A New Global Movement called ‘TULIP’ Is Launched

Trade union leaders from three continents have announced the launch of a new global movement “to challenge the apologists for Hamas and Hezbollah in the labor movement” and to fight for a  two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The acronym of the movement is TULIP (symbolized by the flower) and stands for Trade Union Linking Israel and Palestine.

The new global union issued a statement on May Day 2010  that  “salutes the Israeli and Palestinian workers and their unions on the one and only holiday that is celebrated by both peoples.”  Emphasizing the historic role of the trade union movement in building unity among workers throughout the world, TULIP said: “We encourage genuine dialogue and reconciliation  among union  people to bring about justice and peace. We oppose divisive boycotts, divestments and sanctions.”

TULIP defined its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stating: “We are committed to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, with secure and abiding borders.  We reject completely the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. We oppose Palestinian terror tactics. The trade unions of the world must call upon the political elites on both sides to step back from the brink and make the necessary compromises to end the conflict now.”

May Day Protesters Rally across Asia
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Asia on May 1  in May Day  demonstrations calling for higher wages and better working conditions  Most of the protests passed off without incident, but in the Chinese territory of Macau, riot police used water cannon and pepper spray in clashes with protesters who fought back with stones and bottles.

In the South Korean capital, Seoul, about 20,000 unionists from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) rallied near the National Assembly to denounce layoffs and demand better working conditions. In the Philippines,  about 500  union members marched in the streets of Manila, parading with posters announcing pro-labor candidates in the nation’s May 10 election.

In Hong Kong, several thousand workers marched peacefully to demand a minimum wage of $4.20 per hour and better job protection. In Indonesia thousands of people took to the streets in the nation's capital, Jakarta, under a heavy police presence, to demand  better social security for workers. (Only 25 percent of the nation’s workers are covered.)

AFL-CIO’s Rally in Wall Street Demands Jobs and Compensation
About 15,000 unionists and  progressives participated in a  march and rally on April 28 in Wall Street with two major demands, which they displayed on placards and  with continuous chanting: “ Good Jobs NOW!” and “Make Wall Street Pay!” The principal speaker was AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka who had been emphasizing the two themes in speeches around the country. Trumka’s message to Wall Street was: “When you engage in rampant and risky financial speculation, you’re going to pay your fair share in taxes to create jobs.”

Trumka referred to the  eight and a half million  lost jobs caused by bankers’ greed, and told his audience: “We are here today for the folks who were played for suckers in the casino economy and will be silent no more. And the message we bring is this: ‘Wall Street, fix the mess you made.’ The AFL-CIO leader called for a new economy, where Wall Street is the servant, not the master, of Main Street,”

Trumka says he intends to continue the AFL-CIO campaign until 11 million jobs are created, but there is little likelihood that Congress will be considering massive work projects for the unemployed, with the economy showing an upturn and midterm elections only a few months away.

Unions Around the World Remember Their Dead and Injured
Thousands of trade union events in more than 100 countries will commemorate the International Day of Dead and Injured Workers on April 28, 2010 to  “mourn the   dead and organize the living.”  In these times of economic crisis, there is less protection  and more insecurity for workers, says ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

Each and every day of the year, workplace accidents kill more than 1,000 workers. And diseases related to working conditions add more than 5,330 to this death toll every day. In other words, more than 270 workers are killed every single hour. In addition, 906,000 workers suffer injuries every day because of accidents at the workplace.

In the United States, 5,214 workers were killed on the job in 2008, 50,000 died of occupational diseases and 4.6 million were injured on the job. A major health and safety problem is the shortage of inspectors. There are only 2,218  federal inspectors to cover workplaces with 138 million employees.   As a result,  the nation’s workplaces can be inspected only once in every 137 years.

Portugal Hit by Strikes Against Austerity Measures
Portuguese public transport workers went on strike against  government  austerity measures on April 25, leaving commuters stranded. With markets concerned that  Portugal will be the next weak link in the euro zone after debt-stricken Greece, the government has taken a firm line on its austerity plan, holding talks with unions, but making few or no concessions.

The public transport workers joined  postal workers, who on April 24 started a strike to continue until May 7 when parliament administration workers are set to strike. The government plan, designed to cut the budget deficit by 2.8 percent of  gross domestic product by 2013, from last year’s 9.4  percent,  includes freezing public wages, capping recruitment and privatizing several public companies. But workers may bear the brunt of the measures.

“We question whether it should be the workers who pay for this crisis,” said Manuel Leal, spokesman for the  transport union. Some 20,000 workers are going on strike from Monday until Wednesday at 16 public transport companies that will affect about one million passengers. The biggest impact is being felt by railway passengers as train conductors have walked out.

Turks Mark First May Day in 30 Years
Tens of thousands of union members and leftist political activists gathered May 1 for the first legally-sanctioned May Day celebration in  Istanbul’s central Taksim Square in 30 years. Participants included relatives of at least 34 people killed when clashes erupted in Taksim between leftists and  police on May Day  in 1977. May Day rallies have been banned in Taksim Square since army generals swept into power in a military coup in 1980.

For the past four years, union activists, determined to commemorate the May Day massacre, have clashed with riot police who barred their entry to Istanbul’s busiest central square. On such occasions,  tear gas hung in the air and police were seen clubbing activists.

This year the governor of Istanbul authorized the celebration “to avoid tensions and  to destroy certain taboos.” Union organizers are calling Saturday’s rally a victory for Turkish labor. “It has very symbolic meaning for us,” said Eyup Ozer, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Workers Union Confederation.