By Simon Rodriguez, a leader of the IWU-FI

The French working class once again stood up against the government of the liberal Macron. Over a million people mobilised in some forty cities against the government and its pension reform project. Over 90 percent of trips on high-speed trains and 80 percent on regional trains and 20 percent of commercial flights were suspended.

The strike is indefinite and they will vote its extension daily, which is why it will be the most important strike since the 1995 one that defeated Chirac’s pension reform.

We are the counterparts of all the revolutionaries in pursuit of justice and equality across the world

Zhaleh Sahand

Everything in Iran is crumbling, but its extreme tyranny and cruel anti-workers policies. Iran is a perfect example of the notion that anti capitalism-anti-imperialism is nothing more than a farce when it is not organically coinciding with the free operations of the independent unions, planned economy, and all civic liberties and practices.

Iranian regime has jailed and executed thousands and thousands of Iranian political activists from all walks of life; national/religious minorities, labour activists, and unionists, charged with sham national security offences and more. Several of the activists found dead in their cells, some activists forever disappeared, and some of them are serving lengthy and full prison sentences at present time (1, 2).

IWU-FI
On November 15, an impressive popular uprising broke out in Iran. A 300% increase in the price of gasoline and a greater restriction on the rationing of fuel at subsidized prices has triggered the protests, which have spread to more than a hundred cities, including several areas of the capital, Tehran. Popular slogans reject the increase in poverty associated with gasolina price adjustment and also question the regime, calling for "Death to the dictator" and "Down with the government. More than one hundred bank offices have been burned, as well as dozens of shops and two seminars, linked to the theocratic regime. The demonstrators have also incinerated posters of Ayatollah Khamenei and participated in thousands of roadblocks in various parts of the country.

For the past two weeks, Colombia’s trade union centres have been preparing a major national strike for 21 November. We expect it to be the largest in years and millions will mobilise against the austerity measures of Duque government endorsed by the IMF.