by Jack Walker, South east London Socialist Party
On 7 August we had a fantastic fundraiser at the Deptford Junction.
Three bands played for people cheering, dancing and moshing to the music. There were also Socialist Party t-shirts and donated books sold, which were very popular.
Photo: Jay Coward
We had a speech from Onay Kasab, national lead officer for Unite the Union, who talked about examples of strikes his union had led, such as the bin workers in Birmingham and the Woolwich ferry strike, to a crowd of over 70 people, the majority of whom were young. For many of them, this would have been their first time hearing a trade unionist speak, and hearing examples of what unions can do when people such as themselves get organised.
There was also a speech from Geoff Goss on behalf of the University and College Union strikers at Southbank University, that half the ticket sales went towards. Geoff described the restructuring of workers’ contracts, with many staff being fired and pensions being changed. Again the crowd showed solidarity through their applause at the end.
The bands agreed to play because they support the cause. We got people to the event through leafleting in the local area and bringing friends. The fundraiser made £689 in total, including ticket sales, book sales, merch sales and donations.