Europe
Unions sabotage Irish bus workers strike
By Jordan Shilton, 17 May 2013
According to reports, up to 95 percent of services were affected, including major routes in Dublin and longer inter-city connections.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
17 May 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Greek teachers defy military mobilisation orders
By Christoph Dreier, 16 May 2013
Greek teachers have voted to oppose the mobilisation order of the government and begin strike action on Friday.
Euro zone contracts for sixth consecutive quarter
By Andre Damon, 16 May 2013
The euro area economy contracted by 0.2 percent in the first quarter of this year, which was followed by further calls for austerity.
Russia: Deputy Prime Minister Surkov resigns
By Clara Weiss, 16 May 2013
On May 8, President Vladimir Putin approved the “voluntary resignation” of Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov, universally regarded as “number two in the Kremlin”.
France: Three die in fire at Roma squat
By Antoine Lerougetel, 16 May 2013
Three Roma, two women and a 12-year-old child, died in a fire in an abandoned factory in Lyon.
Greek protests against ban on strikes
By Christoph Dreier, 14 May 2013
Greek police served 88,000 high school teachers with civil mobilization orders on Monday.
Germany: Opel Bochum workers denounce union sellout
By our correspondents, 11 May 2013
GM Opel workers are incensed over the betrayal carried out by the IG Metall trade union.
Britain’s Queen’s speech: Anti-immigrant rhetoric in support of austerity
By Julie Hyland, 11 May 2013
By scapegoating immigrants as undeserving “scroungers”, the government intends to deny people, including European Union citizens, the right to access public services, including welfare, health care and housing.
Irish Labour Party in deep crisis
By Jordan Shilton, 11 May 2013
Since entering government with Fine Gael in 2011, Labour has taken the lead in wielding the axe to public spending.
German Left Party’s Oskar Lafontaine calls for return to national currencies
By Christoph Dreier, 11 May 2013
The founder and former chair of the Left Party, Oskar Lafontaine, is proposing the reintroduction of national currencies to drive down wages.
Marx 21 Congress: Anti-Marxists meet in Berlin
By Johannes Stern, 11 May 2013
The congress of the Marx 21 group taking place this weekend in Berlin is a shabby operation aimed at promoting right-wing and imperialist policies under a pseudo-left garb.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
10 May 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Lufthansa: Verdi union agrees to 30 percent pay cut for airline workers
By Ernst Wolff, 9 May 2013
Verdi union negotiators have approved the setting up of three low-cost subsidiaries at Lufthansa, the largest European airline, paying up to 30 percent lower wages.
Europe on the eve of mass working class struggles
By Ulrich Rippert, 7 May 2013
Against the background of the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s, the European Union is showing its true face—that of a dictatorship of finance capital.
Germany: Verdi union accepts cuts to real wages at Lufthansa
By Ernst Wolff, 7 May 2013
Following strikes by its Lufthansa members, Verdi has capitulated to management.
French unions back closure of PSA Aulnay auto factory
By Anthony Torres, 7 May 2013
On Monday, auto maker PSA’s central works council authorized a redundancy scheme to close PSA’s plant at Aulnay, near Paris.
France: What is Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s May 5 protest?
By Antoine Lerougetel and Alex Lantier, 4 May 2013
A class gulf separates the explosive anger and opposition to austerity that is building in the working class across Europe from establishment figures like Mélenchon.
Euro zone unemployment hits record high for 23rd consecutive month
By Andre Damon and Stefan Steinberg, 2 May 2013
Unemployment in the euro zone hit another record in March, with no end in sight to the economic and social catastrophe gripping Europe.
No retreat from austerity in Italy
By Chris Marsden, 2 May 2013
Enrico Letta heads a coalition tasked with continuing the savage austerity measures begun under Mario Monti.
Greek unions hold one-day general strike
By Robert Stevens, 2 May 2013
Public transport ground to a halt in the capital Athens, with no train or ferry services operating.
UAW chief stabs German Opel workers in the back
By Jerry White, 2 May 2013
United Auto Workers President Bob King called on workers at General Motors’ Opel factory in Bochum, Germany to vote again on a concessions-laden contract.
More mass layoffs in Greece
By Christoph Dreier, 30 April 2013
The Greek parliament has voted to dismiss 15,500 public service workers and slash the minimum wage.
Amid jobs collapse, French President Hollande backs austerity in Europe
By Alex Lantier, 30 April 2013
With 26 million workers unemployed in Europe, Hollande is signaling that he will keep supporting social cuts that are devastating the French and European economies.
UK base carrying out Afghan drone strikes
By Robert Stevens, 30 April 2013
A specially created mission base in Lincolnshire, England is directing drone strikes on Afghanistan.
Danish government forces teachers to work longer hours without pay
By Christoph Dreier, 27 April 2013
The Danish parliament passed a special law Friday stipulating that school teachers must work extra hours and accept more flexibility, without pay.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
26 April 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Political issues in the teachers’ lockout in Denmark
By Christoph Dreier, 25 April 2013
The lockout of tens of thousands of Danish teachers by the state marks a new stage in the class struggle in Europe.
Protest strike by teachers in Berlin
By Ute Reissner, 25 April 2013
Some 8,000 teachers were called out on a one-day protest strike in Berlin on Tuesday.
70,000 Danish teachers locked out
By Helmut Arens and Christoph Dreier, 24 April 2013
In a historically unprecedented act, the Danish government has locked out 70,000 high school teachers for more than three weeks.
European Union cites Boston attack to justify major anti-terrorist operation
By Chris Marsden, 24 April 2013
On April 17 and 18, anti-terrorist units of numerous European Union member states participated in an operation involving simulated terrorist attacks in nine different countries.
One-day Lufthansa strike grounds flights in Germany
By Ernst Wolff, 24 April 2013
A strike by Lufthansa ground crew on Monday led to the cancellation of flights at airports across Germany.
Spain: Polls show support for all parties, unions and monarchy at record low
By Alejandro López, 24 April 2013
The huge decline in support for the political parties, trade unions, and the monarchy can only mean huge social struggles are on the horizon.
Official opposition protests Montenegro presidential election result
By Ognjen Markovic, 24 April 2013
Both candidates in the recent presidential election in Montenegro support the austerity policies of the European Union.
German media, politicians praise Obama for military-police lockdown of Boston
By Johannes Stern, 23 April 2013
Commentaries in the media and by leading political figures on the events in Boston throw a spotlight on the undemocratic character of the German ruling elite.
UK: 50,000 march to save Stafford Hospital
By Ben York and Paul Mitchell, 23 April 2013
The massive turnout to protest plans to close Stafford Hospital testifies to the determination of local residents and hospital staff to protect services.
Mass evictions continue in Spain
By Franci Vier and Paul Mitchell, 23 April 2013
None of the main demands of the anti-evictions petition launched by the Mortgage Victims Platform have been included in a new law by the Popular Party.
Irish public sector workers reject austerity package
By Jordan Shilton, 22 April 2013
The vote was a rejection of the attempts by government officials to blackmail workers into accepting the deal with the threat of further cuts, as well as the trade union bureaucracy's support for the agreement.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
19 April 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
German SPD conference approves election program
By Christoph Dreier, 18 April 2013
The Social Democratic Party Augsburg conference sent a clear message that the party agrees with the Merkel government’s austerity policy.
Britain’s involvement in assassination of Congo’s Lumumba confirmed
By Jean Shaoul, 18 April 2013
A senior British politician has revealed Britain’s involvement in the 1961 assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the Congo’s first prime minister.
German Defence Minister prevented from speaking at Berlin’s Humboldt University
By Ernst Wolff, 16 April 2013
Protesting students in Berlin prevented Germany’s Defence Minister Thomas from delivering a lecture.
British banks engulfed in new scandals
By Jordan Shilton, 16 April 2013
The Parliamentary Commission on Banking declared that HBOS crashed after a lack of risk controls, rapid and aggressive expansion and poor management amounting to a “colossal failure” on the part of bank executives
Health workers in southern England forced to sign new low-pay contracts
By Ajanta Silva, 16 April 2013
TQtwentyone, a large National Health Service provider operating in southern England, is seeking to cut workers’ pay, terms and conditions.
Cahuzac affair exposes bankruptcy of French petty-bourgeois “left”
By Anthony Torres, 16 April 2013
The scandal over tax evasion by former Budget Minister Jérôme Cahuzac, which has destabilised the government of President François Hollande, exposes the entire French political establishment.
Norwegian trade unions avert national strike
By Robert Stevens, 12 April 2013
A deal on pay will mean a minuscule raise, wholly in the interests of the employers.
The Cypriot bailout marks a new stage in the euro crisis
By Christoph Dreier, 11 April 2013
Fifty-five years after the founding of the European Economic Community, the project of unifying Europe on a capitalist basis has been irrevocably shattered by the global economic crisis.
British parliament unites in praise of Margaret Thatcher
By Julie Hyland, 11 April 2013
The recall of Britain’s parliament was the occasion for the government and opposition Labour Party to applaud Margaret Thatcher’s right-wing nostrums and assault on the working class.
The attack on UK health care and the case of Leeds General Infirmary
By Liz Smith, 11 April 2013
The ongoing crisis of Leeds General Infirmary, in which child heart surgery provision was suspended, reveals the grave consequences of the deliberate running down of National Health Service resources.
Germany: Bundestag allows police access to private PINs and passwords
By Johann Müller, 11 April 2013
Revisions to the German Telecommunication Act legalise the monitoring of private data stored on mobile phones and in the Internet.
Stalinist daily l’Humanité defends French government in Cahuzac scandal
By Olivier Laurent, 11 April 2013
The Stalinist daily’s April 3 editorial on ex-budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac’s confession to tax evasion defends the Socialist Party government.
European Union demands cuts after Portuguese court rules bailout unconstitutional
By Paul Mitchell, 9 April 2013
The Portuguese Constitutional Court’s ruling against EU budget cuts reveals the politically criminal and illegal basis of the pan-European onslaught on the working class.
European Union imposes austerity bailout on Cyprus
By Robert Stevens, 9 April 2013
The terms dictated to Cyprus by the European Union in exchange for a bailout are predicated on the destruction of the pay and conditions of the working class.
Britain: South West NHS Pay Cartel publishes plans to cut wages and conditions
By Ajanta Silva, 9 April 2013
The final business plan of the National Health Service management in the south west of England serves as a blueprint for reducing the pay and conditions for workers throughout the NHS.
Hundreds of workers at Goss International France lose their jobs
By Gustav Kemper, 8 April 2013
Web offset giant Goss International intensifies its redundancy program, laying off 430 workers.
Class war in Europe
By Julie Hyland, 4 April 2013
The punitive measures imposed on Cyprus mark a qualitative deepening of the European bourgeoisie’s class war offensive.
Largest ever welfare cuts come into force in Britain
By Paul Mitchell, 4 April 2013
This month, historic cuts in welfare provision come into force, driving millions further into destitution.
European unemployment rises for 22nd consecutive month
By Stefan Steinberg, 4 April 2013
The latest figures from the Eurostat statistics office confirm that the continent’s economic recession is taking a rising toll on jobs and living standards.
French Budget Minister Cahuzac resigns over hidden bank account
By Olivier Laurent and Alex Lantier, 4 April 2013
France’s Socialist Party government in crisis after its former budget minister admitted to lying about a Swiss bank account hidden from tax authorities.
As government crisis drags on
Italian president appoints expert commissions
By Marianne Arens, 4 April 2013
The ruling class in Italy is desperately seeking to override the election result of February 25 and develop a political mechanism to continue the austerity policies that were decisively rejected by the electorate.
SYRIZA makes political pact with the nationalist right
By Christoph Dreier, 4 April 2013
The alliance with right-wing nationalists clearly shows SYRIZA’s class character.
Greek parliament overturns right to free, universal education
By Robert Stevens, 2 April 2013
The cynically-named Athena Plan, calling for mass closures of universities and technical institutions, was passed in flagrant violation of the Greek constitution.
Reports reveal rapid pauperisation of the Spanish working class
By Alejandro López, 2 April 2013
Recent statistical surveys attest to the massive drop in working class living standards in Spain since the onset of the global financial crisis.
After Cyprus, more austerity in Greece
By Robert Stevens, 30 March 2013
Fresh from its financial looting of Cyprus, the European bourgeoisie is threatening to withhold funds from Greece unless it complies with mass sackings in the public sector.
UK health regulator reports on poor care of the elderly
By Ajanta Silva, 30 March 2013
The UK’s Care Quality Commission has produced a report documenting the severe deterioration in the quality of care for elderly people.
IG Metall union joins offensive against GM-Opel workers
By Dietmar Henning, 30 March 2013
The executive of the IG Metall trade union unanimously voted in Frankfurt-Main in favor of the so-called “Opel Master Contract”, sealing the closure of the GM-Opel factory in Bochum.
Spain: Sacked Delphi workers confront trade unions
By Vicky Short, 29 March 2013
Sacked Delphi workers in Cadiz clashed with trade union officials during an official celebration called by the Socialist Party-Communist Party regional government.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
29 March 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Attempts to form Italian government collapse
By Marianne Arens, 28 March 2013
A month after Italian elections produced a hung parliament, the latest attempts to form a government have collapsed amid mass opposition to austerity.
Agreement reached between Turkish government and Kurdish nationalist PKK
By Justus Leicht, 28 March 2013
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed Kurdish nationalist leader, called for a ceasefire on March 21, the traditional Kurdish Newroz festival.
More evidence emerges of torture by Spanish troops in Iraq
By Alejandro López, 28 March 2013
A video posted by the daily El País provides more evidence of the involvement of Spanish soldiers in mistreatment of detainees during the Iraq war.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland not exempt from threat of National Health Service destruction
By Steve James, 28 March 2013
All the regional devolved administrations in the UK are pushing ahead the assault on health care underway in England.
Goodyear union in France touts cooperative to “save” Amiens plant
By Antoine Lerougetel, 27 March 2013
The CGT union at the Goodyear Tire plant in Amiens in northern France, has outlined its plans for making the site a workers’ cooperative.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
22 March 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Europe in crisis as Cyprus faces national bankruptcy
By Jordan Shilton and Chris Marsden, 21 March 2013
The collapse of Cyprus’s financial system is being avoided only by the continued closure of the banks, which may be kept shut until next Tuesday.
Osborne’s “Aspiration Nation” budget signals more UK austerity
By Paul Bond, 21 March 2013
Chancellor George Osborne’s budget speech has set out more money for British banks, speculators and major corporations, while workers face a continued wage freeze and greater cuts in social provision.
Unions approve closure of PSA’s Aulnay plant in France
By Antoine Lerougetel, 21 March 2013
On Monday, the unions voted to accept the closure the PSA Peugeot-Citroën factory at Aulnay, cutting 3,000 jobs directly and 11,214 jobs throughout France.
Germany’s Left Party closes ranks with German intelligence
By Johannes Stern, 21 March 2013
The German Left Party is holding public meetings with top German intelligence officials in the wake of the NSU neo-Nazi scandal.
European trade unions oversee auto industry restructuring
By Ulrich Rippert, 20 March 2013
Across Europe, trade unions are playing a key role in imposing mass layoffs, wage cuts and the closure of auto plants.
Cyprus banks close as bailout terms spark Europe-wide crisis
By Jordan Shilton and Chris Marsden, 19 March 2013
Terms attached to the European Union bailout for Cypriot banks triggered heavy losses on financial markets.
Italy: Bridgestone wants to close plant in Bari
By Marianne Arens, 19 March 2013
Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone is responding to the declining European tyre market by cutting jobs in southern Italy.
Germany: Inquiry committee posts interim report on neo-Nazi terrorist group
By Sven Heymann, 19 March 2013
The report exposes how the police and secret service directly aided the extreme right in Thuringia.
Europe’s rulers whip up anti-immigrant chauvinism
By Julie Hyland, 18 March 2013
The rights of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens have been targeted by the European Union.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
15 March 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
EU summit wants more austerity
By Peter Schwarz, 14 March 2013
The summit attended by 27 leaders of the European Union in Brussels tonight resembles a besieged fortress.
Spain’s Iberia airline strike betrayed by unions
By Alejandro López, 14 March 2013
The five unions representing the majority of workers at Spanish airline Iberia have accepted a deal to end the three-month dispute.
British Labour Party steps up anti-immigrant rhetoric
By Robert Stevens, 14 March 2013
To win support from the ultra-nationalist electoral constituency and from Murdoch, Labour has moved decisively in taking up anti-immigration propaganda.
France: PSA car workers’ strike at an impasse
By Pierre Mabut, 14 March 2013
Some 100 PSA Citroën car workers from the Aulnay plant near Paris occupied the Engineering Employers Federation’s Paris offices to protest plans to close their plant.
Corruption scandals engulf Spain’s monarchy
By Vicky Short, 12 March 2013
The Urdangarin scandal has raised questions over the future of the monarchy in Spain.
Berlin: Mass layoffs at energy firm Vattenfall
By Ernst Wolff and Johannes Stern, 12 March 2013
Workers protested in Berlin after the Swedish energy firm Vattenfall announced plans to cut 2,500 jobs by the end of 2014.
Hospital unions attempt sellout of British strike
By Barry Mason, 12 March 2013
The Unison and Unite unions are working to wind down a strike by National Health Service workers at the Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust, with the aid of the pseudo-left.
Police clash with workers fighting closure of Goodyear Amiens-Nord plant
By Antoine Lerougetel, 9 March 2013
Riot police sprayed tear-gas and fired pepper spray at hundreds of workers from the Goodyear Tire Amiens-Nord site in northern France Thursday.
The political issues confronting the Bulgarian protests
By Christoph Dreier, 8 March 2013
Protesters in Bulgaria oppose the austerity measures dictated by the EU and the IMF and the bitter poverty they have produced, but the organisers are mainly petty-bourgeois forces seeking their own share of the spoils.
Unions sign French automaker Renault’s plan to slash jobs, wages
By Kumaran Ira, 8 March 2013
Unions at Renault approved a cost-cutting plan allowing the carmaker to cut jobs, lengthen working hours and freeze wages in factories across France.
Workers Struggles: Europe, Middle East & Africa
8 March 2013
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Eastleigh by-election used to shift UK politics rightwards
By Dave Hyland, 7 March 2013
The results of last week's by-election in Eastleigh, England confirm the deep unpopularity of Conservative Party and Liberal Democrat coalition partners
German trade unions march in step with German army
By Sven Heymanns and Johannes Stern, 7 March 2013
The German Trade Union Federation is publicly backing the increasingly aggressive role of the German army.
Struggle against closure of Goodyear plant in Amiens, France at a crossroads
By Antoine Lerougetel, 7 March 2013
The six-year struggle of workers at Goodyear’s Amiens-Nord tyre plant against company threats of a plant closure and mass sackings is at a crossroads.
French government promotes pseudo-left opposition parties in Tunisia
By Kumaran Ira, 7 March 2013
After Chokri Belaïd’s assassination, Paris is seeking to advance the petty-bourgeois Popular Front to advance its imperialist interests in Tunisia.
The occupation of Friern Barnet Library and the future of public services in Britain
By Peter Reydt, 7 March 2013
The establishment of a “community” library in Friern Barnet demonstrates how the politics of Occupy play into the hands of the ruling elite.
Follow us on