Power loom workers

Workers of over 30 power loom factories in Ludhiana's Gaushala, Kashmir Nagar, Madhopuri and other areas are on strike from 16th September 2010 under the leadership of the Karkhana Mazdoor Union (KMU). The workers have revolted against their pathetic living conditions, total absence of labour laws, and callous attitude of the factory owners. This struggle follows in the wake of successful struggles of workers of 42 power loom factories in Shaktinagar and the Jindal Textiles factory.

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Massive protests in France

Workers in France launched a week-long series of protests from Sep 4, 2010 to protest against the plans of the French government to carry out “reforms” of the pension system which would mean that the working people would have to work for a larger number of years in order to be able to claim pension benefits. These protests took place against the background of the plans of the French government to push the burden of the economic crisis on the backs of the working people while continuing to provide massive subsidies to the big corporations and tax breaks to the rich. 

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Who should bear the burden of ‘national’ debt?

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and bourgeois economists in general try to hide the connection between the rise in National Debt and the rise in economic burdens that are piling up on the backs of workers and peasants at this time. In fact, the rising national debt is one of the major factors, and a permanent one, leading to ever increasing burdens being imposed on the toiling people, in the form of higher taxes and prices of everything they need to buy in the market.

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