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A Note of Protest Against the Immoral Decision of the United Nations to Not Compensate Victims of MINUSTAH’s Cholera

The news came like a bomb that the imperialist powers are used to dropping on little countries. Thursday, February 21^st, 2013, a spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the U.N. told the press that he had called President Michel Martelly to announce the U.N.’s decision to not compensate victims of MINUSTAH’s cholera, under Section 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. Afterwards, President Martelly never said if the United Nations had in fact called to inform him of their decision. The question we must now ask ourselves is this: what moral right does the international community have to speak to use about human rights and democracy?

The MONDRAGON Corporation is a corporation and federation of worker cooperatives based in the Euskadi. Founded in the town of Mondragón in 1956, its origin is linked to the activity of a modest technical college and a small workshop producing paraffin heaters.

Cross-posted from LaborNotes

By Jane Slaughter

Part 2 of a two-part series on the TRADOC workers' cooperative in Mexico. Part 1 is here.

A tire is not just a piece of rubber with a hole in it. I learned this when I visited the workers’ cooperative that makes Cooper tires in El Salto, Mexico. A tire is a sophisticated product that comes about through a chain of chemical processes, lots of machine pounding, and still the intervention of human hands.

A fervent inspection worker pointed out that every single tire is tested under road-like conditions: “If not, it could kill people,” he noted. And, he added practically, “keeping the tires safe saves our jobs.”

Two workers of the 1,000-member TRADOC cooperative, which builds tires in Mexico for the U.S. market. The hiring of women in the plant was one of the many gains of worker ownership. Photo: Bob Briggs.

Cross-posted from LaborNotes

By Jane Slaughter

Part 1 of a two-part series on the TRADOC worker cooperative in Mexico. Part 2, about how the co-op is functioning today, is here.

“If the owners don’t want it, let’s run it ourselves.” When a factory closes, the idea of turning it into a worker-owned co-operative sometimes comes up—and usually dies.

On the 879th day of their strike, Mexican tire workers sought help in Germany, where the multinational that wanted to close their plant was based. After a determined 1,141-day campaign, the company sold them the plant, which they now run as a cooperative.

“Haitians, U.S. taxpayers unable to verify how U.S. aid funds are being used on the ground”

For Immediate Release: April 3, 2013
Contact: Dan Beeton, 202-239-1460

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights tells Haitian government
to prevent excessive force and violence in evictions from earthquake displacement camp

Re-posted from IDJH

(Port-au-Prince, March 27, 2013)— Yesterday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures to residents of Grace Village, one of approximately 450 earthquake displacement camps in Haiti.  The Commission advised the Government of Haiti to immediately take steps to prevent any violent evictions and provide clean water and security to camp residents, especially women and children.

Cross-posted from Christian Science Monitor

By Annie Murphy

Lidia Romero (c.), a member of the Community Police, stands guard on a road at the entrance to the town of Cherán one week ago. Residents of remote regions have taken up arms to patrol and defend their communities from organized crimes and gangs. Alan Ortega/Reuters

About two years ago, citizens in Cherán, Mexico decided to battle illegal logging and drug violence by kicking out the police and running the town according to indigenous tradition.

Translated from the Spanish by Stephen Bartlett

COPINH was 20 years old on March 27

This is a moment to consider the path, and to face new challenges.  To recovery the strength of the compas who have been walking this path and making history.

29 March 2013, Tunisia

As the Social Movements Assembly of the World Social Forum of Tunisia, 2013, we are gathered here to affirm the fundamental contribution of peoples of Maghreb-Mashrek (from North Africa to the Middle East), in the construction of human civilization. We affirm that decolonization for oppressed peoples remains for us, the social movements of the world, a challenge of the greatest importance.