Thursday 18 June 2015

Join us at the Tolpuddle Festival

Lewes and Crawley Trades Councils are organising a coach to the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival Rally this year, on 19th July, and trade unionists from Eastbourne are warmly invited to join them. This is a fantastic event with music, political speakers, and thousands of people processing with their banners.

The Tolpuddle Festival commemorates the Tolpuddle Martyrs- farm labourers who were tried and transported to Australia in 1834 on trumped-up charges, as a result of their forming an early trade union. Three years later, the government capitulated, and the men returned home as heroes. Find out more about their story here.

The fare will be approximately £10, and you will need to get to Lewes to join the coach.  If you are interested, please contact the Lewes Trades Council secretary Bill Ball by emailing here.

Eastbourne Trade Unionists march to say: "End Austerity Now"


The Eastbourne Trades Council will be marching with tens of thousands of others at the End Austerity Now demonstration, called by the People's Assembly Against Austerity.

Assemble 12pm, Bank of England (Queen Victoria St) City of London. March to Parliament Square.    

The Eastbourne contingent will be leaving together from Eastbourne Station, and there is some support towards ticket costs from the trades council for local trade union members.  Rob Clarke from Unite and Derek Hansford from CWU will be leading our group.

The People’s Assembly:

1.  Is a broad united national campaign against austerity, cuts and privatisation in our workplaces, community and welfare services, based on general agreement with the signatories’ Founding Statement.
2.  Is linked to no political party, committed to open non-sectarian working and dedicated to supplementing, rather than supplanting, trade union, student, pensioner and community opposition to austerity measures.
3.  Is based on affiliation by individual supporters, unions nationally and locally, anti-cuts campaigns, and other student, pensioner, unemployed, disabled people’s, women’s, Black people’s, youth and LGBT campaigning organisations.
4.  Aspires to support, encourage, coordinate joint action, and facilitate a transfer of experience rather than to command.
5.  Encourages the establishment of new local campaigns and/or People’s Assemblies.
6.  Organises newsletters, a website, twitter, Facebook and social media, meetings, conferences, lobbies, rallies, marches, demonstrations and other events.
7.  Vehemently opposes all proposals to “solve” the crisis by discrimination or scapegoating on  grounds of disability, race, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation or identity.
8.  Liaises closely with similar movements in other countries resisting austerity measures.
9.  Encourages a wide debate on how to protect the welfare state and develop an alternative programme for economic and social recovery.