Arbeitslosenselbsthilfe O l d e n b u r g
Kaiserstr. 19
D-26122 Oldenburg (Oldenburg)
e-mail: also@also-zentrum.de
The meeting agreed in Paris amongst the British delegates took place in Manchester 26.10.96. The meeting was charied by Mike Hindley MEP and was attended by about 50 people representing unemployed centres, the National Unemployed Centres Combine, Trades Union councils, (local cross union bodies) and trade union branches and regions. After a long debate it was overwhelmingly agreed to proceed on the basis of a plan put forward by the St Helens TUC Unemployed Centre for marches from Scotland to London, Preston - London, and South Wales - London.
A Committee was elected to organise the march preparations and will be meeting in Marchester November 9 to commence work, and to organise a further meeting of delegates.
The text of the leaflet mobilising for the meeting is included below. You may already have received it last Thursday but I received several messages stating that it had not got through.
I should be grateful if you could let me know of all developments including any sponsorships of the march and/or of the Florence appeal This will greatly help us in our mobilisation efforts for the march. It is above all the international character of the march which is attractive to people in our country, cutting across the usual nationalist tone of debate.
Peter Cooper (organising committee member)
MARCH AGAINST UNEMPLOYMENT, JOB INSECURITY, AND EXCLUSION.
OPEN LAUNCH MEETING FOR BRITISH MARCHES
Saturday 26th October 1996 12pm - 5pm
Friends Meeting House Mount St Manchester (Near St Peters Sq)
A meeting was held in Paris on September 21st 1996 of representatives of organisations from across Europe who want to participate in the European march against unemployment and social marginalisation - homelessness, job insecurity and the break-up of the welfare state - which has been called by a number of unemployed and other organisations from France.
There are currently 20m unemployed people in Europe and many estimates suggest that around 10m more will be created by continued European integration under the Maastricht Treaty and the criteria for monetary union.
The proposal is for marches from various points across Europe to converge on Amsterdam on June 14 1997 for the final session of the EU's Inter-governmental Conference. There will be a mass demonstration to the Conference and other activities.
There were a number of delegates present from a range of organisations from Britain at the Paris meeting and those present were unanimous in their support for the initiative and that support for it should be built in England Scotland and Wales. There were various views, however, on what form that support should take; marches through Britain to Amsterdam; a series of demonstrations, or other forms of activity.
It was agreed, in any case, that if a serious initiative is to be built in Britain it has to involve a broader spectrum of support than those who had been able to attend the meeting. It was therefore decided to call a meeting in Manchester October 26 1996, open to all those interested in becoming involved, where all decisions relating to a British initiative will be taken.
Sponsors of the call for the marches so far include: BELGIUM: Collectif Solidarite contre lExclusion. BRITAIN: Unemployment Organisations and Campaigns: National Unemployed Centres Combine, Welsh TUC Unemployed Centres, Bolton Unemployed workers Centre, Bury Unemployed Workers Centre, North East Unemployed Action Group, London Campaign against the Job Seekers Allowance, St Helens TUC Resource Centre, Salford Unemployed Workers Centre, Welfare State Network. MEPs: (Lab) Ken Coates, Mike Hindley, Stan Newens, Brian Simpson, Alex Smith. MPs: (Lab) Harry Cohen, Jeremy Corbyn, Alan Simpson; (PC) Cynog Dafis. County Associations of Trades Union Councils and TUCs: Manchester County Association of TUCs, Merseyside County Association of TUCs, Tyne and Wear Association of TUCs, Bury TUC,Hull TUC, Ipswich TUC, Leeds TUC, Leigh A/T TUC, Oxford TUC, St Helens TUC, Torfaen TUC. Trade Union Organisations: Merseyside Port Shop Stewards Committee (sacked Liverpool Dockers), UNISON Hillingdon Hospital Strikers, APEX GMB Holborn Branch, CWU Thames Central Branch, MSF London Region, MSF Welsh Regional Council, MSF Newcastle Engineering Branch, RMT Southern Regional Council, UCATT UD 253 Branch, UCATT UD 254 Branch, UNISON Islington A Branch, Communications Workers Broad Left. Political Organisations: Brent East CLP, Socialist Campaign Group (Supporters Network), Greater Manchester Socialist Alliance, Scottish Socialist Alliance. DENMARK: Red-Green Alliance. FRANCE: agir ensemble contre le chomage (AC!), Association de Defense et dEntraide des Chomeurs (ADEC), Association pour lEmploi, lInformation et la Solidarite (APEIS), Comite des Sans Logis, Club du Senateur Delfaux, Droit au Logement (DAL), Droits Devant, Initiative Republicaine, Precarite Exclusion Jeunes 18/25 ans, Federation Generale des Transports et de lEquipement (FGTE CFDT), Federation Syndicale Unitaire (FSU), Group of 10 independent unions, SUD-PTT, SUD Education, SNUI, Mouvement National des Chomeurs et Precaires (MNCP), ANPE (CFDT). GERMANY: International Syndical Revue Express, Kairos Europa, RSB, SOZ. HOLLAND: Dutch Initiative for a Different Europe. IRELAND: Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed (INOU). ITALY: CGIL Unemployed Section Piedmont. SWEDEN: Eurotopia, Sueriges Arbetares Central Org (SAC). SWITZERLAND: Association de Defense des Chomeurs et Chomeuses (ADC Lausanne), Europaisches Burgerforum. SPANISH STATE: CGT, Langile Abestrale Batrurdeare syndikatua (LAB).
If you wish to sponsor/get involved in building the marches please contact: Glenn Voris, St Helens TUC Resource Centre, 21-31 Barrow St, St Helens WA10 1RX. Tel 01744 755 889.
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e-mail: 101326.41@compuserve.com,