Guildhall cleaners and their supporters, including SF members, held a 5.30am protest yesterday after a union rep was suspended. Sodexho, a company with interests in private prisons and detention centres, took over the cleaning contract on Monday. On Wednesday they suspended the union rep. At one point management even tried to lock him in a room.
The protest was loud and defiant and management called the police three times to try and stop us from using drums and megaphones. Passers by were sympathetic with one person commenting that the cleaners in her building had also had problems with being paid late. She took leaflets to give them.
Today saw SolFedders join with some 100 members of the public to support an unofficial strike by University of London cleaners at Senate House. The cleaners, who are primarily Latin American immigrants and who are employed by the privateer Balfour Beatty, struck over unpaid wages. With some cleaners not having been paid for three months, it was decided yesterday that official union channels weren’t working and the workers called for a strike to begin today at 8am.
As well as facing the consequences and disrespect of unpaid wages, the workers and make less than cleaners at nearby SOAS and Birkbeck, who've secured the so-called the “London Living Wage”. Considering that this is Balfour Beatty's first contract in higher education, the role of privisation, cuts, and a living wage formed the backdrop for today's noisy protest and work stoppage.
With the government's response to the events of early august being to throw long prison sentences around left, right and centre, here's the text of a general prisoners support leaflet produced by North London Solfed. A pdf of this will hopefully be up soon.
Don't abandon people while they're inside -
Set up a local prisoners support group
The government's response to the events of early August has been predictably heavy-handed. With nearly 2000 arrests in London alone—and many more across the country— our government seems determined that harsher policing and prison sentences are going to be their only response..
The past week has seen the London Locals of the Solidarity Federation participate in and organise a variety of practical class struggle activities.
Things kicked off last Saturday when SF members attended the "March for Unity" in Dalston. Organised to protest against the social causes of the recent wave of riots, hundreds of community activists, trade unionists, parents, students, workers, and pensioners walked from Hackney to Tottenham. Anarchists marched alongside NLSF's banners as well as the London-wide ALARM banner and a number of red and black flags.
On Thursday the 18th of August, about 10 members from the London Locals of the Solidarity Federation met outside a Ford dealership in south London to demonstrate in solidarity with Spanish auto workers who are fighting the closure of their factory.
The following is the text of a leaflet that North London members modified from the Local's original statement, and was handed out by SolFed members in Deptford and Tottenham soon after the riots:
The fury of our estates is what it is, ugly and uncontrolled. But we all knew these riots were on the cards. Britain has hidden away its social problems for decades, surrounded by a brutal picket of cops. Benefits are being cut, social and advice centres closed, rent and unemployment is rising. People who have always had very little now have nothing, nothing to lose.
And even when the great and the good are put on notice, with the blatant police fix that is the Mark Duggan case, the media and politicians would have been as silent as ever if all that had happened was a vigil outside a police station.
With media sources blaming “anarchy” for the unfolding violence in London and across England, the North London Solidarity Federation felt a response from an anarchist organisation active in the capital would be appropriate.
Over the last few days, riots have caused significant damage to parts of London, to shop-fronts, homes and cars. On the left, we hear the ever-present cry that poverty has caused this. On the right, that gangsters and anti-social elements are taking advantage of tragedy. Both are true. The looting and riots seen over the past number of days are a complex phenomenon and contain many currents.
The North London Solidarity Federation would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the IWW cleaners who recently won a strike over unpaid wages. Their solidarity, organization, and determination (despite their varying immigrant backgrounds and the fact they work for an unscrupulous subcontractor) is an inspiration for us all. Congratulations again fellow workers and please don't hesitate to let us know how we can support your struggle in the future.
North London Solidarity Federation
Ambas secciones londinenses de Solidarity Federation l@s envía felicitaciones a l@s limpiezas de IWW Londres después de su huelga exitosa. Su solidaridad es una inspiración. Otra vez, felicitaciones a nuestr@s companer@s y esperamos que nos avisen de como podremos solidarizarnos con sus luchas en el futuro.
With June 30th widely recognised as a strike about cuts as well as pensions, people across the country joined in on the day to show their support and anger. In South London, the aim of generalising the strike was realised through the double fun of critical mass and street party! The results were tangible, with multiple road blockages giving a jab in the side of the economy whilst public sector workers dealt the right hook of the day.
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