Yesterday North London Solidarity Federation picketed the Homes For Haringey offices in Wood Green and the depot for Groundwork, in Tottenham, who are employed by the Council to provide gardening and improvement services on estates in the area. The demonstration was against Groundwork's use of workfare; unemployed people are forced by Jobcentres to do the work. They are not being paid for it and they can't refuse or they would lose their benefits for two months.
There are over 6,500 people looking for work in Tottenham and this number keeps on increasing. The area has the highest unemployment in London. What is Haringey Council doing? Hundreds of people providing essential services have been made redundant and now they are being replaced by unpaid workers.
At the same time the council is pouring £3.5 million into sketchy subsidies to businesses. The council clearly have both the money and the work that needs doing so why can't they employ people directly?
London Metropolitan University made the news worldwide last year when, due partly to their connections to the London School of Business and Finance, they were investigated by the UKBA and were prevented from recruiting international students. (for details see Education Worker 9, London Met UNISON’s website or Andrew McGettigan) Now that the dust has settled from this scandal, London Met is again in the news, this time because it has suspended three of its workers, in very suspicious circumstances.
The struggle against workfare continues. As a part of the national day of action members of the North London SolFed picketed several shops around Holloway. As the stores coped with increased demand, Christmas season traditionally meant opportunities for temporary work in retail. This is changing. Under the guise of work experience, businesses increasingly take on benefit claimants instead. For today’s picket we chose shops where we heard this was happening. We started at Superdrug and later moved to Argos. We held pickets outside, where we engaged with customers. We also went to the shops and talked to staff – if we don't stop workfare together, it may replace their jobs too. Workfare is hurting all of us, workers and those unemployed. Paid work is increasingly replaced with unpaid forced labour. It's an attack on us all. We press on with our message to the bosses – workfare has to stop.
This article was written by a SolFed member and originally appeared in the "How do you build a movement?" column of the Occupied Times.
The article focuses on a practical approach to organising in which theory follows practice, is designed to appeal beyond a politicised core, and by which a movement is built by achieving concrete and escalating victories.
The North London local of the Solidarity Federation would like to offer our sincerest congratulations and solidarity to the Counihan family who recently had their housing benefit reinstated by Brent Council. The fight you've led has been inspirational and militant. It serves as an example for the sort of struggles that are going to be needed if we're to win the to fight against the onslaught of cuts facing the working class.
We will be advertising your upcoming march and public meeting to our members and contacts. Congratulations again and please keep us informed of upcoming actions and campaign developments on northlondonsf (at) riseup.net
In an effort to show solidarity to Andrej and PAMSU, we are requesting that supporters:
Call, email, and text Pret on the 29th November between the hours of 2:00 and 4:00pm demanding that Andrej be reinstated and that Pret stop victimising all union members.
Workers are taking action against privatisation plans in a wave of occupations of hospitals and clinics across Madrid, with massive support from patients and from the population of Madrid. Today a 48 hour strike in health care in Madrid saw 80% of workers on strike. This is just the first of four planned walkouts. Huge demonstrations in support of public health care carried banners like “Health care, we don’t sell it, we defend it.” and “100% free and public.” There have been other occupations outside Madrid, such as the hospital occupation in Zaragoza just before the general strike. A grassroots mobilisation called marea blanca, “white tide” has been building in health care for several months. The privatisation reforms would mean patients paying upfront to see a GP and to have essential treatment.
Since forming the Pret a Manger Staff Union earlier this year, Andrej and a number of other workplace activists have faced a campaign of harassment and victimisation from management. For Andrej, this has reached a point where he has been sacked on trumped-up disciplinary charges. His final appeal hearing against the decision will occur on Thursday the 29th of November at 2:00pm.
In an effort to show solidarity to Andrej and PAMSU, we are requesting that supporters:
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.
SolFedNL@riseup.net | twitter.com/nlsolfed | facebook.com/northlondonsf | network23.org/solfednl and find us on radar.squat.net
The North London local of the Solidarity Federation would like to offer our sincerest congratulations and solidarity to the Counihan family who recently had their housing benefit reinstated by Brent Council. The fight you've led has been inspirational and militant. It serves as an example for the sort of struggles that are going to be needed if we're to win the to fight against the onslaught of cuts facing the working class.
What: Pret a Manger communications blockade
What: Pret a Manger communications blockade
Despite the wet weather, today a member of NLSF joined