WagingNonviolence.org runs a list of underreported stories every day called “experiments with truth,” after the phrase by Gandhi. The following are some of the best experiments from the last few months having to do with the labor movement.
- Dozens of children from a Jewish Sunday school marched from Boston Common to the Hyatt Hotel in center city on December 13, chanting denouncements of Hyatt’s firing of 98 housekeepers in August. Upon reaching the hotel, the leaders of the march read a statement to hotel workers before handing over a petition. (Boston Globe)
- Tens of thousands of laid-off Mexican electrical workers and their supporters took to the streets of the capital on December 4 for the second time since President Felipe Calderón suddenly liquidated a state-run power utility in October. (Weekly News Update on the Americas)
- Over 250,000 public sector workers in Ireland, including teachers, nurses, and civil servants, went on strike November 24 to protest against government plans to cut pay and prevent the national debt from spiraling out of control. (Reuters)
- About 14,000 port workers in Peru started a two-day nationwide strike November 3 to protest the government’s privatization push and to pressure it to revoke a recent agreement for the modernization of an important port. (Reuters)
- A sit-in by 240 workers that halted operations at a South African platinum mine owned by African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) and Impala Platinum came to an end October 20 after four fired workers were re-hired. (Reuters)
- At least 100,000 people took to the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico October 5, effectively shutting down the financial district as they marched to protest the impending layoffs of more than 10,000 government employees. Thousands more stayed home from work. (CNN)
- Hundreds of workers at a General Motors assembly plant in Thailand ended a 10-day strike on October 1 after settling a pay dispute with the management. (Reuters)
- Some 800,000 teachers, medical workers, and other public-sector staff went on strike in Romania on October 5 to protest pay cuts imposed by the government under pressure from the International Monetary Fund. Hospitals only dealt with emergencies, and teachers supervised children without conducting lessons. (The Morning Star)
- Almost 20,000 Air India employees staged a nationwide protest and three-day hunger strike in August against the airline’s proposed move to cut 50% of the productivity-linked incentive. (Times of India)
- The Chinese government was forced to cancel the privatization of a steel firm on August 16 after 3,000 workers protested for several days. (In These Times)
- Several hundred people in the Russian town of Pikalyovo blocked a federal highway on June 2 for six hours to protest job cuts and unpaid wages at the local factory. Seizing the moment for a publicity stunt, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the town, where he publicly chastised the factory owners, which included one of the richest men in Russia, and demanded they reopen the factory. (Reuters)
- Visteon auto parts workers in Belfast who were fired with only a few minutes’ notice at the end of March ended their seven-week sit-in May 18 after winning a severance package that was 10 times larger than the company’s original offer. (An Phoblacht)
