Winnipeg Wobbly

This March 13th is the International Day Against Police Brutality, and there will be events here in Winnipeg to mark the day. Winnipeg Wobblies will be present at the march and events. Here's the info from facebook:

International Day against Police Brutality - March, Film and Discussion:
Date:
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Time:
12:00pm - 5:15pm
Location:
Winnipeg Manitoba
Description
Come out and show your opposition to police brutality and misconduct.

I am writing from the trial of Belgrade 6 and I wanted to give a brief report to the sections on what was happening , more information will follow.

There was a tremendous turn out of supporters for the start of the Belgrade 6 case. There was also many supporters from outside Serbia, which included may supporters from the IWA sections. All the main Serbian TV channels were also present.

Little information come from inside the courts, so it was a long day for supporters waiting outside with all sorts of conflicting rumours circulating about what was happening inside. Our concerns were only increased when several anarchist from Croatia were arrested for unfolding a banner which read ANARCHISM IS NOT TERRORISM. They now face up to a month in prison

At 3.30pm loud clapping come from inside the court. A few minutes later supporters, who had been allowed in the court, emerged to announce that the Belgrade 6 were going to be released in effect on bail. There was plenty of confusion but it later confirmed that they were going to be released until March 23rd when they would still face terrorist charges.

But the fact that they had been released was a tremendous victory. Later in the evening the Belgrade 6 were informed that the charges of terrorism would be dropped and replaced with a lessor charge. Needless to say the mood among the family and supporters was euphoric.

At the meeting after the release we were informed about some disturbing treatment the Belgrade 6 had received while they were in prison.

The fight is not over, the Belgrade 6 may still face serious charges when they return to court on the 23rd March. We must keep up the pressure on the Serbian state. But the fact that they have been released and the terrorist charges dropped is a massive victory, But the campaign must continue until all charges are dropped and the Serbian state is held accountable for actions.

Long live the IWA

Anthony Crowther
Acting IWA Secretary

Six Serbian anarcho-syndicalists are due in court today charged with international terrorism in what Belgrade academics have condemned as a political trial.

Tadej Kurepa, Ivan Vulović, Sanja Dojkić, Ratibor Trivunac, Ivan Savic and Nikola Mitrovic, were detained on September 4th after a Molotov cocktail broke a window at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade.
Originally arrested for "causing general public danger," an allegation often associated with low-level vandalism, the activists' charges were upped to international terrorism following public comments by Serbian President Boris Tadic that he intended to crack down on "left-wing terrorism."

The six face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the latest charges - more than double the sentence handed down for the burning to the ground of the US Embassy in 2008 in which one man was killed.
Academics at Belgrade University have condemned the trial, writing in an open letter: "We fear that this was an arbitrary interpretation of the Criminal Code and a case of its use for political purposes.
"Just in the year 2009 we have witnessed the escalation of violence and numerous threats of violence made by fascist groups. All of this was met with a mild reaction from the state prosecution and the police.

"To name just one example: in the days leading up to the Belgrade Gay Pride Parade (set for September 20th and called off due to security fears) threats of physically liquidating the gay population were called just 'polemics' by a representative of the state."

All of the six detainees are activists in or associates of the Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI), the Serbian section of the International Workers' Association (IWA). The ASI is part of a growing, independent union movement in Serbia and supporters say this is a political trial aimed at derailing that growth.

The attack itself has been claimed by a group called Crni Ilja, who said it was in solidarity with a Greek anarchist on hunger strike. No members of that group have as yet been positively identified.
The Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative has declared that they knew nothing of the attack or the group that carried it out. Ratibor Trivunac has repeatedly stated that throwing molotov cocktails is not a method of struggle used by the group.

A spokesperson for the Solidarity Federation, British section of the International Workers Association, said: "We unreservedly condemn the trial as a political attempt by the rulers of Serbia to silence an effective radical movement. Members of SF and other IWA sections are going to Belgrade for the trial to show support for our imprisoned comrades."

Source: http://libcom.org/news/controversial-terror-trial-belgrade-anarchists-begins-17022010

Check out the newest edition of our newsletter, the Winnipeg Wobbly! Included in this edition:

• Maple Leafs Labour Abuses in Brandon
  
• Book Review: Pubs, Pulpits & Prairie Fires
• IWW/NSG ‘Holidarity Forever’ Mixer a Major Success
• Rebel Workers’ Guide Part 3: Principles for Organizers
  
• Committee Report: News from the General Defense Committee

Click Here For The Winnipeg Wobbly Vol. 1 Issue 3

This is something we will be following in the up coming weeks.

CBC News - Manitoba - St. Boniface nurses vote to strike

Nurses at Winnipeg's St. Boniface General Hospital have voted 78 per cent in favour of strike action but have not set a strike deadline.

A little more than a third of the 1,400 nurses who work at the hospital voted Monday.

The president of the Local 5 of the Manitoba Nurses Union, Debbie Mintz, said Monday night there is no plan to strike just yet.

"Our intention is to return to the table to negotiate in February and for the rest of the dates that are scheduled, with an empowerment by the nurses at St. Boniface to get a final contract that does not include the rollbacks," Mintz said.

Mintz said the hospital wants concessions on overtime and the awarding of positions on the basis of seniority.

She said the contract has for 35 years awarded positions on the basis of seniority provided nurses meet qualifications.

"We certainly know that 78 per cent of the nurses that turned up here tonight are adamant that the final contract should not have rollbacks in [it]," she said.

The nurses have been without a contract since the end of last September.

We would also like to send out a call to all members of the Manitoba Nurses Union: We want to here from you! This blog is a blog for, by, and about workers, so we want to hear your experiences at work, your feelings on the strike vote, gripes with the unions and the bosses, anything coming up. This is your soap box! Drop us an email at: winnipegiww@hotmail.com.