Haiti – disaster compounded by capitalism
Here we post Joe Higgins' article from Wednesday January 27th's edition of the Daily Mail, on the crisis in Haiti. We apologise for the delay in posting the article online.
Meeting & Discussion – building a new anti-water charges campaign
MEETING: "No Re-Introduction of Water Charges! Boycott the Charge – Boycott Meter Installation!", due to take place on Saturday, February 13th from 12pm to 3pm in the Teachers’ Club, Parnell Square West, Dublin 1.
Determined fight from unions needed to stop government onslaught
The Budget will, if the Government gets its way, mark the first of four where working people, the unemployed and those who depend on public services will be crucified over an economic crash they did not cause. The palpable anger this is causing in society generally can be seen in the threat by the Garda Representative Association to ballot for industrial action.
Union leaders discuss sell out despite historic strike
250,000 public service workers took part in the one day strike on 24 November in opposition to the threatened cut of €1.3 billion from the public service pay bill in next month’s budget on top of similar sized cuts in Social Welfare payments and in public service provision itself.
Since the recent horrific earthquake in Chile, some employers have attempted to use the devastation and chaos to go on the offensive against trade union members and activists. Below is a letter from Joe Higgins to Chilean workers: READ MORE
Ten thousand oil refinery workers have been striking since 4 March 2010 in west Kazakhstan. They are facing increasing repression from the state and black out from the media. Joe Higgins sent the following message to the workers on strike: READ MORE
Whether it is current Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki or opposition leader, Iyad Allawi, that emerges triumphant from this month’s elections, the outcome will be the same for the vast majority of ordinary Iraqi workers and their families – a further entrenchment of communal divisions, instability and poverty. READ MORE
At a Committee on International Trade meeting, Joe Higgins MEP questions the Canadian ambassador and the EU Trade Commissioner, Karel de Gucht, on the contents of the upcoing EU-Canada trade agreement and as to whether there will be an insistence that public services are privatised as part of the agreement and what impact that will have for ordinary workers. READ MORE
At a Committee on International Trade meeting, Joe Higgins MEP criticises the right-wing members of the Committee for considering voting on a trade agreement that they have not see or had an opportunity to debate and negotiate. READ MORE
At a Committee for International Trade meeting, Joe Higgins MEP criticises the EU for not inviting ordinary Turkish workers to the Committee to discuss the terms and conditions of EU-Turkey trade relations as well as questioning whether the invited expert from Turkish big business also represents the multinational GAMA which was involved in the massive super-exploitation of Turkish workers in Ireland. READ MORE
“Liberalisation has turned the market into the wild west. Those countries that haven’t been subjected to liberalisation yet – beware.” This is what one Dutch postal worker told a meeting organised in the European Parliament in early March. READ MORE
