File spoon-archives/marxism-general.archive/marxism-general_1998/marxism-general.9805, message 120


Subject: M-G: Danish strike day 11
Date: Thu, 7 May 98 14:06:51 +0000
From: <socappeal-AT-easynet.co.uk>


May 7, 1998

An important meeting of shop stewards took place this morning as the 
500,000 strong private sector workers all out strike in Denmark reaches 
day 11. It had been planned as a national shop stewards meeting, but it 
was finally reduced to a Zealand region (where Copenhagen is) shop 
stewards meeting to discuss the outcome of the strike.

Parliament is discussing today a compulsory arbitration law in order to 
put an end to the strike. This would mean 2 days extra holidays a year, 3 
for workers with children, and some concessions to employers. If this law 
is passed the strike would become illegal from 12 thonight and from 
tomorrow the unions would be legally prevented from paying strike fund 
money to the strikers.

The national trade union leader went to this meeting hoping to convince 
the shop stewards that this was the best agreement they were going to get 
and therefore should be accepted. The Communist Party line (still with 
some influence in the shop stewards movement) was also to accept it as 
the lesser evil.

But the mood amongst the shop stewards was, as it has been since the 
beginning of the strike, that the strike is mainly for an extra week 
holidays, and that anything short of that is not acceptable. Therefore, 
when a young apprentice stood up in the meeting and said that the 
national coordinating committee of shop stewards had the responsability 
to take the effective leadership of the movement, mantain the strike and 
fight against goverment intervention with a general strike, the whole 
meeting erupted and started to shout "general strike, general strike".

After witnessing this scene the leader of the trade union confederation 
quietly left the hall and didn't address the meeting as it was planned. 
The meeting also decided to call for a national march on Copenhagen for 
Monday, although this action has to be discussed at the national 
coordinating committe of shopr stewards which is meeting tonight. After 
the meeting the shop stewards went to a rally in front of Parliament 
where the arbitration law is being discussed.

Now it is not at all clear wether the law will be passed, and if it is 
passed it could spark an all-out general strike.

One of the arguments also used at the meeting was "we cannot go back on 
our demands now, the workers all over Europe are looking at us, if we win 
this will have repercussions all over Europe". In the meantime, the media 
internationally remain mostly silent about this amazing movement.

Socialist Appeal

socappeal-AT-easynet.co.uk
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~socappeal/IDOM.html
PO Box 2626
London N1 7SQ
Britain



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