Without any advance warning from their ISS bosses nor the university management, SOAS cleaning staff were confronted by a hefty team of immigration officers at 6.30am this morning (Friday 12 June).
Fearful cleaners were detained on SOAS premises as the officers demanded to see their papers. Some were taken into rooms of the university to be interviewed. A shocked witness said that someone had to intervene when a heavily-pregnant cleaner was being manhandled by immigration officers.
Nine cleaners were taken away by Immigration Officers.
SOAS staff and students, many who had been at a protest at the sacking of another cleaner and UNISON Branch Chair, Jose Bermudez Stalin, were shocked and outraged by the raid and fear that the cleaners may be deported very soon.
There has been widespread support amongst lecturers, staff and students for the successful campaign for the living wage and union recognition led by mainly migrant cleaners.
Graham Dyer, SOAS UCU Branch Chair said: “It is no co-incindence that there is an immigration raid at a time when the UCU ,Unison and the NUS are fighting against the victimisation of a migrant worker who has been at the heart of a fight that has improved the pay and conditions of workers here at SOAS. It is also not coincindental that ISS had only just signed a union recognition agreement with UNISON last week Our fight has united lecturers, staff and students and has rocked SOAS management. Those managers are now lashing out. It is a disgrace that SOAS management saw fit to use a seat of learning to intimidate migrant workers. This is their underhand revenge and we will do all we can to stop migrant workers paying the price.”
Ken Loach, director of the film Looking For Eric, stated:
"This raid is the action of a bully. Migrant workers are amongst the most vulnerable - poorly paid and far from home. Recent action by Unison to secure better wages and conditions at SOAS was good news. Now we wonder if the SOAS cleaners are being targeted because they dared to organise as trade unionists. We should all stand with them in solidarity in the face of this victimisation."
The living wage campaign has had the support of John McDonnell MP , who said:
““As living wage campaigns are building in strength, we are increasingly seeing the use of immigration statuses to attack workers fighting against poverty wages and break trade union organising. The message is that they are happy to employ migrant labour on poverty wages, but if you complain they will send you back home.
It is absolutely shameful.”
Press Enquiries/messages of support to Dr. Graham Dyer : gd1@soas.ac.uk 07940 539 027
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Thursday, 11 June 2009
British troops take brunt of huge rise in Taliban attacks in Afghanistan
Richard Norton-Taylor, Thursday, 11th June, The Guardian
A huge increase in insurgent activity has been recorded in Helmand, the Afghan province where British soldiers are based and where the Taliban is concentrating its attacks, according to Nato figures released today.
Deaths of foreign troops across Afghanistan rose by 78% over the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2008. The number of British soldiers killed continued at a high rate, with 12 killed last month.
During the first quarter of 2009 there was an average of more than 11 attacks in Helmand a day, many of them improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This was far more than anywhere else in Afghanistan. Neighbouring Kandahar province accounted for the second highest number with just over four daily attacks on average.
"The Taliban's principle military effort is directed at Helmand," a senior British defence source said. He added that British attempts at countering IEDs were improving, with more expert countermeasures.
More than 50% of the devices placed by insurgents were now being detected, he said. However, military commanders expect attacks to continue at a high rate throughout the summer.
To meet a threat which shows no real signs of lessening the US is deploying thousands of its soldiers to Helmand to help out the British. There will soon be about 12,000 US troops in the province, more than the number of their British counterparts there.
Many of them will be based in the south of the province, in Garmsir district, towards the border with Pakistan.
There will be about 9,000 British soldiers in Helmand when an extra 700 are deployed to cover for the Afghan presidential election period this autumn. The US want the extra British troops to stay there. But under present plans the 700 will return to the UK by the end of the year.
British defence chiefs, sensitive to suggestions that the US is taking over control from them in Helmand, insist that the UK will still be responsible for liaising with the Afghan civil authorities in the province. Officials suggest there is some evidence that "moderate" Taliban fighters are contemplating joining community forces being set up by the Afghan government.
Plans drawn up by UK defence chiefs for an extra 2,000 British troops to be deployed to Helmand have been rejected by Gordon Brown, partly because of Treasury concern about the cost, and partly, say Whitehall officials, because the plans were not convincing.
A huge increase in insurgent activity has been recorded in Helmand, the Afghan province where British soldiers are based and where the Taliban is concentrating its attacks, according to Nato figures released today.
Deaths of foreign troops across Afghanistan rose by 78% over the first three months of this year compared with the same period in 2008. The number of British soldiers killed continued at a high rate, with 12 killed last month.
During the first quarter of 2009 there was an average of more than 11 attacks in Helmand a day, many of them improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This was far more than anywhere else in Afghanistan. Neighbouring Kandahar province accounted for the second highest number with just over four daily attacks on average.
"The Taliban's principle military effort is directed at Helmand," a senior British defence source said. He added that British attempts at countering IEDs were improving, with more expert countermeasures.
More than 50% of the devices placed by insurgents were now being detected, he said. However, military commanders expect attacks to continue at a high rate throughout the summer.
To meet a threat which shows no real signs of lessening the US is deploying thousands of its soldiers to Helmand to help out the British. There will soon be about 12,000 US troops in the province, more than the number of their British counterparts there.
Many of them will be based in the south of the province, in Garmsir district, towards the border with Pakistan.
There will be about 9,000 British soldiers in Helmand when an extra 700 are deployed to cover for the Afghan presidential election period this autumn. The US want the extra British troops to stay there. But under present plans the 700 will return to the UK by the end of the year.
British defence chiefs, sensitive to suggestions that the US is taking over control from them in Helmand, insist that the UK will still be responsible for liaising with the Afghan civil authorities in the province. Officials suggest there is some evidence that "moderate" Taliban fighters are contemplating joining community forces being set up by the Afghan government.
Plans drawn up by UK defence chiefs for an extra 2,000 British troops to be deployed to Helmand have been rejected by Gordon Brown, partly because of Treasury concern about the cost, and partly, say Whitehall officials, because the plans were not convincing.
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