Nursery workers refuse to be classed as self-employed: worker’s report
The government made tax changes on Sunday 6 April which many employers are using an an excuse to force self-employment on their workers. Phil T works at a care centre for children in west London that is trying precisely that. Here are details of the situation – and what Phil and fellow workers are trying to do about it. I work for […]
Keep Left in UNISON Higher Education
UNISON Higher Education Service Group Elections: Vote for a leadership that fights for you This week, voting opened in UNISON’s Service Group elections. These elections will decide the national executives for each of the seven industrial areas covered by the union. These committees oversee all bargaining and negotiations for their respective areas, as well as deciding […]
Ritzy strike for the London Living Wage
Workers at The Ritzy cinema in Brixton will be striking tomorrow for the London Living Wage. The strike will be from 9am on Friday to 3am Saturday morning. The picket will be at its largest after 6pm and we are asking campaigners to come and show their support. The workers in Brixton are striking […]
Left lifted by surprise win for Free Education motion at NUS conference
Amy Gilligan from Cambridge University rs21 reports from NUS conference LEFT ACTIVISTS were happy after a surprise win after a tense NUS conference vote this morning. A motion supporting free education passed, committing the union to campaigning against all methods of charging students for education. The vote went to the count, but was passed comfortably – […]
Brazilian workers paralyse refinery construction
Ali S reports from Brazil on the continuing strike by COMPERJ workers in Itaborai, Rio de Janeiro: “Radio Peão” – a set of codified rumours between workers – has been central to the continued paralysis in the construction of Brazil’s second biggest oil refinery. Almost the entire work force of 30,000 workers have walked out. […]
How I learnt about solidarity
An IT worker explains how she learnt about solidarity. In 2007 employees at my site were on strike. The company was attacking us on pay, union recognition, and any other agreements they wanted to bin. I hate public speaking. But fellow strikers twisted my arm and I grudgingly agreed to accompany a colleague to speak […]
Sparks strike at Three Bridges and protect jobs on the cards
report by a Unite rep Electricians in Three Bridges, Sussex, walked out this morning to defend their terms and conditions. Within hours they had forced their employers to back off and hire them on industry standard conditions. The action involved 30 agency workers hired by NG Bailey on a Volker Fitzpatrick construction site for Network Rail. Their Unite union demanded direct […]
Constructing Lads mags – Playboy to Nuts
Estelle Cooch looks at the demise of Nuts and asks what the competition of original porn mags Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler, can tell us about lads mags today. A decade on from its launch, the owners of sexist “lads mag” Nuts announced this week it was due to close, after sales plummeted from 300,000 at […]
rs21 Political Weekend: Social reproduction
Estelle Cooch’s meeting on social reproduction kicked off a debate about the precarious and contradictory positions that neoliberalism tries to straddle when it comes to women. An introduction to the theory was followed by a complex, but useful discussion about the struggle to defend the welfare state, the nature of productive labour, and the pressures facing […]
The hanging of Derek Bentley: a miscarriage we shouldn’t forget
It took decades to win some sort of justice for Derek Bentley – but the fight eventually won.
rs21 Political Weekend: Racism, old and new
Mitch Mitchell reports on a discussion at rs21’s political weekend on contemporary racism and the dynamics of Islamophobia and anti-migrant politics.
rs21 Political Weekend: Social Movements and United Fronts Today
Rebecca Short writes: Colin Barker and Sølvi Goard’s workshop on Social Movements and United Fronts Today tackled arguments that are key for anyone organising on the left. As the room started to fill, a video was played from perhaps one of the most exciting struggles in the past year, that in in Bosnia Herzegovina, etching […]
rs21 Political Weekend: How do we organise to change the world?
At the rs21 political weekend, one session followed the format of the BBC’s Question Time. Panellists addressed the role of the revolutionary organisation and international politics.
Syria: March 2011 – March 2014 – Solidarity is essential
Jacques Babel and Joseph Daher report on the campaigns to mark the third anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution, both within and outside Syria.
rs21 Political Weekend: What is revolutionary leadership?
Caliban’s Revenge discusses a session at the rs21 political weekend on the question of the role of ‘leadership’.
Surge in support for fascists in French elections
Iris Cohen analyses the background to the the recent gains made by the far right in France in advance of today’s second round of voting.
Racism, austerity and revolution: rs21 north London meeting
Watch the rs21 meeting in Tottenham featuring Estelle (rs21), Bianca (Left Unity), Jennifer (Justice for Mark Duggan) and Bat (rs21), including discussions and summary.
The upturn/downturn debate: an introduction
Ian A summarises a debate on the development of capitalism since 1968, and how this has impacted the working class and its struggles, in a attempt to address the question of what revolutionaries should do.
Interview: Spies, surveillance and Cambridgeshire police
Cambridgeshire police tried to recruit an activist to spy on Unite Against Fascism, UK Uncut and Cambridge Defend Education, according to video evidence which came to light in November last year.
26 March NUT strike round-up
NUT strikes have a tradition of large political demonstrations on strike days and today was no exception.
“We need to continue to fight for not just our pay and pensions, but for a different vision of education which allows all children to thrive”
“We are striking not because we do not care about our students, but because we do.”
Social reproduction – what it is and why it matters
Reproduction involves more than just the creation of human beings – it involves the reproduction of the “capital relation” itself – the worker and the capitalist.
NUT: holding the line or fighting to win?
Rob Owen, Croydon NUT young members officer, argues that, despite the reticence of other unions, if teachers want to defeat Gove’s reforms they need to keep fighting.
#m22: Thousands march again racism in Greece
The government’s racist policies that lead to the tragic deaths of immigrants trying to enter Greece hoping to build a better life make the building of a strong anti-racist movement extremely urgent.
Ukraine: four points in response to Chris Nineham
Acknowledging Russia’s imperialism has consequences for our understanding of national liberation movements.
The Kosovo War – 15 Years On
15 years ago today NATO forces began bombarding Serbia with high-tech bombs. For Blair and Clinton the Kosovo War was their ‘humanitarian’ intervention. However, as James B writes, the actuality of that conflict, and the legacy, is anything but. Fifteen years ago Europe was at war. The Kosovo conflict has been eclipsed in the popular […]
Profit: A numbers game, but shit don’t add up somehow
By learning about surplus value, or profit, we see how capitalism exploits and appropriates, allowing the rich to get richer and the poor to become immiserated.
London #m22 demo: Sunshine and strong turnout from newly organised migrant communities
The anti-racist movement has a lot of work to do if it is to get fit for purpose. We all have to play a part in that.
Policing the system: racism, violence and the crimes of the cops
Studies carried out in the aftermath of the riots confirmed that large numbers of rioters took to the streets for revenge – against a political system that marginalised them.
Fighting oppression is at the heart of socialism
The fight against oppression needs to be fully integrated into the fight against capitalism and for socialism.