Solidarity Federation

An article by a careworker in Manchester Solfed about how careworkers are being treated during the current crisis

Deliveroo was founded in 2013 by Will Shu, an investment banker, and Greg Orlowski, a software developer. It was a simple idea whereby customers place food orders through an app or on the website, and couriers, with the app on their mobile phones, deliver the food from the restaurant to the customer. However, like any technology (no matter how life changing) utilised under capitalism, in practice Deliveroo means exploitation for the workers on whose labour the success of the company depends.

Following on from our recent post on the World Bank and climate change comes more bad news from the Bank. In the World Bank’s flagship 2019 World Development Report, entitled the Changing Nature of Work, the Bank argues for wide-ranging deregulation of labour; deemed necessary to prepare countries for the changing nature of work. The report sets out a nice cosy capitalist future under which firms will be relieved of the burden of contributing to social security, have the flexibility to pay wages as low as they think fit and have the power to fire people at will.

Following the assault of a Brighton Solidarity Federation member by Youngs Estate Agents owner David Pay, the tenant at the centre of the dispute was assaulted in his own home by Pay's son, Oliver, who had forcefully entered the premises. In response to these attempts at intimidation, Brighton Solfed are organising a solidarity protest this Saturday.