Prevent and the criminalisation of protest

Public meeting: Prevent and the criminalisation of protest 6.30pm Thursday 27th February 2020 Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, London   Speakers: Lowkey Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott Kate Hudson from CND Lindsey German from Stop the War Ben Jamalfrom PSC, with contributions from Greenpeace & Stand Up to Racism Register In January 2020, organisations and protest groups campaigning for peace, environmental justice, human rights and animal rights, and against racism found themselves listed in a police counter-terror document. It is part of an alarming pattern of attacks on civil liberties and the right to protest. The state, under the guise of tackling terrorism, is increasingly surveilling and monitoring individuals and groups engaged in legitimate political and democratic processes. If this massive state overreach is not confronted, we risk losing further democratic freedoms that we presently take for granted. The campaign groups on the front line of these attacks have demanded that the police counter-terror document is immediately rescinded and repudiated, and are calling for an independent review of the Prevent strategy. Join us for a discussion about this dangerous threat to the progressive movements and be part of the campaign to push back. Please make sure you register to secure your seat

Forthcoming Lucas Plan events

Forthcoming Lucas Plan events
1. Parliamentary seminar/book and film launch
2. Regional screenings of THE PLAN March 1
3. New Mike Cooley Reader

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1. Planning from the bottom up: Lessons from the pioneering 1970s Lucas Plan
Hosted by John McDonnell MP 6:00 -7:30pm THURS 27th FEBRUARY, The Wilson Room, Portcullis House Westminster SW1A 2JR
A seminar to launch two new books on the Lucas Plan and regional screenings of THE PLAN. Register.
Speakers:
Steve Sprung, Director: THE PLAN that came from the bottom up Trailer
Hilary Wainwright, Author: THE LUCAS PLAN a new trade unionism in the making?
Tony Simpson, Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation, Publisher: THE SEARCH for ALTERNATIVES Liberating human imagination

2. Regional screenings of THE PLAN March 1 (visit cinema websites for tickets)

“Described as ‘a film letter in parts’, THE PLAN that came from the bottom up is a thought-provoking and extensive film essay which chronicles the extraordinary story of the Lucas Aerospace engineers, who forty years ago responded to the threat of redundancy with their own plan of action.

The film documents how this group of workers developed alternatives to the military products their company made, including wind turbines and hybrid cars. By having the documentary structured as a film essay, the result is a poetic exploration of this incredibly timely story in history.”

Birmingham Midlands Art Centre
Cambridge Arts Picturehouse
Liverpool Picturehouse at FACT
London Bertha Dochouse
Norwich Cinema City Picturehouse
Sheffield Showroom

3. Publication of a new Mike Cooley Reader, The Search for Alternatives: Liberating Human Imagination
Spokesman Publishers have produced a new anthology of the writings of Mike Cooley, the leading thinker behind the Lucas Plan.
Foreword by John Palmer
Introduction by Karamjit S Gill
"we have become far too smart scientifically to survive much longer without wisdom"
Mike Cooley, The Myth of the Moral Neutrality of Technology
Chapters include:

• Contradication of Science & Technology in the Productive Process
• Science and Social Action
• Human Centred Systems

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST LONDON CITY AIRPORT EXPANSION: FEBRUARY 11TH

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST LONDON CITY AIRPORT EXPANSION:  FEBRUARY 11TH Extinction  Rebellion Newham is organising a demonstration against the expansion of London  City.  This is a major event with national figures amongst those speaking.   People are asked to dress in black if they can and assemble  at the junction of  Wigmore  Street and Orchard Street, opposite NatWest and  Nationwide, which is at the South East corner of Portman Square at  9.00am.  The speeches will begin at 10am. At 11.00am, it will end.  This will be  a legal event.

UCU announces 14 strike days at 74 UK universities in February and March

3 February 2020 | last updated: 4 February 2020

Seventy-four UK universities* will be hit with 14 days of strike action in February and March, UCU announced today. The action will start on Thursday 20 February and escalate each week, culminating with a week-long walkout from Monday 9 to Friday 13 March.

The disputes centre on the sustainability of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and rising costs for members, and on universities' failure to make significant improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads. The full strike dates are:

• Week one - Thursday 20 & Friday 21 February
• Week two - Monday 24, Tuesday 25 & Wednesday 26 February
• Week three - Monday 2, Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 March
• Week four - Monday 9, Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11, Thursday 12 & Friday 13 MarchUniversities affected by strike action

Both disputes (47): 1. Aston University 2. Bangor University 3. Cardiff University 4. University of Durham 5. Heriot-Watt University 6. Loughborough University 7. Newcastle University 8. The Open University 9. The University of Bath 10. The University of Dundee 11. The University of Leeds 12. The University of Manchester 13. The University of Sheffield 14. University of Nottingham 15. The University of Stirling 16. University College London 17. The University of Birmingham 18. The University of Bradford 19. The University of Bristol 20. The University of Cambridge 21. The University of Edinburgh 22. The University of Exeter 23. The University of Essex 24. The University of Glasgow 25. The University of Lancaster 26. The University of Leicester 27. City University 28. Goldsmiths College 29. Queen Mary University of London 30. Royal Holloway, University of London 31. The University of Reading 32. The University of Southampton 33. The University of St Andrews 34. Courtauld Institute of Art 35. The University of Strathclyde 36. The University of Wales 37. The University of Warwick 38. The University of York 39. The University of Liverpool 40. The University of Sussex 41. The University of Aberdeen 42. The University of Ulster 43. Queen's University Belfast 44. Birkbeck College, University of London 45. SOAS, University of London 46. The University of Oxford 47. The University of East Anglia

Pay and conditions dispute only (22): 1. Bishop Grosseteste University 2. Bournemouth University 3. Edge Hill University 4. Glasgow Caledonian University 5. Glasgow School of Art 6. Liverpool Hope University 7. Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts 8. Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh 9. St Mary's University College, Belfast 10. Roehampton University 11. Sheffield Hallam University 12. The University of Brighton 13. The University of Kent 14. Bath Spa University 15. Royal College of Art 16. University of Huddersfield 17. University of Winchester 18. University of East London 19. Leeds Trinity University 20. UAL London College of Arts 21. De Montfort University 22. University of Greenwich

USS pensions dispute only (5): 1. Scottish Association of Marine Science 2. Institute for Development Studies 3. Keele University 4. King's College London 5. Imperial College London

New Year - new struggles

New Year - new struggles

The new hard-right Tory government has committed to imposing new anti-strike laws, specifically targeting railway workers. There is now an urgent need for the labour movement to renew campaigning against restrictions on our right to organise and take action.

There is a meeting on 14 January called by trade unions in Islington to plan a campaign against these new proposed laws. Tuesday 14th January, 6-8 pm Islington Town Hall. Sponsored by RMT (Finsbury Park), TSSA, UNISON, NEU, UCU and Islington Trades Union Council

Organising meeting
Free Our Unions will be holding a campaign organising meeting on Wednesday 8 January at 19:00, in the Lambeth Unison offices (Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, London SW9 9SP; near Brixton Tube). All supporters of the campaign are welcome. https://facebook.com/events/487246791996152/

We have also produced a model motion for use in trade union branches, which can be found at the bottom of this article: A model motion for use in Labour Party branches and CLPs will also be uploaded shortly.

Solidarity with French workers
Before the meeting on Wednesday there is a protest outside the French embassy in solidarity with the amazing strike movement in France which saw almost a month of industrial action from workers across the country. Join us from 5.30-6.30 outside the embassy at 58 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7JT

To contact Free Our Unions, email freeourunions@gmail.com or find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Sylvia Pankhurst Everything is Possible film screening

TUC LESE Women’s Rights Committee Presents

Sylvia Pankhurst Everything is Possible film screening

A unique opportunity to view this film about the campaigns and political impact of suffragette and revolutionary Sylvia Pankhurst

With Introduction by Mary Davis author of Sylvia Pankhurst: A Life in Radical Politics and member of the Sylvia Pankhurst Committee

  All monies donated will go to the Sylvia Pankhurst Statue Fund

A statue in London for Sylvia will represent Sylvia’s commitment to peace and her fight against racism and imperialism, her work with trade unions, fighting for the impoverished working class in the East End of London, and her campaign for votes for women.

Thursday 9 January 2020, 5.00pm until 7.00pm

TUC Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS

Nibbles and refreshments from 5.00pm

Raffle tickets on sale

Payment on the door minimum £5.00 employed and £4.00 unemployed and retired

Open invitation to all trade unionists and supporters

Please confirm attendance: lese@tuc.org.uk or 020 7467 1218 

Defend low-paid workers standing up to Boris Johnson's lies

Defend low-paid workers standing up to Boris Johnson's lies

by IWGB

Employment

Lawyers: Independent Workers Union of Great Britain

United Kingdom

The IWGB is the leading union for precarious and low-paid workers. We have won several landmark cases against so-called "gig economy" companies, including Uber, Addison Lee and CitySprint.

24

days to go

£5,275

pledged of £8,000 target from 162 pledges

Pledge now

Your card will only be charged if the case meets its target of £8,000 by Jan. 09, 2020, 6 a.m.

• About the case
• Comments

In October, migrant workers faced a terrible prospect: stand up to Boris Johnson and his threats of a no-deal Brexit, or face the risk of having some of their most basic rights stripped away.

Three precarious workers -- Maritza, Wilson and Alex -- teamed up with the IWGB and chose to fight back. In the face of repeated statements by Johnson that he would not extend the Brexit deadline beyond 31 October, they filed a claim with the High Court to force the government to abide by the law and seek an extension. A few days later, Boris Johnson went back on his commitment and agreed with the European Union to move the deadline to 31 January. After which, the workers withdrew their claim.

Now, government lawyers are arguing that because the claim was withdrawn, the claimants are liable to cover the government's legal costs of at least £8,000.

A no-deal Brexit would have put many of these workers' most basic rights at risk, not to mention, the many employment rights that are based in EU law. The IWGB has brought a number of high-profile cases which rely on EU law, including a £1m holiday pay claim against NHS contractor The Doctors Laboratory (TDL).

These precarious workers, who were forced to take action to avoid the terrible consequences a no-deal brexit, are now being punished by the government for having the temerity to take a stand.

Like claimant Maritza Castillo Calle said:

“Precarious migrant workers like myself have been terrified by the prospect of a no-deal Brexit and the impact it could have on our most basic rights. We decided to take action to protect our communities, but now because Boris Johonson lied about his intention to not seek an extension, we are being asked to pay thousands of pounds. By handing us this bill, it's clear that this government for the rich is trying to intimidate ourselves and other working class people from ever daring to hold it to account.”

This attempt to intimidate those that try and challenge the government is in line with the Conservative party's proposed manifesto pledge to explore changes to the judicial review process, which many fear will further limit ordinary citizens’ ability to challenge government policies.

Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who supports the crowdfunder says:

"This crowdfunder goes to the heart of why Boris is unfit to be Prime Minister. The PM lied, low paid workers and their union bravely took action to hold him to account, the PM backtracked, and is now vindictively pursuing them for legal costs. Low paid workers standing up for their rights and the rule of law need to be supported, not attacked."

How much are we raising and why?

We have set an initial target of £8,000 which would cover the current costs the claimants are being held liable for, and a stretch target of £25,000 to protect the claimants from any additional costs. Due to Johnson's history of dishonesty, there is a risk the government increases the amount the workers are held liable for.

Any leftover funds will go to the IWGB legal department to support legal cases on behalf of low-paid workers.

Any help is massively appreciated and we thank you for your donation