Hackney
Dinner ladies may strike
A group of dinner ladies based in Hackney who claim they are being underpaid are threatening strike action.
The cooks and catering assistants based at 27 schools in the London borough are currently employed by contractors, but say they do not receive the same rates as those directly employed by the council.
Lammas land grab
Secret plans to hand over protected green space in Leyton to allotment holders from Hackney are being hatched by Waltham Forest Council and Olympic developers.
Furious local people learned about the scheme only last week though discussions began in October.
Marsh Lane playing fields were singled out by the London Development Agency (LDA) as a prospective site to relocate Eastway allotments from Waterden Road, Hackney, which fall within the 2012 Olympic site.
London: Warden walk out threat
A walkout by Hackney's 70 traffic wardens has moved a step closer after they agreed to ballot for strike action in a dispute over pay and late-night working.
If the parking attendants vote to strike, the borough's parking restrictions will not be enforced, allowing drivers to park illegally on yellow lines, in controlled parking zones without a valid permit and at parking meters without paying.
Broadway Market: Second eviction threat
Following the occupation of Tony's Café on Broadway Market, another shop on the same street is also set for eviction.
Spirit, who runs the Nutritious Food Gallery at no. 71 has a court date on 27th January and may be evicted soon after that.
A statement from the occupiers of 34 Broadway Market follows:
EVICTION THREAT
Broadway Market cafe re-taken by residents
On Boxing Day morning, a new group of supporters of the campaign managed to enter and re-occupy Café Francesca in Broadway Market, East London.
The cafe had been occupied by local residents for weeks, in protest against gentrification and the cut-price selling of publicly-owned property in the area to developers.
BBC London footage (AVI format, 6.7mb)
Bailiffs and builders trashed the cafe after they and police evicted the local campaigners before Christmas.
Occupied Cafe Evicted
Sheriffs and Police broke into the occupied Tony's Café on Broadway Market at 7.00am this morning, injuring one of the occupiers and have allowed property developer Dr Wratten's men to start an immediate demolition.
Within an hour the building was rendered unliveable.
One of the participants said:
"We lodged an appeal yesterday with the High Court but the bailiffs ignored that and went ahead anyway. Two of the occupiers are at the courts right now trying to get a stay of execution but Wratten's men have done so much damage that it seems unlikely we could re-occupy the café.
Broadway Market occupation - two weeks on
Café Francesca in Broadway Market, Hackney has been occupied for two weeks by local people to prevent its demolition by property developer Dr Roger Wratten and conversion into luxury flats.
The occupation has received widespread press coverage, overwhelming local support and looks set to continue for some time. Hundreds of people have visited the café in the past 14 days bringing food, furniture and donations, over 60 people are on the shift rota and local residents associations have passed resolutions in favour of the occupation with offers of practical support.
Broadway Market occupation
An article from the Hackney Independent Winter Newsletter on the Broadway Market occupation.
Broadway Market Hackney: Café Occupation
Francesca's Café at 34 Broadway Market in Hackney, London has been occupied by local people to prevent it's demolition by developer Dr. Roger Wratten who plans to build luxury flats on the site.
The occupation made the front page of Hackney Gazette on Thursday, and has been covered by metamute in more depth, but needs much more publicity and practical support if it is going to continue for more than a few days.
Broadway Market Occupation
Image gallery from the occupation of Francesca's Café on Broadway Market, Hackney. There was also an occupation of Dalston Theatre, and a campaign to prevent the eviction of Spirit's shop, also on Broadway Market. For details, see the libcom news feature. Images of the eviction kindly provided by Gabrielle Motola.
