City of London Corporation cleaners say: Occupy Guildhall!

Cleaners are staging a sit in at the Corporation of London’s Guildhall in protest at the inadequate response of their employer, the contractor Sodexo over the abusive treatment of women employees.

Friday 23rd December, 6am onwards
The Guildhall, London, EC2V 7HH

Cleaners staging sit in at Corporation of London’s Guildhall over abuse of women!

The cleaners who are organised by the independent workers union, the Industrial Workers of the World say their action comes after a growing frustration with Sodexo (and their predecessor Ocean) following persistent complaints regarding the conduct of certain members of the management team at Guildhall. Repeatedly complaints have been raised with respect to varying degrees of the mistreatment especially women, including extreme acts such as bullying, confinement of individuals, intimidation and assault.

The cleaners say the last straw was an incident involving a manager and one of the union representatives on Monday 21 November. The rep Isabel Martin was followed to a room in the basement of Guildhall, where she was blocked from leaving with the door closed, then it is alleged a male supervisor subjected her to an outburst of aggression and intimidating behaviour, the terrified women felt was under threat of real physical violence.

The IWW London Regional Secretary Chris Ford states that ‘the union has raised concerns and complaints of the treatment of employees on enough previous occasions with the employers to warrant sufficient preventative measures to safeguard the safety employees and to ensure no further mistreatment may occur. In the summer a mass meeting of cleaners had called for the removal of those managers responsible for ill-treatment of workers.’ The last incident the IWW insists could have been avoided if the concerns of workers were respected and acted upon beforehand. One cleaner stated: ‘These big companies need to put the safety of the workers before the reputation of the City of London Corporation’.

The union feels Sodexo have dragged their feet over this incident – they raised a complaint in letters of 22/11/2011 and 29/11/2011 but it took twenty days before the women worker was formally interviewed. Her complaint of such a serious matter has been treated as a mere grievance.

For the last two days a number of workers have refused to undertake their cleaning duties and are staging a sit in at the reception of the Guildhall. They are demanding robust action that can protect women workers from such ill-treatment occurring again.This is an ongoing campaign and the cleaners would appreciate any support.

Sack Prentis and Barber

Pensions: Will Prentis try and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

Leicester Solidarity Group on the rumours that Unison general secretary Dave Prentis is set to agree a backroom deal to cut local government and NHS workers' pensions.

While Brendan Barber openly pimps the government's latest pensions "offer" (which in reality offers sweet FA) and is busy urging all public sector unions to kiss Francis Maude's posterior, Unison's Dave Prentis also seems keen to let his backbone slip, and the word on the street is, he's been arguing for total surrender with other union bureaucrats. We're not in the least bit surprised, given that Prentis and the Unison leadership only backed N30 on account of rank and file pressure. Still, Dave tells us it ain't so and in today's Unison eFocus says:

"I realise that rumours have been circulating and I wanted to reassure you that no decisions have been taken over the details surrounding contribution increases or the future look of the LGPS.

"However, I believe that - if agreed - the principles under discussion will provide a very positive framework for negotiations and potentially could lead to no change until 2014."

If you notice just how positive he is, then you don't need to read between the lines to see that Prentis is itching to sell out his members.

Rank and file pressure forced him to back us and rank and file pressure can force him to hold firm. But if that fails, the electricians are already showing us how it's done without the help of union bureaucrats.

Meanwhile, there's an online petition against secret deals by union leaders here.Sac

Never trust a politician

Lord hahah Hutton has just said that the changes to public sector workers should be speeded up to avert the country slipping further into economic decline. What a joke not only have public sector workers been told they will not get a rise for another 2 years they are also being told that out of their meagre wages they should contribute more towards their pension. Some of us haven't had a pay rise in 6 years. What aren't saying is that the extra contributions aren't going into the pension fund but are going to the treasury. They are also relying on people staying in the pension fund but quite the opposite is true. People will leave in their droves. What they also are conveniently forgetting is that MPs all of whom are parasitic and many of whom are millionaires are on final salary pensions. In the year 2008 MPs had a hole in their pensions of £40,000,000 and were then bailed out by the treasury. They have also been told their pensions will be changed in line with the public sector and the backbenchers have rebelled. So its all right for the workers to suffer but MPs mustn't. Hang the lot of them. Get the money back of the bankers and the rich not the working classes.

When will people stop treating soldiers as heroes!!! No one told them to join the army, no one told them to go and fight on foreign shores!! They volunteered, they thought it would exciting. Getting shot for areshole politicians to flex their muscles is a waste. It's also been reported that american soldiers a have come under fire from across the boarder in  Pakistan, what do they expect its a war. Its about time we our priorities right, what about people who are killed doing their daily work (construction etc) are they heroes?They should be  applauded, but they are forgotten. Society is crap, stop wars and take the toys from the boys!

Symbolic protest or strike to fight

Wednesday November 30th heralds the most widespread strike action for many years in the UK. With 24 public sector unions all striking on the same day, it is very welcome to see unions taking concerted action in this way.

However, it's worth remembering that it will require much more than one day strikes to be sure of a real victory and the 30th's action will definitely need to be built on. But whether the trade unions are capable of doing this, especially given the weak, legalistic tactics that trade unions are entrenched in remains to be seen.

But aren't the unions tactics already having an effect?

True there has been some movement from the government and employers in response to positive strike ballots but this is just conciliatory noises, a ploy to make the unions look inflexible while obscuring the fact that the government and employers are actually offering us nothing. The unions long ago surrendered to anti union legislation and other oppressive employment laws and have got used to doing everything 'through the proper legal channels' and they are now virtually incapable of fighting to win.

But we can't do everything by the book because it's not our book;
these laws were enacted to specifically hamstring effective industrial action.

If we want to be sure of a real victory, then we'll need to:

• Intensify strike action in spite of the anti-trade union laws and the reluctance of union high-ups to engage in action beyond anything purely symbolic.
• Spread the dispute- it's essential that we take our struggle beyond the single issue of pensions. The way the unions have mobilised makes it seem as though it is indeed our pensions that are the central concern. This is far from the truth. The point is to show that workers reject the idea that we all have to make 'sacrificies' and to do so in solidarity with the whole  working class, including unwaged people and service users. Instead, the way the unions have mobilised makes it seem as though it is indeed public sector pensions that are the central issue. We cannot unite with the rest of the working class on the basis of a one day strike over public sector pensions.
• Unite with other workers - that means broadening our aims to include private sector workers over a range of issues other than pensions.
• Go wildcat - in recent years, a number of disputes have by-passed trade union bureaucrats and we have seen a rise in forms of direct action that defy the unions reluctance to break the law. From wildcat strikes to workplace occupations, from blockades to technically unlawful secondary action, we have seen workers refusal to submit being expressed in ways that the state and the employers have not been able to stifle.
• Establish local strike committees between workers form different unions and workplaces - controlled from below rather than trade union bureaucrats above.

What we as anarchists are talking about is not only winning this particular dispute but also building an effective, militant and autonomous workers movement that will set us up for future battles and future victories.

Meanwhile the best way to guarantee any degree of success over pensions, privatisation, attacks on services, attacks on any section of the working class, is to make this strike as strong and effective as we can, to widen the issues and spread the dispute to other sectors.

So lets get to it and fight to win!!!!

To be governed

To be governed is to be watched over, inspected, spied on, directed, legislated, regimented, closed in, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, assessed, evaluated, censored, commanded; all by creatures that have neither the right, nor wisdom nor virtue........ To be governed means that at every move, operation, operation or transaction one is noted, registered, entered in a census, taxed, stamped, priced, assessed, patented, licenced, authorised, recommended, admonished, prevented, reformed, set right, corrected. Government means to be subjected tribute, trained, ransomed, exploited, monopolised, extorted, pressured, mystified, robbed all in the name of public utility and the general good. Then at the first sign of resistance or word of complaint, one is repressed, fined,despised, vexed, pursued, hastled, beaten up, garroted, imprisoned, shot, machine gunned, judged, sentenced, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed, and to cap it all ridiculed, mocked. outraged and dishonoured. That is government, that's it justice and its morality.
These words were written by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in 1853 over 150 years ago yet all the above is still relevant and we are still allowing it happen in the mis-lead belief in western democracy. Think again and RISE UP!!!!

Infil-traitor

Last night on channel 4 in the UK was a documentary on Mark Kennedy. The undercover cop that infiltrated the protest movement in the UK and Europe. We saw how the state uses arseholes like Kennedy to gather information on those who actually care about their community and the injustices that the capitalist system continues to perpetuate. We heard how he joined different groups across Europe and once in a position to obtain information about various actions he passed them back to to the enforcement agencies. This was entrapment. All time he was living a lie he wasn't that nice activist people thought he was but an instrument of the state. We heard how he has now lost his job, has no family  and no prospects and spends his days racked with guilt. He should have thought about that before he he did what he did. His actions led to protesters being jailed, his actions led to people losing their liberty, his actions led to people being hurt. He deserves every thing that happens to him we should have no sympathy, he's lucky that he's still in one piece. For every action there is an equal and opposite re-action.

This week we also learnt that former prime ministers Thatcher, Major and Blair have claimed over £1.7 million in expenses in the last five years. Under rules set up by Major in 1991 the ex PMs are able to claim a public duties costs allowance (as if they don't earn enough).How has Thatcher, given that she is nearly dead been able to claim £535,000 from the fund is a joke!! Blair who earns millions from speaking engagements, consultation to dictators and his memoirs since leaving office in 2007, has claimed £273,000 from the public purse ( yours and my money) and who says the world is fair!! Hang them!!

Plastic bullets

Tomorrow there is to be a demonstration in London concerning the issues of student fee and the cuts. This action is being taken by students and school kids in the main.
 The press would have you believe that its going to be hijacked by Anarchists (if only there were that many). Everything that happens where there happens to be a display of force against the state is blamed on "Anarchists and Anarchy. It's about time that people realised that Anarchy isn't about violence and destruction but it is about bringing down the capitalist system of greed and exploitation clearly the rich don't want this. As a result it has now been revealed that police chiefs have been allowed to use baton rounds (plastic bullets) for "extreme measures". What constitutes "extreme measures" a broken window for example. Armed police to deal with minor disturbances such as demonstrations is very frightening. This country is fast becoming a dystopian society ( a repressive and controlling state) similar to the one created by George Orwell in 1984. You are currently being watched by the largest number of CCTV in the world (1 for every 14 people) and now you will be controlled by armed police.
The use of baton rounds has been highly controversial since that tory twat Teresa May allowed police to deploy them in response to the London riots earlier this year. The president of the Association of Chief Police Officers sir Hugh Orde who deployed plastic bullets whilst serving in Northern Ireland spoke out against the use of baton rounds and water cannons and said that they should only be used in extreme circumstances and certainly not on the streets of  London.
This all ties in with the last blog about Oakland. BAe systems and Design Technologies create weapons for controlling people and that is what we see starting to be deployed here. The condems and other puppets of the ruling classes are creating the biggest open prison in the world,its called the UK. Any form of dissent will be stamped on and this is happening now. We must oppose the ruling classes and smash their capitalistic, greed motivated, dystopian society now before its too late!!!!

Oakland Police

Now we see the true face of capitalism in the USA with the violence that has been metered out on the anti capitalist campaigners by the Oakland police. The level of violence that has been used by the Oakland police with its armoury of 'non lethal' crowd control weaponry against unarmed protesters shows the true colours of the capitalist business elite , the state, its apparatus of government and their law enforcers.

The fact that Defence Technology boasts of specialising in less lethal technology and other crowd management products whilst conceding that 'information is somewhat difficult to obtain' on the damage its products cause should be enough to raise alarm bells in any right minded people.

It should also be noted that Palestinian demonstrators on the West Bank have also been subjected to Defence  Technologies rambo style products.

We should all be aware that what happens in the states will soon be on our shores.  We  should be actively pursuing BAE systems and Defence Technology to stop the use of these weapons and the assault on the right of freedom to protest. What we are seeing is the rich / capital using force to protect itself, it has to be defeated, it cannot be allowed to control us!

Gaddafi is dead

To brutality and torture he was wed 

To torture, prison and death

his dissenters were led

to the west his lies were fed

but his punishment was swift

a bullet to the head

He thought he was an Arabic narrator

but he was just another fucked up dictator

but worse than that

whilst brutality was planned

the west in the shadows
did stand

The west knew of the pain 

but Blair thought there was political gain

there should never be 

a dictator like him again

but if its interest of the west

then in brutality they will invest 

What a week

What a brilliant week. Unison, that massive undemocratic machine has finally managed to get off its arse and agree to take some action we've actually won a vote to strike. On the other hand it's quite sad as only 30% of the membership bothered to vote yet it's there pension we are stiking to protect. One day Unison might elect someone who an element of fight in them instead of the week labour lettuce that we have now. Most of the unison full timers are unelected, thats a democratic union for you.We activists will fight what ever the Union says (do it yourself) better to die fighting than give up Who says the British aren't apathetic.

On a brighter note it looks like greece is going down the pan and italy isn't that far behind it. It just goes to show how undemocratic these countries are. Greece was going to have a referendum on whether or not to stay in the euro, it was quite clear that the majority of the greek people wanted this and were gonig to vote to leave however the other member states decided that this isn't in the best interests of the country and put pressure on the country to drop the referendum. Germany had said a referendum would essentially be a vote on whether Greece wanted to be part of the EU and that the stability of the eurozone was more important than Greek membership. So basically up yours Greece! what a sad state of affairs.It's clear that all these bail out packages don't work and won't work capitalism is in state of free fall. As some of the people in Greece have said pull out of the euro now, let the country collapse and then rebuild rather than waiting for an agonisgly slow death with bail outs they have no possibilty of paying back. The country needs to take a leaf out of spains book and become an anarchist republic, fuck the euro and the euro zone!

There's a surprise

On Tuesday the Independent ran a story "Cabinet ministers get it wrong about the riots". Most of the young rioters arrested during this summer's violence came from the country's most deprived homes and were struggling at schools in poor neighbourhoods, the Government's own research has concluded. Its mad they need experts to tell them the blindingly obvious. Its clear there are not that many gangs in this country and as for a coordinated approach to rioting that's just laughable. They could ask anyone who is working class and lives in the cities what is the cause for rioting. Its because the ruling classes have created a two tier society, those who have and those who haven't. Those who haven't want the same as those who have ie large TV's, flash cars, nice houses, nice clothes and the list go's on. Those who are poor have the TV advertising /makeover programmes, hoardings, magazines etc telling them how they should look and live, with little or no money and no prospect of getting jobs (especially in these times of austerity). Therefore the only other option to achieve this is to take from the very institutions that are promoting / selling these goods.Once people see one person robbing a shop then its not long before they thing wow I've always wanted one of those. I neither condem nor condone their actions but it is easy to see why this occurs and will continue to occur until we have a fairer and eqaul society.
 These politicians make me sick they don't live in the real world. They continually make claims that we live in a democracy, they continually feed us lies and untruths yet the electorate continue to trust them and participate in this sham of government. They are parasites Get rid of them!!! tax the rich and big business not the poor.

For a change here's one of my poems

Control

We're sitting by the stones

having a fag

we can't have that say's old maggie

we'll bring a law to stop their fun

so the harrassment had begun

We can't have travellers, hippies and punks

dancing to that load rave and funk

coming to spoil our pleasant land

I'll bring in laws

They shall be banned

Criminal justice act

The rich and the state have made a pact

To destroy freedom and fun

Maggie say's of that we'll definately have none

They think they have upper hand

to use the army and coppers for a ban

But we'll not give in to their

propagander and lies

We will not be flattened  like flies

One thing you cannot control

The spirit 

It lives on in our soul

Lies and more lies

This week (and it's only Monday) more revelations have come out about Blairs war in Iraq. Yet again the British government and the media have kept secret what exactly happened in Iraq. It would appear that in 2008 british troops were getting a good beating and had lost Basra. It was only with the help of the yanks that the situation was saved. However the british government and the corrupt, lying  media were putting out untruths that all was well with the troops in Basra when quite clearly it wasn't. The MOD have said that this was done to keep up moral of the troops and the people back in blighty. Do they really expect us to believe this old tripe? It was more than likely done to save Blairs neck. What else have we not been told or have lies spun about. Now Blairs a peace envoy, how can that be? You start a war and then you become a "peace envoy". It doesn't add up! 

Liam Fox what a smug git! Here's a man who has breached the parliamentary rules and has made "serious mistakes" yet he will be let off with a slap on the wrists. What a joke! If that were you or I, we would promptly suspended, marched off the premises and not allowed back until the disciplinary hearing. We would then be sacked. Yet again we see one rule for the rich but another for the workers. We should be calling for his head!

Darling Cameron is now asking people to "shop a suspected illegal immigrant" What a brilliant idea that is. What makes someone suspicious, is it because they have a different coloured skin or talk in a different language or is it because they go out early in the morning and come back late at night? That could be you or me and all we are doing is going to work. We have to work long hours because of the crap wages we are given. This idea seems to have been taken from Mao or Pol Pot when children were encouraged to shop people. Where will this end? We've already got shop a benefit fraudster, shop a dope dealer, asbo's, crasbo's and now shop an illegal immigrant. Watch out the vigilantes and those people  with bed sheets and white pointy hats are coming  It looks like we are on the road to national socialism and that is very frightening !


On a lighter note if you are into alternative forms of housing check out Lloyd Khans website and blog at WWW.Shelterpub.com brilliant!


No gods, No masters, No borders!

Do it yourself

The reason i'm writing this blog is because I like many others are fed up with being lied to on a daily basis by Governments and the Media and we need to fight them together. We can see an example of this with the present government, they are completely out of touch with the people. They or rather their predecessors' were the ones who encouraged the poor to spend and get credit. Now the millionaire PM has the cheek to say to the poor they should pay off their credit cards to help the country hahaha. If the poor had money they wouldn't have credit! I bet he and his cronies have never been in debt in their lives. If they had mummy or daddy would have bailed them out. We need to tax the rich not the poor.
 When will the people realise we don't have democracy (ok it's not as bad as some countries) but they, the rich, are gradually eroding our freedom. When was the last time the people were consulted on anything, remember the gulf war millions turned out and the government as usual didn't listen. Were we consulted on the issue of CCTV, going to war in Afghanistan, increasing taxes? never. It should be remembered that the rich write the laws to protect themselves not the workers. I believe that people can organise themselves without the interference of governments. They don't need state surveillance or police to control them.