Brighton Solidarity - newsletter #2
Latest edition of our regular newsletter including articles on recent Brighton Hospitality Workers conflicts, the effect on NHS workers of the 2014 Immigration Act, and workers' rights advice.
Bankrupt Excuses from a Bankrupted Business!
A company that owned two restaurants, both in busy areas of Brighton, decided to claim insolvency. All the workers were called to a meeting to announce that the company was going insolvent and the restaurants would close. Some of the employees were paid off, some were given contracts for a ‘new’ restaurant and some got nothing!
All you need is direct action!
A Valentine's Day dispute leads to satisfaction for two workers. You quit your job and your former employer refuses to pay what he owes you? That sounds familiar. And it is exactly what happened to A. and D. who had been working in the kitchen of a Hanover pub.
Obituary for a migrant woman worker
Recently I have received some very sad news. Our friend Peggy has passed away in Zaragoza (Spain) after a month in the hospital. Peggy was living in Brighton for nearly two years. She inherited from her family a passion for classical music, and she took part in the Brighton Choir. One of her favourite pieces was Mozart´s Requiem.
A restaurant in The Lanes paid up!
In the hospitality sector in Brighton it is very common to find employers who do not pay the minimum wage or pay the holidays owed to their workers. This problem is more common for migrants who do not necessarily have a great command of language or a thorough knowledge of labor laws.
This was the case for an employee of a restaurant in The Lanes. His situation in the workplace was made more complicated by the fact the rest of the kitchen staff, like him, were migrants, so communication was very difficult. He was paid minimum wage, 6.5 pounds per hour, and last minute changes to the rota were quite common, sometimes reaching up to 50 hours per week.
Un restaurante en The Lanes (Brighton) paga lo adeudado a un trabajador
En el sector de la hostelería en Brighton es muy habitual encontrarse con empresarios que no pagan el salario mínimo o que intentan no pagar las vacaciones a sus trabajadores. Esta problemática es más común en los trabajadores migrantes que no tienen un gran dominio del idioma ni un conocimiento profundo de la legislación laboral.
Este el caso de un trabajador de un restaurante en The Lanes. El entorno en que se desarrollaba su trabajo era bastante complejo, el resto del personal de la cocina, como él, eran inmigrantes, por lo que la comunicación se hacía muy complicada. Su trabajo se abonaba con el mínimo posible, 6,5 libras por hora, y los cambios de horarios a última hora eran bastante habituales, alcanzando en algunos casos jornadas semanales de más de 50 horas.
Brighton May Day events
29 Wednesday - Syndicalism and Education Sussex Uni Fulton building 113 = 6−8pm
01 Friday - MayDay
02 Saturday - Syndicalism in Brighton at the Cowley Club = 4−6 pm
03 Sunday - Roast + Film and Discussion after at the Cowley Club = 1−6 pm
04 Monday - Demonstration 12 0’Clock from Old Steine + picnic
Homeless repression
Recently, Richard Siggs, a Police Sergeant from Brighton, has been communicating with several charity agencies. In the text, he explains his concern about the “intolerable level” the numbers of “very visible members of the Street Community” have reached in the streets of Brighton, and he asks the agencies to reinforce these three ideas while dealing with their clients:
"Brighton & Hove do not accept rough sleeping to be a valid life choice, it is dangerous and based on chaotic life style"
"There is nowhere in Brighton & Hove to street drink, would you like us to refer you to support for your addiction?"
"Any property left laying around on the streets will be removed by the local authority and may be destroyed"
Brighton pub pays up
On Tuesday March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, a group of around 10 people accompanied a former worker of the pub. The aim was to ask if the management had an answer to the demands that he, in conjunction with Brighton Solidarity Federation, had made the previous week.
The pub is located in the Western Road area and the worker was a kitchen porter for about a year before he was sacked without any notice. As usual, he was on minimum wage and a zero-hours contract, the worst conditions the law allows.
However, the company decided this wasn't enough and didn't pay him for holiday leave not taken and the one week notice period.
Caffe Bar Italia sigue sin pagar
Durante las últimas semanas, se ha retomado la campaña pública contra Caffe Bar Italia por el impago de vacaciones y horas del contrato por un total de 1264 libras (unos 1700 euros).
Hace unas semanas, Brighton SolFed decidió paralizar las acciones de denuncia debido a lo que pareció un intento del establecimiento de solucionar el conflicto y pagar lo que adeuda a la trabajadora. Sin embargo, la parte empresarial solo ofrecía una mínima parte de la cantidad que adeuda, aprovechándose de la situación que sufre Yolanda.