[Muanet] Information on university strike in Britain and on the campaign against the "First Empoyment Contract" in France

[Chris Latham]

Dear Members

Below are links to articles on both the recent industrial action in the
Britain for increased wages and conditions as well as
English language coverage of the current social crisis that is gripping
France. 


Lecturer strike action 'success' 	
Union leaders organising a 24-hour strike by thousands of university
lecturers across Scotland have hailed it as a "great 
success".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4779654.stm


Rise in vice-chancellors' salaries adds to anger among lecturers 

Matthew Taylor, education correspondent
Thursday March 9, 2006
The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk>  
Lecturers involved in a pay dispute with universities reacted with anger
last night after it emerged that 
vice-chancellors had received a 25% salary increase over the past three
years

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1726758,00.html


For those that don't know on January 16 the French government introduced
the "First Employment Contract" (CPE) law, 
which allows people under the age of 26 to be sacked for no reason at
anytime in the first 2 years of employment. The 
law is supposed to help lower Frances unemployment rate, by reducing the
"risk" of hiring younger workers. In response 
the French unions (this includes all five central congresses and the
autonomous and independent unions such as the SUD 
(Solidarity, Unity, Democracy) unions), along with university and high
school student to mobilise in opposition to the laws. 
The mobilisations have also had the support of the entire French left,
including the opposition Socialist Party. 

While the first national mobilisation, on February 7, was relatively
small with between 200-400 thousand protesting, the 
movement has gained momentum, with four mobilisations in the last
fortnight that have each involved more than half a 
million people, culminating in Saturday's protest of 1.5 million people.
These are the largest student/worker mobilizations 
since May-June 1968, and are expected to get larger with a general
strike having been called for next Tuesday.

As part of the movement more 50% of France's universities and some 800
high schools are now either blockaded, occupied 
or shutdown. 

The best source of information in English is
http://www.libcom.org/blog/, a summary in English of the campaign
against the 
CPE can also be found at
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2006/661/661p19.htm although if you can
speak French (or at 
least read it) there are numerous sites that are linked from libcom.

In solidarity

Chris

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.murdoch.edu.au/pipermail/muanet/attachments/20060322/daab32f9/attachment.html