LOBBY OF COUNCIL & PROTEST

A BIG thank you to everyone who turned up to the lively lobby - from parents and toddlers from Torridon Road Library, library workers, Users and Friends of Manor House library, concerned Lewisham residents and passers by who supported us and signed the growing petition.

A banner was unfurled in the Full Council Budget meeting.
We made our voice heard - REVERSE THE LIBRARY CUTS!

Watch this space for details of more protests, marches and lobbying. The campaign continues...

WHAT YOU CAN DO

There are many ways you can help the campaign...

URGENT: EMAIL YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLOR

Let them know how you feel about the library cuts - before they set next year's budget on 24 February.


Suggested wording for email:

Dear Councillor / name
I am emailing you to ask you to move or second an amendment to next year's budget
To take £1million from the council's reserves
To reverse the proposed £1million cut to the library service
Lewisham needs its libraries. The consultation showed massive support for our properly run libraries and the proposed plans for community libraries are a shambles with nothing in place.

http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/mgFindMember.aspx?

HELP ON CAMPAIGN STALLS & LEAFLETING
Most Saturdays 12noon -1pm
Catford - phone Tim 07947 883985
Lewisham - phone Caz 07905 964825

LOBBY OF COUNCIL
Come along to the next lobby of council 6.30pm Wednesday 24 February 2016 
Bring placards, whistles, drums, pots and pans. Let's make the Council take notice!

ANY OTHER OFFERS
If you have any time or skills or ideas you can offer, we would love to hear from you!

ARTICLE: Library cuts spark series of strikes...

The walkouts come after Tory cuts led to 441 libraries closing in five years – while another 149 face the axe.

Read about the strike action by library workers in www.mirror.co.uk article by Stephen Hayward 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/library-cuts-spark-series-strikes-7367286

Library services are under attack all over the country and library workers in South London are fighting back. Some of the striking library workers from other boroughs poke at our public meeting last Wednesday - Bromley have been on strike 13 non-consecutive weeks and Lambeth have held a series of a strikes with mission slogan 'Strike for One Day, Save a Library Forever!'

Let us stand together in defiance of these cuts to our essential service.

STOP PRESS: COUNCIL PLANS TO CUT 95 LIBRARY JOBS!

The latest library restructure with proposed job cuts has just been announced.

Under the council’s plans, 147 existing posts will be lost and 52 posts created in the new library structure. So 95 library jobs will be cut. Many of these jobs are part-time, but nonetheless essential to many library workers.

The new three-week rota system proposed by management will be difficult for parents to fit around childcare, and is especially discriminatory toward single parents.

The council is also planning to add one more management post! How can the council justify this when the council want to hand over management of four of our libraries to social and private enterprises?!

Unison will be responding to the council’s plans.

We are calling on all library workers and library users to make your voice heard and join us at the next lobby of Council at 6.30pm on Wednesday 24 February.

JOIN OUR LOBBY OF COUNCIL 24 February 2016

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the fantastic 65 strong public meeting last Wednesday. It was great to hear the inspirational speakers and all the contributions/suggestions and expressions of support from the floor. 

A special thank you to striking library workers from Lambeth and Bromley and to the junior doctors and student health workers who also spoke on the eve of their strike actions.

WHAT'S NEXT? 

A lobby of the Full Council Budget Meeting on Wednesday 24 February - join us outside the Civic Suite from 6.30pm onwards. We will be asking councillors to make an amendment to the forthcoming budget, requesting £1m from the reserve budget to reverse the library cuts. 

Bring placards, whistles, drums, pots and pans to protest! 

No ifs, no buts, no more library cuts!

PUBLIC MEETING 9 February 2016

Save Lewisham Libraries PUBLIC MEETING

7pm Tuesday 9 February
New Cross Learning
283-285 New Cross Road
SE14 6AS

 

Come to our public meeting to hear the latest and get involved in the fight to defend library services in Lewisham.

With speakers: 

Alan Gibbons - children's author and library campaigner

Chrissie Gittins - Lewisham Writer in Residence
Kathy Smith - Bromley libraries striker

Jenny Leow - student healthworker, NHS bursaries campaign

Plus Save Lewisham Libraries campaigners