From Chartists and Suffragettes to Irish republicans and today’s Palestine activists, the treatment of hunger strikers exposes a consistent pattern in how the British state represses those it deems political prisoners, says KEITH FLETT
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We don’t go to work to be attacked
Usdaw’s research shows record levels of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers – and a majority do not feel reporting it makes any difference. Much more needs to be done, writes PADDY LILLIS
A shopworker on a till
In the aftermath of the illegal US operation against Venezuela, a deliberate misinformation campaign has been waged to sow doubt about the survival of the country’s revolution, warns MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS
A statement from the Parti Communiste Francais
ANSELM ELDERGILL examines our laws concerning the treatment of animals and their rights
THE Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (Codir) welcomes demonstrations across Iran, which have put pressure upon the theocratic dictatorship, but warns against intervention by the United States to force Iran in a particular direction
In a stark warning of things to come JOHN ELLISON invokes the ideological splitting of hairs that weakened any and all opposition to the unravelling WWI when 22 million of mostly Europeans lost their lives and 23 million were maimed
IT’S disturbing that the record levels of violence and abuse that shopworkers experienced in the first year of the pandemic increased even further in the second year.
Ninety per cent of the nearly 3,500 retail workers who responded to our annual survey reported abuse in the last year, up from 88 per cent; 64 per cent were threatened, up from 60 per cent, and most disturbing of all 12 per cent were assaulted, up from 9 per cent.
Violence and abuse is not an acceptable part of the job and it is truly horrific that shopworkers are having to face it on a daily basis.
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By sticking together, working collectively and building the union, we can weather any uncertainty ahead, writes general secretary of Usdaw PADDY LILLIS
RMT senior assistant general secretary EDDIE DEMPSEY highlights the priorities for the union’s meeting taking place in York