Europe

Euro-constitution: French "no" gathering pace

A recent opinion poll shows around 55% of people who have made up their minds plan to vote "no" in the French referendum on the European constitution on 29 May. 28% of voters are undecided. All 25 EU countries have to ratify the proposed constitution for it to come into force. Ratification can be by a vote in the country's parliament or by popular referendum. Spain, Slovenia, Lithuania, Hungary, Italy and Greece have approved the constitution. Only Spain held a referendum. Tony Blair has promised to put the constitution to a referendum - probably early in 2006 - even if the French vote "no" on...

Building European unity

By Rachael Webb At the end of February representatives from international road transport workers’ unions met to fight an international low wage threat. The meeting included people from Belgium, Germany, Poland, Denmark, UK and Ireland, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania. We met in Vilnius, Lithuania in order to plan a delegate meeting at Eastbourne T&G Centre on the 7 May. Before then there will be a series of local meetings between freight drivers to decide on our delegates and debate and discuss our strategy for fighting against the low wage threat. The Vilnius meeting agreed five points for...

Multinational sacks union members

Management of the Norwegian multinational Jotun in Turkey have sacked all 50 members of Petrol-Is union in an attempt to smash the organisation. Workers at the factory in Tekirdag near Istanbul have organised a picket line and refused to let anybody work inside. Ten new workers who were hired by the management stopped to work immediately after they were warned of the problem. The workers and Petrol-Is are asking Jotun to stop the union busting and to re-hire the dismissed workers. Send messages of support via LabourStart .

Amsterdam: monster march against cuts

On Saturday 2 October, more than two hundred fifty thousand people marched through Amsterdam against plans of the Dutch government to slash social services and pension rights, as well as its support for the US in Iraq. It was the largest trade union demonstration in Dutch history. Besides the three Dutch trade union federations FNV, CNV (Christian), and MHP (higher and middle level employees), about 500 big and smaller organisations also participated (political parties, refugees rights organisations etc). The Keer het Tij (Turn the Tide) platform includes these 500 organisations. According to...

European left: Some new alliances and some bad old ways

How did the European left fare in the June elections? Martin Thomas reports The results Two point six per cent in France, 5.8% in Italy, 8.1% in Denmark, 7% in the Netherlands, 5.2% in Scotland, 4.9% in Portugal... I do not know of any significant radical-left electoral efforts in the new EU member states of Eastern Europe, but in some west European states, at least, there were some scores for the radical left in June's Euro-elections better than those which parties to the left of the Communist and Socialist parties got in the 1970s. Then, although far-left groups generally had more, and more...

The left in Europe

Two point six per cent in France, 5.8% in Italy, 8.1% in Denmark, 7% in the Netherlands, 5.2% in Scotland, 4.9% in Portugal… I do not know of any significant radical-left electoral efforts in the new EU member states of Eastern Europe, but in some west European states, at least, there were some scores for the radical left in June's Euro-elections better than those which parties to the left of the Communist and Socialist parties got in the 1970s. Then, although far-left groups generally had more, and more active, members than today, and generally thought themselves nearer revolutionary success...

From the archives: Nay-saying, opportunism and principle

Revolutionary socialists take as their fundamental stand "intransigent opposition" to the entire capitalist system in which we live. But sometimes capitalist governments do things which help us, or are at least lesser evils. For example, socialists are for European unity, even under the bourgeoisie. Does that mean we should support those bourgeois politicians who are or may be promoting European unity? We say no. For example, Solidarity thinks it good that the Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq has been smashed. Does that mean that we should have supported Bush or Blair's war? Does the political...

European left smells the coffee

By Joan Trevor The European Anti-Capitalist Left (EACL) has had six meetings coinciding with EU summits. The first was in Lisbon in March 2000, the most recent in Athens in June 2003. The next is planned for November. This body was initiated by the Ligue Communiste Revolutionnaire (LCR) (France), Red-Green Alliance (Denmark), Left Bloc (Portugal) and the Scottish Socialist Party. Groups involved now include the Socialist Workers' Party and the Socialist Party (as observer) from Britain and Rifondazione Comunista (Italy) which joined in June 2002. The initial ambition to constitute itself as a...

European Education Forum shows the way to go

By Sacha Ismail The first European Education Forum took place in Berlin on 18-20 September. The event, initiated and largely organised by the German-based Education is Not for Sale Network, was generally agreed to be a great success. Five hundred people attended: mostly students, but some educational and other trade unionists (the first thing you saw on entering the conference centre was Hackney NUT's Blair Peach banner); about half were German, but there were significant numbers from other European countries. Fewer than a dozen Brits showed up. They included two right-wing NUS hacks who had...

Workers of the world: Round up

By Pablo Velasco Israel: attacks on unions Korean unions defend migrant workers Salonika seven free, for now Israel: attacks on unions The Israeli government is preparing to dock the wages of workers taking industrial action, and introduce anti-union laws. Around 30,000 workers - half of those employed by the government - have been engaged in go-slows and strike action over the last six weeks. Workers are angry about plans to cut the budget and change pension arrangements and government pans for privatisation. The government's 2004 budget, which has to be approved by parliament by the end of...

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