A reminder that North Edinburgh Fights Back, the STUC and Edinburgh Trades Union Council are jointly hosting a Tackling Poverty Conference at Craigroyston Community High School on Saturday 1 December from 10am – 4pm.
Speakers, workshops and lively debate guaranteed!
See attached flyer for programme and registration details:
A war of words has broken out between a senior local councillor and community groups following a ‘dirty protest’ outside the council’s North Local Office in West Pilton this morning. TIE committee convener Lesley Hinds dismissed the protest as a poorly supported publicity stunt, but campaigners say they will escalate their activities if demands are not met.
Two local tenants groups – Tenants and Residents in Pilton (TRIP) and Tenants and Residents in Muirhouse (TRIM), supported by campaign group North Edinburgh Fights Back – urged local residents to support a campaign to get weekly bin collections restored by staging a publicity stunt at the local council office. Local people were encouraged to bring along their black bags and bins and ‘dump’ them on the council’s doorstep.
Speaking before the protest TRIP secretary Jon Black (pictured above) said: “The Council has mismanaged the changes to refuse collection, and its unacceptable. We shouldn’t have to be cleaning up our own streets, but this is what it has come to. Its a public health hazard, and the Council needs to sort it out. We are demanding that the Council re-introduce weekly collections, and we want adequate recycling facilities provided in the area. We also want the Council to clear up all the rubbish that has been missed.”
Around a dozen people supported the event, which attracted media attention – but Councillor Lesley Hinds, convener of the Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee, said the protest was a damp squib.
“This has been a poorly-attended publicity stunt that neither improves the situation nor accurately reflects the needs of the community. Of course I’d be happy to meet any of the protesters to have constructive discussions on how we can improve their waste collection service, but they have made no approaches to us so far. In fact I’m told there have been very few issues in the Muirhouse and West Pilton area – which may be why only a handful of people turned out on Monday morning.”
The protesters plan to have a public meeting next month as part of a continuing campaign to get the council to meet their demands. If those demands are not met, the campaigners plan to take further action and say that they will fly-tip rubbish at the City Chambers.
Community campaigners have announced that the second Anti-Poverty Conference will be held in Craigroyston Community High School on 1 December. It’s hoped that the latest event will build on the achievements of last year’s conference, and will target the Scottish Parliament this time round.
North Edinburgh Fights Back’s Willie Black (pictured above) explained: “Last autumn over 140 community and anti-poverty campaigners met in Edinburgh to discuss and act in a unified way demanding action against poverty. One of the conference’s aims was to build an anti-poverty Charter and to this end the Charter was presented to the City of Edinburgh Council and was adopted by them. The second Anti-Poverty Conference will broaden our demands towards the Scottish Parliament. Those who live in poverty and are fighting back against this poverty need a voice more than ever.”
The conference is being run in conjunction with the Scottish Trade Union Congress, the Edinburgh TUC, North Edinburgh Fights Back and a host of other anti-poverty campaigners across Scotland. Among the keynote speakers invited to address the conference are Owen Jones, the Poverty Alliance, Child Poverty Action Group, North Edinburgh Women’s International Group, the Fuel Poverty Action Group and leading Trade unionists.
Speakers will be followed by workshops and a Question Time session. Details have still to be confirmed, so keep an eye on the NEN blog for updated information – a draft programme is attached, but this is for guidance only and is subject to change:
LOCAL CAMPAIGN GROUPS DENOUNCE “BACK DOOR PRIVATISATION” IN CLEANSING
Local anti-cuts groups have declared that Edinburgh Council are responsible for the deteriorating service in refuse collection, and the blame should be put firmly on the councillors and top management, not the binmen and other workers. The groups denounce the “back door privatisation” of Edinburgh Council services and have demanded a response from Council leader Andrew Burns.
North Edinburgh Fights Back and Greater Leith Against the Cuts condemn the large-scale use of agency staff in Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection – and claim that the new switch to fortnightly collections appears to be motivated by cost-cutting not environmental concern.
“We are in favour of reducing waste and increasing recycling but we suspect the move to fortnightly collections is not motivated by ecology but is part of the cut-backs. We are closely monitoring its impact and are consulting with local people if action needs to be taken to restore the weekly collections.”
The groups also denounce the imposition of anti social shift patterns on the workforce, arguing that the continuation of work until 10.30pm will cause disruption and nuisance to residents, particularly children, the elderly and vulnerable. “Refuse collection workers have told management the new shift patterns would not work,” say the community groups, “but as usual the CEC management aren’t listening to the people who really know the job.”
In a statement, the groups declare: ‘We are totally opposed to the privatisation of public services and the cuts in services and worsening working conditions this invariably entails. The full Council voted against privatising these services – why are they now doing the complete opposite, and bringing in large numbers of Blue Arrow contractors to both Street
Cleansing and Refuse Collection? New workers – who are certainly needed – should be taken on as full Council employees, wherever possible with permanent contracts.’
They add: ‘Contrary to some claims, Blue Arrow were NOT introduced to deal with the current backlog, dozens of Blue Arrow staff have been operating from the Russell Road depot in refuse collection since March, and Blue Arrow have been deployed from Cowans Close depot in street cleansing since July. What’s more, the private firm Enterprise were used in street cleansing in the spring.’
A Shop Steward from within Environmental Services said: “I have repeatedly voiced my concerns at the use of agency staff to City of Edinburgh Council Senior Management at numerous meetings since the elected members rejected Privatisation and also to various elected members all to no avail; unfortunately it appears that this new administration is
also listening to the officials who are now intent on privatising our council/public services through the back door.”
The community groups are still awaiting a response from the Council. “We have written to Councillor Burns demanding an end to this back door privatisation – he has yet to reply. However Councillor Hinds has written to say she has commissioned a report on the matter from Director of Services for Communities Mark Turley. We eagerly await this and urge its early delivery.”
North Edinburgh Fights Back <info@northedinburghfightsback.org.uk>
Greater Leith Against the Cuts <greaterleithc59@gmail.com>
Website www.edinburghagainstcuts.org.uk
Local campaign group North Edinburgh Fights Back has written to city council leaders seeking assurances that council services will not be privatised. The group wrote the letter following a recent meeting in Muirhouse where concern was expressed over the introduction of increasing numbers of non-council staff into cleansing and refuse operations.
Writing to council leader Councillor Andrew Burns, Mike Vallance said:
I am writing on behalf of North Edinburgh Fights Back, a community group
involved in opposing public service cuts and privatisation, and fighting against injustice and inequality. You will of course be familiar with our group, not least from our recent presentation of the Anti Poverty Charter to the full CEC meeting.
As is made clear in the Charter, our group is totally opposed to the privatisation of public services and the cuts in services and worsening in working conditions this invariably entails. As such we played a full part in the campaign to keep the Street Cleansing, Refuse Collection, Janitorial and related services in-house, and were very pleased when the CEC voted to reject the privatisation of these services.
Of course the Labour Group voted to keep these services in-house, and thus our members were shocked when they learnt at our meeting on 25 July in Muirhouse that your administration is presiding over the introduction of large numbers of workers from the private contractor Blue Arrow into the Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection services.
We understand that over the last fortnight around 60 Blue Arrow staff have started operating out of the Cowans Close depot, carrying out street cleansing in Edinburgh city centre. This follows the recent similar controversial use of employees from the private company Enterprise in street cleansing, an episode which was publicised in the local media.
And for several months, refuse collection workers have told us, at least 20 – 30 Blue Arrow employees have been working at the Russell Road refuse depot. In addition five lorries, each staffed by 3 Blue Arrow workers, have been operating out of Powderhall depot. What’s more, Blue Arrow recently advertised for 3 refuse collection supervisors to work on a council contract.
Our members are shocked to hear the CEC are effectively disregarding the decision to keep these services in-house, a decision that so many Edinburgh citizens campaigned to achieve.
We understand from workers we have spoken to, that they believe that new workers are indeed needed and that they should be recruited as normal directly employed council workers, where possible with permanent contracts, and we totally support this.
We have also been informed that shop stewards have brought these matters up with both management and with councillors, and they report their views seem to be ignored.
We also have been informed that the CEC is trying to impose new shift patterns on workers in Refuse Collection, including a compulsory back shift, working up to 10.30pm at night. We are in complete support of theworkforce’s opposition to being forced to work such anti-social hours.
What’s more, it is clear that these hours would mean bin lorries operating in residential areas late at night, causing disturbance to residents, including disturbing children trying to sleep before school the next day. Further we understand from workers that this would cause major problems at addresses where the workers, due to the resident’s disability or frailty, need to come into gardens to take out and empty buckets: such residents are likely to be alarmed at workers doing this relatively late at night, at a time when in winter it will be long past nightfall.
In this respect, we can inform you that at our meeting several people reported bin lorries already operating very late at night, even in the early hours of the morning, in north Edinburgh/ Greater Pilton – we presume this is the private contractors which the CEC are using?
We demand that the CEC reverse the decision to use private contractors in Refuse Collection and Street Cleansing and instead take on the new workers needed as normal directly employed council employees, where-ever possible on permanent contracts. We ask for your immediate reply to explain what you are going to do about this matter.
We further ask that you send us full details of the Blue Arrow contracts in Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection, including length of time, number of workers involved, etc. In addition we ask you to inform us who authorised these contracts, for example were they decided upon at CEC committees and/ or the full Council?
The North Edinburgh Fights Back letter has been passed on to Councillor Lesley Hinds, who has responsibility for Transport, Infrastructure and Environment issues. Cllr Hinds has requested information from the Director of Services for Communities and plans to respond to the group when this information is available.
Local campaign group North Edinburgh Fights Back has written to city council leaders seeking assurances that council services will not be privatised. The group wrote the letter following a recent meeting in Muirhouse where concern was expressed over the introduction of increasing numbers of non-council staff into cleansing and refuse operations.
Writing to council leader Councillor Andrew Burns, Mike Vallance said:
I am writing on behalf of North Edinburgh Fights Back, a community group
involved in opposing public service cuts and privatisation, and fighting against injustice and inequality. You will of course be familiar with our group, not least from our recent presentation of the Anti Poverty Charter to the full CEC meeting.
As is made clear in the Charter, our group is totally opposed to the privatisation of public services and the cuts in services and worsening in working conditions this invariably entails. As such we played a full part in the campaign to keep the Street Cleansing, Refuse Collection, Janitorial and related services in-house, and were very pleased when the CEC voted to reject the privatisation of these services.
Of course the Labour Group voted to keep these services in-house, and thus our members were shocked when they learnt at our meeting on 25 July in Muirhouse that your administration is presiding over the introduction of large numbers of workers from the private contractor Blue Arrow into the Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection services.
We understand that over the last fortnight around 60 Blue Arrow staff have started operating out of the Cowans Close depot, carrying out street cleansing in Edinburgh city centre. This follows the recent similar controversial use of employees from the private company Enterprise in street cleansing, an episode which was publicised in the local media.
And for several months, refuse collection workers have told us, at least 20 – 30 Blue Arrow employees have been working at the Russell Road refuse depot. In addition five lorries, each staffed by 3 Blue Arrow workers, have been operating out of Powderhall depot. What’s more, Blue Arrow recently advertised for 3 refuse collection supervisors to work on a council contract.
Our members are shocked to hear the CEC are effectively disregarding the decision to keep these services in-house, a decision that so many Edinburgh citizens campaigned to achieve.
We understand from workers we have spoken to, that they believe that new workers are indeed needed and that they should be recruited as normal directly employed council workers, where possible with permanent contracts, and we totally support this.
We have also been informed that shop stewards have brought these matters up with both management and with councillors, and they report their views seem to be ignored.
We also have been informed that the CEC is trying to impose new shift patterns on workers in Refuse Collection, including a compulsory back shift, working up to 10.30pm at night. We are in complete support of theworkforce’s opposition to being forced to work such anti-social hours.
What’s more, it is clear that these hours would mean bin lorries operating in residential areas late at night, causing disturbance to residents, including disturbing children trying to sleep before school the next day. Further we understand from workers that this would cause major problems at addresses where the workers, due to the resident’s disability or frailty, need to come into gardens to take out and empty buckets: such residents are likely to be alarmed at workers doing this relatively late at night, at a time when in winter it will be long past nightfall.
In this respect, we can inform you that at our meeting several people reported bin lorries already operating very late at night, even in the early hours of the morning, in north Edinburgh/ Greater Pilton – we presume this is the private contractors which the CEC are using?
We demand that the CEC reverse the decision to use private contractors in Refuse Collection and Street Cleansing and instead take on the new workers needed as normal directly employed council employees, where-ever possible on permanent contracts. We ask for your immediate reply to explain what you are going to do about this matter.
We further ask that you send us full details of the Blue Arrow contracts in Street Cleansing and Refuse Collection, including length of time, number of workers involved, etc. In addition we ask you to inform us who authorised these contracts, for example were they decided upon at CEC committees and/ or the full Council?
The North Edinburgh Fights Back letter has been passed on to Councillor Lesley Hinds, who has responsibility for Transport, Infrastructure and Environment issues. Cllr Hinds has requested information from the Director of Services for Communities and plans to respond to the group when this information is available.
Let’s hear it for our local ladies who lunch!
Muirhouse Women’s Group haven’t exactly been lacking in causes since they set up almost three years ago. The enthusiastic band first came to the NEN’s attention when they composed and fired off a letter about poverty to the Prime Minister last year, and it seems they’re never stopped since! The group’s come a long way, and their dedication was rewarded recently when they received The Edinburgh Adult Education Award for Outstanding Achievement during Adult Learners Week.
Members of the group picked up their trophy at a celebration event at the City Chambers – and the icing on the cake was to follow when new Lord Provost Donald Wilson, who had been so impressed by the group’s achievements, invited our local ladies to lunch!
Muirhouse Women’s Group – now North Edinburgh Women’s Group, as women from other parts of the area have joined – have been involved in so many campaigns and activities, both as a group and as individuals, that it’s hard to keep track of them all.
I met up with the women in North Edinburgh Arts Centre last month, and the women enthusiastically (and noisily!) catalogued their achievements:
There’s probably much, much more – but in my defence it was hard to hear everything that was being thrown at me and I can’t write that fast! The women are justifiably proud of all they’ve achieved, but are keen to continue what they’ve started. Cathy Ahmed said: “This is a really brilliant group to be part of. I can’t really describe how it’s changed things for me – I’ve got an awful lot more confidence and I’ve done things I would never have attempted before, and that’s the same for a lot of the other women as well. We all support each other and have a great laugh when we’re together – we’re different characters and different ages but there are a lot of things we agree on and we have a lot in common too. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without the group – I think we’ve got lots more to do”.
Community Learning Development workers Sarah Low and Lynn McCabe have supported the group on their remarkable journey – although sometimes it been more like trying to rein them in!
Sarah said: “Members of the group have come so far over the past year, attracting new members, experiencing drama, gaining in confidence and most of all learning new skills – and during all this they’ve also managed to have fun: decorating banners, going on family trips and volunteering at the Muirhouse Play Out Event! This is an amazing – and well deserved – achievement for the group.”
Willie Black, a member of the North Edinburgh Fights Back campaign, said: ‘Our community has a history of having bred strong women who fight for what they believe in. These women are made in that same mould – they won’t be brushed aside and they smell bullshit at a hundred yards! They’re a credit to North Edinburgh and we need more like them”.
Marco Biagi MSP presented the Adult Achievement Awards at the City Chambers. He said: “This is a great example of non-formal learning in the community and shows the benefits that come from life long learning. Congratulations to all of the groups who are celebrating their success this evening”.
The women received further recognition when a motion by Forth councillor Cammy Day congratulating the group was supported by the full council meeting on 28 June. The motion read: “Council congratulates the work of the North Edinburgh Women’s Group in their award for local community activity – outstanding achievement for adult learning (adult education awards).
Furthermore Council commends the highly successful community conference organised by North Edinburgh Fights Back and the Muirhouse Women’s Group specifically in regards to highlighting poverty, inequality and fuel poverty.
Council welcomes the anti-poverty charter, and agrees to work with these groups in addressing poverty and inequalities.”
For further information about North Edinburgh Womens Group activities call Sarah Low on 552 5700, or email her at sarah.low@edinburgh.gov.uk
Additional pictures by Lynn McCabe
Let’s hear it for our local ladies who lunch!
Muirhouse Women’s Group haven’t exactly been lacking in causes since they set up almost three years ago. The enthusiastic band first came to the NEN’s attention when they composed and fired off a letter about poverty to the Prime Minister last year, and it seems they’re never stopped since! The group’s come a long way, and their dedication was rewarded recently when they received The Edinburgh Adult Education Award for Outstanding Achievement during Adult Learners Week.
Members of the group picked up their trophy at a celebration event at the City Chambers – and the icing on the cake was to follow when new Lord Provost Donald Wilson, who had been so impressed by the group’s achievements, invited our local ladies to lunch!
Muirhouse Women’s Group – now North Edinburgh Women’s Group, as women from other parts of the area have joined – have been involved in so many campaigns and activities, both as a group and as individuals, that it’s hard to keep track of them all.
I met up with the women in North Edinburgh Arts Centre last month, and the women enthusiastically (and noisily!) catalogued their achievements:
There’s probably much, much more – but in my defence it was hard to hear everything that was being thrown at me and I can’t write that fast! The women are justifiably proud of all they’ve achieved, but are keen to continue what they’ve started. Cathy Ahmed said: “This is a really brilliant group to be part of. I can’t really describe how it’s changed things for me – I’ve got an awful lot more confidence and I’ve done things I would never have attempted before, and that’s the same for a lot of the other women as well. We all support each other and have a great laugh when we’re together – we’re different characters and different ages but there are a lot of things we agree on and we have a lot in common too. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without the group – I think we’ve got lots more to do”.
Community Learning Development workers Sarah Low and Lynn McCabe have supported the group on their remarkable journey – although sometimes it been more like trying to rein them in!
Sarah said: “Members of the group have come so far over the past year, attracting new members, experiencing drama, gaining in confidence and most of all learning new skills – and during all this they’ve also managed to have fun: decorating banners, going on family trips and volunteering at the Muirhouse Play Out Event! This is an amazing – and well deserved – achievement for the group.”
Willie Black, a member of the North Edinburgh Fights Back campaign, said: ‘Our community has a history of having bred strong women who fight for what they believe in. These women are made in that same mould – they won’t be brushed aside and they smell bullshit at a hundred yards! They’re a credit to North Edinburgh and we need more like them”.
Marco Biagi MSP presented the Adult Achievement Awards at the City Chambers. He said: “This is a great example of non-formal learning in the community and shows the benefits that come from life long learning. Congratulations to all of the groups who are celebrating their success this evening”.
The women received further recognition when a motion by Forth councillor Cammy Day congratulating the group was supported by the full council meeting on 28 June. The motion read: “Council congratulates the work of the North Edinburgh Women’s Group in their award for local community activity – outstanding achievement for adult learning (adult education awards).
Furthermore Council commends the highly successful community conference organised by North Edinburgh Fights Back and the Muirhouse Women’s Group specifically in regards to highlighting poverty, inequality and fuel poverty.
Council welcomes the anti-poverty charter, and agrees to work with these groups in addressing poverty and inequalities.”
For further information about North Edinburgh Womens Group activities call Sarah Low on 552 5700, or email her at sarah.low@edinburgh.gov.uk
Additional pictures by Lynn McCabe
Council will work with campaigners to tackle poverty
The city council have pledged to work with community groups to address poverty and inequalities. Councillors made their commitment after hearing a deputation of campaigners from North Edinburgh at last month’s full council meeting.
The North Edinburgh activists presented councillors with individual copies of the community’s Anti-Poverty Charter at the council meeting on 28 June. The idea for Charter was born at a community conference held in Craigroyston High School late last year, and campaigners urged councillors to adopt the Charter’s principles in a united fight against poverty and deprivation. 
In a joint deputation members of North Edinburgh Fights Back and North Edinburgh Women’s Group told councillors that more needs to be done at all levels of government to address social injustice and tackle the scourge of poverty.
John Mulvey told the meeting: “North Edinburgh Fights Back is definitely not ‘The Big Society’. It’s not very often that I align myself with bishops, but I can only agree with the Bishop of Canterbury when he describes David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ as ‘aspirational waffle’.
He went on: “The demands are not unique to North Edinburgh and indeed apply to communities across Scotland. However the Charter calls upon you as the local authority to do specific things and to team up with groups like North Edinburgh Fights Back to engage with institutions like, for example, the energy companies to put pressure on them to respond positively to the aims of the Charter.”
John Mulvey concluded: “Can we afford it? The real question is can we afford not to? If we can afford to spend billions and billions on a replacement for Trident, and more billions and billions on tax breaks for the rich, clearly for a decent society for all of our citizens the demands laid out in the Charter must be addressed.”
Danielle Ward of North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum demanded an end to Workfare and called for more opportunities for young people in training, education and employment while veteran campaigner Tony Delahoy made ‘five moderate requests’ on behalf of older people.
Cathy Ahmed of Muirhouse Women’s Group demanded an end to cuts that hit the poorest families hardest and there were further calls for action to tackle fuel poverty and social housing shortages.
The wide-ranging charter has sections on Young People, Senior Citizens, Women, Living Wage and Employment Rights, Privatisation and Education, Fuel Poverty and Housing and Racism.
That’s quite a comprehensive shopping list, but the council agreed a motion from Forth councillor Cammy Day to ‘commend the highly successful community conference organised by the groups, specifically in regards to highlighting poverty, inequality of fuel poverty. Council welcomes the Ant-Poverty Charter and agrees to work with these groups in addressing poverty and inequalities’. 
Leith Walk Labour councillor Nick Gardner invited the deputation to come back in five years to see how the council has performed on it’s pledges, but it’s likely that the North Edinburgh Fights Back campaigners will be back long before then! Cathy Ahmed said after the meeting: “Five years? We could a’ be deid by then! We hope that this council will take our community’s demands seriously and act now – we’re sick of politicians’ broken promises and actions speak louder than words”.
Maybe it was the lure of Euro 2012 football on TV, or maybe it was the draw of the Olympic torch up at Edinburgh Castle, but whatever the reason there was a disappointing attendance at North Edinburgh Fights Back’s public meeting held in North Edinburgh Arts Centre last week.
Despite the draw of advertised speakers from the Poverty Alliance and Shelter Scotland, only a dozen people came to hear NEFB plans to fight back against poverty and social injustice.
The sparse attendance did provide NEFB members an opportunity to rehearse speeches before next week’s Full Council meeting, however. North Edinburgh Fights Back plans to present individual Community Charters to all 58 councillors during a delegation to the 28 June meeting, urging councillors of all parties to commit to a series of anti-poverty measures.
A group spokesperson said: ‘We would like more people to have been at the public meeting but it is always difficult to get people out to attend meetings. However we are sure that many more members of the community will be supporting us when we present the charter at the council meeting, and we would urge local people to join us to let the councillors know ‘Poverty – we’re not having it’!”
The Full Council meeting on Thursday 28 June is open to the public and begins at 10am.
You can find out more about North Edinburgh Fights Back by visiting their website at www.northedinburghfightsback.org.uk
