Exhibitions - Striking Women: voices of South Asian Women from Grunwick and Gate Gourmet

 

 An exhibition hosted by the Women's Library highlights the role of South Asian Women in the history of the trade union movement. In order to further their demands these women often had to fight not only white male managers and bosses but also the union leadership as well. The exhibition reflects on the struggles that took place at Grunwicks in 1976 and Gate Gourmet in 2005. The Women's library is located at London Metropolitan University, Old Castle Street, London E1 7NT

Radical Ex-Soldiers

Wednesday 10 February at 8 pm


Paul Burnham talks on  The Radical Ex-soldiers of 1918

Re-arranged from last month

Meetings for the autumn/winter will be at: The Postmen's Office at the North London Community House, 22 Moorefield Road, London N17.[The old Post Office] The venue is just around the corner from Bruce Grove British Rail Station, where Bruce Grove meets the High Road in Tottenham.

From 1916, a new and radical movement amongst wounded and discharged soldiers emerged in Britain. As more and more were demobilised, the movement mushroomed, rejecting charity to demand rights and
representation. The ex-soldiers had been through life-changing experiences. They were young and impatient.  

Ford Visteon Workers occupation and picket

April - May 2009
The role and activities of the Enfield Support Group

An account, by some of those involved, of the history, activities and effectiveness of the Ford Visteon Workers (Enfield) Support Group



Introduction

This booklet looks at the effectiveness of the Ford Visteon Workers (Enfield) Support Group (SG) that was set up in April 2009. The group was formed solely to give solidarity and support to the Enfield Ford Visteon workers who first occupied, then picketed their factory for six weeks from April 1st to 15th May 2009. There were 3 Ford Visteon car parts plants involved in the joint struggle against closure, including one in Belfast which was occupied by the workers throughout the dispute, and one in Basildon, Essex where the workers effectively picketed their factory around the clock for the whole dispute.

This pamphlet is intended as a record of the London support group that set up to assist the Enfield workers and as a tool for future workers support groups. We do not discuss the actual dispute here, as that has been looked at in detail already (See references at the end for further reading).

Burns Night 25 January

Burns Night celebration in Tollgate pub, Turnpike Lane, nearest tube Turnpike Lane tube station from 8 pm, as we meet to read, drink and generally make merry in honour of the Scottish poet .

BOOK REVIEW - Dear Granny Smith - a letter from your postman

Roy Mayall, Dear Granny Smith - a letter from your postman, 2009, Short Books, www.shortbooks.co.uk, ISBN: 9781906021979. £4.99


A review by Alan Woodward , Libertarian Socialists


This timely book, conveniently published in envelope size, gives the inside story from a postal worker  about what's happening to a major public service and  the reasons why posties have been taking one day strikes over the last 5 months of 2009.  Its outline of working conditions is quite unusual and is a thorough account of the present Government and Royal Mail's offensive against ordinary workers.  The title uses the posties' own term for the public and  pulls no punches, being written in workshop language, and presents a totally devastating critique of the management's inflammatory commercial approach.  Because small bookshops may experience trouble obtaining it, I have given internet details.  The author uses a pen name but has apparently  been a working postman for some years. Whoever wrote the eleven chapters, it is an imaginative well constructed book and at  £4-99, it  is an absolute bargain.

Radical Ex-Soldiers Meeting Postponed

Due to extreme weather and very cold temperatures, we have had to postpone this meeting to next month, that is Weds 10 Feb at 8 pm.