demonstrations, pickets and protests

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.

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.

Last Saturday 16th November we started the public campaign against Imperial Hotel. The worker, Francesco, contacted Brighton Solfed regarding a serious case of wage theft:  this hotel owes him part of his wages, including his notice pay, holiday entitlement, money stolen from this pay, and sick pay. As the company has ignored every attempt from Brighton Solfed to contact them we had no other choice but to start direct action.

SolFed responded to a call for international action after the sacking of a CNT member in Spain. Ana, a worker with Red Cross in Alicante, had suffered prolonged bullying by her works coordinator culminating in her wrongful sacking. Ana is a well respected substance abuse worker with years of experience. As a member of our sister union, the CNT, her sacking has initiated a campaign to see her reinstated. The sacking has thrown light on Red Cross and their vicious internal practices toward their workforce, high-lighting the fact that they are no different to any other cut-throat capitalist company.

SolFed locals responded with a communication blockade and pickets of Red Cross shops in Newcastle and Brighton.

Brighton's picket was part of a week of SolFed action, here's their report:

Sun 19 Apr 7pm, Edinburgh benefit gig & films in solidarity with Anarchists against repression in Spain. Banshee Labyrinth EH1 1LG - event

also join us Fri 17 April 12noon - Edinburgh solidarity picket against 'Ley Mordaza' and to demand all 'Operación Pandora' charges in Spain are dropped - event

As predicted, the static demo held by Pegida in Newcastle's Bigg Market was something of an embarrassment for the neo-nazis. Denied a march through town, and lacking anything like a fraction of the numbers that the hype and publicity accorded to them, the unveiling of the far-rights latest toy turned out to be broken. Dredging up all the old fascists from the past several decades for something that was supposed to be new and dynamic, was both tragic and comic, with reports of less than 300 them turning up. Outnumbered many times over - several estimates of anti-fascists are close to 2000 - just shows that for all of Pegida's effort, Newcastle was never going to be the city of the Fourth Reich. Newcastle Local were out an hour before the march handing leaflets to members of the public; at one point we were challenged by fascists dressed in 1930's tweeds; needless to say, not a straight face could be kept at the spectacle of ranting fascists dressed like extras in Downton Abbey!

Solidarity Protest
MEET: Spanish Consulate, 63 North Castle St, Edinburgh EH2 3LJ
FRIDAY 6 March 2015 – FROM 12:00noon

13 people facing trial just for being anarchists.

On 16/12/14 the Catalan police broke into 14 houses and social centres, destroying and stealing everything of value. 11 comrades were charged by a high court and 7 spent more than a month in prison.

On 29/01/15, the 7 imprisoned comrades were released but the state accuses all 11 (plus the 2 anarchists locked up for more than a year) of being members of a terrorist group, thus reaffirming its intention to treat everyone who questions it as a terrorist.

Solidarity Protest
MEET: Spanish Consulate, 63 North Castle St, Edinburgh EH2 3LJ
FRIDAY 6 Feb – FROM 12:00noon

HARASSED! CHARGED! IMPRISONED! FOR BEING ANARCHISTS! by ‘operación Pandora’  in Spain

‘Un movimiento que olvida a sus presos está condenado a la derrota’
‘A movement that forgets its prisoners is doomed to defeat’

January 16th saw 4 SolFed Locals out on the streets in support of the anarchist prisoners arrested in Operation Pandora. Here's round-up's from two of our Locals:

From Brighton SF "..comrades & friends gathered around a 'Free Anarchist Prisoners' banner at a central Brighton landmark, handing out the dedicated flyer and an article written for the occasion. Around 20 attended in a good atmosphere while a busker provided music!"

From Bristol SF "Around 20 people marched to the Bristol International Brigades memorial Plaque in Castle Park for the event."

Protests also took place by Edinburgh SF (see previous article) and Belfast SF - as well as many more around the world.