KEN LOACH, to personally present his film: “BREAD AND ROSES”

KEN LOACH, to personally present his film:

“BREAD AND ROSES” on immigrant worker’s rights, trade unionism and victimisation. Darwin LT, UCL enter Malet Place, WC1.

Monday 22 Feb 6.00pm

Many of the cleaning catering and security staff at UCL live precarious lives. Underpaid and on zero hour contracts on the one hand, and victimised for being active in a trade union on the other.

Juan Carlos Piedra was one such cleaner. He lost his job in 2009 after Office and General, UCL’s outsourced cleaning company of choice, told him there was no work from him after it became clear that he wouldn’t back down in the face bullying for being an active unionist.

World-renowned film maker KEN LOACH, a pioneer of the social realism genre, will be kindly taking an evening out from editing his new film to come to UCL to personally present his film “BREAD AND ROSES”, an exploration into the right of immigrant workers and their struggle for justice. We will hear from as well as a personal account from Juan Carlos, All are welcome!

SIGN THE PETITION TO CALL FOR THE LIVING WAGE AT UCL!: http://tinyuri.com/ucllwpetition

What is the London Living Wage exactly?

The London Living Wage is a wage rate of £7.60/hour which, according to the Greater London Authority, is the minimum any worker would need in order to survive in London Authority, is the minimum any wage is is simply not enough. We campaign for is instatement, as well as fair sick pay, annual leave and trade union rights.

Facebook: htt://tinyuri.com/ucllivingwage

E-mail: ucllivingwage@ymail.com

“BREAD AND ROSES” on immigrant worker’s rights, trade unionism and victimisation. Darwin LT, UCL enter Malet Place, WC1.

Monday 22 Feb 6.00pm

OPEN PLANNING MEETING for HANDS OFF MY WORKMATES CONFERENCE Wed 9th Sept 2009

Dear friends

SOAS UNISON, SOAS UCU and SOAS Students' Union would like to invite you to take part in an open planning meeting to discuss our campaign to bring back our cleaners in-house, and how to build the teach-in on migrant workers that we are organising for Saturday 17 October 2009 following the brutal UKBA raid on our cleaning staff in June.

Details of the meeting—at which we want to plan how to build the conference—are below.

Please feel free to forward this invitation.

Read the rest of the plans at the Free SOAS Cleaners blog. Provisional agenda included. Plus photos, videos and reports from occupation.

Thank you for all your support. let's try to make this a broad, proactive campaign. If this can happen at SOAS it can happen anywhere.We need to pre-empt moves by the government and management to let them
know we are watching and will fight back

Speak soon.

In solidarity

Right to Work mtg at SOAS. Support occupations and fightback

Caution: this meeting is NOT at our main campus but at the Kings Cross one. Click on the image to enlarge for a map.

Fight for the Right to Work.

6.30pm, Friday 7 August,

Room V211, School of Oriental & African Studies,

Vernon Square, Penton Rise

WC1X 9EW

WWW.RIGHTTOWORK.ORG.UK

SoliDarity with VeStas

Learning from the fightbacks for jobs and justice

Shame on Willis, Shame on Mitie, Shame on Capitalism

About 30 angry protesters shouted chants and slogans outside the premises of Willis HQ where cleaners were called into an office on the premise of a 'chemicals training course' and then subjected to the same disgraceful ordeal that was metted out to SOAS cleaners.

We need to ensure that the message we are sendding out is against the whole system and not just the bosses. If capital can move freely around the world into the hands of the already rich and powerful, so should we be able to.

We are building a vibrant campaign against the disgraceful treatment of our work mates:

Hands Off Our Workmates blog coming soon...

Hands off our workmates: Another immigration raid. Another demonstration...

Workers in the UNITE union at Mitie (Willis)--who also organised around the living wage and who have been fighting off attacks on union organisation for some time, were today conned into a fake meeting on health and safety issues by their managers and raided. a number have been picked up and detained. protests will follow.. with one on friday at 12:30.. watch this space for more details...

Today the Cleaners at Willis building get invited by Mitie for a chemicals training course, when all the cleaners were ready for the course, immigration officers raid the room and detain 3 cleaners, 1 Ecuadorian and 2 Bolivians.


We invite every body to support the next demonstration in front of Willis building, for the reinstatement of the 4 cleaners and against the immigration raids.

Friday 17 July 1 p.m. in front of Willis Building, 51 Lime street or at 12:30 in Liverpool street station in front of Macdonalds.

!No one is Ilegal, papers for all!

Venceremos


other news: the RMT union have agreed to work with the SOAS unions to develop a "hands off my workmate" campaign and the teach in we are planning.

Lobby of Home Office TMRW 5.30-6.30pm: Our cleaners are not criminals!

Let them stay..

Our cleaners are not criminals!

Staff and students at SOAS are calling for Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for the Home Office, to grant leave to remain with permission to work for Marina Silva and Rosa dePerez, two of the SOAS cleaners picked up in a brutal immigration raid on 12^thJune. Marina, who is 63 and has applied for asylum, following het brutal honour killing of her husband and threats to her own life, and Rosa, who has four children to support in Nicaragua, remain in detention following the raid. Their colleagues, including six months pregnant Luzia, were deported within 48 hours of the raid.

Cleaners at SOAS had demanded and organised for dignity at work with many joining a union. They had succeeded in winning union recognition from the privatised cleaning firm ISS and raising their pay to the London Living Wage—higher than other colleges in the area. It is of grave concern that the raid, organised by ISS, took place shortly after this campaign and on the very day on which UNISON was due to protest in support of an activist who had played a leading role in organising the cleaners at SOAS.

Please support our campaign:

Lobby the Home Office, Tuesday 30^th June, 5.30-6.30pm

2 marsham st, millbank, Sw1

Sign the letter requesting leave to remain is granted to Marina and Rosa

http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/send-this-letter-to-home-office-now.html

For more information go to: http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/

Stop the Deportation of SOAS University Cleaners!

Supported by SOAS SU, UNISON and UCU

SOAS Occupiers host lunchtime filmshowing & food at Marxism

HANDS OFF OUR WORKMATES

Please join the Facebook group if you are coming so we know how much food to prepare.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=96483986237&ref=ts

If you are not on facebook, leave your name and number of people below in the comments on the blog: http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/soas-occupiers-host-lunchtime.html

Saturday, 4th July. 1-2pm on SOAS grass.

Please join us for an outdoor filmshowing of a number of our videos and photos's. Followed by discussion, Q&A's and Equadorian food.

===================================

On 12th June cleaners at Soas were rounded up by immigration officials at an early morning meeting.

9 people were detained consequently 5 have been deported, one was over 6 months pregnant and one has had a heart attack and received absolutely no medical assistance not even water.

SOAS students, staff and supporters occupied the Directors offices from 10am.

We filmed the whole thing. We want you to show you what we did and will answer questions and discuss where next for the campaign.

Start up your own campaign. If this can happen at SOAS of all places it can happen anywhere. This needs to be stopped. Our fellow workmates should not be living in a state of fear.

HANDS OFF OUR WORKMATES

Including food and discussion.

PLEASE RSVP so we know how much food to prepare.

If it is raining we will transfer to our common room.

This is a truly SOAS affair-we hope you join us.

Victory for the SOAS Occupiers and the fight continues!

Phew, what a week. I am pleased to have been a part of this campaign and have learnt so much from this process. Despite the management playing hard ball, I genuinely don't think that Paul Webley wanted harm to come to his staff. But I do wish they would stop saying that the cleaners are 'employed by ISS' and hence denouncing responsibility for them. It is about time that they recognise the hard work the cleaners contribute to the running of of our school and stop being treated like criminals.

The manangement now have the perfect opportunity to rectify the damage they have done to the school.

I will write more on this once I have got all my backlog out of the way.

Please continue to be involved or join the campaign if you haven't already done so. You never know when this may happen in your own workplace.

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=89511288639

Googlegroup: http://groups.google.com/group/freesoascleaners?pli=1

Victory for the campaign-here is a collective statement from the occupiers:

At 12.30pm today, after several rounds of intense and complicated negotiations we have reached an agreement between all parties.

We feel management took our concerns seriously and are confident that the way in which these negotiations were carried out has produced a constructive and positive outcome

We have tried to work so that the demands agreed include the main concerns of the cleaners who were affected by this disgraceful raid and who have provided confidence to this campaign which will have an effect wider than just our school.

These are as follows:

1.SOAS management to write to the Home Secretary requesting exceptional leave to remain for the cleaner who is still being detained and for those who have been forced into hiding, and immediate return of those who have been deported.

2.Open discussions with ISS, UCU, UNISON and the Students' Union to review in detail the events of last Friday.

3.Issue of outsourced cleaning services to be revisited at the next Governing Body.

4.Meet with above unions to discuss health & Safety issues relating to immigration raids.

5.Amnesty for all those involved.

We are pleased that management called for regularisation for non-documented workers and hope that this provides extra and crucial voices to the campaign for papers for all migrant workers.

In the SOAS strategy and Vision document management state that they are

'poised to become the University of the 21st century: it is concerned with
the regions that matter and the issues that matter (such as human rights,
poverty reduction and globalisation).' (“SOAS 2016: A Vision and Strategy for
the Centennial”, p5 )

That the directorate is disturbed by the possible role that ISS played in this raid demonstrates to us that the school are committed to upholding their further Centennial Goals of

“maintain[ing] the highest ethical standards in all of its dealings and foster
the values of openness, honesty, tolerance, fairness and responsibility in all
areas.” (SOAS 2016: A Vision and Strategy for the Centennial, p9)

We will work hard to ensure that this sentiment is translated into concrete action which ensures that cleaning is brought in-house and management never again facilitate an immigration raid on campus.

We are honoured to have been able to stand side by side with the cleaners at SOAS who have inspired us with their fight to organise in a union. The strength they have shown demands solidarity in return in this important struggle.

Our fight to ensure that employers and the Government do not use the threat of deportation to intimidate workers and prevent them from fighting to improve pay and conditions and trade union recognition has brought together people from all backgrounds.

Although these are a important victories so far they are more symbolic than practical. The home secretary has only signed papers to stop the removal or deportation of an individual when 80% of the Isle of Man signed a petition calling him to do so. SOAS now has a common goal, this must be used to further lobby for the cleaners in hiding, those that were already sent back to their countries of origin and those still held in deportation centres.

This campaign is grateful and encouraged by the tremendous response from activists from across the world, from media, politicians, academics, from family and from Palestinian universities who were the focus of the previous round of occupations earlier this year, and is inspired by the solidarity from other cleaner activists across London.

We are strengthened in this struggle for a united cause and urge everybody to start a campaign in their own workplace or institution safe in the knowledge that they are not alone. That united we stand, divided we fall.

Notes:
Statement:http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/joint-statement-from-soas-and-students.html

Letter to Home office: http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/send-this-letter-to-home-office-now.html

Academic support: http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/academic-solidarity-statement-on-soas.html

Write to the Home Office to try to prevvent deportation: http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/urgent-contact-home-office-now-and.html

SOAS UNISON EMergency mtg to be held at protest

SOAS UNISON have called an Emergency Branch Meeting to take place on Monday 15th June at 9AM outside the main SOAS building.

Official school statement-disgusting

(Bold my own)

Dear colleagues

Officials from the Border Control Agency visited SOAS this morning

with a warrant to enter the premises and to carry out checks on

employees of our cleaning contractor ISS who were suspected of working

illegally.

We understand this must have been distressing for those involved, and

indeed our own colleagues. However we believe the checks were carried

out quickly and in a sympathetic manner.

We have been informed that nine people have been detained for further

questioning and ISS is liaising directly with the Border Control

Agency at this stage.

SOAS is legally obliged to co-operate fully with the authorities

regarding such matters and we would like to thank staff for their

cooperation and understanding at this time. We have received

assurances from ISS that the standard of cleaning in School buildings

will be maintained.

Alan Smith

Interim Secretary and Registrar

Press coverage of SOAS 9

by Sadie Robinson

Students and workers at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) have organised an emergency protest for 8.30am on Monday 15 June to defend cleaners at the site who are facing imminent threat of deportation.

Cleaners at Soas were rounded up by immigration officials at an early morning meeting last Friday.

The raid follows campaigns by the cleaners to win union recognition and the London Living Wage.

Nine of the cleaners were subsequently held, including one woman who is six months pregnant. Their Unison union rep, Sandy Nicoll, said he was prevented from having any contact with them.

By Sunday three had already been deported. Others may be deported on Monday morning.

There is widespread anger and shock at the raid and at the speed with which the workers are being removed from Britain, with no opportunity to challenge the rulings or get legal advice. Many people saw the raid as the “kidnapping” of their fellow workers.

Some 200 students and workers protested outside Soas on Friday evening. “I'm so ashamed of this institution today,” said Sandy. “It's not an accident that immigration raids are taking place in workplaces where cleaners have been organising to win better pay and conditions.

“London can't run without low-paid migrant workers to do work like cleaning – but if they try and fight for rights then they're out.

“Our union met today and unanimously passed a motion to back whatever campaign there is to stop the deportations of these cleaners. The cleaners are an important part of the union.”

Graham Dyer, the UCU union president at Soas, was also at the protest. “I came in this morning to take part in a demonstration to support Stalin (a former worker at Soas who has been victimised by management after organising campaigns to improve workers' rights), only to find that the cleaning staff had been taken by immigration officials.

“The UCU is outraged. It's clear that management have been complicit in allowing immigration officials to come onto our campus.”

Sam, a student at Soas, spoke poignantly to the crowd about the raid. “Just imagine what it's like,” he said. “You get up and go to work expecting to come home later and empty the washing that you've left in the machine, pick up your kids, etc. But no. Instead you get taken away to be deported.

“I'm almost speechless at management’s behaviour.”

PROTEST

Monday 15 June, 8.30am, on the steps if Soas, off Malet Street, central London

---

© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.

Demonstration at SOAS in support of SOAs 9. URGENT action needed

Campaign email: freesoascleaners@gmail.com

Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn & others letter to Independent, Observer & Sunday Times

(we submitted this letter yesterday but it was not included for submission as far as i can see on the online versions of these three papers)

Stop Racist Deportations at SOAS

We are appalled at the actions of the immigration services, who with the aid of facilities contractors ISS conducted an early morning raid of SOAS recently. Nine cleaners were accused of working without valid documentation and are now being held pending their likely deportation from the UK.

Neither the contractors nor the university authorities had any problem with employing migrant labour with or without valid work permits so long as lecture theatres were cleaned at low rates and ISS were making sufficient profits.

The crime these mainly Latin American workers seem to have committed is to have campaigned for, and won, the London Living Wage and their union rights. In fact ISS had signed a union recognition agreement with Unison last week.

Unison members struck solidly last month in protest at the sacking of cleaner and union activist Jose Stalin Bermudez.

Evidence suggests that SOAS Management colluded with ISS and the immigration services to allow this shameful episode to happen and we believe that the raid took place to send a message to other groups of workers who may have been encouraged by the success of the Living Wage campaigns.

We demand an amnesty for all migrant workers in Britain.

Signed by (incl):

Tony Benn

Jeremy Corbyn MP

John McDonnell MP

Sandy Nicholl SOAS UNISON

Graham Dyer SOAS UNISON

Marya Ahmed SOAS Co-President

Elly James SOAS Women's Officer

Clare Solomon Former SOAS Co-President

James Haywood NUS NEC

Phemie Matheson NUS NEC

Pat Carmody CWU P&B Section Secretary

Petition for SOAS 9. Stop Racist Deportations

Please sign the online petition at http://www.gopetition.co.uk/online/28557.html

DEMONSTRATION 

Monday 15th June

8.30am

SOAS Steps. 

Please bring Union banners and other visual, audio aids.

Stop Racist Deportations at SOAS

Another Education is Possible

Recently SOAS cleaners, through fighting back and uniting with students and other workers from other backgrounds, were able to win improvements in conditions and the London Living Wage.

At 6.30am on Friday the 12th June, without any advance warning SOAS cleaning staff were called to an emergency ‘Staff Meeting’, were confined in a room and then confronted by a team of 40 immigration officers who had been hiding under staged seating.

9 cleaners were arrested and sent to detention centres and are under threat of immediate deportation.

The outsourced cleaning company ISS and the schools management were aware of this intended raid and helped facilitate the removal of the cleaners.

We denounce the actions of the school and demand that academic institutions should not be complicit in assisting the Government in implementing their racist immigration programme. We find this particularly disgraceful given SOAS’s attempt to shake the reputation leftover from its colonial past. SOAS cannot lecture other countries about oppression when it complies in programmes such as this.

We cannot allow employers and the Government to use the threat of deportation to intimidate workers and prevent them from fighting to improve pay and conditions.

We urge you to show solidarity with the cleaners, UNISON and SOAS SU. We need to:

* Protest against the deportation of migrant workers and their families.
* Bring all workers in house, to receive equal treatment to SOAS staff, and force the university to take full responsibility for them.
* Formally disassociate from agencies such as ISS, and condemn such practice as witnessed at SOAS.
* Support calls for an amnesty for all migrant workers.

DEMONSTRATION Monday 15th June at 8.30am on SOAS Steps. Please bring Union banners and other visual, audio aids.

Tony Benn, John McDonnell and Ken Loach support SOAS 9

This post will be updated throughout this evening.

We have called a planning meeting TOMORROW, Saturday 13th June at 1.30pm to work out what to do next. Please  come along and bring people and ideas.

Meet 1.30pm in the lunch break of the Right to Work Conference on the grass outside SOAS

20.55 just got home from being on a wild goose chase trying to find out where any of the cleaners are.

The lies and bullshit coming from every angle at the immigration centres is unbelievable. 

We eventually managed to get hold of one of the cleaners being detained at St Thomas' immigration centre by mobile phone, despite being told that they were not there any longer. So we decided to stay and protest noisily outside for a few hours to show Carlos and Manuel that they have support.

We know that one is being taken to the single-men-only Dover detention centre and a few more are going to Yarlswood.

Tomorrow is the Right to Work Conference where occupiers, activists, union leaders and others will be coming together to discuss and plan more resistance.  You can register online or just turn up. 

Sessions include:

How to organise an occupation

Rights for the unemployed

Stop the scapegoating of migrant workers 

We have called a planning meeting in the lunchbreak to work out what to do next. Please  come along and bring people and ideas.

Meet 1.30pm in the lunch break on the grass outside SOAS

 

Press release for SOAS cleaners

At 6.30am on Friday the 12th June, ISS (the company who contracts SOAS’ cleaning staff) called a meeting for all SOAS cleaners. Within minutes the meeting was raided by approximately 40 immigration police, who detained all cleaners and arrested 9 people accused of working without proper documentation. These 9 people are now on fast-track to be deported from the UK.

Graham Dyer, Lecturer in Economics of Developing Countries and SOAS UCU Chair said: “It is no co-incidence that there is an immigration raid at a time when the UCU, Unison and the NUS are fighting against the victimisation of a migrant worker who has been at the heart of a fight that has improved the pay and conditions of workers here at SOAS. It is also not coincidental that ISS had only just signed a union recognition agreement with UNISON last week. Our fight has united lecturers, staff and students and has rocked SOAS management. Those managers are now lashing out. It is a disgrace that SOAS management saw fit to use a seat of learning to intimidate migrant workers. This is their underhand revenge and we will do all we can to stop migrant workers paying the price.”

SOAS Students’ Union and NUS conference have passed policy supporting the Living Wage campaign and the amnesty of migrant workers, and urge you to show solidarity with UNISON and SOAS SU in:

Protest against the deportation of migrant workers and their families.

• Bring the all workers in house, to receive equal treatment to SOAS staff, and force the university to take full responsibility for them.
  
• Formally disassociate from agencies such as ISS, and condemn such practice as witnessed at SOAS.
  
• Support the ‘Stranger into Citizens Campaign’ which calls for an amnesty for all migrant workers.
  

We urge student unions around the country to contact their UNISON branches in preparation for similar raids of outsourced staff, and campaign to provide them with in-house employment rights. Last week there was a threat of a raid at UCL, as witnessed at SOAS today, which suggests it could happen anywhere, and necessitates that as a National body we show solidarity with all of our workers.

Demonstrate at 4.30 today outside SOAS. Please come down, show your solidarity and prepare further action.
Contact suwelfare@soas.ac.uk or women@soas.ac.uk for more information.



Marya Ahmed SOAS SU Welfare and Education
Eleanor James SOAS Women’s Officer and NUS Women’s Committee

Ken Loach, director of the film Looking For Eric, message of support for SOAS cleaners

Ken Loach, director of the film Looking For Eric, stated:

"This raid is the action of a bully. Migrant workers are amongst the most vulnerable - poorly paid and far from home. Recent action by Unison to secure better wages and conditions at SOAS was good news. Now we wonder if the SOAS cleaners are being targeted because they dared to organise as trade unionists. We should all stand with them in solidarity in the face of this victimisation."

Please add more messages of support to the bottom of this post. Or email me.

I will collect them and pass them on.

Campaign phone numbers: 07971 302 349

(Live blogging NOW) SOAS raided this morning by Immigration Police. Urgent help needed

This post will be updated when i get more info...

UPDATE 15.44 

1 cleaner has been released.

3 are being held in old st police st

4 in Borough police station

One cleaner has agreed to be deported. She will fly out 4pm on Monday from Heathrow.

Those being held in Old St police station are scheduled to be deported on Monday.

Will be moved to Dover on monday

UPDATE: Basically, the cleaners were called into an emergency staff meeting at 6.30am this morning. They were then detained in the room (G2) until 40 robocop immigration officers surrounded them. They had been hiding in the room behind staging. This whole thing has been planned meticulously.

We can not get hold of any of the cleaners. This means thhey have had their mobile phones taken off them which is illegal. We still do not know where they are being detained.

Liveblogging from emergency Unison mtg

13.10. One of the cleaners 6 months pregnaant

Cleaners being held in detention centre near Gatwick (although i heard this from one person outside the mtg)

Being put on fast track for deportation

Governing Body being held at the moment in rm 116. We have people in there who will bring this up in the strongest possible manner.

We should protest at detention centre

It's outrageous that it is only the cleaners who have to prove where they come from

13.17 We should reiterate our call for bringing the outsourced services in house. ISS are complicit in this

Students ffrom the Detainee Support Society are fully on board

Lots of student support

Student Union will send out email and statement to all students

13.21 we should do a collection and make sure the families of the cleaners are also supported

ISS is well known for treating staff like this and employ large number of migrant workers

ISS actually said that they knew and allowed immigration in. why did they not just let the staff know in advance?

Immigration dressed like Robocop

SOAS management knew about raid in advance

13.36 what about the schools responsibility of duty of care to its staff

protest outside school at 4.30 TODAY

It's not coincidental that this has happened today given that we had a lobby of governing body planned for this morning over Stalin's cas but we were disrupted due to having to deal with this

13.51 mount pleasant post office also raided today

possibly UCL too

===============

This morning at 8, SOAS University was raided by Immigration police who rounded up 9 of our cleaners and are threatening to deport them tonight.

We have fought hard with the cleaners to get them union representation and a decent wage (which we have now got). many of them have been working here for years, and have their whole lives here in london..

Apparently this has happened at UCL too, and i believe on the tube where active cleaners were pulled up in front of management and subsequently fired because their working documents were not up to scratch

Staff at SOAS said it was a scene from Nazi Germany with all the cleaners lined up against a wall then shuffled into a room where they were locked up whilst having to fill out loads of forms. They were released individually only if they completed the forms correctly.

They have no access to lawyers or interpreters so I don't know if they all know exactly how to fill out the forms or whether they know exactly what is going on.

please offer your support by emailing MPs, MEPs, SOAS Management, anyone you can think of...and get in contact if you know any immigration lawyers. The Unison ones can only represent those already in the union.

thanks

this is the pathetic email we got from management assuring us that cleaning standards will be kept up! They should not be cooperating with the government on this. 

Dear colleagues

Officials from the Border Control Agency visited SOAS this morning

with a warrant to enter the premises and to carry out checks on

employees of our cleaning contractor ISS who were suspected of working

illegally.

We understand this must have been distressing for those involved, and

indeed our own colleagues. However we believe the checks were carried

out quickly and in a sympathetic manner.

We have been informed that nine people have been detained for further

questioning and ISS is liaising directly with the Border Control

Agency at this stage.

SOAS is legally obliged to co-operate fully with the authorities

regarding such matters and we would like to thank staff for their

cooperation and understanding at this time. We have received

assurances from ISS that the standard of cleaning in School buildings

will be maintained.

Alan Smith

Interim Secretary and Registrar

Racist allegations at SOAS? SU will NOT be crossing the picket lines...

"In my role as Chair I was being asked to conclude whether two long serving and trusted managers were telling the truth, or whether Pablo Grisales had changed his recollection of events. On the balance of probabilities I concluded that I believed the two managers. I was satisfied that the evidence by (the complainant) and the SOAS managers was on balance far more credible than that of Jose Bermudez and Pablo Grisales."

Email from Students' Union

Dear students,

This Thursday 28th May SOAS UNISON will hold a 1 day strike in solidarity with Jose Stalin Bermudez, the SOAS Postroom worker who was sacked earlier this term. Your Students' Union thinks you will find the following information useful:

Why are UNISON going on strike?
UNISON believe that one of their members was sacked unfairly. The formal school disciplinary procedure has run its course and members are now showing their solidarity with Stalin by staging a one day strike calling for his re-instatement. We have included below a joint UNISON/UCU statement that we first sent to all students on 1st May explaining the reasons behind the strike.


How will this affect me and my exams?
The SU have been in dialogue with both UNISON and the School in order to minimise disruption to students during this critical exam time. Whilst we cannot say for sure, it is highly likely the library will remain open but with reduced staffing. It is likely the computer rooms will be open, but with minimal or no IT support. UNISON are aware of the exams taking place over this period. If you have any questions or concerns about the impact of the strike on your studies you can email suwelfare@soas.ac.uk

What is the position of the Students' Union?
The Union is mandated to support the UNISON campaign to re-instate Stalin. We circulated information from UNISON earlier in the month. We will be providing an empowering lunch to those on the picket lines on Thursday and the sabbaticals will not cross the picket. We encourage students who intend to come in on Thursday to engage with the issue and act accordingly.

Ben, NIzam, Marya
Here's the full statement from UCU and UNISON

Dear Colleagues

As we predicted, the School's hand-picked Star Chamber has rejected
Stalin's appeal against dismissal. Graham Furniss, Ian Brown and Matt
Craven, advised by Peter Mitchell the HR Director, would appear to
share the same perverted sense of justice as Sharon Page who sacked
Stalin in February.

SOAS UNISON, UCU, and the Student Union, along with several voices on Academic board, had called for a genuinely independent panel to hear the appeal. The School rejected that. Presumably they had no confidence in an independent panel to produce the result they wanted.

Stalin was absurdly accused by Sharon Page of a perceived "threat to kill" a colleague in September 2008. In fact, the original complaintcontains no such allegation. The perception explicitly relates to alleged "death threats" in 2007.

Those allegations had been found to be "unfounded and unsubstantiated" in an earlier grievance hearing. Never mind. The investigating managers and Sharon Page fell over themselves to use those unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations to support the complainant's perception. Sharon Page made her decision to dismiss Stalin on her perception of the complainant's perception. A more unsafe conclusion could not be imagined.

Read more HERE

SOAS director Paul Webley's pathetic and disgraceful response to UNISON's vote to strike

IMPORTANT: please read Richard Seymours excellent overview of the sheer shabbyness of this case, if you haven't done so already, before you go on-he puts it much better than me...Read it HERE

INTERNAL MESSAGE FOR STAFF REGARDING INDUSTRIAL ACTION BEING TAKEN BY UNISON MEMBERS ON THURSDAY 28TH MAY 2009

Members of UNISON have voted to enter into a one-day strike following a failed appeal to reinstate a former member of staff  (unfairly SACKED) for gross misconduct. UNISON have informed the School that this strike will take place on Thursday 28th May 2009.

At a recent ballot, 31 members out of 110 voted in favour of going on strike – that’s a third of UNISON members (what a disgusting reponse-45 people were at this meeting. This is well over quoracy and is 2/3rds of the meeting. And a higher percentage than most uni's union turnouts)

The decision to take industrial action is regrettable particularly at such a crucial time of year for our students as they prepare for exams, and in light of all the correct processes being followed. We will do all we can to ensure students are not inconvenienced by this action (How dare he try to play students off the staff-we have policy after policy supporting this campaign and we stand in solidarity with Jose Stalin)

The School takes seriously any complaints made by our colleagues (erm, how come they refused the ONLY witness statement then? And how about the racist and derogatory comments made by the complainant to Stalin-witnessed by a student whose statement was also not allowed ).

We have strict procedures and guidelines in place to investigate such allegations in a fair and reasonable manner which have been agreed in consultation with both UNISON and UCU.

Throughout the process, these guidelines and processes were followed to ensure this particular case was not prejudiced in any way (is this why they sneaked Stalin out to a change of venue for his last hearing. If I hadn't seen them leaving no-one would have known. When i then proceeded to follow them Charles Perry, Human Resources tried to take back routes and trips to the toilet to lose me. When I kept on their heels he told me he didn't want my sort at the meeting. He told me to go away. All i wanted to do was know where they were taking him without telling the Union reps-I didn't even say anything. Rude, vile man).

The welfare of our staff is of utmost importance and we have a duty of care to provide a safe and secure workplace for all employees (Why, then, did they place Stalin back in a tiny broom cupboard of an office with someone who had already been through an employment process with Stalin? that, my friends, is un-acceptable). 

A (warped) questions and answers sheet about this strike is attached.

Professor Paul Webley

Director and Principal

Thursday 21st May 2009

Questions and answers about UNISON one day strike to be held on Thursday 28th May 2009

Why are UNISON members going on strike?

Members of UNISON are taking strike action following the dismissal of a member of staff for gross misconduct. The decision to strike was taken after a disciplinary hearing and a failed appeal.

Who voted for strike action?

A ballot was held of the 110 members of UNISON who work at SOAS. 45 ballot papers were returned - 14 voted against strike action and 31 voted in favour. SOAS employs just under 1,000 people so this is around three per cent of the staff population and just 28 per cent of UNISON members. 

Is the School able to disclose details of the case?

The School believes that internal disciplinary and grievance complaints should remain confidential and not be made available. That is why the School is deeply disappointed that individuals participating in the disciplinary process, including the complainant, have been named by union representatives.

Was the disciplinary process carried out in a fair manner?

SOAS’s disciplinary and grievance processes have been agreed with UNISON and UCU. The disciplinary procedures were fully complied with and UNISON regional officers were involved throughout the process.

Was the appeal carried out in a similar way?

The appeal against dismissal was conducted according to the process agreed with UNISON. The same UNISON regional officer represented the member of staff at this hearing. The representative confirmed from the outset that she was happy with the hearing panel.

How will a strike affect staff and students?

The School will do all it can to minimise disruption. Some library and IT services may be affected which will inevitably impact on staff and students. 

Can anyone take strike action?

No. Only members of UNISON who voted for action will be protected by law. Staff who take ‘sympathy’ action (not in unions and in unions other than UNISON) will be in breach of their contract.

Do I have to take strike action if I’m a UNISON member?

No. UNISON members are entitled to take strike action but are not obliged to do so.

What are the consequences of going on strike?

UNISON members who go on strike will be in breach of their contract and as a result, the School will deduct a day’s pay.

Does the School have a policy on pay deduction?

Yes and it can be found on the SOAS website http://www.soas.ac.uk/hr/procedures/ 

Will there be a picket line?

UNISON is organising pickets at the main entrance to SOAS premises. There will be no more than six official pickets at the entrance to the building and they will be identified by armbands. Pickets will be respectful and not in any way threatening. Members of staff are not obliged to speak to those taking part. 

What if I am on leave on the day of the strike?

Staff who have already booked annual leave will not be affected. However we have advised managers that any further annual leave requested on the day of the strike will not be agreed to ensure adequate staffing levels.

What if I am working from home or away from the office on SOAS business?

Staff who normally work from home on this day or those away on School business should confirm their arrangement with their line manager to ensure pay is not deducted.

What are the consequences of strike action?

Taking strike action will inevitably lead to students not being able to access all the services they need and staff may have to cover for colleagues who are on strike. It will also lead to UNISON members losing a day’s pay. 

What next?

SOAS is disappointed that strike action is going ahead despite all the proper processes being followed. It does not wish to suspend its internal processes, which were agreed with unions, on the basis of one case. The School remains committed to working with unions to ensure that all policies and procedures are implemented effectively and that similar action is avoided in the future.

Human Resources Department

May 2009