Europe-Wide Campaign by HP/EDS Workers Against Job Losses! A Report
BarryKade | 05.02.2009 03:04
This protest of course did not get into the capitalist press - because it is about workers of different countries uniting to fight their common capitalist exploiter - and not each other!
For workers to resist global capitalism we need to unite across borders. We don't need more nationalist bullshit - that ties our hands behind our back! Workers of all countries unite!
To defend corporate profits Hewlett Packard/EDS wants to both cut jobs and freeze wages this year.
They are proposing to cut their workforce in Britain by over 3,300 jobs!
They are engaging in similar attacks against their workforce elsewhere in Europe.
At the same time as the corporation attacks its workers jobs and pay, its chief executive increased his pay by 68% last year!
So on 29th January the unions started a fightback with simultaneous workers protests and meetings in Britain, France, Belgium and Germany.
Members of the PCS and Unite trades unions in Britain held a protest outside HP's London office while sister unions held rallies in the streets of Paris, held a ‘freezing Friday’ protest in Belgium and held workplace meetings in Germany.
This has got to lead to more action. The wildcat strikes by British construction workers show the kind of militancy we need - but with better aims than their narrow and divisive nationalist focus!
The occupation against closure by workers at Waterford Crystal in Ireland provide an example of what can be done!
And we should learn from the militant and massive example of united workers protests and general strikes against paying for the capitalist crisis in France, Greece and Italy.
See the story on the PCS Union website here:
http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/news_centre/index.cfm/id/3C937E9C-9ADF-4065-978FCC7EC1BC1387
BarryKade