On Saturday 22nd March members of the Brighton Hospitality Workers and Brighton Solidarity Federation picketted a prominent Brighton hotel over unpaid overtime owed to members of staff.

The hotel has since promised to ensure the overtime owed is fully paid. We are therefore not currently naming the hotel, although we intend to escalate our campaign should they fail to pay the workers involved.

Today's international day of action called by FORA saw Newcastle Local picketing the city-centre branch of HSBC, who provide finincial services to YPF the state-owned Argentinian oil company, making them complicit in the repression & persecution of Las Heras workers.

The absence of an Argentine consulate proved no barrier to Tyneside workers joining with IWA-AIT comrades in demanding the freedom of all Las Heras workers and the end of state-sponsored attacks on those fighting for their rights.

A warm, sunny day in Newcastle seemed appropriate weather to turn the heat up on Santander & shine a light on their slave labour policies and Union repression. We were joined by two comrades from USI as our banner was unfurled outside the Northumberland Street branch.

There was lots of interest from workers on their lunch-break for whom solidarity with our CNT comrades in Spain needed little explanation. Most people on Tyneside have friends or family who have suffered from outsourced labour practices & our presence today was well recieved.

An appearance by a flustered branch manager, who took some photos to 'pass on' our condemnation of Santander's abuse of workers' topped off an effective picket of this corrupt & criminal bank.

The latest issue of the Leveller is out not. With articles on opposition to Belfast City Council privatisation of our leisure centres, 'On The Runs', crisis in the Ukraine and more...

After several months of organising, Brighton Hospitality Workers are beginning to deliver the goods. Three members recently approached us with issues concerning unpaid wages and holiday entitlement from former employers, all with employment agencies and on zero-hours contracts. Demand letters were sent and within 48 hours one worker had wages paid in full, amounting to £264. However, the bosses were dragging their heels over paying holiday entitlement for untaken leave and another demand letter was sent, again resulting in payment of £95. Another worker’s demand letter resulted in payment of £358 in owed wages, although this should have been £385 and we’re not giving up on this. The third worker, who was with the same scumbag agency, is still owed £176 in unpaid holiday entitlement after the demand letter was ignored.

Opposition has succeeded in stalling Belfast City Council's moves towards outsourcing and privatisation of the cities leisure centres and facilities.
On the 22nd of February the council’s strategic policy and resources committee voted to hand our leisure centres over to a trust. In a move to offload essential, but underfunded, services city hall will be ditching 10 leisure centres (11 when the council expands in May).
The council are looking to shed the £8 million a year that it spends to barely maintain our underfunded and rundown leisure centres. 300 workers and thousands of working class families who use leisure centres across the city will be affected. DUP chair of the committee Gavin Robinson has refused to rule out closures. Similar moves in Magherafelt Leisure Centre resulted in the loss of 30 jobs.

There will be a Solidarity Federation Workplace Organiser Training Day on Saturday, 22nd March in Edinburgh, it's open to all workers, apart from managers, you do not have to be a SolFed member or an anarcho-syndicalist to attend.

If you would like to attend, please email training[AT]solfed.org.uk

The Solidarity Federation workplace organiser training programme is designed to give workers the tools and confidence to organise in their workplaces, whether or not there's an existing union. Even if you've had training from another union, you may find the direct action based approach we adopt offers a fresh perspective.

There will be a Solidarity Federation Workplace Organiser Training Day on Sunday, February 16th in Bristol.  
If you would like to attend, please email training[AT]solfed.org.uk

The Solidarity Federation workplace organiser training programme is designed to give workers the tools and confidence to organise in their workplaces, whether or not there's an existing union. Even if you've had training from another union, you may find the direct action based approach we adopt offers a fresh perspective.

Whether you've got a union or not, join us for a workshop on how to create strong organisation in your workplace.

Topics include:
making contacts
building a 'shop committee'
cross-union activity
collectivising grievances
workplace mapping
types of direct action
the basics of an anarcho-syndicalist approach
role plays of one-on-ones, group meetings and confronting the boss!

University workers in UNISON, UCU, Unite and EIS are on strike on Thursday, February 6th.

Workers in higher education are lucky to have students who are willing to support us when we’re on strike, and it would be pretty foolish not to welcome them on our picket lines.

If you’re a student, please support the strike.  The most important thing to do is to refuse to cross picket lines.  If you cross a picket line, or go into any university building on the day, you are undermining the strike.  If you say you ‘support the strike’ but cross a picket line, your support is meaningless.  Your classes should be cancelled on strike days.  If your class is going ahead then your lecturer is breaking the strike.  Your education is not going to be ruined by one day strikes.  As well as not going to classes, don’t go into the library, or go in to buy a coffee.  Stay out of university buildings during the strike.

South London Solidarity Federation have agreed to support AFEM2014, an anarcha-feminist conference that is being planned for London on 19th October 2014, the day after the London Anarchist Bookfair
AFem2014 is intended to be the first in a series of international anarcha-feminist conferences.

The conference was first proposed by the Anarchist Federation, the organising group now includes representatives of the International of Anarchist Federations (IFA-IAF) and its member federations, several members of Solidarity Federation and many other anarcha-feminists.

We want to support this conference as it is in keeping with our ongoing efforts to address the gender imbalance in the Solidarity Federation and make sure people who have been marginalised within the anarchist movement can fully participate.