Just a quick notice to remind you that after a series of postponements at the end of last year we will finally be meeting the University’s proposed mediator, Oliver Segall QC, on Friday.
At this first meeting the IWGB’s indefatigable negotiating reps, Rebecca Dooley and Mark Murphy, will aim to find out exactly how this planned mediation will work, and we will be sure to feed back to staff as soon as possible re the details.
Watch this space!
We thought that this exhibition might be of interest to members – it’s just upstairs in the library on the 4th floor of Senate House, and is well worth checking out!
Senate House Library is hosting a free exhibition and series of events running from the 16th of January through March 2017, displaying and promoting the library collections of those who defined themselves as radical in the specific late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century British sense, as well as those who more generally advocated for societal improvements through reform. Senate House Library has organically developed into a hub for collections of radical voices of the last few centuries. Revealing this strand in the library collections not only sheds light on enormously influential but subsequently neglected figures, campaigns and organizations, but also on the University’s own institutional history, and potential futures.
Tickets to view the Radical Voices exhibition are free and are available at the membership desk on the fourth floor of Senate House. Please see the library’s operating hours before planning your visit.
In addition to the exhibition, the library will be hosting a series of events, including film nights, conferences, concerts and an ephemera road show. Please see the website for more information about these events and to register to attend.
You may have seen (in the Guardian, in the Evening Standard, in the Financial Times, on Radio 4 (from 21.25), on Radio 5 or on the BBC website) that the IWGB’s Maggie Dewhurst won her case against the cycle courier firm CitySprint.
The tribunal claim was for two days’ unpaid holiday pay, but the real argument was whether couriers should be classified as “independent contractors”, or “workers” in the eyes of UK and EU law.
This victory means that not just Maggie, but thousands across the courier industry, will be able to claim holiday pay and other basic rights they were hitherto denied.
Three more cases are going forward against other companies, as the IWGB is determined to transform this hitherto exploitative industry!
Since November, the IWGB has been attempting to gain recognition (a collective bargaining agreement) from Deliveroo in London. If we are successful, it will be the first collective bargaining agreement in the UK’s so called “gig economy” and will force Deliveroo to recognise their riders as workers. This will give them the right to the minimum wage, paid holidays, legal protection against discrimination and more.
Deliveroo has rejected the initial request, but the union remains determined to succeed and a tribunal case is currently pending. But it shouldn’t take a tribunal case to compel Deliveroo to do the right thing. They should recognise their drivers as “workers” and should recognise the union for the purposes of collective bargaining now.
Please help your fellow IWGB members and sign the LabourStart petition – http://www.labourstart.org/go/deliveroo
Far from winding down for the Christmas period, we are thinking of ramping up the anti-Aramark redundancies campaign with a bit more leafletting next week.
We got a great response last time and haven’t been able to do any since, so next Wednesday we’d like to hand out leaflets during the lunchtime rush again, and maybe during breakfast too. Please let us know (catherinemorrissey@iwgb.co.uk )if you can volunteer to do a festive good deed and help out for half an hour.
The latest on this is that the company conducted 5-minute ‘consultation’ meetings with affected staff, except those fortunate/wise enough to be IWGB members, who had decent support and thereby forced the managers into a more appropriate discussion of the options.
At these meetings it turned out that Aramark hasn’t conducted an equality impact assessment, and the managers in attendance – including the Director of Operations – had no idea why it might be a good idea to do so! Needless to say the indefatigable Danny Millum has now enlightened them…
Just a final note to finish: last year, Aramark’s annual profits were a mere $14.3 billion. Small change for most of us eh! So if anyone’s wondering whether they ‘need’ to make these people redundant … let them draw their own conclusions.
Thanks to all the delegates who came to the meeting on Saturday, and to everyone who came to the party afterwards – we had a really productive discussion, and then a fantastic party, with food, drink and dancing into the early hours (if not quite so far into the early hours as some people might have liked!).
We’ll be in touch with a full report of the decisions taken and suggestions made at the meeting, but we thought we’d share some photos for now anyway!
Many thanks as well to everyone who helped set up, run things on the day, and clean up afterwards – we will definitely be hosting more joint events with United Voices of the World!
Te invitamos a celebrar la fiesta de navidad con tu sindicato IWGB el sabado 10 de diciembre desde las 6:30pm hasta el amanecer!
Habra servicio de comida, bebidas y fiesta!
Lugar: Instituto de Historical Research / Senate House – Malet Street WC1E 7HU.
Estacion de metro mas cercana: Russell Square.
Cualquier pregunta: 07922810798 (Henry)
Entrada gratuita para todos los miembros! Te esperamos!
Please make sure to come to our Christmas party on Saturday 10 December 2016, which we’re running jointly this year with our comrades in the United Voices of the World union.
The party will take place in the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, Malet Street WC1E 7HU, and will start at 6.30pm.
Entrance is free for all members, and there will be food, drink and music from acclaimed SOAS DJ Luis Aramando!
Any questions at all call IWGB President and party maestro Henry Chango Lopez on 07922810798, or email catherinemorrissey@iwgb.co.uk.
See you there!
Our branch meetings this week will take place on Friday at 12.30 in the common room next to the cafe,and then on Saturday at 1.30 in the union office.
The main item on the agenda this month is the Aramark restructure – we will be handing out fliers and petitions at the meeting, so please make sure to come if you can and support your Aramark colleagues.
The full agenda is:
Any suggestions or ideas please contact catherinemorrissey@iwgb.co.uk.
Independent Workers Union of Great Britain - Universities of London Branch 