ESF March / Action Announced at Canary Wharf

repost | 23.09.2004 07:57 | European Social Forum | London

Article from

http://www.icthewharf.co.uk

http://icthewharf.icnetwork.co.uk/thisweek/news/tm_objectid=14672324%26method=full%26siteid=71670%26headline=cleaners%2don%2dhuge%2dmarch-name_page.html

CLEANERS ON HUGE MARCH
Sep 23 2004
Protesters plan to defy estate security

Alan Lodge

PROTESTERS are planning to march through Canary Wharf in the biggest demonstration against low pay for cleaners that the estate has ever seen.

Marchers from the European Social Forum (ESF) are set to join with the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G) in the Walk On The Wharf on Friday, October 15.

Organisers are set to defy estate owner Canary Wharf Group - which has refused permission for the demonstration - by chanting and holding up banners from 4pm that afternoon.

Jonathan Neale from the ESF said: "We are firmly behind this demonstration. Most of the low-paid workers in Canary Wharf are African or other immigrants who have come here and are trying to make a decent living, just like the rest of us.

"We are going to take a lot of people with us on the day to help to fight for their cause."

T&G organiser Miles Hubbard said: "We are expecting thousands of people to attend this event.

"The Canary Wharf Cleaners' campaign for better wages and conditions is showing workers everywhere that they can win against any odds provided that they are not afraid to stand up and speak with one voice."

His colleague Rhys McCarthy added: "Canary Wharf is home to some of the most successful and powerful banks in the world.

"But it is content to let its contract cleaners be paid poverty wages, no sick pay, 15 days holiday and no pension. This demonstration will allow workers to show their support for Wharf cleaners."

More than 20,000 people are expected to debate issues such as globalisation, war, the environment and workers' rights at the ESF - which sees thousands of union and social group members meet in London from October 15-17.

Police have already been informed about the march and have so far raised no objections.

But Canary Wharf Group has told the T&G that it will not allow the march to take place and won't allow the marchers onto the estate, claiming they will be in breach of public access rules.

A spokesperson for Canary Wharf said: "We are taking advice at the present time on the situation."

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Hide the following 18 comments

Question over representation

23.09.2004 08:26

Jonathan Neale from the ESF said: "We are firmly behind this demonstration. Most of the low-paid workers in Canary Wharf are African or other immigrants who have come here and are trying to make a decent living, just like the rest of us."

IS HE ALLOWED TO SAY THIS????

I thought no one could speak like that about the ESF - especially about demonstrations and actions. Does anyone know?

this is important

Jonathan Neale is SWP, not ESF

23.09.2004 09:03

There is no ESF Official Leadership or spokesman, never mind what the Trots who've temporarily muscled in say. He spokes for no-one but his own party.

It's your ESF too. You're as much of a spokesman as he is. Put out a press release of your own. You don't have to ask anyone's permission.

Ian

eh?

23.09.2004 13:31

Am I missing something? Someone from the ESF, a union-backed gathering for peace and social justice for people from all countries and backgrounds, offers support to workers striking for decent treatment, many of whom are migrants. What's wrong with that?

Find the union for your workplace via TUC website:

http://www.tuc.org.uk

trade unionist

And why not end up at....

23.09.2004 13:41

Then they might like to join Ken Livingstone (ESF hieraechy) with his leader chums at the Leaders In London conference on the 18th ( have they invited Mr Neale or Calincos - we should be told ;) ). Here ( fuck the workers and the communities lets have the Coca Cola Olympics ) Ken gets to do business with John Browne ( BP Oil and war ), Terry leahey
( Tesco, more carparks, consumerism, food miles etc., and fuck the farmers )
Sahar Hashemi ( You too can make millions exploiting coffee workers and I did it with only being a poor city banker ), Robert Ashe ( Cognos, PR and management systems to some 'luvverly' operators including Syngenta, Adecco ( casualisation )Dow chemical Company ( say no more )etc.)Rudi ( zero tolerance ) Giuliani, and Tory peer Lord Laidlaw....

It's at Earls court where you can also earn shit wages as a cleaner, cook etc..

Stuff the Stitch Up

Quality of Life and Justice

23.09.2004 13:49

Yes, it's great to get the chance to work as a cleaner in Canary Wharf and clean up after all the rich city folk who fucked my people and country over. They sell arms that kill our families and force us to leave our homes. They take possession of diamonds and cause bloodshed. Thank you for letting me clean up after you great people.

ex- cleaner

Common sense needed first - then attack

23.09.2004 14:21

Firstly, lets applaud the fact that this action is taking place and is getting some publicity and try not to immediately turn it into an intra-left squabble. If the ESF - however flawed and undemocratic - helps mobilise people, whatever the motive, to get out and support these workers, then it is a positive development.

Lets not forget the issue at stake here. However, Jonathan Neale from SWP/GR has no right to say that he is from the ESF - this is no newspaper cock-up, he will have knowingly used this new front group name to get the ESF in the news, as well as himself. ESF media representation has been a thorny subject for a few months now but everyoen ahs agreed that 'noone can speak on behalf of the ESF'. Neale will claim that he was 'misquoted', but that is crap. If GR are supporting the demo, then they should do so as GR, not the ESF.

FYI: the ESF press officer also doubles up as the Stop the War Coalition press officer. Small world isn't it?

Avenger

Principle of the matter

23.09.2004 16:54

It's great that such a demo will take place, despite the security saying they will not allow it.

But the media representation thing is serious.

The ESF cannot take such a position on things like this. Although here I do really believe the journo writing the story did misquote this guy, they do it all the time, no surprise there. But it just shows how seriously you have to take the issue of representation, and shows that anyone talking to the press about the ESF should stress that they cannot talk for the ESF, and that they are in fact from XYZ group. It's not about left squabbles, but about the social forum charters of principles that govern the event.

journo

Another thing

23.09.2004 18:26

It is good that this is taking place. But lets not forget the bigger picture here. This picture has fuck all to do with lefty squabbles ( I couldn't give a shit about left or right myself ) and everything to do with global exploitation ( not just about wages for cleaning - it's also a shit job ). What circumstance lead to people also have to clean up after the yuppie scum of Docklands - would this be the same docklands that has the DSEI Death fair and the robbing HSBC bank and other merchants and traders who have fucked over the developing world? I think it might be. Engineers and doctors as security guards and field workers etc. etc. On the other hand medical staff poached from other countries...It is a global issue around borders and racism.

Robert

what's the problem?

23.09.2004 18:27

of course the esf can call a march in support of workers' rights. you'll be saying next that it has no right to call an anti-war march.

why are you so opposed to showing solidarity with workers of all colours and backgrounds?

andy in brighton

People can organise, the ESF cannot

23.09.2004 23:43

Andy

To answer your question: what if you were involved in organising a major political event with clear principles from the outset that everyone agreed to. One of those principles was 'the event we are organising is just an event, a space, a forum - it is not an organisation, no one can speak in its name. People can plan actions, announce the end of the world, chant weird songs etc etc inside this space, but noone is allowed to say that the space itself is organising those actions, predicting the end is nigh, and singing Wham tunes'.

In other words, you agree not to impose YOUR views and demos on others, and agree not to give the Forum - the means that have brought you into contact with others - an identity and a set of beliefs that no one else has had any democratic input into.

Then, just when it is about to happen, you find that some arsehole has gone to the local media and said that 'he' is representing the Forum and the Forum is organising a demonstration.

Would you not be a bit pissed off? Just a bit?

Imagine, tomorrow, that Ken Livingstone - who is steering £400,000 of GLA money into the ESF - went to the London press and said 'I am representing the ESF and the ESF supports my policy of bus and tube fare hikes because it believes in public transport'.

Would you be happy?

No - so take your head out of your arse and open your eyes. The ESF is being hijacked by certain political groups undemocratically for their own self-interest.

avenger

and so

24.09.2004 06:48

so i assume you oppose the anti-war demo and the anti-fascist gig?

and i suppose you opposed the february 15th demos, called by the first esf?

andy in brighton

oh get a life!

24.09.2004 09:12

oh stop trying to make a storm in a teacup for fucks sake!

The newspaper has reported Jonathan as being from the ESF not himself, probably because the newspaper doesn't quite understand the nature of the event

the protest has been called by GR with the T + G and the cleaners at Canary Wharf it will be brilliant and we hope everyone will come down as we will go after the seminar on the issues around low pay at the ESF earlier in the afternoon

obviously I won't hold my breath waiting to see the moaners who populate this newswire on the march...

noel

cleaning up after the esf

24.09.2004 11:19

just wondering what cleaning company has been hired to clean up after the ESF, what the terms and conditions of these employees are and how much will they get paid for picking up the crap left behind when everyones had their feel good jamboree?

sarah

bloody hell!

24.09.2004 12:44

do any of you people ever do anything but whinge? get a life!

Cool cool cool

25.09.2004 00:33

Can we get details of the GR and T&G demo?
Start time, meeting point?
Anyone know where they are?

Re the cleaning up after the esf at the palace. It's another serious issue in terms of how green the whole event is. A friend of mine proposed an enviro audit of the event, but don't know how far that went. I assume it will provide paper recycling bins ;-)

Don't trust the media of course, safe.
But then don't trust any single source, get several views, nothing's ever black and white (ta indymedia!)

The important thing is that this press stuff does not happen again.

Re the theme of the big demo at the end on sunday, that was a european level discussion I think.

Support the workers!

solidarity

On a point of information...

29.09.2004 21:28

I've asked Jonathan Neale about this and he tells me he emphasised "three times" to the journalist that people (including himself) do not and cannot speak on behalf of the ESF. And yet the journalist still managed to misrepresent him.

My theory is that journalists write articles which get edited by section editors and those can then (although probably not usually) get edited by the editor of the newspaper. So there are various points at which the important message that one is not speaking on behalf of the ESF can get lost.

Having said that it was probably just the crapness of the journalist themself. The media (and the public in general) are barely aware of the global justice / anti-capitalist / anti-corporate-globalisation (/ etc...) Movement and have almost no understanding of it. So they don't really get the significance of what are, for many of us in this movement of movements, extremely important principles. Afterall, it's not really the normal way to organise. Most organisations organise hierarchically and when there is internal democracy it is representative rather than participatory. So they're pretty unfamiliar with the rather alternative ideas and methods that we hold dear in things like the ESF / WSF / PGA. So if they don't see the importance of people quite specifically pointing out that they're not speaking on anyone's behalf then they don't understand that they're quite seriously misrepresenting people.

Hugh Jones
Involved with GR
Not a member of SWP (or any socialist organisation)
Happy to work with people who are
Writing as an individual on behalf of myself.

Hugh

Fair Play!

02.10.2004 11:38

Fair play, that sounds just like I imagined it would be. More media cock up than conspiracy. Still an important and central social foum issue though over media represtntation. But a potential great demo. Good luck to all.

reader

Getting a good life

14.10.2004 12:15

It's mainly down to us 'whingers' that people like 'Mr Get a life' are able to live the life of sheltered luxury we enjoy here in England, free from starvation and true poverty, and which most of us take for granted.

Rhona
mail e-mail: rhonameeksok@hotmail.com