HAMILTON ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR
Klasbatalo will have a presence at the Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair.
When: Saturday, 30 September 2023
Where: Hamilton Craft Studios, 121 Princess St, Hamilton, ON L8L 8B7, Canada
In RP59 we printed material by the Edinburgh Campaign Against Poverty. It not only does fine work helping individuals facing persecution, and campaigns against employers taking advantage of slave labour, but does it with a critique of capitalist society. There ought to be more groups like this just now. Shortage of space forbids us printing much this time but this is part of their latest leaflet (see picture for their web address).
WORKFARE – BACK TO THE POOR LAW!
The last Labour Government brought it in, the present Government is enthusiastically developing it: Workfare is part of the ruling class’ attack on wages and the social wage. The social wage (benefits, NHS, welfare provision etc) is part of what’s doled out to the working class (the SOLE creator of wealth) once profits have been made for our rulers. Economic crisis means the screws are put on wages and the social wage to protect profits. Hence pensions, wages, welfare and benefits are hammered, while the past 4 years have seen us pay 1.2 trillions pounds (that’s £1,200,000,000,000 ) to keep the banks afloat and their executives and shareholders in luxury. This robbery has been masked by a widespread propaganda exercise to convince us that our problems are caused by the work-shy, scroungers, and an ingrained entitlement culture, rather than an economic crisis and loss of jobs that’s none of our fault.
The Labour/Conservative/LibDem wheeze is to force the unemployed, sick and disabled to work for their benefits, and thus drive down wages. Workfare is an attack on us all!
The Work Programme helps employers squeeze their existing staff by cutting hours, cutting overtime, and creating a climate of insecurity.
The government gains by ramping up sanctions against claimants (a Guardian report in April this year found DWP staff being pressurised into meeting weekly sanction targets). A sanction can last from two weeks to six months and can be applied for being late to, or missing, an appointment. Being sanctioned means loss of Jobseekers Allowance meaning claimants then have to apply for a hardship payment (a lengthy, stressful procedure) of around half of Job Seekers Allowance. 508,000 claimants were sanctioned last year.
Remember, you are not a recipient of charity. You are claiming under an insurance scheme that you, your parents, grandparents and great grandparents fought for, and paid into. You didn’t create this financial crisis, you didn’t create the present joblessness. Those that did are facing no sanctions. Do not expect to see Fred Goodwin or Bob Diamond beside you at the Job Centre.
More and more companies are being shamed into ending their involvement in workfare – Holland and Barrett, one of the latest, join TK Max, Sainsburys, Waterstones, Burger King, HMV, Boots, Body Shop, and many others, including increasing numbers of charity shops. Collective action against such attacks works! But many companies are still using the scheme - they need to be exposed and challenged. Get involved in our actions against these companies; don’t let them make you feel isolated and helpless.
Read the rest of this leaflet to arm yourself against Workfare. (Check out the website edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk )
Journal of the Communist Workers’ Organisation -- Why not subscribe to get the articles whilst they are still current and help the struggle for a society free from exploitation, war and misery? Joint subscriptions to Revolutionary Perspectives (3 issues) and Aurora (our agitational bulletin - 4 issues) are £15 in the UK, €24 in Europe and $30 in the rest of the World.
The Internationalist Communist Tendency consists of (unsurprisingly!) not-for-profit organisations. We have no so-called “professional revolutionaries”, nor paid officials. Our sole funding comes from the subscriptions and donations of members and supporters. Anyone wishing to donate can now do so safely using the Paypal buttons below.
ICT publications are not copyrighted and we only ask that those who reproduce them acknowledge the original source (author and website leftcom.org). Purchasing any of the publications listed (see catalogue) can be done in two ways:
The CWO also offers subscriptions to Revolutionary Perspectives (3 issues) and Aurora (at least 4 issues):
Take out a supporter’s sub by adding £10 (€12) to each sum. This will give you priority mailings of Aurora and other free pamphlets as they are produced.
HAMILTON ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR
Klasbatalo will have a presence at the Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair.
When: Saturday, 30 September 2023
Where: Hamilton Craft Studios, 121 Princess St, Hamilton, ON L8L 8B7, Canada
ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR IN LONDON
The CWO will have a stall at the Anarchist Bookfair in London.
When: Saturday, 7 October 2023
Where: four venues in East London (see link below)
READING GROUP
This meeting's text: Theses on the Tasks of International Social-Democracy by Rosa Luxemburg
When: Saturday, 7 October 2023 at 6:00pm
Where: Hamilton, Canada (contact us through our social media for location details: linktr.ee)
Klasbatalo
NO WAR BUT THE CLASS WAR: WHAT OPPOSITION TO IMPERIALIST WAR REALLY MEANS
PUBLIC MEETING AND DISCUSSION
Topics of discussion:
When: Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 2:00pm
Where: 134 W 29th St, Fl. 2, Conference Room 3-4, New York, NY
Internationalist Workers’ Group
LONDON RADICAL BOOKFAIR
The CWO will have a stall at the London Radical Bookfair.
When: Saturday, 4 November 2023
Where: Great Hall and adjoinging rooms at Goldsmiths University, 8 Lewisham Way, London, SE14 6NW
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.