Ebrahim Madadi (right) with fellow Vahed Syndicate leader Mansour Osanlou, also recently released on bail. Photo 2006 Arash Ashoorinia,

There’s so much going on in Britain at the moment that it can be easy to forget what’s going on elsewhere. But we won’t – we remember how many other trade unionists don’t have the rights we do. One such country is Iran. Yesterday I was blogging over at Amnesty International UK about the hunger strike that jailed busworkers union leader Reza Shahabi had started after over a year in jail. But this evening we’ve heard better news about Ebrahim Madadi – from the same union in Tehran – who has been released from jail. Ebrahim had been unjustly held on false charges of endangering national security since being arrested and then rearrested in 2007 and 2008.

ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow said:

“He is free because trade unionists worldwide have been demanding justice. It is also a result of pressure through the International Labour Organization which has been critical of Iran for not living up to the international obligations they have signed onto.”

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Posted on November 30th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity

I’m writing this post having just returned from the Liverpool TUC March and Rally for Pensions Justice so you may have to excuse some post march euphoria.  However it’s clear that in terms of the support the Day of Action has received from public sector workers, it has been an enormous success.

My Twitter feed is filled with reports about attendance at afternoon marches and rallies all over the country.  We might have expected the huge turnouts at rallies in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, London and Glasgow, but we also saw 5000 in Chester, 2000 in Cambridge, 2000 in Gloucester, 1200 in Lancaster.

As well as a  reflection of the genuine anger felt by public sector workers about the almost daily attacks on their pay and conditions by the Coalition government, this is also a sign of a movement regaining its confidence and finding a voice to speak on behalf of all workers regardless of which sector they work in.

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Posted on November 30th, 2011 by Carl Roper filed under: Union campaigns

Today’s Day of Action on public service pensions is the biggest strike in a generation, so it’s going to set a lot of firsts, but one I’ve noticed is how connected the day is going to be online. Many unions are going to be maintaining liveblogs to keep their members in the loop, and many more will be taking to Twitter to highlight what’s happening. Here’s a roundup of some good places to look for the latest news from unions:

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Posted on November 30th, 2011 by John Wood filed under: Unions online

As mentioned before, building stronger unions anywhere makes for stronger unions everywhere, and solidarity breeds solidarity. So as well as the support we’re receiveing from the US National Nurses Union, it was great today to hear from David Abdulah, the President of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGOs (FITUN) of Trinidad and Tobago. His uncompromising message of support for striking public sector workers (David’s from the oil industry himself) and the importance of their fight for pensions justice is a good enough read on its own. But it’s even better when you recall that just under two years ago we were protesting to his Government about the harassment of his own trade union, and the arrest of David himself (charges were later dropped, and the Government thrown out at the next General Election…) So, thanks David – it’s great to hear from you!

And next time the TUC asks for solidarity for trade unionists in trouble overseas, please respond. They may be in a position to return the favour sooner than you expect.

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Posted on November 29th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity

UNISON have produced this great infographic for the Day of Action on public service pensions tomorrow. It shows the impact the government’s proposed changes to pensions will have on public service workers, especially women. Click the picture below to see the graphic…

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Posted on November 29th, 2011 by John Wood filed under: Union campaigns

As public sector workers in Britain strike for their pension rights tomorrow, Bulgarian trade union confederations CITUB and PODKREPA will be demonstrating in front of the Parliament in Sofia, also for workers’ pension rights.

The Bulgarian government plans to raise the retirement age by a year from 1 January. It’s not as if the unions in Bulgaria weren’t prepared to negotiate. Indeed, in blatant contradiction with a Trilateral Agreement signed by the Prime Minister a year ago, the unilateral increase from 1 January replaces a smooth increase in the retirement age 4 months a year for the next 9 years until a general increase of 3 years is reached; with a further increase of the retirement age by 6 months per year from 2021.

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Posted on November 29th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity

I often use this blog to ask you to take solidarity action with workers in other countries. But tonight, it’s the other way round. On Wednesday, nurses across the USA will be protesting in solidarity with British public sector workers who are striking to defend their pensions. The National Nurses Union (NNU) will be leading protests outside the British Embassy in Washington DC and at five Brish Consulates from the North East in Boston, the Mid-West in Chicago, the South East in Orlando and in California (Los Angeles and San Francisco). The NNU is an affiliate of the TUC’s sister organisation, the AFLCIO, who will also be taking part in the protests with unions like the Teamsters – one of the unions who we’ve helped, most recently over the Sotheby’s US lockout.

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Posted on November 28th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity