Thursday 17 April 2014

mayday

Romayne Phoenix12:47pm Apr 17
In most countries in Europe, the 1st of May (International Workers' Day) is a public holiday, but the official "May Day" holiday takes place on the firstMonday in May in the UK. The London May Day Organising Committee organises a march on the 1st of May anyway, and campaigns for that day to be a public holiday.

As http://www.londonmayday.org/home.php says, it "has been a unique bringing together of trade unionists, workers from the many international communities in London, pensioners, anti-globalisation organisations, students, political bodies and many others in a show of working class unity."

In the model motion, accessible from the same page, it says "We urge unions involved in industrial action to consider May 1st as an appropriate date for such action." One such union involved in a dispute is the National Union of Teachers (NUT); if it called another strike on that day, that would be particularly effective at building a big demonstration, since many parents and school students could join it as well as striking teachers.

This is an unofficial event. I live in Manchester so couldn't be involved in the London May Day Organising Committee, but having noticed that the publicity for this very important event is low key (as I noticed last year when I called for a general strike on that day - seehttps://www.facebook.com/maydaygeneralstrike) I decided to set up this Facebook event to build the demonstration and encourage coordinated strike action.

According to the latest news page, accessible fromhttp://www.londonmayday.org/home.php, the London May Day march will follow the traditional route and timings:

ASSEMBLE CLERKENWELL GREEN FROM 12 NOON
MARCH MOVES OFF 1300 SHARP
TRAVELS TO THEOBALDS ROAD/RED LION SQUARE/HIGH HOLBORN/KINGSWAY/ALDWYCH TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE
REACHES SQUARE APPROX 1420
RALLY STARTS AROUND 1430

This May Day event will be part of a mass movement across the world. The following event coordinates demonstrations (with a call to reoccupy the streets across the world): https://www.facebook.com/events/485754691545923/
May Day
www.londonmayday.org
London May Day Organising Committee (LMDOC) brings together trade unions, organisations from London'...

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