The Queer Pay Gap

It’s June, and rainbow flags are everywhere. For one month only, every jailer [1], death dealer [2] and sweatshop owner [3] wants to be an ally.

This pride month, us queer workers are looking at our bosses. We see their rainbow flags, and we do not buy the act.

Our bosses kill us [4], force us into poverty [5], and sexually harass us [6]. They steal our time, the best parts of our minds, our bodies and lives. They waste our very selves on shit that doesn’t matter, just to make us earn the right to live [7]. As queer workers, we feel a special kind of fury when the boot on our throats has a rainbow sticker on it.

Brighton Solfed: Don’t Just Moan - Organise!

  • As the cost of living crisis has spiralled out of control, people have become more and more aware of their power to fight for better conditions when they organise in their workplaces. Brighton Solidarity Federation (SolFed) is a local grassroots union made up of workers organising in a variety of workplaces. Our strategy of organising for ourselves, without relying on leaders, can deliver results in the fight against exploitation by bosses that mainstream trade unionism cannot. If you are fed up with being exploited at work, the solution is simple:

    DON’T MOAN – ORGANISE!

SFEU statement of solidarity with Higher Education Marking and Assessment Boycott

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) would like to express its solidarity with university academic staff currently engaged in the Marking and Assessment Boycott as part of their demand for restored salaries, the elimination of the gender and race pay gap, workloads and casualization.

As on previous occasions, it is a big step to take but ultimately one of our greatest weapons for causing major disruption to the academic process. Students are understandably angered by university responses to date largely suggesting that they will just predict a grade based on their prior performance – it appears it is easier to ignore all their hard work this semester than to get round the table and negotiate an end to this dispute.

SFEU successful dispute at Aberystwyth University

Nine months to the day since our comrade’s formal grievance against Aberystwyth University was filed, we can confirm that the grievance has been upheld on all counts. The university have agreed to pay the difference in salary between Grade 6 and Grade 7 for the two years and five months that the Grade 7 duties were performed on a Grade 6 contract. HR have also agreed to review their guidance in regard to role and person profiles for each grade and to look at other instances of staff who are currently working with similar mis-aligned responsibilities. The SFEU have been proud to support our comrade on this journey – victory was never in doubt!

Solidarity with the CNT-AIT

The Solidarity Federation stand in solidarity with the CNT-AIT of Spain with regard to the lawsuits brought by the CNT-CIT before the Spanish National Court against it's member unions. We therefore call for them to be withdrawn immediately.

Fight the bosses, not the workers!

More information: vivacntait.iwa-ait.org

Nos solidarizamos con la CNT-AIT española con respecto a las demandas interpuestas por la CNT-CIT ante la Audiencia Nacional contra sindicatos que la componen. Por ello, pedimos que sean retiradas inmediatamente.

¡Lucha contra los empresarios, no contra los trabajadores!

Victory to the striking education workers!

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) is a new union that cuts across the divide and has members in different education sectors within the same workplace. Here is the view of one of our student members on the current University strikes being taken by Unite, UCU and Unison, among other unions. Our power lies in organisation and in a unitary union based on direct democracy.

"What about the students?"

What about us? I'm a student, I support the strikes. Most of my friends are students, they do too. In fact, from my time attending rallies and picket lines (and generally chatting with people around me), I haven't spoken to a student who confidently stands against the strikes, I've only heard rumours they exist.

Higher Education Dispute - more unmandated strike 'pauses'

Unison, Unite, EIS, GMB and UCU have all proceded to cancel their strikes as a result of decisions by their union General Secretaries or Executives, a position that emerges out of the ACAS talks. To the majority of members of these unions, it's not clear exactly what they've been offered beyond a "limited improvement" to the pay offer for 2022-23. After so much sacrifice, this doesn't sound great. For Unison, as with UCU, there was no consultation with members and branches before the 'pause' was agreed.

SFEU statement on UCU secretary decision to pause members' industrial action

The Solidarity Federation Education Union (SFEU) condemns the decision made by the General Secretary of UCU to suspend the current strike action, a step that has been taken in UCU's words "To allow our ongoing negotiations to continue in a constructive environment we have agreed to pause action across our pay and pension disputes for the next two weeks and create a period of calm". Nothing concrete, as far as we can see, has been agreed by the employers. Even on the pensions front, according to the UCU statement, we are told that we are only "at the start of a process" that will restore benefits. We believed that the start of the process was when we were considering to ballot for strike action, not now after several days of lost pay and management threats. 

Brighton SolFed Vegan Sunday Roast (benefit)

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Sun, 19/02/2023 - 13:00 to 16:00
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Come and join us for a Vegan Sunday Roast! This Sunday (19th Feb) from 1pm-4pm in the Cowley Club. This event will be followed by a film screening so stick around for that!

Image description: A red and black poster with roast potatoes in the background and solfed logo in bottom right corner. Text reads "vegan Sunday roast. A benefit for the cowley office collective. 19th Feb 1pm-4pm. The Cowley Club, 12 London Road."

 

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