THIS THURSDAY MORNING JOIN JOB CENTRE WORKERS PICKET LINE – PROTEST AT A4E AGAINST COMPULSORY WORK-FOR-BENEFITS
Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty is participating in the strike day against cuts this coming Thursday June 30th.
Join us, come along any time for as long or short a time as you can manage.
We will be joining the Job Centre workers picket at the High Riggs Job Centre by Tollcross from approx 7.15am – 10am
We will be leafleting and protesting at A4e, 34 Earl Grey Street approx 8.30am – 11am
(Earl Grey St is a continuation of Lothian Rd, near Tollcross)
We also intend to leaflet the PCS Union workers strike rally at the Mound, advertised to start at 10.15am
Exact times could change, depending on what happens, on the day you can call or text the ECAP mobile 0752 117 1148 – the Job Centre and A4e are only 3-4 minutes walk from each other, so if we’re not at one, you can easily check out the other.
WHAT ARE THE 30 JUNE STRIKES ABOUT?
The government plans to force public sector workers to work longer and pay more for much less pension in retirement. Workers employed by the government are going on strike against this; in Scotland this is mainly workers employed by the Scottish Government, the DWP, Revenue and Customs, also Chambers St museum, sheriff court, etc.. (In England teachers are going on strike as well.)
WHY ARE EDINBURGH COALITION AGAINST POVERTY GETTING INVOLVED?
We think that to beat the attacks the government are making on all of us, we all need to start joining up our struggles. Cuts in benefits, cuts in pensions, cuts in public services and community facilities – it’s all part of the same drive by the government and big business to make working class people pay the price for the economic problems caused by a capitalist system that only benefits the rich.
By joining together we are stronger. A one-day strike by itself won’t change things, but the idea is to get involved and try and encourage people to take things further. This means people taking things into their own hands and not leaving it up to trade union leaders or politicians – after all the last Labour government were implementing the same kind of cuts and workfare. We need to work towards creating a real movement of resistance and direct action – like the movements that are growing in other countries, for example Greece and Spain, and in North Africa and the Middle East.
WHY ARE WE PROTESTING AT A4e?
A4e are one of the private companies making a fortune from the government’s new compulsory work-for-your-benefits scheme, the Work Programme, a continuation of Labour’s New Deal. Workfare and privatisation are two major ways the government is attacking us. Workfare is an attack on all workers’ wages and conditions – (see our Facebook page for a link to how workers at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations are being attacked by these shysters). Why should we be forced to work for our pitiful benefits when TRILLIONS have been spent on baling out the rich and their banking system?
What’s more A4e in Edinburgh continue to refuse to recognise the right of claimants to be accompanied by their own representative when attending interviews at their premises – we are demanding they fall into line with the Jobcentre, Council and other providers and recognise this right.
This kind of activity is taking place round Britain ( for example in South London claimants are joining the workers picket at Brixton Job Centre then going on to visit their local A4e). Come and join us.
