Fwd: [Vestassolidarity] leeds strike goes into 6th week - appeal for funds - please circulate

GMB AND UNISON TO ADD £50,000 TO HARDSHIP FUND AS STRIKE BY 600 CLEANING STAFF IN LEEDS HEADS  INTO IT'S SIXTH WEEK

 

 

GMB andUnison announce line up for  "Refuse to be Beat" benefit gig and rally in Leeds on Sunday 18th October 2009

 

 

Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary, while on the picket lines in Leeds this morning,  announced that GMB and Unison were between them adding £50,000 to the strike hardship fund as the line up for the benefit gig in Leeds was  made public.

 

The details of the line up are as follows:

 

With very Special guests playing on the night:

 

Keith Allen and his 12 piece band

Matt Skint – Skint & Demoralised

Middleman

                                                                                           And compere for the evening:

The Reverend Funky Butt Chunky!

 

 

600 Leeds city Refuge collectors and street cleaners have been on strike since September 7th. The Lib Dem/Tory council intend to introduce pay cuts of £6000 per annum to bring their pay in line with female workers. The rally is to state that in 2009 it's time female workers pay was raised to meet that of male workers and that massive pay cuts of invaluable council employers ended here and now!

 

The 18^th of October is the night to raise the roof on these issues! Musicians and comedians from far and wide (and not so far and wide) are gathering at Leeds O2 Academy to cause a stir and let the powers that be know these new terms offered to the men and women that keep are city clean are not OK

 

Keith Allen (never a man to keep schtum over issues close to his heart) will be making his Leeds debut. After hitting numerous sunny fields this summer with performances at Glastonbury and Latitude, Keith's 12 piece (yes that's right 12!!) will be hitting the stage of the O2 Academy performing a raucous, toe-tappingly infectious selection of tunes you'll know and ones you won't. Along with renowned music producer Pablo Cook, Keith will be showcasing their forthcoming album "2 Pikeys On A Mini Cruise".

Their live show is set to cause a stir! An awesome plethora of genres through reggae, funk, disco, and rock n roll! This is a shout-out-loud show not to be missed.

 

Supporting them on the night will be local lads Middleman whose jump in the air blend of pop, funk, hip-hop and punk will be sure to get the party going. After winning this years Future sound competition the boys have been on the road, in the studio and are now ready to get back on stage on home turf and make some noise in the name of "leveling up not leveling down".

 

Matt Skint, also known as Skint & Demoralised, is a 20-year-old performance pub poet from Wakefield. He began performing poetry in small back-rooms of Wakefield pubs
Roughly-recorded spoken word tracks then became songs and a project known as Skint & Demoralised gradually grew over the next two years. National exposure came with help from the likes of Steve Lamacq and a record deal was signed with Mercury Records (Universal Music Group) in Spring 2008. Matt is composing new work in aid of the national strike on equal pay for the Benefit gig on the 18^th October

The nights proceeding will be shouted about by compare and preacher extraordinaire The Reverend Chunky but Funky.

 

Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary and Dave Prentis Unison General Secretary will attend the event and both will speak at the rally and will attend the picket line on Monday 19th October.

 

Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary speaking in Leeds this morning said "The two unions between them are adding £50,000 to the hardship fund and planning for a long dispute.

 

The event on Sunday 18th will raise much needed support for our members on strike in Leeds who face crippling pay cuts. Supporting the event is a way for people in Leeds to tell the Lib Dem/Tory administration that the proper way to introduce equal pay is to increase the wage of the women worker up to that of the men. When the equal pay legislation was passed it was always the intention to level up not level down.

 

We plan to produce a special Christmas card for sale to support the strikers and are making arrangements for further benefit events in the City nearer Christmas. Meanwhile we appeal for support for the hardship fund See Note 2 below "

 

Ends 

Contact: for strike detail - Desiree Risebury 07958 156848; for gig details  - Nic Greenan on 07513 001502 or GMB Press office Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823

 

Notes to Editors

 

1 Refuse to be Beat,  O₂ Academy Leeds, £10 per ticket  -Doors 7 – 11pm 

Tickets available from  www.o2academyleeds.co.uk  or www.ticketweb.co.uk

 Tel: 08444 77 2000 Tickets also available from Venue Box office Mon–Sat 12pm-5pm

No booking fee on cash transfers

 

2 The address to send the cheques made payable to 'GMB strike fund' is GMB strike fund, GMB Yorkshire & North Derbyshire Region, Grove Hall, 60 College Grove Road, Wakefield, WF1 3RN.

_______________________________________________
Vestassolidarity mailing list
Vestassolidarity@lists.aktivix.org
https://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/vestassolidarity