lunedì 5 novembre 2007

IBM Strikes - Again

Di seguito, una lunga chattata, in pure english, su ciò che è avvenuto con, dopo e durante il primo sciopero su SL..

[7:59] Barillo Kohnke: Hi Dalinian!!!! Today we signed a new union agreement with IBM!!! A GREAT VICTORY FOR ALL OF US!!!
[8:00] Dalinian Bing: WOO-HOO!
[8:00] Dalinian Bing: Many Congratulations, Comrade
[8:01] Dalinian Bing: I'm really pleased for you and all your workmates -- well done indeed
[8:01] Dalinian Bing: Best news I've had in ages :-]]]
[8:14] Barillo Kohnke: Sorry, my graph card crashed...
[8:23] Dalinian Bing: Yeah I guessed something went wrong -- welcome back
[8:24] Barillo Kohnke: Yes..a SL crash... :-(
[8:24] Dalinian Bing: Sorry for the delayed response... I'm building
[8:25] Dalinian Bing: So -- complete victory for the 9,000 workers?
[8:25] Dalinian Bing: Or did the workscouncil concede too many compromises?
[8:25] Barillo Kohnke: yes, i will write you some more details...but you can imagine..we won against a big corporate...thanks to our SL protest
[8:26] Barillo Kohnke: no, I think it's good results...some points are still open, but we give back money to the workers...
[8:26] Dalinian Bing: BRILLIANT NEWS -- so glad and proud for all of you in Italy...
[8:27] Barillo Kohnke: :-) thanks to you !
[8:27] Dalinian Bing: ...and that all our efforts towards the sucess of the SL Strike were so worthwhile
[8:28] Barillo Kohnke: yep
[8:30] Dalinian Bing: That's kind of a new historical first for the international labour movement then -- an international protest in a virtual world being a significant factor in winning a national dispute over pay
[8:30] Barillo Kohnke: YES !!!!!!!!!!
[8:30] Dalinian Bing: FAN-BLINKIN-TASTIC!!!
[8:33] Dalinian Bing: Given the resignation of the IBM Italy CEO and the sucess of the workscouncil, backed up by the SL Strike -- I bet the global management of IBM are on the defensive, and the repercussions for other global corporate bosses are echoing too in the 'corridors of power' :-)))
[8:34] Barillo Kohnke: eheeh yes.. I hope that more fights will arrive from the other workscouncils...
[8:36] Dalinian Bing: Yep -- cetainly from within IBM, given your sucess -- and we can but hope that this news spreads widely in the international RL labour movement, so that other national disputes may call a SL Strike to back up their struggles
[8:36] Barillo Kohnke: yes, I will work on this
[8:37] Barillo Kohnke: we created some "problems" to the RL union federations..now they have to think about new way to fight
[8:40] Barillo Kohnke: bye, going back to write the "victory mail" in English, for the IBM SL strikers...
[8:40] Barillo Kohnke: ciao
[8:40] Dalinian Bing: Well, given the way most union leaderships are a part of oiling the wheels of Capital, like the banks or pension funds, rather than throwing all their weight behind defending and forwarding their rank and file union members interests, I would hope that this is a wake-up call for them too
[8:41] Barillo Kohnke: yes, I completely agree. I had many enemies against me, inside the unions...
[8:43] Dalinian Bing: And I assume the SL Strike was the idea of 'shop-floor' union reps, rather paid union full-timers in the union Headquarters and workscouncil?
[8:43] Barillo Kohnke: ehehe yes...the workscouncil and the headquarters of the union tried to stop me
[8:44] Barillo Kohnke: incredible...for this reason I gave my resignation
[8:45] Dalinian Bing: Well -- a BIG congratulatory slap on the back to you for sticking to the idea of an SL Strike and being SUCH and active participant in making it happen
[8:45] Barillo Kohnke: yes...
[8:46] Dalinian Bing: Resignation from what?
[8:47] Barillo Kohnke: from the workscouncil... I will continue to work on the international union relationship for IBM, but without being inside the workscouncil...
[8:47] Barillo Kohnke: a normal "little" employees representative
[8:47] Barillo Kohnke: and my normal work
[8:48] Dalinian Bing: ok -- because the Italian workscouncil was exposed as being so conservative as to actively oppose the virtual Strike?
[8:49] Barillo Kohnke: yes
[8:52] Dalinian Bing: Good on ya -- I hope and trust that your move and the reasons for your resignation will only enhance your reputatation further as a militant with his members' interests in the forefront of his mind, and a futurist (in a good 21st century way) in favour of exploring new ways of sucessfully forwarding the class struggle in new and innovative ways
[8:53] Barillo Kohnke: this is my direction... I don't want to be involved with people interested in their personal interests, instead of fighting for the workers' rights...
[8:53] Barillo Kohnke: something is changing...so I will work with few people around the world to build a global union alliance..
[8:54] Dalinian Bing: BTW, feel free to use any of the stuff I've said in your report, either attributed to me, or 'a Strike organiser commented', or as your own op/ed writing
[8:55] Barillo Kohnke: ok. thanks. your contribution was great, and our victory is dedicated to all of us that organized the SL Strike
[8:56] Dalinian Bing: I think you have a good and positive direction there -- do not rely on old, tried, conservative national union full-timers, but build international alliances of fellow forward thinking militants who can really build international solidarity in a meaningful way
[8:57] Dalinian Bing: Ok -- you get on and write your English victory announcement, comrade
[8:59] Dalinian Bing: I look forward to reading it, and most probably quoting from it and this conversation in my future writing about our sucess
[9:00] Barillo Kohnke: ok
[9:00] Barillo Kohnke: bye ! thanks again
[9:00] Dalinian Bing: u r v much welcome :-)))
[9:01] Dalinian Bing: bye for now
IM Transcript, Tue 30 Oct 07, to 14:59 to 16:01 GMT (London, UK)
  • Barillo Kohnke is a militant in the RSU (Rappresentenza Sindacale Unitaria -- the union which oraganises IBM Italy workers), a former member of their national workscouncil (of which, see more below), and the man behind the idea of a virtual Strike ISL.
  • Dalinian Bing is a member of the IBM-Strike Organisation Group and the Communist Party of Second Life, an IndyMedia photographer, and the man behind the Strike-building 'Join The First Ever Virtual Strike ISL Box (rez & click)'.