People’s Assembly Action Plan

We are organising a series of actions and events in the coming weeks and months… get involved!

Representatives from People’s Assembly local groups and supporting organisations met last Saturday to agree and plan the next steps for the campaign. We agreed on the following action plan:

14 December: day of action ‘Can you afford Christmas?’
Click here for planned actions

Jan / Feb: Hands off our Unions – defend the right to resist
National speaking tour starting with rally in Central London at the end of January following the statement launched in the Guardian.
Click here to sign the statement

3 Feb – 7 Feb: Student week of action – ‘No sell off of the student loan book’ Actions on campuses across the country. Click here for actions

22 February: Women’s Assembly Against Austerity. Click here to register
Launched in the Guardian this week

15 March: Re-call People’s Assembly conference
Emanuel Centre, London. More info soon.

19 March: Budget Day – ‘Britain needs a pay rise’
Demonstrations, protests and actions across the country

22 March: support for ‘No to racism and fascism’ demonstration.
Click here for info

May Day: support for May Day protests and demonstrations

21 June: People’s Assembly National Demonstration London
National demonstration and free festival in Central London. More info soon.

October: TUC National Demonstration London

Fundraising appeal
We have a packed timetable of events and actions to mobilise for in the coming weeks and months. All of this costs money and we urgently need increase our regular monthly income to be able to properly staff our national office, and fund these exciting initiatives.

We are asking all supporters of the People’s Assembly to make a regular donation, however big or small. Donations can be set up on our website. Thank you for your continued support.

DONATE NOW – CLICK HERE

Unite Engagements at The University of Sheffield – Key to Growing Unite Community Membership!

As part of a set of on-going engagements – Legacy of Thatcher debate, Unite Fresher’s Stall and Red Ladder Wrong Un Play – with the Students Union at the University of Sheffield. Unite Education and Community held a two day Public Speaking Course on the 27th November and 4th December. Fifteen students attended both the theory and practice sessions.  The wide range of subjects spoken upon ranged from Mathematical Theory to English Culture.

The aim to establish a Unite Community Branch at the University of Sheffield is well on its way with over 30 students joining in the past few weeks. The branch has an international flavour, with the 4 students joining – whilst on the Public Speaking Course – coming from Palestine, China and Spain.

The next planned event is a Trade Union open day with debate to follow, in February 2014.

If you want to know more about Unite Community membership and free educational opportunities such as New Media, Blogging , Facebook and Twitter  please email david.condliffe@unitetheunion.org or ring 0779 111 3806.

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Giant Unite Recruitment Posters

Unite Doncaster Geographical Branch unveiled Two new giant Recruitment Posters today at the Doncaster Dome http://www.the-dome.co.uk/ with the aim to spread our message of “solidarity and respect” to the people of Doncaster. The Doncaster Geographical Branch has been actively supporting the Community initiative over the last twelve months and our joint work looks set to continue with our first  educational weekend school in Scarborough January 2014. We are stronger together.

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Sheffield Student Protest

Fantastic Demonstration against Police Brutality yesterday in Sheffield, Students including Unite Community Members hung this Fantastic Banner in Support of The Hillsbough and Orgreave Truth And Justice Campaigns linking our Struggles together. United We Are Strong.

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Student demos crackdown condemned by Unite

Heavy handed tactics by university vice chancellors and the police over recent student demos have been condemned by Unite, the country’s largest union, today (Wednesday 11 December).
 
Unite called for the university bosses and the police ‘to back off’, as Britain’s students have a time-honoured and legitimate right to protest against economic, political and social injustice.
 
The call from Unite general secretary Len McCluskey came as demonstrations were due to take place today (Wednesday) against a string of arrests and student suspensions at a number of universities, including Sussex and the University of London (ULU).
 
Len McCluskey said: “Unite is showing strong solidarity with the students of the UK who are being demonised by a coalition government which has precious little to offer anyone under the age of 40.
 
“Students have a legitimate right to protest peacefully against a governing elite intent on privatising higher education and cutting budgets.
 
“Some vice chancellors have adopted macho tactics to crush dissent and the police appear to be collaborating with this hardline approach. It’s time to back off.”
 
Last month Unite condemned a bungled attempt by police to spy on the legitimate protest activities of students at Cambridge University which, the union, said smacked of the police state and undermined democratic rights’.
 
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10 December 2013 Saw A massive Demonstration in Bradford

Mainly the young People of Bradford supported by Unite / Unite Community members were  protesting at the proposed 79% cut to the Bradford Youth Service.

Fantastic Speeches from Unite Reps and the young people themselves. The Young People of Bradford also treated the crowd to anti Austerity Raps and songs! Let’s hope the council see sense and don’t enforce these devastating cuts to young peoples services.

link to Unite Community Here http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/northeastyorkshirehumberside/community-membership/y1 y3 y5 y8 y9 y10 y12

Leeds Stuff Zero Hours Protest

COMMEMORATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE GREAT COAL STRIKE OF 1984/5
FOR JOBS, COMMUNITY AND DIGNITY

Sunday 9th March
Starting at 11am
The Broadway Hotel
Broadway, Dunscroft, Doncaster

Opened by Chris Skidmore, President of the Yorkshire Area NUM
Hatfield Main Colliery Band.
Speakers: David Douglass former Hatfield Main Branch NUM branch official Executive
member and author, Facts and myths of the strike.
Rachel Horne. Speaks for the post-closure coalfield youth.
Launch of IMAGES OF THE PAST THE MINERS’ STRIKE
Hatfield Main Colliery Band

Admission Free

For further information contact:
joe.rollin@unitetheunion.org / djdouglass@hotmail.co.uk

View the Flyer: Doncaster

No Zero Hours – Meeting for decent contracts and decent pay

Monday 9th December – 6.30pm at St Matthews Church, Calver St, Sheffield S1 4FS

A zero hours contract is a contract where the employee is given no guaranteed amount of working hours. Workers on zero hours contracts have no guaranteed pay they can be hired an fired at will and aren’t entitled to sick pay.
They have become a normality in many workplaces and are being used to attack the rights of workers across the country from call centres and care work to the public sector.
We need to build a broad campaign against zero hours contracts and fight for real contracts with guaranteed hours and guaranteed pay for all.
At the Hovis bakery in wigan workers went on strike when the bosses tried to bring in zero hours contracts and they won, we need to take a lead from them and start a united campaign in defence of workers rights and to put an end to zero hours contracts everywhere.
Come and be part of the discussion on how we fight against zero hours contracts in sheffield!

Email: nozerohours@gmail.com Facebook: Sheffield no zero hours
Telephone: 07954271582

zero hours e flyer

Hardline university bosses refuse to budge on pay, as 3 December strike looms

Hardline bosses at cash rich universities are blamed by Unite, the country’s largest union, for failing to reach a fair settlement before a second day of strike action at UK universities on Tuesday (3 December).

Despite talks under the auspices of the conciliation service, Acas, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) refused to budge, so Unite’s members in higher education will be joining Unison, the University and College Union (UCU) and the Scottish education union, the EIS for a one day strike on Tuesday.

Unite contrasts the five year pay drought which its members have endured, resulting in a 13 per cut in pay in real terms since 2008, with the lavish remuneration packages – averaging just under £250,000 a year – that the UK’s vice chancellors enjoy.

Unite national officer for education Mike McCartney said that the one per cent pay offer on the table for 2013/14 was “completely unacceptable”, given that the cumulative operating surplus in the higher education sector was now over £1 billion.

Mike McCartney said: “We had a very successful one day strike on 31 October when our members were heartened by the strong support from other staff, students and members of the public.

“The intransigence of the employers, who are sitting on a cash mountain of £1 billion, has not moved us forward. No new offer, other than the existing one per cent, leaves the higher education unions with no choice, but to take further strike action on 3 December.

“The unions are at a loss as to why the meeting under Acas’ watchful eye went ahead with nothing extra being put on the table – it makes a mockery of the concept of negotiation.

“It should be not be forgotten that it is the hard work of higher education staff that keeps Britain in the top ten of the world’s universities.

“While highly paid vice chancellors travel the world, in some style, drumming up student numbers, it is our members that underpin the whole higher education system.”

Unite’s membership embraces technicians, laboratory assistants, administrators and facilities management staff. The union has about 20,000 members in higher education.

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