workers' movement

Although Liverpool-SolFed is still a small a very recent group, we were present in the May Day demonstration in Liverpool. A few comrades join the parade from Toxteth Library to St. Georges Hall alongside with different unions and groups active in the area. 

At last night's National Delegate Council, Solidarity Federation delegates also agreed to endorse the international week of action called by the Ryanair Don't Care Campaign.

Liverpool Solidarity Federation had voted in December to support the week of action, issuing a statement which call on other Solidarity Federation locals, the International Workers' Association, and all who support the struggle of workers against exploitative employers, to take the following action:

• Support the call-out for an International Week of Action against Ryanair, on the 12-18 March

• Hold pickets of airports where Ryanair put on flights, offices of Ryanair and agencies / recruitment fairs through which they hire staff

• Picket the Cheltenham Festival, which Ryanair sponsors, and particularly the Ryanair Chase on Thursday 15 March

The Ryanair Don't Care campaign, supported by Liverpool Solidarity Federation, is calling for an international week of action against exploitation and recruitment-scamming by Ryanair starting on March 12th 2012.

The Ryanair Don't Care Campaign was started by John Foley when his daughter was sacked as a flight attendant mid-flight and abandoned abroad, penniless. This would lead to the exposure of a cynical and highly exploitative recruitment scam by the airline.

Direct Action in the Canadian Post:

Shop Committees, Self-Organisation, and Wildcat Strikes

When: Saturday August 20th, 4:30 to 6:30

Where: Above the Lucas Arms Pub (Grays Inn Road near Euston-Kings Cross Station, London)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=250049588353374

Leaflets, posters, and fliers designed to be given out in the run-up to and the day of the three-quater million strong public sector strike on June 30th 2011. Most were designed by SolFed (and especially members in the North London Local), with two published by the IWW.

This is a letter written by Liverpool SolFed and printed in the Liverpool Echo newspaper yesterday (6th July 2011).

The past week has seen NLSF participate in two “distros”: handing out fliers, badges, and stickers in support of June 30th's public sector strike and giving out free copies of SolFed's national newspaper Catalyst.

Although we certainly hope to attract like-minded militants to our organisation, the overriding aims were practical: to promote the upcoming strike, inform the public of practical ways to participate and show support, to counter the government and media spin about the strike, and to argue for militant, self-organised acts of solidarity and struggle from across the working class. To this end, we gave out various fliers (see the right-hand side of NLSF webpage) and copies of the newest issue of Catalyst. When interested individuals stopped for a chat, we gladly offered them “Don't Work June 30th” stickers and various anti-cuts badges.

The North London Solidarity Federation wishes to congratulate our fellow postal workers in Islington on their successful three hour wildcat strike last week.

Unfortunately, Royal Mail's harassment of workers that refuse to cut corners is nothing new and, regrettably, keeps going on up and down the country on a daily basis. Unreasonable cuts to duties coupled lay-offs have created impossible workloads. Management's response to this situation—a situation they created—is to bully their workforce. Everyday at Royal Mail centres around the country, management try to make us work through our breaks, begin work before our shifts start, and stay on late without compensation. When we refuse—when we do our job properly—we are threatened with dismissal. 

Enough is enough! Wildcat strikes are our most effective weapon and both management and our so-called union leaders know this.

Despite the geographical distance between us, the North London Solidarity Federation supports the struggle being waged by our fellow brother and sister workers in the Canadian Postal Service.  We applaud the inspiring wildcats and direct actions that took place in Edmonton.  While we know the next round of strikes will be "official", we hope the militancy and self-organisation witnessed in Edmonton will continue to be an integral part of workers' struggle in the Canada Post.

In London, too, posties are facing job cuts because of incompetent and greedy bosses. Your battles and are ours are interlinked in the global fight against the boss class and their state lackeys.

A united working class can never be defeated

Solidarity Forever!

On Friday the 3rd of June, four members of the North London Solidarity Federation were lucky enough to sit down with and engage in comradely discussion some twelve members of the Milan Local of the Italian USI – AIT.

As one North London SolFed member is currently residing in Milan, when USI heard that other NLSFers were coming to town, they requested we join them at their local office (well, one one of two local offices) to discuss what sorts of activities IWA members have been getting up to in London. Acting through two very capable interpreters, North London led a discussion on the 'structure, strategy, and practical activities' of London Solfed. In particular, USI were interested in our training program, our relationship to other radical organisations in the UK, and the UK student movement. They also seemed to be quite impressed with the quality of our publicity with both organisations exchanging newspapers, leaflets, and posters.