McWorkers Bulletin, February 2002

national | miscellaneous | news report Sunday March 10, 2002 00:00 by McWorkers Resistance - Glasgow McDonalds Workers Resistance info at mwr dot org dot uk MWR, PO Box 3828, Glasgow, G411YU, UK

Greetings from Scotland! Here is the monthly bulletin from Glasgow McDonalds Workers Resistance, February 2002.

Dear friends,

Unremarkably, we did nothing over Christmas and new year except got pissed, constantly. Nevertheless, we do have a few bits of news to report.

The comically overdue website is now online at:

http://www.mwr.org.uk

It's not very good, but it's there! So please visit us. Also, if you're going to be kind enough to link to us, then please link to www.mwr.org.uk as the hosting is temporary but that address will be permanent.

We were cut from a BBC documentary on fast food because we were apparently too politically contentious for a show being produced by Tim Henman's wife. We were really pissed off about this 'cos we'd bought loads of balaclavas especially. In the end, our ambiguous relationship with the mass media has continued, bizarrely, with an interview in March's 'Loaded' magazine, the editor apparently said there was room for a few more tits... So we're sandwiched between Carmen Electra and Helena Christensen, etc. Buy it, really! It's only £3.00 and you get advice on cunnilingus and a free sachet of conditioner... Seriously, we don't think there is much point talking to ourselves, we want to communicate with our co-workers, which is our justification for doing an interview with a not very nice low quality wank mag.

Solidarity to our comrades in Paris: since the 24th October the workers at the Strasbourg-St.Denis branch of McDonald's in Paris have been on strike for the reinstatement of five of their colleagues, who were accused of theft by the management (who have not provided any evidence for their claim). It was obviously a coincidence that the five workers sacked were candidates for the 'elections professionnelles', a kind of works council. The management ignored the strikers at first which quickly made clear to the strikers and their support committee that the movement had to be expanded. For this reason the strikers and the committee have been regularly picketing a different McDonald's branch since November. These actions have made it possible to come to a list of demands: for a 6% wage increase; better working conditions; bonuses for 'dirty work'; recognition of the right to strike and the right for trade union organisation... This has broadened out the struggle and inceased the consciousness of the employees, to show that the fight is not only against the management [of one branch], but against employment without protection and workers' rights [i.e. against 'McJobs'] The five young workers who were sacked won a tribunal case against McDonald's on 25th January and the court said they have to be given their jobs back. However the fight is not over and there was a massive demo in Paris on 2nd February. Email the strikers at: [email protected], and see http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/mcds/indymedia200102.html

We should also introduce our new friends the 'McDonalds International Liberation Front' to whom we send our solidarity, even though they do insist on describing us as "pussy white boys". We've let them rant on our web site at: http://www.mwr.org.uk/milf.htm, and they can be e-mailed at: [email protected]

Solidarity to our friends the Workers Resistance against McDonalds, they got caught by McDonalds for their activities at the end of last year. What got them was that folk knew about their internet abilities, so unlikely to be a problem for us! McDonalds quizzed all the staff in their area about who was competent on computers. Scary people. Still, their struggle goes on, indeed it's flourishing, they have contacts in several stores. They've changed the location of their website, it's now at: www.wram.org.uk

MWR's group in Stirling (also in Scotland) is thriving, they can be e-mailed at: [email protected]

Special thanks to everyone who has done or is doing translation work for us, it's greatly apreciated.

Finally, we have to note that senior management failed to send us a Christmas card this year despite us having sent them this lovely effort last year (see: http://www.mwr.org.uk/card.htm )
This is a clear snub and is really just plain ignorant. Fucking parasites.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and new year,

Love and solidarity,

McDonalds Workers Resistance.

Stop Press: New group up and running in Wales!