******************** POSTING RULES & NOTES ******************** #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. *****************************************************************
Hi folks, with Easter coming up, this update is coming early. We've stuck up three important articles on workers' rights in the past few days. Phil Duncan looks at the background to the tussle between Cotton On workers at the company's Auckland distribution centre and the bosses who were trying to take away their breaks. This round has gone to the workers: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/workers-at-cotton-on-win-pay-and-teabreak-victory/ The settlement in the Cotton On case came just after we'd posted up a major feature article on the importance of distribution workers in 21st century capitalism. While the article deals with the US it is very relevant here. Indeed, drive around chunks of 'industrial Auckland' and what you will largely see are distribution centres more than factories. The importation of industrial and manufacturing products that were once produced here has put distribution workers here at a pivotal place in contemporary capitalism (and,. as Marx noted, sections of workers involved in the sphere of circulation produce surplus-value): https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/the-importance-of-circulation-workers-in-21st-century-capitalism/ Lastly, however bad conditions of workers in New Zealand are, workers in the Third World have it far worse. Read about the Mexican farm workers' strike in which fruitpickers, many of them impoverished and semi-literate workers from the south of Mexico, are pitted against some of the biggest and richest companies in the world: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/mexican-farm-workers-strike/ In the next day or two, we'll doing something on an impressive transport workers strike in Argentina - so look out for that. Also, check out our piece on the Northland 'buy-election' result: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/the-dark-lord-takes-the-north-land-peters-win-no-victory-for-the-working-class/ And an excellent piece by Kenan Malik on why young people in Europe would join a group like ISIS: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/why-are-young-people-in-european-joining-jihadi-groups/ And, over Easter, you might have time to peruse the following collections of articles on the blog: *The state of the working class in New Zealand today: * https://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/the-state-of-the-working-class-in-new-zealand-today/ *This is what workers' resistance looks like: * https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/this-is-what-resistance-looks-like/ *Education for anti-capitalists:* https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/education-for-anti-capitalists/ Have a good Easter break, Phil for Redline blog collective _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
