Campaign against Climate Change trade union conference

Hello everybody! Happy new year…. I’m back quite late. I know I’ve abandoned this blog, as I’ve been away from the student activism. But everytime I get some good stuff or detailed information about ongoing events, meetings, issues and demonstrations, I will post them here for those who keep visiting this space in the web.

So, the upcoming event is this weekend! 

The weekend of 13/14 March is going to be a very important one for the SWP’s climate work. Consequently, every branch and district needs to think about the two events happening and plan what they are doing around them. As they discussed in the climate session at SWP conference in January, the rising importance of climate politics means that this is no longer an issue that can simply be left to a few specialists – it needs to be integrated in to our wider analysis and work.

Campaign against Climate Change trade union conference for a million climate jobs!

10:30 – 16:45, Saturday 13 March, South Camden Community School, London, NW1 1RG

The argument about climate jobs (taking a million people off the dole to employ them in renewable energy, public transport, home building and insulation, etc.) is a key weapon in our arsenal in the crisis. This conference is a very important opportunity to bring trade unionists and environmentalists together to talk about the fight for climate jobs, and to broaden and strengthen our analysis and campaign. There will be people in every college, union and workplace interested in this event – we need to be raising it, booking them up and coming along with them. Attached is the final leaflet and timetable for the conference.

There will be a caucus for all SWP members attending the conference on Friday 12 March at 6:00pm in Bookmarks.

More information on the attached flyer, the website http://cacctu.wordpress.com or on Facebook here.

National SWP climate caucus

12noon, central London, Sunday 14 March

Following the occupation at the Vestas wind-turbine plant, the failed UN climate summit in Copenhagen and the demonstrations which accompanied it, they started a very important discussion at SWP conference about the party’s work around climate change. This is clearly an issue that is going to be part of the future political landscape, and which they need to have a strategy around both nationally and in every district.

Every district should send a minimum of 2 comrades to this meeting where they will be looking at the developments since conference and, most importantly, how we move ahead with our climate work. If you are attending please reply to colins@swp.org.uk

Colin Smith said: “We will provide accomodation on Saturday night in London for anyone attending both the above events for anyone who responds by Thursday 11 March.”

Back to protests-Tonight!

PROTEST against arrest of Joe Glenton (soldier refusing to return to Afghanistan) for speaking out against the war. TONIGHT: 5 p.m. outiside MoD,Whitehall.

Pass on!

One day school by SWP -Marxism, Economic crisis and Imperialism

The SWP (Socialist Workers Party) is holding a one day school Marxism, the Economic Crisis and Imperialism.

The details of the day school are:

Time: 11am – 5.15pm
Date: Sunday 10 May
Place: Malet Street, London (Nearest tube Euston).

One of the highlights of the school will be the final rally, “How Should the Left Respond to a World in Crisis?”. On the platform will be B Jetin from the Nouveau Parti Anticapitiste France. Ron Clarke, the ex-convenor at Visteon, will talk about the occupation at the plant.

Sinead Kennedy will be giving an eyewitness account about the resistance to the job cuts in Ireland. They will be joined by a speaker from the SWP.

Martin Smith, SWP National Secretary, said: “It promises to be a great day. Already over 300 people have booked their place.”

Unemployed? -Student Union is worried about the ‘youth unemployment’

The Student Union is supporting the campaign against youth unemployment  and the calling for a demonstration outside Labour Party Conference.

The Student Union’s notes are the following, showing their beliefs and reasons to fight against this issue that is affecting the youth.

THIS UNION NOTES

1. That the official unemployment figure now stands at 2.3 million and most analysts expect it to rise to 3 million by the end of the year.

2. That unemployment among 16-to-24 year-olds is running at around a third of the total unemployment figures, and will rise even higher in summer when a new wave of university and college students will enter the job market.

3. That the National Union of Teachers has called for a demonstration against youth unemployment in the autumn.

THIS UNION FURTHER NOTES

1. That the Unite union has called a demonstration in Birmingham on the 16th May to demand an end to job cuts.

2. That the Waterford Crystal factory in southern Ireland, the Prisme factory in Dundee, and the Visteon factories in Belfast and Enfield have all been occupied by workers in defiance of announced mass redundancies.

THIS UNION BELIEVES

1. That students and workers should not have to pay for the crisis in capitalism.

2. That the tens of billions of pounds that Labour has spent pouring into the black hole of the banking system would be better spent creating jobs.

3. That in the struggle against the effects of the recession, unity between students, workers and unemployed youth makes us all stronger.

THIS UNION RESOLVES

1. To campaign against youth unemployment and for employment rights.

2. To join the call for a national demonstration against youth unemployment to take place at the Labour Party conference, in Brighton on the 27th September. To take a delegation of students to this demonstration.

3. To send a delegation to the Unite demonstration in Birmingham on the 16th May.

4. To send a message of support to the Visteon workers, and to any other workplace occupied by its workers in defiance of redundancie

“Stop the massacre of Tamils”, said SWP’s members

Human catastrophe in Sri Lanka

Socialist Worker Party (SWP) organised a public meeting to discuss about the ongoing  massacre of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

It is planned to be next Friday 1st May at 6:00 p.m. in room 3B, ULU, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HY.

The nearest tube station: Euston

After so many people had been killed, Tamil’s situation is worrying the world. Societies, such as SWP, are trying to give a hand to propose different solutions and plan events that can make the governments and unions put their eyes in this critical situation of genocide and finally can have the initiative of taking some action.

Everybody is welcome to join this meeting to learn and discuss about this issue.

Speakers in the meeting will be: Esme Choonara (Socialist Worker journalist), Matt Foot (Human Rights Lawyer).

National meeting: one more step forward for the SWP

National SWP climate fraction meeting next Sunday 26th April from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in The Lucas Arms to keep moving forward with projects and future plans.

This meeting is open to all SWP members involved in  work around, or with a particular interest in climate change.

Full address: The Lucas Arms, 245 Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X8QY

Nearest tube sation: King’s Cross

The Socialist Worker Party will provide accommodation on Saturday night for everyone from outside.

If you intend to come, want more information, or want to know about the accommodations please email colins@swp.org.uk

NUS annual conference showed his back to the wave of student occupations

Battle lines were drawn at the National Union of Students (NUS) annual conference this month. Activists involved in the wave of student occupations over Gaza were refused support by the union, in a move that shows the ever-widening gap between the union structures and activists on the ground.

The conference, held in Blackpool, then went further, voting against support for occupations as a tactic in any situation.

It even censured left wing executive members who had taken part in a stage protest over NUS’s refusal to discuss Palestine at a previous conference, claiming that they had made the conference “inaccessible” for disabled delegates.

And NUS again failed to support free education, although the vote was closer than in previous years. The left was able to organise a packed fringe meeting on the issue.

However the left, standing as Another Union is Possible, was able to elect two students to the part-time executive – James Haywood for the universities and Phemie Matheson for the colleges.

James Haywood pledged to “give activists a voice in the union”, build the new movement on the campuses and defend the remaining democratic space in NUS.

He said: “We will work with the NUS leadership where we can and against them when we must.”

An upcoming national demonstration will be “well” organised

The recent demonstrations around the G20 and NATO have shown the anger that exists within society around the recession and ongoing wars.  SWSS (Socialist Worker Student Society) wants to take this energy into third term as they are facing the challenge of building the party and the wider movement, defending jobs, fighting cuts, campaigning against the fascist BNP in the European elections and sustaining resistance to imperialism worldwide.

The wider fightback against recession is calling for a national demonstration next 16th May in Birmingham. Some Regional Student Organising meetings to plan such a national event had been established.

In the North: Wednesday 22nd April, 1:30 p.m., Leeds University

In the South: Friday 24th April, 1:00 p.m., Central London, Venue TBC

SESSIONS INCLUDE:

· Party and Class in an age of economic crisis with Colin Barker (in Leeds) and Martin Smith (in London)

· The Democracy Commission and our student work with Hannah Dee (in Leeds) and Estelle Cooch (in London)

· Education and the student movement with Rob Owen

· Planning for the 3rd term with Steve Henshal 

 

*Those attending, send your names via e-mail to swss@swp.org.uk or call 020 78191178

London United against the “fascist” BNP -Can a national rally stop them?

Unite Against Fascism ,with the support of National Union of Teachers, is planning an important national rally with the objective of stopping the Nick Griffin’s BNP (British National Party) -which they categorize as fascist- to gain in European elections this June. 

They are offering the rally so everyone can build this event in their workplaces, unions and campaigns. 

When?: Wednesday 29 April 2009

Time?: 7pm, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL 

This public rally will be with Christine Blower (NUT), Jerry Bartlett (NASUWT), Glyn Ford (MEP), Dr Abdul Bari (MCB), Steve Hart (Unite the union), Martin Smith (LMHR), Weyman Bennett (UAF)

Important info for those assisting to 18th meeting at UCL -What to bring, accommodations and more

IMPORTANT info about tomorrow’s meeting:

- BRING PHOTO ID (for UCL security) -On weekends student ID is checked at the gate of the university – this means that people coming to the coordination who aren’t from UCL need to bring other PHOTO ID in order to be signed in. 

- Do you need somewhere to stay the night in London?

For accommodations and info about logistical arrangements call John on 07966 405 998 or Ed on 07775 763 750

Operators are waiting for your call. It’s good to talk.

(Calls are charged at normal network rates. Calls may be monitored or recorded by the Metropolitain police for anti-terrorist purposes)

All updates are here: http://studentcoordination.wordpress.com –>You can click it to see the timetable