Exciting Black History Month events coming up in Brent and Harrow

Guest Blog from Kwaku

This is to remind you that Harrow Mayor Cllr Nana Asante will be hosting an extra African History Season event at her Parlour this Friday Oct 25, 5-7pm: From Martin Luther King To Paul Stephenson in 1963. From Race Riots In Chicago To Cardiff in 1919. How Far Have We Come? with Chicago jazz musician Ernest Dawkins talking about the US history behind his band's latest compositions, and Kwaku giving the UK experience during the corresponding period. So if you are aware of, or interested in hearing more about the impact of Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech, don't miss this event!

Motivational speaker Andrew Muhammad aka The Investigator will be doing his thing on Tuesday Oct 29, 6.30-8.30pm at Word Power: Together We Can! in the Harrow Council Chamber, which includes a creative workshop for young people: www.harrowBHM.eventbrite.com.

Tuesday's event will be in memory of the recently departed Jessica Huntley, an inspirational octogenarian, community activist, wife and business partner of Eric Huntley, both of whom have been special guests at our previous events.

On Saturday Oct 26, 7.30pm, the Mayor will be in the London Borough of Brent of Brent for the The Group @ St John's Black History Dinner, where after a lovely meal (I can vouch for that, as I was there in the summer & enjoyed the meal!), I'll be talking about education and overcoming obstacles. If you don't want to hear me, come for the food anyway, and support a worthy community project - it is an austerity-friendly £5 adults (£3 children)!

Peace,

Kwaku

Black History Month

The human cost of out-sourcing: Justice for the 33

Some of the 33 sacked workers outside Wembley Central today

A demonstration was held today outside Wembley Central station for 33 agency workers employed by Railpeople who were given notice of the termination of their contracts just before Christmas. The agency deployed them in the Wembley Central Group on various duties for London Underground.  The workers had achieved  7 100% consecutive Customer Service marks during the Olympics and now their Olympic 'legacy' is loss of their jobs.

They were turned down for alternative permanent jobs with London Underground (doing the same kind of thing they were doing on short-term, zero hours, no pension contracts). Instead they employed people who hadn't doen the jobs before.  HT apparently told them that although they were good enough to do the jobs as agency staff they weren't good enough to work directly for London Underground.

When London Underground took control of the stations north of Queens Park in 2008 that the casualisation of the job, particularly the use of agency workers, lead to a dispute as a result of which LU assured the RMT that the use of agency staff would be temporary, lasting a maximum of six months. Some of the workers have been with Trainpeople agency for five years!

The RMT has taken up their case and are demanding that all LU trained station staff working for Trainpeople agency should be transferred over to LU without having to apply for the job,

Bob Crow of the RMT made an impassioned speech putting the sackings in the context of privatisation and austerity, Navin Shah AM  cited equality (all the 33 are members of ethnic minorities) as the big issue and promised to take the case up with London Underground, TfL and the Major, and Councillor Nana Asante from Harrow pledged her support.

However the speech that stayed with me was from one of the workers who spoke movingly about the real impact on her and the sense of bewilderment she felt.