pelourinho (workshop on Angolan capoeira)
* More workshops, statements, exhibitions and video showings will be announced later.

Proposals for workshops etc. can be emailed to encontrolibertario@gmail.com before 28 November.

During the event, the following books and publications will be launched:
*"Os Enganadores"

*"A Política da Internacional"

*"Aonde Ir e o Que Fazer"

Mikhail Bakunin

Co-publication by Imaginário and Faísca Publicações Libertárias
*"A Idéia dos Sovietes"

Pano Vassilev

Co-publication by Imaginário and Faísca Publicações Libertárias
*"A Concepção Libertária da Transformação Social Revolucionária"

Rudolf de Jong

Published by Faísca Publicações Libertárias
*"The Organização Resistência Libertária Manifesto"
*"Declaration of Principles of the Organização Resistência Libertária"
*"Semente Libertária"

(Newspaper of the ORL)
For more information:

http://encontrolibertario.blogspot.com

Registration and more information at: encontrolibertario@gmail.com

1st Libertarian Encounter: Anarchism and the Social Movements

from 8 to 11 December 2008
Venue: Centro de Humanidades II da UFC, Av. da Universidade, 2700 – Fortaleza (Ceará).
Organized by:

Organização Resistência Libertária

With the assistance of:

Universidade Federal do Ceará

Federação Anarquista do Rio de Janeiro

Faísca Publicações Libertárias
Translation by FdCA-International Relations Office
Related Link: http://encontrolibertario.blogspot.com/

CANADIAN LABOUR:

UNION CHARGES CANADA POST WITH UNFAIR LABOUR PRACTICES:

The following press release is from the website of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

.................................

Canada Post charged with unfair labour practices :
Charges include issueing misleading statements to its employees, disregarding provisions of the Canada Labour Code
OTTAWA, November 6, 2008 — Canada Post is resorting to unfair labour practices in its contract talks with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE), the union charges.

"Canada Post has issued misleading statements to its employees and is disregarding provisions of the Canada Labour Code," says John Gordon, President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. PSAC is the bargaining agent representing the members of the component UPCE.

The misleading statements identified by Gordon appear in internal communications issued by the employer about a new short-term disability system that the corporation is trying to impose on its employees in order to replace existing sick leave and family leave provisions in the collective agreement.

On its internal website, which is accessible to all Canada Post employees, the employer indicates that changes to the sick leave and family leave provisions in the collective agreement will come into effect on January 1, 2010. This statement ignores the fact that these changes have not yet been negotiated with the union.

Canada Post's proposed changes are highly controversial. Union members provided their bargaining team with an 88 percent strike mandate, largely based on their opposition to these leave proposals.

The union charges that this unilateral imposition of terms and conditions of employment while the parties are still bargaining is a violation of the statutory freeze provisions of the Canada Labour Code and is contrary to the employer's obligation to bargain in good faith and make every reasonable effort to enter into a collective agreement.

The union also charges that the employer is trying to discredit the union by directly contacting UPCE-PSAC members via e-mail and providing misleading and erroneous statements with regards to events at the bargaining table.

Lastly, the union also charges that Canada Post has been withholding financial information specific to their new sick leave proposals despite repeated requests for this information.

The PSAC asked Canada Post to remove from its website all references to the unilateral implementation of the employer's bargaining proposals. The union is also demanding that the employer retract all false information conveyed to the membership in e-mails and to issue a statement on its internal website that reaffirms the employer's commitment to respect all sections of the Canada Labour Code and, in particular, the obligation to bargain in good faith and make every reasonable effort to enter into a collective agreement.

Canada Post's rejection of these requests has prompted the PSAC to file an unfair labour practices complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Negotiations between Canada Post and the UPCE-PSAC began June 4, 2008.