Trash Capitalism

Last week in Doncaster, after two days of strike action, bin-workers in Unite the union employed by Sita UK “voted 70-50 to accept a revised pay offer and return to work.” This is excellent news, and “will give confidence to a group of workers only recently unionised and still in the process of building a branch uniting all three depots.”

This victory however is all the sweeter because the Doncaster workers took on and beat one of the most powerful corporations in the world. I say this because Sita UK is a subsidiary of Suez Environnement, a none too friendly giant that employs over 80,000 people worldwide. Nicolas Bazire is a sickening example of the type of ruling class elite running Suez’s affairs, as he is also a board member of Atos, the notorious corporation which is perhaps best known for its attacks on the disabled.

We might also observe that another Suez Environnement director, Amaury de Sèze, resides alongside Thierry Dassault on the board room of the French arms manufacturer, Dassault Group. This is interesting because Thierry Dassault is a director of another French multi-national known as Veolia Environnement (as is the Dassault Group’s current CEO, Olivier Costa de Beauregard), which just so happens to be the corporation involved with attacks on the pay and conditions of recycling workers in Sheffield.

For those who don’t know, earlier this year Veolia sub-contracted their Sheffield council sub-contract out – no joke – to an organization known as SOVA Recycling Ltd, which then proceeded to sack six workers and cut the pay of the remaining 30 staff. In response the workers organized in GMB, took 28 days of strike against the cuts. This was then followed by a painful two months of ‘talks’ (with management) which collapsed and ended up with the determined workers being forced back on strike last month.

This example provides yet another demonstration of the interconnected nature of the working classes fight against a brutal austerity obsessed ruling class. The countless trade union struggles against bosses across the country consequently must be joined up, and what better way to do this than through a general strike! In the meantime I will see you on the 20^th October demo in London, and would encourage you to press your trade union branch secretary to take up the campaign for a 24-hour general strike as the next step in the battle to defeat austerity.

UPDATE: On 10 October 2012 The Socialist reported that bin workers employed by Veolia in Bromley are balloting for strike action as a result of the unfair dismissal of four of their colleagues.