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SFEU statement of solidarity with Higher Education Marking and Assessment Boycott

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) would like to express its solidarity with university academic staff currently engaged in the Marking and Assessment Boycott as part of their demand for restored salaries, the elimination of the gender and race pay gap, workloads and casualization.

As on previous occasions, it is a big step to take but ultimately one of our greatest weapons for causing major disruption to the academic process. Students are understandably angered by university responses to date largely suggesting that they will just predict a grade based on their prior performance – it appears it is easier to ignore all their hard work this semester than to get round the table and negotiate an end to this dispute.

Higher Education Dispute - more unmandated strike 'pauses'

Unison, Unite, EIS, GMB and UCU have all proceded to cancel their strikes as a result of decisions by their union General Secretaries or Executives, a position that emerges out of the ACAS talks. To the majority of members of these unions, it's not clear exactly what they've been offered beyond a "limited improvement" to the pay offer for 2022-23. After so much sacrifice, this doesn't sound great. For Unison, as with UCU, there was no consultation with members and branches before the 'pause' was agreed.

Brighton hospitality worker gets paid after a single picket

A Brighton hospitality worker supported by SolFed has won a victory against the exploitative conditions prevalent in the local hospitality sector, as a restaurant paid £1,200 in response to pay demands made by the worker.

The public campaign in support of the worker ended after a single picket - and some back-and-forth emailing - with the worker receiving all the money she had asked for.

The worker's demand of £1200 was in relation to outstanding pay. Unusually, the worker had been told she would be paid a set weekly amount, depending on whether she worked 5 or 6 days. Her contract stipulated that she was employed and paid for 32 hours a week. However, since work days usually lasted around 11 hours, in reality she worked close to double what she had been contracted for.

Brighton: Precarious Mayday

We've been holding Mayday events for the past few years, trying to bring International Workers Day back to its roots in worker militancy and anarchist organising. This year, we're joining in the call from a coalition of local grassroots initiatives organising against casualised working conditions and the housing crisis. Meet 7pm Jubilee Square - A critical mass bike block will lead the (walking) demonstration - if you want to take part in that block, just bring a bike. The only way we’ll make our lives better is by fighting together!

Stop Casualisation: ADECCO

This week Brighton SolFed is attending a call out for solidarity with Spanish workers of Arvato-Qualytel. This company provides the telecommunications services to Orange.

Arvato-Qualytel has a call centre in Salamanca in which comrades from CNT, our sister section in Spain, have decided to stand up against the abuses that they are suffering.

This company is covering the workforce through agencies like Adecco or Randstad. Hundreds of workers have to renew their contracts each ten, fifteen or thirty days and are sacked each two years for six month. In this way, the company is able to not give the workers fixed contacts.

Brighton Solidarity - newsletter #4

Christmas edition with articles on a BHW dispute with a cafe, agency work, and zero hours contracts.

Brighton Solidarity - newsletter #3

July 10 public sector strike, stolen wage disputes at a restaurant and a greengrocer, and holiay pay.

From Swindon and Bristol (and Dorchester *Update*): Solidaridad con la CNT

A fourth International Day of Action saw Westcountry members of the Solidarity Federation take to the streets of Bristol, Dorchester and Swindon in support of a Spanish worker sacked for organising a union branch in his workplace. The worker, a member of the anarcho-syndicalist CNT union was fired during a campaign by his colleagues for decent contracts and against illegal outsourcing by ISBAN, a subsidiary of Santander. Solidarity actions took place in 13 countries around the world.

Solidarity Demo with Isban Workers in Bath

Following on from the successful protest in Bristol against the sacking of a CNT delegate at Isban, the subsidiary of Santander. The Bristol Local moved the message to the streets of Bath. Around 15 members of SF and other activists from around the region, continued the message of solidarity that has been demonstrated around the world.

The message of the rejection of agency work and the reinstatement of the fired worker has been spread by sections of the IWA-AIT. In Spain CNT members held demonstrations in Salamanca, Ciudad Rodrigo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Villaverde, Zaragoza, Malaga and Leon. In working class area of Madrid Santander banks and ATMs were targeted. With message of solidarity sprayed on windows and the ATMs put out of action.

On the streets in support of the CNT

Multinational banking group Santander was targeted for union busting across the breadth of their empire on Tuesday 1st October 2013 by the anarcho-syndicalist International Workers Association (IWA). A number of actions were held in Britain by the Solidarity Federation (SF-IWA). In Bristol, the local SF-IWA section was joined by members of Bristol Anarchist Federation, BARF & migrant Spanish workers to deliver a message of resistance to the company and solidarity with the sacked union organiser of the Spanish anarcho-syndicalist Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT-IWA) union. The CNT has been organising within Isban, a computer services company owned by the Santander Group into which thousands of workers have been transferred. Workers at Isban are controlled and dismissed through the use of employment agencies.

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