Edinburgh

Donning and Doffing - on the front lines

Mask on, seal over the nose to stop glasses misting up so much. Apron on (always easier with gloves on), feels flimsy especially in the wind, doesn’t feel like it will protect much. Visor on or is the patient low risk? How many more times am I going to put this all on?The beginning of shift routine is to check if we have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This involves checking stores, asking managers, raiding dormant ambulances. As relief staff (not on a fixed shift pattern) you go to different stations. Each station has differing policies; some have personal issue PPE, some are ambulance specific. As relief you end up pilfering PPE to protect yourself as you might end up without.

8 March 2015 International Working Women's Day - Not the Church, Not the State, Women will Decide their Fate!

To commemorate International Working Women's Day for today 8th March 2015, Edinburgh Solidarity Federation members supported the event of local feminist group These Hysterical Women [1] which was a public gathering and exhibition held at Bristo Square to remind everyone that gender equality has not been reached.

The exhibition of "why I am a feminist..." comments were written by those attended and hosting the event. Following the exhibit was a performance by Rhythms of Resistance Samba band and then a brief speech (extract):

Fri 6 Mar 12noon - Edinburgh Solidarity Protest - against 'Ley Mordaza' (Gag Law) and to demand all 'Operación Pandora' charges in Spain are dropped

Solidarity Protest
MEET: Spanish Consulate, 63 North Castle St, Edinburgh EH2 3LJ
FRIDAY 6 March 2015 – FROM 12:00noon

13 people facing trial just for being anarchists.

On 16/12/14 the Catalan police broke into 14 houses and social centres, destroying and stealing everything of value. 11 comrades were charged by a high court and 7 spent more than a month in prison.

On 29/01/15, the 7 imprisoned comrades were released but the state accuses all 11 (plus the 2 anarchists locked up for more than a year) of being members of a terrorist group, thus reaffirming its intention to treat everyone who questions it as a terrorist.

Addresses of the imprisoned comrades:

Sun 8 Feb 7pm - Film showing - 'Cuitat Morta' [Dead City] (documentary) at The Banshee Labyrinth, EH1 1LG

Film showing -

'Cuitat Morta' [Dead City]
(documentary, with english subtitles)

Sunday 7pm, 8 February 2015
The Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LG

No Charge https://www.facebook.com/events/807425185972477
see the whole film on youtube: http://youtu.be/U1xaX7tF-lU

[ see also: Fri 6 Feb 12noon - Edinburgh Solidarity Protest - Drop the Charges against the Anarchists detained for their beliefs by ‘Operación Pandora’ in Spain https://www.facebook.com/events/884685758228689 ]

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Fri 6 Feb 12noon - Edinburgh Solidarity Protest - Drop the Charges against the Anarchists detained for their beliefs by ‘Operación Pandora’ in Spain

Solidarity Protest
MEET: Spanish Consulate, 63 North Castle St, Edinburgh EH2 3LJ
FRIDAY 6 Feb – FROM 12:00noon

HARASSED! CHARGED! IMPRISONED! FOR BEING ANARCHISTS! by ‘operación Pandora’  in Spain

‘Un movimiento que olvida a sus presos está condenado a la derrota’
‘A movement that forgets its prisoners is doomed to defeat’

Fri 23 Jan 12noon - Edinburgh Solidarity Protest - Free the 7 Anarchists detained for their political beliefs by ‘Operación Pandora’ in Spain

Solidarity Protest - Free the 7 Anarchists detained for their political beliefs by ‘Operación Pandora’ in Spain

MEET: Spanish Consulate, 63 North Castle St, Edinburgh EH2 3LJ
FRIDAY 23 JAN – FROM 12:00noon-2pm
We will begin handing out flyers and raising awareness about the prisoners before and after - please get involved and join us!

On 16/12/2014 the Mossos, Catalan police stormed 14 homes and community centers, destroying and stealing everything they could find of value. Without making any specific accusations and acting in complete secrecy, 11 anarchists were transferred to the National Court in Madrid. 4 were released two days later - and 7 have ended up in prison, one is a member of the CNT-AIT Union. They are all facing secretive Court proceedings.

Fri 16 Jan 10am - Edinburgh Solidarity Protest - Free the 7 Anarchists detained by ‘Operación Pandora’ in Spain

On 16/12/2014 the Mossos, a specialist police squad in Spain stormed 14 homes and community centers, destroying and stealing everything they could find of value. Without making any specific accusations and acting in complete secrecy, 11 anarchists were transferred to the National Court. 4 were released two days later - and 7 have ended up in prison, one is a member of the CNT-AIT Union. They all facing secretive Court proceedings.

'Fighting For Ourselves' SolFed Book Launches Scotland Thurs. 28th Feb. & Fri. 1st March

Edinburgh Thursday 28th February 8p.m.-9.30p.m.

Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 17 West Montgomery Place, EH7 5HA

http://www.facebook.com/events/485857831450575/

Glasgow Friday 1st March 7p.m.-9p.m.

Glasgow Social Centre, Basement, Garnethill MultiCultural Centre, 21 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RE

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/events/132310493602348/

Anarcho-Syndicalism And The Class Struggle – Solidarity Federation

Introductory talk by one of the co-authors followed by discussion

When equality means cuts

In 1997, councils across Britain came to an agreement with unions to undertake ‘Single Status’ job evaluations to end the discrepancies between manual and white collar jobs. Parallel to this, claims made about the historic pay discrepancies between traditionally male and traditionally female jobs were won at various Employment Tribunals. Historically, workers in female dominated jobs (such as those working around childcare) have been paid significantly less than those in jobs usually seen as ‘men’s work’, such as refuse collection.

Since the Equal Pay Act in 1970 these pay discrepancies had been open to legal challenge, but Single Status was supposed to be an across the board solution that would see every job within the councils evaluated and regarded equally based on the content of the job. In theory, this was of course a good thing.