French protesters downed their tools and marched once again in Paris and other cities on Thursday, galvanised by President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to ram his deeply unpopular pension reform through parliament without a vote, in what critics have branded a “denial of democracy”.
Archiv: exploitation
Emmanuel Macron: France’s Caligula?
Instead, on Macron’s orders, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne used a controversial clause in the Constitution, Article 49.3, to pass the bill.
The Republican Party are widely supportive of Macron’s reform bill, which raises the age of retirement from sixty-two to sixty-four, and issued instructions for its sixty-one Members of Parliament to vote against the motion. But nineteen of its MPs defied orders, adding to the dissent and disorder which has swept France in recent days, in parliament and on the street.
Macron holds firm on pension reform bill as protests escalate
Dismissing calls for a snap election or a referendum, he said the plan to raise France’s minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 would continue on its “democratic path” and come into force by the end of 2023.
The French president also reaffirmed his faith in Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, whose government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote triggered by Macron’s use of special executive powers to bypass parliament.
Paris erupts in violence after Macron wins no-confidence vote by just nine
(21.03.2023)
The first motion, which was the only one ever likely to succeed, failed thanks to the decision of the conservative Republican party not to support it.
Bid to end teacher strikes as government and education unions agree to hold ‚intensive talks‘ on pay and workload
(Friday 17 March 2023)
The news follows the breakthrough in the NHS dispute on Thursday, with union leaders representing thousands of nurses, ambulance crews and other health workers agreeing to suspend further strikes while ballots are held on a new pay offer.
Junior doctors in England agree to pay talks after three-day strike
(17 Mar 2023)
On Friday night the Department of Health and Social Care said the British Medical Association had agreed to enter negotiations on the same terms as unions representing nurses, ambulance staff and other NHS workers in talks that concluded this week.
Government FINALLY reaches pay deal with NHS unions after months of strikes
(16 Mar 2023)
After three months of strikes, the Government has offered a one off bonus this year of 2.5% for the best paid and 8.2% for the worst paid.
The offer, recommended by most of the main NHS unions, comes on top of the 4% increase already implemented for 2022/23.
This award had come with inflation at over 10% and had sparked the strikes.
… and reform pensions so that most Czechs work until 68. This is the age in which most citizens are no longer fit and healthy. It is good to add that pensions in the Czech republic are ridiculously low, and the country spends a below-average share of GDP in the EU comparison.
What a shame. To appease the warmongers, during this time the Czech government raised annual military budget to match 2% GDP as they are planning to purchase F-35 fighter jets costing 100 billion CZK. The pension cuts will save them 19 billion this year.
Anger as French government pushes through pension change without vote
Opposition parties said they would request a vote of no confidence in the government, which will be voted on in the coming days, possibly on Monday.
The French parliament saw chaotic scenes after President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to reform the country’s costly pension system was pushed through without a vote
Protests erupt as French government forces through higher retirement age
The pension reform bill passed the French Senate earlier on Thursday, but was not expected to pass the National Assembly – the lower house of the country’s parliament – where lawmakers were due to vote this afternoon.
The session was stopped early for Borne’s announcement. Lawmakers erupted into chaotic scenes as she explained the government’s decision, fighting to be heard as lawmakers sang French national anthem “La Marseillaise” and others held signs reading “No to 64 years.”
French President Macron overrides parliament to pass retirement age bill
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday resorted to using special constitutional powers.
The pensions overhaul has been met with widespread protests and strikes across France.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced to the assembly that the government would trigger Article 49.3 of the French Constitution.
Protests in Paris as Macron forces through controversial pension reform
But the government was unsure of the vote numbers in the National Assembly, forcing French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to announce the triggering of Article 49.3.
The decision runs the risk of further inflaming the protests and strikes that have rocked France over the last months. It also gives the opposition the right to immediately call a confidence vote in parliament.
The opposition reacted with fury to the decision to avoid a vote after weeks of debates on the legislation.
CNNMoney.com’s bailout tracker
Troubled ASSET RELIEF PROGRAM
Financial rescue plan aimed at restoring liquidity to the financial markets
(…)
Committed : $11 trillion (total)
Invested: $3 trillion (total)
La retraite, c’est comme la galette, on la veut complète ! #NonALaReformeDesRetraites #OnBloqueTout #15mars #greve15mars #manifestation15mars
#ReformeDesRetraites #64ansCestNon #Pontivy #Morbihan #CentreBretagne #Bretagne
Philippe Martinez : « La détermination […] est plus forte suite au courrier que nous a adressé le président de la République, où globalement il nous fait un bras d’honneur » #NonALaReformeDesRetraites #manifestation11mars
Will strikes force Macron to back down over French pension reforms?
France saw a wave of strikes against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms on Thursday, causing disruption to trains, flights, schools and even hospitals. Polls show a majority of the French oppose the president’s measures – and analysts say maintaining public support of strikes will be crucial to unions’ chances of forcing a U-turn.
France’s Senate passes controversial pension reform
French senators passed the deeply unpopular plan by 195 votes to 112 late Saturday, bringing the package another step towards becoming law. The vote came hours after hundreds of thousands of people again marched in protest in rallies across the country, but in fewer numbers than expected.
France pension protests enter seventh day, affecting multiple economic sectors
Protestors in France Saturday demonstrated for a seventh day against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform plan, which has been widely disputed across the country since his announcement of the plan in January.
According to the Confederation of Labor (CGT), a national federation of French trade unions, hundreds of thousands of employees, young people, and retirees went on strike and protested in the streets of French cities Friday against Macron’s plan.
Non à la retraite à 64 ans ! – La campagne
Retrouvez ici toutes les infos et ressources concernant la campagne commune de la NUPES contre la réforme de la retraite à 64 ans !
Amazon’s labor exploitation is a return to the 1920s — and unions are our best hope out
(14.06.2021)
Amazon claims to be innovative, but its strategies of market dominance and labor exploitation are as old as capitalism itself, and were perfected by predecessors like Standard Oil, General Motors, US Steel, AT&T, Walmart and Microsoft. My union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, views this as history repeating itself.
The Roaring ’20s were great for those at the top, but meant massive exploitation of workers. As we embark further into the 2020s, the Teamsters will make sure that Amazon cannot repeat a history where workers suffered acutely to make ends meet and were frequently injured or even killed on the job while company executives stuffed their pockets with the profits.
What Exxon and Chevron Are Doing With Those Big Profits
(Feb. 1, 2023)
The variables that will determine oil companies’ profitability this year are largely out of their control — in both supply and demand. The war in Ukraine could expand or not; a recession in the United States and Europe could be deep or averted entirely. Prices for fuels, and inflation generally, will largely depend on how events play out.
Shell Reports Record Profits As Oil Giants—Including Exxon, Chevron—Cash In On Sky-High Prices After Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
(Feb 2, 2023)
Shell reported an annual profit of nearly $40 billion in 2022, the highest in the firm’s 115-year history.
The figure is more than double the $19.3 billion the firm reported in 2021 and far greater than its previous record of $31 billion in 2008.
Shell Reports Record Profits As Oil Giants—Including Exxon, Chevron—Cash In On Sky-High Prices After Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
(Feb 2, 2023)
Shell reported an annual profit of nearly $40 billion in 2022, the highest in the firm’s 115-year history.
The figure is more than double the $19.3 billion the firm reported in 2021 and far greater than its previous record of $31 billion in 2008.
Call for a General Strike in France on March 7, in opposition to Macron’s retirement & pension overhaul
France against pension reform, unions vow to ramp up strikes
The unions said in a joint statement that they would call for a national strike that would „bring France to a standstill“ on March 7 if the government „remained deaf to the popular mobilisation“.
France braces for a fourth day of pension reform protests
The protests are a crucial test both for Macron and his opponents. The government has insisted it’s determined to push through Macron’s election pledge to reform France’s generous pension system. But strong popular resentment will strengthen efforts by labor unions and left-wing legislators to try to block the bill.
Today is the biggest day of strike action in the history of the NHS. My question to those in positions of leadership: what side of history do you want to be on?
(06.02.2023)
Donate to support striking workers
As UNISON members continue to take strike action, the union is asking for donations to its strike fund
NHS Strikes: Nottingham NHS staff say ‘enough is enough after 10 years of below-inflation pay’
Nottingham NHS staff taking part in the biggest strike in the history of the service say they are suffering a ‘huge’ impact on their mental health because of their jobs.
Hundreds of nurses, healthcare assistants and clinicians took to picket lines across Nottinghamshire alongside paramedics, technicians, call handlers and other staff working for East Midlands Ambulance Service.
Upcoming strikes in Edinburgh as firefighters and teaching staff take industrial action
Here are the main public service strikes planned for the coming months, and the dates that these unions will be staging industrial action across Edinburgh.
Workers stage largest strike in history of Britain’s health service
Nurses and ambulance workers have been striking separately since late last year but Monday’s walkout involving both, largely in England, is the biggest in the 75-year history of the NHS.
Nurses will also walk out on Tuesday, ambulance staff on Friday, and physiotherapists Thursday, making the week probably the most disruptive in NHS history, its Medical Director Stephen Powis said.
UK strikes: No 10 admits ‚very difficult‘ day ahead as hundreds of thousands of workers walk out
Downing Street has conceded that today’s mass strike action will be „very difficult“ for the public.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said it is „disappointing“ that headteachers do not know fully how many teachers will be available for work until later today.
Strikes UK – live: Train drivers and teachers join biggest walkout in decade today
Downing Street said 600 military personnel as well as civil servants and volunteers across government have been trained to fill the gaps in public services.
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, said a petition of more than 250,000 signatures opposing new so-called “anti-strike” laws will be delivered to Downing Street.
France sees bigger crowds on second strike day against Macron pension reforms
French protesters launched a new push Tuesday to pressure President Emmanuel Macron into dropping a pension reform plan, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets in bigger crowds than those seen on the previous day of rallies on January 19.
Strikes over pension reform disrupt France for second time in a month
From tiny islands to major cities, demonstrators poured into France’s streets Tuesday in the latest clash of wills with the government over its plans to push back the retirement age. Labor unions aimed to mobilize more than 1 million demonstrators in what one veteran left-wing leader described as a “citizens‘ insurrection.“
More than 1 million protest across France against Macron’s pension reform
– More than a million people took to the streets across France to protest against the Macron government’s plans to reform the pension system, of which a proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is among the most controversial. Macron insists the reform is needed to reform a moribund system – but some of the government’s own experts have said the pension system is in relatively good shape and would likely eventually return to a balanced budget even without reforms.
– The interior ministry said some 1.2 people protested across France, 80,000 of them in Paris. Union organisers, however, estimated the number at 2 million, with 400,000 protesting in Paris.
Ambulance workers announce four more national strike dates
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said:
“GMB’s ambulance workers are angry. In their own words ‘they are done’.
„Our message to the Government is clear – talk pay now.
“Ministers have made things worse by demonising the ambulance workers who provided life and limb cover on strike days – playing political games with their scaremongering.
“The only way to solve this dispute is a proper pay offer.
Tearful nurse due to leave job today for £8,000 pay rise U-turned to join strike
Jade McCauley was due to start a completely new job tomorrow which would have bumped her yearly salary up by £8,000.
However, the community nurse at Northern General Hospital in Sheffield had a change of due to her passion for helping patients.
The 34-year-old spoke to the Mirror on the picket line outside the hospital today.
She also raised concerns about patient safety and called on Rishi Sunak to „spend a day in our shoes“.
SURVIVAL OF THE RICHEST
Oxfam briefing paper – January 2023
We are living through an unprecedented moment of multiple crises. Tens of millions more people are facing hunger. Hundreds of millions more face impossible rises in the cost of basic goods or heating their homes. Poverty has increased for the first time in 25 years. At the same time, these multiple crises all have winners. The very richest have become dramatically richer and corporate profits have hit record highs, driving an explosion of inequality. This report focuses on how taxing the rich is vital to addressing this unprecedented polycrisis and skyrocketing inequality. The report explores how, in recent history, taxation of the richest was far higher; how talk of taxing the rich and making billionaires pay their fair share is hugely popular; and how taxing the rich claws back elite power and reduces not just economic inequality, but racial, gender and colonial inequalities, too. The report lays out how much tax the richest should pay, and the practical, tried and tested ways in which governments can raise such taxation. It shows us how taxing the rich can set us clearly on a path to a more equal, sustainable world free from poverty.
The workforce crisis in the NHS means ambulances are being used as mini hospitals. The public deserve a better service than that, and our members want to deliver it. Time for the government to get serious and make these workers an offer.
GMB union to consider up to six more ambulance strike dates after failed talks with health secretary
A meeting held this morning with Health Secretary Stephen Barclay was described as „constructive“ by one doctors‘ union leader. But Professor Philip Banfield, chair of council at the British Medical Association (BMA), said there was no mention of one-off payments for NHS staff.
NHS facing more walkouts as ambulance staff strike
„People can’t get appointments anymore so they put off going to the doctor and when it gets worse they come to us,“ he says.
He and colleagues are also struggling with the cost of living, Mr Mistry say.
„I’m now having to think about how much heating I have on in the house – I have it on for two hours a day now.“
UK could be moving towards de facto general strike as unions promise co-ordinated action
Union leaders have previously argued that walkouts by staff across multiple sectors would constitute a de facto general strike, the like of which has not been seen in the UK since 1926.
Only the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has the power to call a general strike, though its legality remains unclear after laws were tightened in the 80s.
The umbrella organisation which represents the majority of trade unions in the UK has a total of around 5.5million members.
Railroads made $21 billion in profits in the first 9 months of 2022. Guaranteeing 7 paid sick days to rail workers would cost the industry $321 million/year. That’s just 1.5% of those profits. Congress just rejected sick leave for these workers. It’s profits over everything.
‚Political pawns‘: Livid railway workers warn Biden’s union agreement will ‚definitely‘ impact next election
„I work for a Class 1 railroad that implemented one of the most egregious attendance policies (Hi-Viz) that requires us to be available to work 92% of the time per month,“ he said. „If we take off one day for a sickness, we are required to [work] 14 days straight to gain points back. That is why we are fighting tooth and nail for sick days.“
President Biden signs bill that averts rail strike despite opposition from unions
Dec 2, 2022
President Joe Biden signed a bill on Friday that prevents 12 rail unions from going on strike next week. The president signed the bill to head off a potentially crippling supply chain disruption in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Protest Strikebreaker-In-Chief Biden in Boston!
Join Railroad Workers United (RWU), the Independent Socialist Group (ISG), and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) at a protest outside of Biden’s upcoming appearance in Boston. If you are in an organization that would like to endorse this event and is interested in speaking in support of railroad workers, contact:
Nick Wurst, RWU & ISG: 508-335-8633
Paul Bamberger, DSA: 518-860-9378
Day & Time: Friday 12/2 Picket starting 11:30am, Rally starting 12pm. Estimated end time 1:30pm.
Location: Biden will be visiting JFK Library at University Dr N, Boston, MA 02125 for an event. The picket and rally will be held at the corner of University Drive North and Colombia Point, on the parking lot side.
This railroad worker clearly & powerfully explains why workers need to have each other’s backs, ahead of a potential strike: „We’re all part of the working people that make society run…. Without us, nothing could happen. When one of us in under attack, we’re all under attack.“
Railroad Strike Ahead? Rail Workers Just Want Sick Leave
Devin Mantz: I voted no on the contract because we deserve more.
Adam Smithey: It does not meet the requirements for quality of life that we need. We need time to sleep, we need time to rest, we need to enjoy our lives. We don’t have any of that now.
Matt Weaver: We’re considered essential employees, and we don’t have a single paid sick day to use when we’re off. We worked through the pandemic, we were considered essential, and now it seems like we’re expendable.
Dave Manning: If a person is sick, they shouldn’t have to use all of their paid days that they had to earn the previous year before to take a day off.
Matt Morty Mortenson: We’re constantly coming to work sick and exhausted.
Reece Murtagh: We routinely work 14 hours and longer every day.
Matt Morty Mortenson: We’ve currently lost 2 BMWED members in the past two weeks and they might have been here today with us if they would have just been able to rest and reset.
People need to understand that we’ve reached this point in rail bargaining because of a failed union strategy to rely entirely on Democratic Party leadership to get a deal, and to avoid anything that could threaten that strategy, from progressive legislation to going on strike
Schumer pledges to keep senators in Washington until rail deal is done
“The Senate cannot leave until we get the job done, and Democrats will keep working with Republicans to find a path forward that everyone can support,” he announced on the Senate floor.
The Democratic leader began the so-called Rule 14 process on Wednesday evening to put a House-passed bill to avert the rail strike on the Senate calendar.
This is a legacy defining moment for Joe Biden. He is going down as one of the biggest disappointments in labor history.
(29.11.2022)
Statement from President Joe Biden on House Action to Avert Rail Shutdown
(30.11.2022)
This overwhelming bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives makes clear that Democrats and Republicans agree that a rail shutdown would be devastating to our economy and families across the country. The Senate must now act urgently. Without the certainty of a final vote to avoid a shutdown this week, railroads will begin to halt the movement of critical materials like chemicals to clean our drinking water as soon as this weekend.
Rail workers: A single day of sick leave please CNN’s coverage today:
(29.11.2022)
House Passes Bill to Block Rail Strike at Urging of President Biden
The House has passed legislation to block a nationwide rail strike by imposing a contract that has been rejected by unions representing the majority of freight rail workers.
Rebel Tories demand MORE U-turns on ‚mini-Budget‘ after plan to axe top 45p tax rate is ditched: Liz Truss CANCELS visit as ‚contrite‘ Kwasi Kwarteng vows he WON’T quit ahead of crunch speech – while PM’s ally says he warned Chancellor of market meltdown
– Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng backtracked amid threat of losing Commons vote
BNSF, the railroad owned by Warren Buffett, has sent this letter to Congress urging them to pass legislation that would force rail workers to adopt a contract that contains ZERO paid or unpaid sick days. In the letter, BNSF continues to lie about its sick leave policy
Railroad strike averted after marathon talks reach tentative deal
The deal gives the union members an immediate 14% raise with back pay dating back to 2020, and raises totaling 24% during the five-year life of the contract, that runs from 2020 through 2024. It also gives them cash bonuses of $1,000 a year.
Few other details of the deal have so far been made public. But the statement from Biden indicated that the major issue that had brought the country within a day of its first national rail strike in 30 years had been addressed in the unions’ favor.
On Friday, the US could see its 1st major rail strike and/or lockout since the 90s. MSM has *finally* taken an interest in covering this story but seldom from the workers‘ side. Here’s a thread of our @TheRealNews coverage this year on the long-brewing crisis in the rail industry
Welcome to Railroad Workers United
Railroad Workers United is an inter-union, cross-craft solidarity „caucus“ of railroad workers, and their supporters, from all crafts, all carriers, and all unions across North America. We urge union railroaders to continue being active in their craft union AND to join RWU in building solidarity and strength among all rail workers. We work with union rank & file railroad workers, but we welcome yet-to-be organized rail workers as well. In addition, we actively work with other labor and community organizations on issues of mutual concern. We do not accept managers or those who oppose our principles.
Railroad workers are being ground to dust. Who will help them?
(May 5, 2022)
Jeff Kurtz: Okay, thank you, Max. I’d like the viewers to imagine that their life is a scorecard, because that’s exactly what these workers are facing. They start off with a score of 30 points that they can never exceed that 30 points. They will get four points allocated back to their score. Say they get down to 20 points. If they work 14 days in a row, they will get four points allocated back to their score. But the points that you can lose are really dramatic. So, I mean, you could lose points for an incident. You could lose 15 points for an incident.
There are specific incidents. If you don’t show up for work for whatever reason. We had a gentleman that was in a car wreck, and it wasn’t his fault. He was about a mile from his terminal and his car was totaled. And the supervisor that came out there told him, she said, you’re not going to work. She said, you could be hurt, and we don’t know it. So they, what we call marked this guy off. They marked him off the job. Well, he initially was saddled with a 15 point deduction for not showing up to work. And eventually, I think that the local supervisor protested this, so they only docked him three points.
But this is exactly what’s going on. I heard of a case where a worker, his mother died while he was en route, and the railroad pulled him off the train, and then they tried to dock him points for it. And the stories just go on and on and on. And Max, what you alluded to as far as things getting worse when people aren’t watching, that’s exactly what’s happening.
Congress prepares to act on rail strike amid fears of ‘economic catastrophe’
More than 115,000 rail workers will be legally allowed to strike on Friday.
If you’re gonna spend a trillion dollars on the military, pursue GOP’s wet dreams in China, hand 10s of billions to cops and corps, keep Trump’s tax cuts, while also not delivering on debt relief, higher wages, HC, or protecting any of our rights, why does voting for you matter?
Europe Does A Complete U-Turn On African Oil And Gas
„The gas here goes to Bonny and Europe to power homes and industries but we have no benefits from it,“ one local community development activist from the Niger Delta told Bloomberg recently. „Nothing comes to us.“
The comment was part of an in-depth analysis by Bloomberg on Europe’s mad dash for gas that has seen Nigeria, for example, send millions of tons of LNG abroad while local communities use illegally made fuels and wood to stay warm. Nigeria is far from the only one.
Europe’s Rush to Buy Africa’s Natural Gas Draws Cries of Hypocrisy
The issue of climate finance will likely dominate this year’s COP27 talks in Egypt, which is set to focus heavily on solutions for Africa. The future of gas will also be a key topic given the host nation and many developing countries see it as a way to move away from coal, according to Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary of the UK, which hosted last year’s summit. “For them, gas is part of the transition.“
The International Energy Agency, which last year called for an end to new fossil fuel developments, in a recent report argued that Africa should be allowed to exploit its gas resources.
“After My Bills Are Paid, I Have Nothing Else”: People Are Sharing How Much Their Monthly Rent Has Gone Up This Year, And I Can’t Believe This Is Legal
Recently, we asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share how rising rents are affecting them and how they’re coping. Here’s what they had to say:
Average rent in Manhattan jumps to a record $5,000 a month
The median rent — which is the mid-point of all rents — just rose above $4,000 a month for the first time in May.
The average monthly rent — which is the sum of all rents divided by the number of rents included in the data — was even higher at $5,058 in June. That’s up nearly 30% from a year ago and marked the first time the average has gone above $5,000 a month.
Protest Tent Encampments Spring Up Across Israel Against Soaring Housing Costs
Protesters throughout Israel have set up tents in the street to decry the country’s sky-high housing costs, reminiscent of the massive cost-of-living demonstrations that swept the country in 2011. A protest camp was set up in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening, joining the encampments that have been set up in several locations across the country in recent days. Other encampments were located in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, Pardes Hanna, Holon and Rosh Ha’ayin. They said that a large demonstration is to take place at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square on July 2
Lincoln Uni BANS ‚organ harvesting‘ Nigerian professor: Senator and wife face police probe over claims they ‚used fake passport to traffick 15-year-old boy from streets of Lagos to act as kidney donor for their sick daughter in UK‘
A consultant working in a NHS hospital refused to remove the vital organ a 15-year-old who was allegedly trafficked to London from the streets of Lagos by the former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate and his wife, a court heard.
Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and Beatrice Ekweremadu, 55, are accused of taking the homeless youngster to the UK from Nigeria to transplant his organs into their daughter who is suffering from kidney failure.
‘The Situation Is Worse Now’: Why Young Israelis Are Pitching Protest Tents in the Streets Again
The 2022 tents on Rothschild Boulevard went up a full week after the launch of the current protest movement, which officially began on June 13. On that day, the first tent compounds were seen in the north and south of the country – first in Pardes Hannah, and then Be’er Sheva, followed quickly by similar efforts in Holon and Rosh Ha’ayin, and subsequently Ramat Gan, Herzliya, Kfar Sava and elsewhere.
The fact that the current movement emerged – and is growing – in the periphery “testifies to the fact that it’s a truly grassroots phenomenon, and suffering is happening around the country,” says Guy
Mortgage rates hit 5.78 percent in record spike
That means a monthly mortgage payment on a roughly median-valued $400,000 home, after a 20 percent down payment, would now be $1,874. Last year, the monthly payment on the same home would have been $1,335 — a difference of more than $500.
Pandemic Profiteers – The business of anti-Vaxx
The Centerfor Countering Digital Hate is a not-for-profit NGO that seeks to disrupt the architecture of online hate and misinformation.
Digital technology has changed forever the way we communicate, build relationships, share knowledge, set social standards, and negotiate and assert our society’s values.
Digital spaces have been colonised and their unique dynamics exploited by fringe movements that instrumentalise hate and misinformation. These movements are opportunistic, agile and confident in exerting influenceand persuading people.Over time these actors, advocating diverse causes – from anti-feminism to ethnic nationalism to denial of scientific consensus – have formed a Digital Counter Enlightenment.
Their trolling, disinformation and skilled advocacy of their causes has resocialised the offline world for the worse.The Center’s work combines both analysis and active disruption of these networks. CCDH’s solutions seek to increase the economic, political and social costs of all parts of the infrastructure -the actors, systems and culture -that support, and often profit from hate and misinformation.
Port Operator DP World Sees Lasting Supply Chain Disruptions: ‘Maybe in 2023’
(October 1, 2021)
DP World is one of the world’s largest operators of marine ports and inland cargo terminals, stretching from gateways in London and Antwerp to hubs in Africa, Russia, India and the Americas. It recently announced a string of deals as it attempts to become a more diversified, integrated logistics company.
Meanwhile, it continues to look for ways to cut debt. DP World is considering offering international investors a chance to buy into the Jebel Ali Free Zone, a prized asset that helped transform Dubai into a hub of global trade, people familiar with the matter have said.
Oil Prices Will Remain High For Years To Come
(Oct 25, 2021)
Rebounding global oil consumption amid tight supply—contrary to some forecasts last year that indicate demand may have peaked or was close to its peak—as well as years of underinvestment in new supply following the 2015 crash, have prompted Wall Street banks to raise significantly their projections for oil prices in the short and medium term.
Oil prices have hit multi-year highs in recent days, with WTI Crude at its highest since 2014 and Brent Crude at the highest level since October 2018.
OPEC+ comfortable with rising price trend
(today)
„We don’t take things for granted, we still have COVID,“ Saudi Arabia’s energy minister and de facto leader of the OPEC+ group of major oil exporters said in a television interview on Saturday. „We are not yet out of the woods,“ he said. „We need to be careful. The crisis is contained but is not necessarily over.“
The ‚zombification‘ of married life
Married couples are “zombifying,” is the magazine’s melancholy conclusion. Instead of divorcing, as they once might have, they grimly endure each other. It’s better, or seems so, than the foreseeable alternatives – prominent among them financial insecurity amid declining wages and emotional insecurity as the lingering COVID-19 crisis corrodes the strength to face the world alone.
There are no doubt many reasons why marriage, so hopefully embarked upon, so quickly turns sour for so many. Spa! zeroes in on one – the double-income household.
Democrats say we are the party of the people, let’s show by passing this crucial agenda on behalf of the people & fulfill our promise to our constituents. This level of investment hasn’t been proposed or implemented since the 1930s. Let’s have @POTUS ’ back & pass this agenda
Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Agenda is being held up by moderate Democrats
It’s only when the ground buckles and snaps in an earthquake that we’re aware that the land had already been moving. Moderate Democrats in Washington must similarly be wondering what happened as they struggle to accept that they are no longer the dominant force in the party.
After years of being relegated to an afterthought and being told that moving too quickly or too far to the left would alienate voters, progressives are firmly in the driver’s seat in Washington.
Why are moderate Democrats okay with killing Biden’s legislative agenda?
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and a handful of House Democrats oppose letting Medicare negotiate prescription drug prices, which would save more than $500 billion over 10 years. (Incidentally, three of the Democrats opposing the idea have received $1.6 million in donations from the pharmaceutical industry.) The New York Times also reports that Sinema “has privately told colleagues she will not accept any corporate or income tax rate increases,” while Manchin remains opposed to the current plan’s proposed corporate tax rate.
Volatility in store for Chad’s oil industry after president’s death
Despite its oil wealth, Chad has been facing an enormous debt burden. Global Commodity trading house Glencore is one of the largest creditors to Chad through an oil-for-cash loan. Last year, the Chadian government requested that Glencore suspend payments on its oil-for-cash loan. The oil producer now also relies on oil-for-cash loadings from Chinese creditors.
Chad holds around 1.5 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, according to BP’s Energy Outlook 2020, making it the 10th-largest oil reserve holder in Africa. Oil accounts for almost 90% of the country’s export revenues.
Chad denies sale plans for export pipeline
(March 5, 2021)
SHT acquired a 25% stake in the Doba consortium from Chevron in 2014 for $1.3 billion. ExxonMobil and Malaysia’s Petronas also hold equity in the upstream and pipeline assets. Both foreign companies were considering sales in 2020, according to reports.
Chad: Hardline rule, poverty and oil
(April 13, 2021)
In 2003 Chad began to export oil to an Atlantic terminal through a pipeline built across neighbouring Cameroon.
‚Greed‘ and ‚capitalism‘ helped UK’s vaccines success, says PM
(26.03.2021)
The prime minister’s full remarks, which first appeared in the Sun newspaper, were reported to be: „The reason we have the vaccine success is because of capitalism, because of greed, my friends.“
Wales Office Minister David TC Davies, who attended the meeting, said Mr Johnson „made it absolutely clear it was a joke – a reference to the film Wall Street“.
To rebuild the economy, UK govt has set-up a Build Back Better Council. It is full of grandees from companies not paying the minimum wage, dodging taxes, engaged in illicit financial flows and anti-worker practices. No union reps. What could go wrong?
Part 2 of my 3 part series on how NHS does not manage, own, present its own COVID data, but for-profits such as Amazon, Palantir, Transunion, Boots, Microsoft, Google and G4S do. So they can say anything, profit from ‘lockdown’ .
(…)
Replying to @Eve6: learn to code
i had a famous song in the nineties and i cant afford health care
Why don’t elected Democrats support a bill that nearly 90% of Democratic voters support? #ForceTheVote
A New Congressional Budget Office Study Shows That Medicare for All Would Save Hundreds of Billions of Dollars Annually
The most exhaustive study on Medicare for All just came out. Its conclusion: a single-payer system would guarantee health insurance to all people while reducing overall health spending by hundreds of billions of dollars every year.
That’s right @briebriejoy „3 million people over the age of 60 are still paying on student loans.“
We all should be gasping. This debt is choking trillions, it is a crisis & demands urgent, bold action. The Biden-Harris Admin can cancel student debt Day 1 via Exec Order.
So the Pfizer vaccine is expected to be up to seven times more expensive than the Oxford one, reports the Times.
Welcome to profit first, morals later America.
In U.S. and UK, Globalization Leaves Some Feeling ‘Left Behind’ or ‘Swept Up’
(05.10.2020)
In the course of the focus group discussions, participants observed that globalization extends beyond economic issues, such as trade, multinational corporations and open markets, to questions of governance, sovereignty and the connectivity made possible by new communication technology. Core to the discussion of globalization’s political implications was the role and influence of multinational or multilateral organizations such as the UN, the World Bank and – in the case of the UK – the EU. Particularly for participants who were less comfortable with globalization, these organizations were framed in terms of implications for the nation-state.
Big in Japan: UK announces first major post-Brexit trade deal
Bilateral trade is currently conducted under the EU-Japan deal that came into effect last year, but that agreement will no longer apply to Britain from December 31.
We believe you Michelle. Remember when we thought it couldn’t get worse after Bush and your husband proved us all wrong?
U.S. nuclear arsenal to cost $1.2 trillion over next 30 years: CBO
(October 31, 2017)
The CBO study reviewed the Obama’s Administration’s plans for modernization of the nuclear arsenal.
Obama advises Kanye West on 2020 White House run
(Oct 10, 2015)
The president spoke at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in San Francisco, where the hip hop artist will later perform. Mr. Obama has a few political nuggets to pass on for West’s 2020 bid for the presidency.
The Democratic Party elite — especially those in the „national security“ elite — must be called to account for continuing their long-running endeavor of distracting Americans from the realities of this country by repeating this pathetically lame #Russia conspiracy claim.
You can’t make this stuff up. Chinese State media citing CATO institute reports on free trade
every man is the architect of his own fortune
Each person is the chief cause of their success or failure in life.
How Working-Class Life Is Killing Americans, in Charts
The combined result is a divergence in the life expectancy of white college graduates and non-graduates. Overall mortality for whites between the ages of 45 and 54 has held roughly steady in the last 25 years. But that average hides a big increase in death rates for non-graduates and a big decline for graduates.
Bernie’s big gamble: Sanders hopes new voters surprise at Iowa caucuses: ANALYSIS
His philosophy is that boosting turnout in a significant and meaningful way comes not only by exciting existing Democrats, but organizing and rallying nonvoters into Democrats.
His mission and ability to do that has been central to his argument about why he is the best candidate for Democrats in a general election.
#Retraites #Retrait #greve11janvier On est 150 000 aujourd’hui dans Paris
Why do rich people in France live much longer than the country’s poorest?
(08.02.2018)
À #Rennes les #GilletsJaunes ouvrent le cortège de la #manifestation de la #greve11janvier contre la #reformedesretraites. Images de @JBourrieau pour @LeMediaTV
? Tous Ensemble à #Nantes avant d’arriver à la #Préfecture ?✊? #greve11janvier #GreveGenerale
Thousands of #GiletsJaunes and unions are marching to protest in #Toulouse. This will not be shown on mainstream TV. #greve11janvier #Acte61
“This Strike Is Uniting the Resistance Against Macron”
A government bid to cut back pensions has pitched France into its longest strike in decades. But as one railworker organizer tells Jacobin, the dispute is about more than retirement insurance — it’s about stopping Emmanuel Macron’s whole agenda.
1/ #ViolencesPolicieres : nous sombrons vite. Jeudi 9 janvier, un voile supplémentaire s’est levé sur la réalité de ce qu’est la Police. #manif9janvier #paris
Vidéo complète : https://www.facebook.com/cerveauxnondisponibles/videos/2585958411689021
New general strike call in #France… ▪️The French General Confederation of Labour (CGT) called on workers to occupy all oil facilites and fuel depots in the country between January 7 and January 10 – Le Monde –
Ce ne sont pas des voeux mais une déclaration de guerre aux millions de Français qui refusent sa réforme. Tout le reste de son discours sonne faux et creux. Un extraterrestre a parlé. #VoeuxMacron2020
French Unions Vow No Surrender In Month-long Strike
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, head of the France Unbowed (LFI) party, added on Twitter: „These are not (New Year) wishes but a declaration of war to the millions of French who refuse his reform.“
Already another day of mass protests is set for January 9, when teachers, dockers, hospital workers and other public sector employees are expected to join transport workers by striking for the day.
Energy workers have also called for a three-day blockade of the country’s oil refineries and fuel depots starting January 7, raising the spectre of petrol shortages.
Centre-left at latest election
UK Labour
Lowest seats since 1935
Austria
Lowest since 1945
Germany
2nd lowest since 1949
France
Lowest ever
Italy
Lowest ever
Netherlands
Lowest ever
Sweden
Lowest since 1908
Finland
2nd lowest since 1962
Maybe it’s not just about Brexit?
The true legacy of US central banker Paul Volcker (1927–2019)
The specific mission undertaken by Volcker was to jack up interest rates and plunge the country into recession, creating mass unemployment as a means of breaking the social resistance of the working class.
A full accounting would reveal that his policies, imposed on behalf of the American ruling class, resulted in untold social misery and the premature death of millions of people, not only in the US but around the world, as he charted the path for ruling classes to follow everywhere.
Germany is damaging the European economy. The answer? Raise German wages
Increasing wages increases consumption. Because 22% of consumption is imported in Germany – and because increasing wages doesn’t increase exports: if anything, the opposite – Germans having more money in their pockets will lead to them buying more foreign goods, reducing the current account surplus.
This won’t be easy to execute. There is a deep bipartisan consensus in Germany to maintain the status quo.
He invented the web. Now he’s warning of a looming ‚digital dystopia‘
Ahead of a conference in Berlin Monday, Berners-Lee tweeted a warning of the risks faced.
He wrote: „If we fail to defend the free and open web, we risk a digital dystopia of entrenched inequality and abuse of rights.“
In an earlier statement on his foundation’s website, he called the web „one of the defining opportunities of our time,“ adding that collaborative action must be taken „to prevent the web being misused by those who want to exploit, divide and undermine.“
UK Minimum Wage To Be Hiked By Boris Johnson In Bid To Woo Low Paid Workers
(01.10.2019)
The national minimum wage is set to be increased in a new move to give the low-paid a post-Brexit boost, chancellor Sajid Javid has revealed.
In yet another signal that a snap election is looming, Javid told the Conservative party conference that he planned to hike the current rate of £8.21 an hour to £10.50 an hour within five years.
Crucially, the increase would also apply to over-21s and not just over-25s,
UK election 2019 could deliver the country’s first real living wage
In a less familiar but no less noisy competition, both main parties are trying to persuade voters that they are committed to raising living standards by promising a significant rise to the minimum wage. We could well see a transformative assault on low pay in the UK.
As recently as 2015, the hourly national minimum wage was just £6.50. Today, for over-25s, it is £8.21.
French student’s self-immolation provokes anti-poverty rallies
University students demonstrated against precarious living conditions in cities around France on Tuesday, four days after a 22-year-old student set himself on fire in apparent protest of policies of President Emmanuel Macron and his own financial troubles.
À l’instar de notre camarade, nous vous invitons à témoigner de la précarité étudiante sur #LaPrécaritéTue.
(09.11.2019)
Student sets himself on fire in France over struggle of living on £388 a month
(11. November 2019)
The 22-year-old man posted on social media about his financial difficulties just hours before he attempted to self-immolate in front of a university restaurant in Lyon on Saturday.
The man, who is a student at Lyon 2 University, said he could no longer carry on living on €450 (£388) a month.
Mozilla: ISPs Are Lying About Encrypted DNS, Should Have Privacy Practices Investigated
The effort would effectively let Chrome and Mozilla users opt in to DNS encryption — making your browser data more secure from spying and monetization — assuming your DNS provider supports it. Needless to day, telecom giants that have made billions of dollars monetizing your every online behavior for decades now (and routinely lying about it) don’t much like that.
As a result, Comcast, AT&T, and others have been trying to demonize the Google and Mozilla efforts any way they can,
Chile Unrest Rages on as 11 Dead Amid Curfew, Militarization
Protesters continue unabated in Chile, as President Piñera claims to be ‚at war‘ amid increasing criticism of heavy handed repression that has lead to 11 deaths so far. Miners and dockers unions have now called for an instensification of the protests by calling for a general strike.
Israel’s Invisible Workers
It’s not only the ambulance service, but also the police and the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry that act as if all there is nothing they can do but declare the deaths of workers, as if it were a matter of divine decree and not the result of a systematic abdication of responsibility by everyone involved in the issue. No other explanation is possible for the horrifying fact that since the start of the year, 67 people have died in work accidents in Israel.
For Tulsi Gabbard, ‚wasteful‘ foreign policy at root of all other issues
“Every time your local city council member, your state representative, your member of Congress tells you there’s not enough money to make sure we have clean water, there’s not enough money to have quality health care for all … there’s just not enough money to make sure our kids have the tools they need to get the best education possible,” that’s the cost of current foreign policy, said Gabbard, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
In the 18 years since Sept. 11, 2001, taxpayers have spent $6 trillion for the War on Terror, she said. The bill continues to go up at a rate of $4 billion a month for the war in Afghanistan.
The Israeli Left Is Talking About Palestinians Only in English
Many of the burning issues that are facing Israel barely got a look-in during the election campaign that’s mercifully drawing to a close: the ballooning deficit, the rising housing prices, the climbing cost of living, the burning need to integrate the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities into the job market, to name just a few. And then of course, the lack of any prospect for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an end to the occupation got nary a mention, but you knew that already because you’ve been paying attention and that has become a cliché.
Time is running out for Germany’s economic miracle… can its political hierarchy be persuaded to change?
How many times does this need to be restated? Germany desperately needs to change its economic model, now more so than ever as its own economy, that of the European Union, and the world as a whole, again teeter on the brink of recession.
Most of all, it needs to make itself more reliant on internal, domestic demand, and less on exports.
Italian economy minister hails ‚historic‘ banking deal
A proposed new agreement on dealing with failing banks, hammered out in a lengthy meeting of finance ministers, was headed for a summit of European leaders on Thursday. Described as an „historic achievement“ by Italian Economy Minister Fabrizio Saccomanni, the single-resolution mechanism (SRM) agency is designed to prevent failures like the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Ban
Draghi Shouts Louder at Germany as ECB Prepares Stimulus
(25.07.2019)
Yet Germany, which has a budget surplus and which can borrow money at sub-zero rates, doesn’t see the problem even as its own manufacturing sector contracts. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told Bloomberg Television on Thursday, minutes before Draghi’s press conference, that he has no plans to loosen the country’s purse strings because it’s not “necessary or wise to act as if we were in a crisis.”
Brexit: What now for TTIP, CETA and UK trade?
(24.06.2016)
Brexit has created the potential greater democratic control of trade deals. And we must ensure we use that to craft a trade policy that is geared to justice for the many rather than profits for the few.
Ghosts in the machines: the invisible human labour behind AI
It’s easier and cheaper to employ humans to behave like machines than it is to develop machines that simulate human behaviour. Of course, many technology companies would rather you didn’t know this. Venture capitalists invest in the idea of human obsolescence. To them, routine human labour is an ungainly truth – the future, after all, lies in intangible capitalism, where returns flow to platform owners unrestricted by organised labour.
The Waltons of @Walmart are the richest family in America, worth $171 billion. They own more wealth than the bottom 40% of Americans. Since 1982, the Walton family has seen its net worth increase by about 10,000%. They must pay their workers a living wage. #BernieAtWalmart
(05.06.2019)
Bernie Sanders confronts Walmart executives at meeting
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders went to Walmart’s shareholder meeting in Arkansas to push the company to include workers on the company’s board and pay workers at least $15 an hour. CNN’s Ryan Nobles reports on Sanders‘ crusade against Walmart.
Unions stand up to austerity in Argentina
Trade unions have called a general strike on 29 May 2019 to oppose austerity measures in Argentina. The Macri government has brought the country to the brink of economic collapse, with workers’ purchasing power decreasing due to high inflation, unemployment, recession and a sharp increase in poverty.
Video: General Strike Against Neoliberal Policies Brings Argentina to a Halt
This is the fifth national strike to protest against the Argentinian president, called by different social organizations and the General Confederation of Workers (CGT) union, and it is taking place simultaneously throughout the country.
Argentina Paralyzed by Fifth General Strike against Government
(29.05.2019)
The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) began a 24 hour general strike at midnight to protest the economic policy of President Mauricio Macri.
Public transport was expected to be paralyzed, including trains, buses, metro and national and international aircraft.
SYRIZA plays down defeat seen in exit polls
Governing SYRIZA “did not sustain the strategic defeat that New Democracy was looking forward to,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Sunday after exit polls gave the conservative opposition a solid lead over the leftist party.
ECJ confirms legality of unfair corporate tribunals in EU trade deals
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) today ruled that provisions for investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS, rebranded as ICS – Investment Court System) in the EU-Canada trade deal CETA are compatible with EU law.
This decision dangerously legitimises a mechanism that enables companies to claim multi-billion sum damages from governments that dare to stand up to their power. The ruling also comes as a blow to millions of citizens who have spoken out against this parallel justice system for corporations, most recently, more than 555,000 petitioners from all over Europe demanded an end to the ISDS system in all its forms.
EU court rules in favour of Canada’s free-trade deal with bloc
The European Union-Canada free-trade agreement’s provisions to protect investors do not breach EU law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday in a major relief for proponents of the deal that came into force in 2017.
Daniel Hannan and David Willetts on Newsnight telling us that trade unions have no role in the modern workplace. Really? Austerity, precarious employment, zero-hours contracts, the gig economy? Trade unions are as vital as ever. Never. Vote. Tory.
Labour rights: The EU-Japan free trade deal #JEFTA aims to intensify competition in sectors such as car manufacturing & is likely to put downward pressure on job conditions & wages. The same problem is expected from JEFTA
(11.5.2018)
CIA and MI5 linked to Hammarskjöld death
(28. Aug 1998) The documents, found by a truth commission researcher investigating an apparently unrelated matter, implicate then CIA chief Allen Dulles in Operation Celeste. They also claim that the explosives used for the bomb that downed the aircraft were supplied by a Belgian mining conglomerate, Union Miniere. The company had extensive interests in copper-rich Katanga, and is known to have backed to Tshombe’s use of mercenaries, including the group led by South Africa’s Colonel „Mad Mike“ Hoare.
The most damning report refers to a meeting between MI5, Special Operations Executive, the CIA and the SAIMR at which it was recorded that Dulles „agrees … Dag is becoming troublesome and … should be removed“.
RAF veteran `admitted 1961 killing of UN secretary general`
(12.1.2019) Exclusive: Cold case documentary casts new light on mystery of Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane crash
Cold Case Hammarskjöld – Official Trailer (HD)
In 1961, United Nations‘ secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld’s plane mysteriously crashed, killing Hammarskjöld and most of the crew. It’s understood that because Hammarskjöld was, at the time, advocating for Congo’s independence (against the wishes of European mining companies and other powerful entities), the “crash” was an assassination. With the case still unsolved 50-plus years later, Danish journalist, filmmaker, and provocateur Mads Brügger (The Red Chapel, The Ambassador) leads us down an investigative rabbit hole to unearth the truth. He, his Swedish private-investigator sidekick, and a host of co-conspirators tirelessly pursue a winding trail of clues, but they turn up more mysteries than revelations. Scores of false starts, dead ends, and elusive interviews later, they begin to sniff out something more monumental than anything they’d initially imagined.
The minimum wage for 2019 is 8,350 won ($7.40), up 10.9 percent from 7,530 won in 2018, which was also a 16.4 percent increase from 6,470 won a year earlier.
(31.12.2018)
South Korea raises minimum wage for 2016 to 6,030 won ($5.31)
Dubai: A glittering global city built by poor migrant construction workers
It is the fastest growing global metropolis in the world giving tough competition to the likes of London, New York and Tokyo.
France: Clashes outside National Assembly after govt. push through labour laws
Valls invoked Article 49.3 of the French constitution, allowing him to push the laws through without parliamentary backing.