The fight for workers' rights takes no break for the holidays

[Omaha Steve]

I thought that the most recent mailing we sent you was going to be the last for 2010.

After all, in many parts of the world, we are coming up upon a holiday season -- a time when things slow down a bit, when union offices close, people take vacations, and so on.

Unfortunately, the government of Moldova has gotten in the way of this being a quiet time for us.

I've just received an urgent appeal from the IUF which has launched an international campaign to protest the jailing of five trade union leaders in this former Soviet republic.

Their crime?

Leading a legitimate struggle by members of their union to claim unpaid wages.

And we're not talking about a missing month or two. The workers at the Glodeni sugar plant haven't been paid since June 2009.

That's not a typo -- it really has been 18 months since they were paid.

The Moldovan government needs to feel under pressure from the international labour movement to immediately release the five leaders who are under house arrest.

Please -- before you take your break (if you're taking a break) -- read more and send off your message from the IUF website:

http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/campaigns/show_campaign.cgi?c=543

And then please spread the word in your union and to your co-workers.

Thank you.

Eric Lee

http://www.laborstart.us/

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