KUWG Diary 17 Nov to 12 Dec 2016

Thu 17 Nov, 6-8pm KUWG Bi-Annual General Meeting at Kingsgate Community Centre, right after our weekly meeting.

 

Thu 17 Nov, 5pm London NUT March & Rally by NUT – National Union of Teachers & People’s Assembly Against Cuts. From Whitehall, (Opposite Downing Street) Rally: 18:30, Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, SW1P 3DW https://www.teachers.org.uk/

 

Fri 18 Nov, 10.30-11.30am Axe The Housing Act Leafleting - Westminster Council's Housing Option Service. Let passers by know of the big protest on Wed 23 Nov. At 101 Orchardson Street, London, NW8 8EA (behind social services building in Frampton Street, buses 189/139 Edgware Rd / Marylebone Stations are 10 mins away).

 

Fri 18 Nov, 12.30-2pm Camden & Islington Unite Community Branch Meeting at Ron Todd House, 33-37 Moreland Street, EC1V 8BB - all welcome.

 

Sat 19 Nov, 12noon-8pm Rent Strike! Bloc(k Party) in Central London. Join rent strikers for a carnival esque block party as part of the national demo for free education https://www.facebook.com/events/363481067333075/  

 

Wed 23 Nov, 12noon Axe The Housing Act – Protest & Lobby of MPs Make sure MPs don’t ‘forget’ to abolish the Housing Act. At Old Palace Yard.

 

CONSULTATION DEADLINE: Thu 24 Nov Transforming Our Justice System: Panel Composition in Tribunals by Ministry of (in)Justice, who plan to digitalise benefit appeals so claimants won’t be seen in person by the judge or expert panel members (i.e. doctors present at tribunals). This will lessen our chances to win appeals. Nip it in the bud! https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/oct/12/online-benefits-appeals-tribunals-disabled?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Consultation itself: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/panel-composition-in-tribunals/

 

Thu 24 Nov, 6.30-9pm No War, No Austerity by Youth & Student CND. Amidst devastating cuts to public services, Theresa May believes it would be ‘sheer madness’ to give up our £205billion nuclear weapons... At The Venue, Student Central, Malet Street, WC1E 7HY http://dpac.uk.net/2016/11/oppose-dsa-cuts-with-youth-and-student-cnd/

 

Thu 8 Dec, 6-8pm Branch Social – Camden & Islington Unite Community at Unite Holborn, 128 Theobald's Road, Holborn, London, WC1X 8TN - food provided, all welcome!

 

Fri 9 Dec, 7pm A Benefit for Tahiti – How the Mangrove 9 Won Hear from participants of this historic trial of the Mangrove 9 which was landmark in anti-racist movement in Britain. Money raised will go to Haiti Emergency Relief Fund (HERF) http://www.haitiemergencyrelief.org/Haiti_Emergency_Relief_Fund/home.html to benefit grassroots people in Haiti directly. At Trinity United Reform Church, Buck St, London NW1 8NJ

 

Sat 10 Dec, 10am-6pm Media Democracy Festival by Media Reform UK. Few giant corporations control UK’s TV channels, news outlets, radio stations, search engines & social media platforms. Join us to discuss how we can work for a media that informs, represents & empowers citizens. At Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck University of London. http://stopwar.org.uk/index.php/events/other-anti-war-events/2238-10-december-london-media-democracy-festival-2016

 

Mon 12 Dec, 7.30pm Season’s Readings by friends of West Hampstead’s Library. Prose, poetry, songs & snippets. The evening will start with an Annual General Meeting. Your chance to find out what’s happening to your local library regarding upcoming cuts in 2017. At West Hampstead Library, Dennington Park Road, London NW6 1AU http://www.fowhl.org/whats-on.html

Camden and Islington Unite Community Branch: Support Sat 18 June 2016 housing march and leaflet Kentish Town Jcp Mon 20 June 2016

To:     Camden & Islington Unite Community Members

 

Saturday 18^th June

I am sending out a reminder that the ‘Axe the Housing Act’ march taking place tomorrow, Saturday 18^th June, is supported by the Camden & Islington Unite Community branch and we encourage all our members to join as we protest against the Housing Act and it’s attacks on the basic human right of housing that is affordable, secure and habitable and which gives power, money and influence to land owners, landlords and developers.

 

Join us tomorrow at 12pm at Hyde Park Corner, find us under the red Unite the Union flags and lets march!

 

Monday 20^th June

We will be outside Kentish Town job centre at 178 Kentish Town Road, NW5 2AG from 11am until 12pm talking to claimants and offering our support and solidarity. We will have our ‘know your rights’ leaflets and we have produced a leaflet giving details of all the local advice and support services.

 

Please get in touch with me at the contact details below if you would like any more information.

 

In solidarity

 

Janet MacLeod

Unite Community & Unite in Schools Coordinator

London & Eastern Region

Ron Todd House

33 – 37 Moreland Street

London

EC1V 8BB

 

07718 668498

FB London & Eastern Unite Community

#OurCommunityLE

www.unitetheunion.org

Camden & Islington Unite Community meeting, Friday 18 March, 12:30-2pm

Camden & Islington Unite Community Meeting, Friday 18 March, 12:30pm-2pm

Venue: 4th floor board room, Ron Todd House, 33-37 Moreland Street, EC1V 8BB

The building is fully accessible with ground floor entrance, lift to all floors and disabled access toilets on each floor — if anyone has access needs please get in touch with me (Janet McLeod)

Agenda

1. Welcome & Introductions
2. Minutes & matters arising
3. Elections to vacant branch officer positions — see below
4. How do we grow the union and build strength?
5. Sanctions Day of Action — report back and where next?
6. Housing March — report back
7. Social media training – report back
8. Dates for your diary
   • London & Eastern Region – Activists Meeting @ Unite House, 128 Theobald’s Road, London, WC1V 8TN, Monday 4 April, 2 – 4pm
   • Camden & Islington Unite Community – Branch Meeting @ Ron Todd House, 33 – 37 Moreland Street, EC1V 8BB, Friday 15 April, 12.30 – 2pm

Elections to vacant branch positions

Camden & Islington is the latest Unite Community branch to be formally constituted in the region but has been an activists group since the beginning of Unite Community four years ago. There is a strong core of activists whose experience and skills have guided the branch this far and who are encouraged by the rise in new members to seek new activists to take on more of a role in the branch committee.
Unite Community offers training and support to any of its members – we have training for branch officers, on social media, campaigning and welfare advocacy and are always open to looking at new courses as the need is identified by our branches.
The branch invites nominations from any of its members for the branch officer positions listed below. If you would like any more information on any of them please get back in touch with me and I will be happy to go through it with you. Nominations will be taken in the meeting or in advance of the meeting by email or phone.

The current vacancies are
• Equalities Officer
• Campaigns Officer
• Industrial Liaison Officer</>
• Young Members Officer
• Social Secretary
• Membership Secretary
• In addition the branch has the right to decide on and elect officers to cover specific areas of campaigning or specific localities if it will assist the branch to recruit, organise and campaign. Camden & Islington decided at its AGM in December to seek election for a Welfare Officer to guide the campaign work around claimant support.

I look forward to seeing you at the branch meeting on Friday.

In solidarity

Janet MacLeod

Unite Community & Unite in Schools Coordinator

London & Eastern Region

33 – 37 Moreland Street

London

EC1V 8BB

07718 668498

FB London & Eastern Unite Community

#OurCommunityLE

www.unitetheunion.org

KUWG outing to Barnsbury Jobcentre

Report by Pambles of the KUWG

KUWG was here!

Swheatie, CJ and I (Pambles) joined Mike, Lindsay and Howard of UNITE COMMUNITY's Camden & Islington Branch to speak with claimants as well as asking them to fill questionnaire. We met a woman whose work history involves music and woodworking, so naturally JCP [JobCentre Plus] want her to stack shelves or do bit of cleaning.

Showing hope, showing caring

       A lady on WRAG [Work-Related Activity Group of Employment & Support Allowance claimants] told CJ she is desperate to get onto the Support Group [where she cannot be hassled in 'work-related activity. Swheatie suspects that that was the lady who went to the Jobcentre with a helper and the support of a crutch. She looked very troubled on entering and leaving the Jobcentre, and was chased after by one of the staff who said, "You left your bag behind," which he then handed her.] 

C&I Unite Community survey and KUWG banner and budget box

      CJ also heard that a man with one remaining lung (the other having been removed) was taken from ESA [Employment & Support Allowance] and had to apply for JSA [JobSeekers Allowance] as he is not sick if he has one lung. Rumours that Kuwg has his other lung are untrue. A very sweet lady came up to me and said we did good work. She told me of how she was lucky enough to have good support from 3 organisations and after a year her benefits got sorted and with the backpay she went to Dorset. Very nice.

Pambles and Swheatie with their collective handiwork

Empty box, not empty rhetoric

      Here are the photos of Kuwg in the very civilised [area of] Islington. [Swheatie suspects that it is in either Caledonian Ward or Barnsbury Ward.]

Cracking apart? Call on KUWG and Unite Community for help!

PS. One claimant announced to us that English people are useless — to which Swheatie responded with, "Including you?" that Swheatie can be a bit on the tangy side.