Brighton SolFed recently entered into a public dispute with the Sidewinder to get them to pay compensation for the unfair dismissal of one of their workers. The worker was dismissed for calling in sick once after having worked at the pub for about nine months.
The pressure on the Sidewinder has been rising steadily over the passed few weeks as the frequency of our pickets increased. With result! Although the Sidewinder still refuses to pay compensation, they did pay up the unpaid holiday pay, and the management has let us know they have handed in their notice.
It is still unclear whether this means they will simply move to a new pub or if they have been chased away for good. What is clear is that this is a victory for our campaign. This result sends a message to all managers in Brighton that they too may be forced to quit if they unfairly dismiss one of their workers. It also sends a message to workers that it is possible to fight back against your boss when you work together in solidarity with your colleagues and others.
Brighton Solfed and the worker will be keeping a close eye on the Sidewinder to see how the situation there develops and may yet continue picketing if we see reason to, but for now we are quite content to have seemingly given this horrible employer one last push over the brink.
An injury to one is an injury to all!