Report By Karl Debbaut, CWI
“We?re voting no. It is a constitution for the bourgeoisie, for multinationals, for bosses. It is only about the economy, competition, profits, the market and capitalism. We are against all that; we are communists. There isn?t any progress for workers. Most workers want to say “merde”, to stick two fingers up at them. We are fed up with saying yes to politicians”. Thomas Meurnier, a 32 year old history teacher and sympathiser of the French Communist Party (quoted in the newspaper ?the Guardian?, Saturday 28 May 2005). (more…)

Working people in Australia are currently facing the biggest attack on their wages and conditions ever. What weapons do we have to fight back with? Many in the labour movement are arguing against strikes. John Robertson (Secretary of Unions NSW) goes even further by saying that general strikes only inconvieniance the community. As the working class moves back onto the scene in many places around the world we reprint this article by PETER TAAFFE on the general strike today. It was written in July 2003 against a European backdrop but has many points relevant to Australia today. (more…)

“The results of an electrodynamic investigation recently published by me in this journal lead to a very interesting conclusion, which shall be derived here”. The opening lines of one of five scientific papers written 100 years ago by Einstein in 1905. After three pages of mathematical notes, no more than a postscript to his main Relativity article, the conclusion: E = mc2. (more…)

Workers refuse to call off the strike: “We will struggle to the end, we refuse to bow down”. Four thousand workers storm and occupy company headquarters.
By Rukhsana Manzoor Secretary Workers Education in the Muthida Labour Federation and TURC-P, Lahore (more…)

By Azad Qadri and Azam Janjuah, PTURC, Islamabad
Negotiations between PTCL management and the nine union strong anti-privatisation action committee have failed. Negotiations were initiated by the management to pressurise union leaders to end the daily two hour strike and public meetings against the privatization. (more…)

A short piece on the roles that Rosa Luxemburg and Leon Trotsky played in the socialist movement from the humble ages of 17. It was written by Ruth Coppinger for the Irish Militant newspaper in 1988. Ruth is now a SP councillor in Dublin West. (more…)

Manchester United fans reacted rapidly to US businessman Malcolm Glazer gaining 74% of Manchester United shares after the three biggest shareholders, racing tycoons JP McManus and John Magnier and a mining millionaire sold their shares to the Glazer family.

John Reid, author, Reclaim the Game. (more…)

You can find us throughout malls, fast food joints, retail stores, and phone centers across the country. We’re the ones who pour the coffee, flip the burgers, and offer savings on long distance phone service. We are America’s youth, and we are increasingly trapped in dead-end jobs that offer low wages and no future.

By Canyon Lalama, “Customer Service” Representative, Member of OPEIU Local 12, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US (more…)

HIV, the virus that causes Aids, continues to spread. Over the last 30 years, attention has shifted from the gay scene in the US, where the disease first appeared, to the neo-colonial countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, Aids is causing havoc to whole peoples and already fragile economies. It is beginning to break into the general populations of China, India and Russia. MANNY THAIN reports on this global catastrophe.
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By Rob Jones, CWI, Moscow
As many as 700 people were brutally massacred by government troops in Uzbekistan over the weekend. Accurate information is hard to come by, as even before the shooting Uzbekistan was one of the most dictatorial states in the world. Now there has been a further clamp-down, with foreign and local TV transmissions blocked. (more…)