UK Promoted Newswire Archive
N30: County Hall pickets report
01-12-2011 20:55
County Hall is the HQ of Tory-run Nottinghamshire County Council, led by the appropriately named Kay Cutts. As public sector unions took action in defence of their pensions on November 30th, it was just one of the hundreds of picketed building across the country.
Organising at County Hall has been difficult for years for many reasons. However, some of the blame must be laid at the door of Unison, widely viewed as having miss-handled the implementation of single status at the council which saw a number of staff taking sizeable pay cuts.
Picketing began at 7am, when it was still dark, with strikers trying to stop people at the car entrance. This met with limited success, with some scabs even driving down the wrong side of the road to avoid being challenged. The more obvious incidents of stupid driving decreased as the number of pickets swelled.
A second picket line was established at the main entrance to the building. The three pickets there were also joined by Labour councillor Jim Creamer (a member of RMT).
Unfortunately, pickets had little success at turning people around, although one person did at least take an application form. Not that union membership necessarily translates into solidarity as a number of members were amongst those crossing the picket line.
Bizarrely a number of people claimed to be fully supportive even as they went into work. The concept of collective action apparently being lost on them.
One of the more amusing episodes occurred when striker tried to discourage Mrs Cutts from crossing the picket line. Inevitably, she went in, but she did take a leaflet and expressed concern about the impact of the cold weather on pickets' welfare.
Given County Hall's high profile, picketers were visited by BBC Nottingham who did a live interview with one of the strikers.
Pickets were wound up at 10am to give strikers time to make their way to the Forest Recreation Ground for the march and rally.
The national action was called by a huge array of public sector unions, but it was notable that only Unison mobilised for pickets at County Hall, despite GMB having a number of members, particularly in the ICT department.
This was particularly unfortunate given many council staff's bad experiences with Unison locally and it is to be hoped that in the (likely) event of any future action, GMB activists pull their finger out.
Despite these issues, the strike wasn't ineffective at all. The car park, normally full to overflowing had a number of free spaces and it was clear that there were less people coming in than usual.
Management had also had to bring in a number of private security guards (perhaps as many as four) to cover for the facilities staff who were nearly all on strike.
N30 march in Nottingham
01-12-2011 20:55
The November 30th march in Nottingham in defence of public sector pensions was huge. It was by far and away the biggest demonstration I've ever been on in the city and it's even been suggested that it was perhaps even the largest trade union demonstrations in Nottingham's history.
Estimating numbers on marches is always controversial, but there is no doubt that this was a huge march. Notts Police estimated 5-6,000 marchers, while a friend who made an attempt to count the demonstrators put the number at 10,000.
As is traditional in Nottingham, the march formed up at the Forest Recreation Ground before making its way down Mansfield Road. The march was led by a "pensions justice" banner carried by a number of union dignitaries followed by a sizeable Unison bloc decked out in purple. Behind them snaked thousands of strikers and supporters.
The fact that this was part of a national strike meant that it attracted considerable media attention and there were a small army of photographers snapping away as the march went on its way.
Unions represented included many of those on strike: ATL, NUT, NASUWT, GMB, PCS, Unite, Unison, UCATT and a number of others joining the march in support such as CWU, FBU and RCN. There were also a number of banners from political organisations ranging from the Labour Party to the Anarchist Federation via Keep Our NHS Public.
Coming up the rear of the march was an Unison advertising lorry and a Routemaster bus decorated with pro-strike messages by the PCS.
The volume of people made coherent chanting difficult, but with so many people and an array of whistles and vuvuzelas the protest was at times deafening.
The sheer size of the march inevitably caused major delays along Mansfield Road and in the surrounding area, but the response to the march was largely positive, with demonstrators receiving a standing ovation from passers-by at the bottom of Mansfield Road. Many of the taxi drivers parked up while the march went past were also waving union flags.
Part way down Mansfield Road a group from the Refugee Forum (itself affected by cuts) had come out with a banner to show their support.
There was a further demonstration of solidarity from the Occupy Nottingham camp, which the march made its way past. It is also worth noting that marchers responded positively to the occupation, pointing perhaps to the possibility of mutually beneficial activities in the future.
From the Market Square, the march continued up Angel Row, across the roundabout and up Derby Road before doubling back to finish outside the Playhouse. There was to be a rally in the Albert Hall addressed by the great and the good. A screen and PA system had been set to convey what was being said to those unable to get in.
Unfortunately, while waiting for the rally to get started the organisers had decided to use this PA to play the cover of 'Let's Work Together' by The Workers over and over and over again. After milling around chatting for a while I eventually decided to decamp to the pub.
Cameron has dimissed the strike as a "damp squib," but the vast size and anger of the Nottingham demonstration gives the lie to his posturing. With even larger demonstrations reported in London, Birmingham and Manchester with sizable marches in many other towns, to say nothing of widespread disruption, particulrly in schools, it is clear that this was a massive strike.
It has been a long time since I've been so inspired by a demonstration and it was clear from talking to other marchers that I was not alone. There is a real opportunity to be built on here and it is disappointing that the trade union leadership does not seem to have a strategy of where to go from here.
This is unlikely to be the end of the dispute and further strike action (probably in the new year) is almost inevitable. Victory is far from assured, but we're off to a good start. I'll see you on the streets!
Report and photos from N30 in Wrexham
01-12-2011 20:35
Pics: banners at #N30 demonstration
01-12-2011 18:55
N30 was thee biggest day of strike action seen in the UK for decades, and so London saw hundreds of thousands of people marching together in a demonstration called by most public sector unions. Here there are some photos of traditional union banners on display at the demo, as well as banners from a variety of groups and organisations that came together to fight the government cuts in public sector workers's conditions.
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Nov-30 Brum Strike and Protest
01-12-2011 16:02
Palestine Today 12 1 2011
01-12-2011 14:25
Bristol anti- Fracking protesters shut down the country’s only hydrolic fracturi
01-12-2011 09:10
Pics: #N30 London Strike March
01-12-2011 02:55
Millions around the country took part in strike action and street protests on Wed November 30th. In london pickets started early with many joining the massive main march from Lincoln's Inn Fields to Victoria embankment. I haven't seen any number estimates (anywhere) but it was huge...
PS Happy N30 anniversary... 12 years ago in 1999 tens of thousands of people shut down the WTO conference in Seattle in America as a vicious police clampdown and state of emergency was declared to respond to the direct action blockades by a fired up coalition of trade unionists, anti-capitalists or anti-globalisation campaigners, environmentalists and global justice activists. Demonstrations also took place in cities across the world. It was also the birth of Indymedia.
Whilst millions were on strike today it's not enough. The trade union leaders keep repeating that they will have to back civil disobedience tactics, but they never do. I think we all know the answer to this...
Sheffield Occupation Official Statement
01-12-2011 02:32
Sheffield Occupation have issued there official statement with demands to the University.N30: My Day Out on Strike
01-12-2011 00:55
I'm not a public servant, not employed in the UK and not unionised. Went out on strike today anyway, got up at six to join the South London Solidarity Federation at the beginning of their mobile picket at Lewisham Town Hall, then hooked up with Goldsmith College Student Flying Picket, visited the picket line at Goldsmith University, met the Precarious Workers Brigade at Lincolns Inn Fields, moved on to Piccadilly Circus where a bunch of football fans from Thessaloniki gave an impromptu choir performance to a whole lot of met police who were as confused as many protesters, then walked down Haymarket just in time to see a banner appear on top of Panton House demanding "all power to the 99 %". By the time I'd found out that it was the offices of the mining company xstrata, the banner had disappeared, the police had blocked Haymarket with a few dozen vans and formed a kettle round the entrance of the building. My strike ended in the pub round the corner.
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Pics #N30 march #OccupyLSX to Lincoln's Inn Fields
01-12-2011 00:55
From across London a multitude of feeder marches made their way towards the main march start point at Lincoln's Inn Fields ready for the start at 1pm. One large group left from Occupy the London Stock Exchange site at St Paul's Cathedral, and were immediatly joined by another trade union feeder march.
www.occupylondon.org.uk
Newcastle N30 Strike
01-12-2011 00:22
Arrests at end of #OccupyN30 Xstrata action
30-11-2011 22:55
After the occupation of Panton House / Xstrata buidling the cops moved in to make arrests inside the building and kettle the crowd (that didn't move away quick enough) outside in the street. Over the next four hours the kettle was strengthened with at least 25 police vans and then coaches brough in to remove those that were to be arrested. In the crowd were quite a few plain clothes police officer, and some snatches were made. Police brought in a message display board to tell people they were being released - only they were in fact being filmed, questioned and searched a few at a time. I couldn't tell how many people were arrested and put on the coaches as for the most part they were hidden behind lines of police vans.
Before the coaches departed with the arrestees, some of the crowd on the outside of the police containment cordon blocked their path showing solidarity and chanting "Let them go!" for around an hour as police kept trying to push them back, eventually shoving a path clear to allow the coaches to leave taking the people to some unkown police station (s?).
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Royal Holloway Occupied
30-11-2011 20:55
Today at 1.18pm GMT Royal Holloway students, including activists from Royal Holloway Anti-Cuts Alliance (RHACA) and the Save Classics campaign, occupied the senior management corridor at Royal Holloway, University of London. Demands have been issued to the Principal, asking Senior Management to withdraw staff redundancy notices and for the Principal to sign a ‘Pledge’ issued on Wednesday 23rd November 2011 against cuts, restructuring, the HE white paper and fees.
RHACA, who are affiliated to the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC), have been joined by a fresh wave of new education activists, galvanised by the restructuring taking place at the university and a fast-growing education campaign within the Students’ Union of Royal Holloway, University of London (SURHUL). Students handed their demands to the Principal and discussions took place about the absence of students from decision making processes and a lack of consultation over major issues, as well as the lack of response regarding the recent pledge. Students have also asked that management allow free access in and out of the occupation for all students and lecturers.
“At Royal Holloway there’s been a serious lack of any meaningful consultation over the restructuring taking place,” said one activist. “We’ve held lobbies and issued the Principal’s Pledge and management haven’t even had the courtesy to reply.”
Another activist said, “The white paper will make way for privatization and a market in higher education, and Royal Holloway has already said it will be charging £9,000 fees. Rather than enter into any sort of democratic discussion, the management are carrying out their own plans regardless of bothering to find out what students actually think.”
“College management have been unable to provide any economic or business case for the redundancy notices they’re issuing to our lecturers, which is unbelievable considering we’re raking in a huge surplus year on year.”
Students have also expressed their support for the public sector workers strike, and say they will leave when demands are met.
Notes for Editors
. This is the fourth occupation of a Royal Holloway building in the last year
. Pictures and interviewees available
. Royal Holloway, University of London, has announced tuition fees of £9,000
http://www.su.rhul.ac.uk/news/article/6001/343/ (Principal’s Pledge)
Contact
Name: Craig Tel: 07824 331240
Royal Holloway Anti-Cuts Alliance
Royal Holloway, University of London
#N30 Trafalgar Square Barrier Crazy Containment
30-11-2011 20:55
A few snaps of the largest use I've seen of the police mobile road barriers - blocking access through Traf Sq in london today. Also as with the recent student demonstration on Nov 9th, the entire route of the march had every single possible exit street barricaded and guarded by a mix of police, vans, mounted riot officers (horses) and dogs.
Fuck total policing.
N30 strikes in Wrexham.
30-11-2011 19:11
Birmingham N30 Strike photos part 2
30-11-2011 18:54
Birmingham N30 Strike photos part 1
30-11-2011 18:37
Pics: Storming of Panton house -Xstrata #OccupyN30
30-11-2011 18:30
About 60 protestors gained entry into the offices of mining company Xstrata, a ‘leading light' of the FTSE 100 and British industry to highlight the fact that CEO Mick Davies was the highest compensated CEO of all the FTSE 100 companies in the last year, when his companies had losses and the economy collapsed. He received £18,426,105 for his efforts.
see http://occupylsx.org/?p=1725
The action announced by OccupyLSX left piccadilly circus and marched down Haymarket before taking a sharp left into Panton street and rushing through the doors of Panton House. After a couple of minutes police arrived and started violently pushing people back from the doors. An announcement was made via a human mic about why the occupation was taking place (see below). There were reports of very rough treatment inside. Police then moved to kettle the crowd with some violent attacks as they pushed people back. Other people were dragged to the side of the street and searched. A samba band kept playing in solidarity with those still inside (the building and the kettle).
As of 5pm there are still many people kettled and a coach with police officers at the front has been brought in - perhaps to arrest people?
This comes in a year when the average pay rise of executives across FTSE 100 companies was 43%, with ‘top’ directors at 49%. [2]
Led by a samba band to the building from Piccadilly Circus, the protesters entered the HQ at 25-7 Haymarket, London, with the protesters chanting against the corporate greed of Mick and other executives, in support of all those striking for fair pensions for all today. The protestors also unfurled a banner saying “All power to the 99%” from the roof top.
There are currently about 20 protesters inside – being held down on knees, of which many are women. There are a few hundred people kettled outside.
The protesters today are making the connection between the slashing of private and public sector pensions, while supposed ‘top’ executives cash in by increasing their own pay levels, leaving many without pensions. These CEOs like Mick Davies lavishly secure their own futures while ignoring the security and wellbeing of their own workers.
Mines have closed in Australia, South Africa and Spain within the last decade resulting in hundreds of workers in the last decade being laid off.
Karen Lincoln, supporter of Occupy London said: “Mick Davies is a prime example of the greedy 1 per cent, lining their own pockets while denying workers pensions. In this time when the government enforces austerity on the 99 per cent, these executives are profiting. The rest of us are having our pensions cuts, health service torn apart and youth centres shut down.
“We refuse to stand by and let this happen. We call on others to join us in the fight for a more just society. Today we have taken this to one of the offices of the 1 per cent. This is only the beginning. Come and join us on 15th December for Occupy Everywhere.”
Occupy London will unveil details of Occupy Everywhere soon. Be ready.
Sheffield University occupied
30-11-2011 17:47
Sheffield student occupation - initial statement
