Demonstrate: Saturday 6 March 2010
Assemble 12 midday at The Level, Brighton
A demonstration has been organised by trade union activists and campaigners as a call to action to fight back against the unjustified job losses taking place across the city and the country.
Delegates and organisers, including local Socialist Party members, put together plans for the demonstration at a meeting held by Brighton, Hove and District Trades Council and are urging trade union branches, students, the unemployed, workers and their families to take part in this important march which will take place on Saturday 6 March.
Assembling at The Level at 12 midday, the demonstration will march past significant workplaces and sites in the city effected by the current threat of job losses. It will march to Brighton town hall where a rally will be held to put forward demands to defend all jobs and prevent any public service cuts as part of a fight back campaign against these unjustified attacks on working people.
Across Brighton & Hove working people are being threatened with thousands of job losses as workplaces close down. The devastating news of 220 redundancies at manufacturing firm Edwards last week adds to the job purge currently taking place against workers.
Track maintenance crews organised in the RMT union will be balloting for strike action over 1,500 job losses on the railways. If these job cuts go ahead safety will be severely threatened for both workers and travellers with already overstretched services.
Hundreds of jobs at Borders and Threshers in Brighton have already gone, more than 600 redundancies have been announced across two Lloyds sites, Brighton & Hove City Council wants to shed 150 workers and Sussex University plan to axe nearly 200 jobs.
Brighton, Hove and District Trades Council general secretary Bill North said: "Billions of pounds are being handed out to bankers and chief executives of companies technically owned by the taxpayer at a time when more and more people are being thrown out of work with nothing being done to protect these jobs. This completely distorted and unjustified situation cannot continue any longer.
"In the Brighton area hundreds of working people are being threatened with a worsening situation as job losses mount up.
"However, time and time again it has been shown that strong, organised trade unions can and do make a positive difference, defending jobs and conditions when they are under threat.
"If you’re not in a trade union - join one. If you are - get active.
"There is huge anger at the alarming lack of protection for workers at the same time bllions in bonuses are dished out to the rich and this demonstration will give people the opportunity to make a stand and will send out a clear message to bosses and the government: we will not pay for your crisis."
