Newcastle SolFed have won a substantial wage theft claim from a large call centre in Newcastle. The company in question has substantial relationships with the Unions and members of the Labour Party shadow cabinet. Worryingly we have uncovered illegal working conditions, dodgy apprenticeship schemes and dubious work practices.  A fuller report will be published in the following days.

Newcastle Local are hosting a day and evening of talks and music on November 14th. From 2pm till 6pm, we have talks from Dave Douglass, Manchester SolFed and Brighton Hospitality Workers with a discussion panel to conclude. From 8pm we're having a social with music from bands and DJ's, including Grog-nose, Ship Canal and The Whippet Beans.

November 14th 2pm-6pm and 8pm till late

The Telegraph

(Behind the Central Station)

Orchard Street

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

On September the 12th, almost 200 people tried to stop a fascist march against refugees in the streets of Dover. The march was made up of more than 200 members from groups such as National Front, South East Alliance or BNP, with the objective of reaching Dover harbour to the cry of “refugees, go home!”. This triggered violent confrontations with the antifascists and the Police causing several injured people. It is the third fascist demonstration in the city of Dover this year.

During a September Saturday Brighton SolFed held a network and skills day covering; the immigration act and healthcare, the attack on benefits, fighting wage theft and anarchists on austerity. This full day, including a mighty lunch prepared by members, maintained a constant level of debate and information, concluding in practical action points to continue agitating around Brighton and beyond.

A dozen people attended, with a few new faces introduced. Though the intention was to have a broader participation, the level of contributions and emphasis on what can be done rather than purely information, made for a quality day.

Brighton-SolFed has started a public campaign against Brighton Proud Cabaret. This place, belonging to a company which owns another two venues in London, owes a former worker part of his wages, including most of his holiday entitlement.

•            Benefit Sanctions pickets of Job Centre
•            Housing demos including of Property Fair and Letting Agents
•            Boycott Workfare picket of Salvation Army shop.
•            Support of John Lewis cleaners

I work in admin at one of the universities in the city. Recently, one of my colleagues left the department for a new job. It was expected that I would take on some of their workload. This was not something I could really do, and when I started to be asked, I found it stressful. I talked about it at the drop-in, and a number of useful suggestions were made.

Solidarity to the Polish Strikers

Six million workers in Britain were born abroad. Increasingly, they have been blamed for all the financial woes of neo-liberal capitalism and the suffering that the rich have inflicted on millions more. With conditions in French migrant ghettos worsening, the racist rhetoric of the British ruling class has become more shameless. By their own economic measures the immigrants have contributed far more than they have received, and so the ruling class are having to resort to hateful and emotive attacks.

Thames Valley Solidarity Federation is a local of the British branch of the International Workers Association, an anarcho-syndicalist group. We commend the striking workers for their courage in ignoring the discouragement of capitalists within their own community and their mainstream trade unions.

Summertime is proving to be a period of intense activity for Brighton-SolFed. We are constantly being contacted by hospitality workers who endure, amongst other forms of exploitation, wage and holiday theft. In some cases actions have followed suit given the impunity under which some employers operate in the city. Below are some brief notes on two of our most recent achievements.

Brighton Hospitality Workers was approached in May by a Kitchen Porter, at an upmarket and busy restaurant on the seafront, who had been laid off without 7 days’ notice period pay and with unpaid wages and holiday entitlement. An all-too-common situation in a city where bosses flagrantly breach employment law to squeeze as much from the workers as possible, in the full knowledge that the local authorities, trade bodies or established unions have no interest in challenging them.