Date: Tue, 12 May 1998 09:54:11 -0400
From: "Charles Brown" <charlesb-AT-CNCL.ci.detroit.mi.us>
Subject: M-TH: Fwd: Strike in Denmark (fwd)


This is a MIME message. If you are reading this text, you may want to 
consider changing to a mail reader or gateway that understands how to 
properly handle MIME multipart messages.


   Somethings rotten in the state of Denmark and it's the
Parliament. Well, now we see the action of the elite
committee which is a legislative body. They even make
the Supreme Court of Australian elite judges look good
(for the moment).
     Yet,  all hail the Danish workers who have sent a message to the
world that the rank and file can form a mass subject a solid,
solidary monolith. Imagine a world working class solidary strike.
 It can be done. It is what is to be done.
                Charles


Received: from comet.ccs.yorku.ca
	([12.2.196.1])
	by ci.detroit.mi.us; Mon, 11 May 1998 14:11:08 -0400
Received: from comet.ccs.yorku.ca (comet.ccs.yorku.ca [130.63.235.31]) by comet.ccs.yorku.ca (8.8.8/8.6.12) with ESMTP id OAA24271; Mon, 11 May 1998 14:06:10 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from YORKU.CA by YORKU.CA (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8c) with spool
          id 2361331 for LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA; Mon, 11 May 1998 14:06:09 -0400
Received: from suntan.ccs.yorku.ca
          (vsJstdyHTfDuA1hrb2kfLhI1kvEscyor-AT-suntan.ccs.yorku.ca
          [130.63.236.89]) by comet.ccs.yorku.ca (8.8.8/8.6.12) with ESMTP id
          NAA26121 for <labor-l-AT-comet.ccs.yorku.ca>; Mon, 11 May 1998 13:59:14
          -0400 (EDT)
Received: from queen.torfree.net (root-AT-queen.torfree.net [199.71.188.22]) by
          suntan.ccs.yorku.ca (8.8.7/8.8.5) with ESMTP id NAA23062 for
          <labor-l-AT-yorku.ca>; Mon, 11 May 1998 13:59:12 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from localhost by queen.torfree.net (Smail-3.2.0.97 1997-Aug-19 #9;
          1998-Jan-28) (5235 bytes) via sendmail with
          /P:stdio/R:inet_hosts/T:smtp id <m0yYwrO-0000hfC-AT-queen.torfree.net>
          (sender <ac119-AT-torfree.net>) for labor-l-AT-yorku.ca; Mon, 11 May 1998
          13:59:34 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID:  <Pine.3.89.9805111310.C15897-0100000-AT-queen>
Date:         Mon, 11 May 1998 13:59:33 -0400
Reply-To: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
Sender: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
From: Tom Patterson <ac119-AT-FREENET.TORONTO.ON.CA>
Subject:      Strike in Denmark (fwd)
To: LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 18:26:00 +0200
From: Internat. Pressekorrespondenz <INPREKORR-AT-OLN.comlink.apc.org>
To: FI-press-l-AT-mail.comlink.apc.org
Subject: Strike in Denmark

[intro comments snipped -tp]
--------------

Law stops strike
 - The danish establishment afraid to loose

-by S=B0ren S=B0ndergaard, MP for the Red-Green Alliance and member of the
Fourth International.

After 36 hours of discussion the danish parliament decidedon thursday the
7th. of may in the evening on a law, to put an end to the almost two-week
long conflict. Some of the workers on strike got more holidays, while
others didn't get anything. The question is now which consequenses the
strike will have, e.g. in relation to the referendum on the
Amsterdam-treaty on the 28th. of may.

When the danish minority-government led by the socialdemocratic
statesminister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen proposed the parliament to interfere
in the conflict, they claimed it to be nescessary because chaos was
threatening the danish society. This was not true. The strikers had given
all the nescessary dispensations to maintain essentiel functions.

But the employers was hit hard by the strike. Even some big foreign
compagnies, e.g. the swedish car-factory SAAB, had to stop the production
because of the strike in Denmark. At the same time the strike created more
and more support among the population to the demand of six weeks holiday.
The employers were loosing - economically and politically.

Therefore the center-government (the Socialdemocrats and a small bourgois
party) negotiated with the big bourgois parties (the Liberals and the
Conservatives) and found a majority in the parliament for a law to stop
the strike. Against this law voted the left-socialdemocratic Socialistisk
Folkeparti and the left-socialist Red-Green Alliance, which in all got 10%
of the votes at the last elections on the 11th. of march this year.

The governments intervention respected the economical frame that the
employers had approved. But with the aide of tax-reductions to the
employers and a lowering of their contribution to the pensions, the
government succeded in to some extent to answer to the workers demand of
more holidays.

Generally everybody (who have been on strike) get two extra holidays a
year and parents with children under 14 years get addiotional three
family-holidays a year. But these holidays are all dependant on employment
with the same employer for a longer period of time. This means that big
groups among the strikers won't get anything because they often change
employer.

Among the strikers the government intervention has been met with big
dissatisfaction. A lot of people see it as a principal attack on the right
to strike. And a lot of people are angry with the tendency to split the
movement which is in the law opposed to the uniting demand of six weeks
holiday to all. This dissatisfaction has so far led to a protest-meeting
with more than 1000 shop-stewards from all over the country and to some
protest-strikes when people started work after the conflict.

But there won't be a united protest-strike against the
governement-intervention. Partly because some feel that they actually have
gained something from the conflict. And first and foremost because there
is not any credible leadership for a united fight for a better result. The
leaders of the trade unions have objected to the intervention but will not
lead on in extra-parliamentary fight against a law made by a
sociladmocratic government.

Since the big strikes in 1985 the left wing in the trade unions have been
weakened at the workplaces and among shop-stewards. There must be
accumulated more battle-experiences before there is the understanding
nescessary for a national organising of shop-stewards on a
rank-and-file-level.

Even though it seems that the fight is over for now it will have big
consequenses for the future. The demand for six weeks holiday for all has
become extremely popular and will be central when the public employed are
negotiating next year. Also a new layer have been involved in activities
and trade union work which can lead to a strengthening of the left in the
trade unions.

Finally there is no doubt that both the danish and the european bourgoisi
fear that the government intervention will influence on the referendum on
the Amsterdam-treaty the 28th. of may. This was made clear in the
editorial in the conservative german newspaper S*ddeutche Zeitung on the
7th. of may. After praising the danish statesminister for putting an end
to a 'insane workes struggle' the paper wrote: 'It can turn out that
frustrated union-members now will repay the Europe-friendly statesminister
and try to turn the vote against the EU-agreement.'

Let's hope they succeed. Some times it is worth saying no!




     --- from list marxism-thaxis-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---