C.W.O.C. IWW

Fellow Building Trades Workers Industrial Union No.330,

On behalf of the Construction Workers Organizing Committee (C.W.O.C) I hope all of you are having a safe and healthy year.

We have a long road to go in organizing our industry but WE CAN DO IT! By working together we can make our lives safer, have a real voice on the job and work towards a bright future for our families and community.

The C.W.O.C can not do this task alone, for the I.W.W to have any success you are the key. Together we can learn new ways to organize in the construction trades. From unorganized workers to Dual carders the C.W.O.C is asking members of all experience levels to be apart of organizing in your industry. The committee has several projects under way for you to build your skills.

I hope you all are enjoying our new website. In time we will bring news and information that will give you insight  to alternative perspectives in the economy and daily life of our industry. Please bare with us as we update our website. If you have any ideas for our website don’t be afraid to send us a line.

organizer@iu330.org

On the 6th December Fellow Worker Ray Jessop of Hull was killed in a workplace accident (article). Enquiries are continuing into the circumstances of Ray’s death, but evidence is emerging that the cost-cutting policies of his employer, Kier, played a large part. It will be some time before a formal inquest takes place, but I have heard that UCATT, of which Ray was a member, is seriously considering making a case for a corporate manslaughter prosecution.

Although Ray was not well known in the IWW he was a loyal member and supporter of our union which he joined in 2002. He was not a passive member of UCATT and spoke out against managerial abuses. Workmates had tried to persuade him to take the shop steward’s position, but he declined as he did not feel that he was the right person for that task.

Ray was also active in other areas of struggle, and was particularly active in the animal rights movement, among whose ranks he had many friends. He was a conscientious member of the Hull branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and active in the Campaign Against the Arms Trade and the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases.

Ray was also a very sociable person who enjoyed a drink and a (vegan) meal with like minded friends, and he was particularly fond of live music, his preferences being reggae and ska. He will be sorely missed by those who knew him, as the outpouring of tributes and affectionate memories testifies.

Ray was 53 years old.

If the measure of someone is how people are remembered then Ray was truly remarkable he has drawn tributes from pagans, trade unionists, animal rights activists and in the local paper where people can comment on articles people who said they didn’t agree with him on anything still respected him and regarded him as honest. Many commented “this country needs more people like Ray”. As well as a large gathering at Ray’s funeral, he has also been honoured by his favourite pub with a tree and a photo and a pagan ceremony is also arranged for next summer.

IWW construction workers on the Olympic construction site have produced a damning report on the state of the worksite. The report argues for greater worker control of unions and a militant rank-and-file approach.

Excerpt from the summary of the report:

This report documents and critically analyses the working conditions of construction workers on the Stratford City development site of the 2012 Olympic Games. We base our findings entirely on the accounts of anonymous IWW and non-IWW construction workers employed there.

The report documents widespread mismanagement and a lack of resources devoted to ensuring that health and safety standards are maintained. Police intimidation of workers and harassment of union activists is also documented.

olympic_report_jun09-1