Flagg Infohub - "In Solidarity..."

This is a follow up for clarification of our goals, and for our perception of what the climate in Greece means for the rest of us, and of course, why we have acted at all on this issue.

As many of you should be aware, since the first days of the Greek riots, SLLU has been organising an infohub in Second Life. This parcel has come under some scrutiny, which I would like to cut through quickly.

We acknowledge that this hub does not constitute real world action on its own. However, our aim is to raise the consciousness of this situation through the means we have available to us, just as indymedia or libcom have used their means. Our goal with this parcel, is to bring to the front the facts of the Greek Riots, and indeed what has become much more: The greek resistance.

We created this parcel as an action of solidarity with the family and friends of Alexandros Grigoropoulos, and in Solidarity with those who struck back against the apparatus that caused his death.

The methods used to raise awareness and provoke action are not, as some critics have made out, as simple as action in the real world. There is a hefty propaganda campaign required, among other various actions, especially now that the counter-campaign has gone into full swing.

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The purpose of the hub:
To educate and facilitate consciousness. Most information given to the majority of the public, including the vast majority of users of Second Life (making up hundreds of thousands of people world wide), do not receive the complete story of the rioting or the resistance in Greece. Many have not even heard of the resistance. Through this medium, SLLU in collaboration with other activists have staged demonstrations to bring awareness of the issue to others, and we have had success. This hub, by all intents and purposes, is working as it is supposed to.

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The current situation in Greece:
It is important for us now to recognise the shift in climate amongst the working class of Greece. What started as rioting and lashing out against police has progressed (and rather quickly) to a new level of fighting. What was once a reaction, has now become fuel for action. We now see student and worker occupations of buildings - importantly, occupations which have lead to major video and press releases.
- http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hf5r8rybV-5ZtuufxCmM8LV7NsIw
- http://blog.abiss.gr/mgogoulos/entry/we_are_not_blocking_traffic
- http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bdb_1229205435
- http://libcom.org/news/greek-workers-occupy-union-offices-17122008

We have seen General Strikes, which have successfully brought Athens to a stand still. These strikes have also begun to spread beyond the nation's boarders.
- http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hyLu98leuG7mLuJ4sm-VI-ILxr0wD9519PGO0

What we have is a fundamental progression of a movement, as we have seen many times before. From rioting, to coherent direct. From lashing out, to striking back and striking back hard. With further mass demonstrations planned, and further general strikes planned - it now becomes a situation not only for the disillusioned youths and Anarchists (as we have been told by major media), it is now a situation involving the broader Greek working class, and indeed, the working class of the world as a whole.

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So what do we do now?:
It is my opinion that what must now be done is a continued campaign against the political right and misrepresentation. We must publish and expose any and all lies and slanderous actions. We must publish and expose any and all resistance in Greece or any other part of the world. We must continue to keep up to date, continue to flood this stream of information through as many minds as possible, and we must encourage, rather push, for people to act out wherever and whenever they can.

I am to understand that several solidarity protests are occuring in time with protests and strikes in Greece. We must be plugging these at every opportunity.

We at SLLU, will continue to do what we can within this Virtual world, by staging demonstrations, continuing to update information, and continuing to cultivate conversation and consciousness on the issue - just as we do in our daily real world lives.

But the most important thing to do is this: We must leave behind the shackles of the riots. The riots are quite important, without them, none of this was possible. However, the rioting will quickly become the bane of the movement across the world if it is not completely progressed into a working class movement, a movement of the majority. So with that said, we must assimilate the police brutality into the brutality of the very system that breeds them. We must assimilate the state corruption into the very system the state apparatus serves. And we must then divide the people between those who rule, and those who have been subjugated. We must bring to the front parallels between Greece and our own nations.

Understand that quickly, the rioters become a minority, and the riots themselves lose purpose under the weight of the broader movement. And so in light of this, we too, who seek to help progress this movement must move beyond the riots. As I have stressed here out our hub, we will be focussing more on the resistance itself than we will the violence. As the resistance itself is the most important part of the picture. We must then show that the broad resistance is to that of the State, and indeed, Capitalism itself.

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Finally, I would like to draw attention to some things.

We at SLLU recognise the broad arrangement of politics within our membership. As such, all actions of solidarity have, and always will be, inclusive of all political views.

Much of the situation in Greece has been limited only to Anarchist and Anarcho-communist sources, and for that we apologise to many of you. Not because the sources are wrong, but because they are the only available sources of information that are frequently updated.

We would like to stress that the activities are not limited to Anarchists, that we have a broad spectrum of political ideas cooperating in this endeavour.

I would also like to mention something about the conduct within the parcel. Out of respect for the deceased, please do not come here naked. Out of respect for the people of Greece, do not bring firearms into the Parcel, and begin shooting people.

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In regards to what is and is not regarded - Do not use this parcel as a means to plug your own ideologies. Discuss them, by all means, but this Parcel is not a place for you to advertise.

No form of bigotry is tolerated here. Be it anti-religious, sexist, racist, homophobic, anti-working class, nationalist, ageist etc. We in SLLU do not stand for these things, and we cannot sit idly as people spread these diseases further, especially in a place where the whole purpose is to squash those ideas, and to bring Solidarity.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/222/65/95

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from the General Union of Dock Workers in Iraq

www.uslaboragainstwar.org

May Day Message
from the General Union of Dock Workers in Iraq
to the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in the United States

Dear Brothers and Sisters of ILWU in California

The courageous decision you made to carry out a strike on May Day to protest against the war and occupation of Iraq advances our struggle against occupation to bring a better future for us and for the rest of the world as well.

We are certain that a better world will only be created by the workers and what you are doing is an example and proof of what we say. The labor movement is the only element in the society that is able to change the political equations for the benefit of mankind. We in Iraq are looking up to you and support you until the victory over the US administration's barbarism is achieved.

Over the past five years the sectarian gangs who are the product of the occupation, have been trying to transfer their conflicts into our ranks. Targeting workers, including their residential and shopping areas, indiscriminately using all sorts of explosive devices, mortar shells, and random shooting, were part of a bigger scheme that was aiming to tear up the society but they miserably failed to achieve their hellish goal. We are struggling today to defeat both the occupation and sectarian militias' agenda.

The pro-occupation government has been attempting to intervene into the workers affairs by imposing a single government-certified labor union. Furthermore it has been promoting privatization and an oil and gas law to use the occupation against the interests of the workers.

We the port workers view that our interests are inseparable from the interests of workers in Iraq and the world; therefore we are determined to continue our struggle to improve the living conditions of the workers and overpower all plots of the occupation, its economic and political projects.


Let us hold hands for the victory of our struggle.

Long live the port workers in California!

Long live May Day!

Long live International solidarity!

The General Union of Port Workers in Iraq
An Affiliate Union with General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (GFWCUI)

28-4-2008

---

May Day 2008 Statement from the Iraqi Labour Movement
To the Workers and All Peace Loving People of the World

On this day of international labour solidarity we call on our fellow trade unionists and all those worldwide who have stood against war and occupation to increase support for our struggle for freedom from occupation - both the military and economic.

We call upon the governments, corporations and institutions behind the ongoing occupation of Iraq to respond to our demands for real democracy, true sovereignty and self-determination free of all foreign interference.

Five years of invasion, war and occupation have brought nothing but death, destruction, misery and suffering to our people. In the name of our “liberation,” the invaders have destroyed our nation’s infrastructure, bombed our neighbourhoods, broken into our homes, traumatized our children, assaulted and arrested many of our family members and neighbours, permitted the looting of our national treasures, and turned nearly twenty percent of our people into refugees.

The invaders helped to foment and then exploit sectarian divisions and terror attacks where there had been none. Our union offices have been raided. Union property has been seized and destroyed. Our bank accounts have been frozen. Our leaders have been beaten, arrested, abducted and assassinated. Our rights as workers have been routinely violated.

The Ba’athist legislation of 1987, which banned trade unions in the public sector and public enterprises (80% of all workers), is still in effect, enforced by Paul Bremer’s post-invasion Occupation Authority and then by all subsequent Iraqi administrations. This is an attack on our rights and basic precepts of a democratic society, and is a grim reminder of the shadow of dictatorship still stalking our country.

Despite the horrific conditions in our country, we continue to organise and protest against the occupation, against workplaces abuses, and for better treatment and safer conditions.

Despite the sectarian plots around us, we believe in unity and solidarity and a common aim of public service, equality, and freedom to organise without external intrusions and coercion.

Our legitimacy comes from our members. Our principles of organisation are based on transparent and internationally recognised International Labour Organisation standards.

We call upon our allies and all the world’s peace-loving peoples to help us to end the nightmare of occupation and restore our sovereignty and national independence so that we can chart our own course to the future.

1)   We demand an immediate withdrawal of all foreign
troops from our country, and utterly reject the agreement being
negotiated with the USA for long-term bases and a military presence. The
continued occupation fuels the violence in Iraq rather than alleviating
it.  Iraq must be returned to full sovereignty.


2) We demand the passage of a labour law promised by our
Constitution, which adheres to ILO principles and on which Iraqi trade
unionists have been fully consulted, to protect the rights of workers to
organize, bargain and strike, independent of state control and
interference.


3)   We demand an end to meddling in our sovereign economic
affairs by the International Monetary Fund, USA and UK. We demand
withdrawal of all economic conditionalities attached to the IMF's
agreements with Iraq, removal of US and UK economic "advisers"
from the corridors of Iraqi government, and a recognition by those bodies
that no major economic decisions concerning our services and resources
can be made while foreign troops occupy the country.


4)   We demand that the US government and others
immediately cease lobbying for the oil law, which would fracture the
country and hand control over our oil to multinational companies like
Exxon, BP and Shell. We demand that all oil companies be prevented from
entering into any long-term agreement concerning oil while Iraq remains
occupied. We demand that the Iraqi government tear up the current draft
of the oil law, and begin to develop a legitimate oil policy based on
full and genuine consultation with the Iraqi people. Only after all
occupation forces are gone should a long term plan for the development of
our oil resources be adopted. 

We seek your support and solidarity to help us end the military and economic occupation of our country. We ask for your solidarity for our right to organise and strike in defence of our interests as workers and of our public services and resources. Our public services are the legacy of generations before us and the inheritance of all future generations and must not be privatised.

We thank you for standing by us. We too stand with you in your own struggles for real democracy which we know you also struggle for, and against privatisation, exploitation and daily disempowerment in your workplaces and lives.

We commend those of you who have organised strikes and demonstrations to end the occupation in solidarity with us and we hope these actions will continue.

We look forward to the day when we have a world based on co-operation and solidarity. We look forward to a world free from war, sectarianism, competition and exploitation.

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UNIONS 2.0: How a "Virtual" Protest Can Bring Us to a "Real" Success

by Barillo Kohnke


Barillo is a member of IBM ITALY National Works Council, and the Italian Delegate to the IBM European Works Council, representing all 9000 employees from 11 IBM group companies.


photos supplied by Eremia Woodbury

(please scroll down page for additional Italian language version of this article).

For many years we are asking to ourselves how to rebuild the trust to the unions, because many workers consider them as "obsolete" and "ineffective". The low level of participation in strikes and union initiatives must open our eyes to the need fo rethinking our mode of being unionists.....a way that cannot be hinged on fights and mental schemes of the 20th century, but without leaving anything from our great history. We must build an union that is renewing itself to approach the new challanges that we are facing today. The goal is to find new tools to communicate with our workers, to create participation, to surpass new problems coming with globalization (job off-shoring, vendorizations, etc) and at the same time involve young employees, teleworkers, employees out of offices, and the subsidiarian companies.
What we are trying to do inside IBM, one of the biggest corporations worldwide, can become a model to build a Union 2.0.
These are two main points:
- in a "globally integrated company" scenario, only with a global union alliance we can confront problems and needs of employees at worldwide level.
- internet in all its evolutions (web 2.0 and 3D) opens new possibilities for a strong union usage of all electronic tools to increase participation, communication and efficiency of traditional union initiatives.

But let's see a concrete example: after a long year of inconclusive bargaining to get a company level agreement (supported by traditional strikes, etc) where we were asking a small salary increase (40euro) and IBM responded with a salary increase of 6 euro (and we remember that IBM is one company with highest profit).
The last action: IBM in July cancelled in a unilateral way a national union agreement, which for many years has given the "productive result benefit" (with a loss of 700-1500 euro per year to all 5000 IBM workers in Italy).

For this reason we launched the first virtual strike on SECOND LIFE, a metaverse where many companies like IBM are investing millions of (real) dollars in this new world, to transform it in a marketing field.
But...what is exactly Second Life ? It's not a game: it's a complex ecosystem, a virtual society, a digital organism in continuous expansion and evolution. It's a cybercultural phenomenon, which is involving millions of real people. So we decided to move the union fight in this new innovative scenario: because here, for the first time, we are really with the same weapons and we can use for our advantage the technology that IBM is showing to its customer.
After one month of work, we built a global union alliance, thanks to the great help of UNI GLOBAL UNION, and political support of EMF and IMF (international and european metalworkers federations).
A taskforce of 20 people was able to organize, from zero, the first virtual protest worldwide in SL..

and so....on 27th of September 2007, 1853 -true- persons protested for 12 hours with their computer from 30 different countries, giving solidarity to IBM Italian workers.





The protest took place in 7 IBM sims on SL, and in particular on IBM Italia and IBM Business Centre. The tension and atmosphere were like a real event.... as some "disturbing people" that our security service managed.

Many protesters picketed, with many impressive colours and original templates, which flooded the vision of the strikers. The protest was real, even if the place was virtual !







Second Life had technical problems, because we reached a high number of participants.
IBM was annoyed, because we touched with the protest a real strategic place for the company: IBM closed its Business Centre to all visitors and customers, and the strikers closed a real IBM staff meeting in SL during the afternoon.

Results: now we have a bigger power to be used in our bargaining in the "real world", thanks to the extensive media coverage of this initiative: radio, tv and the blogosphere demonstrated a great receptiveness to this new way of unionised protest.

We know that the weak point of a corporation is its image: here we hit, and we opened the eyes of global public opinion on the Italian case. The participation so big at international level, created a global union alliance, which covers all the countries where the employees' representatives are fighting for the same goals: better wages, increased rights, more professionality and security for their jobs, investments on peripheral centres and learning.

Today a new international solidarity between employees is born, which uses all these new tools to fight and win the 21st century challenges.

for more info:
official protest blog: http://ibmslprotest.blogspot.com/
IBM local workscouncil: www.rsuibmvimercate.it

for more photos of the event, please see:
http://www.4shared.com/dir/4005252/4f71bfa5/BestEditedHighResPix.html


SINDACATO 2.0: come una protesta "virtuale" puo' portare ad un successo "reale"
Di Davide Barillari

Da anni ci si chiede come recuperare la fiducia verso un sindacato che purtroppo troppi lavoratori considerano "obsoleto" e "inutile". La scarsa partecipazione a scioperi e iniziative sindacali ed iniziative ci devono far aprire gli occhi sulla necessita' di ripensare il nostro modo di fare sindacato...che non puo' restare fermo alle lotte e agli schemi mentali del XX secolo, ma che senza perdere nulla della propria storia deve anche profondamente rinnovarsi per affrontare le nuove sfide che abbiamo davanti. L'obiettivo e' cercare nuovi strumenti per comunicare con i lavoratori, per creare partecipazione e sensibilizzazione, per superare i nuovi problemi che ci pone la globalizzazione (delocalizzazioni, vendorizzazioni, ecc) e allo stesso tempo coinvolgere i giovani, i telelavoristi, i fuori sede e le aziende consociate. Quello che stiamo tentando di fare all' interno di IBM, una delle piu' grandi corporation al mondo, puo' essere un modello per la costruzione del Sindacato 2.0.
Questi i due punti principali:
- nel contesto di un'"azienda integrata globalmente", solo un'alleanza sindacale internazionale puo’ affrontare problemi ed esigenze dei lavoratori a livello globale
- internet in tutte le sue evoluzioni (web 2.0 e 3D) apre nuove possibilita' per un forte utilizzo sindacale di tutti gli strumenti elettronici per aumentare la partecipazione, la comunicazione e l'efficacia delle azioni sindacali tradizionali.
Ma entriamo in un esempio concreto: dopo un lungo anno di inconcludente trattativa per portare a casa un contratto integrativo aziendale (supportato da scioperi tradizionali, raccolte firme, ecc) nel quale chiedevamo, fra le varie cose un modesto aumento di salario (circa 40euro), l'azienda risponde con un aumento di 6euro (e ricordiamo che IBM e' fra le aziende al mondo con piu’ alti profitti).
E poi la goccia che ha fatto traboccare il vaso: a luglio IBM cancella unilateralmente un accordo sindacale che da anni garantisce il "premio di risultato" (circa 700-1200 euro in meno all'anno per tutti i 5000 lavoratori in Italia).
Abbiamo quindi lanciato la prima protesta su SECOND LIFE, un metaverso dove aziende come IBM stanno investendo milioni di dollari (reali) in questa nuova frontiera sociale per trasformarla in terreno di marketing.
Ma cosa e' davvero Second Life ? Non e' un gioco: e’ un complesso esosistema, una societa’ virtuale, un organismo digitale in continua fluttuazione ed espansione. E’ un fenomeno cyberculturale che sta coinvolgendo milioni di personi reali. Abbiamo quindi deciso di portare il conflitto sindacale su questo terreno innovativo: perche' qui, per la prima volta, siamo davvero ad armi pari e possiamo utilizzare a nostro vantaggio la tecnologia di cui IBM tanto si vanta con i clienti.
Dopo un mese di lavoro, abbiamo costruito un'alleanza sindacale internazionale, grazie al preziosissimo aiuto di UNI GLOBAL UNION, e del supporto politico di FEM e FISM (federazioni europee ed internazionali dei sindacati metalmeccanici).
Una taskforce di 20 persone e' riuscita ad organizzare, da zero, la prima protesta virtuale al mondo.
E quindi: il 27 settembre 2007, 1853 -vere- persone hanno protestato per 12 ore tramite i loro computer da oltre 30 diversi paesi, mostrando solidarieta' ai lavoratori italiani IBM.
La protesta si e' svolta nelle 7 isole IBM su Second Life, e in particolare su IBM Italia e l' IBM Business Centre. La tensione e l'atmosfera erano quelli di un evento reale...compresi disturbatori che il servizio di sicurezza ha subito gestito. Cartelloni di protesta a bizzeffe, dai colori sgargianti e dalle forme a volte davvero originali, hanno affollato gli schermi dei manifestanti. La protesta era vera,a che se il luogo era virtuale!
Second Life ha avuto problemi tecnici, poiche' e’ raggiunto un elevato numero di partecipanti. Da IBM moltissimo fastidio, poiche’ abbiamo toccato su un terreno strategico dove fa piu’ male: IBM ha chiuso parte del suo piu’ importante Business Centre a tutti i visitatori e ai clienti, ed i manifestanti hanno interrotto una vera riunione di manager IBM (in una meeting room su Second Life) durante il pomeriggio.
Risultato: ora abbiamo piu’ forza per la trattativa sindacale nel mondo “reale”, grazie all’ enorme copertura massmediatica dell' iniziativa: radio, giornali, tv e tutta la blogosfera ha dato un fortissimo risalto a questa nuova forma di protesta sindacale.
Sappiamo che il punto debole di una corporation e' la sua immagine: proprio qui abbiamo colpito e siamo riusciti ad accendere i riflettori dell'opinione pubblica mondiale sul caso italiano. La partecipazione cosi' ampia a livello internazionale inoltre ha sancito la nascita di un sindacato mondiale, che si estende a tutti i paesi che come noi lottano per gli stessi obiettivi: migliori salari, maggiori diritti, professionalita', sicurezza del contratto e del posto di lavoro, investimenti su centri periferici e garanzia di formazione.
Oggi nasce una nuova forma di solidarieta' internazionale fra lavoratori, che utilizza tutti i nuovi strumenti per affrontare e vincere le sfide del XXI secolo.

per info:
l blog ufficiale della protesta: http://ibmslprotest.blogspot.com/
il sito della RSU IBM di Vimercate: www.rsuibmvimercate.it

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Reminder...

SLLU Exhibition - in collaboration with Luna Box

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isla%20Montevideo/234/88/33

Watch the stream and then enter the building for the exhibition about worker exploitation in the past and now!



After you have been to the exhibition, please go to the Tribute Garden on the island to place your tribute to the exploited. Build ANY SUITABLE tribute you want and place it.



The Tribute Garden is at the top left of the island...


Interesting blog on "Workers Control" http://workerscontrol.blogspot.com/

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EXPLOITED!

SLLU Exhibition - in collaboration with Luna Box

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isla%20Montevideo/234/88/33

Watch the stream and then enter the building for the exhibition about worker exploitation in the past and now!



After you have been to the exhibition, please go to the Tribute Garden on the island to place your tribute to the exploited.



The Tribute Garden is at the top left of the island...

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