This is the page for Bristol SolFed (formerly known as South West SolFed).

The Queer Pay Gap

It’s June, and rainbow flags are everywhere. For one month only, every jailer [1], death dealer [2] and sweatshop owner [3] wants to be an ally.

This pride month, us queer workers are looking at our bosses. We see their rainbow flags, and we do not buy the act.

Our bosses kill us [4], force us into poverty [5], and sexually harass us [6]. They steal our time, the best parts of our minds, our bodies and lives. They waste our very selves on shit that doesn’t matter, just to make us earn the right to live [7]. As queer workers, we feel a special kind of fury when the boot on our throats has a rainbow sticker on it.

The Queer Pay Gap

It’s June, and rainbow flags are everywhere. For one month only, every jailer [1], death dealer [2] and sweatshop owner [3] wants to be an ally.

This pride month, us queer workers are looking at our bosses. We see their rainbow flags, and we do not buy the act.

Our bosses kill us [4], force us into poverty [5], and sexually harass us [6]. They steal our time, the best parts of our minds, our bodies and lives. They waste our very selves on shit that doesn’t matter, just to make us earn the right to live [7]. As queer workers, we feel a special kind of fury when the boot on our throats has a rainbow sticker on it.

Bristol SF solidarity message with striking teachers

The NEU have overcome restrictive anti-union laws with planned strike action to happen over 7 days in February and March. Although 88% of voters said yes to strike action, oppressive laws mean that teachers and support staff had to be balloted separately. Additionally, members in England also had to be balloted separately to those in Wales. And on top of that, each ballot needed greater than 50% turn out to be lawful. Resultingly, teachers and support staff in Wales met the statutory requirements to strike; in England, teachers did but support staff did not. These legal barriers are there to diminish the effectiveness of workplace organising as industrial action is a direct threat to state interests and worker exploitation.

Solidarity with workers on strike

All across the UK there is now a renewed sense of optimism and public alignment with the movement for increasing workers’ rights, union rights, pay increases and general improvements in working conditions. As the vast majority of people around the countries wages and pay remains stagnant or face a real terms pay-cut, the 1% are the only group whose economic position is increasing. But it’s always this way – that’s how capitalism functions – especially the financialised, neoliberal model of capitalism which we live under today which restricts the bargaining rights of workers, destroys the public sector, and strives towards a dystopian society where all services, social relationships and ideas are marketized – or as conservative, lib dem and ‘labour’ politicians call it – ‘modernisation’.

CEXPLOITATION

We posted recently about the IWA’s campaign against exploitation at CEX. Afterwards, a former CEX employee contacted us and told us their story. While working at CEX they witnessed illegal age discrimination, unequal pay, abuse of zero-hour contracts and punitive demotions.

If you work for CEX and you’ve experienced anything like this, then get in touch with us. We can help you fight back.

 This is the worker’s story:

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