Why I’m standing for Unite Against Fascism Assistant Secretary
Why I’m standing for Unite Against Fascism Assistant Secretary
As a dedicated anti-fascist and socialist, I’ve worked with many people to fight against hatred and ideologies that divides communities and can lead to genocide. In 2008, after the British National Party got elected to the Greater London Authority, Croydon Trade Union Council and Battersea & Wandsworth Trade Union Council decided to set up South London Anti-Fascists Group, which has worked with both Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and Hope Not Hate as well as other groups.
I have chaired South London Anti-Fascists Group for the last 4 years, in that time we have:
- Led local campaigns with support from across the Left – from anarchists to Labour councillors
- Built alliances in local trade union councils, branches as well as migrant, LGBT and faith communities
- Used direct action to disrupt BNP activity
- Reduce the BNP’s vote through community organising
Saturday 4th February: Solidarity Action with Sheffield Pizza Hut Workers
Protest to Reinstate Victimised Cleaner: Alberto Durango – Justice for Cleaners Campaigner
Sacked cleaner Alberto Durango
23/12/11: City of London Corporation Cleaners say “OCCUPY GUILDHALL!”
Friday 23rd December, 6am onwards
The Guildhall
London EC2V 7HH
Cleaners staging sit in at Corporation of London’s Guildhall over abuse of women!
Cleaners are staging a sit-in at the Corporation of London’s Guildhall in protest at the inadequate response of their employer, the contractor Sodexo over the abusive treatment of women employees.
A Just Transition or Just a Transition?
A major criticism that has been levelled at Occupy LSX is that the movement has become an umbrella for too many issues. “What do they want?” our mainstream media asks, as a stroll through the camp makes it clear that democracy and corporate greed are not the only issues being debated. Linger around St. Pauls, or peek your head into the Tent City University, and you will soon find yourself debating and discussing issues of mental wellbeing, gender equality, class, the environment, parenting, and the role of religion, amongst many, many others. However, rather than betray a lack of focus, to me the diversity of topics being discussed means something quite different – that our movements for social and environmental justice are growing up, that we are seeing connections and joining the dots between issues, and that we recognise that we are most powerful when allied.
There is much that we can learn from each other, and the global Occupy / Indignados movement has provided us with the perfect opportunity to compare notes. What’s working, what isn’t? Are our demands aligned, and does that even matter? However, there is one area of discussion that certainly needs to be addressed by the environmental and Occupy movements together, and that is ‘what does transition look like’? We say that another way is possible, but what journey do we have to take to get there? How can we work together towards building a new low carbon economy, one that incorporates values of social justice, equity, and democracy? Of course this conversation is already well under way in many countries across the world, but different elements of our movement are in danger of pulling in very different directions. You might not think it, but transitioning away from a pollution-based economy and transitioning away from our current capitalist model do not necessarily have to have much in common.
Occupy #Nov30
by Kwadwo Kari-Kari
Wednesday 30th November is a momentous day in the history of British Industrial Relations. Never before has Britain been faced with over 2 million workers collectively going on strike on the same day. However though the numbers are impressive, the cause which public sector pensions is very narrow in comparison to previous historic national struggles.
The General Strike of 1926 involved approximately 1.5 million workers and went on for 9 days. Teachers stayed at home, shops did not open, chauffeurs refused to drive their masters’ cars, printers bar the government’s and the British Worker newspapers refused to publish newspapers, workers in all industry put down their tools. Their cause was the continued cutting of miners’ wages forcing hundreds of thousands of those “hard working families” politicians today talk about, into absolute poverty. British workers were so disgusted at the idea that rich, fat mine owners were willing to starve working class families for their own relentless pursuit of profit that as a national collective, the workers protested by taking solidarity strike action.
Occupy London protest with Old Bailey Cleaners
On Thursday 24th November at 4:30pm, there will be loud and colourful demonstration at the historic Old Bailey, supported by the IWW and Occupy London. The people who clean the offices of the law firm, McGrigors, at the Old Bailey, are protesting against the illegal practices, bullying and the union-busting treatment they have received by Apollo Cleaning Services.
Apollo Cleaning Services was awarded the cleaning contract on 3rd October. Since then, they have bullied and harassed a pregnant cleaner – whom they told pregnancy was ‘irrelevant’ to her conditions of work. When she complained about the new disregard for health and safety practices her concerns were ignored.
Southwark Community Activism Diary
Already more than two million people are set to strike against cuts to pensions on 30th November. The size of the majorities in favour of action, and many other indicators, show that opposition to the whole raft of government cuts is energising both trade unionists and the general public.
Leafleting & visiting local workplaces and community groups will go on right up to the strike day. Please invite a Southwark SOS speaker or a local trade unionist to talk to your colleagues about why 30th November is so important, Contact us here to arrange this.
You can order leaflets to distribute yourself or join the teams in your local area. Please email us.
![Recommend [justinthelibsoc]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/arkayne-media/img/badge/logo-recommend-badge-medium.png){kind=icon}
The hypocrisy of Len McCluskey
Union leader slams Ed Miliband but who put him there in the first place?
Credit: Manchester Evening News
By Jerry Hicks
Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey has launched a stinging attack on the Labour leader Ed Miliband claiming that he is “leading Labour to destruction”. McCluskey lambasts the Labour leader for “failing to support millions of low paid trade unionists” and thereby “disenfranchising the party’s [Labour] core support”.
Read more