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.

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.

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 are aiming to get wide participation in
the conference—and to encourage discussion and participation in the
“hands off” initiative.

Below is the planned agenda for the day. Aside from migrant workers,
authors on relevant subjects and speakers from universities we have
invited representatives from trades unions to speak on the day and we
hope that by the 9th we will have an impressive list of speakers to
lead off sessions.

However, this conference will be mainly workshop based and allow a
great deal of room for discussion from the floor so that activists can
participate.

We hope that the planning meeting will be a working event so please
come armed with ideas of ways to highlight the issues and advertise
the event!

We hope you will be able to attend and help ensure the event is as
successful and effective as possible.

OPEN PLANNING MEETING for hands off my workmate

Weds 9th Sept 2009
6pm
Room 116
Main SOAS building (off Russel Sq)
Sandy Nicoll Graham Dyer Ben Sellers
SOAS UNISON Branch Secretary SOAS UCU President SOAS Students' Union
Co-President

PROVISIONAL AGENDA
MORNING Plenary: welcome migrant workers as part of the mainstream

WORKSHOPS: (3 groups of four)

* 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

* the citizenship agenda: tests, oaths and amnesties—where should we
stand?
* 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

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

Speak soon.

In solidarity

Sally Hunt, Gen Sec of UCU speaks at SOAS Campaign meeting

SOAS Occupiers host EXCLUSIVE lunchtime filmshowing & food at Marxism

UPDATE: we have just been offered to launch the fully edited film covering the whole occupation courtesy of Reel News who followed us round all day and night!

Thanks Reel News-what great timing.

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 not on facebook, leave your name and number of people below in the comments.

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.