By Robin Sivapalan, Unite Community London & Eastern Region Co-ordinator
We can be proud that Unite Community activists are playing such an important role in reshaping politics in London.
Last
week, as part of the Boycott Workfare Week of Action, members protested
outside 5 Job Centres in North London calling for an end to Sanctions.
Members of the Kilburn Unemployed
Workers Group protested outside the TUC and met with officials inside
over the issue of Youth Traineeships which they fear entails TUC support
for mandatory unpaid work for young people, which the TUC dispute.
Unite Young members are also addressing the issue.
For
a little light relief take a look at members of our Barnet Housing
Action Group outside the Hendon Job Centre which they re-named the
Sanctions Centre:
No to MPIPM
Next
week the world’s largest Property Fair, MPIPM, will be coming to London
Olympia. Unite has produced a press briefing on this that will be
covered in the Guardian. We need as
many people as possible to take part in the BLOCK BORIS action at the
opening of the event
- Opening protest – #BlockBoris: Wednesday 15 October from 9am, meet outside (Kensington Olympia) overground.
On the same day, PCS members will be on strike over pay, so please visit Job Centre picket lines if possible. It might be worth checking
there’ll be a picket with the regional organiser Charlie beforehand if you’re going out of your way: charliemacdonaldpcs@gmail.com / 07803 717 709
Over Thursday 16th and Friday 16th a
counter-conference is being held in central London, “Cities for People, Not for Profit:
TUC demo “Britain Needs a Pay Rise”: Join the Housing Bloc or the Unite Bloc on October 18th.
11am Blackfriars, Embankment/
Unite
Community members from around the country will be joining the TUC
March; there will be new Unite Community membership forms that explain
the kinds of things we are campaigning
on. It is a good opportunity to build awareness of what we do as well as
to join a mass show of opposition to the politics of Austerity. The
unemployed, pensioners and students Need a Pay Rise too!
Modern Slavery Bill
Unite
and Unite Community members, part of the Justice for Domestic Workers
Campaign are appealing for our members’ help in writing to their MPs to
secure support for an amendment
that has been tabled to the Modern Slavery Bill that is being debated next Tuesday 14th October. The template letter
is attached; you can write to you MP here: writetothem.com/
“Enabling migrant
domestic workers to change employer and apply to renew their visa
annually if in full time employment would be a significant step towards
preventing abuses against migrant domestic workers,
including forced labour, by their employers and enabling them to seek
redress without fearing deportation from the UK. Human Rights Watch,
Kalayaan and Unite Community strongly support this amendment and hope
you will give it your vote.”
Please
me send through your news and photos towards producing a newsletter,
and please get in touch if you want to get more involved locally of in
one of our working groups on Housing,
Job Centres or Mental Health.
Hope to see you all soon
Robin Sivapalan
London and Eastern Community Co-ordinator
Robin.Sivapalan AT unitetheunion.org
07860 955 361
No comments:
Post a Comment