Europe

The 5th issue of "Crossing Borders", a transnational newsletter on "Movements and Struggles of Migration", is out again in several languages with a focus on womens migration. One year ago "Crossing Borders!" appeared for the first time as an attempt to foster transnational communication ...Website: http://www.noborder.org/crossing_borders/

On March 8, 2008, the third station of the Transnational Chain of Migration Related Actions took place in Turin. The conference was planned after the huge demonstration of October 27, 2007, in Brescia (14.000 migrants), and held in the perspective of opening the process toward a migrants’ May Day008 in Milan. Our aim is to improve the general struggle against precarisation of labour starting from the political centrality of migrant labour. In this perspective, and for the developing of migrants’ networking process and struggles, it was necessary to understand deeply how the contemporary conditions of labour are changing and how the political management of borders and migration is connected with the process of precarization of labour as a whole.

From typicallyspanish.com: "A national police operation in Almería and Alicante has arrested three businessmen for illegally employing immigrants who were either using false documentation or the identity of another person. There were two arrests in El Ejido and another in Novelda, and it’s understood that one of the businessmen arrested in El Ejido was originally from Novelda. Also in custody are 21 immigrants from Brazil and China, with 11 of the arrests taking place in Alicante province and the remainder in Almería province.

A Swedish trade-union blockade which forced a Latvian company that used cheaper Latvian labourers into bankruptcy was illegal, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday. The website "EUobserver" has reported about the courtcase: "The EU's highest court has delivered a blow to the Swedish system of collective bargaining -- seen as underpinning the country's highly successful social model - by ruling that Swedish unions cannot force a foreign company to observe local pay deals."

On Saturday November the 17th, a new campaign in the cleaning sector of the Netherlands has started. It’s an initiative from the trade union, but unlike in other union campaigns, this time the cleaners themselves will take action. It is David against Goliath , only 7% of the cleaners are organised, fighting against some of the biggest cleaning companies in Europe. The cleaners need all the help they can get. We, social organisations involved with the campaign, call out to all people concerned with social justice, to help us make this campaign a success. Join us, participate, come to the campaign launch on Saturday November 17th or subscribe to the newsletter below.

Tactics Laboratories Against Borders And Control

There seem to be a revival of "no border" camps this year. 5 years
after the international noborder camp in strasbourg there are camps
announced in Ukraine and Mexico this year, now the first noborder camp
in UK is announced as well, at Gatwick International Airport, outside London and
not far from Dover and Folkstone.

The planned new detention centre at Gatwick goes along with the plans
to tighten inner control and surveillance in the UK by introducing
(biometric) ID cards, the SIRENE infosystem (the UK extension to the
Schengen Information System), extended laws and police action against
"Anti-Social Behaviour" such as flying police drones (now on test in
Merseyside, no joke).

FORUM: EUROPE2008: In Varietate Concordia

Since January 1st, 2007, the Union consists of 27 member states! Is further expansion desirable when the old 25 member states cannot successfully bring about an unequivocal policy? Does Europe need borders and if so, where do you draw the line? Croatia? Bosnia Herzegovina? Albania? Or Turkey? Georgia? Azerbeidzjan? And what about Russia? Or Canada? Israel?

Join the forum on Europe Day, the 9th of May on www.europeday.info

Der Prozess der Prekarisierung, also die fortschreitende Entsicherung der Arbeits- und Lebensverhältnisse, hat in den letzten Jahren bzw. Jahrzehnten neue soziale Fragmentierungen hervorgebracht, die häufig mit einem niedrigen Organisationsgrad der Arbeitenden einhergehen. Dadurch scheint auch der gesellschaftliche Vertretungsanspruch jener Institutionen brüchig zu werden, die - wie z.B. die Gewerkschaften - historisch die zentralen AkteurInnen bezüglich Organisierung und Interessenvertretung der Arbeitenden waren.

Im Rahmen der Tagung "Let's Organize!" werden internationale Erfahrungen mit neuen Formen der Organisierung und Interessenvertretung im Spannungsverhältnis zwischen sozialen Bewegungen und Gewerkschaften diskutiert.

Berlin Update: On Wednesday November 8th almost 50 of us participated in a strong action against 3 Hines related properties. We made an action tour and picketed a bank, a hotel and the Hines headquarters. We were activists from different collectives, unionists from Verdi (German Trade Union) and also representatives from the London and Australian justice for janitors campaigns. The Berlin police was a pain in the ass but we were able to make ourselves heard.

Germany to Extend Minimum Pay to Cleaners

By Brian Parkin

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet today agreed to extend minimum-wage rules to industrial cleaners in a step aimed at rooting out unfair competition caused by companies that undercut pay levels agreed with unions.

The BIV cleaning industry group that lobbied for the change said companies caught paying less than the minimum will risk prosecution when the rule becomes law next year. The legislation sets minimum hourly pay rates for cleaners in western Germany at 7.87 euros ($10.09) and 6.36 euros in the eastern states.

The new law ``will help root out the black sheep as tariff busters will face fines,'' said Bonn-based BIV spokeswoman Christine Sudhop in an interview. BIV represents 850,000 cleaners in 2,600 companies.