College worker Siobhan Evans reflects on a hard-fought struggle against redundancies in her workplace. A few months ago management in our college announced that 88 teaching and learning support staff (about 20% of the total) were “at risk of redundancy”. Now, after months of struggle and direct action, the redundancies have been withdrawn. The college, … Continue reading ‘something out of the ordinary’
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Alice Robson writes on her experience teaching, and campaigning in defence of, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) In December last year, I left my job as an ESOL teacher at a South London further education college. I had been at risk of redundancy for almost half of the year I had worked there. … Continue reading diverse, colourful, joyful, but angry!
Issue 22 of The Commune is now available. It features articles on the aftermath of 26th March, the coming public sector strikes, the military intervention in Libya and much more. Click the picture above to see PDF, or see below for list of articles as they are uploaded. Email uncaptiveminds@gmail.com if you are interested in … Continue reading may 2011 issue of the commune
On 11th September The Commune hosted a conference ‘From Meltdown to Upheaval’, discussing the effects of the crisis and the existing working-class response. The purpose of the day was not just to rhetorically condemn the cuts and celebrate resistance, but rather to help define our demands and means of organisation. This website will feature reports … Continue reading fighting their attacks, defining our alternative
A report on the recent cuts by an hourly-paid ESOL teacher Cuts and Compulsory Redundancies Earlier this year 68 members of staff at Hackney Community College were issued with notification of possible redundancy. After two successful, solid strike days, negotiation and many voluntary redundancies there are now only a handful of people facing compulsory redundancy.
Nursery and crèche provision is one of the first things to go when cuts are made at colleges and universities, as the recent examples of the University of Sussex, London Metropolitan University and Manchester College show. Here a teacher of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at Tower Hamlets College shows how the decision … Continue reading ESOL students and staff defend childcare
From Mute: An interview with two workers involved in the open-ended strike against cuts at Tower Hamlets College last year They describe their criticisms of the union, the ongoing problems since the partial victory at the college, and the state of the sector in the face of government austerity cuts.
Two workers who took part in the recent strike over cuts to teaching roles and student places in English for Speakers of Other Languages and other subjects spoke to The Commune about the lessons of the dispute. Tell us about what unions workers are in, their organising capacity, and of their previous relationship with management All … Continue reading lessons of the tower hamlets esol strike
by David Broder On Monday 3rd August the government outlined its new proposals for a ‘points system’ through which immigrants to the United Kingdom can seek citizenship. The ‘points system’ will see migrants ‘earning’ their citizenship in a ‘probation’ period following a five-year stay, as opposed to the current set-up whereby five years of working … Continue reading immigration ‘points system’ plans to stifle migrants’ freedom of speech
By Alice Robson Friday 12 June saw hundreds of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students, staff and supporters march in East London in protest at major cuts to ESOL announced at Tower Hamlets College.
by Alice Robson ‘many of them [Jewish migrants] do not speak English and they mix very little with Englishmen…they are a race apart.’ (article published as part of a collection The Destitute Alien in Britain, 1892) ‘One staggering statistic exposes the astonishing speed at which Britain is ceasing to be recognisable as a nation. Figures … Continue reading esol teaching: in whose interests?
