A-Infos (en) Massive Danish strike wave continues

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Massive Danish strike wave continues

May 4th, 1998

The May Day rally in Copenhaghen was a massive event which marked day 5
of the all-out strike by 500,000 private sector workers demanding a week

extra holidays and the 35 hour week amongst other demands.

Between 350 and 500,000 workers participated in the rally in
Copenhaghen,
and there were even people who had to leave without being able to enter
the park where the rally took place.

The strike remain solid and is still spreading to sections of the public

sector although very slowly. Parts of the public sector are being shut
down for health and safety issues, as cleansing services are privatised.

Public sector unions issued posters in solidarity with the strike and
supporting the demands for the "three six": six weeks of paid holdays a
year, six hour working day for shift workers and 6% wage increase. These

demands, according to the posters would mean "more sex for all" (in
Danish six is spelled seks, thus the joke).

The strike has also received support from airport workers in Sweden who
have partly paralysed flights to and from Denmark being bused and
ferried
to Swedish airports.

The support for the strike and opposition to government intervention to
stop it has been growing. In an opinion poll published on May Day, more
than 50% of the population declared their support for the strike
(including 2/3 of Socialdemocratic voters). The Socialdemocratic
government has tried to adopt a "neutral" stand saying this is an issue
to be solved between bosses and unions.

The employers have threatened with a shut down of the retail sector from

tomorrow if the strike continues, adding to the scare campaign about
shortage of food, medicines, etc.

In the meantime the union leaders are busy in negotiations with the
employers. These take place in a secret location so that the workers
cannot put direct pressure on them. Nevertheless the national meeting of

shop stewards which took place last week in Odense decided to call for a

national day of action for tomorrow (May 5th) with a demonstration in
Copenhaghen in front of the employers federation building.

The union leaders are trying to spread the message that "we cannot get
the whole of the extra week holidays now (they forget about other
demands), maybe we will have to settle for two days extra this time".

The problem is that the CP leaders who gave the 1985 movement some sort
of direction through their influence in the shop stewards movement, are
now weaker and too afraid to raise anything. At the May Day rally they
even asked people not to raise the slogan of the need for a general
strike.

(Based on phone conversations with trade union activists in Denmark)

Source details:
Date: Tue, 05 May 1998 13:35:59 +0100 (BST)
From: socappeal@easynet.co.uk
Subject: Danish strike day 8
Sender: union-d@wolfnet.com
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