Coronavirus Pandemic

The Coronavirus Pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) that began in December 2019. As of the 29th March 2020, more than 721,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over 190 countries and territories, resulting in approximately 33,900 deaths. More than 151,000 people have since recovered.

Spread

The virus was first linked to an animal market in Wuhan, China and spread across the country. The Chinese government covered up much of the virus

Effects

Economics

The virus has triggered what many consider to be a crisis in capitalism. With governments nationalising private hospitals and some industries, the stock market crashing and an increase in racism.

Strikes

Argentina

On the 18th of March, workers at the grain exporting ports of Urgara threatened to strike because they are not guaranteed adequate protection from infection by the virus.

Austria

On the 18th of March, protests and strikes broke out in Linz-Bindermichl-Keferfeld. The company was guilty of failing to put workers in a position to operate safely.

Brazil

17.03 Unrest in prisons in the south of the country following restrictions on visits and cancellation of prison holidays as a measure to limit the spread of the virus. Some 1,350 prisoners escaped in riots. (yeryuzupostasi.org)

17.03 Workers of the ports of Santos, Sao Vicente, Guarruja, Cubatao declared the immediate cessation of all activities for the whole period of quarantine declared by the government of São Paulo. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Logistics and Transport of São Paulo replied: "There are several alternatives. The most drastic is the declaration of a state of emergency throughout São Paulo to suspend individual rights and strikes". The workers, for their part, declared themselves willing to carry out loading and unloading activities related only to essential services. (www1.folha.uol.com.br)

20.03 Employees of Almaviva do Brasil in Consolacao (one of the main call centers in the country, with 37,000 employees) have downed tools, stopped all work and blocked the road due to fear of the virus. Their slogans called for the distribution of disinfectant alcohol gel to all employees. Workers who are sick are not being paid, cleaning is being carried out without changing cloths, soap is missing in the bathrooms, work stations do not adhere to safety distances. (noticias.uol.com.br)

France

16.03 Workers at the Neuhauser bread factory in Folschviller – one of the country's largest bread producers – forced the factory to close for 24 hours after one of their colleagues tested positive for the virus.

16.03 In Lille, the factory of the Canadian railway manufacturer Bombardier de Crespin (North) is closed until further notice, and all employees working in production have been partially unemployed since Monday. (lapresse.ca)

17.03 After an employee tested positive for the virus on day 16, Amazon workers at the Montélimar, Chalon sur Saône and Douai sites went on strike, denouncing the lack of safety distancing, the absence of safety devices and sanitary disinfectants. Workers garrisoned themselves in front of the Severey site, respecting safety distances. (info-chalon.com)

17.03 Several hundred workers from the Atlantic shipyards in Saint-Nazaire have left their jobs because they have not been guaranteed safe conditions. The shipyards employ in total over 10,000 workers. (enoughisenough14.org)

17/18.03 Twenty employees in the glass business and more than forty in the decoration business (Saverdec) went on strike on 17 and 18 March at the Saverglass company in Feuquières (Oise) due to the failure to adhere to the rules for safeguarding the health of staff. (actu.fr)

18.03 Spontaneous strike by ID Logistics employees in Les Herbiers. They’re demanding to stay home on full wages as a form of prevention against coronavirus.

20.03 Amazon workers in Lille fighting the non-application of security measures against the virus.

Iceland

On the 13th of March, bus drivers began to pick up passengers only from the central and rear entrances, and without asking them for a ticket.

Myanmar

17.03 Almost 800 workers at the Global Textile Factory in Kampong Speu province have forced management to pay wages and premiums in arrears. The factory had stopped its operations in mid-February due to the coronavirus.

Panama

20.03 Intense unrest by the workers of Minera Panama (over 6,000) after the first cases of coronavirus broke out among them. The company refused to intervene on safety in the workplace and in digs, where company workers often live piled up six in one room. (panamaamerica.com.pa)

Spain

17.03 1,000 Balay workers in Zaragoza impose a closure against coronavirus. The Balay management had refused to close down despite the absence of security measures. (izquierdadiario.es)

18.03 The Aeronova plant in Berantevilla (Álava), which employs 450 workers, temporarily suspended activity on Tuesday following marches on 17th March by the plant’s employees. The workers demanded the closure of the factory because of the situation created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Turkey

19.03 Workers at the Sarar textile factory ignored the advice of their trades union and stopped production for half an hour to protest the fact no action was being taken to protect them against the virus. They wanted guarantees the premises would be cleaned. There was no disinfectant at the entrance and hygiene conditions in the canteen are poor. (yeryuzupostasi.org)

20.03 Workers at the Galataport shipyard in Istanbul started a strike because no measures have been taken against the coronavirus despite many requests to management. (yeryuzupostasi.org)

21.03 Post and telegraph workers' went on strike after the regional management of the PTT allowed permanent workers to stay home on Saturdays imposing overtime on almost 200 subcontracted workers. (yeryuzupostasi.org)

Canada

14.03 Workers at Fiat-Chrysler's Windsor assembly plant in Ontario spontaneously walk out.

USA

17.03 GM, Ford and FCA factories: increasing complaints by workers about poor hygiene and safety conditions at the factory while most managers and employees work from home. The managers of these three large companies have refused to close the factories for two weeks as requested by the workers. (labornotes.org)

17.03 Workers temporarily closed the paint shop at Chrysler's Warren truck assembly plant near Detroit.

18.03 Spontaneous 24-hour strike by Detroit public transport drivers who were not provided with safety devices or adequate hygiene or the disinfection of vehicles. Transport was suspended throughout the day in the entire city. The unions were forced to cover the strike. (labornotes.org)

18.03 Spontaneous strikes at the Sterling Heights assembly plant (SHAP) in Fiat-Chrysler, Michigan after two employees tested positive for the virus. The factory closed as a result of these strikes.

Large-scale strikes occurred in late March 2020 at Instacart,^[1][2] Amazon,^[3][1] and Whole Foods^[4] (which is owned by Amazon).

Amazon

In New York City, the Amazon worker who organized the strikes in the United States was soon fired^[5][6] (and New York City mayor Bill De Blasio has ordered an investigation)^[7]. Amazon workers near Milan, Italy held a strike in mid march to protest hazardous working conditions.^[8] On April 1, 2020 Amazon warehouse workers in Michigan planned a strike over PPE protections for the coronavirus^[9]. Amazon workers have been tracking known cases of the coronavirus in the USA and Europe on Reddit, due to a lack of transparency from upper management.^[10]

Medical

In Papua New Guinea, 4000 nurses are expected to strike over hazardous working conditions.^[11] Doctors and nurses in public hospitals in Zimbabwe held a strike due to a lack of protective equipment.^[12] Sanitation workers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania^[13] and Medway, UK^[14] went on strike over protective equipment. Doctors in Hong Kong,^[15] Jalalabad,^[16] Jakarta^[17] and Islamabad^[18] all threatened strikes over a lack of protective equipment.

Other workers

Other strikes occurred at a McDonalds^[19] in San Jose California. Workers at General Electric walked off the job demanding to re-tool the factories to make ventilators,^[20] which are in dire short supply due to the pandemic. Several dozen food packagers working for Linden Foods in Dungannon, Northern Ireland walked out of work due to safety conditions.^[21] 500 workers walked out of work at ASOS in the UK because the workers wanted to maintain social distancing.^[22] Trade Unions in Lombardy, Italy have been threatening strikes over working conditions.^[23] Around 100 restaurant and retail employees in Durham and Raleigh, North Carolina went on a single day digital strike against unsafe working conditions and low pay and reduced hours.^[24]

Rent strikes

Many commercial tenants, notably retailers, have called the situation a "force majeure"^[25] as rationale for voiding lease agreements, although landlords still have to make mortgage payments.^[25] These include Cheesecake Factory,^[26][27] Mattress Firm^[28] and Subway^[25] have refused to pay April 2020 rent due to the pandemic,^[29] and resulting unemployment.^[30][31]

On April 1 2020, 32 residential tenants in Chicago went on strike^[32].

In the UK all eviction proceedings have been suspended, and a three-month, extendable, moratorium on new proceedings imposed.^[33] In addition household assistance of various forms has been made available to domestic tenants, and support for landlords has been extended via the banks.^[33]

Organizations

Rent Strike 2020 is an activist organization that was formed during the 2020 pandemic to promote widespread rent strikes.^[34][35] In Chicago, the Autonomous Tenant's Union has been advocating rent freezes as well as mortgage References freezes.^[36]

Other strikes

A hunger strike occurred at York County Prison in Pennsylvania.^[37]