Tokyo tries to buoy Nissan
Nissan, Japan's second-largest car manufacturer, has
requested a $872-million loan from state banks to make payments
on $22 billion in debts. The economic crisis throughout Asia,
combined with overcapacity in the auto industry and intensified
competition with auto bosses in the United States, has weakened
Nissan's exports. Meanwhile, Tokyo announced a $195 billion
"economic stimulus" plan to try to pull the economy out of a
depression.
Italy: cabbies protest new laws
Thousands of cab drivers from across Italy converged in the
capital city of Rome, November 12 in a national demonstration
to oppose new antilabor legislation being discussed by
government officials that day. The protest came after a four-
day strike and weeks of one-day work stoppages by drivers in
Rome. The laws, which were adopted the next day, allow an
unlimited work day, with cab drivers forced to work a minimum
of six hours a day and negotiate "bargains" on cab fares.
Previously, taxi drivers worked a maximum of seven-and-a-half-
hour daytime or nine-hour nighttime shifts with standardized
fares. Drivers from Milan, Turin, Genoa, Naples, and Venice
participated in the demonstration, seeing the laws as attempts
to foster competition between toilers. In Venice, water-taxi
gondoliers filled that city's lagoons in solidarity.
Portugal: 250,000 students strike
Most of Portugal's 250,000 university students went on a one-
day strike November 12 against increased fees. The law, passed
by the Socialist Party government in September, raised the fee
from a nominal $7 dollars a year to $330. Some students see the
hike as the first step toward eliminating state-funded higher
education. Many have refused to pay the tuition fee. No
punitive action has been taken against students so far.
Zimbabwe nat'l strike hits bosses
Workers in Zimbabwe staged a general strike November 11,
bringing that country to a standstill. It was the first in a
series of weekly one-day work stoppages called by the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions to protest a 67 percent rise in gas
prices the previous week. There were also some street
demonstrations. In the eastern town of Mutare, one protester
was shot dead by riot cops. The government unsuccessfully
scrambled to avert the strike, calling for negotiations on wage
raises and consumer price hikes.
The unemployment rate in Zimbabwe is more than 30 percent in a population of 12 million. Over the past 12 months, the Zimbabwean dollar has lost 80 percent of its value. Prices on food and other essential goods shot up 33 percent with the fuel price hike.
Nigeria: youth seize oil bosses
Nigerian youth on November 11 boarded an offshore
containment vessel used by oil giant, Texaco Inc., and seized
eight people, including a U.S. boss. They are demanding the
Nigerian government improve living conditions in the Niger
River delta region. Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil
producing countries. Though the area is rich in oil, most
residents in that Third World capitalist country are destitute,
with no running water, no electricity, and unpaved roads.
Honduras: Chiquita axes 7,800
Chiquita Brands International announced it will lay off
nearly all of its work force in Honduras for at least year,
throwing 7,800 toilers into the streets. The company blames
Hurricane Mitch for the job cuts, citing $200 million in damage
to banana plantations. The "compensation" package for workers
amounts to a miserly $21 a week, some medical benefits, and
whatever hurricane relief aid is available.
U.S.-EU trade conflict sharpens
Washington has threatened to raise import taxes to 100
percent on a range of products from countries in the European
Union (EU) if the EU fails to change its current policies
around bananas. The U.S. government complains that existing
trade laws favor bananas from countries in the Caribbean and
Africa, which are dominated by European imperialists, over
those exploited by U.S. companies in Central and South America.
EU officials say they will match any sanctions placed on EU
countries with measures of its own. Paris and London support
the current banana trade system, while rulers in Sweden and
Germany oppose it.
Another Black killed by police
New York City cop Craig Yokemick chased Kenneth Banks, 36,
down 125th Street in Harlem October 29. Yokemick hurled his
walkie-talkie at Banks, striking him in his head and knocking
him off his bike. Banks suffered a fractured skull and internal
bleeding. He went into a coma and died two weeks later.
Inquiries about excessive use of force are under way, but
Yokemick remains on the job, albeit disarmed and behind a desk.
Originally, police tried to blame Banks's death on drug
overdose. Police reports claim Banks had cocaine on his person
at the point of arrest. The cops also asserted that Banks had a
history of epilepsy or seizures. But all those reasons for
death were disproved by autopsy reports and family testimony.
Yokemick has been disciplined before on at least two occasions
for assault or using excessive force.
Arkansas antichoice law dropped
A 1997 Arkansas law banning a method of late-term abortion
was thrown out by a federal judge November 13. Judge Jerry
Cavaneau repealed the legislation, stating it was so broadly
written it effectively banned all abortions. The law primarily
punished doctors for performing a type of late-term abortion
with up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The state
government in Arkansas has made no decision about appealing the
ruling. Several doctors had earlier tried to file suits against
the law.
Black discrimination suit: Oil bosses agree to pay $6.75 million
Penzoil Company agreed to pay $6.75 million to settle with
Black employees from the past four years who have cited
discrimination in hiring practices and treatment. About 700
Black employees at Penzoil can apply to be part of the class-
action suit settlement. The suit was originally brought forward
by 11 Blacks, representing others who worked at the oil company
from August 1994 to August 1998. The company insists that the
settlement does not constitute an admission of liability.
- BRIAN TAYLOR