Wednesday 21 November 2012

Southwark Action Alert 20 November 2012

Protests around the country last week (including one at the Elephant & Castle) showed that there are many people in the UK keen to support and to copy the strike action that swept across much of Europe last Wednesday. Cuts to education, hospitals, benefits, working conditions and housing are being opposed by demonstrations and other local protests. Come along and show your opposition to these cuts!

EVENTS LIST

Wednesday 21 November

11am. National Student demonstration: “Funding Our Future #Demo2012: Educate, Employ, Empower”. Assembling at Temple Place on the Embankment. Called by the NUS. See Facebook event here. Resources and advice on building the demo from the Education Activist Network here . If you are a student in Southwark and want help with leafleting or other publicity, contact southwarksos@gmail.com

Wednesday 21 November

10.30am. “Fuel poverty – how and why we oppose it”. Meeting organised by Southwark Pensioners Action Group. Venue: Southwark Pensioners Centre, 305-307 Camberwell Road, SE5 0HQ . Contact: spagroup2011@gmail.com or visit website at http://spag.btck.co.uk/ (Also see event on 29 November, below.)

Wednesday 21 November

12 noon to 1pm.  Protest in Southwark against welfare cuts and benefits sanctions. Demonstration & leafleting outside A4E, one of the private companies making profits off the backs of the sick and vulnerable.  Assemble outside their offices at 21 St George's Road, SE1 6ES. Local information from southwarkdpac@mail.com and national info at http://www.sdpac.org.uk/

Thursday 22 November

10.45am. Protest against Pickles and his cuts. Eric Pickles, Communities & Local Government Minister, meets Wandsworth Conservative councillors who are closing down Meals on Wheels, School Crossings and Adventure Playgrounds, and cutting home helps, disabled transport and youth clubs. Meet outside Park Court, Battersea Park Road (second block of flats from Queenstown Road end), SW11 4LD. Called by Wandsworth Against Cuts and Battersea & Wandsworth Trades Council. Contact www.wandsworthagainstcuts.co.uk or phone 07818066394

Saturday 24 November

2pm.  Demonstration to save Lewisham Hospital. Assemble corner of Lewisham High Street / Rennell Street (diagonally opposite Lewisham Police Station, SE13 5JZ) to march to Lewisham Hospital. More details and leaflets etc from http://www.lewishamkonp.org/resources and on-line petition at http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/.

Saturday 24 November

3pm-5pm. Public meeting: “The Housing Commission: A bleak future?” Come and discuss how to retain our housing and build a Council house or flat for everyone who needs one. Speakers: Eileen Short National Chair DCH, Julian Jackson Southwark DCH, Sally Causer Southwark Legal Advice Network. Venue: St Paul's Church Hall, Lorrimore Square, off Carter Street, Walworth Road, SE17. For more details contact: fairymill@gmail.com

Tuesday 27 November

1pm-2.30pm. Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB.  Please RSVP to Southwarkdpac@mail.com  Please invite others you think would be interested.

Thursday 29 November

11am in central London.* Fight the Cold Homes Killers: An action to fight government and Big Six complicity in fuel poverty deaths. Organised by Fuel Poverty Action, the Greater London Pensioners’ Association and Disabled People Against Cuts. *Location to be decided by you in a poll of the worst fuel poverty killers. Vote for the “Cold Homes Killer” you want to target here, or email fuelpovertyaction@gmail.com .

Friday 30 November

Various times.* Protests against plans to rip up working conditions in the civil service and related organisations. Tens of thousands of PCS members are being urged to take Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude at his word by staging 15-minute protests. Department for Transport (DfT) workers will strike.  *Details are here.

Saturday 1 December

10am-3pm. Organising against Gove's Curriculum and fighting for school places: London Primary Schools Conference. Venue: Reay School, Hackford Road, SW9 0EN (near Oval Tube). Organised by Lambeth National Union of Teachers. Details of speakers, workshops and on-line booking here.

ADVANCE NOTICE

Wednesday 5 December

5.30pm. Demonstration when George Osborne unveils the Government’s Autumn Budget Statement. Called by UCU London Region: Assemble Kings College on the Strand.  6.30pm onwards. Rally at Downing Street organised by Unite the Resistance.

Wednesday 5 December

7 pm. Southwark Save Our Services Campaign open meeting. South Bank University, London Road Building, SE1. For room and agenda contact southwarksos@gmail.com

Saturday 8 December

11.30am for 12 noon. Transform the tax dodger Starbucks into services women depend on, such as refuges and crèches. Starbucks store at 2-3 Conduit Street, W1S 2BX, just off Regent Street (nearest tubes Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus). If you’ve got any questions email ukuncut@gmail.com  Called by UKUncut or find more information at http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/actions/948

Tuesday 11 December

8.30am. Lobby of the TUC General Council meeting to call for the naming of a date for a 24-hour general strike.  Assemble at Congress House, Great Russell Street, WC1B 3LS. Called by Unite the Resistance and The National Shop Stewards Network.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Europe Against Austerity

Support the European day of action
Wednesday 14 November
On 14 November the European Trades Union Confederation has called a day of action against austerity across Europe. There will be general strikes in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Cyprus, and Malta and solidarity action in Belgium, France, Germany and Britain.

Daytime    PHOTO-SOLIDARITY EVENT
Southern Europe strikes…
          …South London shouts:
“¡Αλληλεγγύη!   ¡Solidarity!
¡Solidaridad! ¡Solidariedade!
¡Solidarjetà! ¡Solidarietà!”

Send a photo and message, showing your support for the general strikes across southern Europe on Wednesday plus further strikes in Italy, Belgium and France, and protests in Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Britain!
Join students, university workers, firefighters, disabled anti-cuts campaigners, southern European activists and others for Photo-Solidarity.
*11am -1.30pm * Come for 5…or 50 minutes*
•    Keyworth Street SE1 6NG
(behind South Bank Uni London Rd Building,  Elephant & Castle)
•    Bring banners, flags, placards, whistles, cameras – or just yourself
•    The “debt crisis” debt is not ours. We owe nothing - we should pay nothing
•    Together in our millions, we will not be beaten by austerity
Called by: South London: All out for the Oct20th TUC Demo (http://tinyurl.com/14nov2012) & Southwark Save Our Services campaign (http://southwarksaveourservices.blogspot.com/)  

Evening    protest  
Assemble: 5pm-5:30pm, European Commission, 32 Smith Square, City of Westminster, SW1P 3EU MAP. Tubes: St. James's Park / Westminster. Speakers at the protest include: Mark Serwotka (PCS), Katy Clark MP, then short march past parliament to rally.
Rally:
Starts: 6:30pm, Upper Hall, Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street Greater London SW1P 3DW MAP. Speakers include: Tony Benn, Andrew Murray (Unite the Union), Zita Holbourne (PCS and BARAC), John McDonnell MP. Plus activists and trade unionists live-streamed from Europe and footage from the strikes and protests. Please share and invite your friends on facebook.

Supported by Unite the Union, the TUC, PCS, NUJ, P.I.I.G.S United in London, Syriza London, Greece Solidarity Campaign. Called by Coalition of Resistance.

Thursday 1 November 2012

Local action against health, fire and welfare benefits cuts

Southwark Action Alert                                          30 October 2012

More than 150,000 people marched against cuts and austerity on October 20th and 2,000 of those had joined via the assembly and feeder march in South London. It was a huge show of strength but local protests over cuts to health welfare benefits and the fire service are still going on and we ask you to support these as well. (See the listing below.)

EVENTS LIST

Monday 5 November

6pm-7pm, prior to Southwark Borough’s firework display. Petitioning in opposition to threatened closure of Southwark and Peckham fire stations. Venue: Southwark Park entrances. Volunteers needed to help: write urgently to southwarksos@gmail.com

Tuesday 6 November

1pm-2.30pm. Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB.  Please RSVP to Southwarkdpac@mail.com   Please invite others you think would be interested.

Wednesday 7 November

11am Fire-fighters mass meeting and lobby of Parliament against 25% cuts over next four years. Assemble Westminster Hall SE1, opposite the Houses of Parliament. Details here.

Wednesday 7 November

12 noon- 1pm.  Protest in Peckham against welfare cuts and benefits sanctions. Demonstration & leafleting outside Maximus, one of the private companies making profits off the backs of the sick and vulnerable.  Assemble outside their offices at 218 Rye Lane SE15 4NL.

Wednesday 7 November

7 pm. Uniting the Resistance: The way forward after the Oct20 TUC demonstration. Open meeting. Vida Walsh Centre, Saltoun Road SW2 (off Windrush Square). Details from southlondonutr@gmail.com

Thursday 8 November

10-1pm.  Tackling Youth Unemployment in Southwark – Stop Blaming Young People. Round-table discussion about the impact of welfare cuts and how young people should be supported. Beormund Community Centre, 177 Abbey Street SE1 2AN. Organised by Southwark Legal Advice Network. For more information, contact http://www.southwarkadvice.org.uk/

Thursday 8 November

6 pm -8pm. Public meeting: Save Lewisham Hospital's A&E, maternity and surgical units threatened with closure. Venue: Lessoff Auditorium, Lewisham Hospital, Lewisham High Street, SE13 6LH. Speakers: Heidi Alexander MP, Dr Louise Irvine (Lewisham GP, BMA, and Keep our NHS Public), Eileen Smith (Save Our Local Hospitals, Greenwich), Mike Davey (Lewisham Unison), Steve Bullock (Mayor, unconfirmed). More details from http://www.savelewishamhospital.com/

Friday 9 November

Time tba. Lobby of health unions meeting to consider deal that could see important terms and conditions abandoned affecting NHS staff and privatised staff on matching conditions. Assemble outside the Ambassador Hotel, 12 Upper Woburn Place, Bloomsbury WC1H 0HX (near Euston Station). Called by Healthworkers Network . Email healthworkersnetwork@gmail.com

Tuesday 13 November

1pm-2.30pm. Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts meeting at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB.  Please RSVP to Southwarkdpac@mail.com  Please invite others you think would be interested.

Wednesday 14 November

12 noon- 1pm.  Protest in Southwark against welfare cuts and benefits sanctions. Demonstration & leafleting outside SEETEC, one of the private companies making profits off the backs of the sick and vulnerable.  Assemble outside their offices at: The foundry 156 Blackfriars Rd SE1 8EN.

Wednesday 14 November

5pm. Twilight protest to coincide with general strikes in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Malta, called by European TUC. Venue: Outside the European Commission Offices, 32 Smith Square, City of Westminster, SW1P 3EU. Tubes: St. James's Park / Westminster. Called by the Coalition of Resistance, supported by UNITE and Greece Solidarity Campaign.

Thursday 15 November

7.30pm. ‘Save Our Fire Stations’ public meeting. Peckham and Southwark both earmarked for closure. Speakers from London Fire Brigade Union and Dave Lewis, Secretary of local tenants association where a fire in 2009 killed 6 people. Venue: Welton Hall, Bushey Hill Road, Camberwell, SE5 8QF. Called by Southwark Socialists. Supported by Southwark Save Our Services campaign. For more information phone 07812 063 409. Petition to take round your neighbours available from southwarksoso@gmail.com

Thursday 15 November

 7 – 9pm. Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public Campaign monthly meeting. At Duke of Cambridge, 74, Lansdowne Way, Stockwell, SW8 2DR. Details from: lambethkonp@gmail.com

Saturday 17 November

11am - 5pm. ‘Unite the Resistance’ National conference, including workshops on The international struggle against austerity, Solidarity and the law, The campaign for equality, In defence of the public sector, Our vision in education, Organising unemployed people, Migrant workers and young people. Full list of speakers and tickets here. Venue: The Emmanuel Centre, 9 – 23 Marsham Street, London SW1P 3DW (nearest tubes Victoria, Westminster, St James’s Park, Pimlico). Registration: from 10am.

Wednesday 21 November

11am. National Student demonstration: “Funding Our Future #Demo2012: Educate, Employ, Empower”. Assembling at Temple Place on the Embankment. Called by the NUS. See Facebook event here. Resources and advice on building the demo from the Education Activist Network here . If you are a student in Southwark and want help with leafleting or other publicity, contact southwarksos@gmail.com

Wednesday 21 November

12 noon to 1pm.  Protest in Southwark against welfare cuts and benefits sanctions. Demonstration & leafleting outside A4E, one of the private companies making profits off the backs of the sick and vulnerable.  Assemble outside their offices at: 21 St George's Road, SE1 6ES.

Saturday 24 November

2pm.  Demonstration to save Lewisham Hospital. Assemble corner of Lewisham High Street / Rennell Street (diagonally opposite Lewisham Police Station) to march to Lewisham Hospital. More details and leaflets etc from http://www.lewishamkonp.org/resources

Saturday 24 November

3pm-5pm. Public meeting: ‘The Housing Commission: A bleak future?’ Come and discuss action to get what we want. Speakers: Eileen Short National Chair DCH, Julian Jackson Southwark DCH, Sally Causer Southwark Legal Advice Network. More details and contact: fairymill@gmail.com

Advance notice

Wednesday 5 December

12noon & 6pm. Protest in central London against Cuts announced by George Osborne in the Government’s Autumn Budget Statement. More details to be announced.

Wednesday 5 December

7 pm. Southwark Save Our Services Campaign open meeting. South Bank University SE1. For room and agenda contact southwarksos@gmail.com