INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

DEMONSTRATE TO KEEP THE BLOOD SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM:

The following is for our readers in England. This coming Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, the British section of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), along with other unions and organizations, is planning a cavalcade to protest the closing of the blood services centre in Birmingham England. Here's the story from the Anarchist Black Cat site.

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IWW Valentine's Day Blood Service protest (UK):

- - - CALL OUT - - - PLEASE FORWARD - - - CALL OUT - - - PLEASE FORWARD - - -

On Saturday 14th February the IWW is calling a cavalcade - taking a mobile protest to hospitals around the city, to inform the public and health workers about the looming closure of the Birmingham blood processing lab in March. This vital link in the blood supply chain is to be transferred down to Bristol under a centralisation regime, with the loss of around 70 jobs, leaving local hospitals’ blood supply at the mercy of the clogged motorways of the South-West of England.

The IWW, along with other unions and organisations, has campaigned against this dangerous move during the last few years. Unsurprisingly when management proposed these cuts there was the bare minimum of consultation with hospitals and none with the public. Now that the cuts are happening, the least we can do is take the message to the streets and make sure that Birmingham is well informed of exactly what is happening to our public services.

Show some love for the blood service on Valentine’s Day!

•We need cyclists! Lots and lots of cyclists! - To form the body of the
convoy behind a large van with banners.
• We also need car drivers who can carry extra protesters. As many as
possible.

The protest will meet at Birmingham Uni North gate turning circle, pass the Blood Centre and the QEH/Women’s hospital in Edgbaston, then call at Selly Oak, City, and end up at the Children’s hospital in the city centre.

Meeting points

@ B’ham Uni North Gate (Prichatts Rd) assemble from 11am

@ Selly Oak Hospital (Oak Tree Lane) approx 12 noon – 12.30pm

@ City Hospital (Dudley Road) approx 1.30pm – 2pm

@ Children’s Hospital (Steelhouse Lane) approx 2.45pm

Finishing in the city centre on foot at 4.30pm

Please put this date into your diaries now, and help us build numbers by letting your friends and family, workmates, neighbours and union contacts know about the event. Leaflets and posters are available now (see attachment to this email). For more info, to confirm attendance, to book a seat as a car passenger, or to get copies of the pre-event leaflet please contact iww.nbs@gmail.com

TWO NEW IWW CAMPAIGNS:

The IWW, the Industrial Workers of the World, continues it organizing efforts. The campaign to unionize the Starbucks chain of coffee shops labours on under the banner of the Starbucks Workers Union. The latest effort of company management to derail this effort is the installation of video surveillance cameras that record the every move of employees at one location in Grand Rapids Michigan. This follows hard on the heels of management forcing every Starbucks worker in Grand Rapids to sign the corporate statement on the union. More on this matter can be seen in an article at the IWW website. The organizers in Grand Rapids are calling on people to phone the managers of the outlets in that city demanding that they end their intimidation and union busting tactics. The phone numbers are on the above links.

Meanwhile over in Britain the British section of the IWW, who have members working in the National Blood Service, have launched a campaign of protest against plans on the part of management to centralize the 13 present testing and processing facilities into only three megacentres. This will result in a projected loss of 600 highly specialized jobs, and will make the service vulnerable to disruptions in long distance transport. The National Blood Service of the UK is not in debt at this time, and the consolidation is unnecessary. The British IWW is asking people to write or email the NBS Chief Executive protesting this move. To learn more or to join the campaign see this article from the IWW website.