1. Brighton UCU has 5 days of strike action coming up 8th-12th February against redundancies in their IT Support department. They are not eligible for strike pay and have sent an appeal for messages of solidarity and donations. Please use this link or the details below to make a donation and email BrightonUCU@gmail.com for messages of solidarity.
UCU Brighton Bank Account Details:
UCU Brighton University SO224
Sort code: 608301
Ac. no. 40000280
Their first rally is at 12 noon on Monday 8th Feb and will be addressed by three Labour MPs, Vicky Blake and others. If you can join the rally, please register here
2. People’s Assembly Wales launched a campaign demanding Free school meals for all pupils in Wales to tackle issues of child poverty and stigma. According to Child Poverty Action Group over half of children living below the UK poverty line in Wales (over 70,000) are not currently eligible for free school meals. This will be aggravated during and after the pandemic. You can sign the petition directed to the Welsh Parliament here.
3. Unite, along with GMB and Unison, have launched the campaign to halt Croydon council cuts and protect jobs. We urge our members to sign the petition organised by our fellow union Unite. the link is here
#SaveOurCroydon
4. Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) are asking for signatures to this letter asking that Care Workers and personal assistants (PAs) can continue to apply to work in the UK after Brexit, with a similar status to that of Frontier Workers, which would allow them to come here to work while primarily living in their home nations. To add your name to the letter please email DPAC on mail@dpac.uk.net no later than 7th February 2021.
5. Osime Brown is a young man who has lived in the UK since the age of four and is set for deportation to Jamaica, where he has no family or connections, following a 5-year jail sentence over the theft of a phone in a street robbery. Osime is profoundly autistic and has been diagnosed with a range of mental conditions, including depression. There are real concerns that his deportation poses a great risk to his health and his life. Please sign this petition to support Osime’s appeal to remain in the UK.