But on 17 December Judge Porter dismissed Jean Philippe’s claim, ruling that as an Agency worker Jean Philippe was not covered by the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty supports the workers in the Cleansing Department and other Council manual workers who are fighting the attempts by the City of Edinburgh Council to cut their wages and impose changes in their conditions.  Here is the latest news in this struggle which affects everyone in the city, and beyond.

Street cleaners have hit out at Council leaders’ claims that they are “set to give up their protest” in the long-running dispute over wages and conditions.

“It’s absolute nonsense.  There’s no truth in it at all,“ a Council street cleaner said.  “Everybody I spoke to today at work was of the same opinion.”

“The vast majority of manual workers will not be going back until the wages are re-paid to the binmen whose wages have been docked.”

The Council claimed that a “formal agreement” has been put to the street cleaners.  But a street cleaner stated: “The only letter we have had through the door from the Council is one stating that our wages are being cut to between £12,000 and £14,000.”

"Support Jean Philippe to get the wages he's owed. Come along to the Employment Tribunal to show Tradebase they can't get away with treating their workers like dirt."   Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty are organising a protest at Edinburgh's Employment Tribunal on Thursday 3rd September.

The protest is from 1pm till 2pm on Thursday 3rd September, outside the Employment Tribunal , 54 - 56 Melville Street, Edinburgh EH3 7HF (near Shandwick Place, just after the West End of Princes Street).

The Tribunal hearing starts at 2pm approximately, and is open to the public.

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty have published the first issue of high riggs hi-jinks, a news-sheet which talks about the reality of life at High Riggs Job Centre - and encourages people to fight back.

If enough of us come together to support each other, we can change what happens at the Job Centre, and stop them treating us unfairly - we invite you to join the ECAP solidarity network.  The news-sheet describes some victories we have already won by standing up for ourselves.

Articles in  high riggs hi-jinks include

* An exposure of fraud by New Deal company A4E

* A first hand account of making an official complaint at High Riggs

* How to deal with dole snoopers

* An open letter to DWP workers

Click on the attachment at the foot of this article to read the news-sheet.

We encourage people to print out copies to distribute (or pick up copies from ACE), and to contribute to the news-sheet:  e mail your story to  ecap@lists.riseup.net

If you're being harassed by ”fraud” squad bullies from the Department of Work and Pensions – don't stand for it.... 

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty protested at High Riggs Job Centre on 13 March against the new Welfare Reform Bill. We condemn the legislation, currently under consideration by the Westminster Parliament, as “an attack on the poor”. Around 15 protestors later invaded the Edinburgh offices of A4E and Work Directions, displaying placards calling on people to resist the Bill.

Anti Council Tax resisters beseiged Edinburgh City Chambers today 5th February after the Council barred members of the public from the public gallery during the full City of Edinburgh Council meeting. Police eventually moved in to manhandle demonstrators out of the Chambers entrance. "The Council are acting like tinpot dictators - but we wont be intimidated," say Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty.

Mr Bill Wilson, Jobcentreplus District Manager for Edinburgh, Lothians and Borders, has stated "there will always be times when customers feel the need to be supported by a friend or advice worker and we will always try to accommodate this, whenever possible."  (letter to Edinburgh Claimants 18.11.2008)

Mr Wilson wrote this letter in response to an Edinburgh Claimants official complaint.  On 30th October a manager and security guards tried to stop one of our advice workers accompanying a claimant to an interview at Leith Job Centre - they failed in this attempt and had to back down, and now the top manager for the District has apologised to Edinburgh Claimants. It is clear that everyone has the right to be accompanied to any interview to do with benefits.

Members of Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty disrupted the Finance and Resources Committee meeting at the City Chambers on Tuesday 11th November, after the committee agreed to the second phase of the aggressive collection of council tax arrears, which the group argue is unjust. Angry protests from the public benches forced the Councillors to temporarily abandon the City of Edinburgh Council meeting.

ECAP made a deputation to the Committee demanding an end to the new aggressive policy of debt recovery that the council is pursuing, arguing that it intimidates people into paying more than they can afford, and brings unnecessary stress and financial strain to low income families struggling to pay their council tax.