According to the Foundation research «Bertelsmann» the average child poverty in Germany amounts to 14.7%. Between 2011 and 2015 it even increased in 9 of the 16 Länder and reached a total of nearly 2 million. In the western provinces, child poverty has increased since 2011 from 12.4% to 13.3% in 2015. In the eastern ones, it  fell from 24% to 21.6%, but remains high, suggesting that capitalist barbarism strikes the working classes in the “locomotive of the EU”, where the capital has come out as winner. And, of course, the first victims are children whose parents experience the flexible forms of employment, half life of the so-called “Mini Jobs” of 400 euros per month which concerns  more than 7,000,000 employees.

Local elections are continuing:
Local elections in the Land of Lower Saxony took place on Sunday in Germany, while the next ones will be held in Berlin. These elections are held at a time when tensions grow within the coalition between the Christian Democrats (CDU) – Christianokoinonistes (CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD), the same time that the new party capital ‘Alternative for Germany »(AfD) is set up ,a party that raises contradictions in EU sides, opposition to joining the euro with anti-immigrant rhetoric.

In the elections in Lower Saxony, the Christian Democrats suffered losses in the first place with 34.4% ( 37% in 2011), the Social Democrats took 31.2% ( 34.9%), followed by the “Greens” with 10, 9% ( 14.3%), the “Alternative” with 7.8% (without participation in previous elections), Liberals with 4.8% ( 3.4%) and the “Left” ( “lINK” , the opportunist party in the leadership of the European Left)  with 2.4% ( 3.3%). The participation was around 55.5% and it is the fifth largest state of Germany.

 September 15, 2016

FISE Condemns the Murder of the striker Abd Elsalam Ahmed Eldanf, from the company GLS/SEAM in Piacenza of Italy.

Comrade Abd Elsalam Ahmed Eldanf worker from Egypt, member of the Italian union USB, was picketing the strike in the company GLS/SEAM couriers, which was taking place against flexible working conditions imposed by the company. The employers gave orders to one of the drivers to move his truck against the picket line. The truck hit and killed the striker, father of 5 children.

Ruthless employers having the government as their ally, are picketing their profits playing with the lives of the workers. FISE condemns the employers as well as the governments, which are formulating laws according the interests of the employers and not the workers.

The escalation of oppression and repression has to be answered from the organized, class oriented trade union movement.

We express our class solidarity to the struggle of the workers of GLS/SEAM and USB union.

We call all teachers unions all over the world to massively condemn the murder of our comrade Abd Elsalam Ahmed Eldanf and express their solidarity.

WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE PUNISHMENT OF THE MURDERERS 

We strengthen solidarity! – We strengthen the struggle!

The secretariat

1/9/2016

Solidarity message

FISE Solidarity with the General Strike in India

The FISE, World Federation of Teachers’ Unions, affiliated to WFTU expresses its solidarity with the working class, teachers’ unions and the trade unions of India for the General Strike of September 2.

At this great struggle, we hope to involve all the teachers union and take parts  in the demonstrations to be held in India .

FISE, expresses its support and solidarity tothis great battle of the working class of India.

Long Live Solidarity!

Long Live Internationalism!

With militant greetings
he Secretariat

PRESS RELEASE

RE: Police Must Respect The Rule of Law

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) is worried that the country is sliding back to the pre Government of National Unity (GNU) period as shown by the refusal by the police to respect a High Court order that granted political parties under the banner of National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) the right to demonstrate, thereby increasing the country’s risk factor.

The barricading of roads, destruction of property, loss of production as a result of wanton use of teargas around business premises last Friday squarely lies in the unprofessional handling of the situation by the police. Such careless response by the security cluster is contrary to what other clusters are doing to attract investment. Even the so much hyped Special Economic Zones initiative will not get any attraction from investors. Who will bear teargas being thrown into their premises? Government is literary shooting itself in the foot and they should blame themselves if this army of unemployed youths start to enjoy the game.

The ZCTU is worried that authorities are taking their citizens for granted and urges the state to respect the rule of law and court judgments.

Reports indicate that a number of demonstrators were injured by overzealous baton wielding ZRP officers who went on a rampage, beating everyone on site. The ZCTU strongly condemns the police brutality as it is contrary to the Constitution of Zimbabwe that gives citizens the right to demonstrate peacefully.

Japhet Moyo
SECRETARY-GENERAL
29 August 2016

The Congress of South African Trade Unions in Limpopo is highly disturbed by the non-payment of 205 temporary teachers since April 2016 as reported by SADTU. We are told that the Limpopo Department of Education blames this anomaly to the implementation of Instruction Note 7 from Treasury that deals with control of escalating compensation of employees and control measures in effecting appointments.

The federation is therefore fully in support of SADTU decision to begin preparations towards a full blown strike as follows:

• Declare formal dispute against Department of Education and follow all legal recourse available
• The union will immediately start with picketing and protest action with withdrawal of labour (Strike) as the ultimate option
• All teachers and members of SADTU are encouraged not to perform any duty beyond their job description and duties allocated to their posts. Duties allocated to vacant posts must be left unattended with immediate effect to relieve teachers from the burden of performing duties for other people.

The federation will urgently convene a meeting of its Public Sector unions on Monday, 29th August 2016 for total shutdown in the province if these demands are not addressed.

– See more at: http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=11879#sthash.I7H68ILq.dpuf

26/08/2016

The World Federation of Teachers Union, FISE, member of WFTU expresses its condolences to the workers and the people of Italy, to the families of the victims of the devastating earthquake of 24th August.

Natural phenomena become causes of disaster, loss of lives with main victim the workers and the people. This is because the bourgeois governments do not have as their priority the protection of the lives, the earthquake protection measures and the civil protection of the people and the workers.

The Italian teachers will have to be at the forefront to address the problems not only of survival but also of the continuation of the students and pupils’ studies.

FISE and teacher unions that are its members are on the side of the workers and the people of Italy during these difficult times. 

THE SECRETARIAT

Athens 21/8/16

PRESS RELEASE:   About the Developments in Turkey

                    The World Federation of Teachers Union, FISE, member of WFTU, condemns the bomb attack on Saturday 20/8/2016 at a wedding in Gaziantep, Turkey that resulted in 51 people killed and 69 others wounded and it sends its condolences to the families of the victims.
FISE is watching with attention and concern the developments in Turkey after the attempted coup on 15.7.2016 and the measures that have followed. Like for example the cancellation of working permits of 27.424 workers in the education sector and the prohibition to work again in the public or private education.

These developments are the result of the rivalries among the imperialist forces in the region that are also expressed within Turkey. It becomes obvious to all peoples that the participation of a country in the predatory alliance EU – NATO cannot provide any security.
The Justice and Development Party (AKP)of Erdogan, presented as the “protector of the Republic” after the coup, during the entire previous period has been escalating the repression, authoritarianism, the attack on workers’ and people’s rights and freedoms. They imprisoned militant workers, unionists. The fact is that the bourgeoisie of Turkey and the parties that serve it will take advantage of the developments to reinforce the attack on the people and the workers. The workers and teachers in Turkey must be on alert and vigilant.
At the same time it is extremely dangerous for the workers and the trade union movement, the effort of trade unions, such as the ITUC to intervene in the developments serving the purpose of the imperialist centres. Once again the ITUC remains silent on the pursuits of the US -NATO-EU in the region, promoting in this way their own agenda.
The workers of each country can now draw conclusions from their experience. The participation in imperialist competitions, the interventions and wars go along with the escalation of the attack on wages, social security, trade union rights and freedoms in each country.
Faced with these developments, the teachers, the workers, the unions have to organize their resistance, to protect the rights and lives of workers. They have to strengthen the struggle against the imperialist organizations and their plans.
THE SECRETERIAT