Details of action in Manchester tomorrow from Manchester Trades Council

November 30 ‘Day of Action’

Manchester picket lines, march and rally

Please email additions and corrections to  secmtuc@gmail.com

Manchester University

• Pickets at all buildings

AQA

• Devas Street office, M15 6EX
• Kilburn House, Manchester Science Park M15 6SE
• Logistics Centre, Wheel Forge Way, Ashburton Park, Trafford Park M17 1EH

Manchester Metropolitan University

• John Dalton building, Oxford Road, opposite BBC, M1 5GD
• Geoffrey Manton, Rosamund Street West, Oxford Road, opposite Aquatic Centre M15 6LL
• All Saints buildings, All Saints, Oxford Road, M15 6HB
• Business School, Aytoun Street near Piccadilly Station M1 3GH
• Didsbury Campus, Wilmslow Road, M20 2RR
• Hollings Campus, Old Hall Lane, M14 6HR

The Manchester College

• Northenden Campus, Sale Road M23 0DD
• Shena Simon Campus, Whitworth St, M1 3HB
• Openshaw Campus, Ashton Old Road, Openshaw M11 2WH
• Manchester School of Building, Welcomb Street, Openshaw M11 2NP
• Wythenshawe Campus, Brownley Road Wythenshawe M22 9TG
• Fielden Campus, Barlow Moor Rd West Didsbury M20 2PQ
• Moston Campus, Ashley Lane, Moston M9 4WU
• North Manchester Sixth Form, Rochdale Rd, Harpurhey M9 4AF
• One Central Park, Northampton Rd, M40 5BP
• St Johns Centre, Quay St M3 3BE

Ministry of Justice

• Manchester Civil Justice Centre, 1 Bridge Street West
• Manchester Crown Court, across road from Civil Justice Centre
• Manchester City Magistrates Court, Crown Square, Wood St, back from Deansgate
• Crown Court, Minshull Street, off Aytoun Street, M1 3FS
• Salford National Business Centre, Prince William House, Eccles New Road, M5 4RR

Equality & Human Rights Commission, Young People's Learning Agency, Skills Funding Agency

• Arndale Centre, Corporation Street, opposite Big Wheel, M2 1NP

Highways Agency, Ofsted, TDA, MOD

• Piccadilly Gate, Store Street M1 2WD

Department for Communities and Local Government, Tenant Services Authority

• One Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester M1 1RG

British Council

• Bridgewater House, 58 Whitworth Street, M1 6BB

HMRC

• Trinity Bridge House, 2 Dearmans Place, Salford, M3 5BG
• Stone Cross House,Churchgate, Bolton BL1 1YA

HMP & YOI

• Styal, Styal Road, Wilmslow, SK9 4HR

Dept. of Work & Pensions

• Alexandra Park Jobcentre, Moss Lane East M15 5JB
• Altrincham Jobcentre, Roberts Rd,  Altrincham WA14 4PU
• Cheetham Hill Jobcentre, Crescent Rd M8 9DQ
• Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre, Graeme House, Chorlton Square, Chorlton, M21 9BU
• Didsbury Jobcentre, Palatine Rd M20 3JQ
• Longsight Jobcentre, Clarence Rd M13 0ZL
• Newton Heath Jobcentre, Oldham Rd M40 2EP
• Rusholme Job Centre, Wilmslow Road, M14 5BJ
• Salford Jobcentre, Baskerville House, Browncross St M3
• Stretford Jobcentre, Arndale House, Chester Road M32 9ED
• Wythenshawe Jobcentre, Wavell Rd M22 5RA

Schools

• Manchester Academy, Whitworth St, Rusholme
• Stretford High School, Great Stone Road, Stretford, M32 0XA

Manchester Adult Education Service

• Abraham Moss Centre, Crescent Road, Crumpsall M8 5UF
• Hulme Centre, Stretford Road M15 5FQ
• Longsight Library,  Stockport M12 4NE
• Victoria Mill Adult Learning Centre, Lower Vickers St, Miles Platting M40 7LJ
• Withington Adult Learning Centre, 24 Burton Rd M20 3ED

NHS

• North Manchester General Hospital, Delaunays Road M8 5RB
• Wythenshawe Hospital by Maternity, Southmoor Road, Manchester, M23 9LT
• Withington Community Hospital, Nell Lane Manchester M20 2LR
• Christie Hospital, Wilmslow Rd, Oak Rd, Palatine Rd M20 4BX
• Chorlton House, 70 Manchester Road,  Chorlton  M21 9UN
• Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road and Hathersage Road M13 9WL

Trafford College

• Talbot Road Stretford M32 0X
• Manchester Road, West Timperley, Altrincham WA14 5PQ

Transport for Greater Manchester

• Transport for Greater Manchester, 2, Piccadilly Place, M1 3BG
• Baring Street depot, Ardwick M1 2PY

Manchester City Council

• Grimshaw Lane depot, Newton Heath M40 2WL
• Longley Lane depot, Northenden. M22 4SY
• Hammerstone Road depot, Gorton M18 8EQ
• Fujitsu Building, Wenlock Way, Gorton, M12 5DR
• Alexandra House, Moss Side. near fire station,  M15 5NX
• First St, Whitworth St, City Centre, M1 5DE
• Manchester Town Hall, M2 5DB
• Kay Street Depot, off Ashton Old Rd, Beswick, M11 2DX

March and rally

• March assembles on Liverpool Road, near Castlefield, off Deansgate, at 11.00am, marching off at 11:30am. Salford feeder march assembles 10.30am, Bexley Square, Chapel St M3 6BZ. Education feeder march assembles, 10:30 am, All Saints M15 6BH
• Route via Deansgate, John Dalton St, Manchester Town Hall, Oxford Road.
• Assembly point for disabled people attending: University Place, opposite Manchester Museum, M13 9PL 12.15pm
• Rally at 12.30 at Whitworth Park, opposite Manchester Royal Infirmary.  The nationwide shout, calling for pensions justice, is at 1.00pm.  

See press release below or download here

Press Release – for Immediate Release

Unison’s National Health Executive declare solidarity with Bahrain Medics and Nurses

·      Manchester Health Workers bring to our streets the National Unison Health Executive call for the Bahrain Medics to be freed 

·      Solidarity Vigil and Protest outside Manchester Royal Infirmary, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, 12.30 – 14.00, Friday 25th November

·      Bahrain Revolution Conference, 17th December, Friends Meeting House, Manchester

This Friday, 25th November, the National Executive of the health workers union, UNISON Health, is backing Manchester’s show of solidarity with the Medics of Bahrain.  This is part of the International Campaign that will be holding a series of actions across the globe on this day. 

On October 1st , 20 medical professionals in Bahrain were imprisoned by military court for between 5 to 15 years for attending to people who had been wounded by the regime.  The Kingdom of Bahrain, ruled by the Al Kaleefa Family, has no independent judiciary. 

On November 28th , following an international campaign, the Bahraini Medics now face a 're-trial' in a 'civilian court' in Bahrain.  

Karen Reissmann, a Greater Manchester nurse who sits on the National Executive of UNISON, one of Britain's largest trades unions for health workers that is now supporting the campaign says:  “The medics in Bahrain were right to treat all the protesters with injuries inflicted after they were attacked while campaigning for justice and democracy. Nurses and health workers in Britain, and right across the world, are outraged at these draconian sentences. All the medics should be released and all the charges dropped.' 

A. Shaheed Al Markhi, aged 34 (photo below, left), who is now based in London having been granted asylum, was working as a specialist nurse at the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Bahrain on 17th February when the people at the main roundabout in the capital of Bahrain were first attacked by the regime, and again when the roundabout was attacked for the second time on Sunday, 13th March, 2011.  On that day the National Safety Law was announced and the hospital was besieged. 

Many casualties arrived at his hospital and he says: “Despite the complicated situation, the medics were able to successfully treat casualties throughout this period. However, they did not assume any political roles. Instead, their roles were completely professional, in that they followed the Hippocratic Oath and treated all members of the society who were injured, without discrimination and sectarianism.”

Rula Al-Saffar, (photo below, right) President of Bahrain Nursing Society and still in Bahrain says: "We need you to show your solidarity … to put pressure on the government of Bahrain and the Minister of Health who is also the Minister of Human Rights in Bahrain to release our medics. As Martin Luther King stated, ‘our lives begin to end the day we became silent about things that matter’, it is time to act before it becomes too late.”

The vigil outside the Manchester Royal Infirmary on Oxford Road Manchester this Friday 25th November is being supported by Manchester's Bahrain Solidarity Group which includes the Bahrainis Association for Freedom and the Manchester-based Human Rights organisation, RAPAR .

These two organisations are also supporting the second conference about Bahrain to be held in Manchester this year. It will be on 17th December at Friends Meeting House and will include a line up of international speakers.

For further information contact:

Mark Krantz, Bahrain Solidarity Group, 07765 122 829
Abdul Shaheed Al Markhi, Bahrainis Association for Freedom, 07759790418or email at bahrainis4freedom@gmail.com

• Full background: http://bahrainjdm.hopto.org/?cat=277
• Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/freebahrainmedics/
• International Call for Protests: http://bahrainjdm.hopto.org/?p=966
• Bahrain’s Independent Commission of Inquiry.  A path to justice of political shield? http://www.rapar.org.uk/5/post/2011/11/bahrains-independent-commission-of-inquiry-a-path-to-justice-or-political-shield.html

"Tomorrow, 23 November 2011, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), comprised of an international panel of law experts, is due to submit its report following a four-month investigation of the violence that broke out since the February 14 Uprising in Bahrain. Aside from questions of partiality raised by ongoing statements made by its Chairperson, Professor Bassiouni, the more serious question centers on the political purpose that this report will serve. Will it offer justice for victims of the most brutal crackdown in Bahrain’s history? Or will it whitewash the findings by avoiding high-level accountability and offering a political shield for the regime against its critics?" See excellent article here.

Ayat Al-Gormezi, the 20-year-old poet who has become a central figure in Bahrain's opposition movement in the fight against the brutal Al-Khalifa regime, has been recognized in the Freedom To Create awards 2011.

"First runner-up of the Main Prize was Ayat Al-Gormezi, a 20 year old poet and student at the Faculty of Teachers in Bahrain, who was put on trial for merely expressing her opinion peacefully and openly. Her bravery and willingness to take a risk in the struggle for justice and equal rights for all, has raised awareness of the numerous women imprisoned in Bahrain."

See Ayat's blog here and the Bahrain Solidarity Campaign page here.

Mima is talking about Roseanne's case - see article here.

See here

See here

Journalist and blogger Jaffer Al Alawi was arrested yesterday, as the intimidation of Bahraini media professionals continues. We have just learned that Mr Al Alawi has been released, after over 24 hours of detention, and is currently waiting to hear details of charges he may be facing. See Bahrain Press Association press release here (English translation here) and an update here. 

Over 160 people packed out a public meeting on Monday (31st Oct) in support of the Save The Family Home campaign. They heard speakers including representatives from MPACUK (Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK), Cageprisoners, Madina Mosque, RAPAR, Manchester Somali Men's Forum, and members of the Farooqi family, who are threatened by the Crown Prosecution Service with eviction from their home as a form of collective punishment (see campaign page here). A petition against making the family homeless will be publicly handed in to CPS on Tuesday November 8th. See full press release here: Continuing with CPS threat to make Longsight family homeless will have “massive impact on community relations”