Monday 6 May 2013

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.