(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Decent Pensions)

On November the 30^th members of Nottingham Anarchist Federation were on the picket lines supporting the biggest UK strike in a generation. Three members (a university lecturer, university researcher and health support worker) manned picket lines at their own workplaces whilst students in further and higher education supported the pickets of their striking lecturers and teachers. Later, up to 10,000 people marched from the forest, again easily one the biggest marches Nottingham has seen in recent times.

Nottingham AF student strike support leaflet for N30

Students in Nottingham AF have produced a leaflet to support strikers on the November 30th strike day…

Download PDF of leaflet.

Leaflet text

On November 30th it is more than likely that your school, college or
university will be closed for industrial action. This is due to the
governments vicious changes to the pension system meaning your
teachers, tutors and lecturers will have to work until the age of 68
while paying considerably more into it and getting less of a pension
than they do now.

The government’s own Hutton Report found the current pension
plans, which were introduced a mere 5 years ago, to be broadly
sustainable. These new plans will see a health worker on 17k a year
contribute 50% extra a year, retire 3 years later and lose 25% of their
final pension. As pensions are nothing but deferred pay, this is
nothing but a land grab on workers’ wages to be redistributed to
whoever the government see fit.

It is clear that the reasons for these changes are not to save money as
the government claims but are more to oppress the working class and
to make us work long exhausting hours for less pay.
This is not just affecting education workers either, the governments
plans will hit all of the public sector. So, how does it affect us as
students? Well, with people retiring later, there will be less jobs for
the younger generations who are leaving education.

The answer is clear, do not denounce your teacher for going on strike,
defend them! Stand in solidarity with them, if your institution is still
open due to strikes, do not cross the picket lines – join them! We as
students do not have economic power to strike but we can occupy our
places of education, stand in solidarity with all staff.

The government and right wing press will try to divide us by calling
strikers selfish for refusing to teach us, don’t let it happen! This is our
struggle as much as it is theirs, talk to your teachers and let them
know that you support them. After all they support you every day.

Written and distributed by Students of the Nottingham Anarchist Federation

http://nottsblackarrow.wordpress.com/

http://www.afed.org.uk

Support the ATOS Two – Demo at Court 25/11

Police have decided to charge two Nottingham residents, one a wheelchair user, the other a pensioner with aggravated trespass. This follows their arrest at a peaceful sit in at the Atos Healthcare offices on Stoney Street on September 30th. This is part of ongoing campaign against ATOS and its profiteering from the administration of medical assessments for benefits claimants. ATOS work hand in glove with the government to facilitate their stated aim rolling back the provisions of the welfare state. This is obstentality to enable them to work. The two main problems with that are a) there aren’t any jobs b) the assessments are mechanistic, incomplete and incapable of making any decisions on the fitness for work of claimants. The profit motive ensures that they never will be.  More here on indymedia.

Chris Leslie MP hates you

Chris Leslie is the Labour MP for Nottingham East. Since entering parliament as a thrusting young automaton aged 25, he has in a nine year political career* managed the remarkable feat of never having rebelled against a government position. Therefore always view him as a constant and consistent mouthpiece for current Labour party thinking. He’s politically pretty much identical to fellow local MP Vernon Coaker, but without Big Vern’s flair for standing next to things far more popular than him and the amusingly cack handed fumblings with social media. Anyway occasionally he deigns to let us, the public, know about the present conditions via his communiqués.

http://www.chrisleslie.org/2011/11/07/mp-update-6th-november/

I’ve read the grim thing so you don’t have to. Here’s the tl;dr proles:

Nottingham Anarchist Federation Summer Workshops – 20th August & 24th September

The Anarchist Federation presents:

Kickback Against the Cuts

Summer socials with workshops and discussion about the current struggle

Saturdays August 20th and September 24th 2011

Both at 3.00pm – 9.00pm

at the Sparrows’ Nest Anarchist studies library, St Ann’s.
Contact us for venue details and to sign up for workshops:

nottingham@afed.org.uk

 Workshops for August 20^th:

4.00pm ‘Smash it up!’ Direct Action vs. Reformism.

Or 4.00pm ‘Who’s In Charge?’ Why anarchists

structure against hierarchy.
6.00pm The Riots: Anarchist Analysis.

7.30pm ‘What if we don’t win?’ Struggle as
an end in itself?
Or 7.30pm The unions: Why they aren’t fighting the cuts.