Precarity

UCU strikes are go: The battle in universities continues

UCU members at 58 universities are set to strike for three days in December. This is a pivotal moment in what has become an unprecedented conflict in UK higher education
Liverpool University: a benchmark victory for HE and beyond - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
NEU to teach Pimlico Academy a lesson - News from the Frontline

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles
Police bill: the protestors aren’t for turning – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on today’s new laws, some recent victories and the Shrewsbury 24
How we beat Uber - Interview with Yaseen Aslam

Counterfire's Yonas Makoni speaks to Yaseen Aslam, president of the App Drivers & Couriers Union and who recently won a landmark case against Uber which could have ramifications for the whole gig economy
Uber victory: collective organising is the key to ending the gig economy

Uber recognising its drivers as employees with rights is a result of union organising - which will be central to ending the gig economy altogether, reports Chris Neville
Uber rebel James Farrar: ‘a great arrow in our armoury, but it’s not gonna be enough’ - interview

Driver who won case against Uber for workers’ rights and protections spoke to Yonas Makoni
The gig is up? Historic Uber ruling offers chance to take down precarious employment

The victory against Uber in court offers precarious workers an opportunity to organise and bring an end to the gig economy, reports Yonas Makoni
IWGB win historic court battle for gig workers, but the struggle against precarity continues

A court ruling that gig economy workers are employees is a victory for the labour movement but there is still a long way to go, writes Chris McMillan
The London Dream: Migration and the Mythology of the City - book review

Chris McMillan knows the London Dream all too well, and his book shows how the city exploits labour whatever the form of capitalism it has hosted, finds Morgan Daniels
Goldsmiths marking boycott: casualised staff fight back

We repost Branch Solidarity Network's interview with two Goldsmiths staff members involved in the dispute and the BSN June 2020 bulletin
For a national fight to defend higher education

UCU members report on the fightback at universities under attack by management and have put forward a model motion to show solidarity
Left on our own: a dispatch from the frontline

Counterfire interviewed a care worker from a home in Yorkshire about the Covid-19 issues that are affecting these workplaces across Britain
After the lockdowns what sort of world economy will emerge?

With the global economy facing the biggest downturn in 150 years, there will be no return to 'normal', argues Michael Roberts
The struggle for education: reports from the UCU strikes

We are into the third week of strikes. UCU negotiators are reporting that there has been progress but have counselled us to keep up the pressure. Here is a series of reports of the strikes from different parts of the country
Pickets out in force for first day of UCU strike

Reports from picket lines around the country on the first day of the UCU strike
Students and staff at SOAS stand up to management attacks

The fightback at SOAS has begun with a student and staff walkout and protest against management's attack on fractionals, reports Shabbir Lakha
SOAS: a call to action to defend education as a public good

After SOAS management's drastic move, never has solidarity been so necessary and unity so possible to defend education, writes Des Freedman
SOAS goes on the attack with major cuts to casual academic staff

Claiming financial distress, SOAS has effectively sacked its precarious academics for the coming year in one fell swoop, reports Elaine Graham-Leigh
Staff-student solidarity is being built in the UCU strike

Teach-outs are building staff-student solidarity and provide a model for a better university, writes Clare Burgess
The lecturers are fighting back: reports from UCU strike day 1

As lecturers at 60 universities around the country began eight days of strike action, Counterfire activists reported from picket lines on day one of the strike
Workers from the MoJ and BEIS go on strike and take to the streets

Despite the cold, picket lines outside the Ministry of Justice and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were vibrant and defiant, reports Shabbir Lakha
Fast food workers fight back

We speak to TGI Fridays worker Lauren Townsend about their strike and the growing international resistance of precarious workers against low pay
Amazon's pay raise is a tactical retreat as workers fight back

Corporate exploiters like the Jeff Bezos giant are feeling the heat as workers organise, but its pay announcement should be treated carefully, writes John Clarke
Uber strike: precarious workers fight back

Uber drivers organised a 24 hour strike and rallied at Uber offices against precarious working conditions and unfair pay, Shabbir Lakha reports
Taking control is the way to end the misery of 21st century work - weekly briefing

Organising in the workplace must be central to our reshaping of mainstream politics, argues Lindsey German
We're not going to take it any more - statement from precarious staff at the University of Kent

Following the UCU strike against pension cuts, precarious staff at the University of Kent release a statement demanding no pay cuts for strike action for already poorly paid staff
Theresa’s new deal for workers? Give me a break. A paid one preferably

Do the Tories really want to improve the lot of workers? Don't be silly
If you fight you can win: victory for fractional staff at SOAS
$fractionals protest$
The success of the SOAS campaign will hopefully inspire other precarious workers across the sector
Working the Phones: Control and Resistance in Call Centres

Working the Phones, based on first-hand experience of work in today’s call centres, underlines the need for unionisation and politicisation, argues George Barratt
SOAS and the fight against precarity

Reporting the extent of precarity across the university sector in Britain is welcome but precarious work needs to end now, argues Carrie Benjamin
Defend the Kinsley School cleaners

The small disputes, which appear separate, are coming together to form a movement, argues says John Westmoreland
Labour retromania: Corbyn, Benn and the 1980s

Alex Snowdon welcomes Paul Mason’s latest contribution to the Corbyn debate with a few strategic caveats
Gig economy meets the real world: the Deliveroo strike

Deliveroo workers across London are taking part in strike action, Joe Odell reports from the picket line
The race to the bottom - the secret life of the courier

As Deliveroo drivers take strike action, a cycle courier explains the reality of precarious work
'Management out, cleaners in!' - campaigners step up pressure at SOAS

Bringing cleaners in-house at SOAS university, London, is back on the table after protesters crashed a management meeting, reports SOAS student Clare Birkett
Don't deport Jason! SOAS activist victimised for campaigning for cleaners

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has refused visa sponsorship to an international student because he campaigned for cleaners’ rights
SOAS staff and students demand Justice for Cleaners

SOAS Justice for Cleaners (J4C) re-launched their campaign this year with a series of successful events over the past week - demanding the cleaning staff are brought in-house
Challenging the pay and working conditions of hourly-paid and fractional staff

Staff at Queen Mary’s have launched an anticasualisation campaign demanding pay for all hours worked at London Living Wage and contract uniformity. Isabelle Leach reports

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Precarity

Precarity

UCU members at 58 universities are set to strike for three days in December. This is a pivotal moment in what has become an unprecedented conflict in UK higher education

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles

Counterfire's weekly digest with the latest on strikes and workplace struggles

Lindsey German on today’s new laws, some recent victories and the Shrewsbury 24

Counterfire's Yonas Makoni speaks to Yaseen Aslam, president of the App Drivers & Couriers Union and who recently won a landmark case against Uber which could have ramifications for the whole gig economy

Uber recognising its drivers as employees with rights is a result of union organising - which will be central to ending the gig economy altogether, reports Chris Neville

Driver who won case against Uber for workers’ rights and protections spoke to Yonas Makoni

The victory against Uber in court offers precarious workers an opportunity to organise and bring an end to the gig economy, reports Yonas Makoni

A court ruling that gig economy workers are employees is a victory for the labour movement but there is still a long way to go, writes Chris McMillan

Chris McMillan knows the London Dream all too well, and his book shows how the city exploits labour whatever the form of capitalism it has hosted, finds Morgan Daniels

We repost Branch Solidarity Network's interview with two Goldsmiths staff members involved in the dispute and the BSN June 2020 bulletin

UCU members report on the fightback at universities under attack by management and have put forward a model motion to show solidarity

Counterfire interviewed a care worker from a home in Yorkshire about the Covid-19 issues that are affecting these workplaces across Britain

With the global economy facing the biggest downturn in 150 years, there will be no return to 'normal', argues Michael Roberts

We are into the third week of strikes. UCU negotiators are reporting that there has been progress but have counselled us to keep up the pressure. Here is a series of reports of the strikes from different parts of the country

Reports from picket lines around the country on the first day of the UCU strike

The fightback at SOAS has begun with a student and staff walkout and protest against management's attack on fractionals, reports Shabbir Lakha

After SOAS management's drastic move, never has solidarity been so necessary and unity so possible to defend education, writes Des Freedman

Claiming financial distress, SOAS has effectively sacked its precarious academics for the coming year in one fell swoop, reports Elaine Graham-Leigh

Teach-outs are building staff-student solidarity and provide a model for a better university, writes Clare Burgess

As lecturers at 60 universities around the country began eight days of strike action, Counterfire activists reported from picket lines on day one of the strike

Despite the cold, picket lines outside the Ministry of Justice and Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were vibrant and defiant, reports Shabbir Lakha

We speak to TGI Fridays worker Lauren Townsend about their strike and the growing international resistance of precarious workers against low pay

Corporate exploiters like the Jeff Bezos giant are feeling the heat as workers organise, but its pay announcement should be treated carefully, writes John Clarke

Uber drivers organised a 24 hour strike and rallied at Uber offices against precarious working conditions and unfair pay, Shabbir Lakha reports

Organising in the workplace must be central to our reshaping of mainstream politics, argues Lindsey German

Following the UCU strike against pension cuts, precarious staff at the University of Kent release a statement demanding no pay cuts for strike action for already poorly paid staff

Do the Tories really want to improve the lot of workers? Don't be silly

The success of the SOAS campaign will hopefully inspire other precarious workers across the sector

Working the Phones, based on first-hand experience of work in today’s call centres, underlines the need for unionisation and politicisation, argues George Barratt

Reporting the extent of precarity across the university sector in Britain is welcome but precarious work needs to end now, argues Carrie Benjamin

The small disputes, which appear separate, are coming together to form a movement, argues says John Westmoreland

Alex Snowdon welcomes Paul Mason’s latest contribution to the Corbyn debate with a few strategic caveats

Deliveroo workers across London are taking part in strike action, Joe Odell reports from the picket line

As Deliveroo drivers take strike action, a cycle courier explains the reality of precarious work

Bringing cleaners in-house at SOAS university, London, is back on the table after protesters crashed a management meeting, reports SOAS student Clare Birkett

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has refused visa sponsorship to an international student because he campaigned for cleaners’ rights

SOAS Justice for Cleaners (J4C) re-launched their campaign this year with a series of successful events over the past week - demanding the cleaning staff are brought in-house

Staff at Queen Mary’s have launched an anticasualisation campaign demanding pay for all hours worked at London Living Wage and contract uniformity. Isabelle Leach reports