We publish here some of the solidarity letters we have received and passed on to the Tekel workers in Turkey. The courageous struggle has now gone on for 46 days and put huge pressure on the Turkish government. The letters from workers and trade unionists from all over the world are a great source of inspiration in order not to give in but fight until the victory. Please keep on sending them!

The protest of the Tekel workers is lasting for more than 40 days. Because of their consistent pressure the Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan has now decided to meet up with the trade union tomorrow evening. The hunger strike has now been postponed until Friday, pending on the results of the meeting with the Prime Minister.

The administration of the Cotton Industries issued – based on a ministerial warrant – an order to transfer the unionist Falah Alwan from the company. The decision came as a result of the strike of the workers of the Cotton Industries Company which started on December 13, 2009.

We have received further news about the Tekel workers in Turkey. As a result of their determined struggle trade union confederations have pledged a general strike if the government fails to meet their demands by January 26. This marks an important step on the road to winning this dispute. Please keep on sending solidarity messages!

The Tekel workers are stepping up their struggle with a hunger strike, but also raising the demand for a general strike. The desperate conditions of these workers is pushing them to he limit. They need the solidarity of workers from all countries. Send us your messages now!

The Palestinians have a right to their own homeland and this is something Marxists unconditionally defend. But how is this to be achieved? The idea of a blanket boycott of Israel has been raised. In this article the authors raise the idea that treating the whole of the Israeli Jewish population as one reactionary bloc is counter-productive. Much better a trade union based selective boycott that distinguishes the ruling Zionist elite from ordinary working people in Israel.

The Tekel workers in Turkey are starting a hunger strike today at 16.00 pm Turkish time in Ankara. They are requesting messages of solidarity from workers and students, intellectuals from all over the world. The message we received and forwarded below was a great source of inspiration for the workers. Please send more.

Recent events in Iran have highlighted the fact that the movement that erupted back in June was not a one off sporadic event. It marked the beginning of a revolutionary process that will not stop until this hated regime is brought down. There are ups and downs, but the direction is clear. What the mass movement now requires is the decisive intervention of the organised working class. That is what the Marxists insist on in this situation.

Part of the process of creating a so-called western style “democracy” in Iraq is the passing of laws that restrict trade union rights. One of these involves the direct intervention of the state to decide who can and who cannot represent the workers, imposing an official union over the tops of the existing unions created by the workers. Here we publish a statement of the FWCUI for the information of our readers.

We received this article from a reader of marxist.com about the ongoing struggle of the Tekel workers in Turkey. Tekel is a tobacco and alcohol producing company which has announced the closure of plants affecting 12,000 workers. This is a very militant struggle and desreves the attention and support of workers around the world.

These days, there are a lot of reports on Yemen in the mainstream media in the West. Most of these reports really don’t say anything about the desperate situation inside Yemen. Furthermore, they say nothing about the class struggle and the revolutionary traditions in Yemen.

Over the last few days, mass demonstrations have erupted again in Iran. Millions are on the streets and there are reports of the people taking control of the streets, burning down police stations and even of police refusing to fire on demonstrators. These could be the last days of the hated IRI regime. If a revolutionary leadership were present, the hours of the Islamic Republic would be counted. We publish this article with lots of eyewitness reports from the ground.

“Student’s Day” on 7 December was used by the Iranian opposition to stage a huge anti-government protest, which turned out to be the most aggressive day of protests since they began in June. Hundreds of thousands of people joined the students on the streets. The further escalation of protests and clashes with the police and Basij has confirmed our analysis that this is the beginning of a revolution.

The workers in the leather production achieved a historic victory, when the administration agreed to pay safety benefits after more than fifty days of strike. The strikers have not responded to any promises made by the administration, but instead insisted in the fulfilment of all of their demands.

Mansour Osanloo, the leader of the Steering Committee of the Trade Union of the Vahed Bus Company of Tehran and Suburbs, has been sacked from work.