A report from the Workfare Tour of Shame, Liverpool City Centre (Sat 8th September 2012)

On Saturday 8th September, as part of the campaign against the government’s workfare programme, members of Liverpool Solidarity Federation, the Anarchist Federation and various other local activists held a tour of some of the city’s most high-profile exploiters of the unemployed.

First stop was Poundland in Williamson Square, who recently restarted their work programme following a high-profile court case brought by students who were forced to work in one of their stores. Banners were unfurled and we immediately began engaging with the passing public, passing on information about workfare and letting them know Poundland’s role in it.

Workfare in Spain

Spain might become the next country in the EU to introduce its own workfare scheme. The government is planning to introduce a compulsory work program for the unemployed. The workers on the program would be paid the official minimum wage but the placements aren’t voluntary and don't have to be connected to the person’s normal trade. The work could last as long as the person has entitlement to claim the dole.

Anti-workfare campaign in Thames Valley

The anti-workfare campaign is building up in Reading. Over the summer, SF members organised ad hoc pickets with local IWW and AF members. We decided to build up the basis of these joint efforts through coordinated planned actions. We held an initial meeting in August at which we decided to follow SF’s national target and to build our campaign with claimants. So we are aiming to alternate actions outside Poundland and JobCentrePlus.
Three weeks ago, two of us distributed propaganda on the rights of claimants in relation to the workfare schemes outside JobCentre. It became obvious that many of them did not know about it yet. Last Saturday, we held the first picket outside Poundland, which was met with overwhelming sympathy for the campaign from workers and members of the public alike.

Workfare picket Poundland, Gateshead.

Friday 7th of September saw a picket of the Gateshead branch of Poundland, organised by Newcastle Solidarity Federation, against the governments highly controversial workfare scheme. Poundland seek to profit from the exploitation of what is essentially forced free labour.

Following the SolFed's successful campaign against Holland and Barretts involvement in workfare and joined by members of the Anarchist Federation and others, the demo saw massive levels of public support, with car horns being pipped and hundreds of leaflets handed out.

This is a highly loathed and highly exploitative scheme, work will continue until workfare is consigned to the dustbin.

Newcastle SolFed host Seasol

start: 
Wed, 19/09/2012 - 20:15

 

Newcastle SolFed are hosting an evening with Seattle Solidarity Network (SeaSol). SeaSol are perhaps the US's most successful community action network, embracing direct action struggles against errant landlords and bosses, using tactics used by the Solidarity Federation and other IWA sections - this should be a very exciting evening!

Wednesday 19th September 7-30pm

Admission - Free

The Telegraph, Orchard Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 3NY (Behind the Central Station)

local, network, collective: 
Newcastle
Access Layer: 
Public

The Rebirth of Anarchist Forms of Organising

start: 
Thu, 27/09/2012 - 20:00

Newcastle Solidarity Federation will be looking at the virtual collapse and re-emergence of libertarian forms of organising, especially from the perspective of the International Workers Association, discussing the relevance and potential of these methods.

Thursday 27th Sept from 7-30pm onwards

Admission - free

The Telegraph, Orchard Street
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3NY (Behind the Central Station)

local, network, collective: 
Newcastle
Access Layer: 
Public

Newcastle SolFed (In formation) Poundland Workfare Picket, Poundland Gatehead.

Poundland has been targeted after it announced that it is re-launching its participation in the Workfare scheme following a recent High Court ruling in its favour. The campaign comes on the back of successful action by the Solidarity Federation and other groups and individuals against Holland and Barrett who were forced to pull out of the various schemes. We expect to keep up the same levels of pressure against Poundland in the coming weeks and months.

Newcastle Solfed will be picketing the Gateshead highstreet branch of Poundland.

232-240 High Street, Town Centre, Gateshead, NE8 1AQ

Friday 7th September 16:00

Newcastle SolFed (In formation) Poundland Workfare Picket, Poundland Gatehead.

start: 
Fri, 07/09/2012 - 16:00

Location

Poundland
232-240 High Street Town Centre
NE8 1AQ Gateshead
United Kingdom
54° 57' 43.776" N, 1° 36' 2.0232" W
See map: Google Maps

Poundland has been targeted after it announced that it is re-launching its participation in the Workfare scheme following a recent High Court ruling in its favour. The campaign comes on the back of successful action by the Solidarity Federation and other groups and individuals against Holland and Barrett who were forced to pull out of the various schemes. We expect to keep up the same levels of pressure against Poundland in the coming weeks and months.

local, network, collective: 
Newcastle
Access Layer: 
Public

Forthcoming: 'Fighting for ourselves: anarcho-syndicalism and the class struggle' – a new pamphlet by the Solidarity Federation

We are living in times of unprecedented attacks on our living conditions on all fronts, of rising social tension and sometimes violent eruptions of class conflict. And yet if anything, the surprise is not that there have been riots and the odd strike, but that there have been so few. How are we to make sense of this? How are we to fight back, to take the initiative? Against capitalism, what do we want to put in its place? The 20th century discredited state socialism, and rightly so. But with it, a whole history of international class struggle, of revolutions and counter-revolutions, victories and defeats, spontaneous uprisings and vast workers’ organisation has been eclipsed too. This pamphlet aims to recover some of that lost history, in order to set out a revolutionary strategy for the present conditions.