Solidarity 043, 9 January 2004

by Jim Bywater More than 75,000 workers in Southern California, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, have been on strike or locked out since 11 October 2003 in what has become an important test of union strength and unity. The strikers are fighting the grocers' attempt to impose a two-tier wage and benefits scale and the stocking of store shelves by vendors, as well as a 50-75% cut in health coverage. Many employers across the US are reducing health provision or forcing workers to pay higher costs and Southern Californian grocery chains are no exception, despite...

Turkey is a nation not unused to living with the day to day spectre of terrorism. A campaign of Armenian guerrilla attacks on Turkey's interests abroad in the 1980s, and more recent Kurdish and leftist bombing campaigns inside Turkey, mean that residents, particularly of the country's major cities, Istanbul and Ankara, are aware of the risks. But the public reaction to finding themselves enduring attacks soon described by the local media as "our 9/11" was as much one of shock and bemusement as it was grief and outrage. In November 62 people were killed and more than 700 injured in a series of...

By Cathy Nugent "The recovery of Afghanistan must entail a restoration of the rights of Afghan women… The rights of women in Afghanistan will not be negotiable." Colin Powell "Do not try to put yourself on a level with men. Even God has not given you equal rights because under his decision two women are counted as equal to one man." Sighbatullah, Chair of Afghanistan's Constitutional Loya Jirga On Sunday 4 January Afghanistan's Loya Jirga (a part elected, part appointed national decision-making body) agreed a new constitution for the country. Essentially a deal has been struck between the US...

By Yassamine Mather The earthquake that shook the city of Bam in south east Iran in the early hours of 26 December has cost the lives of 40-50,000 inhabitants of this city and made more than 200,000 people homeless. As the people of Bam bury their dead, Iranians consider the dangers of an earthquake of similar intensity in the capital, Tehran, which like Bam lies on a major seismological fault and where geophysicists have predicted a strong earthquake would cause a death toll of 700,000. Iranians have also begun a debate about prevention of death and destruction by such natural disasters, and...

Thursday 15 January, 7.30pm, Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall. Speakers include Billy Hayes (CWU), and Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street actress). Organised by Manchester Against Racism. "Unite Against Fascism" is a new group formed by a merger of the Anti-Nazi League and the National Assembly Against Racism. To join Unite Against Fascism costs £10 waged, £3 unwaged/students. There are other rates for organisations and trade unions. Contact Unite! c/o Natfhe, 27 Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP. Phone 020 7833 4916, or e-mail: unite@natfhe.org.uk

By Martin Thomas The Socialist Alliance Executive on 3 January voted to support the "Respect" electoral coalition launched in Socialist Worker of 13 December, mainly by the SWP and George Galloway MP. It "regard[ed] the statement [published in December] as a good basis for the public launch of 'Respect'". Two Executive members, Steve Godward (unaffiliated) and myself, voted against. Three abstained: John Fisher (close to SWP), Lesley Mahmood (ex-Militant), and Marcus Strom (Weekly Worker). 13 voted for. The "all aboard" trumpet-call, however, was not quite at perfect pitch. Supporters of...

By Steve Godward We have changed from a left coalition which will be "of course, socialist" to one where we will "fight for it to adopt a working class and socialist platform". This major policy breach was not in my opinion within the power of the Exec. [At the Exec] I argued that to subsume the SA in the forthcoming local elections would be the best gift the BNP would have, as it appears "Respect" is only standing in the London and European elections. I left the meeting believing we have deserted the class in the hope of Middle England's vote through our craven desire not to rock the "Respect...

A different vision of the kind of united left political alternative needed by the working class has been put together by the Democracy Platform of the Socialist Alliance. Extracts: "We believe the struggle for democracy is an integral part of the struggle for socialism. The defence and extension of democracy in the Socialist Alliance, in the working class movement, in Britain and the rest of the world, is of fundamental importance in advancing the interests of the working class. To advance these objectives, we need the democratic organisation of socialists and militant workers into a party, as...

By Dave Parks Socialists should ask ourselves when we engage in activity whether it helps the working class prepare for its historic mission in the slightest. If it doesn't then what on earth are we doing it for? I see two important reasons for standing in elections, although elections should be only the tip of the iceberg of our activity. To build class consciousness within the working class. To help build organisations which can be used to further the class struggle and fight for the independent political interests of the working class. Instead of looking to how we raise class consciousness...

Clive Bradley begins a series on the issues following the war on Iraq by examining the Iraqi "resistance" For many supporters of the war, it was "to liberate the Iraqi people." Now that Saddam Hussein has been captured, many commentators speculate that the armed "resistance" to US occupation, far from dissipating, will grow. Reports on the insurgents vary quite radically: some, like Tariq Ali (in his book Bush in Babylon, and writing recently in the Guardian) declare it to be a national liberation movement as in Vietnam or Algeria (in its "first phase"); others are less sure. Reports suggest...