Hear how government policy has promoted a two-tier class system between homeowners and renters. Nick Bano presents a Marxist interpretation of this calamity and a radical approach to its reform.
We invite you to a talk with Nick Bano on his book, Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis. Nick Bano is a barrister who specialises in representing renters & homeless people.
Nick argues a lack of housing is not the cause of the housing crisis. The real culprit is a scheme of policy that promotes a two-tier class system between homeowners and renters. The abolition of rent control, housing commodification and land speculation created a system that extracts wealth from the disadvantaged to the better-off. Nick presents a Marxist interpretation, showing the interconnections between the housing crisis, racism, ecological destruction and inadequate wages/ pensions.
Join us to discuss solutions to a problem we all face!
This is the second in a series of events we are calling The Learning Circle. These are talks by trade unionists for trade unionists. These sessions are free and open to all members of the working class.
Who?
Nick Bano, housing barrister and author of Against Landlords: How to Solve the Housing Crisis
Hear how militant construction workers were spied on by undercover police, illegally blacklisted and denied jobs. Dave Smith has unique insight into these anti-union strategies, the police’s collaboration and the resistance effort.
Join us for a shocking and informative story of worker solidarity in the face of corporate and police collusion.
This is the first in a series of events we are calling The Learning Circle. These are talks by trade unionists for trade unionists (and would-be trade unionists). These sessions are free and open to all members of the working class. Bring a friend, bring a fellow worker, bring your mum!
Who?
Dave Smith, construction worker, secretary of the Blacklist Support Group and co-author of Blacklisted: The Secret War Between Big Business and Union Activists
A talk with David Jesudason & the Brewery Workers Union
The London IWW and the Brewery Workers Union is proud to be sponsoring a talk with David Jesudason, the 2023 Beer Writer of the Year, focusing on the history, politics, and cultural significance of “Desi pubs”. The talk, which is free, will be held at the May Day Rooms on the 24th of January.
If you like beer, history, and intelligent chat, we invite you to come to the May Day Rooms (88 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1DH) on January 24th. The topic of the evening will be “Desi pubs”, drinking establishments traditionally run by a landlord of Indian descent and which have served as an organising space for south Asian (and other working class) communities across the UK.
We’re honoured that the talk will be led by David Jesudason, the 2023 Beer Writer of the Year. Jason’s book Desi Pubs follows the history of how the UK’s Indian communities both embraced and enhanced British pub culture; with Desi pubs at once being a flashpoint in battles over identity and integration and a space where immigrants, radicals, workers, and trade unionists could come together to find community.
Alongside plenty of beer, a number of union representatives will be present. Whether you’re currently a member of the union (or just yet to join!), a union rep will be glad to look over your contract or offer guidance and any workplace issues you may be facing. Bring your workmates and make it a night!
The talk, which is free, will be held at the May Day Rooms from 7-9pm on Wednesday January 24th.
Whether you can make it to the event or not, we highly recommend you get a copy of David’s book, available here from the CAMRA website. As always, if you’re having any problems at work or would like advice on how to form a union in your workplace, you can reach a representative from the Brewery Workers Union at breweryworkers@iww.org.uk. If you work in any other industry, it’s london@iww.org.uk.
The documentary entitled ‘The Truth about BrewDog’, which aired on BBC Scotland on Monday 24th January, paints a picture of a company with two faces. This follows a score of articles about sexual harassment, legal threats against the BBC and CEO James Watt’s threats to staff who have come forward.
On the surface, Brewdog appears to be a maverick sticking two fingers up at corporate beer. From it’s marketing campaign that poked fun at major players in the beer world such as Heineken to a publicity stunt where they dropped taxidermy ‘fat cats’ on the city, Brewdog’s outward image is decidedly punk. However, allegations made during the documentary reveal a different side to the beer giant.
Brewdog’s cofounder James Watts has outwardly condemned competitors who have struck business deals with large corporations, including Beavertown when they sold part of the company to Heineken. However, the documentary claims that this is all lip service, and that he personally bought £500,000 worth of shares in the company.
The disparity between Brewdog’s anti corporate image and the alleged interests of the CEO, may seem shocking, until you actually consider Brewdog’s size and rapid expansion over recent years. One interviewee in the documentary claimed that Brewdog could feasibly be worth anywhere between £1 billion and £2 billion. That is enormous! Can any company that size genuinely claim to be anti-corporate?
The most concerning allegations were those of a toxic workplace in which bullying and sexual harassment are the norm. Unfortunately, these issues are not unique to Brewdog. The craft beer industry presents itself as a fun, forward thinking place to work, however, issues of bullying and harassment are systemic in the industry.
In our own experience working in breweries we know workers are routinely forced to work in unsafe conditions, face intimidation and threats from management for speaking out. They often work long, unsociable hours on low pay, experience poor mental health as a result and the needs of those on the floor are always secondary to management’s desires for profit.
The industry needs a shake up! Breweries and bars need to commit to a workplace free from toxicity, but more than that workers need to unionise. The fat cats at the top will never voluntarily make things better from those who brew the beer and pour the pints. On our own, changing the working conditions in craft beer may seem impossible, but through collective action we can do it.
If you are working somewhere with a toxic workplace culture, bullying or sexual harassment, you can contct the union at breweryworkers@iww.org.uk or @breweryunion on Twitter.
We have published some information on sexual harassment in the workplace here.
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