Brazil

By Harry Glass The Brazil Network and the Latin America Bureau hosted a public meeting on the Brazilian landless workers' movement (MST) on 19 October in London. MST adviser Horatio Martins told the meeting that there were more than 200,000 families waiting in camps for land, and that so far Lula's government had only settled 13,500 families. He said he was pessimistic about the prospects for land reform. Martins explained that many urban workers have left the cities because of unemployment and violence to make a living on the land - so the number of land occupations has increased. He also...

South Korea: a summer of discontent Free Brazilian landless workers! General strike in Chile Support locked-out Indonesian workers Protests at WTO Cancun, Mexico South Korea: a summer of discontent Korea's two union umbrella organisations have agreed to step up their fight against the government's controversial five-day working week bill under discussion in the National Assembly (parliament). The independent Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the traditionally pro-government Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) say they will be holding more protests against the bill. Sit-ins...

By Pablo Velasco Brazilian left calls for a new party Indonesian left starts election campaign Anti-union laws in Argentina Brazilian left calls for a new party Heloisa Helena, the senator expelled from Brazil's Workers Party (PT) in December last year, has issued a call for the formation of a new party of the "Socialist and Democratic Left". Helena, a founder member of the PT and one of its most prominent senators, was expelled from the party with three other MPs for voting against government cuts in public sector pensions. The appeal, put out with other trade unionists and well known left...

by Pablo Velasco Oscar Olivera wins case Urgent appeal for Chinese workers' leaders P Diddy uses sweatshops Brazilian car workers walk out Korean workers' demonstrations Colombian Coca Cola worker visit Oscar Olivera wins case Bolivian workers' leader Oscar Olivera has won his fight against victimisation. Oscar is the secretary of the Federation of Factory Workers of Cochabamba, and works at the Manaco Footwear Company. He is a locally elected union leader who gets his regular salary and benefits from the company while performing full-time union work. He is also a leader of struggles against...

People's United Opposition Party launched in Indonesia Guatemalaen maquila workers' victory Victory in the Hyundai strike Sri Lankan trade unionists under attack Yao Fuxin and Xio Yunliang moved to labour camp Brazil pension reform sparks workers protest People's United Opposition Party launched in Indonesia The left in Indonesia has launched a new political party, in preparation for the 2004 election. At the end of July around 300 representatives from more than 50 organisations founded the People's United Opposition Party (Partai Persatuan Oposisi Rakyat, or Popor). Dita Sari was elected the...

French strikes over: we'll be back 50th anniversary of East German uprising Strike wave in South Korea tests the new president Zimbabwe extends strike bans Demonstration against Lula's government Cambodian police kill demonstrators No jobs for sacked Venezuelan oil workers Celebrate 100 years of the car industry? ICFTU figures for deaths of trade unionists French strikes over: we'll be back The inspiring fight of French workers against the Chirac-Raffarin government's plans to cut their pensions is over. The legislation is going through parliament where the government has a massive majority...

by Pablo Velasco Peruvian unions defy state of emergency Zimbabwe opposition strikes Lula gets backing from right Class struggle in Israel Indonesian socialists to contest elections Peruvian unions defy state of emergency Thousands of trade unionists in Peru marched through the capital Lima last week in defiance of the government's state of emergency. In Arequipa, the second largest city, local leaders called a general strike to support the protest. There were protests in other major cities. On 27 May President Toledo imposed the state of emergency in the midst of a rising wave of discontent...

The Workers' Party (PT) in Brazil has taken the first steps towards expelling socialists within the party who oppose government reforms. The move comes as Lula da Silva's government seeks to push through changes to the tax and pension system - slashing the pensions and other benefits for civil servants. Three representatives in Congress, Luciano Genro, Heloisa Helena and Joao Batista de Araujo, who are from different left tendencies within the PT, have been hauled up before the party's ethics committee, accused of engaging in "systematic opposition". In fact they had rightly joined with unions...

by Pablo Velasco Last week metalworkers went on indefinite strike at a General Motors (GM) plant and a Renault car factory in Brazil. Some 5,000 workers at GM's Sao Jose dos Campos plant and another 2,500 at Renault's Sao Jose dos Pinhais factory are striking for higher wages to compensate for rising inflation. In addition to a 10% wage increase, GM workers are demanding a cut in their working week from 40 to 36 hours and an "inflation clause" that guarantees a pay raise every time consumer prices jump more than 3%. At the Renault plant, union leaders are pushing for a 14% pay increase. The...

by Paul Hampton More than 100 people attended a conference about Brazil at the School of Oriental and African Studies on Saturday 8 March. It was called because of the interest in Brazil following the victory of Lula, the Workers' Party candidate, in a Presidential election last year. The main discussion centred around why Lula's government has been so conservative in its economic policy so far, and whether it has broken (or will break) from the neo-liberal policies of its predecessors. Kucinski, a member of the communications department in the government, defended the PT's position, while...