Upcoming dates in workplace and welfare struggles, late June-early July

A few important upcoming dates:

The amazing cleaners who’ve been organising though the United Voices of the World union in London are currently on an all-out indefinite strike at 100 Wood Street, and have been for over a week. They’re asking for people to come down and support them at 5:30 on Tuesday 21st June. You can also donate much-needed funds to their emergency strike appeal here.

Tony Cox, the Scottish Unemployed Workers Network member who’s been singled out for state persecution for his work accompanying claimants to benefits interviews, is back in Dundee Sheriff Court on Thursday 23rd. I’m not sure whether there will be nationwide jobcentre solidarity the way there’s been for his previous appearances, but the Kilburn unemployed group will definitely be at Kilburn jobcentre making a stand for claimants’ organisation on the day, so you might want to get in touch with any like-minded groups or friends in your area and see if they’re up for doing the same.

Early on the morning of Saturday 25th, the Angry Workers of the World collective will be paying a visit to the Amey depot in Greenford to demand payment of some unpaid wages. They’ll also be holding a filmshowing the night before that you might find interesting if you’re in that part of the world.

The food workers’ union BFAWU have also been busy – as well as having what sounds like a pretty successful strike at Pennine Foods in Sheffield, they’ve been organising workers at Samworth Brothers, makers of Ginsters pasties and Melton Mowbray pork pies, a campaign that’s led to a worker being suspended for his union activities. You can keep informed about the campaign to reinstate Kumaran Bose here, and they’re calling for everyone who can make it to get out to the Samworth Brothers site in Leicestershire for a mass picket in support of Kumaran on Sunday 26th.

Looking further ahead into July, Manchester will be hosting the third of Boycott Workfare’s national welfare action gatherings on Saturday 9th, which looks worth attending for anyone interested in claimants’ organising, and there will be a national day of action against Capita, Atos and Maximus’ disability tests on the 13th – so far there are confirmed actions in London, Leicester, Sheffield, Glasgow, Ipswich and Manchester, and more should be added to the national list nearer the time. As usual, the great Johnny Void has done a solid job of explaining why this is so important.