Where trade unionists start their day on the net.
In this week's mailing:
* 1.5 and 28.4
* Gibraltar: Help stop union busting
* Campaign updates: Iran, Mexico, New Zealand
* Labor's Voices
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1.5 and 28.4
The next few days include two of the more important annual events on our calendar -- Workers' Memorial Day on 28 April and three days later, May Day.
LabourStart continues to have full coverage of health and safety issues here:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/hs/showarchive.cgi
As for May Day, we intend once again to provide the most comprehensive global coverage on our main news page, here:
http://www.labourstart.org
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GIBRALTAR: HELP STOP UNION BUSTING
We've received an appeal from the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) following months of union-busting by Cammell Laird Gibraltar Ltd. Most recently, three trade union activists were sacked for attending a union training course. Please send off your messages today:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=244
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CAMPAIGN UPDATES: IRAN, MEXICO, NEW ZEALAND
Iran: Last week we told you about the arrest of Mahmoud Salehi. Two days ago, his wife and his lawyer were able to visit him in the Sanandaj Central Prison. They expressed concerns about his health conditions and reported that he had been taken to the prison's hospital for treatment on Sunday. Salehi suffers from serious kidney problems and his blood pressure has dropped. In prison, he has no access to drinking water or washrooms during the night, which is particularly difficult for him due to his health. As a result, he suffers from severe pain at night.
The thousands of messages you have been sending are needed more than ever. Please tell the Iranian authorities to release Mahmoud Salehi now:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=231
Mexico: Over 3,500 of you responded in the last five days to our appeal following the murder of Santiago Rafael Cruz, which is brilliant. The campaign is really taking off, but we need many more messages to be sent -- especially in Spanish. If you have not yet done so, please send off your message now and spread the word:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=232
New Zealand: The SFWU is seeking urgent mediation to deal with alleged harassment of its union members by Air New Zealand managers. Managers have been systematically phoning SFWU members and threatening them with dire consequences if they do not leave their union. The union has obtained a copy of an Air NZ script headed "Questions and answers to assist with the briefing of SFWU membership – not to be issued or distributed." The script is dated 3 April, the day the company hand-delivered letters to every SFWU member with tick boxes inviting them to resign from the union. Almost every question in the script begins with "If I decide to resign from the SFWU" and the suggested responses are clearly designed to persuade SFWU members to leave the Union.
You've sent over 5,000 messages to the Air New Zealand CEO, but we need to send many more. If you've not yet done so, please send off your message today:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=192
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LABOR'S VOICES
I'll be spending the next several days attending the Labor's Voices conference in New York City and hope to meet some of you there. The conference will even feature a brief workshop on how LabourStart does its online campaigns. For more details, visit the website -- http://laborsvoices.org/
A very happy May Day to all of you!
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.