300 in Brighton join with millions on strike and demonstrating across Europe against the cuts

300 trade union members from across workplaces all over Brighton and Hove marched through the city to join millions of workers demonstrating throughout Europe against brutal government cuts to jobs and services.

Police staff, bin workers, Connexions workers, job centre staff, nurses, teachers, care workers, nursery staff, lecturers, unemployed, firefighters, teaching assistants, students, pensioners and postal workers were among the many who took part in the protest organised by the local Unison, GMB, NUT, PCS and UCU branches as part of the Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition fightback.

In Spain 10 million workers on general strike took to the streets to make a stand against savage cuts to pay and pensions with trade union pickets and barricades controlling the streets in many cities. In Bruxelles, home of the European Parliament that is helping to force through the injustified attacks, 100,000 trade unionists joined a mass demonstration through the city. A general strike in Greece brought out nearly every trade union organisation against IMF-imposed instructions to attack the pay, pensions and working conditions of low paid public sector workers.

Workers from Portugal, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Serbia, Romania, Poland, Ireland and France also staged similar protests against government cuts.

Workers and trade unions right across Europe are uniting, discussing and organising a powerful resistance to the neoliberal cuts agenda that is attempting to make the working class pay for an economic mess caused by capitalism's bankers and the rich.

Today's anti-cuts demonstration in Brighton added to the huge ripple of resistance that has spread across the continent to send a message of our strength of unity to the bosses and governments that we will fight to make them and the rich to pay for their crisis.

More upcoming trade union events in Brighton are being organised and details will be posted here.

For information about the fightback and to get involved visit the Brighton Stop the Cuts Facebook page or contact brightontradescouncil@gmail.com

Next action: Demonstrate against the Con-Dem government at the Tory party conference, Sunday October 3. Coach leaving Brighton 7.30 am at St Peter's Church, Richmond Place, Brighton. For tickets contact 07886 308520

Demonstration against cuts! Part of the European TUC Day Of Action September 29 2010

YOUR CITY - YOUR SERVICES!
SUPPORT US ON SEPTEMBER 29 2010
Demonstrate 4pm Kings House, Grand Avenue, Hove
Rally 5pm Brighton Town Hall, Batholomew Square

On October 20 2010 a disaster will hit this country and our city as the ConDem coalition announces its "grant settlement" for the public, voluntary and private sectors.

In Brighton and Hove the council budget will be cut by £15 million each year for three years - on top of cuts to the NHS, universities, police, colleges and much more.

The knock-on effect on the local economy, shops, employment, building industry, etc, will be devastating as literally thousands of jobs are lost. Many of your services will be destroyed or severely reduced. Ordinary working people will lose their jobs and homes as the government demonises benefit claimants and cuts benefits.

BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!

The richest 10 per cent of people in this country are worth £4,000 billion. A one-off 10 per cent tax on their wealth would pay off the national deficit many times over and the richest would hardly even notice!

If, as David Cameron and George Osborne constantly say "we are all in this together", then the rich should pay more, after all it was the bankers and speculators who caused the crisis that we are now expected to pay for.

THIS IS THE TIME TO FIGHT!

All of us are users of public services - the NHS, fire brigade, schools, day centres, libraries, waste collection and much more. All of these are under threat - nothing is safe.

"We will protect front-line services" (David Cameron/Nick Clegg). UNTRUE! The Connexions service in this city is under threat of closure as we speak.

We are fighting for these services, for jobs, for the elderly, the young, disabled, vulnerable and the very basic standard of living that we have. These are your services. Like us, you are Council/Income Tax payers; you and us want the best for our money.

Join our campaign. Tell your MP/councillors/media, that you reject these cuts, that you value your services, and that you did not vote for the destruction of the public sector.

Join the event's Facebook page here...
Contact 01273 291611 or email denise.knutson@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Printed in support of UNISON by Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition

Keep The Post Public stall success!

[Message from local CWU activists]

The KEEP THE POST PUBLIC CAMPAIGN stall in Brighton Kemptown, Saturday 18th September was a great success. Thanks to all who came and showed support, including The Green Party, Brighton & Hove labour Group, GMB, Unison, Brighton & Hove Trades Council... But above all the Public of Brighton & Kemptown, and across the country who overwhelmingly Do not want their Postal Service privatised.

Members of the public voiced serious concerns about their MP Simon Kirby, and want to know where he is and what he is doing for his constituents. Their is no Public mandate to sell off their postal service, will you heed the voice of your constituents Mr. Kirby?

Their will be a PUBLIC MEETING on 7th October at the BRIGHTHELM CENTRE 7.30PM, Caroline Lucas will be speaking in support of the campaign and other speakers are being arranged, further information will be circulated soon.

You can sign the online petition here... http://post.cwu.org/page/s/notforsale

Brighton Benefits Campaign public meeting this Thursday

7pm Thursday September 23
at Friends Meeting House

Ship Street, Brighton

The Brighton Benefits Campaign has been organising the fight back against the regressive and brutal assault on welfare rights by government since before the general election. It is a vital campaign defending working class communities from the unjustified threat of being made to pay for an economic crisis we did not create with an attack on our already meagre benefit system.

While the capitalist bosses lay off hundreds of thousands to ensure they continue to profit, their representatives in government attempt to seize from us the very hard won rights to a decent standard of living when capitalism fails to provide us work.

Instead of cutting already poverty level benefits, the "welfare" given to the bankers could be reclaimed. The £120 billion annual tax avoidance by the bosses could be collected by not sacking public sector workers who collect that tax.

If the banks and the rich are given their state benefits, then why not us? A massive public investment into council housing building, for example, would provide much needed homes and jobs.

Trade union support and solidarity plays a massive part in the fight against this injustice as the threat of benefit cuts is part of the government's entire ideological attack, on our jobs and our public services, that is aimed at our class - the working and unemployed, pensioners and the young. Come along and here speakers Caroline Lucas MP and chair of Unison Brighton Town Hall branch Andy Richards introduce a discussion on how we can halt these cuts and make the rich pay for their crisis. There is an alternative.

For more info look up http://brightonbenefitscampaign.wordpress.com/

Hundreds rally in Hastings to defend union rights

Demonstrate against union busting at Hastings CSA

PCS Branch Secretary at Child Support Agency Hastings, Sam Buckley has recently become the fifth branch officer to be sacked on trumped up charges since November 2007. Several more reps are under threat as we speak. The national union regards this as deliberate union busting and is fully behind the campaign's demands for reinstatement, an end to bullying of staff and reps and a DWP Select Committee enquiry into management at CSA Hastings.

Join the demo!
Meet 1pm at Hastings Pier, Saturday 18 September
Meet 9.30am by St Peters Church taxi rank, Brighton (for a return coach trip £5)

Join the Facebook event page here

Oppose Royal Mail Privatisation

The KEEP THE POST PUBLIC CAMPAIGN will be in Brighton Kemptown, St James St [near Morrisons] this Saturday 18th September from 1.30 pm

If you would like to come and say hello, sign the petition, send a postcard to your MP and show support, you will be most welcome.

We look forward to seeing you.
Richard Jones Keep The Post Public Coalition

Brighton Stop the Cuts launch success

Well over 200 people crammed in to the Brighton Friends Meeting House on Thursday to attend Britain’s biggest local anti-cuts group launch that has been reported so far.

The meeting heard from Chris Baugh Assistant General Secretary of the PCS, Economist Andy Kilmister, Brighton and Hove Unison Chair Andy Richards and Umit Ozturk of the Mediterranean Resources Network.

The speakers talked of the need for co-ordination between unions to defend jobs both locally and nationally, the unnecessary and ideological nature of the cuts and how we must work with the voluntary sector to protect our public services.

The contributions from the audience showed a real desire to stop the coalition government in its tracks. Particularly important were the contributions from Sam Buckley, a victimised trade unionist from Hastings PCS, Communication Workers Union members highlighting the Keep the Post Public Campaign and UNISON organised Brighton Connextions workers who faced with the loss of their jobs angrily highlighted the terrible impact cutting the service will have on the young people they do so much to support.

Caroline Lucas MP summed up the meeting reinforcing the need to both fight the cuts and to put forward policies that enable us to express a positive alternative forward to the government’s cuts.

The meeting was a great success but the important part is taking it forward, so please do get involved in any or all of the activities below, and come to meetings to suggest your own campaign ideas.

Join the Stop the Cuts Facebook Group here

Our next meeting

Just a quick reminder of our September trades council meeting for this week: 8pm on Wednesday September 8 at the Iron Duke pub on Waterloo St. Click here for street view and map...

The key item on the agenda includes the imminent Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition launch meeting which is taking place this Thursday. Feel free to send out a last minute reminder to your members about this important meeting.

The Facebook group for the Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition for you to join is: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=115148898535213

And for your info, here's two petitions worth signing...

- Petition against cutting Connexions (provide information, confidential & careers advice for young people): http://connexions.epetitions.net/
- Petition against turning Portslade Community College into another Aldridge Academy: http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=163&TPID=516431