Protest meetings, leafleting and demonstrations

Southwark Action Alert                                  6 May 2013

Come along to these events. Make your voice heard against fire-station and post office closures, against the bedroom tax and threats to the NHS. Please help to spread the word by tweeting or posting this listing on your Facebook page, or help us with leafleting (see below).

EVENTS LIST

Tuesday 7 May
1pm onwards. Leafleting & petitioning against proposed closure/privatisation of Peckham Rye and Lordship Lane East Dulwich post offices. CWU members will be on strike against plans to close or franchise 76 Crown offices - 20% of the network - which would affect over 800 jobs. Details of the dispute from the Communication Workers Union here. Contact Chris Roche (CWU) on 07912 427 140 if you can help.

Tuesday 7 May
Public meeting to discuss the threatened closure of Southwark Fire Station at Queensborough Community Hall, Scovell Rd (off Southwark Bridge Road), SE1 1QF at 7pm. Called by Lant & Bittern Tenants & Residents Association. Open to all.

Wednesday 8 May – Friday 17 May
Various times. Public leafleting to advertise the All-London demonstration to save the NHS on 18 May (see below). Volunteers urgently needed to leaflet at rail stations and shopping centres in Southwark. Write to southwarksos@gmail.com  

Saturday 11 May
11am. Second Benefit Justice Summit: To create one national voice to end the war on the poor; to oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit, ending disability living allowance and other cuts. Venue: Central Hall, Westminster. Video of first BJ Summit is here . More details at http://benefitjustice.wordpress.com or email to benefitjustice@gmail.com

Saturday 11th May
12 noon. Anti-workfare picket outside Poundland in Peckham. Called by SolFed. Details and background here.

Saturday 11 May
4pm.  First planning meeting to organise a demonstration "People United Against Austerity" to protest against the international troika and against austerity on 1st of June. Venue: Royal Festival Hall 4th floor. See Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/487313571341669/

Monday 13 May
1pm onwards. Turn Up the Heat On British Gas Protest at the AGM of Centrica – parent company of British Gas – at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London, SW1P 3EE Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Vf1rI. More info and background at http://fuelpovertyaction.org.uk/

Tuesday 14 May
6.30pm. London Keep Our NHS Public campaign meeting at Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, WC1H (opposite St Pancras Station).

Tuesday 14 May
7pm. Public Consultation meeting to discuss the proposed closure of 12 fire stations Venue: City Hall, The Queen’s Walk, SE1 2AA. Called by London Fire Brigade. Southwark FBU encourage all concerned residents to attend.

Thursday 16 May
6.30pm. Demonstration - Save Clapham Fire Station.  Assemble at Brixton Fire Station on Gresham Road.  March to Lambeth Town Hall.  Called by London Region Fire Brigades Union. Details at www.facebook.com/SaveClaphamFireStation

Thursday 16 May
7pm. Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public campaign meeting. Venue: Duke of Cambridge pub, 74 Lansdowne Way, SW8 2DR, nr Stockwell Tube. For more details, phone 07913496012. All Southwark KONP supporters urged to attend.

Saturday 18 May
12 noon. London-wide demonstration to Save the NHS. Assemble Jubilee Gardens, Waterloo, SE1. Supported by a wide range of hospital campaigns, health unions, medical staff, MPs, London Labour Party, Green Party. Get your trade union or community organisation to back the call. Mass distribution of leaflets is needed. Contact londonkeepournhspublic@gmail.com for copies or contact Southwark SOS to help with local leafleting.

Wednesday 22 May
7pm. Southwark Save Our Services Campaign organising meeting. Venue: Southbank University London Road Building. (Ask at Reception for Southwark SOS meeting room.) For agenda please contact southwarksos@gmail.com

Thursday 23 May
7pm. Public meeting: The fight against Austerity. Speakers: Kevin Courtney NUT deputy general secretary, Paul Embury, London regional secretary FBU. and Tanya Murat, Southwark Benefits Justice and anti-bedroom tax campaigner. Venue: Karibu Centre, 7 Gresham Rd, Brixton, SW9 7 PH. (Five minutes’ walk from Brixton tube.) Called by South London Unite the Resistance. Contact: southlondonutr@gmail.com

Wednesday 29 May
10.30am. Meeting: The Future of Housing in Southwark. Organised by Southwark Pensioners Forum. Venue: InSpire, Crypt at St. Peter’s, Liverpool Grove SE17 5HH. More information from 020 7708 4556, or write to mail@southwarkpensioners.org.uk or see www.southwarkpensioners.org.uk

Advance notice

Friday 7 June
9am - 4.30pm. Advice sessions: Get a better understanding of your rights and the impact that benefit changes may have on you. Sessions on the debt & budgeting, housing matters, employment, and the Welfare Reforms program. includes session at 2.30pm on Universal Credit and 3.45pm on the bedroom tax. Organised by Blackfriars Advice Centre and Cambridge House Law Centre. Booking a place must be done in advance, posted or dropped into the office at Blackfriars Advice Centre, or ring 020 7358 7000. Venue: Cambridge House, 1 Addington Square, SE5 0HF.

Saturday 15 June
Demonstration against NHS reforms – leafleting constituents of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Assemble at the ramp leading to Lewisham DLR Station at 08.30am for coach to Farnham, Surrey. Details at www.savelewishamhospital.com/the-hunt-for-hunt/ Book your coach ticket or enquiries to savelewishamhospital@yahoo.com

Saturday 22 June
9.30am – 5pm. People's Assembly Against Austerity. Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH. Supporting organisations include Unite the Union, PCS, NUT, NUJ, TSSA, Unison, War on Want, Disabled People Against the Cuts, Coalition of Resistance, People’s Charter, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts, the Green Party. Register here.

Saturday 29 June
11am-5pm.  Conference ‘March Together - Now Strike Together’. Organised by the National Shop Stewards Network. Speakers include Mark Serwotka, PCS, Billy Hayes, CWU, and Steve Gillan, POA, general secretaries. Venue: Camden Centre, Judd Street, WC1H 9JE. More info at www.shopstewards.net and registration from info@shopstewards.net or phone 07952 283 588.

Wednesday 3 July
7pm. Southwark Council Assembly  includes a themed debate on "Welfare Reform". It will be preceded by an hour-long informal session from 6pm and the main business meeting from 7pm. Venue to be announced.

Saturday 6 July
Demonstrations and other festivities to celebrate the NHS 65th birthday. Details to be announced.

OTHER LOCAL CAMPAIGNS:

Fire stations closures campaign information at http://www.saveourstations.org.uk/

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting meet at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Details from southwarkdpac@mail.com

Southwark Benefit Justice Campaign
Contact southwarkbenefitjustice@gmail.com and see their Facebook page.

Southwark Action Alert - 19 April 2013

Local demonstrations against health and fire service cuts, protests against cuts to benefits and the bedroom tax, strikes against redundancies and privatisation: these are all taking place in or near Southwark during the next month. The details and contact information are shown below, so come along and get involved!

EVENTS LIST

Saturday 20 April

12 noon to 1.30pm.  Petitioning against Bedroom Tax and leafleting for the Southwark Benefit Justice public meeting (see 27 April, below) at Rye Lane, near Aylsham Centre in Peckham. Please come along, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Contact southwarkbenefitjustice@gmail.com or ring 07896 341 964.

Monday 22 April

7pm. Community Council meetings – an opportunity to tell the Councillors not to cooperate with welfare benefit changes or to evict tenants in arrears because of them. Leafleting & petitioning outside - Contact southwarkbenefitjustice@gmail.com or ring 07896 341 964 if you can help.

Two Venues: 

Dulwich Community Council at Kingswood House, Seeley Drive, SE21 8QR; Walworth, Borough and Bankside Community Council at Walworth Academy, Shorncliffe Rd, London SE1 5UJ.

Thursday 25 April

7am onwards. Strike against compulsory redundancies by NUT members at ARK Globe Academy Elephant and Castle. Pickets assembling at Harper Road entrance (off New Kent Road) SE1 6AF. Please send messages of support to: secretary@southwarknut.org.uk; emilybarney@btinternet.com; liammobile10@aol.com; garyedwardday@gmail.com Other strike dates are planned for May 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th, 9th.

Thursday 25 April

6pm. Southwark Save Our Services Campaign organising meeting. Venue: Walworth Methodist Church, Walworth Road SE17 (Please note the new time, date and venue for this month’s meeting.) For agenda contact southwarksos@gmail.com

Thursday 25 April

7pm. Public meeting: Stop the Bedroom Tax, No evictions due to Benefit Cuts

Venue: Walworth Methodist Church, Walworth Road SE17. All welcome. Directions here. Called by Southwark Benefit Justice campaign, supported by Defend Council Housing, Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations and others. Get leaflets to advertise this meeting at the SBJ Facebook page. Help distribute leaflets on your estate – contact southwarkbenefitjustice@gmail.com.

Thursday 25 April

7 pm.  Save Lewisham Hospital, Save our NHS Public meeting at Goldsmith College Great Hall, New Cross SE14 6NW. Speakers: Professor Colin Leys, John Lister, Rachael Maskell (National Officer Unite Union), Pat Smith (Labour Party), and Louise Irvine. More information from www.savelewishamhospital.com

Saturday 11 May

11am. Second Benefit Justice Summit: To create one national voice to end the war on the poor; to oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit, ending disability living allowance and other cuts. Venue: Central Hall, Westminster. Video of first BJ Summit are here . More details at http://benefitjustice.wordpress.com  or email to benefitjustice@gmail.com.

Thursday 16 May

6.30pm. Demonstration - Save Clapham Fire Station.  Assemble at Brixton Fire Station on Gresham Road.  March to Lambeth Town Hall.  Called by London Region Fire Brigades Union. Details at www.facebook.com/SaveClaphamFireStation

Saturday 18 May

12 noon. London-wide demonstration to Save the NHS. Assemble Jubilee Gardens, Waterloo SE1. Supported by a wide range of hospital campaigns, health unions, medical staff, MPs, London Labour Party, Green Party. Get your trade union or community organisation to back the call. Mass distribution of leaflets is needed. Contact londonkeepournhspublic@gmail.com for copies or contact Southwark SOS to help with local leafleting.

Advance notice

Saturday 15 June

Hunt the Hunt - activity focused on our Health Secretary! Details at www.savelewishamhospital.com/the-hunt-for-hunt/

Saturday 22 June

9.30am – 5pm. People's Assembly Against Austerity. Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH. Supporting organisations include Unite the Union, PCS, NUT, NUJ, TSSA, Unison, War on Want, Disabled People Against the Cuts, Coalition of Resistance, People’s Charter, Black Activists Rising Against Cuts, the Green Party. Register here.

Wednesday 3 July

Southwark Council Assembly  includes a themed debate on "Welfare Reform". It will be preceded by an hour-long informal session from 6pm and the main business meeting from 7pm. Venue to be announced.

Saturday 6 July

National demo and other festivities to celebrate the NHS' 65th birthday. Details to be announced.

ON-GOING CAMPAIGNS:

Fire stations closures campaign information at http://www.saveourstations.org.uk/

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting meet at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Details from southwarkdpac@mail.com

Benefit Justice Campaign
To create one national voice to end the war on the poor; to oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit, ending disability living allowance and other cuts. National campaign website http://benefitjustice.wordpress.com Facebook   www.facebook.com/benefitjustice . Email to benefitjustice@gmail.com. Useful Press coverage:  Guardian: welfare facts and myths . Southwark campaign: contact southwarkbenefitjustice@gmail.com (see events in April, above) and see their Facebook page.

Strikes, marches, protests: all are happening this month!

The welfare benefit cuts will have a massive impact on the lives of thousands of Southwark residents in the coming months. Local meetings, some with more than a hundred angry residents, have shocked Council officers. The government has already been pushed into a corner over the bedroom tax but next week’s budget statement is bound to include even more cuts. 250,000 civil servants will strike against cuts next week and marches and protests are also planned by many different campaigns. Our list below has the details.

EVENTS LIST

Saturday 16 March

12 noon. March to Save Clapham Fire Station, assembling on Clapham Common. Residents, trade unionists, everyone – come along! Details at www.facebook.com/SaveClaphamFireStation

Saturday 16 March

10am - 4pm, Resisting Austerity in Europe and the UK Conference. Congress House, Great Russell St, London WC1 3LS. Organised by SERTUC Public Services and International Committees. To book, contact 020 7467 1218, or email JAdams@tuc.org.uk

Saturday 16 March

2-5pm. Anti-Academies Alliance AGM at Hughes Parry Hall nr King’s Cross. All are welcome to attend. More details from www.antiacademies.org.uk Facebook event here .

Saturday 16 March

3 pm onwards. Boycott Workfare – a mass workfare sleuth along the Walworth Road, (meet at 3pm in front of Strata Tower) followed by a social at London Action Resource Centre (LARC) - travel expenses will be covered. All welcome! Then social at 5pm at LARC (travel expenses to LARC will be covered) Facebook event. Find out about what happens in a sleuth here.

Saturdays, 16 March - 4 May

11am – 4pm. Housing Consultation about the future of housing in Southwark: Make your voice heard! A series of Southwark Council’s ‘community conversations’. 16 March in Peckham Square, 23 March in The Blue, 6 April outside Co-op, Lordship Lane, Dulwich, 13 April Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, 20 April at  Butterfly Walk Shopping Centre, Camberwell, 27 April at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, 4 May 2013, in  Dulwich Park.

Monday 18 March

6.30pm. Organising Meeting of London Keep Our NHS Public, planning for the Defend London NHS Demonstration on 18 May. Venue: Camden Town Hall, Judd St, WC1 (Opposite Kings Cross station). More information from www.keepournhspublic.com or contact LondonKeepOurNHSPublic@gmail.com

Tuesday 19 March

7pm. Southwark Defend Council Housing campaign meeting. Venue: St. John's parish office, 18 Larcom Street SE17 1NQ.

Wednesday 20 March

George Osborne will make his budget speech.

7am – 10am. National PCS strike day – picket lines across Southwark – visit them at government offices, galleries, courts, job centres etc. For specific locations contact southwarksos@gmail.com

12 noon - 2pm Rally in central London Assemble Old Palace Yard, next to the Palace of Westminster. Big screen showing Osborne delivering the budget. Speakers include strikers and PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka.  All trade unionists/ supporters are welcome to attend the rally. Campaign information and updates at: http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/campaigns/national-campaigns/action-now/index.cfm 

5.30pm. March against Tory budget cuts - Stop attacking the welfare state - Hands off our NHS. We don’t know yet what George Osborne has in store for us on Budget Day but we know it won’t be good. Assemble outside King’s College, the Strand. March to Downing Street rally from 6.30pm See http://uniteresist.org/

7.30pm. Planning Southwark’s anti-cuts campaigns: Southwark Save Our Services Organising Meeting (See below)

Wednesday 20 March

7.30pm. Southwark Save Our Services Organising Meeting – Main items: Building campaigns against the welfare benefit changes, for Benefits Justice, against the bedroom tax, supporting the PCS strikes, saving our Fire Stations. Room A3 at South Bank Uni London Road Building SE1. (Note this later start time due to protest events in central London beforehand.)

Thursday 21 March

7pm. Meeting of Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public at Duke of Cambridge pub, 74, Lansdowne Way, Stockwell, SW8 2DR. More details from lambethkonp@gmail.com

Monday 25th March

7pm. No Ifs, No Buts - NOT GUILTY! How we fought and won. Public meeting called by Defend the Right to Protest campaign: With Alfie Meadows (acquitted student protester), Matt Foot, Zak King, Max Watson & Sussex Uni Occupier. Details here. Venue: SOAS, off Russell Square WC1H 0XG.

Friday 5 April

1pm. National half-day strike of PCS members to mark the end of the 2012/13 tax year and in protest about imposed extra pension contributions, while millionaires are being given a tax cut.  This starts a week of tax justice campaigning highlighting the £120 billion tax gap. More details at the PCS website here.

Advance notice

Wednesday 17 April

7pm. Two Community Council meetings: in Camberwell and in Peckham & Nunhead – an opportunity to tell the Councillors not to cooperate with welfare benefit changes or to evict tenants in arrears because of them. Check the council’s website to see if welfare benefit changes are on the agenda.

Monday 22 April

7pm. Two Community Council meetings: in Dulwich and in Walworth – an opportunity to tell the Councillors not to cooperate with welfare benefit changes or to evict tenants in arrears because of them. Check the council’s website to see if welfare benefit changes are on the agenda.

Saturday 11 May

Second Benefit Justice Summit: To create one national voice to end the war on the poor; to oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit, ending disability living allowance and other cuts. Video of first BJ Summit are here . Details to be announced via website  http://benefitjustice.wordpress.com or send emails to benefitjustice@gmail.com

Saturday 18 May

12 noon. London wide demonstration to Save the NHS. Assemble Jubilee Gardens, Waterloo SE1. Supported by a range of Hospital Campaigns, UNITE the union and London Labour Party. Get your trade union or community organisation to back the call! (See 18 March, above -London Keep Our NHS Public meeting)

Saturday 22 June

9.30am – 5pm. People's Assembly Against Austerity. Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH. Called by the Coalition of Resistance. Details here .

ON-GOING CAMPAIGNS:

Fire stations closures campaign information at http://www.saveourstations.org.uk/

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting meet at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Details from southwarkdpac@mail.com

Benefit Justice Campaign

To create one national voice to end the war on the poor; to oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit, ending disability living allowance and other cuts. Their website is http://benefitjustice.wordpress.com. Send emails to benefitjustice@gmail.com

Follow us!

http://southwarksaveourservices.blogspot.com/

Twitter @southwarkSOS

Facebook: Southwark SSOS

Are you part of a community group or campaign? We’d like to hear from you. Tell us what you’re doing and we can advertise your anti-cuts campaign activities. Email us at. All our organising meetings are open. Please come along (details above).

Say No to Council Cuts and Attacks on Benefit Claimants

This Wednesday:
Say No to Council Cuts and Attacks on Benefit Claimants

Southwark Action Alert                                     23^rd February 2013

Southwark Council meets on Wednesday to confirm its Council Tax and budget for 2013-4. Not only will this mean more closure of services and community organisations but it also heralds draconian attacks on thousands of Southwark tenants and benefit claimants. A protest demonstration THIS WEDNESDAY (see below) will call on the Council not to impose the bedroom tax and cuts to benefits. Also that they refuse to evict residents who fall in arrears because of these cuts. Come and join us: 6 pm at the Council Offices, 161 Tooley Street SE1.

EVENTS LIST

Monday 25 February

Lobby of The Greater London Assembly meeting to decide the final budget arrangements of Mayor Boris Johnson for the Fire Service. Called by the FBU.

Monday 25 February

6.30pm. Fighting privatisation after the Health and Social Care Act:  Meeting of Defend London’s NHS /Keep Our NHS Public Meeting. Camden Town Hall, Judd St, WC1, just off Euston Rd and nearly opposite St Pancras Station. More information from www.keepournhspublic.com

Tuesday 26 February

1pm. Lobby the NHS Staff Council meeting to defend NHS Terms and Conditions. The Agenda for Change agreement will mean cutting sick pay and introducing performance pay for NHS staff. Venue: UNISON Building, 130 Euston Road NW1 2AY.

Wednesday 27 February

6pm-7pm. Protest against budget cuts, oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit and eviction threats to benefit claimants.   Assemble outside Southwark Council Assembly for Budget/Council Tax. Venue: 160 Tooley Street SE1 2TZ. Called by SSOS, supported by these Southwark groups: Trades Council, Pensioners Action Group, Southwark Group of Tenants Associations, Disabled People Against Cuts and other anti-cuts groups. Bring banners, people and loud voices!  Facebook link and flyer. Please circulate the attached flyer, and contact southwarksos@gmail.com if your campaign group will attend.

Thursday 28 February

11am - 3pm. Better Public Transport Conference to assess the current state of public transport and discuss what pensioners can do to ensure concessionary travel remains a key issue in the minds of politicians. Organised by the National Pensioners Convention. Venue: St Pancras Hall, Lancing Street (near Euston Station) NW1 1NA. More information here .

Thursday 28 February

6pm. Housing Crisis in London event – to share experiences of housing struggles and share skills to take back to our own communities. Venue: Eileen House, 80-94 Newington Causeway, SE1 6EF. 6pm - People's Kitchen communal meal; 7.30pm - Discussion: housing struggles; 8pm - Film screening on housing homelessness and eviction. More information from: selforganisedlondon@riseup.net

Friday 1st March

12 noon. Direct Action to highlight PFI damage to the NHS. Meet at St Pauls Cathedral. (Planning meeting at 6.30pm on Tuesday 26th February at the occupied Harts Lane Studios, behind TK Maxx in New Cross close to New Cross Gate station.) More at www.SaveLondonNHS.org.uk/Direct Action.

Tuesday 5 March

1.30pm. Emergency Protest Against Back Door NHS Privatisation. a Lord's committee will discuss secondary legislation that will mean virtually all NHS commissioning will have to be done through competitive markets. Assemble College Green opposite House of Lords. Bring banners, placards, street theatre and more! Andy Slaughter MP and Steve Pound MP will join the protest. Facebook event here .

Friday 8 March

12noon. Direct Action on International Women’s Day against the cuts. Assemble at 12noon at Goldsmiths University of London (main entrance Lewisham Way) where you will be met and taken to a convergence point.

Details from June Jordan – see Facebook event here.

Saturday 9 March

11am. Benefit Justice Campaign Summit

To create one national voice to end the war on the poor; to oppose the bedroom tax, cuts in council-tax benefit, ending disability living allowance and other cuts. News report here. Venue: ULU, Malet Street, WC1E 7HY. Supporters include Defend Council Housing, Disabled People Against Cuts, National Shop Stewards Network, Right to Work. Download flyer and book your place here or email to: mail@dpac.uk.net or info@defendcouncilhousing.org.uk

Saturday 9 March

Times tba. Protests, performance and occupation of the pay-day loan companies. For more details contact wontpayday@gmail.com

Wed & Thurs 13/14 March

European-wide Days of Action against Cuts and Austerity. Solidarity with strikes and protests across Europe. Further details to be announced.

Wednesday 13 March

5pm. Lobby of Gove over Teachers Pay and Pensions. Assemble: Cathedral Piazza, Victoria St, SW1. March to DfE. Contact NUT for more information.

Wednesday 13 March

6pm. TUC pre-budget rally: A future for families: A future that works. Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, Westminster. There is expected to be high demand for places, so please reserve a space online at http://www.tuc.org.uk/afutureforfamilies

Sat 16th March

2-5pm. Anti-Academies Alliance AGM on in central London. More details and leaflets available shortly from AAA website www.antiacademies.org.uk

Tuesday 19 March

7pm. Southwark Defend Council Housing campaign meeting. Venue: St. John's parish office, 18 Larcom Street SE17 1NQ. Details from fairymill@gmail.com

Wednesday 20 March

George Osborne will make his budget speech. Protests planned for central London. Various national campaigns will be supporting. Times and venues will be announced.

Wednesday 20 March

7.30pm. Southwark Save Our Services Organising Meeting – Main items: Building campaigns against the Bedroom Tax, for Benefits Justice, Save our Fire Stations. Room A3 at South Bank Uni London Road Building SE1. (note later start time due to protest events in central London)

ADVANCE NOTICE

Saturday 20 April

Housing Consultation about the future of housing in Southwark: Make your voice heard! One of a series of Southwark Council’s ‘community conversations’. Butterfly Walk, Camberwell SE5. (Time to be announced.)

Mid-May

London wide demonstration to save the NHS. Called initially by the Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign and backed by the 600-strong Defend Whittington Hospital public meeting and the recent London Labour Party conference. Get your trade union or community organisation to back the call!

(To be discussed at the next Defend London’s NHS / London Keep Our NHS Public meeting on 25 February – see above)

Saturday 22 June

9:30am – 5pm. People's Assembly Against Austerity. Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London, SW1H 9NH. Details here .

ON-GOING CAMPAIGNS:

Fire stations closures campaign information at http://www.saveourstations.org.uk/

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting meet at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Details from southwarkdpac@mail.com

Follow us!

http://southwarksaveourservices.blogspot.com/

Twitter @southwarkSOS

Facebook: Southwark SSOS

Lobby against the Council budget cuts

Southwark SOS Organising meeting this Wednesday 20 February (7pm, South Bank Uni London Road Bldg. SE1. Room tbc.)

Hi Everyone

 

Wednesday’s Organising meeting is an important one for us because we have jointly called a lobby of the Council with Southwark TUC against the Council’s cuts budget for 2013-14. Already the local Nurseries Campaign is organising to lobby the meeting. We are in contact with Southwark Group of Tenants Organisations and Southwark UNISON and NUT branches who we hope will be supporting the lobby too, plus local anti-cuts groups, pensioners etc.

 

We have only 10 days to get the message out as widely as possible. Please come on Wednesday and bring your ideas and enthusiasm!

We will also be discussing the Fire Stations campaign, the Health service campaign -  where big meetings and demos recently show a wider scale of opposition to these cuts.

 

Please let me know if you can come on Wednesday.

Hope to see you there

Southwark Action Alert 3rd February 2013

Following the huge demonstration against the threatened cuts at Lewisham Hospital, the campaign to save the NHS is spreading to other areas of London. Southwark SOS is supporting their protests and wants to involve more Southwark people in protecting the NHS from cuts, closures and privatisation. Can you help? Get in touch with us at southwarksos@gmail.com. These and many other campaigns are organising protests in February and March – see below.

EVENTS LIST

Saturday 9 - Saturday 16 February
Week of action for the NHS in London. See below for local events. For more information about other London events look at www.keepournhspublic.com or email LondonKeepOurNHSPublic@gmail.com.

Monday 11 February
10am. Banner/placard making for “Warm-up” Protest (See 13 February, below) at Southwark Pensioners Centre, 307 Camberwell Road, SE5 0HQ. Details of SPAG events here . More details about Warm-up protests from fuelpovertyaction@gmail.com .

Monday 11 February
6pm. Planning meeting to organise a protest in early March called ‘Say NO to Pay Day Loan companies profiting from poverty!’ Venue: the Grayston Centre, 28 Charles Square, N1 6HT. More information from the organisers at wontpayday@gmail.com

Wednesday 13 February
1pm. ‘Warm-up’ Protest at South Bank, SE1. Called by Southwark Pensioners Action Group (SPAG).  See their website here .

Friday 15 February
1pm. Lunchtime rally for Lewisham Hospital workers, workplace delegations and community campaigners to discuss the next steps, at the war memorial opposite Lewisham hospital SE13 6LH. Tell the campaign in advance if your trade union branch or workplace is supporting. E-mail lewishamkonp@gmail.com or telephone 07413225247.

Friday 15 February
5.45pm. Singing Flash Mob – Defend London’s NHS. Organised by KONP and Velvet Fist. Venue: Kings X Station (New Departures foyer). Email londonkeepournhspublic@gmail.com for more details.

Saturday 16 February
'Born in Lewisham event' for people born in, or who gave birth, in Lewisham Hospital SE13 6LH. Further details to be confirmed. More details from http://www.lewishamkonp.org/

Saturday 16 February
Proposed date of London wide day of action for the NHS.
12 noon Kingston Save Our Hospitals Demonstration. Assemble Norbiton Station march to Guildhall.

Saturday 16 February
2pm. Assembly - Stop the Great Fuel Robbery at the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Organised by Fuel Poverty Action at The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), 3 Whitehall Place, SW1A 2AW. See Facebook page here

Wednesday 20 February
7pm.  Southwark Save Our Services Campaign planning meeting to support campaigns against cuts to hospitals, fire stations, council services etc. All welcome. South Bank University, London Road Building, SE1. For room and agenda contact southwarksos@gmail.com

Monday 25 February
6.30pm. Fighting privatisation after the Health and Social Care Act:  Meeting Save London’s NHS /Keep Our NHS Public Meeting. Camden Town Hall, Judd St, WC1, just off Euston Rd and nearly opposite St Pancras Station. More information from www.keepournhspublic.com

Tuesday 26 February
1pm. Lobby the NHS Staff Council meeting to defend NHS Terms and Conditions. Venue: UNISON Building, 130 Euston Road NW1 2AY.

Wednesday 27 February
6pm. Lobby of Southwark Council Assembly Council Tax Meeting. Protest against budget cuts. Proposed venue: 160 Tooley Street SE1 2QH. Details of deputations, lobby etc to be arranged. Supported by local trade unions and anti-cuts groups. Please contact southwarksos@gmail.com if your campaign group will attend.

Thursday 28 February
11am - 3pm Better Public Transport  Conference to assess the current state of public transport and discuss what pensioners can do to ensure concessionary travel remains a key issue in the minds of politicians. Organised by the National Pensioners Convention. Venue: St Pancras Hall, Lancing Street (near Euston Station) NW1 1NA.

Advance notice

Saturday 9 March
Planned protests, performance and occupation of the pay-day loan companies. For more details contact wontpayday@gmail.com

Wed & Thurs 13/14 March
European-wide Days of Action against Cuts and Austerity. Solidarity with strikes and protests across Europe. Further details to be announced.

Wednesday 20 March
George Osborne will make his budget speech. Protests planned for central London. Various national campaigns will be supporting. Times and venues will be announced.

NEW AND ON-GOING CAMPAIGNS:

National Campaign for Benefit Justice. Supported by campaigns, tenants and trade union groups. Initial plans include a protest in February and a Benefit Justice summit and further protests in March. Join the Facebook group: Bedroom Tax...think its unfair...join the fight. Support the Campaign by emailing info@defendcouncilhousing.org.uk

Fire stations closures campaign information at http://www.saveourstations.org.uk/

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting meet at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Details from southwarkdpac@mail.com

SSOS Organising meeting this Wednesday

Dear SSOS anti-cuts campaigners,

I hope you will be able to come to the SSOS Organising meeting this Wednesday. (7pm - 8.30pm in Room L252 at South Bank Uni London Road building SE1.)

We have four invited speakers from local groups to give an outline of the campaigns launched to stop cuts to:

    •    Disability Living Allowance –cuts to benefits entitlement
    •    Southwark Fire station – now definitely named for closure
    •    Nurseries  – redundancies of qualified staff; increasing changes to parents etc.
    •    Pensions –the latest attack on pensions is being unveiled this week

Please make every effort to attend.

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Latest events notified to SSOS (additional to the listing sent to you on 4 January)

 Wednesday 16th January at 12 noon

12noon. Judicial Review of the Work Capability Assessment. A vigil will be held outside the Royal Courts of Justice near to the Upper Tribunal Courts by the Mental Health Resistance Network, supported by DPAC and other mental health and disability campaigning organisations.

Saturday 19th January

12-2pm. Initial organising meeting for a national campaign against Benefit Cuts, at Unite HQ offices, Theobalds Rd Holborn.

Called by Defend Council Housing and Disabled People Against Cuts, with support from PCS and Unite unions and other organisations.

Saturday 19th January

9.30am onwards. Battle Bus touring SE London to publicise the forthcoming demonstration to save health services in south London. News coverage of latest impact here . More details of the Battle Bus tour at http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/   On the day, contact Rita on 07890 637 282 to check times of arrival at different leafleting points.

Tuesday 22nd January

3pm. Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB. Agenda is obtainable from southwarkdpac@mail.com