Once the bustling heart of Christian pilgrimage, Bethlehem now faces shuttered hotels, empty streets and a shrinking Christian community, while Israel’s assault on Gaza and the tightening grip of occupation destroy hopes of peace at the birthplace of Christ, writes Father GEOFF BOTTOMS
IN A SIGN that things are changing for trade unions in Mexico following the election of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (Amlo) the independent Mexican mining and metalworkers’ union Los Mineros has won an important union victory at the El Boleo Mine in Santa Rosalia in the State of Baja California Sur.
This follows a long battle going back April 2016, when workers at the mine went on strike to demand the removal of a company appointed union and free elections.
The police broke the strike and a month later the company fired 130 Los Mineros supporters. The federal authorities then blocked the Los Mineros demand for an election for two years in an attempt break the union.
A November 15 protest in Mexico – driven by a right-wing social-media operation – has been miscast as a mass uprising against President Sheinbaum. In reality, the march was small, elite-backed and part of a wider attempt to sow unrest, argues DAVID RABY
TONY BURKE says an International Labour Conference next month will try for a new convention to protect often super-exploited workers providing services such as ride-hailing (taxis) such as Uber as well as fast food and package delivery



