Report from a South London Solfed member.
On my way to work this morning I found the bus stops around New Cross bus garage swarming with police and UKBA immigration officers. I saw a man being questioned by immigration officials and surrounded by several police under the bus shelter. This was a bit weird and unnerving so I sent a mass txt out to warn people and pass on the message.
Liverpool Uncut and Liverpool Solidarity Federation have had an ongoing campaign against the exploitative Workfare scheme for over a month now.
On Saturday 5th May, we are coming together to stage a UKuncut style action against workfare providers in Liverpool.
Workfare is the name given to several government schemes in which those on benefits are forced to work up to 30 hour weeks if they wish to keep their benefits - essentially stacking shelves or doing admin for just a couple of quid an hour!
A re-written version of SolFed's national Stuff Your Boss leaflet. Include North London's contact details.
On Saturday members of Brighton SolFed and Brighton Benefits Campaign picketed the North Street branch of Holland & Barrett. This was the second action in an on-going national campaign against the retailer’s continued use of unpaid workfare placements to reduce staff costs. The picket successfully turned away a large number of potential customers and we engaged many members of the public in discussion of the issues, the majority of whom were sympathetic to our message.
The Youth Contact was launched at the beginning of April amidst much fanfare and empty talk about helping young unemployed people, whose numbers now stand at record levels. The initiative includes not only the expansion of workfare but also the much anticipated means by which the government will seek to salvage its flagship employment scheme, The Work Programme, from the consequences of its unsustainable funding model.
Brighton SolFed joined the Worthing 'Carnival for Choice' organised by Brighton Pro-Choice on Sunday 15th April. The carnival was called as a counter-demonstration against the Jubilee Church, backers of the 'Abort67' group who have been harassing and intimidating women at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic in Brighton.
The evangelical Jubilee Church meets in a school building on Sundays as they have been refused permission to operate their building on an industrial estate as a church. The carnival attracted upwards of 75 people, who formed a lively picket of the main entrance, before splitting into two groups to cover the entrance and exit as church members left. Chants of 'whose choice? our choice!', 'abort your support for Abort67' and 'shame on you for harassing women' rang out.
Join Liverpool Against the Cuts on a direct-action Workfare Walk of Shame through Liverpool City Centre, stopping off at companies that use unpaid workers from Workfare schemes.
Workfare impacts every street in every neighbourhood across Merseyside, forcing people, who are entitled to benefits, into unpaid work by threatening them with loss of benefits. Not only is this forced labour, it also provides free labour to profit-making businesses and undermines those already in paid work by undercutting the minimum wage. This is not job creation - it’s job destruction.
Lancashire County Council is one of several local authorities making cuts in funding to care companies, including Alternative Futures Group. LCC have been asked repeatedly to meet with Unison and affected support workers to discuss the damaging effects of AFG passing these cuts on to staff and service users through swingeing pay cuts and reducing staffing levels to a bare minimum in many services, but have repeatedly refused to engage with us or take any responsibility.
On Saturday 21 April, the Next to Nowhere social centre plays host to an anti-fascist benefit gig. Come down and bring your friends for a fun, hectic night of Indie, Punk and Grime.
Doors at 6.45pm
Sam Talley 7.00-7.30pm
Reaper 7.45-8.15pm
The Visitors 8.30-9.00pm
The Probes 9.15-22.00pm
Entrance £3. All proceed go to the social centre and to Liverpool Antifascists.
Liverpool University has cancelled the Mayoral Debate scheduled for Thursday 19 April due to demonstrations called by anti-fascists. Liverpool Antifascists – followed by Unite Against Fascism – called the demonstrations in opposition to the platform given to candidates from the National Front, British National Party and English Democrats. We stand opposed to fascists as a point of principle, but in particular objected to their being given a platform for their politics of hate.