Earlier this year, I was approached by the Polish trade union Solidarnosc. The leader of their union at IKEA, Dariusz Kawka, was dismissed from his job — in violation of the labour law. Solidarnosc believed that the sacking was the company’s way of dealing with an effective, dedicated trade unionist.
We launched a LabourStart campaign for Dariusz in February. It was translated into 15 languages by our volunteers and shared widely across the net. Over 7,500 trade unionists sent off protest messages to the company.
On 18 September, Dariusz got his job back. He thanked his comrades at Solidarnosc, his legal advisers and the international trade union movement for our support. “I am committed to continue to protect workers’ rights and improve their working conditions,” he said.
This is what LabourStart was created to do — to raise awareness of workers’ struggles around the world, to fight for workers’ rights everywhere and to build networks of support across borders and languages.
We do this through our campaigns, through our news service, and through our conferences. As you may know, we just held a very successful Global Solidarity Conference in Tbilisi, Georgia. Next year, we are hoping to hold the next one — for the first time — in Latin America.
All this is made possible by our volunteer correspondents, our translators, and you.
Without your support, LabourStart would not have survived these last 25 years since we were founded in 1998. With your support, we can look forward with confidence toward the next 25 years of struggles and victories.
Please click here to donate generously, and please encourage your union to make a substantial donation as well. We receive no money from corporations (as you’d imagine) and are completely dependent on voluntary contributions by working people and our unions.
I know that I can count on you.
Thank you!
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