Inside LabourStart

The contest is closed now, we’re waiting while the judges discuss the entries and select the finalists.  That should be done by mid-week.  Then the voting begins.

In comparison with last year’s contest we have more submissions (189 vs. 118 last year).  I think we should be quite pleased by the growth in numbers as a surprising number of workers with cameras are reluctant (embarassed) to make their work too public.  Hope fully as the contest continues the numbers will grow each year.

I’ve begun work to revive editions of LabourStart that have gone dormant.

I wrote to all those who have posted to our Creole language edition in the past and got one of them to request a new password. Two new stories appeared on that site this week, so let’s hope it continues.  I have not heard from most of the Creole-speaking correspondents I wrote to.

The Danish edition also needs help — Espen in Norway has been posting all the content.  I’ve suggested that in this case, as we no recently-active correspondents to talk to, that we write to the entire Danish mailing list and encourage them to sign up as correspondents.

Eurostar campaign: We’ve heard from the RMT union that our campaign contributed to the pressure that has brought the company to the negotiating table.  There will be a meeting on Friday after which it is likely that we will suspend the campaign.  The campaign took off very quickly, with 3,176 messages sent in English, 60 in French, 68 in Norwegian, and 2 in Spanish, for a total of 3,306.

Labour Photo of the Year: I’m putting up a notice on the site that submissions will no longer be accepted.  We’re in the hands of the judges now.

Book sales: Sales of the children’s book “Fire in the Hole” were quite good this week.  Overall, in the third quarter of 2009 we sold just under $6,000 worth of books, with 128 orders placed.  This means a net income to LabourStart of $596.65 (£374.28).