The RMT, which has more than 80,000 members in many sectors of the transport industry, has long held a position against the European Union, and in the recent referendum they campaigned to leave the E.U. Rather than using the term ‘Brexit’, they used the term ‘Lexit’, meaning they advocated leaving the E.U. for left wing reasons, not the right wing reasons that were raised by some leaders of the Brexit campaign.

Hoyle explains their position in this interview.

If the subtitles don't appear by default, click ‘CC’ on the YouTube video for subtitles.

#DurbanSouthAfrica #Durban #EuropeanUnion #Brexit #Lexit

Fight Back! spoke with Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento about the changes in U.S.-Cuba relations.

(The interview is in Spanish – if you don't see the English subtitles, press “CC” to see them)

#DurbanSouthAfrica #Durban #Cuba #WFTU #CTC #Americas

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following speech given by Cherrene Horazuk, representing the U.S. delegation to the WFTU Congress which is underway in Durban, South Africa.

On behalf of the U.S. delegation, thank you to the WFTU for inviting us to observe this 17th congress. It is an honor to be among so many leaders and fighters for our class. Thank you also to COSATU and all of our South African hosts. Many people in the U.S. of my generation became anti-imperialist activists during the struggle against apartheid, inspired by your liberation movement. Your struggle helped us to build our movement. Thank you.

In the U.S., we are working to put our unions on a class-struggle orientation and to transform them into weapons for our fight. Not enough of our unions are willing to stand up and fight back against capitalist barbarity, but there are several shining examples that point the way forward.

Nearly 5000 nurses in Minnesota have been on strike for over a month against a corporation that made $1.3 billion last year but still demands concessions from its workers. The nurses bravely voted overwhelmingly on Monday to continue their strike indefinitely.

750 dining service workers started a strike yesterday against Harvard University, the richest university in the world. Harvard has $35 billion in savings, has 47 Nobel prize winners, and educated the world's bourgeoisie, yet its workers live in poverty. But Harvard workers are rising up and saying no to concessions. They are rising up and demanding a guaranteed annual income that allows a dignified life.

28,000 teachers in Chicago just voted to go on strike once again. They plan to start this strike on Oct. 11 and are fighting back against concessions and to defend the services their students need. They are striking against Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a billionaire who was President Obama's chief of staff. The Chicago teachers have inspired teachers and students around the country to resist the corporate takeover of education.

A small but growing number of unions are joining the struggle of the Black liberation movement against police terror. In the last two years alone, more than 2000 people have been killed by the police. Young Black men are five times more likely to be killed than whites. Working class men like Philando Castile, a union brother from my city, who was gunned down by police in June in front of his girlfriend and her four-year-old daughter when he was pulled over for a broken taillight on his car. His murder was captured on video by his girlfriend and horrified the country. People are rising up against these racist atrocities and unions are finally joining in.

Some unions are also joining the struggle of indigenous people against expansion of oil pipelines through their sacred lands of Standing Rock. The AFL-CIO has taken the backwards position of supporting the pipeline because it creates a few hundred jobs. But our best unions have the joined the struggle against the pipeline and in solidarity with native peoples.

Our best union fighters have also joined the struggle for the release of political prisoners Oscar Lopez Rivera, Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu Jamal and others.

I live near Chicago, the home of Haymarket, where the fight for the eight-hour day was born. In 1886, workers rose up to demand an eight-hour day and were brutally attacked by the police. The leaders were convicted and executed. Around the world, the working class honors these martyrs every May 1st – International Workers' Day. But not in the U.S., because conservative trade union leaders have buried the radical and communist history of our movement. However, May Day was reclaimed as a mass workers day in 2006 by immigrant workers, mainly from Mexico, and we now join the world in celebrating our heroes and struggles on May 1.

For decades, a statue honoring the police stood on the Haymarket site. It was blown up several times and finally moved offsite. Now, a workers' monument stands on Haymarket Square. The trade union movement in Chicago cares for the monument. Each year, they invite one international union to place a plaque on the monument. This year, the invitation was given to the WFTU in recognition of the WFTU's role in leading the global working class movement. Comrade Valentine Pacho was supposed to travel to Chicago for May Day to place the plaque, but was prevented by U.S. imperialism from obtaining a visa. A statement from the WFTU was read by Kay Tillow, however, and was received enthusiastically.

The WFTU is honored with a plaque at Haymarket. The ITUC does not have a plaque. The WFTU has a plaque because it is the international embodiment of the spirit of Haymarket. One of class struggle, workers' unity, and internationalism.

Long live the WFTU!

Long live the international working class!

Down with U.S. imperialism!

Amanda!

#DurbanSouthAfrica #PeoplesStruggles #WorkersAndGlobalization #SouthAfrica #WFTU #WorldFederationOfTradeUnionsCongress

Durban, South Africa – 1500 delegates from class-struggle unions from over 110 countries gathered in Durban, South Africa on Oct. 5 to begin the 17th Congress of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU). The WFTU represents 92 million workers in 125 countries.

The gathering is hosted by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), the historic trade union federation that helped lead the fight to defeat apartheid.

Delegates were welcomed by COSATU president Sdumo Dlamini, WFTU Secretary General George Mavrikos, and then were received with a speech by the president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma. There were speakers in several languages from unions leading important, large struggles around the world, including India, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Chile, Ecuador, Lebanon and many more. Union leaders from socialist countries China, Vietnam and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea also spoke to delegates.

The WFTU 17th Congress is organized under the themes of “Struggle, internationalism, unity; Forward for the attainment of contemporary needs of the working class, for the emancipation of workers, against poverty and wars generated by capitalist barbarity.”

Speaker after speaker paid homage to the historic anti-apartheid struggle of the workers and people of South Africa. Delegates from African countries particularly expressed the importance of having this world Congress in Africa and particularly in South Africa, with its long history of struggles for national liberation and working class emancipation. The hundreds of COSATU members present brought the spirit of their struggle to the Congress, frequently leading the group in songs and chants from the South African anti-apartheid and workers’ struggles.

The Congress will meet for two more days, with speakers from many more countries, leadership elections, resolutions and cultural events.

#DurbanSouthAfrica #Durban #International #ClassStruggle #PeoplesStruggles #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #SouthAfrica #WFTU

Durban, South Africa – With the themes of “struggle, internationalism and unity”, the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is preparing for its 17th Congress in Durban, South Africa Oct. 5-8.

The WFTU is an international trade union federation of more than 100 countries with a membership of more than 92 million workers. It aims to build a militant, class-oriented, internationalist, democratic trade union movement.

The WFTU holds a congress every five years. This year’s congress is hosted by South Africa’s trade union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

This congress of WFTU will be attended by more than 70 trade unions formations from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. There will also be a delegation of trade unionists attending from the U.S.

The congress will conclude with a mass workers rally at the Curries Fountain stadium on Oct. 8. As part of the closing ceremony, a workers’ memorial plaque will be unveiled at the Curries Fountain stadium.

The class-oriented and revolutionary trade union movement under the banner of WFTU will use this opportunity to reflect and come out with responses to the challenges facing the working class all around the world and also to consolidate and strengthen the principles of working class internationalism and universalism.

The congress will afford the workers an opportunity to pay the greatest homage to the foundational figures of the South African trade union movement such as Moses Mabhida, JB Marks, John Nkadimeng, Eric ‘Stalin’ Mtshali, John Taolo Gaetsewe, Billy Nair, Wilton Mkwayi, Mark Shope, Joe Molokeng, Ray Alexander, Stephen Dlamini, Leslie Masina, Leon Levy and many others who pioneered COSATU’s predecessor SACTU.

#DurbanSouthAfrica #Durban #WorldFederationOfTradeUnions #WFTU #COSATU

Durban, South Africa – Protesters flocked to the U.S. consulate here, March 22, on the tenth anniversary of the abduction of Dr. Siddiqui and her three children in Karachi, Pakistan.

The picket drew widespread interest from thousands of motorists and pedestrians. The demonstration was extremely vocal and passionate chants of “Free Free Aafia!” echoed through one of the busiest streets in the city. The protesters demanded an end to the oppression and injustices against Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and demanded her repatriation to Pakistan.

National coordinator for The Aafia Foundation, Inayet Wadee, addressed the crowd, saying the U.S. administration has a pathetic human rights record and that the national justice and prison system in the U.S. has been linked to widespread human rights abuses.

“We are fully aware of the unlawful arrests, unfair trials, inhumane prison conditions, lack of adequate health care, humiliating and degrading treatment by prison guards and cruel forms of punishment meted out to Dr Aafia Siddiqui,” said Wadee.

#DurbanSouthAfrica #Durban #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #PoliticalPrisoners #DrAafiaSiddiqui #SouthAfrica