Tony Burke | Morning Star

Album Reviews / 3 March 2025

Global Routes with Tony Burke: March 3, 2025

3 March 2025

New releases by Samba Touré, Santrofi, and Piers Faccini & Ballake Sissoko

SCARING TRUMP: (Left to right) Brazil’s President Luiz Ina

Features / 24 February 2025

Lula and Trump are on a collision course

24 February 2025

The towering figures of the North American right and the South American left are set to clash this summer as Brazil hosts Brics, an alliance Trump is determined to smash, reports TONY BURKE

Features / 11 January 2025

One Trump positive: US unions reunite

11 January 2025

The looming Trump presidency has forced unions to rebuild their unity and strength, writes TONY BURKE, as the SEIU returns to the AFL-CIO, healing the 2005 rift over organising priorities and getting ready to fight the right together

Culture / 30 December 2024

Best albums of 2024 with Tony Burke

30 December 2024

A horn of plenty, no less!

Volkswagen employees demonstrate in front of the Volkswagen

Features / 30 November 2024

German auto industry faces major strike action

30 November 2024

TONY BURKE reports on growing industrial unrest as Volkswagen plans its first German plant closures in 90 years amid its struggles to gain a place in the growing EV market, putting it on a collision course with IG Metall

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, speaks during the Global Citizen Aw

Features / 5 October 2024

Elon Musk v the Swedish working class one year on

5 October 2024

From the ports to the postal service, Swedish unions are outmanoeuvring Tesla in solidarity with striking mechanics — speaking to Tony Burke, IF Metall’s MARIE NEILSON explains that collective bargaining remains non-negotiable in Sweden

World / 26 May 2024

UAW calls on US regulator to annul Mercedes plant recognition vote, citing illegal anti-union behaviour by German car giant

26 May 2024

Global routes / 22 May 2024

Global routes with TONY BURKE: May 23, 2024

22 May 2024

The Jimi Hendrix of the kora, pure Soviet guitar and North African funk

Mexican presidential hopeful Claudia Sheinbaum, center, gree

Features / 22 May 2024

A crucial juncture for Mexico

22 May 2024

With elections coming up next month, the race is on to decide who will be the presidential successor to popular leftwinger Amlo, says TONY BURKE

World / 19 May 2024

United Auto Workers vow to continue unionisation drive after narrow defeat at Vance, Alabama Mercedes plant

19 May 2024

World / 8 May 2024

US government raises union-busting concerns with Mercedes Benz

8 May 2024

Features / 18 April 2024

Artificial Intelligence and the threat to workers’ rights

18 April 2024

TONY BURKE looks at the issues that have led to the TUC’s special taskforce on AI and the concerns of organised workers in the sectors that are already being affected by this powerful new technology

Features / 6 April 2024

US auto unions take on Mercedes

6 April 2024

In an organising rampage, the UAW has spread to new plants and supply chain workplaces, signing up huge numbers of new members and taking on the German car giant, reports TONY BURKE

Palestinians inspect the damage of residential buildings aft

Features / 25 March 2024

Gaza sparks massive artist boycott of SXSW festival

25 March 2024

Dozens of bands withdrew from the prestigious music showcase in Texas, denouncing its sponsorship by the US Army and military ties to a defence manufacturer that arms the murderous Israeli state, reports TONY BURKE

Features / 22 February 2024

Amazon, Trader Joe’s and SpaceX line up for anti-union attack

22 February 2024

These three companies are seeking removal of workers’ rights by arguing that the US National Labour Relations Board is unconstitutional, warns TONY BURKE

Features / 15 February 2024

‘Closing loopholes’ — Aussie government sides with the workers

15 February 2024

Following great news for gig economy workers and outrage from unscrupulous Aussie bosses, TONY BURKE suggests the British Labour Party should take a leaf out of the policies of its sister party Down Under

Features / 3 February 2024

No surprise as Canada trade deal collapses

3 February 2024

The news that the British government has put trade talks with Canada on hold marks another post-Brexit trade deal coming to nothing — so much for a ‘golden era of trade,’ writes TONY BURKE

Features / 27 January 2024

Argentina makes history with anti-neoliberal general strike

27 January 2024

Trade unionists from across the country and beyond are united against Javier Milei’s far-right economic reform package, writes TONY BURKE

Global Routes / 9 January 2024

Global Routes with TONY BURKE, January 9 2023

9 January 2024

Cuban virtuoso Omar Puente speaks to the Morning Star, and reviews of Hit The Bongo! The Latin Soul Of Tico Records and Somanti by Chouk Bwa and The Angstromers

World / 1 January 2024

Argentinian unions plan general strike for January 24 against Milei's 'anarcho-capitalist' reform plans

1 January 2024

with reporting from Tony Burke

Features / 14 December 2023

Has the world’s richest man met his match with the Nordic Unions?

14 December 2023

TONY BURKE takes a look at the battle between Elon Musk's Tesla and Swedish unions determined to defend collective bargaining

Features / 3 December 2023

UAW to begin massive organising campaign

3 December 2023

The US auto workers’ union is looking to expand its membership base following successes at GM, Ford and Stellantis, writes TONY BURKE

Tesla vehicles line a parking lot at the company's Fremont,

Features / 27 November 2023

Tesla: Elon Musk v the Swedish working class

27 November 2023

With the future of the nation’s union model at risk from a belligerent billionaire, the strike has inspired secondary action from across the class, with even postal workers now refusing to deliver mail to Tesla Sweden, reports TONY BURKE

Labour Party Conference 2023 / 10 October 2023

Reforming a fast-evolving media landscape

10 October 2023

As the traditional hard-copy newspaper industry declines and digital content evolves in ways we could not have predicted, the demand to hold the media accountable becomes more pressing, writes TONY BURKE

Features / 3 October 2023

India's workers left high and dry

3 October 2023

TONY BURKE warns that employment and environment rights clauses have been removed from the trade deal with India

Culture / 24 September 2023

Global routes with Tony Burke: September 24, 2023

24 September 2023

Side by side, Brazil’s future and Mali’s past

United Auto Workers members and supporters picket outside a

World / 24 September 2023

US president to join striking workers on UAW picket line this week

24 September 2023

Culture / 29 August 2023

Global Routes with TONY BURKE: August 30 2023

29 August 2023

Reviews of Afrobeat Classic Gentleman by Fela Kuti and Les Symphatics de Porto Novo Benin

Features / 26 August 2023

Time will tell what the future holds for Brics

26 August 2023

Self-organisation, reducing dependency on the dollar, and possibly expanding the number of member states were all up for discussion at the Brics summit in Johannesburg earlier this week, writes TONY BURKE

HEALTH AND SAFETY / 23 June 2023

Welding fumes and the danger of cancer

23 June 2023

TONY BURKE reports on the new initiative to raise awareness among welders, GPs and employers

Global Routes with Tony Burke: / 23 May 2023

African and Cuban music head in new directions

23 May 2023

Reviews of Fatoumata Diawara, London Ko and Eliades Ochoas, Guajiro

AKP supporters listen to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo

Features / 10 May 2023

Erdogan on the ropes — but what comes next?

10 May 2023

Tony Burke spoke to the HDP’s HISYAR OZSOY about why Turkey’s most powerful leader since its founder may be facing defeat in the upcoming elections at the hands of a broad opposition alliance

Gillespie, pictured during the Glasgow Govan by-election of

Features / 17 April 2023

Remembering staunch trade unionist Bob Gillespie – ‘a street fighter, a tiger’

17 April 2023

Culture / 14 April 2023

Global Routes with Tony Burke: April 14, 2023

14 April 2023

Music with the marvellous Eritrean krar, and a prolific populariser of Andean Cumbia music in Ecuador

Culture / 28 February 2023

Global Routes with Tony Burke: February 28 2023

28 February 2023

TONY BURKE marvels at a release of a new album by Ali Farka Toure, 16 years after his death, along with a new album of pulsating Nigerian sax lead jazz-funk

Features / 17 February 2023

Will Albanese deliver on promises to workers?

17 February 2023

Australian unions are facing a backlash from employers following the election of the Anthony Albanese Labor government which came to power with a mandate to reform industrial relations and restore balance, reports TONY BURKE

Features / 28 January 2023

Workers’ representation in Mexico

28 January 2023

TONY BURKE explains how unions are progressing in the North American country

Culture / 8 January 2023

Album reviews with TONY BURKE: January 8, 2023

8 January 2023

New releases from Winds Of Change: Progressive Sounds Of 1973; Robert Jon & The Wreck; John Fusco

Culture / 3 January 2023

Global Routes with TONY BURKE: January 3, 2023

3 January 2023

EXPLOITATION AHEAD: Outrages like the P&O scandal are a tast

Features / 17 November 2022

The Retained EU Law Bill is a disaster in the making

17 November 2022

A wide range of employment and health and safety rights derived from EU law were kept after Brexit — but now we must defend these workers’ rights from the Tory bonfire, writes TONY BURKE

Music Review / 13 November 2022

Global Routes with Tony Burke: November 14, 2022

13 November 2022

Pedro Lima: the revolutionary voice of 1970-80s São Tomé and Príncipe

Culture / 24 October 2022

Global Routes with TONY BURKE

24 October 2022

Slovenians and Puerto Ricans find common musical cause in New York

World / 22 September 2022

Mining union Los Mineros beats ‘yellow union’ in recognition vote after eight years' struggle

22 September 2022

Culture / 19 September 2022

Album reviews with TONY BURKE

19 September 2022

New releases form Rory Gallagher, Man and Hugh Cornwell

Music Review / 15 September 2022

Global Routes with TONY BURKE

15 September 2022

Emblematic voices of Djibouti and Cuba offer, respectively, an intriguing exploration and reassuring familiarity

Global Routes with Tony Burke / 23 August 2022

Ernesto Djedje was one of the most innovative and successful artists Cote d‘Ivoire has ever produced

23 August 2022

Global Routes with Tony Burke / 1 August 2022

Rogie: music that has aged like fine palm wine

1 August 2022

Culture / 11 July 2022

Album reviews with TONY BURKE

11 July 2022

New releases from Hank Williams Jnr, GA-20 and Kirk Fletcher

Around 10,000 people packed into this year’s rally, seeing

Features / 5 July 2022

Dictatorial Erdogan v the HDP's ‘democracy alliance’ in Turkey

5 July 2022

TONY BURKE attended the congress of Turkey's largest left-wing party, the pro-Kurdish HDP, which is expected to be a power broker in any electoral coalition to take down the authoritarian regime that has ruled for almost two decades

Features / 27 June 2022

New Zealand employers running ‘active misinformation campaign’ on Fair Pay Act

27 June 2022

TONY BURKE explains how new collective bargaining plans are being misrepresented by vested interests

Global routes with Tony Burke / 5 June 2022

Santrofi: back to the future

5 June 2022

Culture / 20 May 2022

Global Routes with Tony Burke: May 20, 2022

20 May 2022

Seminal 1970s recordings by Gabon’s Orchestre Massako reissued

World / 1 May 2022

Finnish paper workers return to work after strike ends in victory

1 May 2022

World / 25 April 2022

Mexico's ‘yellow’ trade unions receive another blow after workers vote for independent union

25 April 2022

Vieux Farka Touré – Photo by Kiss Diouara

Culture / 15 April 2022

Global Routes

15 April 2022

by Tony Burke

Music / 3 April 2022

Album reviews with Tony Burke: April 4, 2022

3 April 2022

New releases from John McLaughlin, Joe Satriani, and Family

PM Jacinda Ardern is confident the pro-worker legislation wi

Features / 1 April 2022

All eyes on New Zealand's Fair Pay Agreements

1 April 2022

The British labour movement should watch events in New Zealand carefully as a legal leap in workplace recognition is being introduced while bosses and conservatives vow to resist it, reports TONY BURKE

Features / 18 February 2022

Unions not a paper tiger

18 February 2022

The Finnish paper multinational UPM is hell-bent on neutralising unions. TONY BURKE reports

Film Review / 25 January 2022

The Beatles Indian misadventure

25 January 2022

Features / 21 January 2022

Global union demands end to Belarus attacks on independent unions

21 January 2022

TONY BURKE reports on the increasing number of instances of harassment and repression of trade union organisers

Round-ups 2021 / 27 December 2021

2021 albums round-up with Tony Burke

27 December 2021

Notable rereleases of Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela, The Trojan Story, Pretty Things, Bob Dylan and The Band

Police clashes with demonstrators during a protest, in Rome,

World / 10 October 2021

Italian fascists and anti-vaxers storm union HQ

10 October 2021

PUTTING THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS: Korean Health Workers Un

Features / 3 September 2021

Riot police ambush and arrest South Korean union president

3 September 2021

Authorities are trying to scapegoat trade unions for Covid containment failures and to discourage people from protesting

Music / 1 September 2021

Album reviews

1 September 2021

Reviews of Justin Adams & Mauro Durante Still Moving, Banquet – Underground Sounds Of 1969 and Beyond The Pale Horizon – The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1972

World / 6 August 2021

McCain lockout of Tasmanian workers deemed illegal in row over pay and conditions

6 August 2021

Features / 21 June 2021

Canadian unions break with Trudeau

21 June 2021

Trade unionists have rejected promises of ‘access’ to the ruling Liberal Party government under their former president by wiping the slate clean and electing a new leadership with a fighting stance, writes TONY BURKE

Features / 18 June 2021

A tax on trade unions

18 June 2021

After the government failed to include an employment Bill in the Queen’s Speech, they snuck out proposals that are nothing short of a major attack aimed at shackling trade unions, warns TONY BURKE

Electric Muse pic: Roy Harper credit: Man Alive/Creative Com

MUSIC / 16 June 2021

The Electric Muse Revisited

16 June 2021

Engrossing account of an era when the crossover between folk and rock began

Features / 15 May 2021

Unions file first labour complaint against Mexico under free-trade deal  

15 May 2021

Under the latest trade deal Mexico agreed to reform its labour laws to guarantee secret-ballot votes on union representation and the right to organise freely — now cross-border worker organisation is fighting to enforce that in the state of Tamaulipas, reports TONY BURKE