Join Friends of Hackney Nurseries to hand in our petition
On Wednesday 21st July at 6 p.m.
Friends of Hackney Nurseries will be meeting outside the Town Hall, Mare St, E8 to hand in our petition to the council.
We have invited Rita Krishna, member of Cabinet with responsibility for Children and Young People (and member of the board of the Learning Trust), to receive the petition from us before the Full Council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m.
Thanks to vigorous campaigning by Friends of Hackney Nurseries, some of the 13 nurseries who had their commissioning grants arbitrarily removed in April have had most of their money restored. However, several have not, and have had to cut wages, number of childcare places, and are still in danger of closure.
There are still many unanswered questions about the future of our nurseries, especially in the light of proposed cuts to all public services. And the Learning Trust is still not making itself transparent and accountable to the people of Hackney.
Everyone who cares about nurseries, and indeed all the children of our borough, is welcome to join us – come and show the council and the Learning Trust that we will not be fobbed off.
Girls (and boys?) Come Out to Play, or Why the Fight Against Nursery Cuts Must Involve People of All Genders
In April a number of Hackney’s nurseries had serious and immediate cuts forced upon them without any explanation or prior consultation. Nursery workers, parents and community activists have already begun to organise against the cuts, coming together as Friends of Hackney Nurseries. Although people of all genders have contributed, so far the vast majority of those involved have been women. There are good reasons why the struggle for better childcare might be led by women – childcare workers and primary carers are still predominantly female, and women in general are still the ones responsible for ‘picking up the tab’ when it comes to all forms of reproductive labour. Whether we like it or not, it will be us as women who are most adversely affected by these cuts and our campaign for quality affordable childcare will have our interests as women at the centre of it.
We want to make sure, however, that saving Hackney’s nurseries doesn’t become just another job for the girls. Attacks on childcare provision are everybody’s problem, and they need to be actively resisted by the entirety of our movement – ‘single’ people as well as parents, men as well as women. These nursery cuts are part of wider attacks on our public services, designed to take back even the small gains fought hard for by working people over the last century. We think that struggles around childcare and other forms of domestic labour have for too long been considered outside the realm of the political. We are calling on the male-dominated Left to take this campaign seriously, and to join us today and in the future – not just to defend existing and unsatisfactory public services but to fight for a better way to organise our society and our lives.
Some things you can do right now:
For more information on the campaign and how to get involved go to friendsofhackneynurseries.wordpress.com
Feminist Fightback Join Friends of Hackney Nurseries in Fighting Cuts
At the end of April at least 8 community nurseries in Hackney were informed of immediate cuts in their budget of up to 60%, or about £50,000. This will mean the serious threat of nursery closures, and hardship and distress for parents, workers and children. The Learning Trust and Hackney Council are denying that there is a programme of cuts to nursery provision – so we want to know:
Where has the money gone?
How can nurseries keep running with such drastic cuts?
Why are all the politicians and officers passing the buck and not answering our questions?
After previous successful fights against cuts to nurseries, Friends of Hackney Nurseries has re-activated to fight against cuts, and to fight for even more and better childcare provision locally. We are a group of parents, nursery workers, local residents and community activists who believe that quality childcare should be affordable and accessible to all. Childcare is a basic need for families – especially women. We need to provide childcare as a community – not isolated in our own homes. We need accessible, quality nurseries for all.
Friends of Hackney Nurseries are holding a FUNDAY on Sunday 30th May, 11am-2pm in London Fields. Come and enjoy a day out meeting other people who care about community childcare and show support for the campaign to resist cuts.
There will be all sorts of activities for children including face painting, a raffle, lucky dip, banner making, story telling, and a teddy bears picnic.
And the Struggle Continues: Women’s Liberation 40 Years On
- Sunday 2nd May, 2pm - 6pm
- Marchmont Community Centre, 62 Marchmont St, London WC1N 1AB
- £3 suggested donation waged/ £1 low/unwaged
- Creche provided, please contact us in advance if you will be bringing your child(ren)
- This venue is accessible.
- Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, Euston, Euston Square. Rail: Kings Cross, St Pancras, Euston.
- All genders very welcome.
In 1970 hundreds of women gathered for a free conference at Ruskin College that would launch the Second Wave of feminism. As men provided the childcare, women discussed and debated ideas and experiences, and identified what the aims of the Women’s Liberation Movement as they saw it, should be.
Feminist Fightback invite you to an afternoon of film showings and discussions as we think about how far we have come, what feminism looks like today, how the struggle continues, and put the battles women fight today in the context of the history of the Women’s Liberation Movement.
Films will include:
Journeyman Picture’s A Woman’s Place (1970)
Excerpts from the BBC’s Women series (2010)
And then….Let’s Dance!
join us for an evening of music, drinks and BBQing
7 - 11pm @ Freedom Bookshop, Angel Alley, 84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
small entrance fee will go towards struggle of the cleaners at UBS in the City who are organising against their exploitation at the hands of union-busting bosses.
Please call Laura on 07971 842027 or email feminist.fightback@gmail.com for more information