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UK Workers' Movements Newswire Archive

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Cambridge University Press -- Save Jobs march

17-02-2009 14:00

Cambridge university press is closing its printing facilities, and sacks all its workers there, and some on the editorial side. A match was organized on the 14th Feb 2009 to protest again these closures.

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Free Innocent Farmer - Prosecute Palm Oil Company!

17-02-2009 08:12

On Friday 13th February a letter signed by over 9500 concerned citizens was handed to the Indonesian Embassy. The letter called for the immediate release of farmer and Mayor, Muhammed Rusdi, and for the prosecution of biofuel company KDA, subsidiary of Sinar Mas who violently evicted farmers in Jambi Province of Sumatra.

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Around the Campaigns Monday 16th February 2009

16-02-2009 09:05

Yahya al Faifi Must Stay in the UK

Lobby of the Home Secretary
Thursday 19th February 2:00pm
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
(Tubes: St James Park, Millbank and Westminster)

Yahya al Faifi, a very brave and self-sacrificing trade unionist - and a deeply committed socialist - is facing deportation back to a tyranny in Saudi Arabia that regularly tortures and "disappears" dissidents. On 12 February, he received a rejection letter for his appeal against the refusal of his asylum claim appeal. Now, he and his family are in imminent danger of deportation from Britain.

This will be a labour and trade union movement event with banners, large numbers and as wide representation as possible.

Inquiries/further information:
Mariam Kamish
 http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine103/Yahya.html

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Bailouts for Bunglers

15-02-2009 22:25

"When I read recent remarks ... by top Obama administration officials, I feel as if I’ve entered a time warp — as if it’s still 2005, Alan Greenspan is still the Maestro, and bankers are still heroes of capitalism.

“We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we’d like to do our best to preserve that system,” says Timothy Geithner ... as he prepares to put taxpayers on the hook for that system’s immense losses.

Meanwhile,... Mr. Geithner and Lawrence Summers ... “think governments make poor bank managers” — as opposed, presumably, to the private-sector geniuses who managed to lose more than a trillion dollars in the space of a few years."

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London Mitie cleaners demo report

15-02-2009 12:21

On Thursday 12th February twenty workers demonstrated outside the Willis insurance broker’s building in the City of London in support of five union cleaners dismissed there by Mitie cleaning company.

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Lamb-like approach to greedy banks means Labour slaughter

15-02-2009 03:52

The masters of the universe - those of them who had the nerve to turn up - were mired in deep gloom at Davos in the Swiss Alps last week. Come April in the Watford Gap, representatives of the G20 group of nations may well feel suicidal as the social and economic consequences of the financial disaster deepens and widens.

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The free market vs protectionism

15-02-2009 03:48


It’s a bit rich that politicians and big business lined up to lecture us on the virtues of racial tolerance and international solidarity during the recent wildcat strikes.

One editorial in the Financial Times newspaper last week stated, “Our self interest requires us to show solidarity beyond national borders”.

Another issue carried a letter signed by nine heads of multinational companies pleading, “There is an urgency for all politicians to ensure there is no backlash against foreign workers”.

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Waterford occupiers keep factory alive

15-02-2009 03:45

Noel is part of a group of workers who are keeping the Waterford Crystal flame burning.

He is among a dozen who make sure that 18 tonnes of molten glass continue to be produced by the plant’s furnace every 24 hours.

The furnace must stay working for production at the factory to continue.

If the furnace stops, the glass will solidify and the repairs would cost 8 million euros.

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Climate Chaos meets economic chaos - report on a discussion in Leeds.

14-02-2009 23:37

I went to an interesting meeting last week and as Leeds faces up to the collapse of neo-liberalism with a lot of meetings and events happening, I thought it would be useful if people started to report back so we can get an overall picture of what's possible.

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Post Office campaign: 140 MPs now support EDM 428 ‘Royal Mail’

14-02-2009 12:52

We're pleased to inform you that 140 MPs have now signed up in support of EDM 428 which calls on the government to abandon plans to privatise Royal Mail and the Post Office. Please continue to lobby MPs who've not yet signed up. We must urgently get new MPs to sign up, in order to keep up the pressure on the government to think again its proposals for privatisation of post services.

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More mayhem, please

14-02-2009 09:32

ANDREW MURRAY argues that, even though the elite wants to keep the rest of us in our place, green shoots of resistance may soon sprout.

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RGA Statement on Energy Sector Strikes

14-02-2009 01:12

A statement by Reading Grassroots Action on the current wave of energy workers strikes.

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NCADC News Service Friday 13th February 2009

13-02-2009 08:55

Raphael & Oluseye have left the UK
"I am sorry to have to report that, despite everyone's efforts, Raphael & Oluseye were taken from Yarl's Wood and put on a flight to Lagos yesterday morning. Five-year -old Raphael spent 69 days in immigration detention. Thank you all for all your support for mother and son."
Best wishes, George Heron
 http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine103/Raphael.html

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Brighton Family to be Deported to Algeria

12-02-2009 13:36

Assia & Nouha
Assia Souhalia her husband Athmane nationals of Algeria and their UK born daughter Nouha, residents of Brighton were 'Snatched' from their home yesterday morning and are currently detained in Yarl's Wood IRC. They are due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Tuesday 17th February on British Airways Flight BA895 from Terminal 5 Heathrow Airport @ 08.40 to Algiers, Algeria.

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Around the Campaigns Thursday 12th February 2009

12-02-2009 08:06

Tony Lola and his mother Mireille Maswa
Great news for all you lovely people - Pegah Emambakhsh is here to Stay
"We have just heard today that Pegah has finally been granted refugee status in the UK.  This is fantastic, wonderful, wonderful news and a great reward for all the hard work you all put in to ensure she was not sent back to Iran - so thank you, thank you, thank you.  Will be in touch again as soon as we have more details.  This  has been a long struggle but is a real vindication of what can be achieved when we all work together."

Love to all, Lesley, for Friends of Pegah Campaign

Background: Pegah Emambakhsh Must Stay!
 http://www.ncadc.org.uk/emmaginnsfolder/emmaginnsfolder/aug%2007/pegah.htm

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Thursday lunchtime Mitie cleaners demo in London

11-02-2009 20:36

There is a cleaners’ demo, on Thursday 12th February at 13:00 pm outside the Willis Group’s building at 51 Lime Street, London EC3M

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IWW Valentine's Day Blood Service protest - Sat 14th Feb

11-02-2009 14:36

Solidarity forever
On Saturday 14th February the IWW is taking a mobile protest to hospitals around the city, to inform the public and healthworkers about the looming closure of the Birmingham blood processing lab in March.

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Around the Campaigns Wednesday 11th February 2009

11-02-2009 10:11

Leila, Soorena and Danoush put through the mangle
So it goes, when we last posted information the family had been taken to the airport on Thursday 6th February put on a plane taken off the plane and returned to Yarl's Wood.

On Monday night 9th February they were deported to Iran, on Tuesday 10th February they were brought back to the UK, released from immigration detention and are back in Halifax. No one at this stage is quite clear on what happened and why it happened the way it did. Once we have a factual summary of events, we will update everyone. Leila, Soorena and Danoush have had their world turned upside down and are deeply traumatized by the events. Seems pretty certain that we will be putting the family in touch with Bhatt Murphy solicitors, see next article.
Leila, Soorena and Danoush belong to Halifax
 http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine103/Leila.html

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New left party formed in the Philippines

11-02-2009 02:57

More than 1000 people, including 920 elected delegates, attended the inaugural congress of Power of the Masses Party (PLM) on January 30.

The delegates represented mass organisations of workers, urban poor, peasants, students, street vendors, jeepney and tricycle drivers, women and senior citizens — a mass base estimated at 300,000 according to PLM leaders.

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Wirral Council Votes To Slash Services: What Now?

11-02-2009 00:15

When Wirral Council finally voted to go ahead with the Cabinet's proposed slashing of local services on 9th February, it caused anguish to the hundreds of people who have been campaigning for the last few months. Council employees are now set to lose their jobs at the worst possible time, as a global recession bites. Service users have lost access to libraries, leisure centres, and cultural venues. This terrible attack on ordinary people has shown the limitations of protests, letter-writing campaigns, and pinning hopes on politicians. The need for a new strategy has been highlighted.