An EWN member participated in a school sit in in Almensilla, southern Spain organised by Marea Verde, a grassroots movement to defend public education.
Following the largest demonstration yet on Thursday 28th Feb, exactly three weeks from the start of the ongoing Bramber House occupation, a second, temporary, occupation was made at the University of Sussex. This statement was read from the steps of the occupied BSMS building.
We, 200 students and staff of this university, have occupied the Michael Chowen lecture theatre.
This action is a response to a lack of alternatives within the current situation. Management still refuse to engage with our demands even as they attempt to placate us by feigning negotiation. So we reiterate that we will not compromise, and state them again:
Demo today (Thurs 28th Feb): 'the big one' | 1pm Library Square | Bring workmates, friends, and yellow squares!
The long-running struggle against the outsourcing of 235 jobs at the University of Sussex has been gathering momentum. The plans were first announced in May 2012, prompting demonstrations and mass meetings by staff and student supporters.
A meeting of the Merseyside Blacklist Support Group took place last Saturday (February 23rd). The event was attended by numerous blacklisted construction workers and addressed by a panel of speakers including Steve Acheson, a blacklisted electrician from Manchester who has been picketing the Fiddler’s Ferry power station for the last 5 years to highlight the injustice inflicted on him.
Steve spoke about the collusion between trade union officials and construction companies that led to him and countless others being denied employment due to their trade union activities (often simply raising health and safety concerns on sites). Steve said he had only three terms of employment over a nine-year period and had been removed from all of them as a result of being blacklisted.
The title of this post is the sole criterion set down in the new workfare regulations regarding whom and under what conditions a person might be required to undertake one of the Government’s forced labour schemes (with the exception of MWA). Gone is the much vaunted ‘voluntary’ aspect that was used to defend the schemes for the last year; now, if you are a claimant it is now completely arbitrary whether you're forced to chose between wageless employement or the loss of your benefits. 'The benefits system has entered the State of Exception.'
These are schemes that are specifically aimed at providing free labour to parts of the private sector whose profits are hit by crisis.
Are you unemployed and placed on one of the DWP’s Workfare schemes? Contact us.
The court recently judged the DWP regulations surrounding the workfare programme as unlawful. Claimants on any of the other schemes can now withdraw without threat of sanction and existing sanctions must be brought to an end. Unless the DWP wins the right of appeal, all those who have been sanctioned will be entitled to repayment of lost benefit and all referrals will have been unlawful.
However, the DWP is currently laying new regulations which could make all the workfare schemes lawful and mandatory. Added to this, we’ve had numerous reports of claimants being forced under threat of sanction onto the ‘voluntary’ schemes and there is no reason this won’t continue.
Despite being the focus of the court judgement of 12 February which ruled workfare regulations unlawful, Poundland continue to use unpaid labour. In a statement after the judgement, Poundland boss Jim McCarthy said
“Poundland recognises the importance of offering work experience to people looking to get back into work.
“We have been working in partnership with the Job Centre Plus over the last few months to launch our own work experience programme for those considering a career in retail. Our work experience programme is completely voluntary – no one has their benefits taken away from them at any point during the process. This programme replaces any involvement with the
Department of Work and Pensions prime providers and their work experience schemes.
Over 90% of all facilities and services at Sussex University are being sold off to private companies; Management have for months ignored petitions, meetings and demonstrations of thousands of students, staff and lecturers opposing the plans.
Student at Sussex have occupied Bramber House Conference centre to force Management to listen to students and workers on campus, and take their opinions on this seriously. Stand up to management, stand up for Sussex!
Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 17 West Montgomery Place, EH7 5HA
