New Caledonia's USTKE union calls for general strike

Posted at 22:32 on 13 July, 2008 UTC

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=40872

The mainly Kanak USTKE union in New Caledonia says it will hold a one-day general strike tomorrow as 22 of its members are due in the court of appeal.

They were convicted in April to jail sentences for their role in the clashes with police in Noumea in January.

45 people were arrested during hours of clashes which left nine members of the security forces injured while more than 10 USTKE supporters were hurt when police used tear gas and rubber bullets to dislodge them.

Among those convicted for the incident is the union's president,Gerard Jodar who has told the local media that they are being taken to court because they no longer want to be part of talks seeking a social dialogue.

He also says pressure keeps building as a judicial probe has been launched into finding out who are behind the union's anti-state and anti-police comments on the internet.

TDF! Social dialogue….Absent?

Original in French Here
whats follows is a web translation only

This Tuesday July 8, as of 4 hours of the morning the militants of the USTKE bound themselves on the hill of the Mount-Whetstone sheath where the stake of their comrades of TDF is. At 5 a.m. several tens of comrades are already present and certain activate themselves to heat the water of the breakfast. As each time, the traditional good mood of the workers is made feel and the accodances just like the jokes heat these heights, of the town of Noumea, swept, at dawn by a very cold wind.

After 7 a.m., it is more than one hundred of militants who slowly arrive and share the breakfast in front of the grids of company TDF closed for the occasion, by a human mass made up of the representatives of all the sectors of the USTKE.

Provocation, obstacle with the freedom of work, taken as an hostage of a company?

Such are criticisms opposed to the USTKE, usually by way of press, good number of good thinking in our Country, consolidated in their obsolete reflexion by a French State, whose local representatives are always avid of show of force.

The conflict of TDF following the example much of others carried out by the USTKE, is hopelessly simpler and in any case finds its explanation elsewhere than in these directed stereotypes.

During this time, with the Mount-Coffyn the regional director of TDF positions higher on the hill and does not finish any more abusing its GSM, inside its car with the entirely raised panes and in the total indifference of a magnifying crowd. It is 7:30 and with the sun which rises, the row of women USTKE not less militant grows bigger at sight of eye.

Why the blocking of this company by the USTKE this day there? Quite simply to challenge the local direction of TDF on the need for opening the discussions in a conflict where the comrades start the 4th week of strike. It is what the president of the organization to all the media present will hammer, vis-a-vis the police force arrived little before 9:00.

While at the same time all aspire to the social dialogue inside the companies, which is done in addition very well in much of enter they, including where the USTKE is majority. There exist hearths of resistance still too many, with the image of company TDF which do not hesitate to ridicule these aspirations however legitimate of the workers of this Country. It is all the paradox calédonien.

Indeed in the case of TDF, we have 5 technicians burdens some on 6 whom count the company for a total staff complement of 12 paid. That does not challenge less world, Mr. directing Tapping of the local subsidiary company, arrived since January of this year on the territory. This last passes twice a day in front of the strike picket where are present half of its employees. Certain strikers are close to about thirty years seniority in this company, and the owner who passes with his car without condescending to stop and even looking at them. As much to say that the contempt reigns on the hill of the Mount-Coffyn. One did not see appearing, would be only the shade, of the social dialogue so much desired by all and the State in particular.

The French State let us speak, in spite of the many interventions of president Gerard Jodar and several comrades of the USTKE of which strikers of TDF, to recall that the purpose of the action of this July 8 was principal to obtain guarantees on the opening of the meetings between the two parts. The order is given in total incomprehension to release the places.

It is 9:25 when which the first followed teargas grenades burst not the painful flash-ball which do not finish any more damaging the body of the workers of the USTKE. Soon all the hill of the Mount-Coffyn disappears under a thick white cloud from lachrymatory smoke, testifying again to the industrial relations policy in Kanaky of the representative of the French State, become expert as regards dispersion manu militari of the workers calédoniens, men or women of the USTKE in particular.

When the fog is dissipated gradually, on one of the highest hills of the town of Noumea, we approach the 10:30 and the hundred merry militants present the morning left room to several tens of grenades used which strew the ground in the street which passes in front of TDF, subsidiary calédonienne. The street is encircled by the trucks of the mobile guards and the vans of the national police force buckle all the district.

Assessment of the intervention as much muscular than useless of the police force, two wounded comrades including one seriously with the leg by the launching of a grenade and three arrests.

At the Valley-of-Shooting, sits of the USTKE, it is practically 11 hours when the group of demonstrators is reconstituted gradually. Again, like the many preceding times, testimonys fuse to denounce the free brutality of the GIPN and police force in particular. However, no burned automobile, no director attacked and not of confrontation, this morning of July 8 to the Mount-Coffyn, at most this law on the hot sites from which TDF profits still briskly and behind which takes refuge its regional director to slice the neck with the social dialogue in its company. That obviously with the complicity of Office of the High Commission of the French Republic in Kanaky. It is that the paradox calédonien, shouted high, the opposite of what one discreetly does on the ground. A behavior of the High commissioner of the Republic and the director of TDF in Kanaky that for our part we qualify the colonial one and that we will never cease denouncing.

Just like we will systematically denounce police violences against our comrades syndicated with due respect to the owner of the Ministry for the Interior. The judgments of our persons in charge and the President of our organization in particular, that we denounce, just like the procedures in progress against the person in charge of the communication of the USTKE could not prevent us from expressing us freely and in any case will never reach our determination to raise us against the arbitrary employers' one in certain companies calédoniennes including those, subsidiary of multinationals.

It is 1 p.m. with the Mount-Coffyn: the traditional blue cover of the comrades and the flag of the USTKE float again in front of company TDF, on this strike picket re-installed entirely in less than 3 a.m. after being destroyed. The determination it is also that.

Mr. Tapping will learn that this conflict will be solved only by one draft-agreement and that the sending of the police force will do nothing but push back the expiry!

New Caledonia’s USTKE union calls for a general strike

Posted at 23:25 on 27 May, 2008 UTC

New Caledonia’s mainly Kanak USTKE union has called for a general strike to coincide with Thursday’s arrival in Noumea of the French junior minister in charge of overseas territories, Yves Jego.

The USTKE leader, Gerard Jodar, says the action is in protest at the French state’s policy of sending security forces to back employers in industrial disputes.

Mr Jodar says the union wants Mr Jego to understand that the government should no longer be at the service of employers and revert to a healthier use of the police.

Last month, a New Caledonian court sentenced 23 USTKE members, including Mr Jodar, to jail terms of up to a year over last January’s clashes with police in Noumea.

Mr Jodar, who is appealing his six-month jail term, was sentenced for directing striking workers during a prolonged fight near a bus depot at the centre of a strike.

*************************************************************************************

http://www.ustke.org/

Thursday May 01, 2008

Plus de 3000 manifestants pour la Marche du 1er Mai More than 3,000 demonstrators to the march of 1 May

Aux côtés des nombreux militants et manifestants de l’USTKE, quelques responsables politiques indépendantistes, le directoire du Parti Travailliste, les représentants des organisations environnementales, les responsables de Rhèbùù Nùù, le Comité de défense des prisonniers de Saint-Louis, les représentants du CNDPA en Kanaky, quelques représentants du Comité 150 ans, le collectif de soutien « Agir contre l’arbitraire et les discriminations », le Comité de soutien de Sidji Chimenti composé d‘étudiants, les grévistes de Ponérihouen Ambulance, les camarades grévistes de Carsud, les grévistes de CFP, les camarades grévistes de Fabicale et les nombreuses personnes qui soutiennent l’organisation syndicale depuis sa création, ils ont chacun à leur manière répondu à l’appel à la mobilisation générale pour la fête des travailleurs. Alongside the many activists and demonstrators of the USTKE, some politicians independence, the Executive Labour Party, representatives of environmental organizations, officials Rhèbùù Nùù, the Committee for the Defence of Prisoners of Saint-Louis, representatives of CNDPA in Kanaky, a few representatives of the 150 years, the collective support "Acting against arbitrariness and discrimination", the Support Committee for Sidji Chimenti composed of students, strikers Ponérihouen Ambulance, fellow strikers Carsud, PSC strikers, fellow strikers Fabicale and the many people who support the trade union organization since its inception, they have each in their own way responded to the call for general mobilization for the feast of workers. La ville blanche était noir de monde, et en même temps multicolore avec l’agitation des drapeaux "Usines et tribus même combat". The White City was black world, and at the same time multicoloured flags agitation "Plants and tribes themselves."

La présence des différentes communautés fût également un moment fort pour les organisateurs de la marche du 1er mai. The presence of different communities was also a high point for organizers of the march of 1 May.

New Caledonia Union Leader Gets Six Months Jail Sentence

A Nouméa tribunal has on Monday sentenced Union of Kanak and Exploited Workers (USTKE) leader Gérard Jodar to six months jail after he was found guilty of inciting an armed reunion that led to violent clashed between union militants and French police, on January 17, in the outskirts of the French territory's capital Nouméa.

The sentence imposed on the union leader includes a formal 12 months jail, including six suspended.

Jodar has also been deprived of his civic rights for a duration of three years, the court ruled.

As part of the same trial, 22 other USTKE militants were also found guilty of a series of offences, ranging from unlawful meeting involving the use of arms, aggravated violence to theft and vandalising of public property.

Sentences imposed of the 22 others range from one month to 12 months jail.

The trial was related to violent clashes between USTKE militants and French police, after an estimated 200 French policemen stepped in to lift a USTKE-staged blockade as part of a strike at local bus company Carsud.

The union was demanding that a bus driver, who was sacked for stealing proceedings from ticket sales, be reinstated.

The violent clashes between police and some 400 USTKE members and sympathisers, on January 17, lasted for up to twelve hours and were locally described as a riot bordering "urban guerrilla".

Dozens of people, on both sides, were injured, some by the French police's notorious "flash-balls (rubber bullets).

Police also used teargas to disperse the crowd and finally managed to restore an uneasy calm in the Nouméa suburb by Thursday evening.

Jodar, on his part, has maintained USTKE militants would remain camped near Carsud headquarters and would keep on organising "regular" demonstrations in Nouméa.
The union leader claims an agreement struck in January 2007 with Carsud management had not been respected.

Since January's unrest, police have stepped in several more times to disperse further attempt son the part of USTKE to erect new blockades at the entrance of Carsud headquarters.

The later interventions, which were incident-free, were said to aim at allowing non-striking employees, especially bus drivers, to ensure there was no further disruption in the bus service in the New Caledonian capital.

But French high commissioner Yves Dassonville later assured, in February, that police would not tire of intervening whenever illegal pickets were erected, "in spite of the hostile and aggressive attitude" from USTKE militants.

Since then, French police have sent a team of investigators to carry out an enquiry into local French police, in relation to the January 17 clashes.

Late February, Jodar and three other members spontaneously turned up at the Central Police Headquarters in Nouméa to be heard as part of the inquiry into the January 17 clashes.

They were briefly held, then released.

Jodar is also summoned to appear on May 16 in another case, this time to respond to charges of organising at least five demonstrations without obtaining prior and proper permits.

After the January clashes, Jodar held a face-to-face meeting with French High Commissioner Yves Dassonville.

As a gesture of good will, USTKE later announced that its strike was to be suspended at Carsud to allow for proper negotiations to take place with the company's management.
Jodar had since taken part in talks with USTKE, under the mediation of New Caledonia's labour department.

But talks have collapsed again and have not resumed since February.
Following his sentence, Jodar told local media on Monday he would appeal.
USTKE is also accusing French authorities in New Caledonia of systematically resorting to violence against the union.

In March, USTKE also announced it was no longer taking part into attempts made locally to foster "social dialogue", as part of a formal roundtable that attempted to identify a consensual way of solving industrial disputes.

In a joint statement released at the weekend, the Human Rights Leagues of New Caledonia and metropolitan France "unreservedly condemned any attack on the right to strike".

"Economic and social rights are an integral part of human rights… To sanction employees because they are taking part in a strike movement amounts to negating the right to strike", the statement went on.

"While the respect of persons and property, as well as the freedom to access to working places must be imposed on everyone, the disproportionate, repeated and untimely of law enforcement agencies can only trigger more violence than it purports to avoid".
But both leagues are also balancing their position, saying "union action cannot let itself be mistaken from the acts of a political party and it is also not compatible to mix personal interests with union activities".

Since last year, USTKE has officially set up its political arm, which it has called the Labour party.

Jodar said at the time it was felt the historic, pro-independence FLNKS (Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front) umbrella of parties had become too soft and too embedded in the local institutions.

Court push to jail New Caledonia’s USTKE leader

28 March, 2008 UTC

The prosecution in a New Caledonian court case wants the leader of the USTKE union, Gerard Jodar, to be jailed for six months for his role in clashes with police in January.

Noumea’s daily newspaper reports that the court has been told that Mr Jodar was giving orders during the confrontation which left police officers and unionists injured.

Mr Jodar says the union is just the victim of a police intervention which was political move decided by the French high commission and the then minister in charge of overseas territories, Christian Estrosi.

The court is expected to deliver its verdict on April the 21st.

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=38831

The French Colonial State attacks trade-union freedoms in Kanaky

L'Etat français attaque les libertés syndicales
Uploaded by USTKE

Striking Workers in New Caledonia Battle the Cops and Bosses

Workers of the USTKE union battle cops and bosses after a union member was fired for theft. The union rejects this accusation, claiming the worker is being victimized. Jef Costello writes:

“Workers at Carsud, the bus transport system for the capital Nouméa and surrounding areas, went on strike over the dismissal of a colleague for gross misconduct. Workers began a general strike, rotating between different regions, on January 9th. Some 200 police were sent against the strikers occupying the buildings at around 2am. Workers picketing the roundabout were attacked with tear gas grenades, rubber bullets and batons. Those who couldn’t get away in time claim to have been beaten in the back of the police vans. Workers responded by throwing stones at police. They overturned and burned two police vans as well as the director’s car.

Clashes continued all night and well into the next morning in what police described as ’scenes of guerilla warfare’. Seven police and two gendarmes reported minor injuries, as did dozens of workers. Up to 63 arrests were made with at least 12 strikers held on remand, mostly for charges of armed assault on police officers and criminal damage and are set to appear before a judge tomorrow (Jan 22nd)... The union has denounced the refusal of the company to negotiate. The high commissioner for the province, one of France’ overseas territories, said after the night’s violence: ‘they are using the tactics of crooks and thugs and I will punish them as such.’”

(Infoshop News, LibCom.org, 01/21/08)

New Caledonia demonstration in support of jailed unionists

Posted at 23:26 on 22 January, 2008 UTC

An estimated 500 people have held a demonstration outside New Caledonia’s main court house in support of ten members of the USTKE union who were arrested during last week’s violent clashes in Noumea.

The ten were to be sentenced for joining an armed mob after being ordered to disperse and of assaulting members of the security forces as well as damaging public property.

The clashes, which left more than 20 people injured, erupted after police tried to end the occupation of land next to a bus depot at the centre of an industrial dispute.

The court has deferred the case until February the 22nd after the defence asked for more time to prepare its files.

The ten accused have been remanded, with the defence saying there should be the presumption of innocence and the men should not be kept in jail just to satisfy public opinion and political interests.

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37601

More arrests expected in New Caledonia after Noumea clashes

Posted at 03:31 on 18 January, 2008 UTC

Police in New Caledonia are expected to make more arrests following Thursday’s clashes between security forces and those supporting the USTKE union which has been on strike at a Noumea bus depot.

45 people were arrested during hours of clashes which left nine members of the security forces injured while more than 10 USTKE supporters were hurt when police used tear gas and rubber bullets to dislodge them.

Several cars were burnt, including police vehicles, and footage from the incidents is now being used to track down more people suspected of involvement in the violence.

Local reports say among those detained were 10 women and a minor.

A meeting has been held this morning between the French high commissioner, who instigated the police raid, and the head of the USTKE union, but neither of them has commented to the media.

The strike at the Carsud bus depot was called in support of a union demand to have a sacked worker reinstated.

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37537

Clashes in New Caledonia as filth break up USTKE strike

There have been clashes in New Caledonia as riot police dislodged a strike picket at a Noumea bus depot.

Police tried to disperse members of the USTKE union in the early hours of this morning for illegally occupying land that belongs to the southern province next to the Carsud bus company.

An USTKE leader, Gerard Jodar, says police used tear gas to chase away the unionists, with about a dozen of them suffering injuries.

Local radio says police made 50 arrests.

Clashes have continued and reports say several vehicles, including some belonging to the police, have been burnt.

The violence has caused disruption to the traffic in the area, with protestors blocking the toll road out of the city.

The strike was launched to demand the reinstatement of a sacked Carsud employee.

The French high commissioner, who is responsible for public safety, commented on the Carsud strike and described the methods used by the USTKE union as hooliganism.

Yves Dassonville has told local radio that the authorities have moved to restore order and will provide their information to the French prosecutor.

http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=37497

Tautoko Kanaky Tautoko USTKE

Scandalized by what occurred on November 20, the Commission of theWomen of the USTKE firmly denounces the violation of the rights of thechild and the humans right of which proof made, once again, colonialjustice and its forces of repression by challenging persons in chargefor the organization, of which its President.Police officers, heavily equipped stopped manu militari fathers infront of their children as if they were criminals.No State, was it that which defends the human right, is authorized totrample the dignity of a relative in front of his child and whom, inthe same way no child can see tearing off from force the protectiveand respectful image which it has of his father.For the Commission of the Women of the USTKE Mrs. Marie-PierreGOYETCHE

http://www.ustke.org/syndicat/2007/11/21/279- -


http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/kanaky.html

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=44&ItemID=10896

http://www.greenleft.org.au/2006/668/6666