Warrington 19th January

On Thursday 19th January members of Manchester SF travelled to Warrington and organized at protest outside the British head of office of ABB. A letter of protest was handed to ABB from the Solidarity Federation. The letter demanded that all the sacked workers at the ABB factory in Cordoba be immediately reinstated and that ABB enter into talks with striking workers.

On Friday 20th January, Solidarity Federation local groups organized pickets outside Adecco offices in London, Brighton, Bristol and Glasgow.

Brighton

There was a great turnout for the short-notice picket of employment agency Adecco in Brighton on Friday. Around 20 people stopped by, with picket numbers averaging 10-15 for the two hour picket. A division of Adecco has been hiring strike-breakers for the multinational corporation ABB and their contractor EULEN in Cordoba, Spain, where workers have been on indefinite strike since November 28th. Around 400 copies were handed out.

The picket was well attended at only a few days notice, and we had some great conversations with supportive members of the public, including some Spanish teenagers who were familiar with the CNT and eager to help. Adecco locked their doors and called the police, but the police simply checked we were not physically blocking access and then left the picket alone. Only a handful of people went in, at least one of whom had taken a leaflet and went in to complain. Many thanks to everyone for their support!

London

In solidarity with the sacked workers of EULEN-ABB in Spain, London locals of took the streets with a picket in front of Adeccos London Bridge office. After a strike going on since last November, the Spanish employment agency EULEN fired all of the workers in the local strike committee, for the benefit of its contractor ABB. A global agency firm Adecco, a majority owner of numerous other brands in the industry, moved in supplying temp workers to scab the site -An attack against workers rights and an initiation rite for ABBs new program of union busting and a contract with Adeccos local branch, EUROCEN.

Having already developed a history with Adeccos other branch, the British Office Angels, defeated by direct action in a wage dispute last year by SolFed; we will continue our fight against Adeccos casualisation racketeering, in solidarity with our Spanish comrades.

Todays picket was manned at the front of Adeccos office through the whole work day by members of SolFed and other comrades. While distributing information material for the public about the ongoing struggle, we gathered especial interest from Adeccos perspective clients visiting the office. Through the dispossessed nature of temp working, Adecco thrives on its workers low bargaining position and lack of common organization; don`t get cheated out of your wages, don`t get cheated into scabbing, know your right and what you sign on!

Glasgow

A picket outside of the in support of striking workers at the ABB in Spain organized by the Glasgow Solidarity Federation was supported by a Red and black flags waved as a dozen people from the Anarchist Federation, Industrial Workers of the World, the Scottish Socialist Party, the Solidarity Federation and other individuals took part in a picket

A couple of hundred leaflets were handed out to curious passers-by explaining how Adecco are supplying strike breakers to replace workers on an indefinite strike at the ABB Factory in Cordoba Spain that has been going on since November 28th. We also explained how the lower wages and job insecurity encouraged by employment agencies like Adecco worsens conditions for all workers. One member of Adecco's staff came out and laughed when we told her why we were there and then had her fag break. 2 other members of staff came out to ask what we were doing and took the leaflet. One falsely claimed that we weren't making it clear that the Adecco strike breaking was in Spain to try to disassociate their office from the dispute. However he did accept they were part of the same company. Placards clearly stated the demands of the strikers in Spain – equal pay for all workers at the ABB Factory in Cordoba, respect for all ABB and Adecco subcontracted workers, a safe workplace for all workers, ABB and Adecco should talk to the strikers, Adecco should stop providing scabs for strike breaking, sacked strikers should be re-instated by ABB and Adecco, collective bargaining rights and job security for all workers. Another placard in Spanish, based on a banner by the strikers union, the National Confederation of Labour (CNT) called for the defence of all jobs.

The other member of staff called the police. The police turned up to ask what the picket was about and to say the protest was fine as long as we didn't block the entrance and then quickly left. No one crossed the picket line. The police returned a bit later to tell us they had spotted us on Facebook and to repeat what the picket was about!

SF-IWA