Last weekend, Brighton-SolFed organised different activities to commemorate May Day, the International Workers Day.

Although the Working Class has not so much to celebrate these days, we used this opportunity for discussion, to give visibility to our struggles, and to invite our members and collaborators to have a good time together.

Anarcho-syndicalism in Brighton: talk and social
Saturday 30th April, 6pm at the Cowley Club

Day of action against exploitation
Sunday 1st May, 3pm at the Clock Tower

Brighton Solidarity Federation Supports Demonstration Against Closure of Brighton University's Hastings Campus

The University of Brighton wants to close its campus in Hastings. The closure of the campus would likely mean job losses, and it would be damaging to the town, and to access to Higher Education in the town and surrounding area. Brighton Solidarity Federation will be supporting the demonstration against the closure of the campus this Wednesday 13th April, meeting at the Level at 1pm.

An injury to one is an injury to all!

Facebook event

This year's Bristol Anarchist Bookfair is looking at "Building an anarchist future". As part of this dialogue Bristol SF will be hosting a workshop on:

Healthcare Beyond the State. For a people's NHS

What can we learn from recent NHS struggles that could help shape a health service based not on some golden age that never was but instead on the principles of direct democracy and mutual aid? How can we provide progressive healthcare without the bureaucrats and the bosses?

Here is how Bookfair Collective hope that the workshops and meetings with develop the theme of "Building an anarchist future".

The recent floods in the Calder Valley, affecting Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Hebden Bridge areas, have been devastating. Some 2500 homes were affected either by partial or total flooding and some 1700 businesses were flooded. The costs of this latest excess of rainfall amounts to something like £15 million with many homes uninsured or with losses – the material ones, at least – difficult to calculate. In addition to the human and personal consequences, roads and bridges have been affected to the tune of £35 million, money that will have to be found to repair Elland bridge and canal towpaths as well as other aspects of the Valley’s infrastructure.

The Solidarity Federation today escalated it's campaign against wage thieves Jimmy's Restaurants, with a picket by the South London local of their Wimbledon restaurant.

Jimmy's owe their former workers in Brighton £1,500 in holiday pay and have failed to provide the workers with  P45s or pay income tax to the HMRC (despite tax being taken from their pay!) The manager of the Brighton branch has refused to engage with SolFed when confronted with this, insisting it is the responsibility of head office who never answer our calls and emails.

In response to this and following successful pickets in Brighton and Bath we today picketed the Wimbledon restaurant, handing out 240 flyers to let passers by know that the company engaged in wage theft. We received a positive response from those we talked to, with previous customers telling us they would not be eating at Jimmy's in the future.

A second picket of Jimmy’s in Bath passed off with everyone in good spirits and confident of winning the holiday pay owed to former employees of the Jiimy's in Brighton.

The dozen campaign supporters handed out a couple of hundred leaflets during the Saturday lunchtime period. The leaflet outlined the central issue. Non-payment of £1,500 in holiday to three people who worked for Jimmy’s in Brighton and how they are still waiting on P45s. Some customers turned away on hearing how Jimmy’s treat their staff and one tour guide even told us he wouldn't be bringing groups there any more, which could be a big dent in the business!

Security tried to move the protestors on saying the pavement was private - but the picket just stood their ground. Outnumbering security 4-1 and then the police refused to help, so they had to just watch from the side.

Several groups helped us out including Bristol AFed and Bath Against Cuts so massive thanks to them.

Today an IPO eviction order was served on Carnegie Library in Lambeth, which has been occupied since 1st April to stop it being closed down and turned into a commercial gym. Milet Library on the deprived Angell Town Estate has also been closed down and Waterloo Library and others are threatened.  I visited the library on Sunday.

After three weeks of action, Jimmy's Restaurant (on the Brighton Marina) is still avoiding their responsibilities. Three former workers are still campaigning to get their holiday pay and their P45 documents and we keep receiving contacts of workers facing the same situation.

From the beginning, the management of the restaurant has been denying any responsibility and addressing us to the “Head Office” who, curiously enough, never answer the phone or emails.

Moreover, last week we found out that the workers, having received their payslips with their tax deductions, are not in the records of the HMRC as having worked for Jimmy's. No explanation has been given by Jimmy's but we do hope that this is a misunderstanding.

Three Bristol Solidarity Federation members travelled to Bath today (26th March 2016) on an Easter Bank Holiday weekend to picket the ‘Jimmy's' restaurant there after a request from the Brighton Hospitality Workers for collective national direct action against their bosses after they refused to pay them about £1,500 in owed wages and have yet to supply them with a P45.

On arrival the managers in Brighton were telephoned by them to explain their grievance and they were summarily dismissed by having the telephone hung up on them in mid conversation. Undeterred the brave pickets marched into the branch at Bath and politely requested an audience with the manager. The manager was informed of their current and future intentions and was also asked to contact the Brighton manager for a justification of the illegal employment practices that had prompted this disruption of his normal daily business.