Where trade unionists start their day on the net.
In this week's mailing:
* Labour Website of the Year - update
* Thanks from Iranian trade unionist
* A powerful tool for union shop stewards
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LABOUR WEBSITE OF THE YEAR - UPDATE
First of all, a big thanks to the thousands of you who have already voted for your favorite union websites. If you have not yet done so, please go now to vote:
http://www.labourstart.org/lwsoty/index2007.html
Voting ends on 31 January.
To see which five websites have taken the lead ten days into the voting, check out this page:
http://www.labourstart.org/docs/en/000394.html
As part of this month-long celebration of the best union websites, we're beginning a series of interviews with the people who design and run union websites around the world. You can hear these interviews on Radio LabourStart:
http://radio.labourstart.org
The first two interviews with activists in Canada and Australia are now online with further interviews coming along throughout the month.
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THANKS FROM IRANIAN TRADE UNIONIST
We received this letter today from Yadullah Khosroshahi, Public Relations Representative for IASWI and former Secretary and Representative of the Council of Tehran Refinery Workers and All-Iran Council of Oil Workers:
"In the past year, the Iranian labour movement, particularly the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, witnessed tremendous support and solidarity by the international labour movements including LabourStart. Your campaign for the freedom of Mansour Osanloo and thousands of messages to the Iranian government from unions and labour activists all over the world through this campaign was an outstanding success and received considerable attention in Iran and other countries. Such solidarity efforts will never be forgotten.
"For a labour activist like me, who spent about 10 years of his life in the prisons of both Pahlavi and Islamic regimes for defending workers' rights and freedoms, such campaigns have tremendous significance. I am profoundly hoping that we would have greater success in 2007 and a much stronger global workers' solidarity. I thank you and all the colleagues and thousands of LabourStart readers and subscribers for supporting workers' struggles in Iran."
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A POWERFUL TOOL FOR UNION SHOP STEWARDS
We usually use this space to recommend books that trade union activists find useful, but this week we're suggesting something a little different -- "The UCS Introductory Steward Training Course", a CD based on the Union Steward's Complete Guide. This CD offers everything a new steward needs to get up and running. Invaluable as a brush-up and refresher to more veteran stewards as well, the CD comes complete with audio, a series of Skills Checks and Scenarios to help you master the material, even a Certificate of Completion when you finish. A copy of The Union Steward’s Complete Guide, First Edition -- a $19.95 value -- is included free with each CD purchase!
To learn more, and order copies for yourself and others in your union, go here:
http://www.labourstart.org/bookoftheweek
Remember that every copy you purchase helps support LabourStart.
Thanks very much -- and have a great weekend.
Eric Lee
Texts appearing here are often press releases sent to us by unions and other organizations which do not appear elsewhere on the web. LabourStart takes no responsibility for their content.