Monday 24 October 2011

Things are moving quite fast at the moment, with several important and positive developments in the fight against cuts:

Southwark students Linking-up in preparation for National demonstration on 9th Nov.
As some of you will know from emails in circulation, we have been in contact with various individuals to encourage link-ups between Southwark College and SSOS. Through the Camberwell  Job Centre Campaign, SSOS has also made contact with several Camberwell Arts students. Goldsmiths students have said they are willing to visit Southwark education sites to make direct links with students here. All this is very positive!
Please, those of who you are in Higher or Further Education or know people who are, can you send an email to southwarksos@gmail.com so we can link you up with others. Goldsmiths students are holding meetings on both Wednesday and Thursday this week to help coordinate all this. (We can give you further details if you contact us.)
Please help leafleting this Friday afternoon
Members of UNISON & UNITE trade unions would like your help to leaflet (at Denmark Hill Station) the thousands of staff at King’s College Hospital, starting at 4.30 pm until about 6 on Friday evening.
Occupy LSX:
There is a new, 2nd  site at Finsbury Square. There’s a Guardian report here . The ‘all-London boroughs Anti cuts alliances’ have circulated a request for assistance which arose from the tri-borough meeting (see attachment). If you can help in any way (by visiting, by providing or helping to transport provisions/equipment) either contact me or Leslie Faizi (0777-6000-861). Thanks. (also see  Thursday afternoon’s trade union solidarity event in ‘Updates’ below.)
Construction Electricians against 35% wage cuts
You may be aware of this already, although relatively little has got into the mass media (wonder why??), but it is a growing movement and they are looking for mass pickets of building sites in Central London (and elsewhere). More details below. Please try to support if you can.

Camberwell Job Centre protest
Last Thursday’s protest on Camberwell Green was very successful. Hopefully you will soon be able to see a report on our Facebook and Blogspot sites.


NEW EVENTS -  updates:
This Wednesday, 26th October
6.45  am. Construction Electricians Protest against 35% wage cuts (all support welcome!) at Balfour Beatty Blackfriars Station construction project (north side of the bridge) and marching to Canon Street for 7.30. There’s more info and updates here .
6 pm. Lobby Of Greenwich Council meeting to protest about cuts, including the threatened closure of Blackheath Bluecoat School (Quite a few Southwark residents send their children to the school).  Facebook page here and more details of the demonstration here . If you are intending to go, please get in touch with me asap so I can get the banner to you (with or without the poles!).
Thursday 27th October
5 pm – 6.45 pm. Trade Union solidarity event for London SX Occupation. Come down after work! Get updates and exact location here .

Tuesday 18 October 2011

Opposition to Tory cuts is mounting fast…


The sheer number of demonstrations and protest meetings coming up shows that opposition to government cuts is escalating.  
 
Come and support action in Camberwell on Thursday and at Kings College Hospital next Monday (details below).
Will your trade union branch, campaign group, or tenants association be meeting in the next few weeks? Please invite a Southwark SOS speaker to talk about building support for 30th November, when 2-3 million people will be on strike against cuts to public sector pensions. Contact us here to arrange this.
If you can help us with leafleting - as many of you did leading up to the TUC demonstration on 26th March – please email us .

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

Monday – Thursday, 17th- 20th October
12.30- 1.30 pm. Daily lunchtime leafleting to advertise the assembly/demonstration (20th Oct) on Camberwell Green against the closure of Camberwell JobCentre Plus. If you can help, contact the organiser or just turn up.

Monday 17 October
7pm. Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public meeting at Priory Arms, 83 Lansdowne Way, Stockwell SW8 2BP. (5 minutes from Stockwell tube).  Briefing notes for the next stage of the campaign against the H&SC Bill here .

Wednesday 19th October
1 pm. Action against companies benefiting from workfare. Outside Welfare to Work Conference, Business Design Centre, Upper St N1 0HQ. Details here . Organised by Boycott Workfare campaign.

Thursday 20th October
5.30 – 7 pm. Rally and demonstration against closure of Camberwell JobCentre, Camberwell Green. Details on Facebook event here


Saturday 22nd October
11 am- 1 pm. Fight the Cuts to Disability Benefits rally. GLA Building (City Hall), Queen’s Walk SE1 2AA. Map here .Organised by Hardest Hit – event details here .


Sunday 23rd October
11 am - 5pm. ‘Defend Welfare’ Gathering. Somers Town Community Centre, 150 Ossulston Street, London, NW1 1EE (5 minutes’ walk from Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross stations). Workshops on the Boycott Workfare campaign, Stopping Atos & the work capability assessment, Cuts to Housing and Human Rights, Data and Privacy. Wheelchair accessible. Facebook link here .

Monday 24th October
7.30am onwards. Leafleting Kings Hospital as the UNITE pensions strike ballot begins. 10.30 Battle Bus arrives at Education Centre, Cutcombe Road SE5 9RX. (If you can help, phone Frank Wood on 07798 531 734.)

Monday 24th October
7pm, Southwark Defend Council Housing meeting. Parish Office, St John the Evangelist church, Larcom Street, off Walworth Road, SE17 1RY.

Monday, 24th October
7.30 pm. ‘Campaign Against Riot Evictions’ Public Meeting. At Garden Court Chambers, 57-60 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LJ. Organised by Hackney Community Law Centre & Unite Housing Workers Branch 1/1111. More information  here and leaflet here .

Tuesday 25th October
8.30 – 10 am. Demonstration to support legal challenge against pension change from RPI to CPI. Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2. Called by PCS and National Pensioners Convention.

11.30 till 4pm. Lobby of Parliament against the cuts to youth service nationally. Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, Details here . Organised by Choose Youth campaign and supported by Unite the Union.

7pm. London Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) public meeting. Venue: Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, WC1H 9JE. More information here. Briefing notes for the next stage of the campaign against the H&SC Bill here .


Wednesday 26th October
12 noon onwards. ‘March on the Treasury’ (before Lobby of Parliament). Assemble Victoria Tower Gardens, London SW1P. Organised by teachers and lecturers unions. Background info here .

1-3pm. National Pensioners Convention rally and lobby of MPs about our pensions. Committee Room 14, House of Commons

6 pm. Greenwich evictions protest at Greenwich Town Hall, SE18. Background info here .

Saturday 29th October
11 am - 5pm.  ‘The New College of Resistance’ Conference/Teach-in. Kings College, University of London. Organised by Education Activist Network (EAN). Conference aims and speakers here Timetable here .  Facebook page here .



Advance notice (Further details to be announced):

Wednesday 2nd November: 7 pm. Organising meeting of Southwark Save Our Services Campaign held at London Southbank University, London Road Building. Individuals or representatives of local campaigns always welcome. Email southwarksos@gmail.com or phone 07939 090 667.  

Saturday 5th November: 12 noon National demonstration as the Jarrow March for Jobs arrives in London Assemble at Temple Embankment, marching to Trafalgar Square. Details are here. Organised by Youth Fight for Jobs (YFJ) campaign.

Wednesday 9th November: National Student demonstration. March from central London to The City. Called by NCAFC. Officially backed by NUS. Initial publicity here and here . Facebook page here .

Wednesday 9th November:  7 pm. Southwark Trades Union Council public meeting on Pensions. Walworth Methodist Hall. Details to follow.

Thursday 10th November: ‘Colleges Inc!’ - film & discussion at Southbank University for all students, staff and others about the campaign against privatisation, cuts and pensions reform. Details to follow.

Saturday 12th November: 10 am – 4 pm. South East Region TUC ‘Fighting for Public Services and Pensions Justice For All’ Mobilising Conference at Congress House, Great Russell Street WC1B 3LS. Details here .

Saturday 12th November : 1.30 pm.  ‘Give Our Youth a Future’ demonstration. Assemble Windrush Square, Brixton. March to Max Roach Park.  Save Youth Services, Save Children’s Services, Save Our Schools, Save Free Education. Called by Lambeth Save Our Services campaign. Download a leaflet here .

Saturday 19th November: ‘Unite the Resistance’ Convention, to build support for the November 30th strikes. 10am - 5pm, Royal Horticultural Halls & Conference Centre, Vincent Square SW1P 2PE. For trade union activists, anti-cuts campaigners, young people, students and pensioners. Details and bookings here and Facebook page here .

19th November: 12 noon. March in Defence of Women's Rights! The government’s approach to cutting the deficit risks turning back time on women's equality’. Assemble: Temple Tube, Westminster. Called by the Fawcett Society. Details of the event are here.

Wednesday 30th November: Public sector united strike over pensions. Picket lines across Southwark, and nationally. Strikers and their supporters are assembling near Elephant & Castle before the Central London demonstration (details to follow).


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Sunday 9 October 2011

Bailout Boris (and all South London Conservatives) Bash!

Please join us for the Bailout Boris (and all South London conservatives) Bash! Our response to the Lambeth and Southwark Conservative Association fundraising drinks do at Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton.

Lambeth & Southwark Save Our Services and others would like to celebrate the men and women who brought us the Big Society, and since we cannot afford tickets to all be in it (City Hall) together, we are holding our own fundraiser on its steps. We will be collecting donations for the conservative's favourite causes: banks, reduced taxes for the rich, arms-dealing, but do feel free to bring a collection bucket labelled with your own personal favourite! If you do not have any cash, we know they will also happily accept symbolic representations of your job, your shrinking pension and what they have not already stripped of your services, such as adventure playgrounds, libraries, day centres for the elderly and the NHS.

We would ask that formal dress be worn; bring your champagne flutes and martini glasses in the hope someone will provide some drink, and join us in trying to ensure that everyone may eat cake. Leftovers will donated to the Peckham or Norwood Foodbanks, two of 70 UK locations now open for people who finds themselves in crisis and unable to afford to buy food. (http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-projects).

When: 6:30 pm, Monday, October 10th
Where: The front steps of Lambeth Town Hall
Why: Bit cheeky of the conservatives to fundraise in Brixton, don't you think?

Friday 7 October 2011

An Unemployed Workers Centre for Southwark

Southwark Trades Council is setting up a steering group which will form the core of a new unemployed workers group for the borough. The group will have these main aims:
1) To engage with unemployed people locally, find out what their needs and concerns are, and encourage them to get involved in a campaigning group to tackle the issues raised
2) To use the information and people gathered as the basis for a submission to the Local Authority and other grant-giving bodies for a premises and other resources to support unemployed people with their problems and campaigns
3) To seek office space/facilities to serve as interim meeting place for the group, from which basic activities (e.g. giving impartial benefits advice) and campaigns can begin.
The group would form the basis of a TUC-sponsored Unemployed Workers Centre. The TUC sponsored many such centres in London in the 1980s and there are still many such centres thriving in the North. Local authorities and GLC funding dried up for the London-based centres a long time ago. The TUC now recognises that in the current economic climate it has a renewed responsibility towards unemployed people everywhere and is urging local trades councils to take the lead in this matter.
That is why we are now appealing for volunteers to work on the steering group, whether you are employed or unemployed, to do however much or little you can to help.
If you are interested then please contact Nick Phillips, Vice-chair, at np@southwarkunison.co.uk

Wednesday 5 October 2011

35,000 Protested at Tory Party Conference, Manchester

Southwark campaigners joined 35,000  protesters in Manchester at the weekend and heard calls for action from many trade union leaders and anti-cuts activists.  Our listing below has events on health, education, pensions, and the closure of the Job Centre. There will be plenty of discussion about cuts at the Southwark meetings on Wednesday & Thursday this week, so come along!

The 38 degrees campaigners are asking you to make sure your organisation or group are bombarding lords with letters and emails asking them to vote against the Health & Social Care bill. They have a campaign plan here with suggestions of what you can do. Other updates, and campaign activities organised by Keep Our NHS Public here, as well as in the listing below.

EVENTS
  
Thursday 6th October
5 -8 pm. Community Meeting to Discuss the Recent Disturbances. Rye Lane Chapel (next to Primark) 59A Rye Lane, SE15 5EX. Everyone welcome. Chaired by Margaret Greer - London Region Black Members Committee, Unison, Speakers: April Ashley, Southwark Unison, and from Southwark Save Our Services. More details from 
here or phone 020 7525 6030.

Thursday 6th October
6.30pm. ‘Education Against Austerity ‘ –  speakers from various campaigns, and discussion about the way forward for campaigns in further & higher education. Venue: The Quad, LSE Houghton ST, WC2A 2AE. Organised by Education Activist Network (EAN). Details of meeting here.

Friday 7th October 
8PM until midnight. The 7th annual 'celebration of creative lunacy'
Fundraiser for the campaign against welfare benefits cuts. At the Montague Arms, 289 Queens Rd, New Cross, London SE15. Admission £5 / £2 concessions. The artists featured will include the legendary Edgar Broughton.

Sunday 9th October
1pm. ‘Block the Bridge to Block the Bill!’ Support UK Uncut to occupy Westminster Bridge in an 11th hour action to try and stop the Health & Social Care Bill. Nearly 1000 people (student nurses, pensioners, and those from KONP groups) have signed up to attend on Facebook in less than two days. More information here .

Monday 10th October
10 am - 6pm. A 'picket' of the Royal College of Nursing HQ (20 Cavendish Square, London W1G ORN - 5 mins walk from Oxford St tube, and just behind John Lewis store) . Supported by London KONP. The idea is to try to shame the RCN into protesting much more vigorously against the Lansley Bill and get some publicity the day before the Bill goes to the Lords and to hand out leaflets. Come for any period of time, short or long!

Tuesday 11th October
5.45pm – 7 pm. Action on day of House of Lords 2nd Reading  of the Health Bill.Public invited to meeting in the House of CommonsOrganised by the NHS Support Federation. Full details of speakers and application to attend are here. (Booking essential to gain place.)

Wednesday 12th  October (until Saturday)
12.30- 1.30 pm daily (Saturday 1 – 3pm). Leafleting to advertise the assembly/demonstration on Camberwell Green (20th Oct) against the closure of Camberwell JobCentre Plus. If you can help, contact the organiser or just turn up.

Advance notice (Further details to be announced):

Monday 17th October(until Thursday): Lunchtime leafleting to advertise the assembly/demonstration on Camberwell Green against the closure of Camberwell JobCentre Plus. (See above.)

Thursday 20th October: 5.30 – 7 pm. Rally and demonstration against closure of Camberwell JobCentre, Camberwell Green. (Speakers and background here.)

Monday 24th October: Leafleting Kings Hospital as the UNITE pensions strike ballot begins. (Further details of times and other locations to follow.)

Tuesday 25th October : 7pmNext London meeting of London Keep Our NHS Public (KONP). Venue to be confirmed. More information here.

Wednesday 26th October: Teachers & Lecturers ‘March on the Treasury’ (before Lobby of Parliament). Organised by several teachers unions. Details of protests arehere.

Saturday, October 29: 10am - 5pm – ‘The New College of Resistance’ Conference. Organised by Education Activist Network (EAN). Further details here.

Saturday 5th  NovemberThe Jarrow March for Jobs arrives in London. National demonstration - assembling at Temple Embankment, 12 noon, marching to Trafalgar Square. Details are here.

Wednesday 9th November: National Student demonstration. Called by NUS. Initial publicity here.  Also, Southwark Trades Union Council public meeting on Pensions (evening).  Details to follow.

Thursday 10th  November: ‘Colleges Inc!’ - film & discussion at Southbank University for all students, staff and others about the campaign against privatisation, cuts and pensions reform. Details to follow.

Saturday 19th November: ‘Unite the Resistance’ Conference, 10am - 5pm, Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London NW1. Details here.

Wednesday 30th November: Public sector united strike over pensions.