Report of IWA`s XXV Congress in Valencia- December 6, 7 and 8 - 2013

The four years period since the XXIV IWA Congress in Porto Alegre in December 2009 has shown that the need for coordinated international working class action against capitalism has never been greater. Capitalism as a global system remains in the grip of crisis that it is seeking to overcome by attacking the working class.

In country after country governments have been, and are driving down wages, working and social conditions and throws people into unemployment in an attempt to boost the ailing capitalist system. The capitalist rule is “expand or die”, and the crisis is also used as a pretext for slashing public services. In fact this is an expansion for opening of markets and capital for private corporations. The rich shall be richer, and the poor shall be poorer.

Impuls Hides while Workers Demand Payments

On December 19, a couple of former employees of the Impuls agency went to demand payments they were owed. The company has not been paying workers, who sometimes have to wait even 6 months for their salaries - if they get them at all. ZSP has made numerous actions at the company, which have led to some payments being made. (See here:http://www.zsp.net.pl/action-impuls-payments-made-struggle-not-over)

SolFed supports Boycott Workfare's Noise Demo

On 2nd December, those driving forced labour for unemployed people on the government's workfare schemes are getting together for their annual conference at Senate House, Malet Street, London.

ERSA, the trade body for the 'welfare to work' industry, have called their conference "Challenge and change in an evolving landscape". Those attending include Esther McVey (Minister for Employment); Stephen Timms (Shadow Minister for Employment); The Department for Work and Pensions Director of Social Justice; Chairs, Heads and Directors from workfare profiteers A4E, Avanta, Seetec, G4S, Pinnacle People, Groundwork UK, Tomorrow's People; the lead researcher from Ian Duncan Smith's thinktank, the Centre for Social Justice; and the Chief Executive of the Tax Payer's Alliance. All under one roof.

South and North London SolFed are supporting Boycott Workfare's noise demo beginning at 12.30pm. Be there to show these people that their days of vast profits for abusing the poorest people in the UK are numbered.

www.boycottworkfare.org

Actions against Impuls Continue

In October we organized 3 pickets at Impuls agency and a number of other informational actions, including meeting with workers, posters, etc. Impuls agency has not been paying workers on time. The problems with this agency have been going on over one year. Many people work a few months and when they see they will never get paid, just quit. Others who are desperate for a job, hang on for months, hoping to get their salaries. Now some workers are taking action to get what they are owed.

Instead of paying workers, Impuls has been busy trying to scare them and unionists who are supporting them. The lawyer for Impuls has been very busy, threatening with suits of 40,000 euros for writing about the situation. A worker who quit and was picketing the office was also threatened by the lawyers. Impuls also has complaint to the police on numerous occasions and accuse us of crimes.

Higher Education Strike on 31 October - All Out!

There is a strike in higher education on Thursday 31st October. All three big unions are walking out in fight foe decent pay. A higher education worker and member of North London SolFed wrote a lealfet explaining what the strike is about and why solidarity both from workers and students is important.
If you work in higher education, or if you are a student, don't cross a picket line this Thursday. Stand on it. 

ALL OUT FOR THE 31 OCTOBER!

www.solfed.org.uk

Hospitality Workers Network launched in Brighton

October saw the launch of the Brighton Hospitality Workers Network, formed in response to the many workplace issues endured by SolFed members and their colleagues working in this sector, arguably the most exploitative in the city. The network plans to bring hospitality workers into regular contact with one another to promote workers’ rights, solidarity and mutual support in this the most precarious and low paid of industries.

The network has been approached by workers receiving cash-in-hand wages as little as £3 p/hour, working 10-hour shifts without breaks and being hired and fired at will. The initiative was launched with a poster campaign and visits to some of the most notorious employers, where contact was made with front-of-house and kitchen staff to discuss their rights at work and promote the benefits of organisation in combating illegal practice and poor pay and conditions.

Actions Around the World against Santander Bank

Anarcosyndicalists from all over the world, federated in the IWA, are in solidarity with the workers of Isban (Santander Group), demanding the reinstatement of a dismissed comrade and an end to the outsourcing of the workers.

COB in Brazil organized informational actions and protests in cities like Aracajú and Araxá at the end of September.

1st October: Day of action against Santander Bank worldwide

CNT-AIT-IWA International call: October 1st, day of action against Santander Bank worldwide in solidarity with the Isban workers in struggle.

Union Protests in Warsaw, September 11-14

Over these 4 days, the three largest mainstream unions organized protests in Warsaw as a reaction to changes in the Labour Law and the Act on Trade Unions which, among other things, allow employers to put up to 78-hour weekly schedules for months at a time. The Multi-Branch Union of ZSP in Warsaw (formerly Education and IT) took part in some protests and organized some alternative events.

Solidarity Picket for FAU/HBS Conflict at Social Europe Congress

On September 7, the Polish Green Party and the Heinrich Boll Foundation were co-organizers, with two unions, of the Social Europe Congress in Warsaw. The FAU Berlin had called for a week of international solidarity actions to support the workers in conflict with the Heinrich Boll Foundation and we chose to do it at this event.

ZSP in Full Job, Direct Post, Demands Pay and Improvements for Workers Anonim, śr., 08/07/2013 - 16:59

Members of ZSP in Full Job and Direct Post will take action about the situation of mail delivers working for Direct Post through the Full Job agency. The workers are not paid on time and get small, irregular salaries. Direct Post uses workers who are paid by the amount delivered through this agency, Full Job has different reasons for paying late, usually telling different workers different things. One pretext they give is claiming that Direct Post has not paid them yet.

Third Action Against Impuls

On August 2, another action was held at Impuls, which against did not pay any of its employees, who are waiting to know when they'll get their salary. This time one of the bosses came, who hit our comrade who was speaking on the megaphone in the face and then called the police and claimed that the comrade hit him. The shameless guy was shouting that we are „lying” about his company. Several people passing by below had friends or relatives who had worked there and were there cursing this guy. One woman, whose son is a former employee, came to confront the boss. Her son got paid after 4 months and, as she says, only because they kept coming and making a fuss, threatening to sue them. The boss kept insisting that everybody is a „liar” because the son got paid (4 months late).

A Victory for Dominos Pizza Drivers

The Fair Work Ombudsman has ordered Dominos Pizzas to pay drivers around $590,000 in back pay. The workers had been underpaid. In 2012, a group of drivers formed the General Transport Workers Association (GTWA), affiliated to the ASF-IWA. The drivers protested against a pay decrease and had other demands towards Dominos. As a result, their pay was mostly reinstated and now the company has to pay compensation for previous underpayment.

The comrades at ASF-IWA consider this to be a victory for the drivers and an important event for their union.

http://www.zsp.net.pl/victory-dominos-pizza-drivers

Second Action at Impuls

On July 30, we held a second action at Impuls, which hasn't been paying workers. Those who showed up today went away with nothing. Even some workers haven't been paid in months but could not be told when they would get there money. The firm cancelled the normal pay day and it is not clear when anybody will get money.

Some lawsuits have been filed against Impuls for back pay - but this can take forever. The company might also, like many others, just declare bankruptcy one day and leave the workers with nothing. We say that rather than wait, other workers need to organize immediately and join those who decided to take action.

We will be back at the company this week.

Hull SolFed - Walk of Shame

Hull SolFed held another anti-workfare ‘demo’ on Saturday the 20th, this time a mobile one. Based on suggestions on the Boycott Workfare website, we held a walk a shame through hull town center, stopping at nine different workfare providers, forming a picket outside each store, handing out leaflets and talking to shoppers. We also had some musical accompaniment, which helped to draw attention to the picket and kept the day more interesting.

Impuls Pay up Now!

Impuls is hasn't been paying their workers on time or regularly for a long time. Twice a week they can go to the office and wait on line - if the money runs out, workers are sent home with nothing. Some workers are owed months of pay.
Workers have had enough so an action was organized at the company in Warsaw. The management of the company refused to come out and speak to people and instead locked up the office. Workers demanded a meeting with the managers and immediately payment.
ZSP said it would return to the office with actions until the company pays what it owes.

[Adra] CNT Calls an Indefinite Strike in the Street Cleaning and Waste Collection Services

· The staff is tired by the uncertainty created in the current process of bargaining the contract with CESPA.
· The City Hall, which will manage the service, does not agree that all the work places, or the same salaries or other working conditions will be maintained.
The Public Services Union of the CNT Adra wants to inform the public of the current situation of uncertainty that the workers in the public service of street cleaning and garbage collection in the municipality of Adra are facing. Since all means of dialogue have been exhausted, the staff is left with no alternative but to call an indefinite strike starting July 29.
Disagreement arose between the City of Adra and CESPA, the current service provider, in the procedure to terminate its contract, which has led to a situation where the workers are at the breaking point.
For the anarchosyndicalist union, this situation of instability is absolutely inadmissable especially when we do not even know if we are going to get paid at the end of the month. The Court of Administrative Litigation issued an order which allows the City to temporarily assume the service but CESPA communicated that it will not pay the salaries when the City temporarily assumes the service on its behalf but the City also does not guarantee it will pay.

International Solidarity with Actions against Workfare

During the last week, pickets were organized in the UK against Marks and Spencer, for their planned use of free labour through the Workfare program. We decided to make this known in Poland as well, as Marks and Spencer has a presence in this country.

We published information about the situation on the internet, with reference to past articles about Workfare. In addition, posters went up and leaflets were given out at some Marks and Spencer shops.

Actions against Bad Working Conditions and Anti-Union Repression at Black Red White

This week, actions started taking place at Black Red White furniture salons around Poland. We have heard that persons unknown have been postering on and around shops in different cities in Poland, from Warsaw to Rzeszów to Białystok. A couple of pickets also took place on the weekend.

Last week, ZSP announced it would start national actions against the firm. BRW Sofa, entirely owned by Black Red White, was named the Worst Employer of the Year in our annual contest and it certainly lived up to its name by firing a unionist for speaking out. Jarek Prz. from the Furniture Makers' Union wrote about one incident where the company violated workers' rights and the Labor Code in a newspaper after we told about the working conditions there and the paper wanted more information. For the article, Jarek was fired for disciplinary reasons.

Boycott Workfare in Hackney

Members of North London SolFed were out in Hackney today with the ever-excellent Feminist Fightback to keep up the pressure on M&S over their non-payment of people doing jobs for the company as part of the Boycott Workfare week of action.