You can now download nomination forms for our branch elections here.
Any branch member can stand (you just need 2 other members to propose and second you), and you can submit your nomination at any time between 8 March and 5 April.
The form needs to be returned to Danny Millum, the Returning Officer for the 2014 branch elections. Danny can be reached at 07783719479 or uol@iwgb.org.uk. You can also leave the form for his attention at the union office.
A conference for activists who want to transform the labour movement, hosted by WORKERS’ LIBERTY,the IWGB UNIVERSITY OF LONDON BRANCH, LAMBETH ACTIVISTS and PCS INDEPENDENT LEFT.
Tickets will be £10 waged, £7 low-waged/students, £5 unwaged/school or college students – including lunch.
How can we defend ourselves against the bosses’ attacks, rebuild working-class power and transform the labour movement, including trade unions, into a force which can change society?
Trade unions in Britain still have almost seven million members. When they move, they can shake society, but this doesn’t happen very much. For the most part, unions have little base among the millions of casualised (often young, often migrant) workers in growing industries like fast food, retail and hospitality; millions of union members are not really organised; and defeats like Grangemouth and Royal Mail show even organised workers struggling to assert their power. The interests of the unemployed, benefit claimants, service users and pensioners are sidelined. Unions have tolerated the continuation of Blairism’s neo-liberal policies by the Miliband Labour Party.
Yet there are also many inspiring workers’ struggles springing up, often where you would not expect them.
This conference will discuss and seek to learn from the experience of organising the unorganised, in Britain and other countries, in history and today. It will hear from working-class activists on the frontline of today’s class battles, and of struggles to reshape trade unions.
Sessions will include
• One, two, many ‘New Unionisms’: how the British labour movement has fallen and revived over two centuries
• How to transform your union branch
• The story of the IWGB and “3 Cosas”: what lessons for labour movement activists?
• The lessons of the Industrial Workers of the World, 1905-14
• What is independent working-class education?
• The NUT: building a rank-and-file opposition in a ‘left’ union
• Do unions need a political party?
More info and agenda with speakers very soon!
More information: email daniel.cooper@ulu.lon.ac.uk or ring 07840 136 728 or check out www.workersliberty.org/newunions
There was a massive turnout today as the SOAS Justice for Cleaners 2-day strike kicked off, with many arriving at 4am to begin picketing.
Reports overnight indicated that the cleaning contractor ISS had attempted to bring in scab cleaners,and there had been violent assualts on student J4C supporters (https://twitter.com/UCLanticuts/status/440788171182571520).
However, the strike appeared to be holding strong, with great support from directly-employed staff who were refusing to cross picket lines.
Earlier UNISON Branch Secretary Sandy Nicholl had stated:
‘UNISON were approached on Thursday of last week by ISS who said they wished to meet the union today to make an unspecified offer to resolve the dispute subject to UNISON suspending the strike action planned for Tuesday and Wednesday. A very well attended UNISON ISS members meeting took place this morning to consider our response and agreed unanimously to reject the conditions attached to these talks particularly as there were no details of the “offer” that ISS wished to make.
We reiterated that we were happy to meet ISS at any time to discuss any potential settlement but without preconditions. ISS turned this down stating that SOAS management had not authorised them to do so.’
The strike continues tomorrow – follow events on Twitter @SOASJ4C, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Justice-For-Cleaners-SOAS
The IWGB University of London branch passed a motion last week donating £100 to the SOAS strike fund, as well as pledging total solidarity, and several of our members were on the picket today.
Come along tomorrow if you can!
IWGB President Alberto Durango has been summoned by police following last month’s strike action at the University of London.
Durango is alleged to have ‘prevented University of London catering staff from entering the grounds of Senate House’, and could potentially face charges under the Public Order Act.
The University of London, which has faced unprecedented strikes by outsourced workers in the last few months, has continued to take a baffling hard line in response to the relatively mild demands of the strikers that their terms and conditions be brought in line with those of direct employees, and that their union, the IWGB, be recognised.
Rather than sit down with representatives of the workers, the University has instead pressed for the prosecution of a student protester for chalking, and now looks to be attempting to criminalise a hard-working and effective union leader.
It is interesting that when the management-approved unions UNISON and UCU strike at Senate House, the University shows no interest in their pickets. However, when a union of largely low-paid, immigrant workers takes such action, the University seeks every avenue to attempt to punish these employees for their temerity in asking for equal treatment with their directly-employed colleagues.
A student protester arrested for chalking on University of London (UoL) property has been cleared of assaulting two police officers but found guilty of criminal damage.
Ms K Duff, 25, was found not guilty of assaulting special sergeant Liam Souter by kneeing him in the cheek as he and another officer attempted to handcuff her on 16 July last year inside the University of London Union (ULU). She was also cleared of assaulting police constable Paula O’Grady by kicking her in the leg as officers tried to lift her into a police van on Malet St.
However, Duff was convicted of criminal damage by judge Nina Tempia for writing “sick pay, holidays, pensions now” and “support the cleaners struggle” in chalk on UoL’s foundation stone as part of the 3Cosas campaign which supports outsourced university workers.
Via a University of Nottingham student, audio of the recent 3 Cosas tour…
The ‘3 Cosas’ campaign national tour came to Nottingham on the 19th February, in the form of Daniel Cooper (Vice President of the ULU and popular lefty candidate for NUS President), Jason Moyer-Lee (IWGB Branch Secretary for the University of London) and Robinson (cleaner and activist). Recorded by yours truly.
Some brilliantly impassioned speeches given by Robinson and Daniel, followed by a Q&A. A couple of five-minute films began the evening and I cut these from the recording as they are inaudible, but they are available on YouTube here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5j3zxXEl34
And here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVih3SicEqA
Viva!
Our branch elections are coming up, and it would be great if members could think about whether they wanted to take on any of the following positions:
Any branch member can stand (you just need 2 other members to propose and second you), and you can submit your nomination at any time between 8 March and 5 April.
Forms will be available soon, but please do get in touch with Jason Abraham Moyer-Lee (JasonMoyer-Lee@iwgb.org.uk) with any questions. A list of current officers can be found here, and the timetable is below.
| Date | Activity |
| Saturday, 8 March | Officer positions advertised and nomination forms accepted |
| Saturday, 5 April | Deadline for accepting nomination forms |
| Monday, 14 April | Ballots distributed to workplaces for absentee voting |
| Saturday, 26 April | AGM; secret voting |
Over the last month many Aramark workers at the University of London have joined the IWGB in order to resolve issues such as zero-hour contracts, sick pay and holidays and bullying and harassment in the workplace.
Following an initial meeting with Aramark’s UK HR Operations Director Adrian Goldacre, the company has already agreed the following
Aramark have promised to look into all zero-hour contracts at the University, and to look to move full-time staff onto permanent contracts.
Letters should be going out to all Aramark staff by 1 April offering them improved sick pay and holiday arrangements, including up to 33 days holiday a year, and up to 6 months full sick pay.
A guarantee of an investigation into all instances of bullying and harassment within the company, and an assurance that any complaints will be taken seriously without risk of reprisals from management.
Aramark have stated that all employees are free to associate with a trade union, and that managers need to understand this clearly.
We’re already making great progress, but we need your help to do more. The more members the union has, the stronger we are. If you work for Aramark and want to join the IWGB, please contact Jason Moyer-Lee (JasonMoyer-Lee@iwgb.org.uk or call 07771783094). If you are already a member, please tell your colleagues!
Our next branch meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 February at 1pm in room S16 in the Institute of Education. All members are welcome, and everyone will get a voice and a vote.
Please do get in touch (uol@iwgb.org.uk) if you have anything you would like adding to the agenda.
We’ll be talking about the strikes, the Garden Halls, and the current letter-writing campaign for recognition, and electing reps for areas where we don’t have anyone yet.
Independent Workers Union of Great Britain - Universities of London Branch 