Solidarity 311, 29 January 2014

Syria talks: little hope for political settlement

The “Geneva II” talks between warring sides in Syria aim to establish, as set out in the June 2012 Geneva Communiqué, a transitional government involving “both sides”, alongside a review of the Syria’s constitution and legal system. The official Syrian opposition, the National Coalition for Syrian and Revolutionary Forces (SNC), at first refused to take part without a guarantee that President Bashar Assad would step down. On 18 January it relented. The Syrian Government only agreed to talks, if they included ending “terrorism” and clarified terminology in the original communiqué...

Stand-off over Thai elections

There have been anti-government protests and a permanent protest camp in Bangkok since November 2013. With growing frequency protesters have been shot; bombs have injured dozens and killed several. The protestors are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and for a “People’s Council” to take her place. The opposition say the council would be unelected but would oversee a transition to new elections and an end to Government corruption. In response, the Government has called for elections on 2 February. The Democratic Party (DP), whose supporters make up the majority...

Egypt: Al-Sisi to stand for President

The 14-15 January referendum on a new Egyptian constitution returned a 98% majority. However, only 38% of eligible voters took part. The new constitution will replace the one introduced in 2012 under the Muslim Brotherhood presidency of Mohammed Morsi (voted through on a turnout of 33%). Despite the low turn out, the result is a major boost to the military-backed regime which has governed Egypt since it deposed Morsi in July 2013. Off the back of the victory, General Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the man who oversaw the coup, has announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections. Senior...

Hungarian far right stymied

The leader of Jobbik, one of Europe’s largest far-right parties, held a rally in London on 26 January. Jobbik, which is now the third-biggest party in Hungary, campaigns on an explicitly anti-semitic, anti-Roma platform. Its paramilitaries violently attack Roma communities, while its parliamentary statesmen denounce Zionist conspiracies and demand that the government draw up lists of influential Hungarian Jews. With elections in Hungary approaching, Jobbik’s leader, Gábor Vona, came to London to drum up support amongst the city's large Hungarian community. Jobbik supporters were due to meet at...

Mobilise against the EDL in Slough!

On 1 February 2014, the Anti-Fascist Network will mobilise to oppose the English Defence League’s first national demonstration of the year in Slough. We are calling on all anti-fascists in London to come with us to Slough to support the locally-organised counter demonstration, which will take place at 11am Salt Hill Park. It’s important that we continue the pressure against the EDL, and other far-right and racist organisations, and that we close down their space to move and cause division amongst working class people. The coach from London departs from outside the Bloomsbury Theatre at 9am...

Ruling shows blacklisting loophole

A 17 January High Court ruling has highlighted the dangerous lack of rights afforded to agency workers in the UK. High Court Judge Mrs. Justice Slade ruled that Dave Smith, a former construction worker leading activist in the Blacklist Support Group, had been blacklisted for his activities as a trade union health and safety representative, but that he has no option for legal redress because he was an agency employee at the time. The judge stated that Dave had “suffered from injustice from blacklisting”, and identified human rights violations, but concluded that UK employment law does not...

All aboard the 3 Cosas bus!

On the second day of the “3 Cosas” strike by outsourced workers at the University of London, most of the picket line boarded an open-top bus for a sight-seeing tour of London. First stop was the Garden Halls, the University intercollegiate halls of residence at which jobs are threatened by an upcoming refurbishment this summer. Next we drove to Parliament. Followed the whole time by a police helicopter, we were met outside the House of Commons by Labour MPs, John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn. Their solidarity was very welcome. Our third target of the day was the Royal Opera House, which hires...

University bosses to dock strikers' pay?

Bosses at several universities around Britain have threatened to dock a full day’s pay from academic staff participating in the University and College Union’s two-hour strikes. Bosses at Nottingham Trent University, University of Chester, Dundee University, Oxford Brookes University, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Leicester, De Montfort University, University of Staffordshire, Wolverhampton University, Surrey University and Leeds College of Art all made the threat in advance of the first two-hour walkout, on Thursday 23 January. The UCU has vowed to mount legal challenges to...

Teachers' campaign to meet

The Local Associations National Action Campaign (LANAC) will hold a campaign conference in Leicester on Saturday 1 February. LANAC is the rank-and-file network which has been central to organising resistance to the National Union of Teachers (NUT) leadership’s conservatism and vacillation in the ongoing dispute over pay, pensions, and workload. The main strategy motion proposed to the conference calls for the NUT to adopt a strategy that includes: • A calendar of ongoing national action – not just isolated strike days • Escalation from one to two-day action – warning Gove that more could...

TSSA joins Tube jobs strikes

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) returned a 59% majority for strikes in its ballot over proposed job cuts and ticket office closures on London Underground. The majority, returned by a 52% turnout, means TSSA can join the RMT’s industrial action against the cuts. TSSA members will strike on identical dates (4-6 and 10-13 February), and will also participate in the revenue action called by RMT on 7, 10, and 14 February. The result is an extremely positive development, particularly given the short turnaround for TSSA’s ballot, which only began on 9 January. United action by RMT...

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