Archive
French Dockers Hold Ferry ‘Hostage’
“French unions have condemned a commando-style raid carried out by Brittany Ferries management to ‘liberate’ a ferry that had been occupied by dock workers in a pay dispute last month.
They are demanding an inquiry after the company’s chairman, Jean-Marc Roue, led a night time operation by 20 ‘shareholders’ to regain control of the Mont St Michel ferry to break a five-day strike by dock workers in the port of Ouistreham.
The vessel – which operates on Brittany’s Caen/Ouistreham-Portsmouth service – had been blocked by dockers working for a company controlled by the ferry firm in support of a 5% pay claim.
Brittany Ferries defended the action because the ship had been ‘held hostage due to the blackmail of a minority and the stoppage was causing ‘colossal’ losses. It described the pay claim as ‘unacceptable, given the very serious financial crisis the company has just been through’.
But dockers’ leader Michel Le Cavorzin said there should be an immediate investigation into the incident, claiming it could amount to an act of piracy. The management actions raised important questions – including potential breaches of port security and how the vessel had sailed to the port of Roscoff in the absence of most of the crew. The West France branch of the CGT maritime union has also expressed concern and has written to the transport and interior ministries demanding an explanation for the ‘unorthodox actions’ of the company.”
From the Nautilus Telegraph.
Random Tank Girl scan
Tank girl, Deadline magazine.
Lap dancers accused of kidnapping club boss
Taken from The Telegraph. This is great, would be good if they could be supported somehow.
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Mandy-Laura Cool, 29, Charlotte Devaney, 34, Rachel Goodchild, 24, and Stephanie Pye, 30, are alleged to have enlisted the help of two male friends to recoup £42,000 owed to them by Curtis Woodman.
The women were hired to work as dancers in a room at the Embassy Club in Cheltenham during the four-day National Hunt horse racing festival in March last year.
It is understood that Mr Woodman, who runs a car sales business, had hired the room for use during the Festival.
But police raided the venue and closed it down, leaving Mr Woodman, 33, of Cheltenham, unable to pay the women the money they were owed, Gloucester crown court heard.
Six months later, on September 3, Mr Woodman was kidnapped, threatened and “subjected to various forms of violence” it is alleged. It is also said that he had a £4,650 Breitling watch and £60 stolen.
Prosecutor Martin Steen said: “There was, during race week of 2012, a premises in Cheltenham being used as a lap dancing club and some of the defendants were involved in the running of those premises.
“Unfortunately those premises came to close half way through the Festival.
“Some of the defendants were owed money by the victim. We say he was kidnapped and subjected to various forms of violence and threats. Items were taken from him in a robbery. It is not disputed by the Crown that the ladies in question were owed money by the victim.”
Cool, of Southampton, Devaney, of London, and Goodchild, of Southampton all pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnap, along with brothers Robert Morris, 26, and Alexander Morris, 22, of Southampton.
In addition, the Morris brothers denied robbing Mr Woodman of a Breitling watch and £60 in cash.
Alexander Morris also denied having a Stanley knife, in a public place – the Northway Trading Estate at Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, where Mr Woodman worked.
No charges were put to Stephanie Pye, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. She was said to be taking legal action to recover the money owed and is asking for the case against her to be dropped.
Audrey Archer, representing Goodchild, said that she was also taking civil action against Mr Woodman to recover the money owed. The other women were already taking similar action, she added.
All six were granted bail. The case has been adjourned to Bristol Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
Afterwards, Devaney, a DJ, actress and model who apeared in the British film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People with Simon Pegg, released a statement.
She said: “On behalf of myself and the other girls involved in this case, I would like to state categorically that we are not guilty of this charge.
“In actual fact, we have been the wronged party and are confident the truth will come out.
“We are looking forward to going to court later this year to prove our innocence.”
Manchester Airport hit by cleaners strike
Around 100 members of the Unite union took part in a 24 hour strike last week, walking out from 06.00 on Friday 3 May until 06.00 on Saturday 4 May.
From Manchester Evening News.
Unite says staff are angry at MITIE’s plans to slash their hourly paid lunch break to half an hour, amounting to a cut of £69.50 a month. They are also fighting proposals to chop their £20-a-month attendance bonus and are urging MITIE bosses to meet union leaders over their concerns. Staff will join picket lines outside terminals one, two, and three.
Dave Kennedy, Unite regional officer, said: “Low-paid cleaners, who work so hard to keep Manchester Airport clean for the travelling public, certainly cannot afford to lose almost £70 a month.
“Unite has remained committed to resolving this dispute, yet despite Acas’ involvement the company is still not willing to take the concerns of its loyal workforce seriously.
“Strike action is always a measure of last resort but our members have had enough – they are determined to stop this attack on their livelihoods.
Alexander Pavlovich Chekalin
Alexander Pavlovich Chekalin was born on March 25, 1925 in the Tula area of Russia. Following Hitler’s invasion, he became involved in partisan activities. These activities included burning warehouses and derailing trains, ‘Shura’ also notably took part in an ambush of German vehicles during the early days of November 1941 and destroyed one vehicle with a hand grenade.
Unfortunately, he then became ill and an unknown informant gave away his location to the Germans.
German soldiers broke into the house where he was staying at night. Alexander threw a grenade at his enemies but it failed to go off. He was then taken away and subjected to torture, although he did not give away any information, he was hanged in the central square on 6 November 1941. His body remained hanging for twenty days and only taken down when the area was liberated.
He was posthumously made a Hero of the Soviet Union on February 4, 1942. The town was renamed after him in 1944 and a monument has been erected in his name. A postage stamp was also issued in his honour and he also posthumously received the Order of Lenin.
Monument in the town formerly known as Likhvin.
Stamp that shows Chekalin confronting his captors.
Stamp price: 30k
Terry Liddle Memorial Event
Terry Liddle Memorial Event
Saturday 20th April 2013, 2pm to 5pm. Brockway Room, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
All welcome to come and enjoy a few nibbles, a bit to drink and good comradeship in honour of Terry Liddle 1948-2012
In wild, but considered celebration of Terry Liddle’s maverick life of activism, Atheism, Socialism, Animal Rights, Republicanism, Trades Unionism, Temperance (sometimes), Deptford and the World.
Bookstall on the day. A couple of speeches, with contributions from the floor and the Workers Music Association:
Joe Hill; The Land it is the Landlords’; William Brown; Solidarity Forever; The Internationale
David Goodway on ‘The Making of ‘The Making of the English Working Class”- 20 April 2013, Bradford
The Northern Radical History Network are pleased to announce that their next meeting will take place on Saturday 20 April 2013 in Bradford.
This year marks 50 years since the publication of E. P. Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class, and the book, its author and the book’s impact and legacy will be their meeting’s topic of discussion.
The NRHN are delighted to be joined by David Goodway a social and cultural historian who has become increasingly known as an authority on anarchism. Between 1969 and 2005, David worked in Continuing Education at the University of Leeds, and he was Helen Cam Visiting Fellow in History at Girton College, Cambridge, for 2006-7. His publications include London Chartism, 1838-1848 (1982), Talking Anarchy (with Colin Ward) (2003) and Anarchist Seeds beneath the Snow: Left-Libertarian Thought and British Writers from William Morris to Colin Ward (2006).
David will present a paper entitled The Making of ‘The Making of the English Working Class’ (further details to follow)
The meeting will take place at The Equity Centre, 1 Longlands Street, Bradford, on Saturday 20 April 2013 from 11am – 3pm.
For further details in the interim, please contact Fiona Cosson, email f.cosson [AT] mmu.ac.uk
For Workers' Power 