The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) exists to certify that products coming from the world’s forests are produced responsibly. You may never had heard about the FSC, but if you look around your home, you’ll see…Read more…
An American nightmare
I pay attention to politics in a number of countries, some of which I also vote in. I’m an optimist by nature and I see real possibilities for wins by parties I like. For example,…Read more…
United Autoworkers Make Organising Top Priority
Following the successful outcome of the disputes with the three big US auto manufacturers over the past months in which the United Autoworkers won most of its demands from employers, the tentative agreements are currently being voted on across the … Continue reading Read more…
Why I oppose a ceasefire in Gaza
This article is not going to win me any friends. And it may convince no one. But it demands to be written. I oppose the increasingly loud calls here in Britain and around the world…Read more…
Their SWP and ours
The massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 caused genuine shock and horror around the world. There was considerable sympathy for Israel in the wake of the tragedy. But not so for…Read more…
Stalin in London
Stephen May’s Sell Us The Rope is a new novel about the London congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party of 1907. Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and Rosa Luxemburg play leading roles in the story….Read more…
Six thoughts on Gaza and Israel
“I got a head full of ideas, that are drivin’ me insane,” sang Bob Dylan. I know the feeling. It’s been more than a week now, and with an extended family and close friends living…Read more…
Ukraine’s labour movement defiant – and in need of our solidarity
As I walked around Kyiv last month on a beautiful, sunny morning, I began to notice the scaffolding in the city’s squares. I asked Tristan Masat what was going on. Tristan runs the Solidarity Center…Read more…
UAW Dispute With The Big 3 – Downtown Detroit Rally Sept. 15th
UAW President Shawn Fein speech, September 15th to UAW members in Downtown Detroit Rally Good afternoon UAW family – and hello again to the Big Three. It is my absolute honour to stand here today. Looking out on this sea … Continue reading Read more…
Israel: From protest to politics
I was recently invited by some Israeli leftists to participate in a discussion about what’s happening with the protest movement that is currently confronting the Netanyahu government. The title they gave to the discussion was…Read more…
Azerbaijan: Labour activists targeted as new unions emerge
In places where existing trade unions fail to organise workers, new unions will often emerge to fill the gap. And those new unions will sometimes be the subject of state repression as a result. This…Read more…
Staff at East of England landlord to strike for nine days over pay
Hat tip Clarion UNISON Facebook page “Solidarity to Unite Housing association members taking strike action over their pay cuts. Hopefully Clarion UNISON members will be taking similar action next month”. “Nearly 60 workers at Freebridge Comm…Read more…
1923: The German October
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the decision by the Communist International to launch an armed uprising in Germany. The uprising, which took place in October that year, was a dismal failure. It also…Read more…
There is no left alternative to Biden
While Republican politicians are queuing up to take on Donald Trump for the party’s nomination next year, there’s hardly anything going on in the other camp. Unless he falls ill or changes his mind, Joe…Read more…
Workers’ rights violations at record high – and what to do about it
On the last day of June, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its annual “Global Rights Index”. It presented a bleak picture of a world where workers’ rights are routinely trampled upon. And according…Read more…
In Georgia, Chiatura’s miners are once again in struggle
In 1924 a rebellion against Bolshevik rule broke out in western Georgia. The opening shots were fired in the manganese mining town of Chiatura, which had for years stood at the centre of working class…Read more…
What Washington can teach London about history
Last week, on a visit to Washington, D.C., I spent some time in two new museums and walked away wondering why we don’t have museums like that in the U.K. The first was the National…Read more…
Cambodia: Union leader jailed – international solidarity needed now
Six months ago, a woman trade union leader from Cambodia was on her way home from Melbourne, where she attended the world congress of the International Trade Union Confederation. Chhim Sithar, the leader of Labor…Read more…
Turkey Elections: HDP – Green Left Party: “We made an effort to open the door to democracy”
“We have witnessed an unfair election marked by violations of basic democratic rules, which took place under the repressive conditions of the one-man regime.” Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) co-chair Mithat Sancar and Green Left Party co-spokespersons Çiğdem Kılıçgün Uçar and … Continue reading Read more…
Qatar, the ILO and the unions
Six months ago, news broke that Belgian police had arrested the newly-elected general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) as part of the “Qatargate” scandal. The government of Qatar was accused of paying…Read more…