File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1998/marxism-thaxis.9805, message 89


Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 00:47:16 -0400
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: M-TH: Danish strike day 8 (fwd)



>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: 05 May 1998 05:36:04
>From: socappeal-AT-easynet.co.uk
>To: Recipients of conference <labr.party-AT-conf.igc.apc.org>
>Subject: Danish strike day 8
>
>May 4th, 1998
>
>The May Day rally in Copenhaghen was a massive event which marked day 5 
>of the all-out strike by 500,000 private sector workers demanding a week 
>extra holidays and the 35 hour week amongst other demands.
>
>Between 350 and 500,000 workers participated in the rally in Copenhaghen, 
>and there were even people who had to leave without being able to enter 
>the park where the rally took place.
>
>The strike remain solid and is still spreading to sections of the public 
>sector although very slowly. Parts of the public sector are being shut 
>down for health and safety issues, as cleansing services are privatised. 
>
>Public sector unions issued posters in solidarity with the strike and 
>supporting the demands for the "three six": six weeks of paid holdays a 
>year, six hour working day for shift workers and 6% wage increase. These 
>demands, according to the posters would mean "more sex for all" (in 
>Danish six is spelled seks, thus the joke).
>
>The strike has also received support from airport workers in Sweden who 
>have partly paralysed flights to and from Denmark being bused and ferried 
>to Swedish airports. 
>
>The support for the strike and opposition to government intervention to 
>stop it has been growing. In an opinion poll published on May Day, more 
>than 50% of the population declared their support for the strike 
>(including 2/3 of Socialdemocratic voters). The Socialdemocratic 
>government has tried to adopt a "neutral" stand saying this is an issue 
>to be solved between bosses and unions.
>
>The employers have threatened with a shut down of the retail sector from 
>tomorrow if the strike continues, adding to the scare campaign about 
>shortage of food, medicines, etc.
>
>In the meantime the union leaders are busy in negotiations with the 
>employers. These take place in a secret location so that the workers 
>cannot put direct pressure on them. Nevertheless the national meeting of 
>shop stewards which took place last week in Odense decided to call for a 
>national day of action for tomorrow (May 5th) with a demonstration in 
>Copenhaghen in front of the employers federation building.
>
>The union leaders are trying to spread the message that "we cannot get 
>the whole of the extra week holidays now (they forget about other 
>demands), maybe we will have to settle for two days extra this time".
>
>The problem is that the CP leaders who gave the 1985 movement some sort 
>of direction through their influence in the shop stewards movement, are 
>now weaker and too afraid to raise anything. At the May Day rally they 
>even asked people not to raise the slogan of the need for a general 
>strike.
>
>(Based on phone conversations with trade union activists in Denmark)
>
>
>socappeal-AT-easynet.co.uk
>http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~socappeal/IDOM.html
>PO Box 2626
>London N1 7SQ
>Britain
>
>
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