This week is the International Week Against Unpaid Wages.
The system of wage labour is exploitative by definition, and workers’ legal rights regarding pay are pitiful – but even this low bar is frequently ignored by employers. For many workers, then, demanding the bare minimum that this society allows is an important first step to taking control of their workplaces and their lives.
Here are just a few examples of what unpaid wages can look like...
Capitalism is shit, oppression is shit - but what can we at SolFed do about it?
We need to change the world we live in - a world where exploitation at work and home, state violence, oppression and inequality run rampant.
We can’t do this as individuals - only mass collective action from across the breadth of the working class can achieve this. This doesn’t need to be controlled by a small handful of self-appointed leaders - but if we want to build a movement that challenges capital, the state and all forms of oppression, we need to get organised.
The Red represents the workers’ movement. We belong to the global class of people who work to produce all the goods and services in the world but receive only a fraction of the rewards. Through collective action, mutual-aid and solidarity we seek to empower the oppressed, to improve our lives and ultimately to end the exploitative relationships that dominate our society so that we can create a world where everybody everywhere can enjoy the benefits.
Anarcho-syndicalism is not an abstract theory that was created out of thin air. It is based on a simple observation: that society is built by the work that most of the population does, but only a few people own the world’s resources, reap the profits and hold power.
As the cost of living crisis has spiralled out of control, people have become more and more aware of their power to fight for better conditions when they organise in their workplaces. Brighton Solidarity Federation (SolFed) is a local grassroots union made up of workers organising in a variety of workplaces. Our strategy of organising for ourselves, without relying on leaders, can deliver results in the fight against exploitation by bosses that mainstream trade unionism cannot. If you are fed up with being exploited at work, the solution is simple:
A tenant renting with a major local letting agent won back the entirety of their “0 deposit” charges after two pickets of the letting agency. A member of Brighton SolFed recently moved out of their rented property and was hit with a number of absurd end of tenancy charges. They had entered into a “0 deposit” tenancy, managed by a third party company who were chasing up our member for these costs. Disgracefully, the company were charging a significant fee just to challenge these costs, which forced our member into paying these charges, despite disagreeing with them all.
Brighton Solidarity Federation will be holding a workplace organiser training day on Saturday March 12th. The training is based on a direct action approach to organising rather than looking to use employment law to resolve workplace issues. No experience of workplace organising is necessary and the training takes place in a fun and friendly atmosphere. If you’re interested in organising in your workplace, or just want to learn about the organising process, this course is a great way to make a start.
Starting on Wednesday 1st December, 58 branches of UCU (University and College Union) went on strike for 3 days over issues surrounding pensions, pay, working conditions and pay gaps. A group of SolFed members who are students at Sussex University attended the picket line and took part in direct action in support of all staff who were on strike.
The strike began with a big demonstration and march around the campus, ending at Sussex House - the university’s management building. We attended and waved our red and black flag, asserting an anarcho-syndicalist presence among the students.
Content warning - racism, racist violence, police brutality, state violence, anti blackness, transphobia, misgendering, misogynoir, colonialism, transmisogyny
We offer our solidarity and compassion to the people in the US and UK bravely resisting the structures of white supremacy and systemic anti-blackness which are endemic in our societies. The murder of George Floyd has furthered a global movement which is provoking tangible change in many countries. Resist the media narratives of chaos and brutality; these protests are courageous, well-organised actions by communities seeking to abolish the structure of racist state violence.
Care workers right now are facing a huge challenge. We were overworked, at risk and underpaid before Covid-19 came along. A lot of us are facing massive upheaval in our work and personal lives. Lockdown is stopping us from seeing our friends, family and colleagues, and the demands now placed on the NHS, care homes and other workplaces have increased and changed rapidly. So now more than ever we are asking, what can we do?
What are we facing?
Some of the issues we are facing are new, and some are old problems exacerbated by the current crisis. The first one we are going to look at is the most common and well known right now.
This week is the International Week Against Unpaid Wages.
Anarcho-syndicalism is not an abstract theory that was created out of thin air. It is based on a simple observation: that society is built by the work that most of the population does, but only a few people own the world’s resources, reap the profits and hold power.
As the cost of living crisis has spiralled out of control, people have become more and more aware of their power to fight for better conditions when they organise in their workplaces. Brighton Solidarity Federation (SolFed) is a local grassroots union made up of workers organising in a variety of workplaces. Our strategy of organising for ourselves, without relying on leaders, can deliver results in the fight against exploitation by bosses that mainstream trade unionism cannot. If you are fed up with being exploited at work, the solution is simple:
A tenant renting with a major local letting agent won back the entirety of their “0 deposit” charges after two pickets of the letting agency. A member of Brighton SolFed recently moved out of their rented property and was hit with a number of absurd end of tenancy charges. They had entered into a “0 deposit” tenancy, managed by a third party company who were chasing up our member for these costs. Disgracefully, the company were charging a significant fee just to challenge these costs, which forced our member into paying these charges, despite disagreeing with them all. 
Starting on Wednesday 1st December, 58 branches of UCU (University and College Union) went on strike for 3 days over issues surrounding pensions, pay, working conditions and pay gaps. A group of SolFed members who are students at Sussex University attended the picket line and took part in direct action in support of all staff who were on strike.
