CN: Sexual assault

Brighton Solfed have taken a collective decision to permanently exclude a member due to allegations of sexual assault made against them. The member was formally suspended at the end of April, after we were informed that they had been excluded from two other groups, and since then attempts were made to try and start a process whereby this member could be held accountable for their actions. However, due to the survivors’ wishes for space and privacy, this was not possible in any transformative sense without going against the survivors’ autonomy.

In light of this, the Brighton local of Solidarity Federation has taken the decision to permanently exclude the member from the group. Our reasons for this are:

My partner Joshua Mcrae is one of those prisoners still serving an IPP sentence. Joshua was just 17 at the time of his alleged offence and 18 when tried as an adult and given a tariff of 4 years.Joshua has spent 11 years in prison so far....

Ian Hartley is one of those prisoners still serving an IPP sentence. Originally given a tariff of 3 years and 2 months, he is still in prison 12 years on. Ian discribes the hell which is IPP as follows “I hate waking up in a morning and look forward to going to sleep at night. Prison is an awful corrupt place full of violence and abuse. I have served my time and just want to be in a loving family environment to live the rest of my life. The hell I am suffering within this place is indescribable and if it wasn’t for my partner and my family I would have ended my life by now." As part of the Smash IPP campign a petition has been organised.

You can sign the petition here: http://chn.ge/2yfxiDU

You can get more info here: https://www.change.org/p/free-ipp-prisoner-ian-hartley

As part of its national campaign to make over 1000 people redundant Fujitsu  is targeting a number of reps at its factory in Manchester. The Manchester site has a long history of militancy and the 3 reps being target, Ian Allinson, Denis Morris and Lynne Hodge, have been active at Fujitsu for many years.

You can get more information about the dispute at: www.ouruniontest.wordpress.com

Send letters of protest to Duncan.Tait@uk.fujitsu.com

Rail guards on the 3rd October took action to protect their jobs on Northern,‎ Southern, Merseyrail and Greater Anglia. The strike is aimed at preventing the rail companies removing the guards from trains and operating driver only trains. The RMT rail union stated  "RMT members are standing absolutely rock solid and united this morning in these four separate disputes as they make the case for safe, secure and accessible rail service for all.”

Though passengers generally associate rail guards with checking tickets and operating the doors, guards have a crucial safety-critical role on trains. Historically it is the guard who has been in charge of overall safety on trains. In the event of accidents or emergencies it is the role of the guard to evacuate the train and take safety measures that prevent collisions with other trains. Other safety roles include dealing with on board fires and assisting with overhead line isolation. 

Rail guards on the 3rd October took action to protect their jobs on Northern,‎ Southern, Merseyrail and Greater Anglia. The strike is aimed at preventing the rail companies removing the guards from trains and operating driver only trains. The RMT rail union stated  "RMT members are standing absolutely rock solid and united this morning in these four separate disputes as they make the case for safe, secure and accessible rail service for all.”

Though passengers generally associate rail guards with checking tickets and operating the doors, guards have a crucial safety-critical role on trains. Historically it is the guard who has been in charge of overall safety on trains. In the event of accidents or emergencies it is the role of the guard to evacuate the train and take safety measures that prevent collisions with other trains. Other safety roles include dealing with on board fires and assisting with overhead line isolation. 

Calderdale SF/IWA condemns the police violence against Catalan citizens on the 1st October 2017 who went to vote on what the Spanish state has declared to be an illegal referendum on independence. While, as anarchosyndicalists, we don't support the creation of a new state, which reflects mainly the interests of the Catalan bourgeoisie, we do condemn all police violence and intimidation against men, women and children. Instead of the creation of new states with warring police and capitalist factions pitted against one another, we favour the deeply embedded solution of libertarian federalism - free, self-managed communities that are plural, open and tolerant.

Calderdale SF also supports the general strike called in Catalonia by independent unions such as our sister union the CNT/IWA on 3rd October, which not only opposes a capitalist free-for-all as proposed by all state actors but which also defends the self-empowerment of the working class.

Calderdale SF/IWA

Brighton Solidarity Federation has started a dispute with the lettings agency Spencer & Leigh in Patcham. A tenant has been organising with SolFed after £510 was withheld from her deposit in order to change a lock and to have the property professionally cleaned. The tenant left the property secure at the end of her tenancy, and she also had it professionally cleaned prior to vacating it.

Si necesitas un poco de ayuda sobre cómo empezar en esta ciudad, échale un vistazo a la Guía del inmigrante en Manchester

Manchester Solfed's Migrants Guide to Manchester, is now available in Spanish. See pdf attached

Ledbury Estate tenants and supporters demonstrated on Sunday 17th Sept after several days with no heating. Ledbury Estate flats in Southwark have been declared unsafe due to cracks in the 13 storey towerblocks, which the tenants have been protesting about for years, and Southwark Council has told the tenants they will need to be decanted so the blocks can be repaired. The cracks are big enough to see daylight through and are a fire risk as well as a risk to the integrity of the building.

The gas has been cut off as a safety measure forcing tenants to go to shower in a nearby leisure centre and their only cooking facilities are small two-ring mini cookers. Now with the onset of colder autumn weather there is no heating for the tenants at all as the electrical power supply cannot cope with high load so no fan heaters or plug in radiators are permitted. One block has already had an overnight total power failure.