You are here

Home

Public

Happy Valley Pride will be Celebrating LGBT+ life in Hebden Bridge and surrounding areas will be taking Place this year from August 6th to 12th August for more info go to https://happyvalleypride.com

SolFed will be going along to this year's Happy Valley Pride to celebrate. We have prepared the following statement for the event.

Valley Pride and the Politics of Revolution

It’s wonderful to see Valley Pride again, this year with the enticing theme of “revolution”. It’s an invitation to take stock of where we are and what challenges remain.

UNDEREMPLOYMENT, CASUALISATION AND THE FUTURE OF WORK

Underemployment is the term used for workers who get fewer hours than they want and need to live on. In the UK there are now at least 1.4 million workers on zero-hours contracts and 865,000 agency workers, many of whom struggle to get enough hours a week to survive on. Added to which, companies are increasingly employing people on a part-time basis, often on contracts of 10 hours or less. This leaves workers dependent on any extra hours management may choose to offer them. According to the Office for National Statistics, just under 10% of the working population or 3.3 million people want more hours; or to put it another way, are part unemployed.  To put this into context there are now twice as many people underemployed as there are unemployed.

Brighton Solidarity Federation wins a campaign against Brighton Hotel!

Brighton Solidarity Federation Hospitality Workers have successfully concluded a campaign against a hotel in Brighton. Brighton SolFed had been working with a former employee for payment of unpaid holiday pay, as well as compensation for dangerous working conditions which have had a serious impact on this worker’s health.

The worker was only contracted to work 20 hours a week, but was regularly pressured to work up to 40 hours, doing work that went far beyond their job description. In addition to his usual duties of taking care of linen and rubbish, he was given sole responsibility in evenings for the duties of a room attendant and dealing with all the requests made by guests, acting as luggage porter, cleaner of bar and brasserie toilets, and responsible for dealing with dirty clothes in the kitchen.

‘Direct action is the only thing that can change the crappy way things have been for too long’ – a tenant organises to beat deposit theft

In September-October 2017, Brighton SolFed Housing Union successfully organised with a tenant who was facing a £510 deduction to her deposit. The amount was repaid in full after a roughly three week campaign. Below, the tenant explains the situation she was in, as well as her experience of the campaign and the affect it had on her.

[CN: suicide]

Update from Patrick on successfully getting his eviction order thrown out in court

THE PROTEST AGAINST FORTIS STUDENT LETTING AGENCY CONTINUES!

Monday 18 June saw Manchester Solidarity Federation join tenants in a protest outside Fortis Student Letting in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. The protest is the latest event in a long running campaign being organised by the tenants because of the appalling conditions in the Fortis run building, where they are living. Throughout their stay, Fortis have refused to carry out even the most basic maintenance of the building. The tenants went weeks without water, months without heating and had to live in rooms covered with mould.  On one occasion, water poured through a ceiling light fitting for weeks, with Fortis making no attempt to repair it. This was despite numerous complaints by tenants.

Cambridge Radical Bookfair 1 - 5pm Sunday 17th June

1pm to 5pm Sunday 17th June at Portland Arms
Free Entry but Donations welcome.
Participants include:-

CAMBRIDGE CLIMATE ACTION
CAMBRIDGE SOLIDARITY FEDERATION
CAMBRIDGE UNITE COMMUNITY BRANCH
FREEDOM BOOKSHOP
RADICAL ROUTES
SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE HUNT SABOTEURS
THEORY AND PRACTICE
ANARCHIST COMMUNIST GROUP
CAMBRIDGE KURDISTAN SOLIDARITY
PLAN C
REBEL ARTS
Info on local grassroots housing campaigns

Fortis Student Lettings neglects tenants!

On Monday (June 4), Manchester Solidarity Federation demonstrated outside the head office of Fortis Student Lettings in Altrincham, near Manchester.

It was an action in solidarity with a group of tenants renting in Chester through this letting agency. Fortis had allowed unacceptable delays in carrying out basic maintenance resulting in tenants living, for example, with damp and mould, or without hot water for months: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ fortishorrorstories/posts/. The tenants are now asking Fortis for compensation and the agency keeps ignoring them or to engage in any attempt at mediation.

Cambridge SolFed at Strawberry Fair Saturday 2nd June 2018

Cambridge Solidarity Federation will have a stall in Scarecrow Corner at this year's Strawberry Fair, 12noon onwards Saturday 2nd June, Midsummer Common.

Strawberry Fair is the most popular free, entirely volunteer run, one day music & arts event in Cambridge (and probably across Europe!), attracting over 30,000 visitors throughout the day, running for over 40 years.

In between enjoying the music and the beer tent, call in and see us for some lighthearted anarcho-syndicalist banter.

We should also have info on local grassroots housing campaigns.

Also info on upcoming 2nd Cambridge Radical Bookfair on 17th June at the Portland Arms

Pages