Olympic site construction workers demo this eve

[dennisr]

Stop Race to Bottom -Olympic site Demo this eve

Start: 6 May 2009 - 18:30
End: 6 May 2009 - 23:16

Unite London & South East Construction Branch, Olympic Site Demonstration, Main Gate, Wed 6 May, 6.30am

(Nearest station DLR at Pudding Mill Lane)

Demands:

Direct Employment
NAEICI, JIB, WRA in full with correct rates of pay and terms of conditions
No Bogus self-employment
Fight against blacklists
Trade union control over hiring of labour

Protest endorsed by the London Activist meeting of Unite.

Contact 0794 2252280

 

[dennisr]

Press Release: No2EU’s Bob Crow to join mass demonstration at Olympic site over attack on pay and conditions

The convenor of the No2EU – Yes to Democracy euro election platform, RMT general secretary Bob Crow, will join with a thousand construction workers on the gates of the Olympic site in Stratford this Wednesday (6 May) in a mass protest over attacks on pay and working conditions.
*
The protest has been called by rank and file construction workers in opposition to a “race to the bottom” on pay and conditions and the exploitation of overseas workers to drive down wages. It will be joined by workers from all the over the country including a contingent from the protests at the Lyndsey oil refinery. Six coach loads are coming down from Northumberland alone.
*
Leaders of the Olympics* protest, along with convenors from the Visteon dispute and Lyndsey oil refinery, will be standing as No2EU-Yes to Democracy candidates on June 4th. No2EU will be standing a full slate of candidates in every region of the UK, except Northern Ireland, in opposition to the Lisbon Treaty and the attack on democracy by the EU and in defence of workers rights and public services. No2EU is also setting out a clear, socialist alternative to the poison and hatred of the BNP.
*
“The anger amongst workers over the race to the bottom on jobs, pay and working conditions by companies exploiting the recession and the hiring and firing of overseas workers is now turning into a national fightback. That’s why I will be joining with our colleagues from the construction industry on the gates of the Olympic site in Stratford on Wednesday morning to show full support and solidarity,” Bob Crow said today.
*
“No2EU is building up into a rank and file movement of all those who are sick and tired of being treated with contempt by the bosses, politicians in the UK and in the European Parliament and who want a socialist alternative which can challenge the BNP on the streets and on the factory gates. We are dead serious about our challenge to the political elite on June 4th and as Wednesday will prove, the momentum is with us.”

 

[dennisr]

Further info:

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/577/7213

Olympics: Defend jobs, pay and conditions (a snip...)

"...The Socialist spoke to Owen Morris, one of the South East construction worker activists who called for the demonstration at the Olympic site:

"Back in March, the London and South East activists' meeting called for this demonstration. We picked the Olympics site because after the LOR and wildcat strikes, there's been a media black out and this is the most high profile job in the world.

It was sold to East Londoners on the grounds of regenerating the local economy, yet unemployed local labour is being excluded and only a handful of apprenticeships have begun. Cheap labour is being imported outside of national industry agreements. This protest is not against foreign workers, we welcome them, but not as slave labour being paid no more than the minimum wage. The government just want to cut costs by keeping the wage bill down. We want a level playing field, and that's got to be levelling up to our rates, not this 'race to the bottom'.

We've had the bare minimum support from the union officials. It's too much of a hot potato for them. We think Gordon Brown told the unions not to embarrass him on his prestige project. So we've had to organise it ourselves, but the pressure from the lads has forced them to stop ignoring us and put buses on. After 6 May, we need to keep up the protests at Staythorpe and Grain, and if need be more national action till we win. This country needs change. We need someone to defend the rights of working people. The New Labour Party has lost trace of all its roots, now they're just conservatives with a red tie on.""

 

[Yelkcub]

Start: 6 May 2009 - 18:30
End: 6 May 2009 - 23:16

Unite London & South East Construction Branch, Olympic Site Demonstration, Main Gate, Wed 6 May, 6.30am

I think you should be as precise with the start time has you have with the finish time old son.

 

[dennisr]

I think you should be as precise with the start time has you have with the finish time old son.

yep, noticed that - quite weird (something to do with late tube times?)

It was from: http://www.gamesmonitor.org.uk/node/806

but the Hackney Solidarity network says:
Unite London & South East Construction Branch, Olympic Site Demonstration, Main Gate, Wed 6 May, 6.30am

Sod - I'll go along anyway - just in case...

 

[Yelkcub]

yep, noticed that - quite weird (something to do with late tube times?)

But is the start 6.30am or 1830 which is twelve hours later - that was my point.

 

[dennisr]

But is the start 6.30am or 1830 which is twelve hours later - that was my point.

yep, see added bit above

 

[Fisher_Gate]

ABJOL MIAH’S SPEECH TO CONSTRUCTION WORKERS PROTEST

http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=3990

 

[geoff64]

It was this morning. Construction workers start work very early.

... no, i didn't go either ...

 

[dennisr]

It was this morning. Construction workers start work very early.

... no, i didn't go either ...

(weirdly, so do i, but I would have made it if i had the right time...)

 

[durruti02]

ABJOL MIAH’S SPEECH TO CONSTRUCTION WORKERS PROTEST

http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=3990

so which will be the first sect to accuse this all of being racist? lol

 

[dennisr]

so which will be the first sect to accuse this all of being racist? lol

Good reports on both the morning demo and the later lobby of parliment on the SU site:
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=3990#comments

"Despite the fact that I had to get up at 4:30 in the morning the protest outside the Olympic sites was well worth attending. The thing that immediately struck me was that compared to other pickets I have been to at Staythorpe etc there was far fewer BJFBW placards (four in total) or Union Jacks (I saw two). This does not mean the battle against unhelpful ideas and opinions has been won, that will take time and further struggles, but it does reflect the conscious effort of the organisers to combat these ideas. For example see this post from the Bear Facts website leading up to the demo..."

And outside parliament when the coppers tried to 'move them on':

"When McDonnell arrived to address the meeting around 30 police had showed up. Just as McDonnell was about to take the megaphone the police intervened and tried to stop him from speaking. The police were very aggressive with McDonnell to the point of laying hands on him. When the crowd realised what was happening an animal roar of anger went up and things threatened to get very nasty. Bob Crow shouted at the police to “go back to murdering people!” which the crowd then took up, along with shouting that this was a free country, it was their country, their Parliament and they wanted to hear John McDonnell."

Neil Kinnock states his views:

"After this, while we were queuing up to go into Parliament Neil Kinnock pulled up into the car park inside Parliament in a flashy red car. One of the workers shouted over to him, “Hello Neil. Still making millions?” To which Kinnock replied, “Go stick your fucking head up your arse!” Now normally these lads never stop talking but there was a moment of stunned silence until the worker replied, “Is that how people say hello in Wales?” which got a huge roar of laughter. Kinnock flounced off, going red all the way up his big baldy head."

 

[Jean-Luc]

ABJOL MIAH’S SPEECH TO CONSTRUCTION WORKERS PROTEST

http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=3990

"And yet Tower Hamlets residents now count for only two percent of employment on the Olympics site. Even that is exaggerated as the figures do not distinguish between long-term residents in the borough and those only living here whilst they are working on the site. And the number of apprenticeships and in particular the number of apprenticeships going to Tower Hamlets residents is pitiful. This has got to change."

Sounds like Tower Hamlets Jobs for Tower Hamlets Workers to me.

 

[Divisive Cotton]

That sounds like fair enough to me then if it is - preference should be given to Tower Hamlets workers and especially apprenticeships

 

[dennisr]

That sounds like fair enough to me then if it is - preference should be given to Tower Hamlets workers and especially apprenticeships

I don't imagine Jean-Luc will come back to expand on/ defend or expalin his comment...

He likes to leave a quick snide remark and then disappear of to the next pointless aside

 

[Divisive Cotton]

Actually, I think employment preferences should be given not just to Tower Hamlets but too all five of the Olympic boroughs: Waltham Forest, Hackney, Newham and Greenwich

 

[Jean-Luc]

It's this talk of "employment preferences" that worries me. It's a slippery slope that leads in the end to "British Jobs for British Workers", i.e. No Jobs for Polish Workers.

 

[durruti02]

JL .. why is it wrong that in areas of very high unemployment and little money, to ask, that when there is a big project (involving billions of pounds ) the people who live in that area should get priority?

 

[Urbanblues]

Who cares if they’re Poles or from Bangladeshi or African or white communities in the area; they’re Londoners looking for work. It makes sense to employ from the local labour pool. Who wants to spend an additional 50% of their day schlepping to and from work?

If only life was could imitate art, as in the ‘real’ Eastenders, where everybody works in and around the square.

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

it's the ragged trousered philanthropists by any other name really. the problem isn't ethnicity, it's power, money and work (again).

 

[Jean-Luc]

JL .. why is it wrong that in areas of very high unemployment and little money, to ask, that when there is a big project (involving billions of pounds ) the people who live in that area should get priority?

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was wrong. It's understandable and probably even inevitable that this is going to happen. I was just concerned about where the logic of this can lead. On a national scale it leads to Gordon Brown and the BNP's demand of "British Jobs for British Workers" and leaves you with no arguments against this.
I don't know the way out. There probably isn't one within the capitalist system since it is based on workers having to compete against each other for jobs. Trade unions can do something about this but not much.

 

[durruti02]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was wrong. It's understandable and probably even inevitable that this is going to happen. I was just concerned about where the logic of this can lead. On a national scale it leads to Gordon Brown and the BNP's demand of "British Jobs for British Workers" and leaves you with no arguments against this.
I don't know the way out. There probably isn't one within the capitalist system since it is based on workers having to compete against each other for jobs. Trade unions can do something about this but not much.

the logic that arguing local people should get preference leads to BJFBW and hence xenophobia is the same logic that says that drinking or smoking weed leads to heroin addiction

british jobs for british workers has added a 'nationalist' ideology to a simple demand for employment ..

there is a simple arguement .. it is that ordinary people should have control over what happens to them where they live and work .. that means control over employment over housing allocation over whatever they think affects t them

this may not deal with capitalism immediately but it does enable us to start creating power from the base .. something that much of the m/c left has ignored for many years

and btw the logic of NOT demanding this has lead very arguably to the rise of the BNP in this country as frustrated and angry people feel the far right, who raise these issues ( yes in a xenophobic way) offer them more than the m/c left who ignore these issues, like the proverbial ostrich. it is indeed to the credit ofl the likes of Crow and the SP to have raised their heads above the parapit on these issues ..

 

[dennisr]

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was wrong.

Have some guts - stop backtracking - yes or no - and what is your alternative in practice?

 

[Jean-Luc]

Have some guts - stop backtracking - yes or no - and what is your alternative in practice?

Let's put you on the spot too. What would your position be if employers were prepared to take on local labour but at a lower wage, ie if local workers joined in the race to the bottom over pay and conditions? Would you still say they should be given priority?
In other words, how would you implement this policy principle stated by Bob Crow and which you posted here on 6 May:

“The anger amongst workers over the race to the bottom on jobs, pay and working conditions by companies exploiting the recession and the hiring and firing of overseas workers is now turning into a national fightback. That’s why I will be joining with our colleagues from the construction industry on the gates of the Olympic site in Stratford on Wednesday morning to show full support and solidarity,” Bob Crow said today.

Well, showing full support and solidarity with the anger amongst workers over the hiring and firing of overseas workers is not my alternative. To tell the truth, I find it hard to believe that Crow actually used these words. It sounds as if it might something that whoever wrote the press release put in without getting it vetted by him.
Anyway, can you confirm whether or not Crow did say this and whether this is your position too.