Download it here.
Inside
- Defend Every Job and Service
- Gaza - Break the Siege!
- The Truth About Temps
- No to Education Cuts
- Staff Conferences
- Letters from Lambeth
Showing posts with label lambeth activists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lambeth activists. Show all posts
Saturday, 26 June 2010
Monday, 15 February 2010
Motion: Voluntary Political Fund for Lambeth
The following motion has been proposed to Lambeth UNISON Branch Committee.
Voluntary Political Fund for Lambeth
Branch Notes
That there will be a general election and local elections in Lambeth this year.
That members have the right to fund the Labour Party through the union if they wish to. A minority of members currently exercise this right.
UNISON gives around £1.5 million a year to the Labour Party. The Labour Government has supervised widespread attacks on public services and public sector workers.
The Labour Party, along with the Lib Dems and Tories, have pledged widespread cuts to public services and jobs to pay for the latest capitalist crisis, namely the “credit crunch” and subsequent recession.
That the majority of members are currently unable to fund alternatives on a collective basis.
That there are currently at least two active UNISON members in Lambeth who have declared that they are running in the forthcoming elections in the borough, whom have a consistent record in supporting our aims. Neither of them are members of the Labour Party.
Branch Believes
That members have the right to collectively fund and support the political candidates who best serve their interests in order to maximise trade union influence in the political arena.
That member-led democracy is positive for trade unions.
Branch Resolves
That this Branch Committee establishes a voluntary collection amongst members from now until the election campaigning period, likely to be May for both sets of elections. It will be used solely to fund political candidates in Lambeth who have been deemed to be campaigning in the interests of UNISON workers by the Branch membership.
For this Branch Committee to organise a meeting open to all Lambeth UNISON members where candidates from all political parties, other than the far-right, are invited to address members. After this a ballot is arranged by the Returning Officer to determine how the voluntary fund will be allocated. On this basis the Branch will publically support those candidates that command the democratic and collective support of the membership.
For the contents of this motion to be publicised widely within the union movement and also amongst our membership by the Publicity Officers.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Internation Call For Action Against The Egyptian Government's Construction of Gaza Wall
Under the guidance of the former Egyptian Ambassador to Algeria, Ibrahim Youssri, an international class action lawsuit has been produced against the Egyptian regime, which is to be tried in the Egyptian Judicial System.
The first session for the trial has been scheduled for February 16th 2010. The action is about Egypt's erection of the steel barrier wall along the border with Gaza and the closure of the Rafah Border Crossing.
This is a joint international action between Egyptians and Internationals and so far over 3oo internationals have submitted their names as plaintiffs, as well as members of the Egyptian intelligensia. Ibrahim Youssri will be representing himself and acting as counsel for all plaintiffs.
Professor Mohammed Sharaf of Helwan University, Cairo, is co-ordinating the action. He is appealing for more internationals, activists and organisations to be plaintiffs in bringing this international action against the Egyptian Government. Your full name and nationality will be required.
If you are interested in adding your name to the lawsuit, please contact Professor Sharaf before the 16th February 2010 or as soon as possible. Contact him via email: sharafma@yahoo.com or Mobile: 0020 12 107 6312
I asked him why he was doing this and was he not afraid? Professor Sharaf replied, " No, I am not afraid. I am doing this for my grandchildren."
Other Egyptians said that they want regime change but no bloodshed. Another man on a train informed me that the "Egyptian Government is one way and the people are another".
I told Professor Sharaf that he is a brave man.
When he met us in the hotel, it was as usual, swarming with security and anyone we spoke to, subjected to scrutiny or arrested if they were Egyptian or Palestinian. This happened to one young Palestinian man that I gave baby clothes to for one of his relatives. We spoke for 5 minutes in full view of everyone and I showed him the clothes. I learnt that he was too afraid to meet me again as he was arrested and threatened with having his student visa revoked. An Egyptian protestor was taken away in handcuffs.
The draft of the case is outlined as follows:
The Erection of Steel Barrier Wall along the Borders with Gaza and the Closure of Rafah’s Border Crossing Case
(A Tentive Translation by M. A. Sharaf)
Ibrahim Youssri Sayed Hassan Telephone: +20 12 310 1965
Counsel for Plaintiffs
ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
STATE COUNCIL
JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
1. Ibrahim Youssri Sayed Hussein, on behalf of himself and counsel for the plaintiffs. Mahmoud Reda Al Khodeiry
2. George Ishaq
3. Abdel-Galil Mostafa
4. Hamdeen Sabahi, MP
5. Saad Abboud, MP
6. Hamdy Kandil
7. Ibrhim Mostafa Zahran
……………………………….
and a class of nearly 300 plaintiffs, and ……………………….
1. Abbas Ali UK
2. David Paul Sowder US
3. Dennis DuVall US
4. Elfi Padovan German
5. Ellen Anne Rosser US
6. Ellen M Graves US
7. Gael Ruth Murphy US
8. Gehan Fahima Abdel-Hafiz US
9. Gunter Wimmer German
10. Hedy Epstein US
11. John Porter UK
12. Judethe Ann Allen US
13. Kenneth Robert Imrie UK
14. Louana Bourke Irish
15. Marie Ponchelet France
16. Medea Susan Benjami US
17. Michael Joseph Napier UK
18. Omair Manzour UK
19. Patricia Paki Wieland US
20. Priscilla Lynch US
21. Ruth Fergusson Hooke US
22. Thomas Gerrard McVitte UK
23. Tighe Dennis Barry US
24. Warren Allan Biggs UK
25. Yvonne Anne Ridley UK
Plaintiffs,
V.
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Egypt
The Minister of Defense of the Arab Republic of Egypt
The Minister of Interiors of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Commander of the Rafah’s Border Crossing, Rafah, Governorate of North Sinai.
Case No. ……….
NATURE OF THE CASE AND STATEMENT OF FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
It is unfortunate to witness an uncalled for motion by the Egyptian government that is lacking, in all the sense of the word, any justification that is categorically, comprehensively, and completely rejected by a spectrum of all political forces and civil society organizations and individual citizens. The Egyptian government mandated a decree to construct a steel barrier wall separating Egypt and Gaza Strip, reaching a depth of 30 meters under the ground and 20 meters high above, and extending more than 10 kilometers along the border. The irony, the wall does not extend along the whole eastern Egyptian borders including a 200 km stretch with Israel. Beyond any doubt, the act unequivocally and strangely enough, reveals that Egypt’s fears and its proclaimed heightened anxieties of national security are limited only to its 13 kilometers borders with Gaza rather than the whole border stretch including the longest section with Israel.
Since the Gaza Holocaust, the Egyptian government as represented in this suit by its declared defendants, in their respective executive capacities, have been the subject of indignation by the by the Egyptian and the Arab people and all the free people of the world for its decision on the nearly permanent closure of the Rafah’s border crossing between Egypt and Palestinian Gaza Strip. This flagrant act is viewed as complete succumbing in to Israel’s and the United States of America’s scheme and agenda in imposing a total blockade on the people in Gaza. In addition, the decisions of opening of the crossing are rather irregular, abrupt, and arbitrary in manner and goes under pretexts of national security priorities and on several occasions they cite Egyptian sovereignty rights.
This categorical and precarious ostensibility in dealing with the Rafah’s crossing has resulted in catastrophic consequences and flagrant violations of international law and the Constitution and laws of Egypt, among them and the least to mention:
FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
Erection of the Separating Barrier Wall is a Violation of the Profound Principles of International Law
The construction of the barrier steel wall along the Egyptian-Gaza border stretch represents a violation of international humanitarian law and human rights (that is not only limited to the people of Gaza, but also to Egyptians and to all human beings regardless of their nationalities, including non conformity with:
The den Hague Rules of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and precedents serving as standards in the international law that had been endorsed by the precedents in the International Court of Justice in den Hague regarding the separation wall erected by Israel to separate their forced predesignated borders from the occupied Palestinian areas, particularly as regards the following rights:
The right to food: Israel is committed to providing the occupied territories with food, water, medicines, and means of medical treatment, in accordance with Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. None the less, Gaza is it perpetually continues to keep Gaza under-siege and bars the entry of such aid, even the aid sent from foreign countries.
This right is also stated unambiguously in Articles 11, 24, and 27 of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and Articles 12 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The right for ownership: The construction of the Egyptian Wall violates the right to property ownership, as enshrined in Article 46 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Agricultural land adjacent to the Wall will be harmed, where and groundwater reservoir used for irrigation will be polluted. The International Court of Justice ruled that the erection of the Israeli Barrier wall could not justified under pretexts of security or military necessities
There are apparent there signs of landslides that started to show on the course of drilling (digging) of the steel wall on the Egyptian side of the borders with the besieged Gaza Strip.
In this connection, we refer to what eye witnesses reported about a virtual collapse of the drainage wells in the area north of Salah Elddin Gate after the drilling equipment has reached that section. A preliminary trench had been dug to continue the construction work of the barrier wall to stop activities in the underground tunnels across the border, but work came to an abrupt stand still in that region, according to local eyewitnesses report.
The locals also pointed to the existence of a marked landslide in an area few meters away from a housing block. Northern Sinai local government bodies had surveyed the block to have an initial inventory of existing buildings just a week before.
Water experts on the other hand have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe to be incurred on the Gazan populace emanating from Egypt’s construction of the steel wall on the borders with Gaza Strip. Experts claim that such a construction constitutes a strategic threat to the underground water reservoir engulfing Gaza. Inadvertently, the wall will result in economic and water resources blockades against Gaza.
It has been reported by the Palestinian “Alquds” (Jerusalem) newspaper that the construction of the wall is, in effect, a resemblance of the water traps dug underground by Israeli occupation on the eastern and northern Gaza borders, and thus constitutes an additional blockade of water resources on the Gaza Strip. It had been also reported that the underground reservoir on the southern border of the Gaza Strip is a common and overlaps, and mitigates across the border with the Egyptian neighboring one. In consequence, the wall is in essence an artificial barrier that had been politically motivated and would have grave environmental impact on the constant and unhampered flow of water. Noteworthy here is the fact that the steel wall will reach a depth of 30 meters underground.
Experts also note that the underground reservoir (aquifer) will also be vulnerable to seepage of saline sea water as a direct result of the erosions and dislocations in the rocks at the bottom of the aquifer resulting from deep intrusion of iron sheathings.
Experts emphasized that projects implemented in this manner are not advisable and certainly have significantly adverse environmental impact. In addition, Palestinians will resort to deeper digging. In practice, this would be impossible in most of the border’s areas owing to the presence of ground water at such depths. Beyond any doubt, establishment of such a wall would affect the quality of ground water, in both medium and long foreseen terms. Contamination becomes omnipotent because of the ease of transport of pollutants into the aquifer as a result of the disturbance in the soil and the inadvertent lack of its cohesion. Noteworthy here, the corrosion of the wall is eminent, specifically, owing to the wet and damp environment and that will lead to diffusion of heavy metal ions and pollution of the underground aquifer.
Environmental experts, all around, have vocally called for an immediate intervention to protect the aquifer in Gaza from further deterioration and additional pollution.
It is also worth mentioning here that the Israeli occupation, few years ago, announced a public tender for the construction of a canal (channel) or a ditch along the border between occupied Rafah and the Egyptian section of Rafah that would has been supposedly filled with seawater and ranging between 50 meters and 100 meters width, and a 10 meters to 15 meters depth. However, this project had been shelved at the time on grounds of practical obstacles and handicaps, as well as the strong Egyptian objections.
The right to freedom of movement. This barrier wall violates the right of the Palestinians, the Egyptians, and citizens of other nationalities in movement that has been provided for in Article 13-1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 12-3 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The right to asylum: The right to asylum is regulated by the framework of the United Nations conventions on refugees, including:
1. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted on July 28, 1951.
2. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted on January 31, 1967.
3. United Nations Declaration on Territorial Asylum of December 14, 1967.
4. Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons adopted in September 28, 1954 and in August 30, 1961.
5. Geneva Convention IV Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, adopted on August 12, 1949.
6. Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Convention IV Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts, of June 8, 1977.
SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
The Steel Wall Barrier and the Closure of the Rafah’s Border Crossing Represent a Violation of Egyptian Commitments and Obligations Ratified and Enacted by its Arabic Conventions and Treaties
The current Egyptian actions represent:
1. A flagrant violation of Egypt's obligations as had been ratified in the Charter of the League of Arab States and the joint defense agreement and economic cooperation, and other treaties ratified by Egypt and once ratified became binding and an integral part of Egyptian legislation in force, and
2. A clear violation of the rules of international law and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international conventions, covenants, and treaties that are ratified and took force by all States. Such violations calls for an international responsibility and accountability; for such conventions mandate the establishment of peaceful relations between nations and prohibits economic sanctions, unless only enacted by the United Nations, after the exhaustion of all negotiating and reconciliation steps, provided in the Charter. Just a reminder, the United Nations Charter is an integral part of the Egyptian home legislation. The ostensible enforcement of a blockade on the Gaza Strip is in violation of the rules of international law and UN Charter. Relevant here is the fact that the governing authority in Gaza did not commit any act of hostility that would aggravate and call on Egypt to impose sanctions that are to be governed by statutes of limitations that are largely indoctrinated in the specific rules and procedures clearly defined in international relations.
3. It is unfortunate that Egypt has abrogated its leading Arabic role in defending Arabic rights and the legitimate rights of the people of Palestine for which it went to war for it in 1956, 1967 and 1973. In complete reversal, and without remorse, Egypt is now ostensibly involved and willful partner in the implementation of Israel's policy of blockading and isolating Gaza from the rest of the world.
4. It is both ironic and regrettable that the timing of such acts coincides with the anniversary of the Gaza holocaust that devastated the Gaza Strip, and resulted in grave killings of thousands of its children and women and left them homeless, starving, and they were denied all basic human rights including the right to medical treatment, access to medication, and infants formulae. Israel mounted reprehensible war of aggression on Gaza, without any justifications. In its war pitch, Israel staged a perpetual war employing its sophisticated range of armory, fighter bombers, tanks, a barrage of missiles, and incinerating white phosphorous bombs to the dismay of human conscience worldwide. The South African, albeit Jewish, judge Goldstone could not condone or conceive what transpired and scathingly condemned Israel’s war crimes in Gaza in his report.
5. The Egyptian legal system and the international agreements between Egypt, Israel, the United States, the European Union and the International Quartet are all devoid of any justification or grounds for the ostensible imposition of such stifling and deadly blockade against our brethren in Gaza. Above all, Egypt is not bound or adherent to any agreements on the Rafah’s Crossing, on the Egyptian side of the border, and were not a party in it, an incongruity with its Arabic and religious commitments and obligations.
6. With a deep heartfelt sorrow, Egypt sided with the Israeli and American positions to punish Gaza Strip for the sake of placating a the fictitious Palestinian Authority that is a nonexistent or represents a sovereign international body in international law. The PA operates on profiteering and squandering millions of dollars that are outpouring, from the United States and Europe, and end in the pockets of members of that alleged authority. The fictitious authority receives significant support of arms cache and police training and whose security forces are commandeered by General Dayton whose forces categorically torture resistance fighters merely to appease Israel.
7. The Egyptian government acts on a hollow presumption in imposing its blockade thst assumes that Gaza Strip is a renegade province rebelling against the so-called Palestenian Authority. Such presumptions are seriously flawed and need a carefull thorough reexamination in view of recent developments and established realities. The fact of the matter is that Gaza meet all the criteria required to be recognized as a sovereign state. The criteria is summarized as the existence of a specific territory, inhabiting people, and a managing government. Thus, arbitrary perceptions that Gaza is renegade province rebelling against the central authority are unwarranted and would not be upheld under as many international and legal considerations.
8. The Egyptian stance towards Gaza Strip is founded on the flawed presumption that the so-called Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, is regarded by international law as sovereign state. In fact, it is no more than administrative units to whom the occupation relegated managing the affairs of the occupied territory; and thus does not have any sort of independence or sovereignty over its territory, for it is fully subservient to the occupation authority. According to this scheme, the alleged Palestenian Authority is not mandated to enact any sovereign decisions and cannot prevent frequent incursions by Israeli troops in the occupied territories targeting and killing Palestinian citizens, razing homes and dwellings, and establishing settlements while the so-called PA remains passively witnessing and unable to utter a single word of objections to those grave highly handed Israeli practices and violations, and
9. Beyond any reasonable doubt, Egypt is joining forces in the blockade of Gaza with Israel, the United States, and the European Union, in an attempt to help impose implementation of the Zionist project of a settlement to the conflict that ultimately comprises a flawed Palestinian entity on the remnants of the land of Palestine occupied since June 5, 1967. Such a model is in close resemblance of the abolished apartheid rule in South Africa. The sought after entity will have no army, no independent foreign policy, and even no sovereignty over its airspace. This designated scheme is incongruent to the Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations, and Arab summit resolutions as well as the Arab Peace Initiative adopted in Beirut’s Arab Summit, that has been proposed by Saudi Arabia. Last but not least, the main aim of this apartheid model eyes the eradication and annulations of all the Palestinian Arab entity and presence in Jerusalem, the preeminent demolition of the holy shrine Alaqsa mosque, and the establishment of an ethnically pure Jewish state on the Palestinian soil, and
In addition to the fact that the siege of Gaza is in violation of the principles of international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter that stipulated the right to self-determination, and the provisions of the Geneva IV Convention that clearly define the authorities of the occupation and their obligations safeguard the occupied territories entities, prohibits any squander of its wealth, the forced deportation and killing of its inhabitants, and torture. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states in its first article that:
1. All people are entitled to the right of self-determination. By this virtue people are free to determine their political system and are free to pursue their economic, social, and cultural development, as they deem fit.
2. All people, in their pursuance of their own goals, are free to dispose of their own natural wealth and resources without infringing on any obligations arising out of considerations for international economic cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefit and international law. Under no circumstances, people cannot be deprived of their means of subsistence.
THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION
Violation of the Steel Barrier Wall and the Closure of the Rafah’s Border Crossing to the Egyptian Constitution and Egyptian Laws in Force
1. The ostensible Egyptian blockade of Gaza and the closure of the Rafah’s crossing is contrary to profound principles affirmed in the preamble to our Constitution of the land, which states in its first article that: “Peace based on justice and that political and social progress for all people cannot be carried out unless those people are free and at its own independent will, and that any civilization cannot be worthy of its name unless it is free from exploitation whatever its form.''
2. The siege of Gaza is also contrary to our Arabic commitments and obligations that had been affirmed in paragraph II of the preamble to the Constitution that stipulate: “With certitude, our Arab nation recognizes that the Arab unity is a call emanating from our history and a call to our future, a necessity to our fate, and can only be achieved in the protection of an Arab nation that is capable of warding off any threat, whatever its source and whatever its proclaimed allegations”.
3. It is enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution, in its fourth article, the significance of Egyptian people entitlement to freedom and pride and how that is paramount to development and commensurate with the high ideals to be espoused. So, the restrictions ostensibly imposed and the Closure of the Rafah’s Border Crossing represents a derogatory assault on the freedom and pride of the Egyptian citizenry.
4. The decisions to close the Rafah’s Crossing are at variance with stipulations of Article I of the Constitution that: “Egyptian people are part of the Arab nation and they work for the realization of aspirations for its comprehensive unity. Hereby are the resolutions of the closure of the Rafah’s Crossing are at clear and candid odds with our Arabic commitments encompassing efforts to realize comprehensive Arab unity”
5. Article 50 of the Constitution states that: “It is reprehensive to prohibit or deny any citizen entitlement to reside in any specific location or be mandated to reside in a particular place, except in cases specifically stipulated in the law.”
According to Article 51 of the Constitution, Such rights and entitlements are breached by decisions of closure of the Rafah’s Crossing that are, in consequence, resulting in the deprivation of an Egyptian citizen, who happens to be visiting the Gaza Strip, from his return to Egypt for indefinite prolonged durations and subject him to bureaucratic banning restrictions denying him of his constitutional right for return, and leave him subjected to consequential material and moral losses
6. The closure of the crossing and the persistent siege of Gaza breach the explicit commitments set forth in the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Egypt is a signatory and had already after being ratified become an integral part of the national legislation, according to Article 151 of the Egyptian Constitution.
a. Article 2 of the Covenant provides that “the State shall respect the rights of all individuals residing on its land, without any discrimination as to race, color, sex, language, religion, political or nonpolitical opinions, national or social origin, wealth, social background, or any other reasons.''
b. Article 12 of the Covenant prohibits imposition of restrictions on the right to liberty of movement and freedom for choice of residence, or the freedom to leave any country including his own. No one shall be deprived arbitrarily of the right to enter his own country. Such obligations apply to the State of Egypt in the case of an Egyptian who wishes to enter the Gaza Strip or return from. By the same token, it also applies in the case of the Palestinians stranded at the Egyptian borders and deprived entry to Gaza.
7. The law provides rules of entry and exit to Egyptians and other nationals, whereby such regulations apply uniformly to all air and seaports. The law does not justify arbitrary application of the rules. Whatever applies to the Cairo Airport, Sharm El Sheikh Airport, Salloum Border Crossing, and several border crossings with Sudan should also apply to the Rafah’s Crossing. It is not justifiable to invoke arguments and pretexts citing security consideration to single out a certain border crossing for arbitrary and precarious aggravations, for the security system is one and indivisible one, and certainly this is a universally acknowledged security rule.
8. Israel, on previous occasions, has tried before to change the name of its rigorous network of barrier walls in the West Bank from a security wall to an anti-terror wall. In this connection, the Egyptian authorities resort to name of the steel wall as engineering constructions is inconceivable. Whatever the alleged name given, it does not change the fact that a steel barrier is being erected between Egypt and Gaza
CONCLUDING REMARKS
For all the Preceding Causations and Allegations, and
With all the admissible details we will show concerning annulations of the void administrative decisions issued as regards the erection of the steel barrier wall and those that impose severe restrictions on entry and exit at Rafah’s Border Crossing. These administrative orders and decrees violate the Constitution and law and are inherently arbitrary selectivity and implies uncalled for bias. These administrative orders represent a flagrant denial and deviation to Egypt's national and Arab commitment. Also, it inflicts gross damage to Egypt’s foreign and Arabic relations and interests. The security allegation or invocations of sovereign rights as alibis of such violations have been flatly rejected by the International Court of Justice. In consequence, Egypt has to conform to international obligations that prohibit erection of such a steel barrier wall and the closure the Rafah’s border citing security concerns or sovereign rights
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves, pray for the following relief:
1. Accept and certify this case as a class action.
2. Enter a permanent injunctive relief;
a. Restrain the implementation of the administrative decision of the steel barrier wall along the borders with Gaza
b. Restrain resolutions that required the closure of the Rafah’s border crossing and the precarious and ostensible application of restrictions and the imposition of exceptional measures. The plaintiffs request application of measures at the Rafah’s crossing that are in conformity with those applied at other Egyptian land, air, and sea ports, and
3. The plaintiffs ask this court to enter relief declaring annulations of those administrative orders mandating erection of the steel barrier wall and closure the Rafah border crossing and an injunction for equal treated in the same manner applicable at all other ports of the country, with whatever consequential effects that follows.
4. Award plaintiffs the full costs and attorneys’ fees arising out of this action, and
5. Such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and appropriate.
Dated: January 4, 2010
Ibrahim Youssri
By: _________________________
Ibrahim Youssri Sayed Hussein
Attorney for Plaintiffs
The first session for the trial has been scheduled for February 16th 2010. The action is about Egypt's erection of the steel barrier wall along the border with Gaza and the closure of the Rafah Border Crossing.
This is a joint international action between Egyptians and Internationals and so far over 3oo internationals have submitted their names as plaintiffs, as well as members of the Egyptian intelligensia. Ibrahim Youssri will be representing himself and acting as counsel for all plaintiffs.
Professor Mohammed Sharaf of Helwan University, Cairo, is co-ordinating the action. He is appealing for more internationals, activists and organisations to be plaintiffs in bringing this international action against the Egyptian Government. Your full name and nationality will be required.
If you are interested in adding your name to the lawsuit, please contact Professor Sharaf before the 16th February 2010 or as soon as possible. Contact him via email: sharafma@yahoo.com or Mobile: 0020 12 107 6312
I asked him why he was doing this and was he not afraid? Professor Sharaf replied, " No, I am not afraid. I am doing this for my grandchildren."
Other Egyptians said that they want regime change but no bloodshed. Another man on a train informed me that the "Egyptian Government is one way and the people are another".
I told Professor Sharaf that he is a brave man.
When he met us in the hotel, it was as usual, swarming with security and anyone we spoke to, subjected to scrutiny or arrested if they were Egyptian or Palestinian. This happened to one young Palestinian man that I gave baby clothes to for one of his relatives. We spoke for 5 minutes in full view of everyone and I showed him the clothes. I learnt that he was too afraid to meet me again as he was arrested and threatened with having his student visa revoked. An Egyptian protestor was taken away in handcuffs.
The draft of the case is outlined as follows:
The Erection of Steel Barrier Wall along the Borders with Gaza and the Closure of Rafah’s Border Crossing Case
(A Tentive Translation by M. A. Sharaf)
Ibrahim Youssri Sayed Hassan Telephone: +20 12 310 1965
Counsel for Plaintiffs
ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
STATE COUNCIL
JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATIVE COURT
1. Ibrahim Youssri Sayed Hussein, on behalf of himself and counsel for the plaintiffs. Mahmoud Reda Al Khodeiry
2. George Ishaq
3. Abdel-Galil Mostafa
4. Hamdeen Sabahi, MP
5. Saad Abboud, MP
6. Hamdy Kandil
7. Ibrhim Mostafa Zahran
……………………………….
and a class of nearly 300 plaintiffs, and ……………………….
1. Abbas Ali UK
2. David Paul Sowder US
3. Dennis DuVall US
4. Elfi Padovan German
5. Ellen Anne Rosser US
6. Ellen M Graves US
7. Gael Ruth Murphy US
8. Gehan Fahima Abdel-Hafiz US
9. Gunter Wimmer German
10. Hedy Epstein US
11. John Porter UK
12. Judethe Ann Allen US
13. Kenneth Robert Imrie UK
14. Louana Bourke Irish
15. Marie Ponchelet France
16. Medea Susan Benjami US
17. Michael Joseph Napier UK
18. Omair Manzour UK
19. Patricia Paki Wieland US
20. Priscilla Lynch US
21. Ruth Fergusson Hooke US
22. Thomas Gerrard McVitte UK
23. Tighe Dennis Barry US
24. Warren Allan Biggs UK
25. Yvonne Anne Ridley UK
Plaintiffs,
V.
The President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Egypt
The Minister of Defense of the Arab Republic of Egypt
The Minister of Interiors of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Commander of the Rafah’s Border Crossing, Rafah, Governorate of North Sinai.
Case No. ……….
NATURE OF THE CASE AND STATEMENT OF FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS
It is unfortunate to witness an uncalled for motion by the Egyptian government that is lacking, in all the sense of the word, any justification that is categorically, comprehensively, and completely rejected by a spectrum of all political forces and civil society organizations and individual citizens. The Egyptian government mandated a decree to construct a steel barrier wall separating Egypt and Gaza Strip, reaching a depth of 30 meters under the ground and 20 meters high above, and extending more than 10 kilometers along the border. The irony, the wall does not extend along the whole eastern Egyptian borders including a 200 km stretch with Israel. Beyond any doubt, the act unequivocally and strangely enough, reveals that Egypt’s fears and its proclaimed heightened anxieties of national security are limited only to its 13 kilometers borders with Gaza rather than the whole border stretch including the longest section with Israel.
Since the Gaza Holocaust, the Egyptian government as represented in this suit by its declared defendants, in their respective executive capacities, have been the subject of indignation by the by the Egyptian and the Arab people and all the free people of the world for its decision on the nearly permanent closure of the Rafah’s border crossing between Egypt and Palestinian Gaza Strip. This flagrant act is viewed as complete succumbing in to Israel’s and the United States of America’s scheme and agenda in imposing a total blockade on the people in Gaza. In addition, the decisions of opening of the crossing are rather irregular, abrupt, and arbitrary in manner and goes under pretexts of national security priorities and on several occasions they cite Egyptian sovereignty rights.
This categorical and precarious ostensibility in dealing with the Rafah’s crossing has resulted in catastrophic consequences and flagrant violations of international law and the Constitution and laws of Egypt, among them and the least to mention:
FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
Erection of the Separating Barrier Wall is a Violation of the Profound Principles of International Law
The construction of the barrier steel wall along the Egyptian-Gaza border stretch represents a violation of international humanitarian law and human rights (that is not only limited to the people of Gaza, but also to Egyptians and to all human beings regardless of their nationalities, including non conformity with:
The den Hague Rules of 1907 and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and precedents serving as standards in the international law that had been endorsed by the precedents in the International Court of Justice in den Hague regarding the separation wall erected by Israel to separate their forced predesignated borders from the occupied Palestinian areas, particularly as regards the following rights:
The right to food: Israel is committed to providing the occupied territories with food, water, medicines, and means of medical treatment, in accordance with Article 55 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. None the less, Gaza is it perpetually continues to keep Gaza under-siege and bars the entry of such aid, even the aid sent from foreign countries.
This right is also stated unambiguously in Articles 11, 24, and 27 of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and Articles 12 and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The right for ownership: The construction of the Egyptian Wall violates the right to property ownership, as enshrined in Article 46 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Agricultural land adjacent to the Wall will be harmed, where and groundwater reservoir used for irrigation will be polluted. The International Court of Justice ruled that the erection of the Israeli Barrier wall could not justified under pretexts of security or military necessities
There are apparent there signs of landslides that started to show on the course of drilling (digging) of the steel wall on the Egyptian side of the borders with the besieged Gaza Strip.
In this connection, we refer to what eye witnesses reported about a virtual collapse of the drainage wells in the area north of Salah Elddin Gate after the drilling equipment has reached that section. A preliminary trench had been dug to continue the construction work of the barrier wall to stop activities in the underground tunnels across the border, but work came to an abrupt stand still in that region, according to local eyewitnesses report.
The locals also pointed to the existence of a marked landslide in an area few meters away from a housing block. Northern Sinai local government bodies had surveyed the block to have an initial inventory of existing buildings just a week before.
Water experts on the other hand have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe to be incurred on the Gazan populace emanating from Egypt’s construction of the steel wall on the borders with Gaza Strip. Experts claim that such a construction constitutes a strategic threat to the underground water reservoir engulfing Gaza. Inadvertently, the wall will result in economic and water resources blockades against Gaza.
It has been reported by the Palestinian “Alquds” (Jerusalem) newspaper that the construction of the wall is, in effect, a resemblance of the water traps dug underground by Israeli occupation on the eastern and northern Gaza borders, and thus constitutes an additional blockade of water resources on the Gaza Strip. It had been also reported that the underground reservoir on the southern border of the Gaza Strip is a common and overlaps, and mitigates across the border with the Egyptian neighboring one. In consequence, the wall is in essence an artificial barrier that had been politically motivated and would have grave environmental impact on the constant and unhampered flow of water. Noteworthy here is the fact that the steel wall will reach a depth of 30 meters underground.
Experts also note that the underground reservoir (aquifer) will also be vulnerable to seepage of saline sea water as a direct result of the erosions and dislocations in the rocks at the bottom of the aquifer resulting from deep intrusion of iron sheathings.
Experts emphasized that projects implemented in this manner are not advisable and certainly have significantly adverse environmental impact. In addition, Palestinians will resort to deeper digging. In practice, this would be impossible in most of the border’s areas owing to the presence of ground water at such depths. Beyond any doubt, establishment of such a wall would affect the quality of ground water, in both medium and long foreseen terms. Contamination becomes omnipotent because of the ease of transport of pollutants into the aquifer as a result of the disturbance in the soil and the inadvertent lack of its cohesion. Noteworthy here, the corrosion of the wall is eminent, specifically, owing to the wet and damp environment and that will lead to diffusion of heavy metal ions and pollution of the underground aquifer.
Environmental experts, all around, have vocally called for an immediate intervention to protect the aquifer in Gaza from further deterioration and additional pollution.
It is also worth mentioning here that the Israeli occupation, few years ago, announced a public tender for the construction of a canal (channel) or a ditch along the border between occupied Rafah and the Egyptian section of Rafah that would has been supposedly filled with seawater and ranging between 50 meters and 100 meters width, and a 10 meters to 15 meters depth. However, this project had been shelved at the time on grounds of practical obstacles and handicaps, as well as the strong Egyptian objections.
The right to freedom of movement. This barrier wall violates the right of the Palestinians, the Egyptians, and citizens of other nationalities in movement that has been provided for in Article 13-1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 12-3 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The right to asylum: The right to asylum is regulated by the framework of the United Nations conventions on refugees, including:
1. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted on July 28, 1951.
2. Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted on January 31, 1967.
3. United Nations Declaration on Territorial Asylum of December 14, 1967.
4. Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons adopted in September 28, 1954 and in August 30, 1961.
5. Geneva Convention IV Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, adopted on August 12, 1949.
6. Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Convention IV Relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts, of June 8, 1977.
SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
The Steel Wall Barrier and the Closure of the Rafah’s Border Crossing Represent a Violation of Egyptian Commitments and Obligations Ratified and Enacted by its Arabic Conventions and Treaties
The current Egyptian actions represent:
1. A flagrant violation of Egypt's obligations as had been ratified in the Charter of the League of Arab States and the joint defense agreement and economic cooperation, and other treaties ratified by Egypt and once ratified became binding and an integral part of Egyptian legislation in force, and
2. A clear violation of the rules of international law and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international conventions, covenants, and treaties that are ratified and took force by all States. Such violations calls for an international responsibility and accountability; for such conventions mandate the establishment of peaceful relations between nations and prohibits economic sanctions, unless only enacted by the United Nations, after the exhaustion of all negotiating and reconciliation steps, provided in the Charter. Just a reminder, the United Nations Charter is an integral part of the Egyptian home legislation. The ostensible enforcement of a blockade on the Gaza Strip is in violation of the rules of international law and UN Charter. Relevant here is the fact that the governing authority in Gaza did not commit any act of hostility that would aggravate and call on Egypt to impose sanctions that are to be governed by statutes of limitations that are largely indoctrinated in the specific rules and procedures clearly defined in international relations.
3. It is unfortunate that Egypt has abrogated its leading Arabic role in defending Arabic rights and the legitimate rights of the people of Palestine for which it went to war for it in 1956, 1967 and 1973. In complete reversal, and without remorse, Egypt is now ostensibly involved and willful partner in the implementation of Israel's policy of blockading and isolating Gaza from the rest of the world.
4. It is both ironic and regrettable that the timing of such acts coincides with the anniversary of the Gaza holocaust that devastated the Gaza Strip, and resulted in grave killings of thousands of its children and women and left them homeless, starving, and they were denied all basic human rights including the right to medical treatment, access to medication, and infants formulae. Israel mounted reprehensible war of aggression on Gaza, without any justifications. In its war pitch, Israel staged a perpetual war employing its sophisticated range of armory, fighter bombers, tanks, a barrage of missiles, and incinerating white phosphorous bombs to the dismay of human conscience worldwide. The South African, albeit Jewish, judge Goldstone could not condone or conceive what transpired and scathingly condemned Israel’s war crimes in Gaza in his report.
5. The Egyptian legal system and the international agreements between Egypt, Israel, the United States, the European Union and the International Quartet are all devoid of any justification or grounds for the ostensible imposition of such stifling and deadly blockade against our brethren in Gaza. Above all, Egypt is not bound or adherent to any agreements on the Rafah’s Crossing, on the Egyptian side of the border, and were not a party in it, an incongruity with its Arabic and religious commitments and obligations.
6. With a deep heartfelt sorrow, Egypt sided with the Israeli and American positions to punish Gaza Strip for the sake of placating a the fictitious Palestinian Authority that is a nonexistent or represents a sovereign international body in international law. The PA operates on profiteering and squandering millions of dollars that are outpouring, from the United States and Europe, and end in the pockets of members of that alleged authority. The fictitious authority receives significant support of arms cache and police training and whose security forces are commandeered by General Dayton whose forces categorically torture resistance fighters merely to appease Israel.
7. The Egyptian government acts on a hollow presumption in imposing its blockade thst assumes that Gaza Strip is a renegade province rebelling against the so-called Palestenian Authority. Such presumptions are seriously flawed and need a carefull thorough reexamination in view of recent developments and established realities. The fact of the matter is that Gaza meet all the criteria required to be recognized as a sovereign state. The criteria is summarized as the existence of a specific territory, inhabiting people, and a managing government. Thus, arbitrary perceptions that Gaza is renegade province rebelling against the central authority are unwarranted and would not be upheld under as many international and legal considerations.
8. The Egyptian stance towards Gaza Strip is founded on the flawed presumption that the so-called Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, is regarded by international law as sovereign state. In fact, it is no more than administrative units to whom the occupation relegated managing the affairs of the occupied territory; and thus does not have any sort of independence or sovereignty over its territory, for it is fully subservient to the occupation authority. According to this scheme, the alleged Palestenian Authority is not mandated to enact any sovereign decisions and cannot prevent frequent incursions by Israeli troops in the occupied territories targeting and killing Palestinian citizens, razing homes and dwellings, and establishing settlements while the so-called PA remains passively witnessing and unable to utter a single word of objections to those grave highly handed Israeli practices and violations, and
9. Beyond any reasonable doubt, Egypt is joining forces in the blockade of Gaza with Israel, the United States, and the European Union, in an attempt to help impose implementation of the Zionist project of a settlement to the conflict that ultimately comprises a flawed Palestinian entity on the remnants of the land of Palestine occupied since June 5, 1967. Such a model is in close resemblance of the abolished apartheid rule in South Africa. The sought after entity will have no army, no independent foreign policy, and even no sovereignty over its airspace. This designated scheme is incongruent to the Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations, and Arab summit resolutions as well as the Arab Peace Initiative adopted in Beirut’s Arab Summit, that has been proposed by Saudi Arabia. Last but not least, the main aim of this apartheid model eyes the eradication and annulations of all the Palestinian Arab entity and presence in Jerusalem, the preeminent demolition of the holy shrine Alaqsa mosque, and the establishment of an ethnically pure Jewish state on the Palestinian soil, and
In addition to the fact that the siege of Gaza is in violation of the principles of international law and the provisions of the United Nations Charter that stipulated the right to self-determination, and the provisions of the Geneva IV Convention that clearly define the authorities of the occupation and their obligations safeguard the occupied territories entities, prohibits any squander of its wealth, the forced deportation and killing of its inhabitants, and torture. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states in its first article that:
1. All people are entitled to the right of self-determination. By this virtue people are free to determine their political system and are free to pursue their economic, social, and cultural development, as they deem fit.
2. All people, in their pursuance of their own goals, are free to dispose of their own natural wealth and resources without infringing on any obligations arising out of considerations for international economic cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefit and international law. Under no circumstances, people cannot be deprived of their means of subsistence.
THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION
Violation of the Steel Barrier Wall and the Closure of the Rafah’s Border Crossing to the Egyptian Constitution and Egyptian Laws in Force
1. The ostensible Egyptian blockade of Gaza and the closure of the Rafah’s crossing is contrary to profound principles affirmed in the preamble to our Constitution of the land, which states in its first article that: “Peace based on justice and that political and social progress for all people cannot be carried out unless those people are free and at its own independent will, and that any civilization cannot be worthy of its name unless it is free from exploitation whatever its form.''
2. The siege of Gaza is also contrary to our Arabic commitments and obligations that had been affirmed in paragraph II of the preamble to the Constitution that stipulate: “With certitude, our Arab nation recognizes that the Arab unity is a call emanating from our history and a call to our future, a necessity to our fate, and can only be achieved in the protection of an Arab nation that is capable of warding off any threat, whatever its source and whatever its proclaimed allegations”.
3. It is enshrined in the Preamble to our Constitution, in its fourth article, the significance of Egyptian people entitlement to freedom and pride and how that is paramount to development and commensurate with the high ideals to be espoused. So, the restrictions ostensibly imposed and the Closure of the Rafah’s Border Crossing represents a derogatory assault on the freedom and pride of the Egyptian citizenry.
4. The decisions to close the Rafah’s Crossing are at variance with stipulations of Article I of the Constitution that: “Egyptian people are part of the Arab nation and they work for the realization of aspirations for its comprehensive unity. Hereby are the resolutions of the closure of the Rafah’s Crossing are at clear and candid odds with our Arabic commitments encompassing efforts to realize comprehensive Arab unity”
5. Article 50 of the Constitution states that: “It is reprehensive to prohibit or deny any citizen entitlement to reside in any specific location or be mandated to reside in a particular place, except in cases specifically stipulated in the law.”
According to Article 51 of the Constitution, Such rights and entitlements are breached by decisions of closure of the Rafah’s Crossing that are, in consequence, resulting in the deprivation of an Egyptian citizen, who happens to be visiting the Gaza Strip, from his return to Egypt for indefinite prolonged durations and subject him to bureaucratic banning restrictions denying him of his constitutional right for return, and leave him subjected to consequential material and moral losses
6. The closure of the crossing and the persistent siege of Gaza breach the explicit commitments set forth in the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Egypt is a signatory and had already after being ratified become an integral part of the national legislation, according to Article 151 of the Egyptian Constitution.
a. Article 2 of the Covenant provides that “the State shall respect the rights of all individuals residing on its land, without any discrimination as to race, color, sex, language, religion, political or nonpolitical opinions, national or social origin, wealth, social background, or any other reasons.''
b. Article 12 of the Covenant prohibits imposition of restrictions on the right to liberty of movement and freedom for choice of residence, or the freedom to leave any country including his own. No one shall be deprived arbitrarily of the right to enter his own country. Such obligations apply to the State of Egypt in the case of an Egyptian who wishes to enter the Gaza Strip or return from. By the same token, it also applies in the case of the Palestinians stranded at the Egyptian borders and deprived entry to Gaza.
7. The law provides rules of entry and exit to Egyptians and other nationals, whereby such regulations apply uniformly to all air and seaports. The law does not justify arbitrary application of the rules. Whatever applies to the Cairo Airport, Sharm El Sheikh Airport, Salloum Border Crossing, and several border crossings with Sudan should also apply to the Rafah’s Crossing. It is not justifiable to invoke arguments and pretexts citing security consideration to single out a certain border crossing for arbitrary and precarious aggravations, for the security system is one and indivisible one, and certainly this is a universally acknowledged security rule.
8. Israel, on previous occasions, has tried before to change the name of its rigorous network of barrier walls in the West Bank from a security wall to an anti-terror wall. In this connection, the Egyptian authorities resort to name of the steel wall as engineering constructions is inconceivable. Whatever the alleged name given, it does not change the fact that a steel barrier is being erected between Egypt and Gaza
CONCLUDING REMARKS
For all the Preceding Causations and Allegations, and
With all the admissible details we will show concerning annulations of the void administrative decisions issued as regards the erection of the steel barrier wall and those that impose severe restrictions on entry and exit at Rafah’s Border Crossing. These administrative orders and decrees violate the Constitution and law and are inherently arbitrary selectivity and implies uncalled for bias. These administrative orders represent a flagrant denial and deviation to Egypt's national and Arab commitment. Also, it inflicts gross damage to Egypt’s foreign and Arabic relations and interests. The security allegation or invocations of sovereign rights as alibis of such violations have been flatly rejected by the International Court of Justice. In consequence, Egypt has to conform to international obligations that prohibit erection of such a steel barrier wall and the closure the Rafah’s border citing security concerns or sovereign rights
PRAYER FOR RELIEF
WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs, on behalf of themselves, pray for the following relief:
1. Accept and certify this case as a class action.
2. Enter a permanent injunctive relief;
a. Restrain the implementation of the administrative decision of the steel barrier wall along the borders with Gaza
b. Restrain resolutions that required the closure of the Rafah’s border crossing and the precarious and ostensible application of restrictions and the imposition of exceptional measures. The plaintiffs request application of measures at the Rafah’s crossing that are in conformity with those applied at other Egyptian land, air, and sea ports, and
3. The plaintiffs ask this court to enter relief declaring annulations of those administrative orders mandating erection of the steel barrier wall and closure the Rafah border crossing and an injunction for equal treated in the same manner applicable at all other ports of the country, with whatever consequential effects that follows.
4. Award plaintiffs the full costs and attorneys’ fees arising out of this action, and
5. Such other and further relief as this Court may deem just and appropriate.
Dated: January 4, 2010
Ibrahim Youssri
By: _________________________
Ibrahim Youssri Sayed Hussein
Attorney for Plaintiffs
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Lambeth Activists Celebrate Election Success
Lambeth Activists candidates today secured 100 per cent of the seats they contested at a lively Lambeth UNISON AGM.
With over 200 Lambeth members in attendance, Dan Jeffery and Ruth Cashman won the post of Assistant Branch Secretary with 56 per cent of the vote.
Dan and Ruth will job share the post and pledged to primarily spend their facility time in workplaces recruiting members and activists to resist the cuts to jobs, pay and public services that Labour, Tories and Lib Dems have promised.
Reg Morrison, Rob Gowland, Mary Kotey, Gurmeet Khurana, James Caspell, Jeremy Dewar and Gary Whiting all secured their positions on Lambeth UNISON’s Branch Committee.
Hassina Poyser, Ruth Cashman and Sahida Uddin all secured positions as delegates to National and National Local Government Conferences respectively.
A number of motions were passed, calling for all UNISON officials to be elected, a cross-union campaign to be built to oppose cuts to jobs and services and a concerted recruitment drive in every workplace.
Gurmeet Khurana’s work as International Officer drew special praise from numerous quarters, with Lambeth Branch having raised £1000’s for Palestinian aid organisations this year and twinning initiatives underway with unions in Palestine and Swaziland.
Lambeth Activists built on their first contested Lambeth UNISON AGM last year and have since recruited almost 20 shop stewards and countless members across Lambeth. Activists were also instrumental in producing the first Branch Newsletters in over a decade.
Lambeth Unison is renound as one of the most active, radical branches in UNISON Local Government and has pioneered the introduction of UNISON learning reps, environmental reps and practical support for the Palestinian people in recent years.
Monday, 11 January 2010
Vote for LAMBETH ACTIVISTS at Lambeth UNISON AGM - Lambeth Town Hall, 12:15pm, 14th January 2010
We are a group of activists who believe that UNISON, and the trade union movement at large, needs to be rebuilt from the grass-roots, encouraging maximum participation and control of unions by members, and giving workers the confidence to fight collectively for their own interests in their workplaces.
We want an inclusive, active, fighting union that effectively takes on management and the government by involving all workers in action to defend and extend our rights.
We need new momentum – passionate activists who are prepared to fight to build a union for members, run by members.
We ask you to support and join us!
Lambeth Activists candidates for elections at the 2010 AGM:
Assistant Branch Secretary
Ruth Cashman & Dan Jeffery
Vice Chair
Reg Morrison
Membership Officer
Mary Kotey & Rob Gowland
Assistant Publicity Officer
Jeremy Dewar
International Officer
Gurmeet Khurana
Young Members Officer
James Caspell
Welfare Officer
Gary Whiting
National Conference Delegates
· Hassina Malik
· Sahida Uddin & Ruth Cashman
Local Government Conference Delegates
· Hassina Malik
· Sahida Uddin
Click here to download our leaflet
We want an inclusive, active, fighting union that effectively takes on management and the government by involving all workers in action to defend and extend our rights.
We need new momentum – passionate activists who are prepared to fight to build a union for members, run by members.
We ask you to support and join us!
Lambeth Activists candidates for elections at the 2010 AGM:
Assistant Branch Secretary
Ruth Cashman & Dan Jeffery
Vice Chair
Reg Morrison
Membership Officer
Mary Kotey & Rob Gowland
Assistant Publicity Officer
Jeremy Dewar
International Officer
Gurmeet Khurana
Young Members Officer
James Caspell
Welfare Officer
Gary Whiting
National Conference Delegates
· Hassina Malik
· Sahida Uddin & Ruth Cashman
Local Government Conference Delegates
· Hassina Malik
· Sahida Uddin
Click here to download our leaflet
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Sharing the sacrifice?
This comes from a poster in the 1930s, but how much have things really changed? Don’t let management keep treading us down. Join UNISON and get active to protect staff and services.
Together we can make a difference!
Together we can make a difference!
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Support the campaign against privatisation of Ashmole Estate
Please support the campaign against privatisation of Ashmole estate.
DCH debates Metroplitan Housing Association, Ashmole Tenants Hall , Meadow Road
Meet Fentiman Arms Thursday 6pm June 25th for canvassing.
Residents meeting at 7pm.
Join the No to Transfer campaign – Canvassing and Postering Dates
Saturday June 27th meet 4pm Fentiman Arms
Sunday June 28th meet 4pm Fentiman Arms
Monday June 29th - first day of ballot - 6.30 pm Fentiman Arms
Tuesday June 30th 6.30 pm Fentiman Arms
- further dates will be announced as necessary.
Transfer is privatisation
Metropolitan Housing Association ‘says it’s not for profit’ but it borrows from banks and buys and sells homes on the private market, using tenant’s homes as security for borrowing. It’s very risky for tenants to become subject to the ups and downs of the private market and the instability of the banks.
Less security
Metropolitan say they will guarantee tenants the same rights that we get under a council ‘secure ‘tenancy. But these promises don’t have the same force in law as the statutory rights we have as council tenants. And though the current management of Metropolitan may say they are committed to tenant's security, what if they merge with another housing association and the new management takes a different view? ‘Transfer landlords‘ are much more likely to merge into even bigger businesses as that’s how the banks prefer them to be.
Even higher rents and charges
Housing Association rents and charges are higher than council rents. Metropolitan say that tenant's rents will be the same as the council charges, and the government has been trying to ‘converge ‘ council and housing association rents together, but their plans are in disarray – ‘convergence’ has been moved from 2012 to 2024 !!
COME TO THE PUBLIC MEETING TO FIND OUT MORE, ASK QUESTIONS AND http://www.support4councilhousing.org.uk/OIN THE LAMBETH DEFEND COUNCIL HOUSING CAMPAIGN: VOTE NO TO TRANSFER, IT’S NOT WORTH THE RISK !
Contact Lambeth Defend Council Housing dchlambeth@gmail.com 07834828292 www.defendcouncilhousing.org.uk
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Lambeth housing: sell offs, job cuts and rent rises
From Workers Power website:
Demo: 11am Saturday 30 May, assemble Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton
When Lambeth Activists, a caucus of militants in Lambeth Unison, called a public meeting to highlight job cuts in the housing section and the privatisation of the repairs and maintenance service, we got a great response.
Jeremy Dewar reports on a packed meeting and plans for a fightback.Council housing in Lambeth, south London is in a severe crisis after years of corruption and incompetence at the very top. And - as with the wider economic crisis, of which this is an echo - it is the workers, who provide and rely on this public service, that are being made to pay the price.
Labour attacks council housing
In a calculated move, the Labour controlled authority froze council tax, but then made tenants pay for it. Rents have shot up not once but twice since November - a 25 per cent hike at a time when unemployment is rising and average wages falling.While 17,000 are waiting for a council home, 2,000 of whom are in temporary accommodation, the local authority is auctioning off empty properties, even though most need just minimal repairs to be ready to rent.
Again, what timing: up to 75,000 households will be repossessed this year, nationally, but Lambeth anticipates the growing need for affordable rented accommodation... by selling off its stock.
Reg Morrison told the meeting that housing officers had brought down the average time it took to turn round a "void" - making an empty council property ready for renting out again - from 88 days to just 22. But instead of easing the demand for affordable housing, the council has abused this dedicated labour by selling off the properties.Added to this, the council is still trying to hive off whole estates to housing associations.
The latest target is the Ashmole estate, which has only recently voted against privatisation. But there is no rule to stop the authority asking the same question again and again... until it gets the answer it wants. So the Ashmole tenants have again to mount a campaign to ensure a majority understands the issues and votes down the proposal.
The housing department itself was turned into an Arms Length Management Organisation (almo) a few years back on the promise that it could then apply for increased funding from central government and that it would not lead to further privatisation. Even then, the ballot to set it up only succeeded because the "Don't knows" were excluded.
Now the almo, called Lambeth Living, has announced a 20 per cent cut in the workforce - up to one in three posts in some departments. As Dan Jeffery told the meeting, this would mean "each member of staff working an extra 10 hours a week" just for the service to standstill. The fact that there are at least ten consultants earning between £500 and £1,000 a day in Lambeth Living has added to workers' anger.
Privatisation
On top of this, Lambeth Living has also put out to tender First Call, the emergency repairs unit, the concierge service and the north Lambeth cleaners. So much for the promise of no more privatisation.The 18 May public meeting certainly made clear that there was no call from those that use these services for their privatisation.
On the contrary, the number of concierges and cleaners has been halved in recent years and residents wanted the return of their full compliment - not the introduction of cost cutting profiteers. One of the cleaners, who couldn't be present, was reported to have complained, "I've cleaned up faeces, urine, drug needles, and for that I've been offered £6,000 or be turned over to a contractor and end up on the minimum wage."
First Call, on the other hand, is clearly a much-loved service - in complete contrast to the private contractors, Morrison and Connaught, which take the lion's share of the work. The last remaining public sector workers have for the most part been reduced to phoning up the privateers and checking up on their work.
Steve from First Call explained how the contractors milk the system: coming out without the right equipment or parts, then returning to do a rush job and finally fixing the problem properly; each time they will log it as a different job, so getting paid three times! As Steve said, "We are the only people checking up on this. Privatise us and you might as well give them an open chequebook."
Action
Ros Munday, chair of the tenants' council, brought home the human misery this crisis is causing by telling us of a Chinese woman, who was thinking of resigning from her part time job, which brought in £104 a week, because she could not afford the £15 a week rent rise without benefits.
So when Steve Hack of Lambeth Defend Council Housing proposed we all join him on a march from the Town Hall to protest at some vacant properties on Coldharbour Lane, it was agreed unanimously.
The meeting, which was packed with over 60 in attendance, many of whom were active in tenants and residents' associations, also endorsed adding to the slogan of "No selling our homes" those of "No job cuts" and "No privatisation".
A discussion was started over what further action could be taken. Everyone thought the tactic, pioneered by DCH, of occupying homes when they are put up for auction was excellent and could be spread.
I warned that the council would try to drive a wedge between workers and tenants, and that the meeting should set up some kind of joint action committee to support the unions, should strike action become necessary, and to support a rent strike, should the tenants decide on that course of action.
Again, this idea was warmly applauded.A useful debate also looked at putting up a political alternative to New Labour: should we stand protest candidates against Labour in elections?
While there were speeches for and against this idea, a Liberal Democrat candidate hoping to score points by coming to the meeting was swiftly rounded upon and sent packing.
Certainly the absence of a working class alternative to Labour was keenly felt.For now, however, all hands are on deck to build for the demonstration on Saturday.
Leaflets and posters are going up, as both the Unison and GMB union branches as well as the tenants associations and Defend Council Housing have all received a fillip in their fight to defend jobs, public services and council housing.
More coverage in the South London Press.
Demo: 11am Saturday 30 May, assemble Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton
When Lambeth Activists, a caucus of militants in Lambeth Unison, called a public meeting to highlight job cuts in the housing section and the privatisation of the repairs and maintenance service, we got a great response.
Jeremy Dewar reports on a packed meeting and plans for a fightback.Council housing in Lambeth, south London is in a severe crisis after years of corruption and incompetence at the very top. And - as with the wider economic crisis, of which this is an echo - it is the workers, who provide and rely on this public service, that are being made to pay the price.
Labour attacks council housing
In a calculated move, the Labour controlled authority froze council tax, but then made tenants pay for it. Rents have shot up not once but twice since November - a 25 per cent hike at a time when unemployment is rising and average wages falling.While 17,000 are waiting for a council home, 2,000 of whom are in temporary accommodation, the local authority is auctioning off empty properties, even though most need just minimal repairs to be ready to rent.
Again, what timing: up to 75,000 households will be repossessed this year, nationally, but Lambeth anticipates the growing need for affordable rented accommodation... by selling off its stock.
Reg Morrison told the meeting that housing officers had brought down the average time it took to turn round a "void" - making an empty council property ready for renting out again - from 88 days to just 22. But instead of easing the demand for affordable housing, the council has abused this dedicated labour by selling off the properties.Added to this, the council is still trying to hive off whole estates to housing associations.
The latest target is the Ashmole estate, which has only recently voted against privatisation. But there is no rule to stop the authority asking the same question again and again... until it gets the answer it wants. So the Ashmole tenants have again to mount a campaign to ensure a majority understands the issues and votes down the proposal.
The housing department itself was turned into an Arms Length Management Organisation (almo) a few years back on the promise that it could then apply for increased funding from central government and that it would not lead to further privatisation. Even then, the ballot to set it up only succeeded because the "Don't knows" were excluded.
Now the almo, called Lambeth Living, has announced a 20 per cent cut in the workforce - up to one in three posts in some departments. As Dan Jeffery told the meeting, this would mean "each member of staff working an extra 10 hours a week" just for the service to standstill. The fact that there are at least ten consultants earning between £500 and £1,000 a day in Lambeth Living has added to workers' anger.
Privatisation
On top of this, Lambeth Living has also put out to tender First Call, the emergency repairs unit, the concierge service and the north Lambeth cleaners. So much for the promise of no more privatisation.The 18 May public meeting certainly made clear that there was no call from those that use these services for their privatisation.
On the contrary, the number of concierges and cleaners has been halved in recent years and residents wanted the return of their full compliment - not the introduction of cost cutting profiteers. One of the cleaners, who couldn't be present, was reported to have complained, "I've cleaned up faeces, urine, drug needles, and for that I've been offered £6,000 or be turned over to a contractor and end up on the minimum wage."
First Call, on the other hand, is clearly a much-loved service - in complete contrast to the private contractors, Morrison and Connaught, which take the lion's share of the work. The last remaining public sector workers have for the most part been reduced to phoning up the privateers and checking up on their work.
Steve from First Call explained how the contractors milk the system: coming out without the right equipment or parts, then returning to do a rush job and finally fixing the problem properly; each time they will log it as a different job, so getting paid three times! As Steve said, "We are the only people checking up on this. Privatise us and you might as well give them an open chequebook."
Action
Ros Munday, chair of the tenants' council, brought home the human misery this crisis is causing by telling us of a Chinese woman, who was thinking of resigning from her part time job, which brought in £104 a week, because she could not afford the £15 a week rent rise without benefits.
So when Steve Hack of Lambeth Defend Council Housing proposed we all join him on a march from the Town Hall to protest at some vacant properties on Coldharbour Lane, it was agreed unanimously.
The meeting, which was packed with over 60 in attendance, many of whom were active in tenants and residents' associations, also endorsed adding to the slogan of "No selling our homes" those of "No job cuts" and "No privatisation".
A discussion was started over what further action could be taken. Everyone thought the tactic, pioneered by DCH, of occupying homes when they are put up for auction was excellent and could be spread.
I warned that the council would try to drive a wedge between workers and tenants, and that the meeting should set up some kind of joint action committee to support the unions, should strike action become necessary, and to support a rent strike, should the tenants decide on that course of action.
Again, this idea was warmly applauded.A useful debate also looked at putting up a political alternative to New Labour: should we stand protest candidates against Labour in elections?
While there were speeches for and against this idea, a Liberal Democrat candidate hoping to score points by coming to the meeting was swiftly rounded upon and sent packing.
Certainly the absence of a working class alternative to Labour was keenly felt.For now, however, all hands are on deck to build for the demonstration on Saturday.
Leaflets and posters are going up, as both the Unison and GMB union branches as well as the tenants associations and Defend Council Housing have all received a fillip in their fight to defend jobs, public services and council housing.
More coverage in the South London Press.
PROTEST MARCH - Saturday 30th May, Assemble 11am Lambeth Town Hall
Lambeth Housing Crisis
· No to sale of Council Housing
· No to privatisation
· No to job cuts
There are 17,000 residents on Lambeth’s Housing Waiting List and 2,000 in Temporary Accommodation... but Lambeth Council are AUCTIONING OFF council homes at rock-bottom prices, cutting jobs and giving away Council services to private companies only interested in profit.
UNISON is campaigning alongside tenants, leaseholders and community organisations to defend the interests of local residents and workers to oppose the Council’s policies. Council homes should be refurbished and used to house the homeless.
Saturday 30th May
Assemble 11am
Lambeth Town Hall
No more sell offs! No to rent rises, job cuts and privatisation!
· No to sale of Council Housing
· No to privatisation
· No to job cuts
There are 17,000 residents on Lambeth’s Housing Waiting List and 2,000 in Temporary Accommodation... but Lambeth Council are AUCTIONING OFF council homes at rock-bottom prices, cutting jobs and giving away Council services to private companies only interested in profit.
UNISON is campaigning alongside tenants, leaseholders and community organisations to defend the interests of local residents and workers to oppose the Council’s policies. Council homes should be refurbished and used to house the homeless.
Saturday 30th May
Assemble 11am
Lambeth Town Hall
No more sell offs! No to rent rises, job cuts and privatisation!
Monday, 11 May 2009
Boycott Israel and show solidarity with Palestinians
All major UK retailers sell Israeli goods, and most of them sell produce from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Some have made statements in support of Zionism and some have contracts with Israeli companies.
There is a growing movement to boycott Israeli goods in solidarity with the people of Palestine and in line with an international call for BDS. There have been reports in the press that Israeli producers are experiencing a decline in demand for Israeli produce since the bombardment of Gaza in January 2009
Help to build Lambeth Unison’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign! We will be holding our second boycott Israeli goods stall on 13 May 09 at 1pm outside M & S on Brixton High Road.
There is a growing movement to boycott Israeli goods in solidarity with the people of Palestine and in line with an international call for BDS. There have been reports in the press that Israeli producers are experiencing a decline in demand for Israeli produce since the bombardment of Gaza in January 2009
Help to build Lambeth Unison’s Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Campaign! We will be holding our second boycott Israeli goods stall on 13 May 09 at 1pm outside M & S on Brixton High Road.
In defence of Brixton
On May 5th, the Times published the following article, called "Brixton: the depressing symbol of Britain's multicultural failure".
Roger Lewis has written the following letter to the editor in response:
11th May 2009
Dear Editor
I was passed a copy of Sathnam Sanghera’s article on Brixton in The Times 5th May 2009 “Brixton: the depressing symbol of Britain's multicultural failure“.
I felt a tinge of sadness followed by a growing sense of disbelief at Sathnam’s arguments echoing Trevor Phillips’ much publicised rantings on the failure of multi Culturalism in Britain today.
Firstly, let’s get some of the more ludicrous criticisms of Sathnam’s arguments out of the way.
1 Sathnam argues that “on Saturdays”, White people shop at Tesco’s and Black people shop in Brixton Market.
Well Sathnam, a very high proportion of Saturday market shoppers are not actually from Brixton. They travel here to enjoy Brixton and the worldwide selection of foods etc that are available in this internationally renowned market.
2 Suggesting, as he does, that no Black people shop at Tesco is simply bonkers and doesn’t deserve any further reply from me.
Sathnam suggests that White people don’t shop in Brixton market? Not my experience at all. However, I do concede that not that many white people are familiar with some of the produce, know that there is more than one variety of yam or mango and can’t recognise a cassava let alone know how to cook it! As examples of the failure of multi-culturalism though? I’m not impressed Sathnam.
3 Black people eat in Ethiopian restaurants and white people go to the pub? Well this is just stating the bleedin’ obvious isn’t it? Particularly if the Black people Sathnam refers to are Ethiopian. Also Sathnam, Strangely Irish people often go to Irish pubs that play Irish music and where people gather who share a common Irish culture.
IF I go to the West End for a Chinese meal, the people eating are generally non Chinese whereas the staff are generally Chinese. Is this not segregation?
Black kids congregating in McDonald’s? Apparently Sathnam seems to suggest White kids don’t go to or eat McDonalds. Bonkers Sathnam. If you can honestly state this with a straight face and believe it then I’m a teapot!
If it were just that these statements were harmless throwaway remarks then I’d let it go at that, but the stakes here are too high.
Sathnam states his despair at… “The bombing, the mini-riot, the numerous anti-terrorism raids, the stabbings, kneecappings and murders,”
Get a grip Sathnam. This is Brixton we’re talking about, not downtown Kabul. I’m sorry to hear of your unfortunate experiences, but don’t make out this is the norm. Of course things aren’t perfect; we have our problems with crime and drugs like other places which don’t have the same mix of racial communities living cheek by jowl like we do here in London SW2. And “kneecapping”?, where on earth did you dig this up from? What about deaths in police custody? These continue, mainly to young Black men, but you don’t mention this.
The real danger here and the danger that arises from Trevor Phillips statements on the same subject is that this gross distortion of reality does nothing to encourage community cohesion and everything to open the door to the arguments of the racists in the Nazi BNP and elsewhere. This is unforgivable.
I’ve lived and worked in Brixton, Clapham North and Stockwell for over 20 years. I use the market, live in a racially mixed household, work in a multi cultural workplace, (like every other workplace in Lambeth), shop at Tesco’s alongside Black and Asian people as well as white. Moan about the queues, laugh at the same silly things and chat with the Black/White/Asian worker (delete as applicable from your last shop experience) at the checkout.
Sadly, the depth of Sathnam’s pessimism is matched only by his failure to justify what he states in such glibly damming terms about the people of our community.
The forces at work today that are dividing and damaging our communities are not due to the unwillingness or inability of the various peoples of Brixton, or anywhere else, to socialise, mix and share our experiences. This is not a result of in built hostility between people from different backgrounds,. This stems from the social and economic policies that are destroying jobs, social services, the health service and social housing etc.
The council’s closure of Dick Shepherd School, along with the youth theatre and swimming pool and it’s replacement with luxury flats is what separates us, rich against poor. The high security gated communities alienate us, not our schools, restaurants, shops and cinemas.
Our public services have been devastated and passed over to the private sector. Costs have risen and standards have fallen. These are the dividing factors at work here. The press and media share the blame for this too. Demonising our young, particularly our black youth, attacking immigrants for all the evils in society, scaremongering about street crime, the result being a huge increase in stop and search – disproportionately aimed at Black and Asian kids and young adults. Sathnam might have done better to go into one of our schools and ask the youngsters how many of them have been subjected to stop and search and how often this happens. You can do this Sathnam, and it’s not dangerous, and you won’t need to wear a stab jacket either!
Dont pander to the racists Sathnam, don’t swallow the lies of the politicians after a cheap popularised soundbite. The BNP are grinning with delight at your article and love it every time it and others like it appear.
Finally, a message regarding Trevor Philips much publicised views on the matter.
When Trevor talks about segregated communities, Does he mean the gated communities in Belgravia and Kensington and Chelsea? Does he mean the segregation he imposes on himself with his luxury chauffeur driven car driven by a driver who he probably segregates himself from with a screen? Does he mean The posh restaurants he frequents which would not even allow me through their front door?
In Brixton, we travel together on the Bus, Black, Asian and White, use the same overcrowded Tube, shop in the same shops, eat in the same McDonalds, KFC, etc. It’s poverty Sathnam, this food is cheap. We integrate and would have to even if we didn’t want to. Our housing is overcrowded, not because of immigrants taking it all, but because it is being sold off to the private sector and the remainder left to rot. Poverty, heavy handed policing, lack of opportunities, poor quality and insufficient housing beat people down, lower expectations and aspirations in our young and breed frustration and sometimes anger. Certainly they alienate us from the politicians, bankers, and sometimes, sadly, from each other. Racist lies about immigration drive wedges between us and foster fear and suspicion.
Brixton has a fantastic and long tradition of welcoming people from around the world second to none and equal to areas like the East End, Hackney, and areas outside London such as Moss Side, Toxteth and elsewhere.
Social deprivation is what divides us Sathnam, not social diversity.
Yours faithfully
Roger Lewis
Brixton
South London
Roger Lewis has written the following letter to the editor in response:
11th May 2009
Dear Editor
I was passed a copy of Sathnam Sanghera’s article on Brixton in The Times 5th May 2009 “Brixton: the depressing symbol of Britain's multicultural failure“.
I felt a tinge of sadness followed by a growing sense of disbelief at Sathnam’s arguments echoing Trevor Phillips’ much publicised rantings on the failure of multi Culturalism in Britain today.
Firstly, let’s get some of the more ludicrous criticisms of Sathnam’s arguments out of the way.
1 Sathnam argues that “on Saturdays”, White people shop at Tesco’s and Black people shop in Brixton Market.
Well Sathnam, a very high proportion of Saturday market shoppers are not actually from Brixton. They travel here to enjoy Brixton and the worldwide selection of foods etc that are available in this internationally renowned market.
2 Suggesting, as he does, that no Black people shop at Tesco is simply bonkers and doesn’t deserve any further reply from me.
Sathnam suggests that White people don’t shop in Brixton market? Not my experience at all. However, I do concede that not that many white people are familiar with some of the produce, know that there is more than one variety of yam or mango and can’t recognise a cassava let alone know how to cook it! As examples of the failure of multi-culturalism though? I’m not impressed Sathnam.
3 Black people eat in Ethiopian restaurants and white people go to the pub? Well this is just stating the bleedin’ obvious isn’t it? Particularly if the Black people Sathnam refers to are Ethiopian. Also Sathnam, Strangely Irish people often go to Irish pubs that play Irish music and where people gather who share a common Irish culture.
IF I go to the West End for a Chinese meal, the people eating are generally non Chinese whereas the staff are generally Chinese. Is this not segregation?
Black kids congregating in McDonald’s? Apparently Sathnam seems to suggest White kids don’t go to or eat McDonalds. Bonkers Sathnam. If you can honestly state this with a straight face and believe it then I’m a teapot!
If it were just that these statements were harmless throwaway remarks then I’d let it go at that, but the stakes here are too high.
Sathnam states his despair at… “The bombing, the mini-riot, the numerous anti-terrorism raids, the stabbings, kneecappings and murders,”
Get a grip Sathnam. This is Brixton we’re talking about, not downtown Kabul. I’m sorry to hear of your unfortunate experiences, but don’t make out this is the norm. Of course things aren’t perfect; we have our problems with crime and drugs like other places which don’t have the same mix of racial communities living cheek by jowl like we do here in London SW2. And “kneecapping”?, where on earth did you dig this up from? What about deaths in police custody? These continue, mainly to young Black men, but you don’t mention this.
The real danger here and the danger that arises from Trevor Phillips statements on the same subject is that this gross distortion of reality does nothing to encourage community cohesion and everything to open the door to the arguments of the racists in the Nazi BNP and elsewhere. This is unforgivable.
I’ve lived and worked in Brixton, Clapham North and Stockwell for over 20 years. I use the market, live in a racially mixed household, work in a multi cultural workplace, (like every other workplace in Lambeth), shop at Tesco’s alongside Black and Asian people as well as white. Moan about the queues, laugh at the same silly things and chat with the Black/White/Asian worker (delete as applicable from your last shop experience) at the checkout.
Sadly, the depth of Sathnam’s pessimism is matched only by his failure to justify what he states in such glibly damming terms about the people of our community.
The forces at work today that are dividing and damaging our communities are not due to the unwillingness or inability of the various peoples of Brixton, or anywhere else, to socialise, mix and share our experiences. This is not a result of in built hostility between people from different backgrounds,. This stems from the social and economic policies that are destroying jobs, social services, the health service and social housing etc.
The council’s closure of Dick Shepherd School, along with the youth theatre and swimming pool and it’s replacement with luxury flats is what separates us, rich against poor. The high security gated communities alienate us, not our schools, restaurants, shops and cinemas.
Our public services have been devastated and passed over to the private sector. Costs have risen and standards have fallen. These are the dividing factors at work here. The press and media share the blame for this too. Demonising our young, particularly our black youth, attacking immigrants for all the evils in society, scaremongering about street crime, the result being a huge increase in stop and search – disproportionately aimed at Black and Asian kids and young adults. Sathnam might have done better to go into one of our schools and ask the youngsters how many of them have been subjected to stop and search and how often this happens. You can do this Sathnam, and it’s not dangerous, and you won’t need to wear a stab jacket either!
Dont pander to the racists Sathnam, don’t swallow the lies of the politicians after a cheap popularised soundbite. The BNP are grinning with delight at your article and love it every time it and others like it appear.
Finally, a message regarding Trevor Philips much publicised views on the matter.
When Trevor talks about segregated communities, Does he mean the gated communities in Belgravia and Kensington and Chelsea? Does he mean the segregation he imposes on himself with his luxury chauffeur driven car driven by a driver who he probably segregates himself from with a screen? Does he mean The posh restaurants he frequents which would not even allow me through their front door?
In Brixton, we travel together on the Bus, Black, Asian and White, use the same overcrowded Tube, shop in the same shops, eat in the same McDonalds, KFC, etc. It’s poverty Sathnam, this food is cheap. We integrate and would have to even if we didn’t want to. Our housing is overcrowded, not because of immigrants taking it all, but because it is being sold off to the private sector and the remainder left to rot. Poverty, heavy handed policing, lack of opportunities, poor quality and insufficient housing beat people down, lower expectations and aspirations in our young and breed frustration and sometimes anger. Certainly they alienate us from the politicians, bankers, and sometimes, sadly, from each other. Racist lies about immigration drive wedges between us and foster fear and suspicion.
Brixton has a fantastic and long tradition of welcoming people from around the world second to none and equal to areas like the East End, Hackney, and areas outside London such as Moss Side, Toxteth and elsewhere.
Social deprivation is what divides us Sathnam, not social diversity.
Yours faithfully
Roger Lewis
Brixton
South London
MEETING - STOP THE CUTS OF JOBS AND SERVICES!
Date: 19 May 09
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: St Matthew’s Tenant Hall, Brixton
“We take pride in our work and many of us have to do difficult jobs on low wages. We didn’t get Lambeth Living and the Council into this mess yet we pay the price with job cuts. But at the same time Lambeth Living and the council spend millions of pounds on consultants, the very people who got us into this mess in the first place. Hopefully we can build a campaign to give staff, tenants and leaseholders the respect that they deserve.” Employee of Lambeth Living
Are you fed up with:
• Rent rises? – Up 17%, on average £12 a week, £50 a month
• Council houses sold off? – Lambeth is auctioning off its huge stock of empty houses, while 16,000 on waiting list
• Over a fifth of Lambeth Living jobs to go and a third of jobs in some departments?– The former Housing Dept, now a separate company, says it has no money to keep staff on: experienced workers on the dole, more work for the rest, a worse service
• Wasted money? – Housing has a hole of millions of pounds in council funding, Home Office enquiry into lost refugee housing allocation… meanwhile consultants earn up to £1000 a day!
• Privatisation? – First Call emergency repairs service, concierge service and North Lambeth Cleaning to be privatised, even though existing contractors do an unsatisfactory job
At a time when unemployment is rising and many people are made redundant, this is a scandal. Lambeth Council is using the recession to destroy what remains of publicly accountable and halfway decent housing estate and squeeze housing staff and tenants as hard as they can.
We don’t have to put up with this. We can fight back. Come to a borough wide tenants, leaseholders and staff meeting, Lambeth Housing in Crisis. Speakers from Defend Council Housing, Unison, Tenants Council, LamPAG and speakers from local Trade Unions. But most of all YOU! Come and tell us what it’s like in your area. Let’s talk about what we can do to defend our homes and our jobs and build a campaign to take action!
Date: 19 May 09
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: St Matthew’s Tenant Hall, Brixton
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: St Matthew’s Tenant Hall, Brixton
Saturday, 18 April 2009
DEFEND ADULT EDUCATION AT LAMBETH COLLEGE!
MARCH THROUGH BRIXTON TUESDAY 28 APRIL March starts at Brixton College 12.30pm and from Lambeth Town Hall 12.45pm
PUT STUDENTS FIRST!REDUCE TEACHERS’ WORKLOAD
REINSTATE COURSE MANAGERS
Organised by Lambeth College UCU (teachers’ union)
WHY WE ARE STRIKING
Teachers are buckling at the knees trying to keep this College on its feet. On top of teaching 23 hours a week, we have to attend more and more meetings, complete excessive amounts of admin and paperwork, mark students’ work, carry out interviews, oversee exams, etc, etc. Teachers are working a lot of unpaid overtime hours, working through their breaks, and taking work home with them. For about 2 years we have been telling Lambeth College Management that we are suffering stress and illness due to overwork. However Management have ignored us and continued to pile on the workload even more. We are saying that we want our teaching hours reduced to 21 hours a week because we no longer have enough time to prepare lessons properly, and this is not fair on our students.
Management are also implementing a more hierarchical system of Management, cutting some existing manager posts (although this will cost more) - this means that teachers will have less support and be under even more pressure.
Since 2006, each year we have faced £millions in cuts to provision, and lived with repeated threats to the security of our jobs. Yet again this year we are expecting more massive cuts, so we know that things will only get worse.
Teachers are buckling at the knees trying to keep this College on its feet. On top of teaching 23 hours a week, we have to attend more and more meetings, complete excessive amounts of admin and paperwork, mark students’ work, carry out interviews, oversee exams, etc, etc. Teachers are working a lot of unpaid overtime hours, working through their breaks, and taking work home with them. For about 2 years we have been telling Lambeth College Management that we are suffering stress and illness due to overwork. However Management have ignored us and continued to pile on the workload even more. We are saying that we want our teaching hours reduced to 21 hours a week because we no longer have enough time to prepare lessons properly, and this is not fair on our students.
Management are also implementing a more hierarchical system of Management, cutting some existing manager posts (although this will cost more) - this means that teachers will have less support and be under even more pressure.
Since 2006, each year we have faced £millions in cuts to provision, and lived with repeated threats to the security of our jobs. Yet again this year we are expecting more massive cuts, so we know that things will only get worse.
Now we feel we have no choice but to take action. We have balloted our members and agreed to take 2 hours strike action (which means we will lose pay) to highlight the effect that workload and restructuring is having on our ability to provide a decent education to our students.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR DEMONSTRATION
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Greater London UNISON Young Members' Election Statements
This election will be voted for by all Young Members' of UNISON in the Greater London Region.
James Caspell - Regional Council Election Statement
I am a shop steward in the London Borough of Lambeth and also the Young Members’ and Publicity Officer for my Branch.
I believe that the interests of young members can only be served by a fighting, member-led union in which maximum participation is encouraged in an inclusive environment free of bullying and harassment of young workers.
We need to provide socialist answers to the financial and environmental crises of capitalism, which will affect young people most acutely in terms of unemployment, pay cuts and attacks on our rights won over decades. Only collectively owned, worker-controlled and democratically accountable public services can put people and the planet before the interests of private profit.
Regional Council is essential in ensuring that UNISON follows its own policies within Greater London. Our representatives should facilitate maximum participation of all members, including young workers, providing the confidence we need to fight our employers, fight the government and ultimately fight capitalism!
James Caspell - Europe and International Committee Election Statement
I have a long record as a trade unionist and student activist campaigning for international socialism and against climate change.
I am a shop steward in the London Borough of Lambeth and also the Young Members’ and Publicity Officer for my Branch. I have co-founded the LSE-Palestine Solidarity Initiative which seeks to provide material and practical assistance for those living under Israeli Occupation to apply to British universities. If elected, I would seek to champion the following issues:
• Ending the Israeli occupation in Palestine and campaigning for a secular, single-state solution. Supporting twinning initiatives with our Palestinian comrades.
• Supporting arms divestment and nuclear disarmament campaigns.
• Campaign to secure and extend the rights of migrant workers across the world.
• Putting trade unions at the forefront of the struggle against climate change; workplaces produce 40% of the UK's carbon emissions. Trade unions should also lobby for recognition and support for the millions of environmental refugees that are already a direct consequence of climate change.
Workers of the world unite!
James Caspell - Regional Council Election Statement
I am a shop steward in the London Borough of Lambeth and also the Young Members’ and Publicity Officer for my Branch.
I believe that the interests of young members can only be served by a fighting, member-led union in which maximum participation is encouraged in an inclusive environment free of bullying and harassment of young workers.
We need to provide socialist answers to the financial and environmental crises of capitalism, which will affect young people most acutely in terms of unemployment, pay cuts and attacks on our rights won over decades. Only collectively owned, worker-controlled and democratically accountable public services can put people and the planet before the interests of private profit.
Regional Council is essential in ensuring that UNISON follows its own policies within Greater London. Our representatives should facilitate maximum participation of all members, including young workers, providing the confidence we need to fight our employers, fight the government and ultimately fight capitalism!
James Caspell - Europe and International Committee Election Statement
I have a long record as a trade unionist and student activist campaigning for international socialism and against climate change.
I am a shop steward in the London Borough of Lambeth and also the Young Members’ and Publicity Officer for my Branch. I have co-founded the LSE-Palestine Solidarity Initiative which seeks to provide material and practical assistance for those living under Israeli Occupation to apply to British universities. If elected, I would seek to champion the following issues:
• Ending the Israeli occupation in Palestine and campaigning for a secular, single-state solution. Supporting twinning initiatives with our Palestinian comrades.
• Supporting arms divestment and nuclear disarmament campaigns.
• Campaign to secure and extend the rights of migrant workers across the world.
• Putting trade unions at the forefront of the struggle against climate change; workplaces produce 40% of the UK's carbon emissions. Trade unions should also lobby for recognition and support for the millions of environmental refugees that are already a direct consequence of climate change.
Workers of the world unite!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
