Monday 15 June 2015

Southwark Action Alert 11th June 2015

While Southwark campaigners continue to organise to stop the destruction of council homes and huge cuts to further education in the borough (see below), thousands of south Londoners will be going to the national demonstration against austerity in a week’s time. Please help us leafleting at local shopping centres, rail/tube stations, colleges and workplaces. Reply to this email if you want leaflets or come to one of the sessions listed below. Full details below. 

Please note we have a new Facebook link: Southwark SOS
***Please put in your diary this month’s events, shown below***
Please tweet this listing, link to our website or post on your own Facebook page. Thank you.

EVENTS LIST

Friday 12 June
5.30pm – 6.30pm. Leafleting for the People’s Assembly demonstration. Meet at Elephant & Castle Northern Line Tube exit. Contact John on 07519811657 if you can come.

Friday 12 June
6pm-7pm. Aylesbury Estate petitioning against demolition and in favour of refurbishment. If you can help going door to door to seek signatures, contact southwarkdch@gmail.com or phone 07792 786 192. Website: www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch. Facebook page: click here.

Friday 12 June
6.30 pm. Defend Lewisham Southwark College campaign meeting in Room RHB138, Goldsmiths University. 312 jobs are at risk. The Camberwell site is threatened with complete closure. This will devastate South East London by almost demolishing FE in two boroughs where it is a crucial second chance for many people. Come along, or contact savelscollege@gmail.com for more info or to join the mailing list. Campaign Facebook page here.

Saturday 13 June
11am-4.30pm. Defend Council Housing Tenants and Housing Summit
The summit will bring together housing campaigners to share experiences. How do we build resistance after the after the brilliant campaigns at Focus E15, New Era, Fred Wigg, Aylesbury and Cressingham and Sweets Way, and the March for Homes. Venue: Bloomsbury Baptist Church Hall, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8EP. Near Tottenham Court Road & Holborn underground. See www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk or contact info@defendcouncilhousing.org.uk

Sunday 14 June
11am – 4pm. Leafleting for People's Assembly demo on 20th June at Portugal Day Festival on Streatham Common. 70,000 people are expected. Meet at SE Region TUC tent.

Sunday 14 June
1pm. Mega-stall for 20 June demo - leafleting and other publicity. Outside the Whitgift Centre, Croydon Town Centre, a few minutes’ walk from both East Croydon and West Croydon stations. Also buses 109 or 250 from Brixton. Facebook event here. Or phone 07957 780 532.

Monday-Friday 15-19 June
Leafleting for People's Assembly demonstration. Times and locations are still being finalised. Email southwarksos@gmail.com or ring 07939090667 to get details.

Saturday 20 June
12noon. National Demonstration and festival: END AUSTERITY NOW - the message to the new Tory government. More than 70,000 people have already said via Facebook they will be coming.

Assembly time & place: 12pm, Bank of England (Queen Victoria St) City of London. Nearest tube: Bank.

Southwark meeting point: 12noon outside Metropolitan Tabernacle opp. Elephant & Castle Rail Station. (Contact Tanya on the day on 07792 786 192)

See march route here to Parliament Square.

Called by the People’s Assembly. Weblink here. Share & invite your friends on Facebook.

Tuesday 23 June (date to be confirmed)
All day. Strike against education cuts and redundancies at Lewisham Southwark College. 312 jobs are at risk. The Camberwell site is threatened with complete closure. This will devastate South East London by almost demolishing FE in two boroughs where it is a crucial second chance for many people. Contact savelscollege@gmail.com for more info. or to send messages of support.

Tuesday 30 June
7pm Southwark Defend Council Housing meeting at the Alvey Estate Tenants Hall, ground floor of Thomson House, Beckway Street, off East Street, SE17 1TS. Beckway Street is close to the end of East Street at its junction with the Old Kent Road. Map here. Agenda includes the campaign against the demolition of the Aylesbury, the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area (Council Estates will be in it), Southwark Plan, lobby of the Council Assembly 8 July.
More information from southwarkdch@gmail.com


ADVANCE NOTICE

Thursday 2 July
6.30pm. ‘Fight the anti-union laws’ forum with speakers include Mark Serwotka PCS gen sec, Michelle Stanistreet Gen Sec NUJ, Candy Udwin sacked PCS National Gallery rep, John McDonnell MP, Chris Stephens MP (SNP) and Ian Hodson National President BFAWU. Plus other strikers. Venue: Student Central (previously ULU) Malet Street, London WC1E 7AY. Organised by London Unite the Resistance. Facebook page here.

Saturday 4 July
11am – 4.30pm. ‘Stop the union-busters’ conference, in Conway Hall in London. Confirmed speakers include Mark Serwotka PCS General Secretary, Ronnie Draper BFAWU General Secretary, Matt Wrack FBU General Secretary & Dave Smith anti-blacklisting campaigner. Organised by the National Shop Stewards Network. Leaflet with more details here.

Wednesday 8 July
6pm. Lobby Southwark Council – stop destroying council homes - Refurbishment not demolition for the Aylesbury! Venue: notified by the council in early July at http://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/
Download copy of leaflet at the Southwark DCH Facebook page here.

OTHER LOCAL CAMPAIGNS not listed above:

Campaign to Save the Aylesbury. Campaigners are supporting local tenants to oppose the demolition of council housing in Southwark. Replacing social housing with private dwellings is denying thousands of people decent, affordable housing.  A petition demanding that the Council respects the result of their ballot in 2001, or gives them another vote to decide what happens to their homes is being circulated. If you can help going door to door to seek signatures, contact southwarkdch@gmail.com or phone 07792 786 192. Website: www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk/dch. Facebook page: click here.

Keep Our NHS Public meet monthly in the upstairs room at the Phoenix pub, 348 Clapham Road, SW9 9AR (between Clapham North and Stockwell tube stations). There is no Southwark KONP group so Southwark activists please make contact with this Lambeth group to find out about local activity. The group have a new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LambethKONP .

London Play and Youth Work Campaign is supported by Unite the Union. If you're a playworker, a child, a mum, a dad, a cousin, a youth worker, or you’re just concerned about cuts to youth services, please join. The campaign’s Facebook page is here. Contact  londonplaycampaign@gmail.com

London Unemployed Strategies (LUS) - a campaign to give a voice to unemployed people. For more information and to get involved, contact Nick on: 020 7467 1283 or 07530 001653, or email nickplus007@gmail.com. Facebook page here.

SolidariTEA, a weekly drop-in between 2pm and 4pm for those affected by work capability, benefits & housing problems etc. Mutual support & planning direct action, at 97 Dawes House, Orb St, Walworth, London, SE17 1RD. For information, email to solidariteasouthwark@gmail.com or phone 07966180429 on Mondays pm. See the Facebook page here.

South London People’s Assembly meet monthly at Bread & Roses pub, 68 Clapham Manor St, London SW4 6DZ. More information from secretary@southlondonpa.org

South London Unite the Resistance. For news updates and action alerts on trade union and anti-austerity events in south London, join the email list by writing to southlondonunitetheresistance@gmail.com or phone 07956579466.

Southwark Trades Council meet on the second Wednesday each month at 160 Tooley Street. The Trades Council or local TUC group is a forum for local unions to meet and organise together. ALL Southwark trade union members are welcome. Contact 07983475050 or southwarktuc@gmail.com for more information.

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts can be contacted at Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close, SE17 2QB or by emailing southwarkdpac@mail.com