Help us publicise the TUC demonstration on October 20

With the impact of austerity measures being felt across Britain as well as across Europe, the TUC demonstration ‘For a Future that Works’ on Saturday 20 October will be a hugely important event that we hope you will want to support.

All of us in Southwark who were involved in the build-up to the last TUC demonstration on 26 March last year will recall that the half-million who took to the streets on that day were mobilised by weeks of concerted activity in every locality across Britain, including here in South London. We collaborated with other boroughs to help build a feeder march on the day numbering some thousands, marching to the main demonstration. The following months then saw an escalation of strikes against the Government’s attack on pensions which, many would argue, were launched because of the enthusiasm and confidence generated by the 26 March demonstration.

We need your help urgently to mobilise hundreds of thousands of people who will want to attend the demonstration but don’t yet know about it!

This Saturday 22 September and throughout October until the demonstration we are organising mass-leafleting across Southwark publicising the TUC demonstration. Join other volunteers leafleting your nearest shopping centre or rail station, or we can supply you with bundles of leaflets for your own street/housing estate. Contact southwarksos@gmail.com  or ring 07939 090 667.

Monday 24 September

6-8pm, 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. One of the items on the agenda will be organising transport for disabled people to attend the TUC demonstration.

Wednesday 10 October

7 pm. All-Southwark Rally Against the Cuts: For A Future that Works! Speakers include John McDonnell MP, a speakers from Greece, local trade unionists and anti-cuts campaigners. Salvation Army Hall, Princess Street SE1 (Elephant & Castle.)  Called by Southwark TUC.

Saturday 20 October

'For A Future That Works' - mass TUC demonstration in London. From 10.30am. Local assembly point at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (outside the Imperial War Museum). More details about the demonstration from the TUC at http://afuturethatworks.org/march-logistics/ and here. Get TUC flyers downloaded here and contact southwarksos@gmail.com for bulk supplies of the local leaflet (attached) advertising the local assembly point at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park (outside the Imperial War Museum).

Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts invite you to an open meeting

Are you sick of:

• Work Capability Assessments?
• Benefit cuts?
• Services slashed?
• Care cuts?
• Disability hate crime on the increase?
• Housing benefit hammered?
• Council tax benefit shrunk?
• DLA for the chop?
• Fear?
• Despair?
• ATOS?

 DISABLED PEOPLE and their supporters ARE FIGHTING BACK

 Southwark Disabled People Against Cuts invite you to an open meeting to work out a plan of action to defend:

• ourselves
• our benefits
• our services.

 Tuesday 11 September    2-4pm

 Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close  SE17 2QB        

RSVP Southwarkdpac@mail.com  and ask to be put on the email list

An ‘autumn of discontent’!

Action Alert                                            26 August 2012

This month sees the mobilisation for a demonstration on 20 October against the Government’s cuts and austerity, timed to coincide with George Osborne’s spending review designed to cut public spending by £83bn. Organisers want to get a million people on the streets of London on that day, alongside the national strikes over spending cuts, pay and pensions that are being organised. There are details below of local planning meetings, rallies and mass-leafleting. Come along!

EVENTS LIST

Wednesday 5 September

6 pm. Mobilisation Meeting for the TUC’s Oct 20 demonstration ‘For a Future that Works ‘. Help us to organise the publicity for the demonstration across Lambeth & Southwark. Open to representatives and activists from trade unions, community and campaign organisations in South London. Venue: the Vida Walsh Centre, 2b Saltoun Road SW2 1EP (two minutes’ walk from the Town Hall and Ritzy Cinema). Disabled access.  Called by various anti-cuts groups, trade union and community organisations in Lambeth/Southwark. For more details contact southwarksos@gmail.com .

Sunday 9 September

1pm. Lobby of TUC conference in Brighton: 'Strike against Austerity!' Called by the National Shop Stewards Network. Train tickets available at £5 return. Phone 07977 132 391. Meet at London Bridge Station near M&S. More details here .

Tuesday 11 September

2-4pm. Meeting of the newly-formed Southwark group of Disabled People Against the Cuts. Open meeting to plan action to defend ourselves, our benefits and our services. Venue: Southwark Independent Living Centre, 10 Bradenham Close  SE17 2QB. Email to Southwarkdpac@mail.com for more details.

Saturday 15 September

All Day. Mass-leafleting across Southwark, and at the Lambeth Country Show, publicising the TUC demonstration on 20 October (see below). Contact southwarksos@gmail.com  to join other volunteers leafleting your nearest shopping centre, or we can supply you with bundles of leaflets for your own street/housing estate!

Saturday 22 September

Protest at Lib-Dem conference in Brighton. Organised by Stop the Cuts, Right to Work and Brighton Trades Council.  More details to be announced.

Advance notice

Thursday 4 October

7-9pm. All London public meeting: tackling fuel poverty. Venue: Crossroads Women's Centre, 25 Wolsey Mews, Kentish Town, London NW5 2DX.  Organised by Fuel Poverty Action (www.fuelpovertyaction.org.uk ).

Sunday 7 October

Demonstration outside the Tory Conference in Birmingham. Called by the Right to Work Campaign and others. More details to be announced.

Wednesday 10 October

7 pm. All-Southwark Rally Against the Cuts: For A Future that Works! Speakers include John McDonnell MP, speakers from Greece, local trade unions and anti-cuts campaigns. Venue to be announced. Called by Southwark TUC.

Sunday 14 October

11:30am – 5:30pm. Conference:  Austerity, Justice & the Power of Protest. Defend the Right to Protest 2012 National Conference. London. Details here.

Saturday 20 October

11am. 'A Future That Works' - mass TUC demonstration in London.  More details from the TUC at http://afuturethatworks.org/march-logistics/ and here. Get flyers downloaded here or contact southwarksos@gmail.com for bulk supplies and information about the local assembly point planned for Oval Tube/Kennington Park. (Also see 5^th & 15^th September above, for information about the South London mobilisation for this event.)

Mobilising Meeting for the TUC demonstration on October 20th

Dear anti-cuts campaigners

 

With the impact of austerity measures being felt across Britain as well as across Europe, I hope you will agree that the call by the TUC for a demonstration For a Future that Works on Saturday 20 October will be a hugely important event that you will want to support.

 

All of us in Southwark who were involved in the build-up to the last TUC demonstration on 26 March last year will recall that the half-million who took to the streets on that day were mobilised by weeks of concerted activity in every locality across Britain, including here in South London. We collaborated with other boroughs to help build a feeder march on the day numbering some thousands, marching from Kennington Park to the main demonstration. The following months then saw an escalation of strikes against the Government’s attach on pensions which, many would argue, were launched because of the enthusiasm and confidence generated by the 26 March demonstration.

 

Last month, we met in Brixton to start this process of mobilising for hopefully a million demonstrators on London streets on 20 October. The meeting was attended by representatives of many local organisations and together, we are inviting you to the next mobilising meeting at:

 

6 pm

This coming Thursday, 23^rd August

At The Vida Walsh Centre, Saltoun Road, SW2 1EP (two minutes’ walk from the Town Hall and Ritzy Cinema)

 

Please:

·         Come yourself, or send a delegate to the meeting

·         Forward information about the meeting to all your members, as well as other groups/branches with whom your organisation is in contact

·         Reply to this letter, to let us know if you will be able to attend

Yours in solidarity

 

Chris Kelly

 

On behalf of

Nick Phillips* (Chair, Southwark Trades Council), Frank Wood (UNITE NEC, King’s College Hosp.) Gareth Page (UNITE rep, Guy’s Hospital), April Ashley (Assist. Sec. Southwark UNISON), Adrian Budd (Chair, LSBU UCU), Danny Johnson (UNITE rep, Walworth Bus Garage), Mustafa (UNITE rep, Battersea/Queenstown Bus Garage), Chris Kelly* (Sec, Save Our Services Southwark), Mandy Brown (UCU Rep, Lambeth College), Sara Tomlinson (Joint Sec. Lambeth NUT), Steve Hack (Sec, Lambeth Defend Council Housing), Tim O’Dell, UNISON rep, Lambeth Libraries. Lambeth NUT Executive Committee*, Belinda Washington (Vice Chair, Vassall Ward Labour Party). Denise Nicholls* (Sec. Southwark Pensioners Action Group), Betty Joseph, Michael Davern (Joint Secs, Southwark NUT), Nicola Field (Sec. Save Southwark Adult Education Campaign), All the above except those marked with * sign in their personal capacity

August Action Alert

While the MPs are on their holidays, many of those campaigning against austerity and cuts will still be here planning protests and demonstrations against the Tory-LibDem Government, and opposing cuts being implemented by Southwark Council.

We need your help over the coming weeks to distribute leaflets advertising these events – if you can help, email us at southwarksos@gmail.com or better still, come to the Southwark SOS or the Oct20 Mobilising meetings shown below. We can send someone to your next community, campaign, or trade union branch meeting to tell people what is happening, and why.

EVENTS LIST

Wednesday 22nd August

6 pm. Oct 20 Mobilisation meeting. Open to representatives and activists from trade unions, community and campaign organisations in South London. Venue: the Karibu Education Centre, 7 Gresham Road SW9 (with disabled access). For details contact southwarksos@gmail.com .

Wednesday, 22 August

7pm Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public Meeting. David Carr (Unite London Health Organiser) will lead a general discussion on the campaign against the Health & Social Care bill before the campaigning group moves on to planning their next moves. Venue: Priory Arms, Lansdowne Way, Stockwell, SW8 2BP (5 minutes from Stockwell tube station)

Wednesday 29 August

7 pm. Southwark SOS organising meeting. Main items: planning for national events this Autumn – public sector industrial action, demonstrations outside the Party conferences and at the TUC, the demonstration ‘For a Future that Works’ on 20 October, and a student demonstration in November. Held in South Bank Uni. London Road Building. Open to all campaigners against the cuts. For an agenda, directions or details of venue room, contact southwarksos@gmail.com , or just come along!

ADVANCE NOTICE

September

Meeting of the newly-formed Southwark group of Disabled People Against the Cuts. Contact Guy Dennis (Southwark Disablement Association, 020 7701 1391) for details of the date and, time and venue.

Wednesday 5 September

6 pm. Oct 20 Mobilisation meeting. Open to representatives and activists from trade unions, community and campaign organisations in South London. Venue: the Karibu Education Centre, 7 Gresham Road SW9 (with disabled access). For details contact southwarksos@gmail.com .

Sunday 9 September

1pm. Lobby of TUC conference in Brighton: 'Strike against Austerity!' Called by the National Shop Stewards Network. More details here.

Saturday 22 September

Protest at Lib-Dem conference in Brighton. Organised by Stop the Cuts, Right to Work and Brighton Trades Council.  More details to be announced.

Thursday 4 October

7-9pm. All London public meeting: tackling fuel poverty. Venue: Crossroads Women's Centre, 25 Wolsey Mews, Kentish Town, London NW5 2DX.  Organised by Fuel Poverty Action (fuelpovertyaction.org.uk).

Sunday 7 October

Tory Conference Demonstration in Birmingham. Called by the Right to Work Campaign and others. More details to be announced.

Sunday 14 October

11:30am – 5:30pm. Conference:  Austerity, Justice & the Power of Protest. Defend the Right to Protest 2012 National Conference. London. Details here.

Saturday 20 October

'A Future That Works' - mass TUC demonstration in London.  More details from the TUC here. Get flyers here. (Also see above, for information about the South London mobilisation for this event.)

Action Alert 26JUN12

Wednesday 27 June

7 pm. Southwark SOS Organising meeting. Two main items: supporting local action against cuts and job losses; planning for TUC demonstration in October. Held in South Bank Uni. London Road Building. Open to all campaigners against the cuts. For an agenda, directions or details of venue room, contact us here .

Saturday 30 June

2pm. As the NHS turns 64 years old...Join the protests to tell Virgin to keep out! Assemble Central London: Virgin Media Store Oxford St (Opposite the Plaza) More information from KONP here .

Wednesday 4 July

7 pm. Campaigners from the campaign to stop nursery closures will address a full Southwark Council meeting. Come and make some noise! Online petition to save Tenda Road and Bishop's House Nurseries is here .   For more details, and to send messages of support write to the local campaign.

RESISTING the GRAND NHS FIRE SALE

Find out how the Health and Social Care Act will damage the NHS
Dicuss how we can campaign to defend our NHS
Saturday 16 June
London South Bank University
2pm
Castle Lecture Theatre, London Road Building
London Road SE1 0AA
(2 mins walk from Elephant and Castle Tube)
Allyson Pollock - Professor of Public Health Research and Policy, Queen Mary University London
John Lister - London Health Emergency
Dr. Louise Irvine GP - Member of Keep our NHS Public
Elly Pilavachi - Student Campaign for Global Health (Medsin)
Frank Wood - Unite Executive and King’s College Hospital Nora Flanagan - Royal College of Nursing
Sponsored by LSBU UCU; Unite; Southwark Save Our Services; Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public; Lewisham's Pensioners' Forum; Lewisham Keep Our NHS Public

DID YOU KNOW?
    •    Virgin Healthcare has just signed a £500 million contract to run Surrey Community Health Services.
    •    Another private company, SERCO, has a £140 million contract for Suffolk community services.
    •    In Camden, United Health [a US private health company] was contracted to run a GP practice, then sold it to another private company which withdrew leaving 3000 patients without a GP.
    •    Guys Hospital is giving 5 floors to a private company to provide care for private cancer patients.
    •    NHS Foundation Trust Hospitals will be allowed to use 49% of beds for private patients.
    •    The recently passed Health and Social Care Act enables private companies to run health services for profit.
    •    Our taxes and NI pay for the NHS, and should stay in the NHS, not go into shareholders pockets!
    •    This will lead to cuts, worse quality, postcode lotteries and longer waiting lists.
    •    Those with money will be able to buy the healthcare they need: the rest will have to make do with a second class service.
We don’t have to accept this
We can campaign to protect the NHS
Come to the meeting on 16th June and hear inspiring speakers explain the issues, and discuss how we can campaign together to defend our NHS.