Solidarity 058, 23 September 2004

The South African telecommunications firm Telkom plans to shed another 4,181 workers in three years, despite making record profits this year. In 1999 Telkom employed more than 61,000 workers. This number has been almost halved to fewer than 32,000. The three trade unions in Telko — the Communication Workers Union, Solidarity, and South African Communication Union — have made a pact to fight these redundancies, and are asking for international solidarity. Send messages of support via Labour Start at www.labourstart.org/telkom

More than 700,000 public sector workers, including 320,000 teachers, struck on 16 September in probably the biggest strike in South Africa’s history. Eight public sector unions representing teachers, nurses, police officers and prison wardens took part in the one-day strike. The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union said that around 200,000 strikers took part in the 24 marches held across the country. The strike is over this year’s pay offer to public sector workers. In April the government offered a 4.4% wage rise, far lower than the unions’ 12% demand. In June the government raised its...

By Chris Reynolds At least 338 people have died since gunmen claiming to champion Chechen national rights seized a school in North Ossetia (a territory neighbouring Chechnya) on 1 September and took pupils, teachers and some parents hostage. Nearly 400 people are still missing according to teachers at the school. Many of the dead and missing are children. Local people think that the government is downplaying the number killed and injured. Nothing the hostage-takers might say about Chechen rights can blur the horror of what they did. Discussing the need for harsh measures in revolutionary and...

No Sweat will meet over the weekend of 4–5 December. The event will be held at the University of London Union on Malet Street, London. The Saturday will focus on debates and discussions. The Sunday will be an activist training day with practical sessions aimed at developing campaign skills. A weekend ticket costs £10 (waged); £5 (students and other concessions). One-day tickets are £7.50 and £3.50. You can get a ticket now by posting a cheque payable to “No Sweat” to PO Box 36707, London SW9 8YA

At a packed Labour Representation Committee fringe meeting, union leaders Jeremy Dear of the NUJ (pictured), Mark Serwotka of the PCS and Tony Woodley of the TGWU all spoke. The theme of the meeting was “rebuilding Labour”. This will mean rebuilding political trade unionism from the bottom up. Unions have to make the case for the involvement of ordinary working people in politics. Union political structures should represent members’ concerns and be part and parcel of internal union democracy. As Kate Ahrens from Unison, speaking on behalf of the LRC, put it: co-ordination between union leaders...

News in brief Thousands of people will march for fair trade, an end to global poverty and for environmental action at Labour Party conference, Brighton, Sunday 26 September. The day’s events start at 1pm with a rally on Madeira Drive, Brighton. London No Sweat Paul Hampton introduces video of working conditions in Disney Factories in Haiti. Plus discussion about new homeworkers’ initiative. Speaker from Oxfam. Thursday 7 October, 7pm, Truckles Cellar Bar, Bury Place, Bloomsbury More info: Karen 07906 384592

Having sold the unions’ souls for a mess of pottage — or rather, a promise from the Blair leadership that the next Labour manifesto will include a promise of a mess of pottage — the big union leaders are now worried that they will not even get that. Tony Blair has appointed Alan Milburn as his “general election coordinator” and chair of the “election campaign planning committee”. “Milburn’s manifesto” was summed up by the Financial Times on 10 September: “Where it is feasible for users to exercise individual choice... that should be the norm” [code for more marketising, and letting money make...