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Despite the wet weather, today a member of NLSF joined PAMSU in leafleting some half-a-dozen Pret a Manger shops in central London.  Demanding reinstatement for sacked union activist Andrej, we handed out several hundred leaflets, began conversations with customers, and established contacts with a handful of workers inside the shops.

Andrej's final appeal against his sacking on trumped-up disciplinary charges is this Thursday.  NLSF have been helping to build the pressure against Pret through pickets, solidarity, and an online campaign in support of the the union.

The Pret a Manger Staff Union, formed in London when a group of workers got sick of management mistreatment, has been standing up for Pret employees for a number of months now.  As part of the increasing momentum enjoyed by the campaign, the PAMSU website is now live.  And on it is the announcement that PAMSU will be fighting for a living wage for all Pret workers.

Check it out and send it along to any Pret workers you know.

http://www.pamsu.org/

Pret worker wanting to know more about the union?  Supporter wanting to get involved in the campaign?

PAMSU: pret.staff.union (a) gmail.com
North London Solidarity Federation: northlondonsf@solfed.org.uk

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Following a successful picket on Monday, the Pret a Manger Staff Union received has received a write-up from Morning Star daily paper.  Continuing to build on the success and energy of that picket, PAMSU has created a short YouTube video which explains the reasons behind the action, interviews supporters of the union, and shows members and supporters marching into St. Pancras Station and confronting management about their union busting and victimization of workplace activists.

PAMSU activists were today joined by members of the North and South London locals of the Solidarity Federation and some 25 other supporters in a vocal and mobile picket of Pret a Manger shops in central London.  Our message to Pret was no doubt loud and clear: end victimization of all union members and full reinstatement for PAMSU founder Andrej.

If today's numbers and energy are any indication, the Pret a Manger Staff Union is on the march.  Keep watch on this space to find out about upcoming actions and how you, as a Pret worker or union supporter, can get involved in the campaign.

Where: Entrance to St. Pancras Station
When: Monday 19th November, 12:00 – 2:00
Contact: pret.staff.union (at) gmail.com or northlondonsf (at) solfed.org.uk

Since being formed earlier this year, the Pret a Manger Staff Union has faced harassment and victimisation.  In an all too familiar scenario, activists from the union have faced a series of trumped-up disciplinary charges.

Join North London SolFed in standing up to union-busting by helping us picket the Pret shop where the union was formed and where two members are in the process of fighting victimisation.

Solidarity is going to be key to fighting fast food exploitation, so spread the word.

Members of North London Solidarity Federation today joined with other activists, trade unionists, and members of the public to demand reinstatement of a victimized Pret a Manger worker.

Domino's delivery drivers in Australia have had their pay cut 19% overnight. As their trade union was complicit in the cut, the drivers have formed a new union, the General Transport Workers Association (GTWA), to fight the pay cut. The GTWA called for a global day of action to support their struggle, and SF members in Brighton were happy to respond to the call. We spoke to staff about why we were there, giving them information on workplace rights, and leafletted the general public with information on Domino's attack on workers' conditions.

Solidarity actions also happened across the UK and around the world, and are continuing this weekend. The GTWA is affiliated with the Anarcho-Syndicalist Federation (ASF), an Australian 'friend' of the Solidarity Federation's international, the International Workers' Association (IWA).

Members of Brighton SF turned out to support a picket of Pizza Hut organised by the IWW union last Saturday. Pickets braved snow and freezing temperatures to answer the call for solidarity from Pizza Hut workers in Sheffield, who are organising with the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World). Below is the text from the IWW Pizza Hut workers' union explaining the current dispute, which has been brewing for a year. Brighton Solidarity Federation extend our solidarity to the Pizza Hut workers' organising efforts and the IWW.

On Saturday 4th February, Hull Solidarity Federation and friends picketed Pizza Hut in solidarity with workers from the IWW Pizza Hut Union, in support of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions. The picket started at 11:30, lasting around 2 hours in the freezing cold until we had handed out all 400 of our leaflets. Management came and incorrectly told us that we were not legally allowed to hold a picket outside the restaurant and subsequently called the police. The officers, trailed by a cameraman for an as yet unaired police documentary, informed us that what we were doing was perfectly lawful.

Today saw members of North and South London SolFed join a picket in solidarity with Sheffield Pizza Hut workers. Organised by the IWW and targeting the busy Pizza Hut at the Strand, twenty picketers gave out leaflets to prospective customers and members of the public. The workers in Sheffield, who've organised with the Industrial Workers of the World, have been in a year-long dispute with the company over wage rates and holiday pay.

Despite the cold weather, the picketers were in high spirits and gave out hundreds of leaflets over the course of the afternoon. The picket was part of a national day of action against the pizza chain, with shops all around the country being picketed at the same time.