During a September Saturday Brighton SolFed held a network and skills day covering; the immigration act and healthcare, the attack on benefits, fighting wage theft and anarchists on austerity. This full day, including a mighty lunch prepared by members, maintained a constant level of debate and information, concluding in practical action points to continue agitating around Brighton and beyond.
Brighton-SolFed has started a public campaign against Brighton Proud Cabaret. This place, belonging to a company which owns another two venues in London, owes a former worker part of his wages, including most of his holiday entitlement.
July 2018: A campaign against Brighton Hotel concludes with payment of unpaid holiday entitlement, as well as compensation for dangerous working conditions which have had a serious impact on this worker’s health
I work in admin at one of the universities in the city. Recently, one of my colleagues left the department for a new job. It was expected that I would take on some of their workload. This was not something I could really do, and when I started to be asked, I found it stressful. I talked about it at the drop-in, and a number of useful suggestions were made.
Solidarity to the Polish Strikers
Six million workers in Britain were born abroad. Increasingly, they
have been blamed for all the financial woes of neoliberal capitalism
and the suffering that the rich have inflicted on millions more. With
conditions in French migrant ghettos worsening, the racist rhetoric of
the British ruling class has become more shameless. By their own
economic measures the immigrants have contributed far more than they
have received, and so the ruling class are having to resort to hateful
and emotive attacks.
Summertime is proving to be a period of intense activity for Brighton-SolFed. We are constantly being contacted by hospitality workers who endure, amongst other forms of exploitation, wage and holiday theft. In some cases actions have followed suit given the impunity under which some employers operate in the city. Below are some brief notes on two of our most recent achievements.
Brighton Hospitality Workers was approached in May by a Kitchen Porter, at an upmarket and busy restaurant on the seafront, who had been laid off without 7 days’ notice period pay and with unpaid wages and holiday entitlement. An all-too-common situation in a city where bosses flagrantly breach employment law to squeeze as much from the workers as possible, in the full knowledge that the local authorities, trade bodies or established unions have no interest in challenging them.
With all the world-wide Pride events taking place, it's easy to forget where and how it all began. The Stonewall Riot in NYC occurred during the year 1969, when continued police harassment at The Stonewall gay bar in Greenwich Village prompted the community to fight back. In the days that followed, thousands of people came out to protest police brutality and inequality for gay people.
SolFed responded to a call for international action after the sacking of a CNT member in Spain. Ana, a worker with Red Cross in Alicante, had suffered prolonged bullying by her works coordinator culminating in her wrongful sacking. Ana is a well respected substance abuse worker with years of experience. As a member of our sister union, the CNT, her sacking has initiated a campaign to see her reinstated. The sacking has thrown light on Red Cross and their vicious internal practices toward their workforce, high-lighting the fact that they are no different to any other cut-throat capitalist company.
SolFed locals responded with a communication blockade and pickets of Red Cross shops in Newcastle and Brighton.
Brighton's picket was part of a week of SolFed action, here's their report: