Brent
Pharmaceutical workers struggle in Wembley
Workers at the Chemilines pharmaceuticals firm in Wembley, north west London, are stepping up their campaign for decent pay and dignity at work.
They walked out on their second one-day strike last week and have now voted unanimously for a three-day strike at the end of this month. The Chemilines workers, who are mostly Asian women, are hoping to hold a public meeting this Saturday to build support for their cause, followed by a march the Saturday after that.
London tube workers strike over safety
A section of the Bakerloo line is suspended as 150 workers stage a 24 hour strike over staffing levels.
Drivers and station staff walked off the job for 24 hours at 10pm last night (Thursday) over management plans to reduce the number of station staff available to remove passengers from trains. This has caused the closure of the Bakerloo line between Queens Park and Harrow and Wealdstone.
Academy site occupied in Brent
Protestors have occupied Wembley Park sports field in an attempt to prevent the construction of a City Academy.
The protestors, including teachers, parents and sports ground users have set up tents on the field with the intention of staying there permanently until the proposal is dropped. Funded by the DfES and private sponsor Andrew Rosenfield, the Academy was approved in January by Brent Council and would sit on what is currently Bridge Road Recreation Ground.
The Grunwick Strike - A. Sivanandan
An essay written during the middle of the Grunwicks strike in Willesden, north-west London. A predominatly east African Asian female workforce went on strike against poor conditions and for union recognition.
There were mass pickets, sometimes violent, in support of the strikers. They eventually became disillusioned with the half-hearted and obstructive role of the unions and, towards the end of the defeated strike, conducted a hunger strike/picket outside the TUC headquarters.
From 'A Different Hunger', A. Sivanandan, Pluto Press, 1982.
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Exposing John Prescott's housing policies
The office Of The Deputy Prime Minister (ODMP) laid down the Decent Homes Standards to improve social housing by 2010, therefore directly benefiting communities. The flip side to this is the destruction of communities in Co-op run social housing.
Councils are repossessing all their properties, effectively making Co-op tenants homeless. Traditional social housing stock is disappearing, Co-ops are facing critical times.
