Santander

SolFed have been out in force in response to a sacked union organiser from our sister union in Spain, the CNT. Pickets were held in Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle and Middlesborough (see below). Santander have outsourced thousands of jobs in Spain, making it easier to control employees working in oppressive conditions - union organisers are targetted by the notoriously crooked family cartel run bank.

All pickets were well received, Santander having an already shoddy reputation in Britain, it was no suprise to those asking what the row was about to find that the bank is targetting union activists.

A fourth International Day of Action saw Westcountry members of the Solidarity Federation take to the streets of Bristol, Dorchester and Swindon in support of a Spanish worker sacked for organising a union branch in his workplace. The worker, a member of the anarcho-syndicalist CNT union was fired during a campaign by his colleagues for decent contracts and against illegal outsourcing by ISBAN, a subsidiary of Santander. Solidarity actions took place in 13 countries around the world.

Members of Manchester Solfed held a lively lunchtime picket outside a city centre branch of Santander bank as part of the International Workers’ Association’s international day of action on June 5. The IWA’s coordinated campaign is part of an escalation by the Spanish section, the CNT, in support of a union organiser sacked from one of the bank’ s outsourcing companies. Santander has been transferring thousands of jobs to outsourcing agencies to save costs by minimising the rights and security of its employees.

More information on the struggle can be found here: http://www.iwa-ait.org/content/1st-october-day-action-against-santander-bank-worldwide

Following on from the successful protest in Bristol against the sacking of a CNT delegate at Isban, the subsidiary of Santander. The Bristol Local moved the message to the streets of Bath. Around 15 members of SF and other activists from around the region, continued the message of solidarity that has been demonstrated around the world.

The message of the rejection of agency work and the reinstatement of the fired worker has been spread by sections of the IWA-AIT. In Spain CNT members held demonstrations in Salamanca, Ciudad Rodrigo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Villaverde, Zaragoza, Malaga and Leon. In working class area of Madrid Santander banks and ATMs were targeted. With message of solidarity sprayed on windows and the ATMs put out of action.