LAWAS march today in London

Members of Latin American Workers Association (LAWAS) protested today in solidarity with the British public worker’s strike.

They congregated today at noon at Remnant Street, Holborn; together with other unions such as Unite and Unison, universities and various community groups.

Gabriela Quevedo, LAWAS protest organiser said: “We’re here in our solidarity with the unions. We are united in the defense against an even more neo-liberal estate that tries to place the public and private sectors against each other. Today they are cutting down public services, tomorrow they will cut even more benefits if we don’t oppose”.

LAWAS which is still legally a community group and not a union marched together with another group called Precarious Workers Brigade. This is a group of voluntary workers, artists, freelancers and others who are against David Cameron’s Big Society concept and battle for a dignified living wage, like the Latinamerican group.

A spokesperson for the group said: “We support young workers in immigrant communities. We are against elitist principles. For example the Arts Council and Border Agency came together in July to bring exceptional talent to the country. However, they have only brought artists who have won awards or have sold a lot. This type of art does not represent the true culture and people like the one that LAWAS represents”.

One of LAWAS main fights is a dignified living wage. Although most of Latin American workers earn at least the national minimum wage, they do not receive a London living wage. LAWAS which is conformed by 12 coordinators and more than 120 collaborators participates in this debate together with other British political associations.

Quevedo explained: “When Ken Livingstone was the Mayor of London, the London living wage for all topic was in the political agenda. Now we are trying to bring back this subject to the debate together with other unions, Academia and organizations. It’s very interesting”.

Few members of LAWAS were able to come to the protest. Most of them had to go to work. Duarte commented: “It’s difficult for Latin Americans to make themselves visible in these spaces. Mobilisation is difficult because of our conditions”.

LAWAS will assist another protest tomorrow for a dignified living wage at Senate House. The organisation has been active since the 80s. At some point they were associated with Unite but now they are separated due to political differences.

Duarte explained: “Unions respond to the Estate and we have been labelled as radicals. This is because we think that nobody is illegal. Everyone has the right to live and work where they please. Most immigrants come here because of the precarious conditions they live in their country of origin and they just come to work. In fact, their workplaces still hire them knowing that they don’t have the necessary legal conditions”.