Tagged: IWW Ireland

#GlobalMayDay2022: Fruits of Labor (film screening)
As part of Global May Day 2022 the IWW Ireland together with the film makers organize the screening of Fruits of Labor.

‘Fruits of Labor’ explores the life of Ashley, a Mexican-American teenager living in an agricultural town on the central coast of California, who dreams of graduating from high school and going to college. But when ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) raids threaten her family, Ashley is forced to become the breadwinner, working days in the strawberry fields and nights at a food processing company.
Today immigrant farm workers make up an estimated 73% of agriculture workers in the United States, of which about between 50 and 70 percent are undocumented.
While precise data on youth farm workers does not exist, the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs estimates that there are approximately 500,000 to 800,000 farmworkers under the age of 18.
‘Fruits of Labor’ offers a new narrative about women workers that shows the nuances of how the global food system intersects with gender and family life.
There will also be a Q&A opportunity with the film director Emily Cohen Ibañez.
The public hosting of this film is a great opportunity for grassroots, fighting unions to come together to hear first hand the challenges that agricultural workers face in front of climate change, institutionalised racism and capitalist exploitation; and explore ways of building class solidarity links and opportunities for workers organising within the chain of production.

#GlobalMayDay2021: Actions across Ireland
The IWW Ireland supports the call for Global May Day 2021. Here are some of the activities arranged by the local branches.
Belfast
Belfast IWW mark International Workers Day in Writers Square in Belfast City after gathering at the International Antifascist monument dedicated to the international brigadists. Our actions formed part of Global MayDay celebrations across Ireland and internationally with other revolutionary syndicalist unions and organisations.
source: facebook.com
As part of our May Day actions we set up a short history of May Day, the IWW, and Industrial Unionism in Writers Square. We were able to chat to passers by about the reason we mark May Day and the state of trade unionism today.
source: twitter.com
The IWW won’t give you special credit cards or package holidays, but we will always fight for the dignity and right of our class to all that our hands produce.
Derry
Another glorious day in Derry’s Guildhall Square as Wobblies helped celebrate International Workers Day with a banner drop in the Square. The action was in solidarity with national and international actions carried out by a number of revolutionary unions as part of Global May Day 2021. IWW members set up a free street exhibition on the IWW, its history and solidarity unionism as well as stencils, stickers and flyposting as we commemorated international workers day.
source: facebook.com
Street exhibition in Derry as part of May Day events organised by the IWW Derry Branch. It made good discussion points during the day as to why the IWW are completely different from that of the ‘business unions’.
source: facebook.com
Dublin
Members of the IWW Dublin Branch took part in a number of actions as part of May Day celebrations earlier today around the city centre.
source: facebook.com

Global Month of Solidarity: Pickets at Lidl stores in Ireland
August 15th, August 23rd, and now on August 29th workers organized with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Ireland picketed in front of Lidl stores in different cities in support of fellow workers struggling for their full wages and compensations in Dhaka.
As part of a month of action called by the International Confederation of Labour (ICL – CIT) in solidarity with 6000 sacked garment workers, members of the IWW continue to hold information pickets at Lidl Stores in Ireland. The action is seen as an international effort to help raise awareness with the public, of the ongoing struggle by garment workers in Bangladesh, represented by members of the Garment Workers Trade Union Centre (GWTUC).
Complete text on onebigunion.ie
This weekend the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) have once again held public information pickets outside Lidl stores in both Belfast and Derry. To date, information pickets have been placed outside Lidl stores both and south of the country to help highlight the ongoing struggle by GWTUC members to ensure they are not isolate or forgotten.
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#unitedagainstthedragon

Global Month of Solidarity: Pickets at Lidl in Ireland and Scotland
Members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in Ireland rallied for the second time at Lidl stores in different cities, such as Belfast and Derry.
This time comrades in Glasgow (Scotland) joined the coordinated action with a picket outside the city’s Lidl Store based in Govanhill’s Victoria Road.
The IWW Ireland published this report:
Solidarity pickets continues this week as members of the Industrial Workers of the World Ireland Branch take part in a series of month long international solidarity protests in support of Garment Workers in Bangladesh.
source: onebigunion.ie
In Belfast and Derry this weekend IWW members held pickets out an number of Lidl stores at the Hi Park Centre and on the Buncranna Road stores as part of ongoing efforts to highlight how 6000 illegally sacked Garment Workers continue to have their wages withheld.
A member of the IWW spoke during todays action on Belfasts High Street stating: “Our union has taken part in a series of international actions in an effort to draw attention to the fact that 6000 members of the Garment Workers Trade Union Centre (GWTUC) were illegally sacked in March and have still not been paid by Dragon Sweater Group.
“We have organised a series of high profile solidarity actions against major supermarket chains such as Lidl and Walmart/ASDA globally who have directly profited from the cheap labour of Garment Workers for years.
“These stores have been and continue to be supplied by garments made by Dragon Sweater Group. Back in March this company, cruelly and illegally terminated over 6000 garment workers positions and refused to pay wages owed to them.”
A representative of the GWTUC stated that “Wages and benefits have gone unpaid to workers, majority of whom have worked for at least five years, some of whom have been employed at the factory for the better part of two decades.
“Dragon Group targeted those workers who have accrued a lot of unpaid benefits and wages. It is a widespread practice in the Bangladesh Garment Industry to leave years upon years of workers’ wages and benefits unpaid, and eventually the owners terminate the workers, bring in a new batch and start the whole process again. So, it is safe to say, that a lot of these brands have benefited from unpaid labor over a number of years.”
Following today’s action a member of the IWW Derry Branch told us that: “By holding a month long series of rolling solidarity pickets, we are demanding that both Lidl and Walmart/ASDA urgently revoke their suppliers contracts from the Dragon Sweater Group to help ensure that ALL workers receive their full wages and payments owed to them, and that their all their suppliers fully adhere to labour rights.
“In doing so, we call upon both of these multinationals to equally ensure that their supply chain is transparent in order to stop the exploitation of workers which is the wish of all their customer’s, here in Ireland and throughout Europe.
“We will continue our solidarity with the GWTUC and others through the CIT-ICL, in an effort to highlight what the Dragon Sweater Group are doing. We demand the reinstatement of all 6000 garment workers and for wages owed to them to be paid in full. We would encourage other unions to come forward and add their voices to the international call.”
As part of today’s solidarity actions, members of Clydeside IWW Branch in Scotland, held a picket in Glasgow’s Southside in support of sacked Dragon Group workers in Dhaka. They held a picket outside the city’s Lidl Store based in Govanhill’s Victoria Road.

Global Month of Solidarity: Pickets across Ireland (Press Statement)
The Industrial Workers’ of the World (IWW) Ireland were among those initiating the Global Month of Solidarity with the Garment Workers at Dragon Sweater (Dhaka, Bangladesh).
IWW branches in Belfast, Derry, Dublin, Galway and Newry organized pickets targeting ASDA (Walmart) and Lidl stores and published this press release:
IWW Protests at Lidl and ASDA Stores across Ireland in support of Garment Workers
Members of the IWW Ireland Branch took part in today’s international day of action in support of Garment Workers in Bangladesh. The action itself is part of a series of month long international solidarity protests in support of 6000 Garment Workers Trade Union Centre (GWTUC) members who were illegally sacked by Dragon Sweater Group in March.
The Dragon Sweater Group, who supply Lidl and ASDA/Walmart stores globally, used the excuse of Covid-19 pandemic to illegally terminate jobs of thousands of Garment Workers closing factories across Bangladesh.
A spokesperson for the IWW Ireland Branch in a statement following today’s events “Mass layoffs are already taking place in Ireland as well as worldwide and as workers we must stand in solidarity with one another to let bosses know that an injury to one is an injury jury to all and that we will resist and fight back against further job losses and unfair dismissals.
“We have to take a united stand, as the IWW have done today in Ireland, north and south and internationally with radical syndicalist unions such as the GWTUC and FAU and others through the CIT-ICL, united against the Dragon.
“This is the first in a series of month long actions and we call on other unions to take part. We intend to continue our solidarity actions with the GWTUC members to highlight the fight against the Dragon, to demand the reinstatement of all 6000 garment workers and for wages owed to them to be paid in full.
“Covid 19 has become an excuse for bosses and capitalists to get away with unfair dismissals disregarding labour worker rights agreements. Let the rich pay for Covid losses, the working class must stand together and fight back any attempts to cut down on labour’s rights.”
originally published on onebigunion.ie






