Liverpool is Corbyn-land: 10,000 rally in support of Labour leader
On 1 August, there was a 10,000 strong rally in support of Jeremy Corbyn in Liverpool.
Hundreds protest in solidarity with deported Byron Burgers workers
Yesterday around 500 people took part in a protest outside Byron Burgers in Holborn, Central London. Protests also took place in other cities around the country. This was after management at the restaurant chain colluded with the UK border authority to lure migrant workers into a trap, resulting the the deportation of the workers. At […]
These workers weren’t going anywhere: Hotel Workers statement on the Byron immigration raid
Hotel Workers Branch of Unite the union issued this statement following the detaining of a number of workers at the Byron burger chain by the UK Border Agency (UKBA). The workers were lured to a team meeting by management before being confronted by UKBA. They now face deportation. 70% of workers in London’s hospitality sector […]
Fawley refinery: Solidarity wins equal pay for migrant workers
Brian Parkin reports that Fawley workers show that solidarity can triumph over scapegoating other workers, rather than fighting the bosses. Yesterday (27 July) at 10.00 am, just four hours before workers at the giant Exxon/Mobil petroleum refinery at Fawley in Hampshire were due to commence their second 24 hour strike, management conceded to their demands. Even in […]
Troubled oil on troubled waters: First North Sea oil and gas strike in 30 years
400 workers are currently taking part in the first strike in 30 years on North Sea oil rigs. Brian Parkin reports Since the downward oil price shock of November 2014, oil and gas companies worldwide have been struggling to stay in business by any means possible. For some, this has meant abandoning marginal fields or selling-on […]
Owen Smith versus Jeremy Corbyn – slick politicians versus the people
Seb Cooke comments on the battle for the Labour leadership.
‘End marginalization, treat us humanely’: Somalis protest in Wandsworth
This week, the Somali community in Wandsworth protested their treatment at the hands of Wandsworth social services. Kate Bradley reports. Around 200 protesters filled the street outside the offices of Wandsworth Council in south London on Monday to protest what they describe as the “heavy-handedness” of Wandsworth social services in their treatment of the local […]
Teachers invest in action: NUT strike reports 4/7/16
Activists from Manchester, Birmingham, and London share their impressions of today’s National Union of Teachers (NUT) strike against academisation and other problems facing teachers and students. NUT rep Chris Evans writes: Around 700 teachers and supporters rallied at Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens during today’s strike against growing workloads, class sizes and academisation. There was a healthy mix of young and […]
Five reasons why everyone should get behind Jeremy Corbyn right now!
Seb Cooke lays out the importance of the battle to keep Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party. 1. Anti-Racism. Jeremy Corbyn is leader of the Labour opposition in the UK Parliament. What he says makes news and has a big impact on the left and to a lesser extent society in general. It matters […]
Samworth Brothers workers protest sacking of union activist
Mike Thompson reports Around 100 local trade unionists attended a protest at Samworth Brothers in Melton Mowbray on Sunday 26 June. The protest was called by the bakers union BFAWU over the dismissal of union activist Kumaran Bose by the Tory funding Samworth Brothers. After the government introduction of the ‘living wage’ Samworth Brothers sought […]
BMA votes against charges for migrants
On the day of the EU Referendum, doctors voted against borders. Report by Nick Evans The British Medical Association voted to denounce charges for migrants trying to access NHS services on Thursday. Delegates at the Annual Representatives Meeting voted on a motion, initially brought by medical students, to run training workshops, commission a report and […]
Over 1000 protest in London to show solidarity with migrants and refugees
Duncan Thomas reports On 23 June, Britain voted to leave the EU. The next day, we took the first steps in meeting the challenges ahead. Estimates vary, but between 1200 and 1500 people came out in solidarity with refugees and migrants, marching from Altab Ali Park in East London to Murdoch’s New Corp HQ. The […]
Demonstrate in London TODAY against racism and in solidarity with migrants
The EU referendum has unleashed a torrent of racism. Migration has been attacked and scapegoated by both campaigns – with Leave stoking up bigotry against immigrants and Remain responding by capitulating and echoing that bigotry. This tone of anti-immigrant politics has not been set by the far right. It comes from the mainstream parties […]
French and British police block Calais Convoy
John Walker reports on the Convoy to Calais on Saturday, which say French and British police block activists from travelling to France to deliver aid On Saturday, several hundred of us confronted the police at the Dover ferry terminal then went to picket the French embassy in London, because the British and French authorities, acting […]
The details of Sherrl Yanowitz’s funeral
Sherrl Yanowitz (13.01.1942 – 02.06.2016) was a fighter for justice and equality from a young age and a revolutionary socialist for virtually all her adult life. Her earliest struggles were in the Black Freedom Struggle and as an activist in the Free Speech Movement at the University of California. Her final battles took place as a member of London Palestine […]
Orlando vigil: We will not live in fear
Colin Wilson reports from central London. Thousands of people crammed the whole length of Old Compton Street on Monday evening to send the message “London stands with Orlando”. The huge crowd included Jeremy Corbyn and Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor. Gay and lesbian couples stood side by side with tourists. Several young women wearing hijabs took part. […]
Tributes to Sherrl Yanowitz (1942-2016)
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and comrade Sherrl Yanowitz, who passed away this week after a short battle with cancer. Sherrl was, and will continue to be, an inspiration for all of us fighting for a better world. She was an activist, trade unionist and a fighter against all forms […]
The First Three Days? The 2016 Nigeria General Strike
A comrade in Nigeria reports: The ninth general strike in Nigeria since 1999 has just been ‘suspended’ by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) after four days. The strike was against the most recent rise in the price of petrol by almost 70% announced by the government. However, this was only the straw that broke the […]
Junior doctors strike: 5 reasons Hunt’s contract offer could be rejected
Following talks with the BMA, the government is presenting the recently offered contract as a done deal. But, argues Seb Cooke, it’s a bad one that the junior doctors would be justified in rejecting. If they do, we need to be ready to support them.
John Roan school successfully resists restructuring and redundancies
In this time of privatisation of schools and hospitals and with public service managers on the rampage it may seem odd to find so many teachers, pupils and parents at John Roan School feeling jubilant… but they are. Colin F, with Juliana J and Tony A, describe the latest developments in the campaign. Last September a new head […]
Topshop targeted for victimisation of union activists
Photos by Steve Eason. On 14 May United Voices of The World organised a national protest at Topshop stores around the UK, calling for a living wage and trade union recognition. Over 100 people demonstrated in central London’s Oxford Street. We were joined by the SOAS cleaners, Class War, Ian Hodson from the Bakers and […]
To the BMA: no more concessions, escalate the action
Nurse Mark Boothroyd on why now is the time for escalation, not negotiation.
Junior doctors strike: away from the table, back to the streets
Jeremy Hunt and the Tories were on the ropes. Now is the time to press the advantage, not return to negotiations, writes Seb Cooke.
Reclaiming the future – new rs21 magazine out on Saturday
The Spring 2016 issue of the rs21 magazine will be out on Saturday. Order your copy or subscribe here*. Below, Rob Owen gives an overview of the new edition. Part of the union? What should socialists argue in the EU referendum? Our hot topic section lays out the different anti-capitalist arguments around how to approach the referendum. […]
London elections: good riddance to Goldsmith, but Khan not the answer
Duncan Thomas reflects on the election of Labour’s Sadiq Khan as mayor of London. “How do you feel about the election results?”, people asked me after Sadiq Khan’s landslide victory over Zac Goldsmith. “Not actively unhappy” was all I could really muster by way of response. It’s strange, from a radical left perspective, to write […]
Welsh Labour keep going, UKIP breakthrough
Seb Cooke reports on the results of the Welsh Assembly elections, which saw UKIP gain seven seats. He argues that the task for socialists has to be to build a stronger radical left that can relate effectively to issues such as steel, fight racism and utilise Corbyn over anti-austerity The Welsh Assembly is made up of […]
#KidsStrike3rdMay: Let our kids be kids
Michal Nahman reports from Bristol Kids and parents in Bristol gathered at Baddock’s wood, to have fun and learn outdoors, marking #KidsStrike3rdMay. Many parents across the UK have been appalled by the government’s approach to educating our children, an approach that imagines testing as the ultimate way to prove intelligence. This approach is highly contestable. […]
US elections: Charlie Post on Sanders, Clinton, and the tasks of American socialists
Charlie Post, a long-time US socialist and active in his faculty union at the City University of New York, talks to rs21 about Sanders, the dangers of ‘lesser-evilism’, and the post-election challenges for American socialists. Also check out responses from Elizabeth Schulte and Alan Maass.
Biggest picket lines yet as junior doctors’ strike action escalates
Junior doctors’ continued their strike action today against the imposition of a new, damaging contract and in defence of the NHS, with a full walkout between 8am and 5pm. Despite continued attacks from Tory ministers, many picket lines today were much bigger than those on previous strike days. Here are a selection of reports, photos […]
16 April People’s Assembly protest in London – report
By Kate Bradley, Ashmeet Teemhsa and Colin Revolting. Around 150,000 people marched in yesterday’s demonstration in Central London, according to organisers, to stand for health, education, housing and jobs, against continuing Tory-led cuts to the funding of welfare and public services. The protest was called by the People’s Assembly, and rallied people under the slogan ‘Cameron Must […]