News

Unions calling

I WORK for £5.20 an hour in a call centre. Recently the Unifi union has started to hold regular stalls at my workplace.

Nestlé milks its profits from poor

AROUND ELEVEN million people are facing hunger in the African country of Ethiopia in 2003. But the huge multinational Nestlé has caused outrage by demanding $6 million from the Ethiopian government. It is claiming compensation for a company that was nationalised 27 years ago by the military government and later bought by NestlŽ. Nestlé is one of the world's largest food companies. It makes $6 million profit every hour.

Letters

Speaking out against racism of police force A couple of weeks ago I was with my friend at Forest Gate train station, east London, when we were stopped and searched.

Truth is out on the police

ONE OF the officers suspended following the documentary on racism in the police worked at Chadderton Station in Oldham.

Top-up fees: another revolt to worry Blair

LAST SUNDAY Blair faced a real challenge as over 30,000 students took to the streets to protest against university tuition fees. The demonstration was far larger than any recent student marches. The war in Iraq has left more than Blair's heart in a weak condition. He faces massive revolts in his own party and in the nation at large over a whole range of issues.

Letters

We are not going to let racism divide our workforce I AM so proud of what we did as Wolverhampton postal workers to strike back against racism. We have shown that we are not going to allow racism to become "normal" or to be used to divide the workforce.

Lives of four generations that shame Blair's Labour

THIS IS the story of four generations of working class people in Blair's Britain-great-grandparents, grandmother, parents and their children.

Letters

Brilliant march – and now for Bush visit I was one of eight socialist students and Scottish Socialist Party members from Dundee on Saturday 27 September’s brilliant demo. We were amazed at the scale and diversity of the march.

Pensioners fight back against an unfair tax

THE CRAWLEY Pensioners Action Group is up in arms about council tax. Each rise in council tax is an effective cut in income. That is not only for pensioners, but for all on low incomes. One of our members tried non-payment on his own last year. Many of us went to court to support him, but in the end he did a deal. This has not yet been resolved, as the deal has created a continual build-up of a backlog.

They think people like us are just numbers

DUE TO my husband being despicably treated at the hands of the TNT/Sony company he worked for, I am enclosing a copy of a letter I have sent to various appropriate people. I do not know if there is anything you can do, but I thought your readers should be aware of what tricks can be pulled on loyal employees.

Storming the death fair

RUNNING BATTLES with the police, teasing arms dealers, a mock arms seller offering prosthetic limbs for sale, and Globalise Resistance's pink and orange tank. The DSEi (Defence Systems Equipment international) or Docklands arms fair has been a memorable experience for activists and, presumably, also arms dealers.

Letters

'Anger translates into action' Arriving back in Manchester after the holidays, I was struck by the way the stop the war movement has developed. Anger at the Blair government's war lies is growing, and this has been translated into action.

Letters

Artificial limbs use pre-1950s methods SHAMEFUL IS the only way to describe the treatment of a black woman who was told that if she wanted her artificial leg to match her skin colour she would have to pay for it.

Letters

BNP thugs can't bury culture of violence ALL IS not rosy in the BNP. The tensions between the national high command and the Burnley branch have been exposed by the out of favour Nazi councillor Luke Smith. This is in part due to the alleged glassing of a steward by Smith at this year's Red, White and Blue "carnival".

Letters

Larzac success is a great sign for Paris The Larzac festival in France two weeks ago was the biggest anti-capitalist event France has seen. Over 250,000 people attended. Besides the usual activists lots of people came to the festival out of the vast social movements that have swept France in the last six months. Workers have struck against the Tory government's plans to attack pensions.

Letters

Only stars I see are when I'm on nights Thanks to the three-star rating we have been awarded, I, along with many other lucky staff members employed within the Wirral Hospital Trust, will feel the benefit of an extra day off.

FBU proud to support lesbian & gay members

This year's lesbian and gay Pride march witnessed a return to political values. Many more floats from trade unions were present on the march. For the first time the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) provided a fire engine for its gay and lesbian members to march alongside.

New generation can challenge sexism

I REALLY enjoyed Judith Orr's article in Socialist Worker, "The Body for Sale" (12 July). I agree that many of the gains of the women's movement of the late 60s and 70s have been lost. I would add sexism in advertising and merchandising starts from the cradle. Children's TV carries more advertising than other programmes, and almost every BBC programme has merchandising tie-ins.

Activists have to learn lessons of Rix's defeat

THE DEFEAT of Mick Rix, the leader of the Aslef train drivers' union, has caused big waves. Many union activists are asking how it could happen. As contentious as what went wrong is the question of what should come next, and what his defeat means in other unions.