Filipino railway workers face strike-breaking operation

Manila, Philippines, Aug. 2— Nine hundred workers from the Manila Light Rail Transport (LRT) system have been sacked in a state-organized attempt to break their 10-day strike. The Department of Transport and Communication (DOTC) took over the LRT and resumed its operations on Wednesday. It is now recruiting strikebreakers with the intention of resuming full services within a fortnight.

The workers began strike action on July 25, after protracted negotiations for a new contract broke down with the LRT’s operator, Metro Inc. The action paralyzed the rail network, which carries over 400,000 passengers per day.

The Filipino government intervened into the dispute immediately, ordering a return to work and deploying police to break picket lines. Dozens of workers have been injured or arrested in clashes and at least 50, including the leaders of the LRT union, face criminal prosecution on frame-up charges.

The attack on the workers, and their subsequent sacking on July 27, was ordered by Philippines President Joseph Estrada. Visiting the United States to attract foreign investment and secure a loan payment from the International Monetary Fund, Estrada denounced the strike as “a criminal action.” The LRT is one of numerous state-owned assets being prepared for privatization.

The strike action, which is continuing, has been isolated by the Filipino trade union leadership and diverted into court challenges. All signs point to an escalation of state repression over the next week. Metro Manila Police head Edgardo Aglipay claimed on July 31 that left-wing groups, intent on destabilizing the government, were supporting the strikers. Uniformed police have been moved into 15 stations along the track and plain-clothes police deployed on the carriages.

Source: Grassroots Media Network: tta@mail.utexas.edu

Strikebreaker at Overnite admits being paid to defame Teamsters

Aug. 6— A driver for the strikebound Overnite Transportation Company has come forward to admit that the company paid him $10,000 to damage property and falsely attribute it to striking members of the Teamsters union, causing them to be fired. During the nine-month strike, Overnite has issued a torrent of press releases charging the Teamsters with strike-related violence, such as shooting at company trucks and smashing windows, while bemoaning the cost expended on security.

The driver, Anthony Holly of Tennessee, claims in a sworn affidavit that the company became aware of his financial difficulties and wired $10,000 to his bank account in exchange for his agreement to launch a false provocation against the Teamsters.

Holly claims that he did not actually damage property, but instead took credit for existing damage. He did, however, lie to the company and the National Labor Relations Board concerning two well-known supporters of the Teamsters union. Holly falsely charged drivers Kyle Brooks and Paul Holder with threatening him with violence for crossing a picket line. Overnite fired both Brooks and Holder.

“I’m ashamed for doing what I’ve done,” Holly told the New York Times. “Overnite had me brainwashed.” It is not clear how widespread the company’s bribery actions were. In Minnesota, several Teamsters officials and supporters who were not strikers were convicted of picket-line misconduct.

Source: Grassroots Media Network: tta@mail.utexas.edu

Sri Lanka workers strike for salary

Sri Lanka, Aug. 4— Sri Lankan railway workers staged a one-day strike from midnight July 27, demanding a 3,000-rupee ($US38) interim salary allowance. The strike was in defiance of government emergency regulations banning industrial action.

Almost all of Sri Lanka’s 15,000 railway workers participated in the campaign called by the Railway Trade Union Front, a coalition of 28 rail unions, despite attempts by pro-government unions to block any action. Supporters of the government attacked strikers, injuring four workers.

Source: Grassroots Media Network: tta@mail.utexas.edu

Banana workers block roads

San Jose, Costa Rica, Aug. 4— On July 29 former Costa Rican banana workers blocked eight highways in various parts of the country and held a demonstration in San José to demand compensation from the government for illnesses they suffered as a result of exposure during the 1960s and 1970s to pesticides containing the chemical Nemagon, now prohibited from use. National Banana Workers Council (CONATRAB) general secretary Orlando Barrantes called the actions “our first warning”; he estimated that the chemical had affected 18,000 workers.

Source: La Prensa

Teachers defy return to work order

Waigani, Papa New Guinea, Aug. 4— The Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Court in Waigani, following an application by the Teaching Services Commission (TSC), issued an order last Friday directing 10,000 striking teachers to return to work.

PNG teachers have been conducting a wage campaign since mid-July, in defiance of their union and threats of dismissal from the national government. After the Teachers Association (PNGTA) refused to register the teachers’ demands with the Office of the Industrial Registrar, teachers in the Highlands districts submitted mass resignations, shutting down schools across the region. The strike has now spread to most of the country.

Source: Grassroots Media Network: :tta@mail.utexas.edu