> From: STEPHEN DAVIES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Unions1 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Unions1 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 15:44:50 GMT
> Subject: Cyber Picket Line
>
> NET NEWS RELEASE
>
> International Workers Day, 1 May 1997
>
> UNION FLYING PICKETS HEAD INTO CYBERSPACE
>
> 1997's May Day is not only marked by the British General Election but
> also by the launch of the Cyber Picket Line - the world's biggest
> internet directory of trade union websites. Its address is:
>
> http://www.cf.ac.uk/ccin/union/
>
> With links to over 1000 trade union and trade union-related sites, the
> Cyber Picket Line shows the massive strides that the labour movement
> has taken in high tech communications over the last few years.
>
> The small group of pioneers who began it all a decade or more ago -
> primarily in Europe and North America - have now been joined by union
> internationals, national union centres, individual unions and hundreds
> of local union branches all over the world.
>
> The Cyber Picket Line features union sites from every continent in the
> world ranging from South African miners to Brazilian dockers; from
> council shop stewards in Sheffield to journalists in Hong Kong; from
> Croatian railworkers to Canadian loggers.
>
> The effects are already being felt as workers build new links across
> continents and oceans. The Liverpool Dockers campaign, the Korean
> trade unionists battle against repressive laws and the US Firestone
> workers have all used the internet and the world wide web to organise
> solidarity action and to build support.
>
> Steve Davies, the co-ordinator of the new web site said:
>
> "For too long unions all over the world have been on the ropes. Now
> we're on the Net and its already beginning to pay off. It's now
> possible for workers to communicate effectively with each other as
> never before.
>
> "It is also possible for rank and file stewards and branch activists
> to have access to the sort of information resource and research
> capacity that was previously only available to senior full time
> officers. It is potentially one of the most powerful and democratic
> weapons at the disposal of the labour movement.
>
> "I hope that this site helps local branches all over the world take
> advantage of the resources that exist, make the contacts that count,
> and use 21st century techniques to rebuild international solidarity."
>
>
> ENDS
>
> NOTES FOR EDITORS
>
> The site co-ordinator is Steve Davies. He lives in Cardiff, and works
> at the University of Wales Cardiff in adult education where he's been
> since the beginning of 1996. Before that he spent 11 years working at
> the London headquarters of a British Civil Service union (now called
> PTC). He started as a research officer, later specialising in
> privatisation and contracting out, before becoming national press
> officer and Assistant to the General Secretary.
>
> A Spanish version of the site is under construction (translation being
> done by Companero David Jones of Pontypridd and Zaragoza). Eventually
> the site may appear in several other languages. All the tricky techie
> work for this site was done by Sioned Rogers of CapitalNet, the server
> for Cardiff, who have also provided the webspace.
>
>
