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<TITLE>Information on university strike in Britain and on the campaign against the "First Empoyment Contract" in France</TITLE>
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<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">Dear Members</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">Below are links to articles on both the recent industrial action in the Britain for increased</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> wages and conditions as well as</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">English language coverage of the current social crisis that is gripping France.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
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<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial">Lecturer strike action 'success' </FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>
</SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial">Union leaders organising a 24-hour strike by thousands of university lecturers across Scotland have hailed it as a "great</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial">success".</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4779654.stm"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U></U></SPAN><U><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4779654.stm</FONT></SPAN></U><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN></P>
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<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT SIZE=4 FACE="Arial">Rise in vice-chancellors' salaries adds to anger among lecturers</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=4 FACE="Arial"><BR>
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><BR>
<B><FONT FACE="Arial">Matthew Taylor, education correspondent<BR>
Thursday March 9, 2006<BR>
</FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="http://www.guardian.co.uk"><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><U><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">The Guardian</FONT></U></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial"> </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">Lecturers involved in a pay dispute with universities reacted with anger last night after it emerged that</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT FACE="Arial">vice-chancellors had received a 25% salary increase over the past three years</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1726758,00.html"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U></U></SPAN><U><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1726758,00.html</FONT></SPAN></U><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN></P>
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<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">For those that don</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">’</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">t know</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">on January 16</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">the French government</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">introduced</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">the</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">“</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">F</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">irst</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">E</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">mployment</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">C</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">ontract</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">”</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">(CPE) law,</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">which allows people under the age of 26 to be sacked for no</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">reason at anytime in the first 2 years of employment</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">. The</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">law</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">is supposed to help lower Frances</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">unemployment</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> rate</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">, by reducing the</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">“</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">risk</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">”</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> of hiring younger workers.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> In response</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">the</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> French unions (this includes all five central congresses</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">and</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> the autonomous and independent unions such as the SUD</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">(Solidarity, Unity, Democracy) unions), along with</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">university</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> and</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">high school student to mobilise</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> in opposition to the laws.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">The mobilisations have also had the support of the entire French left</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">, including the opposition Socialist Party</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">While the first national mobilisation</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">,</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">on February 7,</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">was relatively small</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">with between 200-400 thousand protesting, the</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">mo</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">veme</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">nt has gained momentum, with four mobilisations in the last fortnight that have each involved more than half a</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">million</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">people, culminating in Saturday</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">’</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">s protest of 1.5 million people. These are the largest student/worker mobilizations</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">since</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> May-June 1968, and are expected to get larger with a general strike having been called for next Tuesday.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">As part of</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">the</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> movement more 50% of France</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">’</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">s</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">universities</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"> and some 800 high schools are now either blockaded, occupied</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> </SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">or shutdown. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">The best source of information</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">in English</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">is</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> </SPAN><A HREF="http://www.libcom.org/blog/"><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U></U></SPAN><U><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">http://www.libcom.org/blog/</FONT></SPAN></U><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">, a summary in English of the campaign against</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">the </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">CPE can also be found at</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"> </SPAN><A HREF="http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/661/661p19.htm"><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U></U></SPAN><U><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial">http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/661/661p19.htm</FONT></SPAN></U><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">although if you can speak</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">French (or at </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">least read it) there are numerous sites</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">that</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial"></FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"> <FONT FACE="Arial">are linked from libcom.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">In solidarity</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN></P>
<P ALIGN=LEFT><SPAN LANG="en-au"><FONT FACE="Arial">Chris</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-au"></SPAN></P>
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