Free Film Showing for LGBT History Month

Eastbourne Trades Council is proud to mark LGBT History Month 2020 with a free showing of this important piece of Cuban LGBT history, 25 years after it became the first Cuban film to be nominated for an Oscar. We are also proud to be the first film showing in the newly re-opened Grove Theatre. 

“Diego, a cultivated, sceptical young gay man, falls in love with a young communist full of prejudices and doctrinal ideas. First comes rejection and suspicion, but also fascination. Fresa y Chocolate is a coming-of-age story, told through the development of a great friendship, which overcomes incomprehension and intolerance.”

Released in 1993 this was the first major film from Cuba to address themes of homosexuality- and in 1995 became the first Cuban film to receive widespread release in the USA since the Revolution.

The showing will be on Tuesday 25th February 2020. The film will commence at 8.00pm and runs for approximately 100 minutes. 

The Grove Theatre bar will be open from 7pm, and during and after the film showing. Certificate 18 for “brief strong sexuality” and strong language. Nobody under the age of 18 may be admitted. In Spanish with English subtitles,

Eastbourne Trades Council supports the Cuba Solidarity Campaign as our international affiliation.  You can find out more about their work here.

Next Trades Council Meeting: 3rd July

The next meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 3rd July, at the View Hotel (formerly T&G/Unite Centre) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists (including retired trade unionists) are invited. 

A G E N D A 

1. Introductions and apologies for absence

2. Approval of any new affiliations.

3. Minutes of previous meeting (May) and matters arising.

4. Treasurer's Report

5. Anti-Cuts Campaigns: Updates on the various campaigns including the Unison campaigns at ESCC and NHS, the campaign to save the Music Service, the East Sussex Save the NHS Campaigning, and the demonstration against cuts to SEN Children's Services.

6. Other live union disputes and campaigns:
(a) GMB Dispute at Eastbourne DGH
(b) Teachers' Pay Dispute
(c) RMT safety dispute at Southern
(d) Retail Update

7. Events:
(a) Eastbourne Pride: To agree arrangements for the stall on the day, and to encourage trade unionists to march.
(b) Modern Slavery campaign- possible link with the Co-op Party campaigning
(c) "Will and Testament"- proposed Eastbourne showing of the Tony Benn film by local Labour Party
(d) Engels Plaque update

8. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

Nature of the Beast

Eastbourne Labour Party will be presenting the first showing of this acclaimed documentary film about Labour and trade union stalwart Dennis Skinner MP at the Curzon on Saturday 30th September. The event has been sponsored by the Trades Council, Unison East Sussex Hospitals branch and Usdaw Sussex.

Tickets are £6 with £5 for concessions, and can be booked in advance through Eventbrite by clicking here.

You can find out more about the film at the filmmakers' website by clicking here  and there is a trailer for the film viewable on YouTube by clicking here.

Union Campaigns and Action coming up in the South East Region

PCS-  National Gallery: PCS action continues against privatisation and the sacking of PCS rep Candy Udwin. Strike days this week and continuous strike action due to start – Click here to check on progress on PCS website   and on Facebook by clicking here.

Unite-  Hackney Traffic Wardens Strike over sick pay,  Monday and Tuesday 3 and 4 August. Support the picket lines 6.30 to 10.30am. More information, click here.

Kent Miners' Festival: Bank Holiday Monday 31 August 10am at Betteshanger-  click here for more information.

CND-  Hiroshima Day:   screening of The War Game Thursday 6 August 6pm at Friends House with panel discussion with Kate Hudson and Bruce Kent. Book tickets here. 

Unite (GPMU) Ross Pritchard Memorial Fund.   Annual essay competition,  win £750. Title: How should we build the public struggle in defence of the NHS? Closing date 26 September- for more information on entry, click here

Burston Strike School Rally- Sunday 6 September with Jeremy Corbyn MP, Clive Lewis MP, Megan Dobney SERTUC, Elvis McGonagall (performance poet), RMT Brass Band, Christine Blower (NUT), Matt Wrack (FBU), The Hurriers, Mike Jackson (Lesbian & Gays Support the Miners) Information here- we will let you know of any coaches going up from this part of Sussex !

Regional Events and Actions

The following events and campaigns around the region may be of interest to Eastbourne Trade Unionists who want to get involved, attend or just show solidarity !
 
PETITIONS AND ONLINE LOBBYING:
 
CWU defending the Royal Mail universal service obligation, Early Day Motion 818 .  Encourage Stephen Lloyd to sign- write to him here

Shrewsbury 24 Campaign  sign the petition for full disclosure of all Government documents relating to the 1972 building workers strike and the conspiracy trials at Shrewsbury.

PCS supporting Jon Bigger, dismissed by the Home Office. Jon is also the Secretary of SERTUC's International Committee.  Please write to the Home Office Permanent Secretary, see here

PCS supporting Kevin Smith, dismissed by the Home Office. Petition here 

UCU and Unison defending suspended members. Petition here 

MEETINGS AND ACTIONS

National Pensioners Convention RPI Action Day Monday 8 April. Details here

SERTUC Public Services Committee & International Committee conference "Resisting Austerity in Europe and the UK" Saturday 16 March. Flyer, more details and registration: Joanne Adams jadams@tuc.org.uk 020 7467 1218  

SERTUC Disabled Workers Committee with SERTUC Young Members conference "Young Disabled People, employed and empowered?" Saturday 6 April  keynote speaker Paralympian gold medal swimmer Tara Flood

Brighton & Hove trades council AGM Wednesday 27 March 7.30pm guest speaker Matt Wrack FBU, E-mail for more details-  brightontradescouncil@googlemail.com

Campaign for Trade Union Freedom launch rally Saturday 23 March 1.30-4.30pm Friends Meeting House London. With Len McCluskey Unite, Bob Crow RMT, Billy Hayes CWU.  
 
Action for Rail day of action Wednesday 27 March (the 50th anniversary of the Beeching Report). Stations covered will be circulated shortly - but if trades councils want to take action at stations within their own community please inform Matt Dykes

Burford Levellers' Day 2013 one day programme of speakers, presentations, exhibits, workshops (on the theme "Learning the Lessons of History") and a march around Burford Saturday  18 May more information soon confirmed speakers Dr Nick Mansfield (University of Central Lancs), John Hendy QC, and Professor Mary Davis, chair Megan Dobney SERTUC

Venezuela Solidarity Campaign national conference Saturday 27 April London. E-mail for details here.

Burston Strike School Rally 2013 note the date Sunday 1 September confirmed speaker Mark Serwotka PCS.

ARTS

London St Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday 17 March there will be a trade union section, assemble 11am Green Park, contact Austin Harney

London Irish Women's Centre first screening of documentary film of its history Friday 15 March 5pm. More details here, or phone  020 7354 5248

"The Tailors' Last Stand" at Barons Court Theatre 19 February to 10 March new review here. 

Photographic exhibition Mariavittoria Scala "Faces and voices of the informal economy" 1
to 15 March

Unison supporting Mary Seacole fundraising night in Brixton, with jazz musician Courtney Pine Wednesday 10 April tickets from Gail Adams gail.adams@unison.co.uk or online here

UpRise 2013 festival will be all over Peckham Sunday 29 September note the date !

 

Politics and Trade Unionism on the Brighton Fringe

The 2012 programme for Sussex Labour Representation Committee has been launched- with a number of meetings bringing politics back to the Brighton Festival Fringe, that will be of interest to local Trade Unionists:

1) 2pm, Sat 12 May - Tony Benn in conversation with John McDonnell MP & Owen Jones, author of "Chavs"

2) 2pm, Sat 19 May - Teresa Pearce MP, Andy Winter (Brighton Housing Trust) & Andrew Fisher (LRC National Secretary & founder LEAP) discuss how Britain can afford to provide decent housing for all and a welfare state.

3) 7pm, Tues 22 May - we discuss how to stay united and fight racism, hatred and prejudice with Jeremy Corbyn MP, Mark Serwotka (PCS General Secretary), Zita Holbourne (PCS National Executive & Black Activists Rising Against Cuts), Michael Abatan (Justice for Jay), Nic Eadie (Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group), Chris Whitwell (Friends, Families and Travellers) and Stafford Scott (racial equality campaigner and founder of the Broadwater Farm Defence campaign in 1985).

The above three meetings will all be at the Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD. These meetings will be ticketed at £5 concessions or £10 waged. However, if you come to all three meetings you can get your tickets for £12.50/£25; ie, come to 2 meetings and get your third meeting half price!

You can contact Sussex LRC for tickets or buy tickets via the Fringe box office, although the LRC has to pay a fee for every ticket sold by the Fringe.

Beating Berlosconi: A play at the Winter Gardens.

Beating Berlosconi- (the Scouser who stood up to Silvio Berlusconi) is a play performed by Paul Duckworth, that will be performed at the Winter Gardens, Eastbourne (in the Gold Room) on Wednesday, 1 February, at 7:30 PM. Tickets are just £5, or are FREE to Unite the Union members!

Despite threats from his wife and bank manager, middle-aged Kenny Noonan travels to Istanbul to watch Liverpool play AC Milan in the Champions' League final. He carries the scars of 30 years as a Red and of living in a city which has been demonised. What happened to Liverpool FC in the second half is legend. What happened to Kenny in the AC Milan directors' box is stranger than fiction.

"The play comes the perfect time. As the coalition Tory led government takes form, the show is right to question both the Conservative and Labour mishaps of the last 30 years, and makes no apologies for doing so. Wou don't have to be a football fan to enjoy the spectacle, all you need is an open heart and a love for the human soul" (EXTRA EXTRA)

To book your ticket call the Eastbourne Theatres box office on 01323 412000, or visit the Eastbourne Theatres website. You can read more information about the play, at the Beating Berlusconi website.

The production is sponsored by Unite the Union's south-east region.

Tony Benn and Roy Bailey: Coming to Eastbourne

Saturday 14th April, 7.30pm at the Birley Centre (Eastbourne College) as part of the Eastbourne Festival

The Writing On The Wall is a collaboration between two eminent and respected socialists.

Tony Benn, now in his 87th year, is Britain’s longest serving MP. Famously outspoken and often controversial, he spent 50 years in parliament, many of those on the front benches. Roy Bailey also has a career stretching over 50 years as a folk singer and, in that time, he has appeared all over the world. He has been described as one of folk music’s finest carriers of the people’s message and interpreters of both traditional and contemporary song.
Together they present a performance of writings, speeches and songs taken from the words of socialists, radicals, chartists, suffragettes and revolutionaries that illustrate nearly 1,000 years of campaigning for justice, freedom and equality.

Tickets £21.50 and £18.50 only from the Hailsham Pavilion (01323)841414
http://www.spyboy.co.uk/