Tag: strikes

New U.K. PM Liz Truss Has “Extreme Neoliberal” Anti-Labor, Anti-Environment Record

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)3 Comments

The United Kingdom’s Conservative Party has voted for Liz Truss to become its new leader, replacing Boris Johnson and making her Britain’s next prime minister. Truss served as foreign secretary under Johnson and has a record of “extreme neoliberal policies,” says British journalist George Monbiot. These include supporting tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulating the fossil fuel industry and refusing to regulate agricultural pollution. Monbiot also warns Truss will undermine the country’s model public health system and labor rights for organizing workers.

New U.K. PM Liz Truss Has “Extreme Neoliberal” Anti-Labor, Anti-Environment Record

Real Estate CEO: Recession Could Be “Good” if “Unemployment … Puts Employers Back in the Driver Seat”

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The CEO and president of Douglas Emmett Inc., a real estate corporation worth over $3 billion and based in Santa Monica, California, said on an August 2 corporate earnings call that a recession could be “good” for the commercial real estate business “if it comes with a level of unemployment that puts employers back in the driver seat and allows them to get all their employees back into the office.” The executive, Jordan Kaplan, then repeated that “the thought would be that unemployment would be up. And therefore, employers would be in the driver seat to bring people back in the office, which is where they want them.”

Real Estate CEO: Recession Could Be “Good” if “Unemployment … Puts Employers Back in the Driver Seat”

On this day, 24 July 2009, 3,000 steel workers in Tonghua, China rioted and beat an executive to death when threatened with privatization and job losses.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Jianlong Steel Holding Company official Chen Guojun, who earned over 3 million yuan the previous year, planned to take over the majority state-owned Tonghua Iron and Steel Group. He announced plans to cut the number of workers from 30,000 down to around 5,000, with those made redundant receiving around 200 yuan in compensation. The firm was still profitable, but the planned restructuring was aimed at increasing profits further amidst a global economic downturn.

Outraged, the workers shut down production and rioted, beating Chen, blocking roads and smashing police cars to prevent police and ambulances from reaching him.

The sale was subsequently scrapped.

On this day, 24 July 2009, 3,000 steel workers in Tonghua, China rioted and beat an executive to death when threatened with privatisation and job losses.

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China, rising wages and worker militancy

Sri Lanka ‘Uprising’ Is Not What You Think. Sri Lankan Activist Explains The Politics

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Source: Jamarl Thomas on YouTube.

In this interview, the Sri Lankan Activist mentions the Frontline Socialist Party were planning on storming the Sri Lankan Parliament and that Victoria Nuland had previously visited Sri Lanka. WSWS says (as does Wikipedia) that they were founded by a breakaway faction of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and refers to them as part of the pseudo-left. Premakumar Gunaratnam (a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and Australia), AKA Kumar Gunaratnam/Noel Mudalige/Kumar Mahathaya/Kumara Mahathaya was the leader.

I suggest that people be skeptical about these protests in Asia and Latin America. I’ve suspected that the US would take advantage of the civil unrest, from the sanctions that they have imposed on Russia, to overthrow opposing governments. Whether this was done intentionally, or they’ve co-opted these movements, I’m unsure.

Sources:

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Horrific death at Caterpillar Mapleton foundry evokes outpouring of shock and anger among workers

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Caterpillar workers: We want to hear from you. Fill out the form at the end of this report to share your experience with any workplace or safety issues at your facility. All comments will be kept anonymous.

Workers have responded with an outpouring of sympathy, horror and growing indignation to the horrific workplace death last week of Steven Dierkes at Caterpillar’s Mapleton foundry in central Illinois. On June 2, Steven, 39, was working near a crucible with molten metal when he fell in, instantly killing him, the Peoria County coroner reported.

Horrific death at Caterpillar Mapleton foundry evokes outpouring of shock and anger among workers

H/T: xenagoguevicene

Related:

Caterpillar worker falls into molten iron crucible and dies at Mapleton, Illinois foundry

By endangering the petrodollar, Ukraine conflict brings multipolar world & U.S. revolution far closer

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The U.S. empire’s social stability can no longer rely on buying off the workers within its own borders. When Che Guevara observed that international worker solidarity gets undermined by the proletarians in the core imperialist countries receiving special benefits compared to the proletarians in the exploited countries, he was right. But with the contraction of capital, and the consequential introduction of neoliberalism to keep capital afloat, this has changed. Every year, the masses within the United States face conditions that are more like the ones in the Global South. The global wealth gap is still the primary wealth gap in a macro sense, but this widening of the U.S. empire’s internal inequality represents a contradiction which can bring about the empire’s defeat from within. And therefore a major step towards eliminating the global gap.

By endangering the petrodollar, Ukraine conflict brings multipolar world & U.S. revolution far closer