SOAS teach in and conference, London, 17 October - Hands Off My Workmate

You may be interested in the SOAS teach in/conference on migrant workers taking place on 17th October.  This will be a unique and significant event bringing together campaigners, academics, trades Unionists and students alongside migrant workers. Aside from academics such as Gilbert Arhcar, Phil Marfleet, Jane Hardy we also have a migrant in every workshop and national speakers including Jeremy Dear of the NUJ,  along with Alex Gordon of the RMT,  Sasha Callaghan of UCU, Kevin Courtney of the NUT, Neil Jameson of Strangers into Citizens, Keith Best from immigration Advisory services. There will be serious debates on the questions of citizenship and amnesty and on the role of migrant workers in the global economy among the sessions. we will discuss the ways in which migrant workers have been organising on the campuses of central London for a living wage and the ways in which the state and multinational companies have responded. The conference, organised by SOAS UNISON, SOAS UCU and SOAS Students' Union on the 17th October 2009.  The conference will take the form of a series of seminars followed by a general plenary, at which we will formally launch the "Hands off my Workmate" (and "hands off my student, "hands off my patient") initiative—a broad based tool kit designed to build opposition to immigration controls in workplaces, colleges, schools, hospitals, etc. As you may have heard SOAS University was raided by immigration police on the 12th June this year which resulted in the imprisonment and deportation of our cleaners. We believe that ISS (the cleaning contractors) were involved in organising this raid, which followed a vigorous and successful campaign to win SOAS cleaners union representation and the London Living Wage. All the unions at SOAS have been campaigning to ensure that such a shocking event never again takes place on our campus The purpose of the conference is to highlight the precarious working conditions of migrant workers in Britain today and to use it as a campaigning base to bring this to the public's and trade union's attention.  The use of immigration raids against migrants who organise trade unions is becoming more frequent and attacks on migrants are gathering pace, with trades unionists in hospitals, colleges, benefit centres and local services increasingly asked to take on the functions of immigration officers. We wish to build the broadest based unity in defence of migrant workers and against racism and therefore are asking you to participate in the conference—and to encourage your members to participate in the "hands off" initiative. We think your students would have a lot to contribute and a lot to learn at the event. Yours truly, Elane Heffernan (Hands Off My Workmate) Sandy Nicholl (UNISON) Graham Dyer (UCU) Ben Sellars (SOAS students union) Hands off my workmate.. the SOAS teach-in MORNING Plenary: welcome migrant workers as part of the mainstream WORKSHOPS: Bread and roses too: how migrant workers have always been central to unions Winning the living wage Busting the migration myths: challenging the racists Globalisation and profits: How do borders fit in Poverty, war, neoliberalism, migrant labour in the global economy (why people move) Stopping the raids: legal and union strategies to defend migrant workers As above in another session The border in the workplace: restricting welfare and housing- who benefits strangers and citixens The feminisation of migrant labour What will the recession mean for migrant workers? Arguing jobs for all We wont spy on students; education for all. MAIN Plenary: "hands off our workmates, student, patients and friends"….. ADDITIONAL CLOSED SESSION FOR MIGRANT WORKERS:  LEGAL BRIEFING (2:30) with lawyers from immigration advisory service and other leading migration organisations *Please send replies to: handsoffmyworkmate@yahoo.co.uk*