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Employment agencies have long been criticised for profiting from casualisation and insecure employment, as well as enabling employers to bypass hard-won workers' rights and benefits. The Solidarity Federation confronted Office Angels (a subsidary agency of Adecco) in 2011 over a case of wage theft and won, using direct action to get the money owed paid into the worker's account. We are now fighting their strikebreaking practices in solidarity with our Spanish sister organisation National Conferation of Labour (CNT) together with other sections of the International Workers Association.

Join us! If you are an Office Angels/Adecco worker and have problems at work, we would like to hear from you.

Victory against Office Angels!

Solidarity Federation has recently been leading a campaign in support of Dan, a former temporary worker employed by the Office Angels recruitment agency over unpaid wages. The past week has seen a national week of action against the agency, and response has been phenomenal, with pickets of branches across the country. This was to be followed by an international week of action, against both the company, and parent company Adecco, with a large number of pickets planned across the world. Whilst on the pickets yesterday we were informed by Office Angels that they had given in and paid Dan all the wages he was owed. We've now had this confirmed by Dan himself so would like to thank everyone who supported this struggle.

Office Angels picket: Liverpool

SF-IWA members in Liverpool held a picket outside the premises of Office Angels as part of a national week of action against the temping agency.

A comrade who took part in the action said: "This has been an excellent national campaign that I think is definitely a sign of things to come from our organisation. Hopefully companies like Office Angels will begin to get the message that the exploitation of temp workers will not be tolerated."

See more photos from the picket here.

Thames Valley SolFed (Reading) Vs Office Angels: Round Three - TKO

On Friday 13th May Thames Valley (Reading) SolFed returned to the local Office Angels in support of Dan’s wage claim. By now people had begun to recognise us and in general the public were taking our leaflets quite happily. At 5-45 some of the staff from Office Angels came down and in contrast to the previous night's scuffle the mood was light-hearted. The man from the office who had sought to grab our leaflets came to apologise and tell us how much he respected our actions in support of Dan.

Office Angels Part 2

On Thursday 12th May members of Northampton solidarity Federation again picketed Office Angels in Northampon over their failure to pay Dan for 2 out of three days' work.

Leaflets explaining the issue were again handed out to intersted passers by, many of whom stopped to chat and asked what they could do to help.

The manager graced the picket with her presence and as last time didn't manage to raise her level of conversation above petty insult: this time telling the picket that it was all 'bollocks'.  We assume she's talking about Office Angels' act of asking someone to work three days and then only paying them for one!

More action to follow.

Oxford Pickets Office Angels

On Thursday 12th, Thames Valley Solfed leafleted outside Office Angels in Oxford, in addition to the pickets that we undertook in Reading.

We had about 10 people over the course of the picket, including friends of SolFed members who were passing & wanted to help out, a member of The Commune up for the day, and other Oxford locals. The office looked deserted at first but a member of staff came out & accepted our leaflet, but produced one of their own which deplored “the need for direct action”.

Office Angels picket, Manchester, May 12

Manchester SF picketted Office Angels on New Market, Manchester city centre on Thursday May 12 as part of SF’s national week of action against the Office Angels agency in a dispute over unpaid wages. Although management were unavailable for discussion, there was a pre-prepared OA statement branding our campaign of “direct action” as lies and, of course, painting themselves purer than pure when it comes to treatment of temporary workers. As elsewhere, we had comments from passers-by, some of whom have had dealings with OA and other temping agencies. We will be back during the upcoming international week of action against OA – for further details, please get in touch.

Thames Valley SolFed (Reading) Vs Office Angels: Rounds 1 and 2

On Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th May two members of the Thames Valley SolFed local leafleted outside the Reading branch of Office Angels as part of the nationwide campaign against the firm’s dodgy practices. Round one of the leafleting started on Wednesday at 9 am and included an imaginative re-working of the Office Angel's logo on the door of their building. On both days members of the public showed interest and often support for the campaign with at least 6 people saying that they would phone Office Angels to complain about their behaviour.

Office Angels - London pickets

Today, the 11th of May, three London locations of Office Angels had the the pleasure of a visit by members of South & North London Solidarity Federation along with other organisational support. The pickets were part of the week-long national campaign being orchestrated by the Solidarity Federation in support of Dan, a worker who's been cheated by the Office Angels employment agency.

Bristol: Police guard Office Angels Branch during picket

Bristol Solidarity Federation, with support from Bristol Anarchist Federation and Bristol IWW members, picketed Office Angels calling for the non-payment of wages to London temp, Dan.

The picket was surprised to find the local police had sent in advance two Community Support Officers. Why it was felt that the branch needed protecting was not explained to the picket.  A delegation were stopped from delivering a demand letter personally to the branch manager. Instead the police took this letter and a leaflet into the branch. The picket were forbidden from entering into any dialogue with staff from Office Angels.

Petty intimidation will not stop this campaign. The campaign for justice and payment in full for work done for Office Angels.

Office Angels Picket: Leeds

On the 11/05/11 West Yorkshire Solidarity Federation picketed the Leeds branch of Office Angels. We were joined by Leeds AF. Office Angels locked there doors (maybe thinking we where planning to storm the office) but didn't come out to see what we were doing. We gave out 300 leaflets, getting a good response. Some people came over... to ask for leaflets and at one point the whole of a bus queue outside of Office Angels where reading the leaflet.

We will continue to picket Office Angels until Dan has been paid in full! If you know of any similar problems with Office Angels (or other agencies) please get in touch. 

Office Angels - London pickets

Today, the 11th of May, three London locations of Office Angels had the the pleasure of a visit by members of South & North London Solidarity Federation along with other organisational support. The pickets were part of the week-long national campaign being orchestrated by the Solidarity Federation in support of Dan, a worker who's been cheated by the Office Angels employment agency.

National week of action against Office Angels: Brighton

As part of a national week of action against the Office Angels agency in a dispute over unpaid wages, members and supporters of Brighton SolFed today picketed the Brighton branch for the third time in a week. Management locked the doors, and when a passing member of the public went in to ask why they didn't pay their staff, they could only desparately claim we were "liars". The passer-by sharply pointed out we wouldn't be giving up our time to picket for the fun of it! And pickets will keep spreading until Dan gets paid.

Office Angels Picket - Bristol

Bristol solidarity Federation will be continuing with their support of the Office Angels temp who has never been payed in full for the three days work he did last year.

As part of the national week of action called by SF-IWA we are planning a picket of the Office Angels branch, 35-38 High Street, Bristol. This will commence at 11.00am on Thursday, 12th May. We urge anyone free to come down and support this campaign. Members of Bristol SF have been involved in the struggle against the casualisation of work for many years. This initiative is part of on-going work to ensure that workers are not robbed of their pay, their rights and their safety.

We demand that Dan is paid in full for the work he has done.

SF-IWA calls for national week of action against Office Angels (9-15 May)

Since March the Solidarity Federation (SF) has been involved in supporting a victimised former Office Angels temporary worker. Dan worked for Office Angels for three days in December of last year. He was assured by the company that the lack of a time-sheet would 'not be a problem'. However, Office Angels are refusing to pay him the wages he is owed - falsely claiming he only worked for one day, despite them having called him at work on his third day.

2nd picket in 24 hours at Brighton Office Angels

We picketed the Brighton branch of Office Angels for the second time in 24 hours this morning to keep the pressure up in the dispute over unpaid wages. After running out of leaflets yesterday we printed another batch overnight to inform passers by and potential Office Angels workers of the details of the dispute, and to encourage them to get in touch if they've also been mistreated by Office Angels.

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