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View Full Version : UK Wobbly one of the two work-related deaths this week



Bitter Ashes
9th December 2009, 12:40
It's just been pointed out to me that the victim in London was NOT a Wobbly, but his death was witnessed by a member of the London branch. If a mod could please change the title of the thread then I can change the rest. Thanks.

Some very sad news. Two IWW members in the UK have been killed in the last two days. Ray Jessop from Hull died on Monday while on a ladder at work and another, yet unnamed Wobbly from the London branch has died this morning at the 2012 Olympics construction site.


About the Wob in Hull

Sad news -

FW Ray Jessop (X354621) died yesterday following an accident at work. Ray, a painter by trade, fell from a ladder and died of his injuries soon after.

Ray was a founder member of the short-lived Hull GMB. He signed up in January 2002, and was one of only three members who stayed with the OBU after the collapse of the Hull branch. Few of the the current membership would have known him; his last attendance at an event outside of Hull was at the pre-conference "way ahead" meeting in July 2004. Also he was not in his element at meetings: in the minutes of the 2003 AGM he is listed as "Softly spoken bloke with long hair and earrings (who the minute-taker couldn't hear)".

But he could always be relied to take part in direct action. He was up for anything in that line. Many causes have benefitted from his support, practical and financial. He was a stalwart of the animal rights movement, of the campaign against the arms trade, of the Palestine Solidarity movement. He will be missed in the ranks of these and other radical organisations.

Ray was 51 years old. As far as I know he leaves no partner or children. Although he was a very outgoing and sociable fellow, we never seem to have got round to discussing his private life.From a London Wob

the incident at the Olympic site happened about an hour ago, and one of our IWW guys working there was nearby when it happened. The other one was only in the IWW and tends to work on small jobs so hasn't got many conenctions. We'll be doing something as the IWW though. have you read the IWW report on health and safety violations on the Olympic site? the problems we identified months ago are now very very real :(If employers are to blame for this then sod the distance, sod the cost, the employers will pay for this!

"Don't mourn. Organise!"
-Joe Hill

The Ungovernable Farce
9th December 2009, 16:06
Fuck, I hadn't heard about that. Really sad news.

Patchd
9th December 2009, 16:07
Fuck that's terrible, more deaths created by casualisation at work, this is what happens when work safety is compromised for higher profits by the bosses. Condolences to the two workers' families.

rednordman
9th December 2009, 16:17
Im shocked to hear this, and all condolences. Indeed Patchd is correct about the casualisation at work compromising safety. I see this everyday at my own workplace also.

RIP

YSR
9th December 2009, 16:53
Ya'll should send this around the union, ASAP. People may wanna help out his family. I'm sure folks here in the TC would try to scrap up some money if you told them about it. Sad stuff.

The Feral Underclass
9th December 2009, 17:36
What do you want me to change the title to?

Pogue
9th December 2009, 18:28
Terrible, terrible news. I'll make sure we commemorate our comrade appropriately and rest assured we will do something about the Olympic site death also, an injury to one is an injury to all and so this is a sad day for our class and union.

Bitter Ashes
9th December 2009, 18:29
What do you want me to change the title to?
"UK Wobbly one of the two work-related deaths this week"?

Bitter Ashes
9th December 2009, 18:33
An update on the situation from the same source.

just got an update about the Olympic worker from ouor man on the site - he *might* not be dead. He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and now there are conflicting accounts. he's in an extremely fragile state even if he's still with us. currently the cops are saying nothing and the employers are saying "ask the cops". bah.

Jimmie Higgins
9th December 2009, 19:01
Fuck that's terrible, more deaths created by casualisation at work, this is what happens when work safety is compromised for higher profits by the bosses. Condolences to the two workers' families.

Weren't some Greek construction workers killed by rushed schedules for the Athens Olympics too?

Fuck, workers pay the price for nationalism even when it's just BS PR games.

Forward Union
9th December 2009, 20:12
Wobs or not, workplace deaths are always a tragedy. More people die at work than at war. Condolences to their families.

ComradeMan
9th December 2009, 20:22
Could someone tell me what a "wobbly" is please? I don't know this expression.

In Italy these deaths are known as "una morte bianca" (white death). It is an absolute scandal how many there are and how often the victims are people working "in nero", i.e. without decent papers, medical cover or even a visa to be in Italy and so they are not protected by Italian labour laws.

I am very sorry for these two workers and their families.

Jimmie Higgins
9th December 2009, 20:37
Wobblys are members of the Industrial Workers of the World. They are anarcho-syndicalist in tradition. I don't know that much about their history in Europe, but they started in the US by anarchists and the left-wing of the Socialist Party and were the major radical union and really the major radical force in American politics after the Socialist Party and before the Communist Party. If you are interested in American working class history, the Wobblys are a great place to start and their history really puts a lot of the myths of the US working class on its head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World

http://www.iww.org/en/culture

Decolonize The Left
9th December 2009, 22:06
"UK Wobbly one of the two work-related deaths this week"?

Done.

- August

ComradeMan
9th December 2009, 23:53
Wobblys are members of the Industrial Workers of the World. They are anarcho-syndicalist in tradition. I don't know that much about their history in Europe, but they started in the US by anarchists and the left-wing of the Socialist Party and were the major radical union and really the major radical force in American politics after the Socialist Party and before the Communist Party. If you are interested in American working class history, the Wobblys are a great place to start and their history really puts a lot of the myths of the US working class on its head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Workers_of_the_World

http://www.iww.org/en/culture



These people-----

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1b/Label.svg/150px-Label.svg.png (http://www.revleft.com/wiki/File:Label.svg)


Thanks, I've learned a new word! :)