UK Workers' Movements Feature Archive
SchNEWS: Squaring Up To 'Em
13-05-2010 19:48
This Saturday (15th) people will be protesting at various places around central London to give the new 'stable, national interest' coalition a warm welcome.
SchNEWS gives a round-up of all the events taking place over the weekend to get your action-hungry teeth stuck into.
Mayday Roundup
05-05-2010 12:30
With the national elections less than a week away, Mayday celebrations to remember the Haymarket massacre of 1887 (and in support of worker's movements internationally) took place in many towns and cities across the UK. Despite that fact that the authorities had banned the planned march in Coventry, a spontaneous event took place marching from the Council House to Millenium Square, with a No Borders slogan reading 'Asylum is not a crime' at the head of the procession. In Nottingham, hundreds joined a procession which managed to overcome the City Council’s bureaucratic machinery. Several hundred people joined a march in Chesterfield and 400 braved the rain for Dublin's march which ended with a speech by Arthur Scargill. In Bradford people gathered on Infirmary Fields and in Manchester up to 200 joined a march, and enjoyed a firework display, and in Edinburgh about 100 joined a rally at West Princes Street Gardens.
In London, trade unionists and Communists marched from Clerkenwell Green to a rally in Trafalger Square. The four horsemen of the apopcalypse, last seen out at the G20 protests last year, were central to the 'Election meltdown' which saw effigies of party leaders dragged from their party HQs to Parliament Square for public execution, before an estimated crowd of 500. While some stayed to set up a Demockracy village in the square, many others were led to a tunnel by the samba band, for a Rave Against the Machine.
Links: Northern Mayday Roundup | Chesterfield | Coventry | Dublin | Edinburgh | London | Manchester | Nottingham
Mayday celebrations across the East Midlands
04-05-2010 17:06
Mayday, International Workers' Day, fell on a Saturday this year, and was celebrated in Nottingham by a march from Victoria Park to Speakers' Corner in the centre of town and back. It was followed by a rally with speakers from local campaigns and music and dance. The theme of this year's event was fighting against the public sector cuts that all of the major parties are planning to bail the country out of the recession. It was attended by over 100 trade unionists, socialists, anarchists and environmentalists.
There was also a rally at Derby Silk Mill on the Saturday, attended by hundreds of trade unionists. The region's biggest Mayday celebrations were held in Chesterfield on bank holiday Monday.
In the run up to Mayday, Nottingham Free School held a discussion on the issues surrounding Mayday, such as the gendered nature of work, critiques of paid work and the workplace as a site of resistance to capitalism. These discussion events are set to continue.
Newswire: Mayday edition of the Nottingham Sparrow | Notts Indypendent: New Nottingham community newsletter | Chesterfield Mayday 2010 | Nottingham Mayday 2010 | Nottingham Free School's May Day Discussion | The Future Of Protest In Nottingham : Whose streets? Our streets!
Previous feature: Whose streets? Our streets?
Previous Mayday coverage: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003
Links: Chesterfield Mayday | Wikipedia on International Workers' Day
SchNEWS: Crash of the Titans
02-05-2010 15:09
AS PROPOSED IMF SOLUTION SPARKS RESISTANCE...
Greece is further troubled as government officials get ready to announce IMF imposed wage cuts that will resonate across the country’s entire public sector. Emergency demonstrations were held across the country (Thursday 29th April) in protest against the cuts by grass-roots trade unions, leftist and anarchist organisations.
In SchNEWS: 720 | 711 | 662 | 659
Links: IMF on Greece | Greek Indymedia
Whose streets? Our streets?
27-04-2010 12:42
Mayday, 1st May, is a day of anti-capitalist workers' struggle. Traditionally, Nottingham's contribution has been a march through the town centre and a rally of anti-capitalist campaigns and agitators. For the past few years, this gathering has taken place in Brewhouse Yard near Nottingham castle. However, this year the City Council have been putting all manner of obstacles in the organisers' way.
Permission for a rally in Brewhouse Yard was refused because "there were going to be Robin Hood activities in other places"! Permission was finally granted for the rally in Victoria Park on the St Ann's end of town but only subject to restrictive conditions such as displaying the Council logo on all publicity, displaying Council banners and was subject to a charge... all for using a 'public' park. In addition, organisers are having to pay to get roads closed for the march.
All of this has led one of the organisers to question whether the streets and public spaces of Nottingham really do belong to the people or are just an extension of the City Council's private fiefdom. These restrictions have very serious impacts on people's freedom to protest and assemble, as demonstrated by recent police crackdowns on festivals, such as the Strawberry Fair in Cambridge.
MayDay rally and march from 11am, Victoria Park, Bath Street.
Newswire: The Future Of Protest In Nottingham : Whose streets? Our streets! | May Day Discussion | MayDay 2010 in Nottingham : Fight Back | Strawberry Fayre Fight Back! | Police Stop Strawberry Fair
Previous features: Mayday! In The East Midlands | Our Square Isn't It?
Full article | 1 addition | 6 comments
Reclaiming Welfare
24-04-2010 21:04
An increasing number of grassroots campaigns and groups around the country have been set up to support unemployed workers and benefit claimants, fight privatisation and resist corporate profiteering from the welfare system. Below is an incomplete overview of some of these groups and what they do.
Related: Corporate Watch on the 'unemployment business' | Mule: Forced labour for Jobseekers | Mule: Welfare Reform: who will it affect? | Plotting and scheming for Welfare not Workfare | Cambridge Unemployed Workers Union founded | UWU Picket of A4E | Sheffield Claimants and Unemployed Workers launch meeting | Unemployed Workers and Claimants Union in Oxford | Unemployed Workers Unions spring up from Salford initiative | Week of Action on ‘Welfare Abolition Bill’, March 7 – 15th | Precarity: New forms of exploitation, new forms of resistance at Beyond ESF
Action against cuts in Nottingham
12-03-2010 17:38
On March 8th, Nottingham City Council met to approve the 2010/11 budget. Like many council budgets this included a series of cuts to services, in this case amounting to £18.8 million. Nottingham City Unison called a lunchtime protest outside the Council House to show their opposition. Disabled campaigners blocked the tram to express their anger at the proposals.
Council plans to close Victoria Leisure Centre, which were brought forward to save money, have also faced opposition and their is growing dissent about plans to close libraries in Wilford and Beechdale.
Unison's protest coincided with the first day of a forty-eight hour national strike by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) over attacks on their redundancy scheme. In Nottingham strikers marched from Castle Meadow to the International Community Centre (ICC) for a rally.
On the newswire: Protest against cuts at city council | PCS strike March 8/9
Previous features: Protests against county council cuts | Nottingham City Council workers protest job cuts | Campaign to save Victoria Baths takes fight to the council | Credit Crunch Hits Nottingham
Links: Unison Nottingham City Branch | Public and Commercial Services Union
Protests against county council cuts
27-02-2010 15:00
In the early hours of February 26th, Nottinghamshire County Council voted to endorse a controversial budget which will see jobs cut, care homes sold off to the private sector and the cost of services for the elderly and disabled increased. Campaigners opposed to the plans rallied in Mansfield and outside County Hall to show their anger at the proposals and council workers are currently being balloted for industrial action (but not a strike) against a related attack on terms and conditions.
The county council's programme of cuts comes in a political climate in which all the main political parties have expressed their belief in the need for cuts to public sectors in light of the economic damage wrought by the banking collapse and subsequent bailout. The Labour-run city council are also planning to cut staff as well as closing Victoria Baths along with libraries in Wilford and Beechdale.
On the newswire: County Hall budget protest: Report | Demo against council cuts: Thursday 25th | Notts council workers rally for jobs
Previous features: Local Government Workers in Notts Join National Strike | Public service workers out to protect pensions
Links: Fair Pay Action Group | GMB Notts General Branch | Notts County Unison
SchNEWS: Greek Fire
25-02-2010 22:05
Greece has once again been rocked by protests, strikes and civil unrest. This time in response to a series of swinging government cutbacks aimed at bringing the country into line with neo-liberal dogma and reducing it's budget deficit. In response to proposed attacks on worker's rights and pensions, virtually the entire country came out on strike on Wednesday. 30,000 marched through Athens and violently clashed with police. There is widespread anger at the governments attempts to deal with the economic crisis by dipping into the pockets of the poor. Marchers in Athens shouted, "No sacrifices! Make the rich pay for the crisis!”
Links:2008 Greek protests – SchNEWS 659 | 662
Indymedia: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Occupied London
Once You COP You Just Can't Stop
10-12-2009 22:09
Going to COP15? Wondering which pair of socks to bring? A space-hopper and a peace flag or a gas-mask and a bag of transit wheel nuts? Ask no longer as SchNEWS brings you our prepare-for-action guide to the week long climate protest in Denmark, a country which professes itself to be a 'key developer of climate solutions'. Let's hope they're right. Read on for yer essential what's-what: border checks, police tactics, and probably most importantly, what will the weather be like?
See www.schnews.org.uk or click 'full article'
Nerve 15 - 2010 Resistance Calendar
03-12-2009 15:31
Solidarity with Vestas Workers!
05-10-2009 18:06
SINCE the removal of the 'Marine Gate' 'Blade Blockade', and the Turbine Blades that remained in the Vestas Blades UK factory on St. Cross Business Park, Dodnor Lane, Newport, Isle of Wight, campaigners have been sorting out the original 'Magic Roundabout' Camp, and considering strategy.
A Marquee has been erected and a fair amount of furniture skipped / built to make the area comfortable and well-resourced in terms of power (80-odd watts of solar power for phone and laptop charging), a solar shower, and spare tents for visitors.
The campaign to keep the Wind Turbine Blade Factory on the Isle of Wight (the only sizeable renewables production facility in the UK) open was featured heavily in the national news media in July and August. Media, and activist, attention was grabbed by the Occupation of the offices at the factory by a small number of the 600 workers who were to lose their jobs (more would have occupied, but the management were tipped off, and the occupation had to be moved forwards).
The occupation began on July 20th. Vestas failed to sort out their eviction order the first time, meaning the occupation lasted 10 days beyond the closure of the factory on July 31st. Workers remained on full pay during this time, and many workers entered the company redundancy scheme thanks purely to this (Vestas was to refuse them any redundancy despite the fact they were days from the minimum time needed). This was one of many small victories.
With the end of the occupation, many in the local press spoke of the 'end of the campaign' - no doubt in part thanks to ideas put out by Vestas themselves. On the contrary, rallies and meetings continued, the local JobCentre was 'Rushed', demos happened around the Isle of Wight and nationally, including one march which ended with local campaigners and supporters invading the Vestas site, and temporarily occupying the factory (leaving of their own will).
Focus then shifted to the Wind Turbine Blades that were being stored both in Southampton (109 blades) and the St. Cross factory (9 blades). Activists occupied a crane and two barges in Southampton, and blockaded the gate wherby blades were moved to the River Medina on the Island. Vestas security attempted to make it known that Vestas were unconcerned about the 'Blade Blockade', but activists estimated the value of the Blades at £750,000, and the police operation to evict the camp suggests some degree of importance attached to the removal of the blockade.
Vestas Profits Announcement - Solidarity Protest at Vestas HQ
18-08-2009 15:19
€43million profit for the 2nd Quarter, €90 for the half year made on the back of 1567 job cuts.
Full article | 2 additions | 4 comments
Vestas workers occupation
27-07-2009 20:38
Around 25 workers have occupied the second floor of the offices of the Vestas St. Cross factory in Newport on the Isle of Wight, the UK's only industrial-scale wind turbine blade factory, following mounting concern over its planned closure on the 31st July. They are calling for government intervention to save the plant, jobs, and to ensure fair redundancy packages. Since the first day of the occupation on the 20th July the workers have been besieged by police and private security, with 15 arrests being made (as of 28/07), mostly for 'breach of the peace' as people tried to join and get food to the occupiers. A large crowd of fellow workers, locals, and environmental campaigners from around the UK have gathered outside the factory gates to show their support.
Related: Support the Vestas factory occupation - what you can do | Vestas Factory OCCUPIED | Vestas Workers Speak Out | Vestas situation update - two arrests; mass walk-in gets food to occupiers | Vestas Sit In - Photos|Daring Action Gets Supplies To Vestas Workers Occupation
London Solidarity Demo, Wed 22nd July: Report, Pictures: 1|2
London Solidarity Demo, Tue 28nd July: Report: 1|2
Birmingham Vestas Solidarity Picket: Report
Links: Save Vestas
Mayday! In The East Midlands
10-05-2009 13:36
" It's important that we don't give up in the face of increasing economic uncertainty, an ever more authoritarian government, rampantly cruel capitalism and looming environmental disaster. Together, we can fight these monsters. I hope the positive, defiant atmosphere of May 2nd will help us keep strong to continue our struggles. "
We gathered at Brewhouse Yard on Saturday morning. Gazebos were hurried erected, and flags set flying. There was a large number of stalls from a variety of campaigning organisations and trade unions. Marchers were serenaded by the socialist Clarion Choir, and then set off for a short march along Maid Marian Way, Friar Lane, and along the side of the Square, returning by the castle and Robin Hood. The mood was upbeat as, preceded by a samba band, we waved banners, flags and placards as we marched. The welcome presence of a large contingent from the Communication Workers' Union, fighting to keep the mail public, and ably supported by Postman Pat, gave us a good presence on the streets.
Photos: 1 : Parade | 2 : Event
On the newswire: Nottm Mayday 2009 - Thanks to all who came - a personal perspective | Chesterfield Mayday Photos
Previous features: Nottingham Celebrates Mayday (2008) | Mayday! Mayday! Celebrations in Nottingham (2007) | Mayday in the East Midlands (2006)
Mersey May Day Solidarity Raises £300 For Sacked Visteon Workers
06-05-2009 01:42
March 28th: 40,000 on Put People First March
29-03-2009 15:11
A march for Jobs, Justice and Climate headed across London on Saturday 28th as part of a global campaign to challenge the G20 ahead of the summit taking place on April 2nd. About 40,000 people braved the cold weather from 11am until 5pm and marched from Victoria Embankment via Westminster to Hyde Park for a rally.
Timeline of march (and international reports)
Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Video | Audio |
YouTube: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Anarchist Rally Speeches |
Flickr: [pool] 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
Report your news about the G20 and help Indymedia to cover the event.
Dispatch: 07588 479 039 also see: list of G20 protests
John Moores Students Protest Against Cuts
26-03-2009 17:48
Days of Action: G20 London Summit
25-03-2009 15:11
The G20 group (or G22) will be meeting at the Excel Center, London, on April 2nd 2009. The main aim of this summit is to discuss how to re-build confidence in the financial markets and “re-stabilise” the world economy given the current financial crisis. The meeting will be composed of finance ministers from the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, and the World Bank.
Callouts: Reclaim The Streets | Climate Camp | Summer Of Rage | Bristol Dissent | Fossil Fools Day | G20 maps (easily printable versions)
Links: G20 Meltdown | Climate Camp G20 | Manchester G20 | Put People First | We Won't Pay For Their Crisis | Stop the War Coalition | Palestine Solidarity Campaign | The British Muslim Initiative | Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament | What is the G20? | Indymedia UK G20 topic page
G20 Melbourne Summit 2006: A first communiqué from two uncitizens of Arterial Bloc (Video) | Payback: 100 Melbourne Police violently attack | V for victory | Photos
Merseyside Job Cull Begins
20-03-2009 22:48
