Wiping the floor with the bosses: Cleaners win at the LSE!

Cautiously pessimistic

An important announcement from the United Voices of the World union:

Breaking news: VICTORY TO LSE CLEANERS!

UVW is proud to announce that the LSE cleaners will be BROUGHT IN-HOUSE and become employees of the LSE from Spring 2018! This will ensure they get, among other things, 41 days annual leave, 6 months full pay sick pay and 6 months half pay sick pay, plus proper employer pension contributions of up to 13% of their salary.

This is the most significant victory for any group of workers in UK higher education today, and will hopefully set a precedent to follow for other degraded outsourced workers across the country.

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Union-busting attempt at Picturehouse, cleaners strike against sacking threats at HSBC, and other ongoing disputes

Cautiously pessimistic

Things have taken a dramatic turn in the long-running Living Wage dispute at Picturehouse Cinemas, where the company has suspended six workers involved in union organising. Undeterred, workers at the Ritzy, Hackney, Central and Crouch End cinemas have been out on strike this weekend, while East Dulwich struck separately a few days earlier. More information about the company’s actions and the workers’ responses should hopefully be available soon.

In other workplace news, HSBC cleaners who’ve organised through the CAIWU, which seems to be yet another small grassroots union in the UVW/IWGB mould, will be out on strike against threatened redundancies on Tuesday 6th June, and are calling for people to join their picket lines in the morning, and help them have a big strike rally at lunchtime.

Over at the LSE, cleaners took their 6th and 7th days of strike action this week, and the latest…

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We love you!

Anarchy in the Sticks!

To all those who attended (or tried to attend) the bookfair and/or the gig, all those who worked with us on the day or beforehand, all those who donated or lent us stuff, the musicians, brewers, stallholders and meeting hosts. We extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations on being part of this superb event.

We ran out of food but the kitchen crew put in a heroic effort to get everyone fed, going to the shops a couple of times and cooking all day.

We’re looking into hosting warm up events through the year to front-load the next one so the funding won’t be so tight.. Look out for gigs, talks film shows and lets us have your own ideas.

Lastly we welcome feedback, and if you get in touch we’d like to know how you found out about  the event so we can target our publicity most effectively.

Thanks…

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