SolFed locals

Locals

The Solidarity Federation has a two-fold structure: members belong to Locals and Industrial Networks. Locals form the backbone of SolFed and put solidarity into practice in the local community. They are organise or get involved in local campaigns across a wide range of issues – both in the community and in workplaces. Issues are wide-ranging: defending our natural and local environment and health; opposing racism, sexism and homophobia; in fact, anything which defends or contributes to our mutual quality of life. It is all part and parcel of building a solidarity movement. A Local is formed whenever there are three or more members in a defined geographical area, who should meet at least once each month. Locals are expected to use their own initiative in pursuing their activities.

We currently have locals in the following places:

Belfast SolFed	Newcastle SolFed
Brighton SolFed	North London SolFed
Bristol SolFed	Northampton SolFed
Calderdale SolFed	Norwich SolFed
Cambridge (local in formation)	South London SolFed
Edinburgh (in formation)	Thames Valley SolFed
Manchester SolFed

News from SF locals

Manchester SolFed Organises a Further Picket in Support of 6 Brighton Tenants

On Saturday 12th Jan Manchester SolFed picketed Skipton Building Society in support of 6 Brighton tenants. The tenants have been organising with Brighton SolFed after being treated appallingly by the Brighton letting agency, Fox and Sons. The company, Fox and Sons, is owned by the Connells group, one of the largest estate agency and property services providers in the UK, which last year made £104.2m in profits. In turn, the Connells group is owned by the ever so friendly - we do not have shareholders - Skipton Building Society. Saturday's picket was part of an escalation of the dispute with pickets taking place in Bristol, Manchester and Brighton in support of the 6 tenants
For more information on the dispute see our previous post or go to http://www.brightonsolfed.org.uk/

Read more about Manchester SolFed Organises a Further Picket in Support of 6 Brighton Tenants

More bad news from the World Bank

Following on from our recent post on the World Bank and climate change comes more bad news from the Bank. In the World Bank’s flagship 2019 World Development Report, entitled the Changing Nature of Work, the Bank argues for wide-ranging deregulation of labour; deemed necessary to prepare countries for the changing nature of work. The report sets out a nice cosy capitalist future under which firms will be relieved of the burden of contributing to social security, have the flexibility to pay wages as low as they think fit and have the power to fire people at will.

Read more about More bad news from the World Bank

Top executives earn more in 3 days than most of us earn in a year!

Calculations by the High Pay Centre thinktank and the professional HR body the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) show top executives are earning 133 times more than the average worker, at a rate of around £1,020 per hour or £3.9m annually. That’s up 11% compared to a year earlier.

It means CEOs working average 12-hour days would only have to clock in for 29 hours in 2019 to earn the median £29,574 of British staff.

Read more about Top executives earn more in 3 days than most of us earn in a year!

Fox & Sons dispute: money-grabbing agency withholds £720 compensation payment

Our public dispute with Fox & Sons has continued into the new year, with the agency still failing to adequately compensate six former tenants who they left homeless five days after their tenancy was supposed to start. This failure has been made starker through the revelation that Fox & Sons demanded £720 compensation from the property company, Jears Properties Limited, that own the house the tenants were to move in to.

Read more about Fox & Sons dispute: money-grabbing agency withholds £720 compensation payment

Manchester SF Support Brighton Tenants

Last weekend, Manchester and Liverpool Solidarity Federation organised pickets in support of 6 Brighton student tenants. The tenants have been organising with Brighton SolFed after being treated appallingly by the Brighton letting agency, Fox and Sons. Treatment which led to the 6 students being made temporarily homeless.

Manchester SF picketed Gascoigne Halmon estate agents, while Liverpool picket Jones & Chapman, both are sister companies of Fox and sons. All three companies are owned by Connells group, one of the largest estate agency and property services providers in the UK, which last year made £104.2m in profits. In turn, the Connells group is owned by the ever so friendly - we do not have shareholders - Skipton Building Society.