Operation Pandora: Stop repression in Spain!

On 16th December 11 anarchists were detained in Barcelona, in what is known as “Operation Pandora”.

All 11 detainees are anarchist activists. 4 of them were released on December 18. One of them is a member of the CNT union from Sabadell and is still imprisoned.

His lawyer says they are being held because they are organised. They haven’t been accused of anything more than being active anarchists that spread and publish our ideas and fight for them.

It’s clear that this operation took place only to persecute and criminalise the libertarian movement and to in still fear in the rest of the population so they don’t fight against this system’s injustice.

We ask for solidarity. All that are able, please hold demonstrations or protest meetings to demand the detainees’ freedom and against Operation Pandora.

Fighting from everywhere - Juventud Sin Futuro

Cuando volvió al trabajo después de unas vacaciones se encontró, para su sorpresa, a otra trabajadora en su lugar y, en lugar de finiquito, la frase "no vengas más: ya no te necesitamos". Sin aviso, sin indemnización... sin apenas excusa. Ella era una inmigrante española sin contrato escrito y con poco dominio del idioma o las leyes británicas y estas, la justicia, estaban del lado de aquellos que la habían humillado. Parecía que no hubiera nada que pudiera hacer.

Stop Casualisation: ADECCO

This week Brighton SolFed is attending a call out for solidarity with Spanish workers of Arvato-Qualytel. This company provides the telecommunications services to Orange.

Arvato-Qualytel has a call centre in Salamanca in which comrades from CNT, our sister section in Spain, have decided to stand up against the abuses that they are suffering.

This company is covering the workforce through agencies like Adecco or Randstad. Hundreds of workers have to renew their contracts each ten, fifteen or thirty days and are sacked each two years for six month. In this way, the company is able to not give the workers fixed contacts.

Do you work in the hospitality sector?

Poster publicising the Brighton Hospitality Workers campaign

Are you:

  • getting paid below minimum wage?
  • working long shifts without break?
  • without a contract, written or verbal?
  • not getting paid holidays?

Overall the hospitality industry is notorious for long hours, low pay and precarious conditions. Howevere there are actions that can be taken to tackle this critical situation. If you want to discuss workplace issues, come and meet us!

Brighton Hospitality Workers: Dispute with Caffe Bar Italia enters second week

Brighton Solfed are continuing pickets of a rogue employer in Hove in solidarity with a former cafe worker, Yolanda, who is owed £1,264 in holiday pay and unpaid contracted hours. 

Over the past week, Brighton SolFed have proved to the pathetic boss of Caffe Bar Italia that this dispute will not disappear by pretending that nothing is happening. We have been very clear: we will not stop until Yolanda is paid the hours that she had guaranteed and her holiday entitlement.

Hospitality campaign takes on cafe in Hove

On Saturday, the 13th of December, the first picket against Caffe Bar Italia took place. Around 11 in the morning, a group of 10 SolFed members met in George Street (Hove) and after trying unsuccessfully to reach an agreement with the owner, started the picket outside the business.

This conflict started a few weeks ago when a worker contacted SolFed's Brighton Hospitality Workers because she had not been paid the amount of £1,264. Apart from the holiday pay that she was owed, her contract stipulated a minimum number of hours which were not offered to her. A demand letter was sent with the boss requested to respond. The boss refused to pay and insisted that he didn't have to pay her for “the hours she didn't work”; nevertheless, the law says that a worker should work at least the minimum hours his contract says.

Brighton Hospitality Workers: Carry on Picketing!

This summer, Brighton Hospitality Workers (BHW) took on one of the most uncompromising bosses we have faced. The owner (who shall henceforth be referred to as ‘V’) of a well-known local café had hired a worker with an agreement to pay her £6ph but when it came to payday, he only coughed up what amounted to £5ph and refused to pay her holiday pay. After V refused to pay her the remainder, the worker approached BHW, who agreed to support her in getting back her owed wages.

During the initial meeting with V, BHW delivered a letter outlining reasons for the conflict and the demands of the worker. The worker herself was too scared to face V. V was verbally and physically abusive, and refused to accept the letter (we left it on the premises anyway).

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We are an anarcho-syndicalist union based in Brighton. We have ongoing campaigns in Hospitality and in Health & social care, but we aim to organise with workers of all industries and none. We also have a very active housing union.

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