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Newcastle SolFed May Day Bulletin

What we've been doing; May Day social & future events.

Newcastle SolFed May Day Bulletin

It's been a busy few months in Newcastle so here's a round-up of what we've been doing. There's also information on future campaigns and events to get involved with:

  • May Day Social: Saturday 3 May, 7pm. The Telegraph.
  • Workplace Organiser Training: Sat 14 June, 9am-4pm. Star & Shadow Cinema
  • Stuff Your Boss!

Ritzy cinema strike enters second day of action

On Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of April low-paid workers at the Ritzy cinema launched a second wave of strike action, demanding the London Living Wage (LLW) from their bosses. The current rate for the LLW is £8.80 an hour; the current hourly rate for most Ritzy staff is £7.24, some 18% below the London Living Wage.

The strikes by members of the Broadcasting Entertainment and Cinematography Trade Union (BECTU) have now shut down the popular south London cinema on two occassions, during their busiest trading days. Workers are planning a third strike on the 1st and 2nd of May.

SF at the 2014 Bristol Anarchist Bookfair

This year Bristol SF are participating in two workshops.

At 1.00pm, in Marquee Z, we will introduce "State Repression in Spain". This talk will be hosted by a Spanish comrade. Below is an short introductory text to set the background of this talk.

During the last four years Spanish society has witnessed a period of intense social protests against austerity, corruption, evictions, unemployment and so on. The greater and more radicalised the protest the bigger the state repression. The intensification of demonstrations and actions has resulted in an escalation of detentions and absurd fines. Every form of protest is now a new article in the criminal code.

Bristol Anarchist Bookfair

start: 
Sat, 26/04/2014 - 11:00
Event organiser: 
Bristol Anarchist Bookfair Collective
iconimage: 

The Bristol Anarchist Bookfair returns for it's 6th bash-back on Saturday
26 April, with enough ideas, debates and books to spark a conflagration.
So come on down and add your fuel to the fire.

From 11am to 6pm at The Trinity Centre, Trinity Road, Bristol BS2 0NW.

With some 60 tables of stalls; and 30 meetings across 6 spaces, includng
the Bookfair Assembly Room, Permanent Culture Now Marquee, and of course
ye olde Radical History Zone just 5 minutes down the road at Hydra
Bookshop.

local, network, collective: 
Bristol
Access Layer: 
Public

Report from the Ritzy

A North London SF member was down at the picket line for the strike at Ritzy Cinema yesterday over the firm's refusal to pay a living wage to staff. Below is their report:

"I got to the Ritzy at about 8pm. I believe there had been a picket line of some form since 9am in the morning. Even though it was at the end of a long day there was still quite a sizeable presence with others probably joining them after work was over, perhaps around 40-50 people.

"For the last hour the samba band Rhythms of Resistance played, the band and a lot of chanting for the living wage drew quite a bit of attention from people passing by (the Ritzy is in a great place if you want to grab
peoples attention). They even marched up and down Brixton High Street a bit. It was a good atmosphere, a lot of energy, quite festival-like with a young crowd.

Transnational Companies Cave Into Wages Demands Following Picket

Another victory for Brighton Hospitality Workers and for direct action! In February, two members of Brighton Hospitality Workers (BHW) brought unpaid holiday entitlement issues to the group, incurred while both had worked at the Brighton premisis of a transnational hotel chain. The hotel's housekeeping staff were contracted to work there by the UK operation of an international recruitment exploiter with a reputation for withholding pay, particularly after contracts had been terminated. One worker was owed £286 in holiday pay for leave she was prevented from taking, despite repeated requests to her manager, as well as 2 days' outstanding sick pay. The second worker was owed £180 in holiday pay, also for leave she was prevented from taking, again despite repeated requests – in December her boss told her she 'had lost' her right to take paid leave.

Transnational companies give in to demands following hotel picket

On Saturday March 22nd members of Brighton SolFed and Brighton Hospitality Workers (BHW) staged a well-attended picket of a local Travelodge hotel. This was an opening action in support of two of the hotel's former workers - both members of BHW - who were demanding full payment of owed holiday entitlement for annual leave they were prevented from taking. One of the workers had already had owed wages paid in full, following a demand letter from SolFed & BHW to the agency that held the staff contract at Travelodge. The agency - Jani-King GB - were an international recruitment exploiter based in the US with an appalling record of non-payment of wages & holiday pay.

Hospitality Workers Picketing Over Unpaid Annual Leave

On Saturday 22nd March members of the Brighton Hospitality Workers and Brighton Solidarity Federation picketted a prominent Brighton hotel over unpaid overtime owed to members of staff.

The hotel has since promised to ensure the overtime owed is fully paid. We are therefore not currently naming the hotel, although we intend to escalate our campaign should they fail to pay the workers involved.

HSBC targeted for Las Heras complicity

Today's international day of action called by FORA saw Newcastle Local picketing the city-centre branch of HSBC, who provide finincial services to YPF the state-owned Argentinian oil company, making them complicit in the repression & persecution of Las Heras workers.

The absence of an Argentine consulate proved no barrier to Tyneside workers joining with IWA-AIT comrades in demanding the freedom of all Las Heras workers and the end of state-sponsored attacks on those fighting for their rights.

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