Workers Solidarity Movement

Most people will be aware that Irish troops are being sent to Africa as part of an EU 'peace-keeping' mission to Chad and Central African Republic (CAR), but many will be relatively unaware of the background to the conflict and the reasons for the mission. Chad and Central African Republic are both resource rich (oil, gold and uranium in Chad, gold, diamonds and uranium in CAR) but economically underdeveloped former colonies of France.

Every year we celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th. This goes back to 1910, when an international conference of socialist women decided that 'women the world over set aside a particular day each year to remember women and their struggles.'

Chairman of Louth County Council Cllr Jimmy Mulroy, speaking in a debate about the abuse of workers by some employment agencies, said that while Irish people, "need €12.50 an hour, people from Lithuania are doing very well on €8.50 an hour." Mulroy, the owner of an electrical firm, later defended his remarks, arguing that many migrant workers were "very happy” with lower pay. Fianna Fail head office “disassociated” the party from the councillor's comments, but there was no suggestion of him being disciplined or deselected as a candidate.

This is a call out forwarded from the Gipfelsoli Infogruppe, the international media response group set up in the run up to the 2007 G8 in Germany. It follows the continuing detention of Martin Krämer, a German activist involved in the current anti G8 mobilisation. Initially arrested by police in the city of Vanino in the Habarovsk region of the Russian Far East March 3, Martin was turned over the FSB agents, in whose hands he was harshly interrogated and beaten. Martin was accused of carrying "extremist" and "secret" documents. These included archival materials from the 1920s, long since made public, that Kramer had for research purposes. Also included were a copies of the Ukrainian anarchist paper Liva-Sprava and Udar, the paper of Vladivostok's Autonomous Action.

MFebruary saw many of the newer members meet up at a day long session for discussions about anarchist ideas, why we talk about class, how we fight women’s oppression, anarchist organisation, anarchist history, the Spanish Revolution, Russia: revolution and counter revolution and practical organising in our unions & communities.

It is going to be complicated when you look at the finances of man who had NO bank account from 1986-1993. This was due to the fact that he was going through a divorce and he had a joint bank account with his wife. Being an honorable man he wasn’t going to put his money into that account. He took the decision to not open a bank account at all. In the meantime he managed to save up £50,000 IEP by 1993. This meant he could’ve bought a house for that in pure cash. Didn’t his ‘life partner’ buy a house in the area the following year for just over £40,000 IEP. Who is he? No one other than Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern.

Paul McCartney should have brought Bertie in as a consultant on his recent divorce proceedings.

As many people know May Day is international workers day. Across the world it’s a day of protest and struggle. It’s also a day to celebrate solidarity. In Cork a new May Day Committee that includes the Independent Workers Union is meeting regularly to make May Day in Cork even bigger and better. We need you! If you are interested in helping to organise events, or if you have ideas or you just want to meet and help out, we’d love to see you along. The May Day Committee meets every fortnight at the IWU offices on North Main Street.

Warranties expired! New facilities left idle! More mind-boggling news about the crisis in Ireland’s health service.

Belfast WSM, along with members of Organise!, trade union activists and other left groups as well as workers from Delaney's itself, took part in successful pickets outside Delaney's restaurant on Thursday and Saturday.

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